Elegant displays of massive indifference….

Posted on November 22, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Beauty as we feel it is something indescribable;

what it is or what it means can never be said.

~~ George Santayana ~~

Psychedelic Pluto

Filtered NASA Image from New Horizons Spaccraft via Space.com

Hajime…. This intro is being written under severe conditions of stress and danger; the only thing missing is the live fire. To go any further would require both a lack of tact, and, the proper certification of security clearances, so, we’ll just avoid any problems by not…. We will however, go directly to the oyster beds, as it’s a better defensive position from which to organize our resistance…. ‘Nuff said….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

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Blues Traveler

Image from leoweekly.com via Google Images

These guys are SICK! I mean that in a good way, of course. When they get to rockin’, which is generally from the first crashing note of their performances, all four musicians are focused and intense on making their music the way only they can. John Popper, lead singer and harmonica, is a virtuoso on his instrument, and sings with over-the-top emotional intensity that is gripping as well as compelling….. Fasten your belts, ffolkes, this is a great ride….

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Blues Traveler
Ottowa Folk Festival 9/10/2014

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https://youtu.be/PAe5Jla0xyI

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Due to the previously aforementioned conditions under which we are writing today, I’m going to the archives for a relatively short discussion of Reality…. Let’s see what I had to say back then…..

From 8/19/2012:

“It is now some years since I detected how many were the false beliefs that I had believed to be true since my earliest youth. And since that time, I have been convinced that I must once and for all seriously try to rid myself of all the opinions which I had formerly accepted, and begin to build anew, if I wanted to establish any firm and permanent structure for my beliefs.” — Rene Descartes, Meditations.

For some, reality is an illusion. — Smart Bee

Or, as I’ve said before, reality can be, and usually is, a slippery slope…. Philip K. Dick’s statement is still the best all-around attempt to describe the indescribable; he said, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Perfect, as far as I can see; I’m near-sighted physically, but I can see a very long way when I close my eyes…..

At the same time, Mssr. Descartes most famous declaration on the subject, “Cogito, ergo sum,” (I think, therefore, I am) remains the most eloquent and complete logical proof that Dittoheads do not exist, at least not in the reality of anyone who reasons. ‘Tis unfortunate indeed that such folk occupy actual space in consensual reality, but, then, I’m not in charge of anything outside my own mind, technically…..

“Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.” — Buddha

Trust Buddha to find the heart of the matter, and point the way to an answer of how to keep reality in perspective, thus allowing ourselves the greatest amount of space and time to adjust ourselves accordingly, since adjusting ourselves is all we can really do to reality. A sure path to insanity is to believe that anything other than ourselves can be changed by our own power. We can only “hold fast to Truth” and accept the rest with as much serenity as we can muster…..

“The real in us is silent; the acquired is talkative.” — Kahlil Gibran

On that note, we will bring this to a close…. it’s probably as close as we can get to a true mutual understanding of reality, so any further discussion would border on superfluousness. (I can’t believe it! Spellchecker says that I spelled that right!…. Now I KNOW it’s time to close this….) Stay real, my friends…..

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Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/17/2013.

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Nice icons, eh? I thought a bit of new would go well for an old-school seven-star pearl that just meanders along, talking of life, and stuff…. I like it, and, it’s done, so, there….

Do everything with a mind that lets go.
If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.
If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.
If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom.
Your struggles with the world will have come to an end.

~~ Achaan Chah ~~

“Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I loved, I did not say so.” — David Grayson

“Being generous is inborn; being altruistic is a learned perversity. No resemblance …” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“I would far rather be ignorant than wise in the foreboding of evil.” — Aeschylus — Suppliants, 453

There is no limit to stupidity. Space itself is said to be bounded by its own curvature, but stupidity continues beyond infinity.” — Gene Wolfe

“Live dangerously and you live right.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust (1806)

“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” — Francis Bacon

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Well, it got done; I won’t say, ‘I did it’, because I’m not completely certain I should claim it. I’ll decide that later, I suppose. For now, I’m going to count my chickens, and steal away into my tents…. or, something like that. I’m also going now, but, I’ll be back tomorrow, to try again to get this right….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Positively charged pinnipeds on parade….

Posted on November 1, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

The Warrior at Rest

Bon soir, monsieurs. et madames…. Today I celebrate (if that is the correct word…. perhaps ‘acknowledge’ comes closer to the truth…) my 65th birthday. And, that, you may be sure, is the last you’ll hear of it from me. I’ve got too much on my plate, and mind, to spend much time considering, or spending time on, an event which happens every damn year, and no longer warrants much enthusiasm as a new experience…. It’s like Ronald Raygun said, back in the 60’s (if I remember it right…. tough call for some of the memories from that time….), “if you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen ’em all.” Familiarity, in many cases, CAN breed contempt….

End of story…. Of course, now I’m tasked with finding and employing some other snappy trick with which to open up today’s mess. Over the past four years, I’ve tried a number of methods: nonsense, fiction, ranting, even subletting to a robot. None of it seems to last long, however, so, the daily battle to make this introduction interesting, or, at least enough so to get y’all down the page far enough it’s too late to turn back…. well, it continues to rage unabated, with no logical end in sight. Damn! It’s a good thing we don’t depend on logic, isn’t it?

That’s probably enough fun for one section, even if it only approximates actual fun. We’ve got bigger fish to fry today, even if half the post is from archived material. I figured out it makes little sense to spend too much time on this one, with only a couple days left until I won’t have to jump through so many hoops to get it posted, a five or six step operation that is much less conveniently performed away from home, without even factoring the travel involved, or the added stress on my budget. I’ll be glad when I don’t have to do that any longer, for damn sure… For now,

Shall we Pearl?….

“Whatever you’re doing, it’s not as important as petting the cat.”

~~ Leelu ~~

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royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573

All the choices today are mine, by default; today’s musical choice meets that requirement, with my all-time favorite piece of classical music…. Enjoy!

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Vivaldi
The Four Seasons

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https://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA

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gigoid’s rule of law

Back in early 2013, I received a blogging award from a fellow blogger (if you visit the archives on the date below, you’ll find a link to elliebloo’s site, one of my earliest follows, and followers….) The information I included on moi, if not particularly intimately informative, or complete enough to give up a lot of private stuff, turned out, altogether, quite amusingly accurate. So, to pat my own back for once, here’s what I wrote for receiving the award, whose name I forget at the moment….

From 4/12/2013:

Seven things about gigoid you probably didn’t need, or want to know, but rules are rules…..

1) I am a true curmudgeon (I hate everybody, and everything they do…. equal opportunity cynicism, at your service….), with a large streak of closet romantic in me….. so be it….

2) If you took all of the moments in my life I’ve been truly happy, it would make quite a good 10 minute video…. Just kidding…. Actually, it would have to be considered an epic film, because I’ve been happy, mostly, for much of my life…. I discovered, a long time ago, if we are just happy with the way things are now, then things will work out for the best, most of the time…. In other words, a man who knows he has enough, is rich beyond measure….

3) Apparently, I don’t like to talk about myself, at least not intimately, because I’m stuck here on #3, with no idea of what to say….. Hmm, how’s this?…. I’m giving up Boston Baked Beans for good…. what they do to my guts shouldn’t be allowed in polite society, so we’re parting ways, with no hard feelings, only odoriferous remnants of past repasts…..

4) I am not a Vegan…. in fact, I’d rather eat a Vegan than talk to one…. No, really, just kidding, but, I’ve never understood the impulse toward such ideas…. First, why fight several hundred thousand years of evolution? My body LIKES meat, and processes it as well, or better, than many other foods in that category I like to call rabbit food…..

Sure, I believe in the connection between all life forms, but, given the chance, there are many members of the animal kingdom who would have no objection, philosophical, or otherwise, to eating me, should the opportunity arise…. Sharks, any big cat, wolves, bears, komodo dragons, monitor lizards, any of them would be happy to consume my carcass, cooked or not….. I feel no need to avoid eating them, as long as I appreciate the sacrifice, and grok their spirit….

5) As I grow older, I am finding myself appreciating my years of experience more each day. Tasks I found onerous throughout my life become simpler with the inside knowledge of how things work in the real world, and though I cannot lift as much as I used to, and I walk pretty slowly now, I THINK a lot faster, and there isn’t much I can’t do now than I could as much as twenty years ago…. If I do have to move quickly, or apply some strength to accomplish something, I may pay a higher price, in pain, for doing so, but, in general, I find most stuff easier, because it is familiar, and thereby made simple….

6) What is the mind? This question has fascinated me all of my life, and has provided me, because of the breadth and width and depth of the query, and the implications of whatever speculative answers one may find. It makes the study of people, myself included, a topic of endless fertility, as I try to understand my own mind, and how it works, and how it perceives the universe, as well as watching other people to try to ascertain the answers to the same questions that I see in their behavior, or in their words.

This question has been the central driving force behind all of my curiosity, and hopefully, will continue to stimulate my interest in Life right up to the day the Grim Reaper comes for me….. whereupon he will need to use all his skills and tricks, for I will not go quietly from this plane of existence, even though I do not fear what is next…. I’m just having too good of a time to go when HE wants me to go…. If I’m not done, I’ll be kicking and fighting every step of the way to Hell, or wherever my next stop might be…..

7) Damn! Isn’t that enough?…. Okay, okay, here….. I’m a sucker for a good hat. When I received the money from SS for all the months they had delayed in awarding the benefits, my second purchase was a new hat, followed by the third, a beautiful black homburg with grey trim around the brim…. very classy and dignified…. Hell, it might even get me in to see the Queen when I’m in London, you think?…..

Alright, that’s seven…. Whew! I thought that would NEVER end….

Okay, now I have to notify all the folks in my list of blogs, above, so I’ll be off to do that…. Thanks again to elliebloo for nominating me for this award, which I don’t deserve, but appreciate a lot….

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Writing haiku has always come naturally to me; the numerical requirements seem to fit right in with the way my mind works. I’ve been a bit slack about writing a poem each day for this month’s challenge, choosing instead to pick from my archive. Today, I will force whatever is in there to come out, even if only as haiku…. Let’s hope it’s more than just one of those….. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here: http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Haiku II

An inner light glows
shining out of open eyes;
madness or wisdom?

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Early Observations

Until I knew there was more,
I wanted to know God.
They said he was a nice guy,
and would let me live forever.

All I had to do, they said,
was live my life for Him,
always living by scripture
cleaving only to his Way.

But, everyone I saw in church,
acted different at home.
Living wild, cussin’ and fussin’,
nobody lived like they said.

Still, I tried to be like Jesus,
he was sort of cool.
He never hurt nobody
and walked on the right path.

‘Course they killed him for that,
they couldn’t stand his example.
Turned him into a martyr,
hid his real words among their own.

Then I found the Buddha,
and met Lao Tzu at the gate.
They saw things real different,
showed me how to see straight.

Right thought, and right action
replace blind obedience and faith.
Reality becomes manageable,
fear retreats, the universe expands.

Brother John said it pretty well,
“Imagine there’s no heaven,
it’s easy if you try.”
Sounds like he knew why.

Day to day, life is grand,
we walk in eternal beauty.
Open your eyes and hearts,
find yourself already immortal.

~~ gigoid ~~

Well….. that just popped out, in near-record time…. It doesn’t rhyme, except at a couple points, but, I like it, so, here it is, for better or worse….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken…

_________________________________

Written & posted 4/12/2013.

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I like this one. SB struggled a lot in giving it up; you’ll note more than one pearl you’ve seen before, if you’ve come here often. But, with a few ideas added, expressed in new ways, the message is slightly altered, thus offering yet another opportunity to find that one key thought to lead you onward, into realms unexplored, where enlightenment waits for us to find. If it doesn’t happen this time, well, perhaps the next…..

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“At birth we woke to dream in this world between.”

~~ Kan’ami Kiyotsugu ~~

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”

~~ Seneca ~~

“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.”

~~ Yun-Men ~~

“If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are.
For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained.
Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.”

~~ Saint Augustine ~~

“We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

“Men are born with two eyes, but only one tongue,
in order that they should see twice as much as they say.”

~~ Charles Caleb Colton ~~

“If happiness changes hands, that’s no catastrophe.”

~~ Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter~~

“Not all who wander are lost.”

~~ J. R. R. Tolkien ~~

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

~~ Buddha ~~

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The Colonel’s right; ya gotta love it when a plan comes together; it feels great, even when there was no plan. As I said somewhere above, and meant with all my being, so be it. gigoid has spoken…. and, probably, quite enough for one day. Let’s try it again tomorrow, shall we? As long as the revolution holds of a while, ffolkes, we’re good to go, & I’ll see you mañana…. Well, not SEE you, but, well, you know what I meant…. I hope.

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Passionate chlorides never dissemble….

Posted on October 31, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“God must love assholes — She made so many of them.”

~~ Hilarious Bee ~~

Urban Illusion

Is this thing on?…. Ah, okay, then…. Hello, there, again…. I thought I’d begin with a bit of a different tone today, reflecting reality more closely than is the customary case at this point. Having done so, I’ve saluted the conventions, so to speak, and, should now be free to indulge my whimsy to my heart’s content. If that isn’t possible, I want a refund…. Oh. Wait…. Right. Never mind….

Let’s try this…. I’ve got three or four days to get through until I have internet service at home, and , & the process of getting to a Wi-fi spot in the morning is becoming a pain (of which I already have quite enough, thank you very much….). This doesn’t even begin to factor in all the other crap going on, so, to say it’s a challenging time is both appropriate, and, sadly accurate. To avoid any chance at whining about it, we’ll just go on to the oyster beds, and let Fate do what it may…. Luigi, you know what to do; the rest of you, look intelligent, if you can….

Shall we pearl?

“Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms … but a *dying* culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Loss of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.” — Friday’s boss (“Two Canes” Baldwin)

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Image from express.co.uk.com via Google Images

Jack Bruce is one of Scotland’s shining lights in the musical world; his body of work extends fifty years back in to the dark ages of rock & roll. As a founding member of one of rocks legendary bands, Cream, he stamped his style of playing, and living, on every piece he ever played. I admire him for living his life with gusto, and honor, from all appearances, and, for his obvious love of Life at Large…. Here he is, with mates Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton, from 2005, in the Cream Reunion Concert in London…. Enjoy!….

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Jack Bruce

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https://youtu.be/UJefbp-s9LA

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Le Penseur, “The Thinker” by August Rodin

I have plenty of angst, but, no time to write, as I must go post…. Here’s one from the archives for the purpose of sublimation….

From 4/17/2013:

“A thing is not proved because no one has ever questioned it…Skepticism is the first step towards truth.” — Smart Bee

As I was cruising through Smart Bee this morning, looking for inspiration for section 3, I came across this little gem, unattributed. It sounds like it could have come from a number of different philosophers, all of whom are noted for their wisdom and perspicacity (another great word….). It is also a part of the human flaw that has contributed to many of the problems we face as a society, and as a species.

Actually, it might be more accurate to say that the lack of this in humans is part of the flaw; most people one talks to would not agree with this idea, as stated. In fact, it is directly opposed to the educational premises of many cultures, especially those heavily influenced by religions, such as those in Mexico, Central and South America, where Catholicism is a powerful factor in society, and in the governing of that society. India, and much of the Eastern Hemisphere, too, have societies that are heavily influenced by religion, though with more participant sects than is true in the Western Hemisphere; Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, to name a few, are always a contributing factor in the political events that have shaped history.

“The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G Gaia

As a result of this influence, many people tend to reject skepticism, as it doesn’t fit in with what they have been taught, which is to never question anything told to them by persons in positions of authority. Churches tend to encourage this sort of attitude, as their outrageous claims of divinity, and supernatural events performed by their deities, do not stand up well to scrutiny by an objective eye. The leaders of the churches thus play right into the hands of the Beloved Ruling Class, as they counsel their flocks to obey worldly, temporal authority as readily as they are conditioned to obey the secular variety…..

“I just stepped on a factoid!” – Zippy the Pinhead

Thankfully, not all of humanity is defenseless against this sort of conditioning. There are many ffolkes out there who don’t buy into the sort of psychological blackmail being promulgated by the preachers, priests, imams, and shamans of all shapes and sizes around the world, and a large number of them seem to end up blogging, right here on WordPress…. So, I end up preaching to the choir pretty often. But, that’s okay, too, because I know that occasionally, one of those folks who do believe in what they are told, without any questions or doubts, will read this, and, if nothing else, will think about what I’ve said…. Who knows, maybe I’ll go viral, and the whole world will remember that WE ALL ARE GODS?”…… (Remember? Axiom # 3…. “Thou art God, you know…. Let’s do lunch….)

“Youth of today! Join me in a mass rally for traditional mental attitudes!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I suppose that’s a note from my subconscious, to let me know I’ve gone far enough off the rails for now, and should let these good people get on with their lives, rather than wandering around in mine…. Goodness knows where we’ll end up…. So, anyway, just remember to cultivate your sense of doubt, your “crap detector”, as it were, and never, ever take anything “on authority”, without tangible proof…. You’ll find Life to be less confusing that way; certainly, it makes it a lot easier to look yourself in the mirror in the morning…..

“This is patently absurd; but whoever wishes to become a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by absurdities.” — Bertrand Russell

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Notes of process and program…

Poems, alas, don’t chase through my head,
bumping and pushing each other like brothers at dinner.
They’re more ripped out of my innards, instead.
Time and circumstance reveal no ultimate winner.

Simmering and bubbling near my unconscious mind
these maddening rhymes blind me sans glimmer.
Building until bursting as if to be dined and wined,
the remaining denizens appear much slimmer.

Fiery visions retain such glorious fatal dimension,
in retrospect, yet fail to leave a permanent scar,
until blessed, or cursed, with focused attention,
singing, crying, bleeding, fast as a movie star.

Pretty soon can’t be soon enough, she said
to a chameleon colored thief bathed in moonlight.
Fancy candles in stripes of blue, gold, and red
foster honest dreams in shades of white.

Passage to daylight is problematic, at best:
beastly ghosts of insomniacs cast no shadow.
Even judges with robes can pass the wrong test
while the rest of us go with what we know.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 1/13/2013.

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Not much to say ’bout this one; it’s pretty damn perfect, and will explain itself….

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

“Go ahead and play the blues if it’ll make you happy.” — Homer in “Moaning Lisa”, from The Simpsons

“The secret of man’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for.’ — Fedor Dostoevsky

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” — Plato

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein

“A good word is an easy obligation, but not to speak ill, requires only our silence, which costs us nothing.” — Tillotson

“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” — Oscar Wilde

“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” — W. Somerset Maugham

Fear death?–to feel the fog in my throat,
The mist in my face.
. . . . . . .
No! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers,
The heroes of old;
Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life’s arrears
Of pain, darkness, and cold.

~~ Robert Browning — Prospice ~~

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Coming up with worthwhile writing while in my current mental state is becoming even more of a challenge than usual; I find myself ranting far too often, as my mind works its way through all the CRAP with which the world is keeping me occupied. Gotta say, it’s not as much fun as I had hoped, when I recall my hopes for being retired. But, there are signs of hope, so, we’ll go with that for now. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of enduring…. See y’all sometime in the near future; a precise prediction isn’t feasible…. Deal with it, ffolkes; some days, that’s all you can hope to do….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Ice the melon, warm the brandy….

Posted on September 17, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free.”

~~ Nikos Kazantzakis ~~

NASA Spitzer Telescope Calendar Pictures for 2016

Good morning…. The cat finally let me pick a name for her. She has reacted to only one name, and, as is the usual case, it’s a perfect fit. She is Leeloo; pronounced just as spelled, it’s the name of the female lead character in a Sci-Fi movie, The Fifth Element. The whole movie was a very long drawn out metaphor for the concept that Love is the final element of harmony in our Universe, so, considering the cat’s personality, it fits the metaphor quite well….

The character in the movie was very catlike, anyway, so, it’s all good…. She has signaled her approval of her name by settling down on the edge of the mouse pad to doze while I’m typing this…. Of course, that doesn’t mean a flood of words is filling my head, encouraging me to choose just the right ones to thrill and amaze y’all with my new-found brilliance; in fact, nothing of the sort is happening in this head, or any other head in the immediate neighborhood. Even Leeloo has gone to sleep, finding this missive, thus far, to be less than stimulating….

I’m afraid I’ve been thrust into the grasp of a new learning curve, and will be manipulated into adjusting even more of my writing habits to suit the needs and/or desires of a small creature who is fascinated by every move I make at this computer. Already, as is patently obvious, the content has expanded exponentially, to include her antics, and progress in the molding of the household to her standards. SIGH…. I was JUST getting comfortable the way I was….. Axiom #2 in action, I would say….

Now we’ve received the morning metaphor from the Universe, it might be a good idea to get this slow on the road…. I know, let’s do this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I’ve reached that age when a good day is one when you get up and nothing hurts.” — H. Martin

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Milla Jojovich as LeeLoo in The Fifth Element

Image from http://www.moviedata.net via Google Images

The movie from which LeeLoo’s name was chosen is still protected, so, to see it, you’ll need to find a copy yourself… I’ve included a You Tube exploration of some of the movie’s lesser known anomalies, on a page where you can see any number of clips from the movie, to get an idea of why I’ve named my cat after a fictional genetically enhanced goddess, in the role of a metaphor for the power of human love…. Enjoy!….

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9 Things You Didn’t Know about The Fifth Element

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https://youtu.be/EdKSKeBqmEw

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I’ve spent a lot of time, and words, detailing what I believe to be wrong with human nature, and, with the loss of integrity, honor, and sense of personal responsibility displayed by the vast majority of Americans, both in and out of government. I’m not in the mood to rant about it, because I’m in a lot of pain, and it might color my words to the point of irascibility, which detracts from its power of persuasion…. Well, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Here, instead, is a short, seven-star pearl to accomplish the same purpose; each of these is something either missing from the American character, or, is all-too-present to do anyone any good….

“Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!” — Albert Einstein

“Moral certainty is always a sign of cultural inferiority. The more uncivilized the man, the surer he is that he knows precisely what is right and what is wrong. All human progress, even in morals, has been the work of men who have doubted the current moral values, not of men who have whooped them up and tried to enforce them. The truly civilized man is always skeptical and tolerant, in this field as in all others.His culture is based on “I am not too sure.” — H.L. Mencken

“You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.” — George Bernard Shaw

“I know of no book which has been a source of brutality and sadistic conduct, both public and private, that can compare with the Bible.” — Lord Paget

“One of the most frightening things in the Western world, and in this country in particular, is the number of people who believe in things that are scientifically false. If someone tells me that the earth is less than 10,000 years old, in my opinion, he should see a psychiatrist.” — Francis H.C. Crick

“One of the annoying things about believing in free will and individual responsibility is the difficulty in finding someone to blame your troubles on.And when you do find someone, it’s remarkable how often their picture turns up on your driver’s license.” — P. J. O’Rourke

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” — Albert Einstein

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Blithely Untitled

A poem came to me today, willy, nilly,
along with a sharp blow to the head.
Since it left me feeling just a bit silly,
anything that rhymes should lessen the dread.

Manifesting destiny into a small, insidious group
we push on toward sanity, concentrating hard.
Full engaging moments spent navigating the loop
shall ever make a difference to victims found in the yard.

Still corpses of creatures, straight out of nightmare
fill up the corners of our tortured minds.
While ever saddened, the iconic male, most debonair,
gazes softly, ironically, at all the mutual interest he finds.

Moronic public statutes compel outbreaks of sanity,
responding to momentary impulses toward inducing peace.
Still, the motions get completed, in fertile stages of inanity
while the bulk of our inmates can find no surcease.

Reluctant motivation to continue is unbound,
striving to ascertain how far there yet remains to go.
No precognitive guesswork will make any less of a sound
to soften the final strains, or teach us to truly know.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 27/2014.

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From 2/28/2013:

Against the Word the unstilled world still whirled
About the center of the silent Word.

~~ T.S. Eliot ~~

I’ve always been fond of this little snippet from T.S.; it has a certain charm to it. I find to be pleasantly complex, while yet describing a very basic idea. Of course, it’s not a rantable item, nor particular helpful in any sort of self-improvement activities. But, I don’t much care, I just like it, so there….

Actually, I’ve included it where it is as a filler; Smart Bee is being particularly uncooperative this morning. It’s almost as if it were suffering from what I am, and is trying to tell me, to wit:

” — Bother! said Pooh, as his fur turned gray and he began losing his memory.” — Smart Bee

So, in the face of such obstruction, I have only one defense, and that is to go old-school, reverting back to the type of pearls as demonstrated in section one today…. I give you therefore, the next in a seemingly endless parade of aphorisms, all pointed in one direction, or at least, one dimension….. Let’s see what we find….

Content if hence th’ unlearn’d their wants may view,
The learn’d reflect on what before they knew.

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Criticism, Part iii, Line 180 ~~

“Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice: It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” — William Jennings Bryan

“Our genetic heritage endows each of us with a series of emotional set-points that determines our temperament. But the brain circuitry involved is extraordinarily malleable; temperament is not destiny.” — Daniel P. Goleman

“It is one of the commonest of mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all there is to perceive.” — C. W. Leadbeater

“I have learned this at least by my experiment: if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” — Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”

“Metaphysical totalitarianism of any kind stifles the freedom we have as human beings. It is not acceptable to have a religion where the alternative to faith is punishment – that’s how you train dogs, not develop people.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“There was once a man, Harry, called the Steppenwolf. He went on two legs, wore clothes and was a human being, but nevertheless he was in reality a wolf of the Steppes. He had learned a good deal of all that people of a good intelligence can, and was a fairly clever fellow. What he had not learned, however, was this: to find contentment in himself and his own life.” — Hermann Hesse, Steppenwolf

Not bad, a seven star pearl, in less than a hundred clicks…. I’ll take it, and run…..

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This process has become even more of a struggle to complete; perhaps it will settle down a bit as the kitten requires less attention, though, that may take a while. Ah well, it’s done, and only about 3 hours later than usual… I must say, it’s nice to have LeeLoo sleeping on the mouse pad as I write, even if I have to move the mouse elsewhere…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, come what may….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Are we liable for the fish livers?….

Posted on August 31, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life:

that word is love.”

~~ Sophocles ~~

Defiant Beauty

Good morning…. According to Princess Irulan, beginnings are a time to take particular care in our actions, for they can affect the course of the future. Though not quoted exactly, it remains true by all evidence to be found. Hence, I am taking care with this Pearl, for it is a special one to me.

I was going to explain in the ranting section, but, a sort-of rant grew into that space, so, we’ll cover it here…. This Pearl will be, possibly, the last you will see for a period of approximately two weeks, with a few exceptions, should I find the time while moving from place to place. Yep, I’m hitting the road. as I’ve threatened to do for a while now. I leave tomorrow morning early to catch a flight to Europe. where I’ll be exploring the places I’ve wanted to see for a long time….

I’m so jazzed, I can barely think, much less write, but, duty is duty, once chosen. I’m going to show extreme discipline today, by NOT fussing around at all here in the intro. Business done, we’ll go directly to today’s effort/mess, after telling you the only posts you might see are some photo essays of my travels…. Keep your eye on this space for more news. If all goes as planned these Pearls will resume on approximately September 18, the day after my return flight. Given my age, it might be the 19th; I don’t recover as quickly as when I was younger…. For now,

Shall we Pearl?….

“The hour is striking so close above me, so clear and sharp, that all my senses ring with it. I feel it now: there’s a power in me to grasp and give shape to my world. I know that nothing has ever been real without my beholding it. All becoming has needed me. My looking ripens things and they come toward me, to meet and be met.” — Rainer Maria Rilke, from Book of Hours

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This song is an iconic folk/rock song, written by a legendary songwriter who never made it big in the mainstream, but, was known and loved by all his musical peers. The song Seven Bridges Road has been covered by a huge number of artists, including the biggest, most well known version by The Eagles… Following the link to the page where the video is kept will show you a number of other covers, of this song, and his other works…. I’d forgotten all about him, until a friend sent me the song as a quiz…. Enjoy!….

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Seven Bridges Road
Steve Young

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https://youtu.be/Ok27kvEy4os

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[From an announcement of a congress of the International Ontopsychology Association, in Rome]:

The Ontopsychological school, availing itself of new research criteria and of a new telematic epistemology, maintains that social modes do not spring from dialectics of territory or of class, or of consumer goods, or of means of power, but rather from dynamic latencies capillarized in millions of individuals in system functions which, once they have reached the event maturation, burst forth in catastrophic phenomenology engaging a suitable stereotype protagonist or duty marionette (general, president, political party, etc.) to consummate the act of social schizophrenia in mass genocide. — Random Smart Aleck

I LOVE this! It’s an absolutely irrefutable statement of the human condition; it’s a bit sticky to get through, but, if one is able to follow the convolutions and anomalies inherent in such a gem of gobbledygook, one finds it is absolute truth. In essence, when boiled down into its simplest expression this says, and, I quote: “People fight, kill each other, lie, cheat, steal, and, in general, have a history of mad violence because they are, incontrovertibly, bat-shit crazy.”

“The subject of a sentence and the principal verb should not, as a rule, be separated by a phrase or clause that can be transferred to the beginning.” — Writing Rule 44

Oh, shoot! I had this really cool thought process all worked out to use, with the help of the above quote, which, on first look, has little to do with this rant. But, I was going to amaze y’all with the brilliance of the connection, before using the switch to demonstrate the point to be made…. However, my excitement for the upcoming trip has completely obliterated it. Nowhere to be found….

Ah well, I guess I’ll just perform another chameleon-like color change, and move toward a lesson of ethics…. Ah, I know…. Instead of worrying about all the other bat-shit crazy denizens of the planet, let’s just consider the words of the Buddha…. Here are two of my favorite of his aphorisms, both a huge part of my own philosophy of life… You can take these as given, for anyone wishing to life with honor and peace…. See ya down the page….

“Believe nothing merely because you have been told it… Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings — that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.” — Buddha

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Funny Bones

Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.

Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.

Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.

Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 5/13/2013.

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Thankfully, today’s final old-school pearl came together fairly smoothly. It’s another group of good advice; pay heed to these, and your life could very well go a lot smoother than heretofore possible…. Really…. Or, not. Up to you, actually…. Enjoy!….

“Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation. For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets.” — Albert Einstein

“It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.” — Abraham Lincoln

“Learning is ever in the freshness of its youth, even for the old.” — Aeschylus (525-456 BC) — Agamemnon, 584

“To use words but rarely is to be natural.” — Lao Tzu

“Ya gotta be subtle!” — Mike Hammer

“It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, “Always do what you are afraid to do.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To philosophize is to doubt.” — Montaigne

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo Buscaglia

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

~~ William Cullen Bryant — Thanatopsis ~~

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There will be one more Pearl, tomorrow morning, right before I pack the final items, including the computer, to bid thee a fond adieu…. Until then, I won’t bother with the usual penultimate nonsense. I’ll just say, see ya tomorrow, ffolkes. Count on it one last time, for the nonce….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Is this the unused receipt line?…

Posted on August 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Better bend than break.”

~~ Scottish Proverb ~~

Full Moon Rising, 8/29/2015 ~~ Northern California

Good morning…. I promised a blogging friend a photo of the Supermoon from last night; lo and behold, here ’tis! It’s not bad, but, convinces me I need to upgrade my camera a bit…. I guess an 8-10 year old, five mega-pixel version is getting a little out of date. My phone is rated with more pixels, but, since I only use it as a phone, it doesn’t help me at all. Ah well, I guess that’s what photo editing software is for….

Wasn’t that just riveting? What an opening! Drama, the hook, strong language, all ther….. well, okay, so, none of that is there. So what? YOU try coming up with something cool and interesting EVERY EFFING DAY! I’ll tell ya, it ain’t easy. But, I digress, as usual….

Hmm…. Y’know, this seems to have escaped from control rather quickly, hasn’t it? I’m having a tough time this morning, if you hadn’t noticed. Nothing in the head, but for this nonsense. Not that nonsense hasn’t worked for us in the past; no, no, it’s been a real trooper in that respect. No, it’s merely the sheer insanity of this particular nonsense which makes it unsuitable, even for this. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for what happens, should I allow it to show its scary little face….

Instead, I think we’ll head on out to the oyster beds, & see if we can’t find a pearl or two…. Since that’s our intended purpose, anyway, it should work out well. As long as we don’t try to think about it, we’ll be fine…. Hell, let’s just forget all the regs, and do this one nude! Okay, everybody strip!…. No? Oh, well, can’t blame a guy for trying…. Instead, let’s do this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men were within a finger’s breadth of being mad; for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out, folks would think him mad, but not so if it were his forefinger.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi

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Y’all won’t be surprised, I’m sure, to find we’ve gone to our default music today…. However, today it will be a little different. I’ve mentioned radio station KDFC before, as being the best classical music station to ever exist (well, actually, I haven’t made that claim before, but, it’s likely very true, so, we’ll let it stand, and just call it mild hyperbole….). Below is a link to the station’s home page, where you can click the “Listen Live” button, to hear a fine selection of the world’s best music…. It’s all I’ve got today, but, it’s enough…. Abondanza!….

http://www.kdfc.com/

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Some of y’all might wonder what that picture is doing above the ranting section. Others won’t care at all. Me, I’ll just tell you this; this is no ordinary rant….

In fact, it’s not a rant at all; it’s merely a statement of insanity from yours truly, to furnish y’all with the latest information on the status of my inner serenity, or, lack thereof…. It’s an annual thing, required by the law that allows me to remain outside the facility…. No, you don’t want to know….

That said, I realize the measure of my coherency is a bit of a conundrum; all of the tools designed to measure human intelligence, and/or levels of sanity in said humans, are somewhat useless applied to me, as I haven’t been human for years…. but, that’s another story, for another time. For now, allow me to just say this, and we’ll go on to the poetry section, where you’ll find a surprise…. a brand new poem, which spurted out of me unexpectedly yesterday afternoon….

Here’s the thing; I’ve decided sanity isn’t such a big deal. I mean, I’ve tried it, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Oh, sure, they’ll tell you it can’t be done, you can’t make it through your life without it. But, so far, I haven’t found it to be of any particular use; why should it, when the entire society in which we live penalizes everyone who displays it? Every time I try to display a rational, sane response to this insane world, it gets crazier. What can you do with a world like this, but, kick it down the stairs?….

I just realize I haven’t provided any context; you have no clue what I’m talking about do you? I thought not; there were too many frowns and confused faces. Well, too bad; life’s full of disappointments, isn’t it? Y’all will just have to make do without it, this time, at least. Why? Well, because there ISN’T any context. None of this means anything, and I’m not going to explain at all…

Instead, I’ll just quit. This section is already kaput, anyway; there’s no way in hell I can save it, and, why bother. It’s all a bunch of crap, and none of us have any real meaning. Bah! Humbug! Merde! Or, as we’re wont to say downtown, what the fuck?

Okay, that’s it. I’m calling a halt to this. It’s completely broken, and I don’t see any way to fix it….Let’s just consider this a complete loss, and leave it here, where it can die an unnatural death…. I don’t know just what the hell that was, but, it sure wasn’t a rant…. James Joyce nightmare I guess…

Oh well, it can’t all be Faulkner, can it?….

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As noted above, this one is new; I hope you like it….

Platitudes for Attitudes

Platitudes shake us, attitudes break us.
Life can be a real pain, y’know?
Still, if we don’t fight where it takes us,
it’s a pretty straight row to hoe..

A lot of what we see and hear
isn’t always in the best of taste.
Life at large can be a long frisson of fear.
Making an effort often seems a huge waste.

Pundits, dogma dogs, myrmidons, oligarchs & pimps;
assholes and predators every one.
Twisted, sick, anti-humans; anomalous, ignorant wimps.
Purest logic says, every time, lobotomize ’em, & be done.

Illusions, delusions, confusions, a dedicated data dump,
bilious, divisive, spicy with hatred and fears.
Inflation, immigration, promises from the clownish Trump
Even such base survival is left heavy with tears.

Ancient sages left signs on the path to peace,
for those with wit to see.
No need for undue effort, no quest for golden fleece.
All we ever really need to do, is be.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 8/29/2015.

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What to say of this pearl? As random as Entropy can make it; though loose, it does not wobble. Though random, it is not less real. I haven’t the foggiest notion what I was thinking, but, I have a suspicion it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. That said, you will understand why I issue a precautionary note, to help you to comprehend what has occurred. That note, which was originally translated from ancient Sumerian, says, “Show caution, and wisdom; tread carefully, lest your brain turn to crap.” Really, it said that….

JABBERWOCKY

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And thou hast slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

~~ Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass” ~~

“The best way to make children good is to make them happy.” — Oscar Wilde

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain

“Life without the courage for death is slavery.” — Seneca

“Arguments derived from probabilities are idle.” — Plato

“If you are too busy to read, then you are too busy.” — Literary Bee

“Self-pity is the worst poverty.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan

“Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it.” — James Stephens

“If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.” — Khalil Gibran

“Remember, ‘nowhere’ is also ‘now here’.” — Random Smart Bee

“Curiouser and curiouser!”

~~ Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” ~~

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Well, it’s done. I wasn’t sure I could do it; apparently I can…. Moreover, having done so, I’ll even show some rather good sense, & be done with it for today. I don’t think I could do any more damage than I’ve already accomplished, anyway. I’ll be back tomorrow, ffolkes, with some interesting news to relate…. See y’all then, unless you figure out a way to get out of it….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Heretical truth , though heresy, remains truth….

Posted on August 25, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

I slept and drempt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was duty.

I acted and beheld that duty was joy.

~~ Rabindranath Tagore ~~

Take me to your leader, and don’t try anything funny!

Image from the UK Telegraph 8/4/2015

Good morning…. Before we actually begin today, I should relate a small but relatively important piece of new information about these Pearls in general, and, more specifically, about individual pearls, and their attribution. As I’ve shared previously, (though not recently; hence this housekeeping event…), when Smart Bee gives me an aphorism/quote/statement without attribution, I try to take time to plug it into Google, which usually can identify it. When it can’t, and I can’t figure out any other way to find out, I just give Smart Bee the attribution, and let it go at that.

From today on, whenever I feel like it, in such cases where the final attribution for any quote is to go to SB, I may, or may not, provide a short, pithy comment on the pearl itself, in the format of an addition/change to the usual form, e.g., Very Smart Bee, or, Sarcastic Bee, etc. It’s just another little way I can let off a bit of steam, which is part of the cathartic effect of the blogging process…. for me. I know for sure there are others who use this process to maintain their sanity, so, I’m not alone in that; hopefully, this little addition will help smooth it out for me, and, in the process, give y’all a chuckle or two…

So be it. gigoid has spoken. We now return you to your regularly scheduled intro, as this portion was pre-recorded for my convenience, then, locked in the Tardis until time to paste in here…. Slick, eh? Okay, here’s your intro….

Gotcha! Okay, Luigi, I think they’re sufficiently stunned; let’s hit it…. Oh, y’all might want to hold on to something, no matter how apt what George says below may, or may not be; bumpy is too mild a word when Luigi’s on a roll….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The power to stand alone is worth acquiring at the expense of much sorrowful solitude.” — George Bernard Shaw

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In today’s video/music/entertainment section, we are going to listen to some more of my default choice, i.e., classical music. As a bonus, just below this paragraph, you will find an extra link. This link will take you to the home page of the SF Bay Area’s classical music radio station, KDFC. On their home page, you will find a button that says, “Listen Live”; click the button, to be connected to the streaming channel for KDFC, where you can listen to one of the finest selections of music ever compiled.

Though fully listener-supported, they stream their programs for free; on the home page you can also connect to listen to archived recorded music of various Bay Area events, such as the SF Symphony, every Wednesday evening, and other recordings…. And, you can listen to this fine selection ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!….. FOR FREE!….

An excellent resource, I’d say…. Enjoy: http://www.kdfc.com/

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Classical Music For Sleep

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https://youtu.be/dZzA9LesTS0

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“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

I’ve always felt a kinship to Aristotle; everything I’ve read attributed to him, and everything I’ve read about him, makes obvious his genius, not only for its depth of wisdom and rationality, but, for its simplicity, and, most importantly, its connection to what is human. This statement exhibits all those qualities, even though merely a general statement of truth as it applies to human nature.

Examining it for the depth of meaning implied by its simplicity explains a lot, about why the world we live in today has become such a burden to the common man, as society sinks ever further into the naturally occurring chaos which is the only possible outcome of such an unbalanced approach to society. The continuing repression of the masses of humanity by the oligarchy can never lead to any sort of harmonious existence for all; there will always be resentment for the all-too-apparent inequality of privilege, heavily in favor the few, over the many.

Trust Aristotle to put his finger on the core problem; humans are so constructed they cannot seem to handle the acquisition of power over others without losing their sense of morality, choosing every time to act in their own self-interest over that of others, regardless of the consequences for those others. They become so focused on the money and power, and their own desires, nothing else matters to them; not ethics, not morals, and certainly not the welfare of other people. One might think there would at least ONE historical report, which describes another outcome, but, I defy anyone to show me any, anywhere in the recorded history of mankind, from the days of ancient Greece, right up to the present, when society did not eventually fall prey to the same inner corruption we see today.

I’ve issued this challenge previously, and never received a single response; I suspect this is because there IS no adequate response (The more realistic side of me says it’s probably because not very many people see these pearls… but, the argument remains the same.). Any such period of time showing any truly ethical form of government was short-lived, as the oligarchy, in every case, has, over time, used their hidden resources to buy treachery, and to manipulate events to suit themselves…. a process at which they have become VERY adept.

Today’s world, with its new technology, threatens to turn our world into a truly dystopian nightmare, with less than .00001% of the people in the world oppressing the remaining seven billion, enforced by their typical violent means, with the added enhancement of computers and robots to assist them in their aim, which, put simply, is nothing less than to enslave the rest of the human race for their own benefit.

Once again, it seems I could rant forever; it also seems, sometimes, as if I already have. So, I’m mostly done, at least for today….. Here are three quick pearls, to give my opinion on the government we have today, then a short finishing blurb…. These 3 are pretty sharp, and pretty clear; no two-by-four needed….

“All forms of government are pernicious, including good government.” — Edward Abbey

“Love of money is the root of all Politicians.” — Obvious Bee

Laws are only words words written on paper, words that change on society’s whim and are interpreted differently daily by politicians, lawyers, judges, and policemen. Anyone who believes that all laws should always be obeyed would have made a fine slave catcher. Anyone who believes that all laws are applied equally, despite race, religion, or economic status, is a fool.” — John J. Miller, And Hope to Die — (in _Jokertown Shuffle – Wild Cards IX_)

I really think it is time for the people of the world to become aware of how ubiquitously they are being lied to, and, how they are enslaved, with their own tacit, ignorant agreement. When that time comes, when people finally realize their true state, it won’t matter how much control the oligarchs THINK they have. What do you think will happen to the predators of mankind when their prey, all 6+ BILLION of them, all get angry at once?… It wouldn’t be particularly hard to get the message across, as most people have heard the story, if only in music…. such as this, from the English speaking world… (I imagine it would translate well; most music is flexible enough to transcend mere language….)

And the sentence you’re paying is too high priced
While you’re living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he’s made on your dreams

~~ Traffic, “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” ~~

No amount of technology, no degree of control would be sufficient to protect them, for when all of mankind realizes the truth, the following would become even more relevant, on a scale unheard of in history….

“Beware of that person who is slow to anger. For when it is long in coming, it stays longer and is warmer and dies not so easily. Abused patience is a very strong fuel for a fire not easily put out by any known means.” — Ancient Smart Bee

Hey, it’s a nice dream, isn’t it? Now I just need to write the song…. You Tube can take care of getting it out to most of mankind….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.

Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 8/18/2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s a nice little nine-star pearl, with some good stuff to say about life, and the advantages of at least pretending to use one’s mind to live it…. sort of. You’ll see….

“I think, …. Do You?”

~~ Diogenes Bee ~~

” Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The eyes are not responsible when the mind does the seeing.” — Publius Syrus

“But the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” — Arthur C. Clarke (1917-) — Profiles of the Future (1962; rev. 1973) — “Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination”

“The universe is not indifferent to intelligence, it is actively hostile to it.” — Realistic Bee

“A belief is not true because it is useful.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

“Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.” — Phaedrus — Book i, Fable 26, 12

“Do you know that disease and death must needs overtake us, no matter what we are doing? What do you wish to be doing when it overtakes you? If you have anything better to be doing when you are so overtaken, get to work on that.” — Epictetus

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, ffolkes, I’ve been over it twice, or three times now; I can’t find anything I missed. I guess it’s done. Damn good thing, too, as I’ve been done for some time. I hope none of what occurred after that point gets me in any deeper than I am already. Time will tell; it always does. It never can keep its mouth shut. Today, I just hope it can do so until I’ve safely donned my protective armor. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, ambush, or no ambush….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Cream pie has no observable limits….

Posted on August 23, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“My nose feels like a bad Ronald Reagan movie…”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

“Do ya think they’ll let us enter the Iditarod, Alonzo?”

Image from the UK Telegraph 8-4-2015

Good morning…. You may have noted the absence of the little pieces of ASCII art I was planning to include here from now on…. That’s because I don’t speak HTML, and couldn’t figure out how to enlarge them on the final viewing page of the posts; all I could get them to do was show up in their smallest incarnation, which was way too small…. So, they’re history, and I say that with gusto and aplomb, just as if anyone had really noticed, or gave a rat’s ass….

Oh! Wasn’t THAT lovely!…. Okay, ffolkes, I’m here, but, I don’t think I’d go any further than that. (And, probably shouldn’t even try….) But, I’m up, at 0230 again, so….. If I have to be here, somebody’s going to pay!…. I’ll try not to make it my Gentle Readers, but, I’d stay alert, if I were y’all. I’m afraid, in this mood, I can be a bit unpredictable….

Oh, nobody’s in any real physical danger (unless, of course, they panic at loud noises, or can’t find any appreciation at having to absorb a few minor blows to the head….), but, the stress levels have been known to top out the scale on occasion; it’s really no problem, as we offer Valium for those of our readers who need it, or, even, want it. We’re not your mother…

Nor are we particularly sane at this point in time (like that wasn’t already clear!…). Of course, sanity is a bit of a slippery concept around here, anyway, (hell, it’s not even included in the insurance!), so, none of that is of any particular significance…. Actually, I guess we COULD say that NONE of the above has any particular significance, and, we’d be right about that, too. We like being right, it’s so much easier, and cheaper, than being left.

Okay, that’s it. I’ve crossed the line, again. I’m making an executive (i.e., ruthless) decision, to get us the hell out of here before we manage to do something that could stimulate litigation. We HATE that! (Who doesn’t?…) Okay, I’m done. Let’s get on with this mess, okay?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.” — Knights of Pythagoras

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Image from listal.com via Google Images

This will, no doubt, remove any covers I may have had for my romantic nature, which, due to extensive training as a curmudgeon, I try to conceal as best I can… This piece was sent to me a few days ago by a friend, and I was so enchanted, I decided to include it for the enjoyment of my Gentle Readers…. If you can’t find it in yourself to sigh a couple times, and to feel some joy at the music and story, well, y’all need to lighten up… Enjoy!….

***********************

Elvira Madigan -Piano Concerto No.21

***********************

https://youtu.be/qi_J3_co3dQ

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the iconic picture above indicates to those Gentle Readers who inexplicably frequent this blog, we’ll be dipping into the archives today. It’s not that I don’t have time to write a fresh rant; in fact, I have one in progress. But, it’s looking as if it won’t be done soon enough, as it keeps growing on me. So, I’ll do the exact thing tomorrow’s rant will address, and cheat….. This is a little follow-up to a religirant from the day previous to the date you see below; it’s pretty light, all things considered, so, enjoy the day off from wearing your thinking caps….

From 9/8/2012:

It is popularly supposed that between those who use the word “God” and those who do not there is some great gulf. But the gulf lies elsewhere. It lies between those who dogmatize, either positively or negatively, and those who recognize in great humility that something within them bears witness to realities which may be momentous in our lives, but which lie beyond the grasping net of our categories of thought. — Smart Bee

Yet more proof of Murphy’s presence in Life…. or, in my life, anyway….. Yesterday I wrote about this subject, expounding as I am wont to do with no little enthusiasm, trying to bring some clarity to a naturally murky subject (it’s hard to pin down anything solidly when the subject under discussion is a matter of conjecture, not physically present to be examined….). Then, later in the day, I come across this one short paragraph, that summarizes my 3-400 words succinctly in three lines, and very clearly, for all its brevity. SIGH….. So much for originality, eh? Though I don’t know who said it, I salute them….

“In answer to the question of why it happened, I offer the modest proposal that our Universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.” — Edward P. Tryon

Once more, I have to agree with the author, especially as it gives a sort of pat on the shoulder to the paragraph above, as if sharing an obvious point. Serendipity, I say, and well met….

“When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it.” — Bernard Bailey

This one, when viewed in light of the previous two quotes, made me smile, big….. now, why is that? Because when he says a lot, he means, A LOT OF PEOPLE!…..

“And don’t tell me God works in mysterious ways, Yossarian continued There’s nothing mysterious about it, He’s not working at all. He’s playing. Or else He’s forgotten all about us. That’s the kind of God you people talk about, a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth hayseed. Good God, how much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of Creation? What in the world was running through that warped, evil, scatological mind of His when He robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements? Why in the world did He ever create pain?” — Joseph Heller, Catch 22

Funny how people under stress always get so close to the truth; it makes the one who hears it more nervous and upset than he who said it…. or it that just me? Of course it is…. Why shouldn’t it be me? What’s the matter with me? Don’t you like me?….. Sorry…. any who, let’s see what else the magic can find….

“Every sensible man, every honest man, must hold the Christian sect in horror. But what shall we substitute in its place? you say. What? A ferocious animal has sucked the blood of my relatives. I tell you to rid yourselves of this beast and you ask me what you shall put in its place?” — Voltaire

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?…

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

~~ T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” ~~

I’m not sure why, but this excerpt from T.S. Eliot seems to be the perfect finishing line for the above meandering treatise…. and it is as close to a verifiable point as we’re going to get today, I can tell…. so, best leave it be for now, and go on to something else…. Or, in this case, to something the same….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s poem was chosen merely because it’s the one which hasn’t been used for the longest time; last posted in 2013, this one is one of my personal favorites, no matter how it compares qualitatively with any of the others…. I hope you enjoy it….

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/17/2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s final pearl is pretty typical; it speaks about some of those things in life it can be important to remember, in order to live the life we choose to live…. Well, in one sense, I suppose we all do that, whether we choose or not; not choosing is also a choice…. But, I digress…. Enjoy, ffolkes; once you get past this, it’s a piece o’cake….

“If you would know a man, observe how he treats a cat.” — Smart Bee

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so, it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.” — Henry Van Dyke

“Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.” — Bertold Brecht

“To be able to say how much love, is love but little.” — Petrarch

It is a man”‘s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.” — Buddha

“The choices we make dictate the life we lead. There is no destiny; you make your own fate.” — Smart Bee

“Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is boring without it.” — Pearl S. Buck

If of all words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are, `It might have been,’
More sad are these we daily see:
`It is, but hadn’t ought to be.’

~~ Francis Brett Harte ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not only a piece o’cake, but, chocolate marble cake with a caramel-buttercream frosting!…. Yum! Unless, of course, you’d prefer the German Chocolate, which we keep on hand. No? Too early for that much sugar? No worries; it’ll keep. Having completed my self-inflicted duty, so will I, until tomorrow, when I’ll get up at goodness knows what hour to begin all this again…. Oh, yay. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I don’t see any way I can get out of it….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Epiphany for sale: affordable rates….

Posted on August 21, 2015 by gigoid

☬

Ffolkes,

=-0 * * *

~~ The Enterprise firing photon torpedoes, at a cloaked Klingon Warbird ~~

=-O ~~~~~ =۞≫

~~ The Enterprise firing phasers at an uncloaked Klingon Warbird ~~

This rich view of a tapestry of colourful stars was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a open cluster of stars known as IC 4651, a stellar grouping that lies at in the constellation of Ara (The Altar).

Star Cluster IC-4651

Image by European Southern Observatory via Space.com

Good morning…. Boy, what a ride! Life can be pretty unpredictable, especially when you’re awake. Sleep, having been hard to come by of late, has apparently returned to stay for a while; I’m up late (for me; it’s damn near 6 AM….), having again slept more than 6 hours. Yay for me. Now, once again, I’ll have to rush to get posted before my automatic sense of duty kicks in to REALLY send me into panic mode. To forestall any such event, we shall now head out directly to the oyster beds, with no further fooling around…. Watch this!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” — James Baldwin (1867-1947)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

☬

You guessed it. Default music…. This one called itself a mix to improve Brain Power, and gives you about 10 hours to do so…..

***********************

Classical Music

***********************

https://youtu.be/EWDwa5ToY3o

***********************

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

☬

The Dawn of Man

https://youtu.be/ypEaGQb6dJk

As you observe the opening lines of this section, I’d like you to note a couple of details, which were deliberately added for the purpose of directing this discussion. First, I would request you watch the video, either by clicking on the embedded player, or using the link to watch it on You Tube…. Particularly note the development of the habit of violence in the human tribe of simians, with the not unexpected eventual response of stimulating the curiosity and violence in the nature of those abused by that new habitual behavior, thus, perpetuating it as part of the developing embryonic cultures.

Then, note I put the title just below a picture of the part of the film which shows humanity’s progress, with the Blue Danube waltz playing in the background, to highlight the pinnacle of achievement thus represented by the station, the flight, and the music, combined to show what is possible for us as humans. The title, to me, shows the TRUE dawn of Man.

We aren’t quite as far along yet, as shown in the film, (directly attributable, it seems clear to me, to the effect our violent nature has had in slowing that progress..); however, to me, our ascent from this planet into space is the only hope we have to get away from that violence, sublimating the power of the emotional content that drives it, by channeling our curiosity, into exploring a Universe large enough to provide us with an unending pursuit of knowledge, and more complex and powerful methods of getting along with the races we encounter out there, rather than into more complex and powerful weaponry, while simultaneously giving us the necessary physical protection of knowing HOW to fight.

The irony of putting the title at that point is this: we are NOT going to get there. Not at the rate we’re going. There is too much instability in the world today to ever believe we won’t end up destroying ourselves, either by consuming conflagration of nuclear war, or by continuing to poison the air we breathe, the food we eat, the plants and animals that support the ecosystem, and, most of all, by our ignorance and lack of courage/virtue….. The signs are too clear to ignore, ffolkes, so, it would behoove all of us to figure out exactly what we’re going to do…. quickly, too, for there are certain issues of physics/biology/chemistry/ecology which will NOT wait until we get around to it….

“As soon as you are willing to discard observational data because it conflicts with religion, you are giving up any hope of ever really understanding the universe. As soon as you pick religion as the touchstone of reality, then we have to start discussing how one can demonstrate the correctness of one religion over another when different *religions* disagree.” — Wilson Heydt

“The answer is simple: kill the heretics. History shows us that this is the actual solution that competing religions apply — trial by combat or trial by ordeal. God is the final arbiter. What a sad waste of human potential it has proven to be.” — Paul Hager

The two quotes above, taken together, give a graphic example of how this irony manifests itself in today’s world. The oligarchs control the politicians and the religions, and the politicians and religions try to control the masses of humanity, playing out their drama of good vs. evil on a global scale, at such a complex, mind-numbing number of times, places, and on so many fronts, the average person is buried in the details and stresses of life, never even realizing how deeply their thoughts and behavior are being influenced by others.

All this sad, yet, somehow glorious and fascinating panorama of human existence in today’s world, is observed by a relatively small group of people, smart enough to understand, and see, the big picture, but, who have never wished to control anything but their own lives. Since we don’t really WANT to have to do so, or to have to take part in any of the other delusional behaviors most of society is pursuing, it becomes a challenge, to find others who see the same, and have the wherewithal to organize, to make some kind of difference, if by nothing else than speaking up to educate the ignorant….

So, that’s what I do…. I seem to have done it enough for today, so, we’ll get on with the remainder of our lives now…..

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

☬

Roses for Noses

I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….

I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst”….

I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor, but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….

We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
and there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….

There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….

Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….

My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 1/27/2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

☬

This one was a little rushed at the end, but, I’m pretty sure it came out alright. You tell me….

“A short saying oft contains much wisdom.”

~~ Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Aletes, Frag. 99 ~~

“I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.” — Antoine de Saint Exupery

“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.), [quoting Plato]

“Profound Truth differs from simple truth in that the negation of a simple truth is a simple falsehood, while the negation of a Profound Truth may be another Profound Truth. E.g. a button with “Life is just as simple as it seems” on one side and “Life is not as simple as it seems” on the other.” — Smart Bee

“It is… nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreak and ruin. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.” — Albert Einstein, “Autobiographical Notes”

“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — John Locke

“I am a man, and nothing that concerns a man do I deem a matter of indifference to me.” — Terence — Heautontimoroumenos, Act i, Sc. 1, 25, (77.)

“Your actions prove what you think of yourself.” — Will Limon

“And never think about the past. No regrets, ever.” — Lazarus Long

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

☬

Some of y’all may have noticed a new piece of ASCII-art added to the pearls today. If it wasn’t obvious before, it really ought to be now, for it is sitting right above this paragraph, staring at you as if you are some sort of pond slime for not noticing. It’s a sensitive icon, you see. It will be a part of every pearl henceforth, for as long as I remember to put it there, or, until I figure out the correct way to get it into the template…. So be it.

Now the housekeeping is done, (as Tommy Toilet recommended so aptly to us all, so may years ago….), I note the Pearl for today is as well. Done, that is. Or, at least, I hope it is; I promised it would be. I can’t be sure, as I’m actually writing this yesterday, and leaving it to the Tardis, to put it where it belongs, at the proper time. Handy, that. On that semi-plausible, –in-another-universe–, note, I shall take my leave, with the usual caveat regarding the instability of the Space/Time Continuum, and, of course, the forces of Entropy, which can be whimsical, at best…. I’m gonna go post now…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

☬

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Ambiguity makes a poor legacy….

Posted on August 17, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Sanity is a cozy lie.”

~~ Susan Sontag ~~

The Crab Nebula

Image by NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope ~ Found at Gizmodo.com

Good morning…. As I struggled to awaken, I realized I was not only up, but, already typing. Yes, the words you see are the first attempts at functionality my mind is making today. I guess I’ve decided to go James Joyce, spitting out every random thought in my head, as it occurs, onto the screen just as fast as my fat little fingers can fly across the keyboard…. which isn’t exactly making the speed of light nervous. In fact, I’ve realized something else, as well, which struck me just now, as I typed: it’s no use….

No use at all. You see, I don’t have anything at all to write about. Not that that particular issue is new, or even a surprise. It is, however, extremely inconvenient, seeing as how NONE of today’s Pearl is already done. Nope, got nothing done yesterday, as I was busy with the war against the world, which decided to turn up the heat yesterday. The literal heat, that is; at 4 PM yesterday, I was sitting in front of my small fan, with all the doors and windows open to catch any stray air movement, and realized the prediction I’d read that morning was not right; it seemed much hotter than 90º F. I checked the current temperature, to find it had climbed to 100ºF! Outrageous!….

It isn’t supposed to get this hot here; we’re only a quarter mile from the Bay. But, don’t worry, there’s no such thing as global warming, is there? Shit. If this summer is any indication, we are in for a world of hurt in coming years, as the weather becomes more and more unpredictable, having been disrupted out of its normal operation by the addition of hundreds of millions of tons of particulate matter to the atmosphere, causing unknown, and unpredictable changes to occur in the ecosystem of the planet, which we do NOT understand in the slightest…..

Oh, well; there’s nothing we can do about it now. I suppose I’ll have to get going on my massive display of cheating (I’m late again…). Since that’s the case, let’s use this old #4 again, to get things going with a bit of dispatch. You remember how this one works, right? You tighten your belts, and we do this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

Men must be taught as if you taught them not,

And things unknown propos’d as things forgot.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Criticism, Part iii, Line 15 ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s video section is canceled, simply because I’m too lazy to go look for one. Here is a picture, instead.

Life Imitating Art, Again

Can you see the fat oligarch with the cigar?

I call this, “The CEO”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If you think education is expensive,

Try Ignorance.”

~~ Andy McIntyre ~~

Finding an archived rant in this section should come as no surprise; I told y’all up front I would be cheating unmercifully. I like the opening quote for today’s rant section; if I had it in me, I’d go off on that. Since that isn’t in the cards, here is a reasonably short discussion of Reality from a couple of years ago that looks like it might be fun…. Enjoy!…

From 2/5/2013:

“Reality can be hazardous to your health.” — Smart Bee

This one is probably not a surprise, nor is it something rare, or uncommonly known. Hell, it only takes a couple of years of living on this planet before this knowledge becomes second nature to us; we know it almost instinctively. This, I think, is part of why it is always a surprise to us how the process of growing older is much more difficult than we imagined…. It is also why we always end up, at one point or another, saying to ourselves, “Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me this?” It may not be a conspiracy, but the end result is the same, because nobody is talking, and if they had any compassion, they would be….

Your guess as to why this is would be as good as mine, and I’m not sure it matters; what matters is that they don’t, and it isn’t included in any of the manuals we receive about Life and How to Live…. Actually, I don’t know about y’all, but my manuals were all lost in the mail, and I never got any of them… We WERE supposed to get them right? I mean, there is a God, by all reports from the rest of society, and according to dogma and stuff, we’re His responsibility, right? So, where’s my manual?…. Where is yours?….

Don’t try to tell me you’re buying into the Bible as the manual? Have you ever read that thing? It is the most inconsistent, poorly written, manipulative, and just plain most erroneous piece of literature I ever tried to plow my way through… Hell, the first chapter is complete science fiction, or more accurately, fantasy, and it goes downhill from there, in terms of what is believable….

I guess, even if all of the hundreds of different authors WERE connected in spirit, and only channeling the Word of God, it still has to all be based on events that have some basis in reality, or it just isn’t going to hold together, logically, or consistently…. There just isn’t any possible way to get a correct answer when the basis of an argument is false… The principle of GIGO trumps delusional assumptions, at least in the real world….

“The Bible is true this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” — Jordan Henderson

Okay, so if there aren’t any manuals, and the only folks out there offering to help are those who are doing so out of their own desire to control other folks, then how do we learn to accept all the hardships that come with growing older? Well, let’s see…. As I sit and consider that question, it keeps growing larger in scope, and the number of potential answers approaches infinity, so, I guess I need to narrow the focus a bit…. Hmm, break time…. gotta cogitate on this one….

“Men spend their lives in anticipations, in determining to be vastly happy at some period when they have time. But the present time has one advantage over every other – it is our own. Past opportunities are gone, future have not come. We may lay in a stock of pleasures, as we would lay in a stock of wine; but if we defer the tasting of them too long, we shall find that both are soured by age.” — C. C. Colton

Okay, that isn’t a bad insight, all in all…. but, it doesn’t quite fill the bill for our discussion, for while it acknowledges the power of aging, it doesn’t offer any solutions, or advice, other than in a passive, negative sense…. More, please….

“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.” — J.K. Rowling, The Beginning, — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000, — spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore

Hmm… a clue, I think, of the direction we are seeking to find…. a bit more fine tuning, I think….

“Bear, do not blame, what cannot be changed.” — Publius Syrus

Another clue…. we must be on the right track….

“Never give an inch!” — Smart Bee

Okay, we’re almost there, cuz the pearls are getting shorter, and deeper, always a good sign….

“I’m not a lawyer, but I play one on the guitar.” — Smart Bee

Well, see, I told you…. the perfect ending to a discussion of Reality, and how we deal with it over time….. In other words, ffolkes, you can’t really win, in the sense for which we are seeking to find a reasonable justification… The game is rigged, and it’s the only one in town…. But, it also implies that we can still walk away a winner, we just have to change the rules in our own minds….

In short, ffolkes, we’re on our own out here in Reality, and aging can either be a burden to bear, or an advantage to take…. It’s all up to us, ultimately, and we not only shouldn’t worry about whether or not there is anyone who can relieve us of this responsibility, but should understand that the act of doing so only makes the issue more difficult….

So, buck up, ffolkes…. Yes, Life gets tough, but, if we are smart, we can get tougher….

“I love ROCK ‘N ROLL! I memorized the all WORDS to “WIPE-OUT” in 1965!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I’m in the now, if only…..

Oh, there it is again, fiddle faddle;
Begone, I said, vamoose, skedaddle!
It looked at me as if I were insane:
Scoffed, it did, filled me with pain.

Where does it come from?
Where does it live?
I’d stick out my thumb,
if I had more to give.

If only, should, would, could it be?
It went away again, this time free.
It will be back again, this I know;
or I’m wrong, and it won’t show.

Who cares?
Who hears?
Such goings on wobble the sphere,
I wish it wouldn’t do that here.

I’ve been wrong before…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/19/2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Even the worthy Homer sometimes nods.”

~~ Horace — Ars Poetica, 359 ~~

As intimated would be the case, here is another pearl from the archives…. It’s a good one.

Originally from 2011, last posted on The Feast of All Fools, April 1, 2013:

A few random thoughts on the meaning of insanity, and by implication, sanity…….all came from one dive. Pearl after pearl on the same subject kept presenting itself for my perusal, so after a few, I just gave up & collected them. So here they are, all with a bit to say about those among us who perceive reality from a whole different place than you or me….. (My comments are in parentheses, like this one…. )

‘What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art.’ — Augustus Saint Gaudens (1848-1907), Reminiscences

If sanity were dollars I’d be bankrupt. — Smart Bee

“I come from a long line of Southern psychotics and an environment where madness is currency and conversation is blood sport.” — Elizabeth Ashley

According to figures from the Justice Department, the average rapist serves only 5.2 years on jail, and the average murderer serves only 8.6 years. By contrast, the average time served for possession of LSD is 10.1 years, and many Americans are serving mandatory minimum sentences of 20 to 25 years for possession or sale of marijuana. — Smart Bee

(Insanity comes in many guises…… your choice as to which is real, and which is delusion….)

Avoid reality at all costs! — Smart Bee

And who (in time) knows whither we may vent
The treasure of our tongue? To what strange shores
This gain of our best glory shall be sent
T’ enrich unknowing nations with our stores?
What worlds in the yet unformed Occident
May come refin’d with th’ accents that are ours?

~~ Samuel Daniel — Musophilus, Stanza 163 ~~

(Psychosis is rooted in fear, and fear also assumes many masks…..)

    I feel like one
    Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
    Whose lights are fled,
    Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.

~~ Thomas Moore — Oft in the Stilly Night ~~

(An accurate description of the onset of depression…..)

“Why ask me? I’m just visiting reality.” — Smart Bee

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is one of those Pearls we can firmly place in the “boy, I’m glad that’s done!” category, with a huge sigh of relief. I had some doubts (go figure) whether I’d get it done at all, so, being done is a good outcome, as far as I’m concerned. With my usual casual disregard for convention, we’ll just leave things right there, and come back tomorrow to try again. I’ll see y’all then, ffolkes, as long as all the fundies are wrong, and we are not in the End Times…. If we are, well, have fun in the Rapture…. or, whatever happens, in the fairly likely event there is no such thing….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Buddha

Elegant displays of massive indifference….

Positively charged pinnipeds on parade….

Are we liable for the fish livers?….

Is this the unused receipt line?…

Ambiguity makes a poor legacy….

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