Folly defines itself, it seems….

Posted on March 31, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

Shadow of an old, crooked man….

Hajime…. I’m here, typing, but, let’s not make too much of that, since it’s the same thing I’ve done almost daily for five years now. The only difference we find from day to day is how much I’ve been able to sleep the night before, which is somewhat of an unpredictable facet of my life. Today, I happen to have had, oh, maybe three solid hours, found at the hind end of the night, as usual. Such is becoming rather more consistent a happening than I’d prefer, but, what the hell, I’ve got nothing better to do at the moment, so, I may as well get this done.

In the spirit of being efficient, as well as catering to my fatigue, we will set out immediately to the oyster beds, so we can say we wasted no time. Not that anyone is monitoring, (aside from the NSA, of course, but, they only check it later, I’m sure, so, no worries…. besides, they already know I despise them and their false sense of paranoid entitlement, so, I try to say howdy at least once in a while… Howdy, assholes!…. stolen any cool data lately?), but, we know, don’t we? We do. Since that is so, why don’t we just do it like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.”

~~ Cicero ~~

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The Original Parrothead

I know I’ve used this concert in the past, and, I won’t usually repeat most music. But, I’m in the mood for a good time, without any worries to get in the way, and, nobody throws a better party than Jimmy. I know, I’ve been to more than a dozen of them since first hearing his music in 1975, first hearing the album, Livin’ & Dyin’ in Three-Quarter Time…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. Unless you’re lacking a party gene, you’ll like this one….

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Jimmy Buffett
Live in Anguilla

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https://youtu.be/yR8FvDDhBv0

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“Science is the whore of industry and the handmaiden of war.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

I don’t know about all of y’all, but, in my mind, the quote above from our old friend Ed is a perfect start to a good, strong indictment of both the Beloved Ruling Class, and the unwashed masses who allow themselves to be enslaved by their own nature. It speaks quite plainly, in a short, pithy statement, how even the most intelligent folks can be manipulated by their own lack of self knowledge, bringing us to the unstable society, and uncertain future, in which we now exist. It’s a perfect lead in for an exploration of our own failures of spirit, and how they will affect us all.

But, I’m fucking tired, and can tell that any ranting I do today would go completely over the line into pure rage, so, rather than subject any of us to such a display of emotion, which would indicate a lack of personal control and knowledge which I refuse to countenance any more. So, instead, we have for y’all a nice little seven-star, old-school pearl to explore those same spiritual difficulties, in a roundabout way. The last one, of course, tells us the truth about what matters the most, for all of us…. Enjoy!….

“All politics is based on the indifference of the majority.” — James Reston

“It is fear that first brought gods into the world.” — Sagacious Bee

“The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self-mastery.” — Reinhold Niebuhr

“If the thraskin puts his fingers in his ears, it is polite to shout.” — Doctor, The Time Monster

“36 percent of the American Public believes that boiling radioactive milk makes it safe to drink.” — results of a survey by Jon Miller at Northern Illinois University

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Krishnamurti

“To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give of oneself; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sing with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier: this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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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 ~~

8/18/2013

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Our final old-school pearl today is a rather simple affair, speaking casually, and, likely, causally, of the qualities of Character, and, how to find & use it…. Enjoy!

“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.” — Jean de La Bruyere

“If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it: Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” — William Saroyan

“What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to.” — Bob Dylan

“Certainly, virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed, for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.” — Sir Francis Bacon, Of Adversity

“A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, v, 6

“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?” — Hermann Hesse

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Well, I did it, against all odds. So be it. To separate ourselves from the possibility of a problem developing here at the end, we shall take our leave forthwith, stage virtual, and be done with it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Wish me luck; I’ll probably need 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….

A cohort of significant raisins….

Posted on March 13, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

Nooo! I don’t wanna wake up…

Hajime…. I can relate to Leelu’s picture caption today, especially considering all I am tasked to do today. Since I am up, and reasonably awake, all things considered, I guess I’ll write a Pearl, a process which, by now, almost completes itself, with minimal interference from me. Today, I am hoping it lives up to my trust in it, for, to be frank, I ain’t got much.

Rather than go into any unwarranted detail, let’s just move on to another point of departure, which we can usually find damn near anywhere. That’s the easy part, for we don’t care at all where we leave from, as long as we get somewhere. Naturally, this tends to complicate matters to a degree, as we often don’t know where we are going; life goes on, in spite of it, though, so, we just pretend we don’t care, and find some other reason to be where we ended up. For those who don’t do well with ambiguity, it’s a bit of a hassle, but, life’s lessons never run on a schedule, so, it works out. Besides, if we really wanted to be somewhere, wouldn’t we say so? Yes, yes, we would.

Okay, obligatory nonsense paragraph; check. Let’s see now, what can we do to distract them for another moment or two, while we try to sober up the pilot. Not that he can’t fly drunk; he’s done it often enough. No, he just got so blasted he can’t find the keyhole, and that’s just not right. Nonetheless, we don’t have a backup today, so, we’ll chance it, just to get it done. I’m afraid it may make things a bit, well, unpredictable, but, hey, what’s that to us? We’re immune to such, and glad of it.

That’s it. I can’t think of any more bullshit, or even any goose guano. So be it. If you’d kindly deposit your empties in the appropriate containers, we’ll be on our way. Luigi has been poured into the pilot’s seat, and we’re warmed up & ready to go. If we get there, I’ll let you know. In the meantime….

Shall we Pearl?

“In theory there is nothing to hinder our following what we are taught;
but in life there are many things to draw us aside.”

~~ Epictetus — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxvi ~~

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Playing For Change

Here is one of the very first videos created for Playing For Change, with some of the finest vocals you will ever hear. Enjoy, ffolkes; you’ll be seeing a lot of these from now on….

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Stand Up

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https://youtu.be/Us-TVg40ExM

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“… as sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul…”

~~ Aristotle ~~

~~ Nicomachean Ethics, Bl. I, Ch. 6, 10966, lines 29-30 ~~

It occurs to me there is yet another example of a part of human existence which, in its core, reflects both the nature of reality, and, that of humanity itself. This, of course, is the duality that exists in the real world, and in the manner in which we perceive that world. We feel, due to the absence or presence of kinetic energy applied to a nerve on our body, which has evolved to perceive that type of energy; in the case of touch, our skin, and the tissue below it, in conjunction with the nerves and brain, receive the energy (a caress, a blow, a breeze…), then, send the signal to the brain for interpretation and response.

This extends to all our senses, in one fashion or another; touch, taste, smell, hearing, vision, all are based on the presence or absence of a particular form of energy for us to perceive and interpret, and our various organs have evolved to do so, with the tools we have as part of our brain’s complexity. This, of course, does not enter into the realm of mind, or consciousness, as yet. That is yet another function, of which we shall speak shortly. For now, it is for us to know we are two in one, in everything we see, think, and do, and to lose awareness of this is to risk confusion, loss of self, and, more trouble than is necessary or pleasant.

For example, the universe exists in a state of change at all times; this is easily demonstrable by watching a river flow, or imagining the Earth turning on its axis as it moves around the sun, which moves along with the other stars in the Milky Way, as it moves through the Universe at large, fleeing the original point of whatever occurred to cause its motion, and set the laws of reality, but, only those WHICH WE ARE ABLE TO PERCEIVE. It is a good thing to remember, we may not be able to perceive ALL there is to our Universe, as we are in one place, and cannot experience all of it at once; there may be places where things are different than here.

But, on this planet, there are now, approximately seven-plus billion human beings, of which 99% not only have no notion of any of this, but, have never in their lives considered any of these simple facts, for that is what I have related. All I have said thus far is simple science, and philosophy, and has been known for millennia by a small portion of humanity. The rest never even consider themselves in this light, or stand outside their own existence to examine just what the hell is going on…. Instead, from birth, virtually all of mankind tends to listen to the versions of reality told to them by almost everyone they know, who has learned what they know from someone else, all without ever looking inside themselves, to compare what is there with what they see, and what they are told, or to examine any of it for its truth.

Why? Or, rather, why not? Why don’t most people look around, and inside, and think about it all, from a point of view other than what they’ve been told? Very few, in my experience, which also compels me to mention how evidence of this is clearly available every day in what we see in the news, on the streets, and in talking with people; the entire world is in such a state of constant turmoil, nobody can truly say they understand all of it, or are even completely aware of all of what is happening. Society has reached a point where its own sheer size has provided so much inertia, all forward motion seems to have stopped, while humanity tears each other apart, in war, after war, while we continue to despoil our own home environment to the point where the planet itself may become inimical to us.

“Is consciousness just a special form of hallucination?”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

To be continued…..

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For The Blind Poet, Embraced

I sit to open a vein, exposed in public places,
happy to be written, judging by the faces.

None can see the price so willingly paid,
at the feet of imagination is that cost weighed.

Still shadows of reality shine quite as well
to hide all the bleeding as if under a spell;

While visions and fantasies vie for attention,
hoping to win once-hoped-for final mention.

Technology may or may not rue its day
never knowing or caring its part to play.

All the precious moments of inspiration
Fall ever short of our own imagination.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/30/2012

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Naked Pearls

Perspective

*********

“Put three grains of sand inside a vast cathedral, and the cathedral will be more closely packed with sand than space is with stars.” — Sir James Jeans

“A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” — Mark Twain

“Fortune is like glass,–the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken.” — Publius Syrus — Maxim 280

“Only a fool is astonished by the foolishness of mankind.” — Edward Abbey

“It is good for a man to eat thistles and to remember that he is an ass.” — E. S. Dallas

“Most of all, I’ve learned that a good time to laugh is anytime you can.” — Linda Ellerbee

“YOW!! I’m in a very clever and adorable INSANE ASYLUM!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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As can be seen, it’s done, though with a rather new look. The interrupted rant is to be continued, simply because it is growing too large for one sitting. It’s a delicate point, so to speak, I’m working toward, and will require more thought; hence the pause for a cause. I doubt seriously if anyone objects, he said with a smirk for his own presumption…..

Okay, I believe that is quite enough for one day. I’m off to deal with pain and glory, so to speak, and will return tomorrow, come hell, or high water. In that you may place your belief, if not your complete trust. Me, I’m outta here….

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….

Zinc patterns are drifting south…

Posted on March 2, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap,
whence everyone must take an equal portion,
most people would be contented to take their own and depart.”

~~ Socrates ~~

Heralding Spring ~ Street Scene

Hajime….. Life’s a funny thing, don’t you think? Now, perhaps, if you’re like me at all, the first thought to enter your mind upon reading that is to make an internal decision as to the meaning of ‘funny’, then react according to that meaning. Personally, I tend to smile first, at the irony of a human being trying to assign meaning to a word in English, especially one with such a multitude of meanings, and, shades of meaning. It’s one of the best parts about the language, it’s flexibility…. as well as one of the more confusing aspects it displays. After all, life itself is ambiguous, by nature, so, a language used to talk of it needs to reflect that.

I believe that should do it. I’ve set a tone of rational discourse, so as to provide some camouflage for what is below, which may SEEM rational and organized, but, in truth, is a cobbled-together mess, hampered as I was by a new, surprise physical issue, a gift from the past to remind me of my former foolishness. Well, it seems that way, anyway. In short, I got distracted, by a new source of pain, about level 8 or so, in my ankle, which severely limited my ability to walk or move around…. This, naturally, made everything harder, not to mention more painful. I’m not complaining, per se; I’ve dealt with the pain of a sprained ankle literally dozens of time in my life, so, that isn’t the problem…. It’s getting anything done in my usual routine that became impossible….

So, I’m up early to try to cobble a Pearl from nothing…. and, I’m almost there…. One last part, & we’ll be good to go. To foster the success of that plan, I’ll dump you right here, so we can get the slow on the toad, before the toast gets soggy. I’d hang on if I were y’all; this method gets a bit unstable going around the corners….

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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“Life without music would be an intolerable insult.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Today’s musical choice reflects the quote at the top of this section, a statement with which I am in complete agreement…. My life would be much less enjoyable without classical music, and this young lady’s talent shows us why…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Classical Guitar
Xuefe Yang

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https://youtu.be/QCe5EsLlyVw?list=PLfdMKJMGPPty_Gdn0U8pohWKEpeJZer-n

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Naturally, since so little got done yesterday, we’re going to the archives…. Way back in the archives, to be exact, to the early days of this blog on WordPress…. Here are two short discussions, centered around some rather tasty pearls…. Enjoy!….

From 12/22/2011:

“He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” — Confucius

“He who does neither is eligible to join the crowd as a Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2012.” — gigoid

Although there are moments, when I’m reading some new report on the latest verbal bomb from the Republican gallery of fools, that I despair for the race, I have to admit it’s really handy for us writers. Every day, sometimes several times, we are presented with material by these folks, who seem to not only have the habit of shooting themselves in the foot, they seem to enjoy it, or at best are using it as a campaign tactic to draw attention. There isn’t even any need to go deep to look for stuff the politicos would rather you didn’t know, because they have taken it upon themselves to offer that information in their own statements, made obvious by their loquaciousness on certain subjects, and their reluctance to speak on others.

It’s almost as if they are printing up pictures of themselves with arrows pointing to their most vulnerable points; I really don’t understand how so many obviously unqualified and downright idiotic people ever got the notion that they could possibly do this. The only thing I can come up with is that they are completely out of touch with objective information, and have determined that subjective judgments are sufficient reason to qualify them for the Presidency.

In other words, they are delusional, as that word is defined as continuing to hold as truth information that has been proven false. Now do we really want folks who suffer from delusional thinking to be the one with the button that launches the nuclear holocaust? I don’ know about you, but I would give that question a resounding “NO!”…..and not feel a whit of guilt…..
___________________________________

“The world is full of burled and gnarly knobs on which you can hang a metaphysical system. If you must.” — Edward Abbey

Here then is a logical mind. My evidence? His reluctance to impose an invented set of rules on a world that resists any such restraint is, in my mind, eminently sensible. Why do we have to make up stuff to try to explain how the universe functions? What quality does our curiosity have that compels us to seek out some kind of system to help us to deal with reality as it is? Humans seem to want some kind of order to their existence, and for some reason, can’t seem to come to terms with things the way they are. They seem to need to apply their own set of prejudices to the world, an impulse stemming from some unknown inner compulsion that has held back the tide of human progress for just about our entire history.

My own opinion is that human nature, being what it is, noted way back in the old days, that a man with no principles can manipulate other people through their own set of behavioral rules. By balancing a friendly, smiling face with a completely sociopathic conscience, they have been able to keep most of mankind in thrall ever since we first started farming and coming together in cities to trade. And they continue today; as a matter of fact the news of late has been full of evidence of their millenia-long hold over the rest of humanity. We (the gullible masses, identified by H. L. Mencken by the word ‘the booboisie’) have even given them a name; we now call them the 1%.

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

The battle lines for Armageddon have been drawn, and the combatants have chosen their sides; the war is coming, and I wouldn’t do a thing to stop it, because freeing ourselves from the people who live for power is our only hope for survival as a species. The 1% probably believes that they will be the only survivors of a world-wide catastrophe, and odds are, they may be right. But I’ll be damned if I’ll go without putting up an epic fight, for my life, and my liberty……

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Walt Kelly (in POGO)

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It’s a day for Emily, I think. I also think we’ll go with one of her best-known poems, just because…. Enjoy! Many millions already have done….

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never in extremity
It asked a crumb of me.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Hmm…. Well, I did try, but, SB is in a snit, apparently, and won’t give me anything usable. We’ll have to fall back ten yards, and punt. Here’s a pretty good little pearl from a couple years ago…. Enjoy!….

From 2/23/2014:

All things considered, it’s been an interesting morning here at ECR…. I was up a bit late, but, the morning’s routine went smoothly, so I began to write in an unusually comfortable, clear-headed state, an event that, arguably, made the intro as coherent and organized as it is, for a change. The rant above not only went well, it went epic, and quite agreeably, from my standpoint, so, we’re good there, too. I’ve repeated myself with the poem, but, that’s merely a factor of how good it is….

That, of course, brings us to section three, and the obligatory, and, in this case, most welcome, old-school pearl…. We’re shooting today for a seven-star necklace of gems that will make me spew coffee through my nose, from laughing so hard and unexpectedly…. Let’s see what SB can come up with to accommodate us….

“I think, therefore, I am.” — Rene Descartes
“I think I think. Therefore, I think I am.” — Smart Bee
“I think I am. That’s close enough.” — gigoid the dubious

“It is most difficult to acquire wisdom without first having survived a whole mine field filled with folly.” — Smart Bee

“If you are wearing one brown and one black shoe, you have a pair like it somewhere in the closet.” — The Rule of Elderly Survival

“It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.” — Smart Bee

“Eternity’s a terrible thought. I mean, where’s it all going to end?” — Tom Stoppard, _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead_

“On one occasion Aristotle was asked how much educated men were superior to those uneducated: “As much,” said he, “as the living are to the dead.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi

“There are worlds out there where the sky is burning and the sea’s asleep and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there’s danger, somewhere there’s injustice, somewhere else the tea’s getting cold. Come on Ace, we’ve got work to do…” — The Doctor, Survival [Last lines of last episode]

It seems Smart Bee had a different agenda than mine…. S’fine…. I like this one better, since I didn’t have to suffer the nasal spew…. I’ll leave you with that image, reluctantly….

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There you go It’s all rather a cheat, but, it’s done, so, who cares? Not me; getting done was my entire purpose here today, so, I won. Moreover, I did it before the cat woke up, which made it much simpler. I’ll try to get myself squared away, ffolkes, but, given how long a road that may turn out to be, it may affect the next few Pearls…. Oh, they’ll show up, one way or another…. but, I can pretty much guarantee you won’t see a big jump in quality any time soon…. ‘Course, I’ve been wrong before, too. In any case, see y’all tomorrow, with a bit of luck….

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….

Seemingly diffident versions in puce tones….

Posted on March 1, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“You, shall I tell you what knowledge is?
When you know a thing, say that you know it.
When you do not know a thing, admit you do not know it.
This is knowledge.”

~~ Confucius ~~

Spring springing…

Hajime….. A very old human expression tells us of the unreliability we all feel when making plans, to wit: “The best laid plans, of mice, and men… etc.” Not only do we feel this ambiguity toward trying to control the events we experience in reality, but, also feel a sense of futility, as exemplified in another old saw, about “Men plan, and the gods laugh.”…. The reason for both feelings was brought home to me forcefully last night, as the plans I made and carried out to try to get to sleep in a reasonable amount of time, though partially effective, in one respect, were, ultimately, useless….

Without going deeply into detail, suffice it to say it was another long night, and I’m up late, having fallen into exhausted sleep at about 2, & waking late. In addition, heading down early means not much of this Pearl got done yesterday, and there is little time to put it together now. So, what you get today is a seriously truncated Pearl, with only what could be cobbled together in a hurry. So be it. Life goes on, and we must deal with it as it happens. We do try to maintain some of the virtues we espouse on a regular basis; honor requires it. So, truth be told, and we’ll get on with what there is to do….

I apologize for any lack of, well, anything you expected, but will point out the eternal truth of axiom #2 of Peruaosophy, which says, of course, “The Nature of the Universe is Change… etc.” Our expectations are not mandatory commands to reality, which feels no regret at ignoring any such nonsense from mere humans. That said, let’s get this slow on the toad….

Shall we Pearl?….

“It is not the possessions but the desires of mankind which require to be equalized.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

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“Men who allow their love of power to give them a distorted view of the world are to be found in every asylum: one man will think he is the governor of the Bank of England, another will think he is the king, and yet another will think he is God. Highly similar delusions, if expressed by educated men in obscure language, lead to professorships of philosophy, and if expressed by emotional men in eloquent language, lead to dictatorships.” — Bertrand Russell

I thought this statement made a great opening for a discussion of modern times, but, real time demands have precluded my writing it. However, I will point out, if the first statement above is followed to a logical end, it would lead y’all along a path of thought leading to the statement of truth you see below, which says, in essence, all we need to know about how the concept of government is, quite simply, another delusion fostered by those who fear life, and must control others…. If one stops to think, at all, the truth of this becomes crystal clear, and, an indictment of both the powers that be, and, the rest of humanity, who has rejected the demands of their own nature….

“Grown men do not need leaders.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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Haiku

Sleep is elusive,
retreated to a far land.
Too far to travel.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/1/2016

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Our final pearl is rather a traditional pearl, in the sense it reflects how they appeared many moons ago, when I first began to create them, back in the early part of the century. Always an odd number, for reasons given previously, they did not always have a coherent message to impart; often they were just a reflection of my own head, at that time. This one does have a message, and it’s pretty simple, all in all… I hope you enjoy our truncated version of the usual, as we found it today….

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” — Dalai Lama

“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” — Aldous Huxley, Time Must Have a Stop

“Xenophanes said, “I confess myself the greatest coward in the world, for I dare not do an ill thing.” — Plutarch — Of Bashfulness

“And feels a thousand deaths in fearing one. — Edward Young – Night Thoughts, Night iv, Line 17

“The tragedy and the magnificence of Homo sapiens together rise from the same smoky truth that we alone among the animal species refuse to acknowledge natural law.” — Robert Ardrey, _The Social Contract_

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That’s it, ffolkes; that’s all I’ve got today. No video, I know, and, sorry ’bout that. Sometimes, life is tougher than other times, a point of reality we often highlight here, as it seems to be one of Reality’s most favored lessons to reinforce at frequent intervals. As we have iterated previously, so be it. We’re done, and we’re outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, hopefully with a bit more material to share…. See ya….

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….

Defined by overt self-interest…

Posted on February 26, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there”

~~ Box of Rain by Phil Lesh, & Robert Hunter ~~

~~From American Beauty, 1970, The Grateful Dead ~~

Catnap while gigoid works…

Hajime….. There is a lot to be said for sleep. Mostly, it’s all been said, but, my appreciation for it has again been highlighted by its presence in my life again last night. I fell asleep early, and slept, fairly naturally, for eight solid hours, with only the usual interruptions for visits to the porcelain throne, as is normal at my age…. All in all, a grand night’s sleep, for the first time in what seems like ages…. I’m not sure just what to do with all the energy. SIGH…. Ah, well, it’s a nice conundrum to face, even so early, and I’m sure I can figure it out….

Well, now what? Gosh, it’s weird to have this much energy in the morning; the usual application of will to the morning routine isn’t even close to the usual degree necessary to type. Now, if only ideas were as plentiful as energy, we might get somewhere. As it is, I’m afraid a bit of brain-cudgeling will be needed to produce anything readable, and the odds on that are slim. I guess we’ll just have to trust the process again, and see if Leelu will give me enough time to get it done….

That said, let’s get to it. Let me at that ranting section, I’m ready to rumble….. In fact, let’s do it now, so I don’t lose any time or energy to vacillating, as we often will do here in the intro section. Today, we’ll use this little device from the Tardis, and move us right along to where we should be by now…. Watch closely, or you’ll miss it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“As war and government prove, insanity is the most contagious of diseases.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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

We are going with classical music again today, just because I want to. I find it is the simplest solution to conundrums, since it’s music that has been filtered through the ages, until all we have to listen to is what is considered the best…. Enjoy, ffolkes… As usual, the mix you’ll hear was picked solely because I like the picture it showed….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/tAkHdB77u2c

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“The older we grow the greater becomes our wonder at how much ignorance one can contain without bursting one’s clothes.” — Mark Twain

Though there is sufficient energy, and angst, built up to rant, I’m going with an archived piece, simply because it is on the subject I wish to address, and says what I would have said, anyway…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s all still as true as the day….

From 4/18/2013:

MORAL, adj. Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.

“It is sayd there be a raunge of mountaynes in the Easte, on one syde of the which certayn conducts are immorall, yet on the other syde they are holden in good esteeme; wherebye the mountayneer is much conveenyenced, for it is given to him to goe downe eyther way and act as it shall suite his moode, withouten offence. _Gooke’s Meditations_

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

A reader commented to me recently that my rants have gone soft; she enjoys it when I rake someone over the coals, figuratively speaking, and asked me when I was going to get back on my white horse, or my soapbox, as the cliché may be…. I told her it is most likely a result of having some of the pressure of living removed, by the acquisition of my SS benefits, so much so that I’m finding it hard to summon up the outrage needed to rant effectively…. Like Voldemort told Harry, when he tried to use the Cruciatus Curse against Bellatrix Lestrange, in HP5-The Order of the Phoenix, “You’ve got to MEAN it, Harry!” Funny how not worrying about where the next meal is coming from takes some stress out of one’s life, isn’t it?….. Ha Ha…..

So, anyway, then I saw the above entry from the Devil’s Dictionary, and thought to myself, “AHA!” (I do that a lot…), “Now, here’s a subject worthy of a rant!”…. This is absolutely true, even though morality is sort of like reality…. there are as many versions of what it means as there are people…. of which, each and every one believes that what they perceive is the only correct version, obviously…. Right….

So, you can see the problem right away…. As a society, we have an unfortunate tendency to try to legislate morality, so that everyone is compelled to behave according to a commonly accepted pattern of behavior…. Supposedly, this legislation is supposed act as some sort of magic bullet, that will stop all the bad things from happening, like stealing, killing, and general misbehavior that is upsetting to the rest of society…. It never works, at all, but, we keep on passing laws designed to enforce a common morality anyway….

Such a drama is now being played out on the national stage, as the Senate just defeated the new gun control reforms that 90% of the populace wants in place. Out of a hundred Senators, it only took 45 Republicans to bring the proposed law down, meaning that once again, a very small percentage of people have forced their views on the rest of the public, to suit their own morality, and, more importantly, to suit their own special interests, who paid good money for their votes, dammit!…. I am somewhat piqued about this, but see little in the way of anything to be done that will make any difference, in the big picture…. No matter how stringent the laws, people who want guns will get them, and use them on other people…. The new laws would have made that a bit more time-consuming, but no less possible, or even less probable….

Since I can’t thing of anything positive to suggest, other than to stay alert to what may end up as a critical issue, I will fill out what should normally be a rant, with a number of cogent pearls, to try to jab the stick into the appropriate eyes…. and my friend will have to wait a bit longer for a good, old-fashioned brouhaha, as I get nasty and vicious in my denouncement of the BRC, the churches, and the corporate masters….. I will say this to her….. have no fear, my outrage isn’t gone, just temporarily dormant, and I WILL be back to rant….. meanwhile, enjoy these tasty gems…..

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” — Sir Winston Churchill

Linear Model: An assumption concerning the nature of reality applied unquestioningly to every relationship as though God had determined that truth must always run in straight lines. — Smart Bee

“The clinching proof of my reasoning is that I will cut anyone who argues further into dogmeat.” — Sir Geoffery de Tourneville (ca. 1350)

“Has history ever recorded a time when the majority was right?” — Lazarus Long

“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretense of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.” –Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 2

“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” — Saul Bellow

“If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.” — Carl Schurz

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

Haiku VIIA

Making it all up
I go merrily along;
waters of Lethe.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/18/2013

Unsolicited Gratitude

Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill
pain assumes first position, no matter our will.
Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail
anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.

Still, a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need
gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.
Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,
until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.

Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,
no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.
Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,
we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.

Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,
no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.
None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems
from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.

Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,
dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.
Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give
And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/12/2012

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I had not intended to use so much archived material today, since my energy is so strong. However, SB has apparently gone on strike, and won’t give me anything worth sharing. This one is a good one, so, it will do for today….

From 4/19/2013:

As you may have noted, my brain is broken…. and I am not sure which tool is going to work to fix it…. What this means in terms of today’s Pearl is that you will have to put up with more than the usual degree of smarm, and the occasional random insult, as I try to cope with creating a Pearl out of what is laying around in my brain, rather than a true creative episode, building and sharing images of grand eloquence, made up of just the right words….. Today, though, those words are hiding from me, so I have to allow Smart Bee to have its head, so to speak, because anything in mine has to be viewed with suspicion, and handled with care, lest it explode, whereupon, we get blamed for an act of terrorism…. Of course, that last word is probably what comes to mind when y’all think of this blog anyway…..

Nevertheless, I’m going old school, and you can’t stop me…. (Believe me, you don’t WANT to stop me today….. just let me have my way, and everything will work out fine….)…. Here is a group of pearls, all of which are pointed in a certain direction, which SHOULD be obvious…. If it is not, well, I guess you’re S.O.O.L., as they say downtown…. well, they said that when I hung out there…. any who, here….

“Critics quarrel with other critics. With an artist, no sane man quarrels.” — George Santayana

“Our discontent begins by finding false villains whom we can accuse of deceiving us. Next we find false heroes whom we expect to liberate us. The hardest, most discomfiting discovery is that each of us must emancipate himself.”– Daniel J. Boorstin

“Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.”– Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Rape of the Lock, Canto v, Line 34

“There’s a lot of stupid people out there. Just to prove it, think of how dumb the average person is, and then realize that half of the people out there are stupider than that.” — George Carlin

“A man that expects to train lobsters to fly in a year is called a lunatic and is locked up. But a man that thinks people can be turned into angels by legislation is called a reformer and allowed to walk free.” — Mr. Dooly

“All things that are born must die. Work hard for your own freedom from sorrow.” — Buddha

“Do not speak of what men deserve. For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead Kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of *deserving*, of *earning*, and you will begin to be able to think.” — Odo, The Prison Letters (Ursula LeGuin, _The Dispossessed_)

Oooh…. now, THAT’S a pearl of virtual wisdom, if I ever saw one….. Print it!…..

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

Done, and, in jig time…. I’ll take it. Let’s print it, post it, and be gone, shall we? I, myself, will be off for a spin around the Big Blue Room today, to take advantage of all the extra energy….. I will, however, issue the usual warning, & remind y’all, I’ll be back tomorrow…. Nobody big or bad enough seems to want to try to stop me, so, I’ll be here…. Ta, then….

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….

Synchronous statements of bald intent….

Posted on February 24, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“How we deal with death is at least as important
as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?”

~~ James T. Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,” stardate 8130.3. ~~

Thinking it over….aka, plotting.

Hajime….. As time passes since Leelu came to live with me, I am reminded forcefully of two aphorisms which speak to the nature of Cat. First is one from our old friend Lazarus, who noted: Anyone who doesn’t believe in protocol has never dealt with a cat.” In a cat’s world, protocol is VERY important, for they are great believers in maintaining the status quo in their home life. They DON’T like changes made to the way things are…. The other statement has to do with their reaction when something is not to their liking, and goes like this: “You haven’t really been ignored until you’ve been ignored by a cat.” It’s often hilarious how effectively they can remove what they do not approve of from their awareness; it is total obliteration.

All that said, the perks are well worth the effort of learning to live with a picky, opinionated, small fur-bearing extortionist, especially, as now, when she comes to where I am sitting, gazes lovingly into my face, and purrs loudly to be picked up & cuddled for a morning session of bonding…. Time out for cat…. I’ll be back in a bit….

Okay…. She went off to eat & monitor the morning bird traffic in the back yard, so, I’ll try to slip in the rest of this post, & get it online before it’s play/training time. This chatty, informal approach to the intro worked pretty well, don’t you think? Good, because it was, literally, a pain in the ass to do. How do people be so damn nice? It’ wearing, to say the least, on us old curmudgeons. Not to mention what it could do to my rep. Ah, well, so be it. We’re far enough down the page I can ignore any ethical considerations, and just be done with it. And, that is what we’re going to do, right here, right now…. Watch THIS!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money?”

~~ Curious Bee ~~

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Playing For Change

Logo from email by P4C

It’s time for another great mix of the world’s best street music. This time, it’s a jam, and it’s awesome…. I don’t often use that word, so, you may wish to pay heed, as this is some special music, ffolkes…. Enjoy! It will be hard NOT to….

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Groove in G

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https://youtu.be/6LQhamwJcVY

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Originally, I had intended to put a relatively short discussion here, on political issues, but, it isn’t ready. Instead, here is a relatively short, seven-star pearl on both politics, and religion, the twin delusions upon which our sick society is based…. No worries, just a few observations that are not what might be called main-stream, by any means…. I hope you enjoy this little indictment of those who would be Kings… or, Dogma Dogs….

“Democracy is more cruel than wars or tyrants.” — Seneca, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium CIV, c. 63

“Man is a religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight” — Mark Twain — The Damned Human Race

“Representative government has broken down. Our politicians represent not the people who vote for them but the commercial interests who finance their
election campaigns. We have the best politicians that money can buy.” — Edward Abbey

“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.’ — Mohandas K. Gandhi

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country…. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” — Former US President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 — letter to Col. William F. Elkins, printed in “The Lincoln Encyclopedia”, ed. Archer H. Shaw, Macmillan, 1950, NY

“THEOSOPHY, n. An ancient faith having all the certitude of religion and all the mystery of science. The modern Theosophist holds, with the Buddhists, that we live an incalculable number of times on this earth, in as many several bodies, because one life is not long enough for our complete spiritual development; that is, a single lifetime does not suffice for us to become as wise and good as we choose to wish to become. To be absolutely wise and good — that is perfection; and the Theosophist is so keen-sighted as to have observed that everything desirous of improvement eventually attains perfection. Less competent observers are disposed to except cats, which seem neither wiser nor better than they were last year. The greatest and fattest of recent Theosophists was the late Madame Blavatsky, who had no cat.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

‘You have a mongrel perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that. This multitude see the comic side of a thousand low-grade and trivial things — broad incongruities, mainly; grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh. The ten thousand high-grade comicalities which exist in the world are sealed from their dull vision. Will a day come when the race will detect the funniness of these juvenilities and laugh at them — and by laughing at them destroy them? For your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon — laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution — these can lift at a colossal humbug — push it a little — weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. You are always fussing and fighting with your other weapons. Do you ever use that one? No; you leave it lying rusting. As a race, do you ever use it at all? No; you lack sense and the courage.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The Mysterious Stranger”

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Making Room

Our souls, they say, are like shapeless, infinite bags
in which we put all our pain, all our joyous wonder.
Broken hearts and thrilling love, riches to rags,
endless perceptions of serenity, and thunder.

‘Tisn’t simple, this spiritual journey to peace
memory is fickle, easily led astray;
darkness, ever lurking, without surcease
turning innocence to harm, from simple play.

Balance is the key.

Timing is everything.

Good can change bad, bad can change good.

Pain makes room for more joy in our souls.

The only power we need is the power to change ourselves.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/15/2013

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As advertised, a classic, seven-star. old-school pearl, of the random, harlequin variety, with a few words on Life’s lesser known lessons worth learning…. Enjoy! Trust me, there’s a message at the end…..

“It has long been known that one horse can run faster than another – but which one? Differences are crucial.” — Lazarus Long

“He who should teach men to die would at the same time teach them to live.” — Michael de Montaigne, Essays, Book i, Chap. xviii, “That Men are not to judge of our Happiness till after Death”

“There’s always a bigger fish.” — Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars Episode I

“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5

“Respect cannot be learned, purchased, or acquired…. it can only be earned.” — Gentle Bee

“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi

“Love means loving the unlovable – or it is no virtue at all.” — G. K. Chesterton, Heretics, 1905

Suitably interpreted, this is an exact value.” — Precise Bee

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

Well, it’s done. I’m completely in the dark as to how it will look, but, will trust the process once more, in order to get posted in a timely manner. We humans, it is well known, will go to many great lengths for the sake of expediency, and, I am nothing if not human. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody provides me with a damn good reason not to do so…..

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….

Interview with an organic penguin groomer….

Posted on February 20, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Knights of Pythagoras ~~

Channeling New Ideas

Hajime….. As I sit to begin, I feel a sense of deja-vú, not particularly surprisingly, as this happened a lot in the past. Though most of the Pearl for today is finished, the rest promises to be a complete struggle, as my mind is blank as the proverbial clean slate. Oh, there’s plenty going on in there, it’s just not printable, or, even, shareable. The dega-vú just makes it worse, as it attempts to add guilt to the mix, which we don’t allow, thus muddying up the waters even further…

Rather than bore y’all any further with my issues with writing, let’s try the old cut-’em-off-at-the-pass technique we employ so well, to get us down to the meat of today’s post. ‘Meat’ may be an unfortunate euphemism, given the somewhat odoriferous state of what may follow, but, we’re nothing if not bold in the pursuit of our Art, if such title may be justifiably applied to what is found here. Me, I don’t give a crap whether it’s valid art, or just frank & earnest; it’s still better out than in, so there.

Okay, I’m getting grumpy, so, we’d best be on our way. I have no expectations for today’s Pearl; it’s on its own. And, so are y’all, once we hit the oyster beds…. Our insurance is going to lapse at noon, and, since we don’t actually HAVE any income, we won’t be supplying it in future posts. C’est la fucking vie, as we say downtown. We also say this, a lot….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Birth, copulation and death.
That’s all the facts when you come to brass tacks;
Birth, copulation and death.”

~~ T. S. Elliot, Sweeney Agonistes (1932) ~~

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The Three Tenors

Image from last.fm via Google Images

I am NOT a fan of opera. Never have been. There are a few arias sung by duets, or alto sopranos, that are inspiring and beautiful, to be sure, such as the one in The Shawshank Redemption. Mostly, it’s just noise, as far as I’m concerned. I could go with a few Twain quotes; he wasn’t much enthused by it, either. But, instead I will say this: I am a fan of the human voice. I love a Capella music, especially live on the street. I play guitar, having learned simply so I could sing along myself. Music is in all of us, but, isn’t always easily expressed, or felt. Whomever had the brainstorm to bring these three gentlemen together to sing, was guilty of an act of genius….

Just listen, & try not to drop your jaw too far when they start to hit the high notes on some of these songs….. It will send chills up your spine, I guarantee…. In case I forgot, and, I did, their names are Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti…. Enjoy!….

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The Three Tenors In Paris

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https://youtu.be/4IUcm3_aVTU

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“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”

~~ Robert Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long ~~

In general terms, a generation can be considered to be twenty-five years; some might say it is longer, as much as fifty years. To strike a logical, or, at least, reasonable balance, we will use the mean of the two, rounded off from 37.5 years to 40, for convenience of addition, etc. Given that assumption, I would estimate we have now gone at least three, and possibly four generations without paying the slightest attention to the lessons taught to us by our own history…. This period, significantly enough, covers about the same time as has passed since the advent of what is usually called The Industrial Revolution. For our purposes, this age of man began in earnest soon after, if not prior to, the birth of this nation, in the early part of the nineteenth century.

Now, one might think an author, or a character from a novel he wrote, is not the most appropriate judge of such matters; I contend this author is sufficiently educated as a historian, as a graduate of the US Naval Academy, to warrant some attention paid to his assertion, voiced by one of his characters. Robert Heinlein was not only an author, but, a scholar/historian/astronomer/engineer/pilot, and a number of other titles he earned throughout his life. He was one of the most cogent social philosophers of his time, though many of his ideas were considered radical…. a sobriquet commonly applied by mankind to all free thinkers….

In addition, this statement echoes the idea of many historical sages, in almost identical words. Thomas Jefferson made statements similar to this, when he wrote letters to peers in his time. He warned of the corruption he saw in the government almost immediately upon the signing of the Constitution, lamenting in one letter, “A monied aristocracy in our country … has already set the government at defiance.” He also warned of who he felt was the worst danger to the new republic, when he wrote, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”.

If in no other way, this country has completely ignored this warning, allowing the interests of corporations and oligarchs to corrupt the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency of this nation, with the apparent full agreement of the populace, who embrace every economic principle spouted to them by those who have consistently preyed upon their ignorance. The checks and balances set up by the Constitution are useless, for those who make the laws now are in the complete power of the lust for money and power.

“History has the relation to truth that theology has to religion
— i.e., none to speak of.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Lazarus’s wry observation, though tongue-in-cheek, nonetheless points out a good part of why those who care nothing about community, but, live only to fulfill their own narcissist desires for power have been able to keep the public in the dark about the true state of affairs in the halls of government…. These congenital liars are willing to say anything at all to convince the gullible they are working in their interests, while in truth, have been busily corrupting judges and legislators to pass and approve laws which favor business principles over those of people. This, in spite of any claims to the contrary you may hear from those predators, is absolute truth for anyone with any wit to see, right in front of their eyes.

What is it they refuse to see? Simply this: the entire human culture, in every country in this world, exists as it does while laboring under two delusions. First, people have come to believe money exists in reality, as something other than an idea, which we learned to use to represent our time and energy, by placing a value on it. Second, there is a completely false belief in the need to be governed. Governments do not perform any of the functions for which they originally were formed; instead, they merely act as a means for unscrupulous people to take advantage of those who do not understand their own nature, much less the nature of reality around them.

Of course, since the first step to learning is to admit one does not know, or is wrong, these people would have to first find the courage to overcome their fear of either of those states. Fear arises from ignorance, or, perceived danger without understanding. It is easier to accept what one is told, than it is to be strong enough to think for one’s self, a very common human characteristic, of which those who prey on others are well aware. In fact, they count on it….

As a scientist, with leanings toward social history and the nature of humankind, I cannot say there is any solution at this point. I can also say I don’t believe there is a need for one, as the situation in the world today is ultimately self-correcting, according to the now-proven laws of evolution. No species can long survive when there is no limit to their breeding; our world has rejected any such control over our reproductive characteristics. Simply put, there is not enough planet to support the number of humans currently living here; not for any length of time. In addition, our own short-sightedness is going to play a large part, as we continue to degrade the environment upon which our survival depends, with no thought to the future at all.

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Society has reached the point where we are cancerous, to ourselves, and to the planet. I can say what changes we need to make, but, I am almost certain they won’t be heeded, or made. So be it. As I mentioned somewhere, this is a rant to end all rants, for I am tired of singing to the choir. For a time, this section may/will exhibit some rather different material, not all from the archives. Also, so be it. For now, here are a few pearls to finish off this indictment of us all…. The last one tells us exactly what I mentioned needs to be done, if we are to have any chance at all of surviving as a species….

“In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it.” — George Bernard Shaw

“We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry.” — John Webster

“A fish never thinks about water until he’s out of it.” — Robert Penn Warren

“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” — Sun Tzu (fl. c. BC 500)

“Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.” — Denis Diderot in “Dithrambe sur la fete de rois”

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

The duties of the wind are few…

The duties of the Wind are few,
To cast the ships, at Sea,
Establish March, the Floods escort,
And usher Liberty.

The pleasures of the Wind are broad,
To dwell Extent among,
Remain, or wander,
Speculate, or Forests entertain.

The kinsmen of the Wind are Peaks
Azof – the Equinox,
Also with Bird and Asteroid
A bowing intercourse.

The limitations of the Wind
Do he exist, or die,
Too wise he seems for Wakelessness,
However, know not i.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Naked Pearls

Don’t forget…

*********

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

“Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.” — Confucius

“The best things in life are never rationed. Friendship, loyalty, and love. They do not require coupons.” — George T. Hewitt

“Full wise is he that can himselven knowe.” — Geoffrey Chaucer — The Monkes Tale, Line 1449

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

“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” — Marcus Aurelius

“‘Truth’ never set anyone free. It is only *doubt* which will bring mental emancipation.” — Anton LaVey

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.” — Jawaharlal Nehru

“Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” — Walt Whitman

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

Such as it is, it’s done, And, so am I. Another long night, and a long day ahead, promises today will be a challenge. May as well get started. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided all goes relatively according to plan….

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….

Radio arguments on TV….

Posted on February 18, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

Best Shot One

Hajime….. Inflatable cushions of hand-crafted silk dance amorously on waves of intense blue gazebos, trimmed in virulent aubergine, bellowing in unison to the dulcet melodies of an unseen orchestra, named Harold. As the music swells, so does the crowd, for ’tis the eve of destruction all have anticipated for so little time, it all seems new and bright. For shame, (for the few), and, glory, (for the fewer), they flit through gardens of brilliant pink flowers, glazed with incredibly bad hollandaise. But, wait, there’s more! If you act now, there can also be tuna! Nebulous as it may, or may not seem, it all blossomed like a young banana plant in Siberia, plastering itself into retinal patterns, but, won’t open the vault without some caramel sauce. Afterward, they all went home….

Well, that felt good. I happened to glance at the opening of yesterday’s re-blog before starting this intro; what you see is what I got. I guess I needed that, and so did you. That’s my story, anyway. For those who haven’t seen a lot of ECR yet, welcome to my head; if I hadn’t mentioned it, you might wish to keep your own heads handy, for things can get a bit strange here, at the drop of a cliche. Sometimes, I feel like the description of the mind of the Tick…. a vast plain of featureless white, with something shiny glittering in the far distance…. Other times, I feel like the center of a crowded galaxy, with stars so close together, night become impossible, and the light is supreme…

Then, I wake up, and sit down to write this blog, to save what few dregs of sanity that may linger in those featureless plains….. or, I let myself wander around the back corridors in my head, which seem to be endless, like the Tombs of Atuan, filled around each dark corner with treasures from ancient ages, bound with magic. Or, I drink my coffee first, and the intro looks entirely different than what we are going through today. And, no, I don’t have a clue as to why this is happening…. nor do I wish to know… It works for me; y’all are on your own, as we humans are in this universe. So be it.

Hey, I have an idea. Let’s get this slow on the toad, okay? Sounds like a plan. If it doesn’t work out, well, I’m sure y’all will let me know in the questionnaire we don’t hand out. Alternately, leave a comment, playing nice, of course…. I mean, be as critical as you like; just keep it civil, check? Check. Housekeeping finished, let’s do this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Truth can be a dangerous thing. It is quite patient and relentless.”

~~ R. Scott Richards ~~

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

Leon Russell

Image from http://www.express.co.uk via Google Images

I had not realized Leon was still around, playing his heart out, but, he is… Since I’ve loved his music since the mid-1960’s, I was happy to find this video, of a concert from 2015…. Yay!…. Enjoy, y’all, Leon’s one of the originals…. Nobody like him. At all….

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

Leon Russell Live

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

https://youtu.be/nhp_1T5dCo4

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

I had a bad scare a short time ago; my computer crashed, with a message it couldn’t FIND a hard drive to boot….. YIKES! Now I need to start looking for a new computer, and backing up all my files…. To save some time, I won’t rant today, though I had a great opening quote with which to work…. Y’all will just have to wait for it…. Here is a much lighter pearl from a few years ago, to fill in the space today, while I go save my work from being lost forever…. Have fun…. I won’t be, so, somebody may as well enjoy the day….

From 4/22/2013:

So, there I was, cruising around Smart Bee, looking for pearls, when it occurred to me that I was engaged in a futile pastime, from the standpoint of the Universe…. I mean, what do I hope to accomplish with this stuff I write?…. Nobody’s mind will be changed, nobody will stop the carbon monoxide from getting pumped into the air, nobody is going to get mad enough to throw out all the assholes who are screwing us all…. This makes what I’m doing an exercise in mental masturbation, essentially, with as much hope of changing society as….. well, there is no hope for society, so I can’t think of a metaphor for it…. Nor is there any hope of anybody taking any of this seriously, even if read…

Having thus determined the absolute uselessness of our pastime, I will continue, fully cognizant of how lame it is…. I’m calling this a Pearl of Forlorn Lost Hope…. sort of…. Actually, it’s a subliminal pearl, and will worm its way into your head, where it will work on your attitudes, polishing and brightening them without you ever noticing…. By late this afternoon, you will have done a complete 180 from wherever you were, and will enjoy the rest of the day (that’s a subliminal post-hypnotic suggestion….) Enjoy…..

“Does history repeat itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce? No, that’s too grand, too considered a process. History just burps, and we taste again that raw-onion sandwich it swallowed centuries ago.” — Julian Barnes

“Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.” — Marcus Aurelius

“But whether there’s some grand design really matters little to me. My only hope was this: to see what might be, to believe that it should be, and then to do all I could to bring it to pass, whatever the cost. When a life spins out as joyfully as mine has done, then the price, once paid so painfully, is now recalled in gladness. I have received full value. Here among the shepherds, my cup is filled with the water of life; it overflows.” — Orson Scott Card, “Treason”

But sure the eye of time beholds no name
So blest as thine in all the rolls of fame.

~~ Alexander Pope, The Odyssey of Homer, Book xi, Line 591 ~~

” 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

The human heart has hidden treasures,
In secret kept, in silence sealed.

~~ Charlotte Bronte ~~

“There is no cure for birth and death other than to enjoy the interval.” — George Santayana

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

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 ~~

5/3/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Esoterica on the Elements of Living

“At ebb tide I wrote a line upon the sand,
and gave it all my heart and all my soul.
At flood tide I returned to read what I had inscribed
and found my ignorance upon the shore.”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

*********

“There is always more than we see.”

~~ Sagacious Bee ~~

*********

“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

*********

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

~~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau ~~

*********

“To develop a complete mind:
Study the science of art;
study the art of science.
Learn how to see.
Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

~~ Leonardo da Vinci ~~

*********

“Love isn’t love until you give it away.”

~~ Romantic Bee ~~

*********

“Enough is as good as a feast.”

~~ John Heywood, Proverbes, Part i, Chap. xi ~~

*********

“Real life is, to most men, a long second-best,
a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible;
but the world of pure reason knows no compromise,
no practical limitations,
no barrier to the creative activity.”

~~ Bertrand Russell ~~

*********

“If you don’t control your mind, someone else will.”

~~ John Allston ~~

*********

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

Thankfully, the process held up to the challenges today. I’m going to get this posted before something else happens. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, provided I still have a functioning computer…..

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….

Little balls of inert gases….

Posted on February 16, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“We need wilderness because we are wild animals.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Beauty

Hajime….. The Space/Time Continuum in which we live is pretty big. So big, even our imagination, which seems unlimited in scope, has a hard time grasping just how much of Space and Time there is… we use words like ‘infinity’, ‘eternal’, ‘vast reaches’, to try to describe the nature of what we perceive, but, we still don’t really have a complete understanding, down in our gut, where reality is connected, in ways we cannot perceive, but, instinctively know are there, for we feel their presence, even if we don’t quite comprehend their nature.

For many of us, this lack of comprehension produces a feeling of fear, our natural response to the unknown; this fear often becomes the driving force behind all they do, for they do not, or can not, find the courage to face the unknown, to learn how & why it works as it does, thus replacing fear with knowledge…. It is a rather simple task, but, far too many of our species never find the courage to face their fears, preferring to accept the false explanations given by others, which seem to give relief from the fear, but, in truth, merely reinforce it, using it as a means to manipulate them, using the guise of a ‘moral authority’.

Hmm…. I suppose the intro section isn’t exactly the best place for a discussion of ‘moral authority’, other than as a passing fancy to fill in a bit of space…. which we have accomplished, quite adeptly, if I do say so myself. Since there is little point in carrying this discussion further, unless we are planning on being here all day, I’ll chop it off right there, without going into the obvious solution to such ignorance, to wit: a bit of courage to face the fears…. We’ll leave those poor saps to their fate for now, and get on with our chosen task for today, which is to get the fuck done….

In light of our newly found purpose, I’m going all executive again, and removing us post haste to the oyster beds, so we can get this slow on the toad, where it belongs. How does that work, you may ask? Well, it works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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

Today, I want smooth, and hot. Who else?…. Enjoy, ffolkes; he just keeps getting better as the years go by…. He was the very first artist I saw live on a stage in SF, back in 1968 or 69 (naturally, it’s all kind of blurry, exact-time-wise….); even then, he was not merely the best, he was the most uniquely himself, in every note he rips from his guitar, straight out of his soul…. He remains as unique today, 47 years later…. approximately…. What can I say, ffolkes? It was UC Berkeley, the year after the Summer of Love hit its zenith…. anyone who says they remember it in specific detail wasn’t really there…

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

Santana Live
Las Vegas 2015

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

https://youtu.be/6GzUFbWXLDc

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

I had a nice quote from Ovid to rant on today, but, having bled out a poem last night, the driving force isn’t quite what it needs to be to do it right…. Here is a rant from 2013 about our old friends over at the NSA, those valiant guardians of your morals who so blithely steal information for their own paranoid purposes…. Enjoy!….

From 10/31/2013:

Well, I waited until now to begin ranting, which is probably a good thing. Perhaps this will be a bit more effective as a call to action than in the usual position, or wherever it’s been of late that has kept it from at least making me feel a bit better for having ranted…. What a mouthful! And so on topic, too! Gotta love us amateurs, eh?….

At any rate, I found this article yesterday, buried back a few pages, probably because everyone is so tired of hearing of yet ANOTHER outrageous instance of the NSA breaking the law, by once again going far beyond the scope of their legal mandate, in the ever-widening quest by our own government to become the true Evil Empire…. I know, that’s some pretty high-powered language to use to in discussing an agency of our own government, but, as always, I believe in calling a spade a damn shovel, not an indigenous individual digging device, type 2…. and you may as well get used to it….

These assholes over at the NSA have gone completely bonkers; they assumed that because they got practically all they wanted in the way of legal coverage by the administration, they may as well just go ahead and do whatever else they wanted, believing that the people who set them loose on the trail of ostensible terrorists would protect them from any critical attention and/or interference by something as mundane as the law, or the will of the people….. and, for a long time, they were justified in that belief…. But, now that their clandestine activities are being brought to light by that national hero, Eric Snowden, the rats are deserting their ship, and leaving them to their fate without any real support….

Talk around Washington is that the President is going to, belatedly, stop spying on the leaders of our allies, and will move to put limits on what the agencies are allowed to access in the data that is generated by the general public. This is a complete reversal, and I can only hope it is in response to the pressure put on them by the public’s obvious displeasure, and not as a temporary measure to appease while they figure out a diversion in some other area of the public venue, where they can cause some problem that will draw our attention away from this issue, allowing them to continue their illegal, but, in their eyes, oh so necessary theft of the people’s identities….

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Report-NSA-broke-into-Yahoo-Google-data-centers-4939585.php

In the article, the most significant part of what is there, to my way of thinking, is that the companies involved say had no idea that they were being compromised, even though their own security measures are considered to be nearly impenetrable… Well, they SAY they had no idea; one must remember they ARE a corporation, and, thus, are very familiar with telling the public what they wish to hear….

However, it appears that the American and British spies went in, got their data, and left, without ever notifying Google, or Yahoo, of what they were taking, though such activities are still illegal, according to the laws in place…. (Not to mention rudeThe spying mandate they have doesn’t extend to what they stole, theoretically…. Of course, they can say they didn’t KNOW that, but, then, lying is their entire purpose, and the single most critical part of their entire modus vivendi, is it not?…. Even in the Art of War, Sun Tzu acknowledged the importance of the spy in warfare, calling them the most powerful of all types of warriors…

Of course it is, just as lying and cheating come naturally to anyone in a nationally elected office; it’s part of their job description these days, even if it is written in invisible ink….. Since Google, and Yahoo, and the other agencies that were hacked, are all corporations, and have pretty much the same characteristics as shown by the BRC pundits, (i.e., a tendency to lie at the drop of a cliche…), it’s a bit hard to tell who is more guilty here….

Is it Google and/or Yahoo, who are gathering all sorts of data about its users without their knowledge or permission (I don’t regard those passive advertisements that one can “control” what data is gathered by adjusting their “preferences” as real permission…. they take whatever data they want, and tell you about it later, if at all….)….? Or, is it the government spy agencies, who are stealing that same stolen data from the corporations, that fit the bill as the villain?

It should make for an interesting contest, to see how this fake argument plays out….. I mean, I can’t really believe that the BRC, who is controlled and supported by the corporations (go ahead, disprove that!….), will continue to try to take data from them without their knowledge. It’s more likely they are playing out this faux-dispute in the public venue in order to confuse the public about who is on their side in this issue… It seems to be working, as always, as the public is pretty much ignoring these latest revelations, and looking around for almost anything to take their minds elsewhere for a while… I’m almost interested, in a resigned, doubtful sort of way, to see just what they come up with next to draw the public’s attention off this issue…. Probably more to do with the recent roll-out of health care reform laws, which seems to be a hot button for a lot of people….

For me, all of it is dross and spittle…. I believe, absolutely, that if there is an official statement made by anyone in the government printed in the news, it needs to be examined in the light of what it is NOT saying, to ascertain about what it is lying, or what it is trying to hide by distraction, not merely for what it says…. Their motivation in making ANY public statement is manipulation of public attitudes; they’re not trying to make anything better. They lie, they leave stuff out, they point us in all kinds of useless directions, but they almost NEVER tell us what is actually going on, unless we’ve already caught them at it… In those cases, we see all sorts of backing and filling, as they come up with all sorts of “plausible deniability” in order to convince the public that their lies are really the truth…

What a crock! If it wasn’t so damn sad and depressing, it would be amusing…. SIGH… Enough is enough…. Stay alert, ffolkes, because they’re lying to you every day, and doing all they can to improve THEIR lot in life, not yours…. Let them know you’re on to them, at every opportunity…. If nothing else, it will make them nervous, which they deserve….

“You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time; and that should be sufficient for most purposes.” — Smart Bee, quoting from the true bible, used by both politicians and preachers…..

“The ideal robot, after all, is simply a properly processed human being.” — Edward Abbey

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

Increments

Meaning fades to distant reality
while gazing at such triviality.
An insane world, where utter finality
is reward for disability.

Metaphorically, as a matter of course.

Moment to moment, passion blooms,
swells, and fades, swept by new brooms.
Bitter dreams catch fire in empty rooms,
waiting for broken time, which never resumes.

Superficially, with great force.

Dire wolves stand snarling at the door
called to existence from a distant moor;
discordant strains sound a mad, sad roar,
a dirge for those who went before.

Morbidly, without vital recourse.

Honest effort fades from human ken
until entropy finds home in every when.
Illusory fear inundates imagination, then
buries hope, in its own ashes, hidden.

Cruelly, absolutely no remorse.

Silence falls until it shatters the night.
The universe has refused the fight.
Illusion is now reality, such a fey sight.
Who has courage to live in the light?

Really? It could be worse.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/15/2016

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

Naked Pearls

*********

“We pardon in the degree that we love.”

~~ Francis, Duc de La Rochefoucauld — Maxim 330 ~~

*********

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin,
but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

~~ Harper Lee ~~

*********

“Purity engenders Wisdom,
Passion avarice,
and Ignorance folly, infatuation and darkness.”

~~ Bhagavad Gita (c. B.C. 400) ~~

*********

“Don’t hold to anger, hurt or pain.
They steal your energy and keep you from love.”

~~ Leo F. Buscaglia ~~

*********

“Intellect annuls fate.
So far as a man thinks,
he is free.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*********

“There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.”

~~ Elie Wiesel ~~

*********

“A man’s happiness,–to do the things proper to man.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, viii, 26 ~~

*********

“Since everything in life is but an experience
perfect in being what it is,
having nothing to do with good or bad,
acceptance or rejection,
one may well burst out in laughter.”

~~ Long Chen Pa ~~

*********

“Nobody ever promised it would make sense…”

~~ Sarge ~~

*********

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

Well, there you go. It’s a Pearl, and, a damn good one, too. Now we’ll see if reality can match my expectations. Since the odds on success are dead even, we’ll just leave it at that, & be on our way, so we can try again tomorrow… Hey, fresh poem, right? It will do. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if my calculations are correct….

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….

Scrap all the intricate filigree…

Posted on February 13, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.”

~~ Bob Dylan ~~

The Original Angry Bird

Hajime….. Since we begin with a such a cogent quote from one of our society’s most prolific and long-lived bards, I’ll have to try to keep this within the parameters thus implied. We’ll see how that goes, what with insomnia, curmudgeonly reaction to same, and an extended period of cat training yesterday, I’m in a bit of an odd mood. Sometimes that works well to improve the results here; other times, not so much. Whichever it might be, we’ll use our advanced sage training to make it palatable…. You know, good & bad don’t exist but in our minds, that sort of thing…

Of course, that presupposes I have the chutzpah and general wherewithal to pull of that kind of advanced philosophizing; the hour of the day can affect that heavily. I guess I just wait for the correct moment to apply the fix; once I’ve got enough coffee on board, that should be an obvious jumping-off point we can use to our advantage, such as we may. Otherwise, what happens could turn on us, making it hard to cash your checks, er, get y’all home in one piece….

Having thus assured us all the bozoid tendencies upon which we rely are firmly in place, we can, I think…. no, make that we must, I think, get ourselves out of this convoluted mess I call an intro, and on to the oyster beds, before it gets any more slippery/slimy than it has already gone. In fact, I’m going to use one of the new tricks I found in another drawer in the Tardis…. It’s pretty cool; all it does is this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“To be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough;
the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.”

~~ Descartes ~~

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

The Death of Socrates

Image from en.wikipedia.org via Google Images

Today’s video selection is not musical, but, rather a sublimation for ranting, as it were. The social phenomenon that is Last Week Tonight showed, in the recent past, how powerful a tool the internet and media can combine to fashion, a tool that can actually change the course of societal events. I’ve included a link to the show’s You Tube page, where about 50 or more of the episodes are listed; the one with which we begin is a recent show, dealing with some of the issues we are seeing in today’s news…. I won’t say enjoy; I will say, pay the fuck attention…. It’s all stuff you’ll do better for knowing….

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

John Oliver
Last Week Tonight

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

https://youtu.be/umqvYhb3wf4?list=PLmKbqjSZR8TbfAMV9bLy4beDh4vrze5kc

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

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” — Professor Bernardo de la Paz

I am not sure when I first read the above statements from the professor, but, I know it was before the age of twenty. Even then, it struck a deep chord of familiarity, as if it were something I had always known. For sure and for certain it is I have lived my life by this standard, ever since my earliest memories…. It may have come from my family environment, or, perhaps it’s just a lucky gift of nature; I don’t much care, nor, worry over how it came to be, for it has made my life, if nothing else, my own, which, as far as I can see, is pretty rare.

I have a feeling it came from my father and mother, who taught us about personal responsibility; this was enforced by having four siblings, all of whom insisted on their own brand of individuality. Since we had the example set by our parents to follow, we all learned to accept life as it came, without the more obvious problems that can arise…. Oh, not to say it was paradise; no Army family of seven is ever completely peaceful. But, none of us ever suffered injustice or dishonesty from anyone at home, which gave us armor against those dangers in the world away from home.

Having this ‘advantage’, it makes it easy for me to see how lacking such a background could cause problems for people, both as individuals, and for society at large…. But, having put off completing this piece too long, I no longer have the urge, or the time to explain that statement…. For today, and now, let it suffice to say, the lack of ability to take personal responsibility for one’s actions, without causing undue inner struggle or conflict, is the primary reason our species cannot seem to find any peace. I see this failure of morality/ethical training as our single most telling flaw, one which, if we do not/can not discover how to negate, will eventually kill us all.

As I see reality, we have a choice. We can change our ways, and assume the weight of responsibility for our acts, and find a way to survive the coming cataclysmic environmental events. Or, we can die, ignobly, as the poet said, not with a bang, but a whimper. To my mind, it is that simple. Not, by any means, a simple task, but, a simple choice…. I’m not sanguine about which choice we’ll make…. For now, here are a few pearls which speak to the matter, in their own way…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s easier than listening to another of my interminable rants….

“Man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits… For my part I would as soon be descended from [a] baboon… as from a savage who delights to torture his enemies … treats his wives like slaves … and is haunted by the grossest suspicions.” — Charles Darwin

“Despite its suffix, skepticism is not an “ism” in the sense of a belief or dogma. It is simply an approach to the problem of telling what is counterfeit and what is genuine. And a recognition of how costly it may be to fail to do so. To be a skeptic is to cultivate “street smarts” in the battle for control of one’s own mind, one’s own money, one’w own allegiances. To be a skeptic, in short, is to refuse to be a victim.” — Robert S. DeBear, “An Agenda for Reason, Realism, and Responsibility,” — New York Skeptic — (newsletter of the New York Area Skeptics, Inc.), Spring 1988

He’s not a politician. He’s just ethically challenged.” — Morality Bee

“Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.” — John Adams

“Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages upon its naive self-love. The first was when it realized that our earth was not the center of the universe, but only a speck in a world-system of a magnitude hardly conceivable… The second was when biological research robbed man of his particular privilege of having been specially created, and relegated him to a descent from the animal world.” — Sigmund Freud

Okay…. I’m feeling generous; five is enough…. We’ll speak on this again, trust me…. For now, go enjoy the poem….

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

It’s been a while since we heard from this poet; it’s time…. Enjoy! He’s a bit crusty, but, always hits people where it counts….

air and light and time and space

‘-you know, I’ve either had a family, a job, something
has always been in the
way
but now
I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this
place, a large studio, you should see the space and
the light.
for the first time in my life I’m going to have a place and
the time to
create.’
no baby, if you’re going to create
you’re going to create whether you work
16 hours a day in a coal mine
or
you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children
while you’re on
welfare,
you’re going to create with part of your mind and your
body blown
away,
you’re going to create blind
crippled
demented,
you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your
back while
the whole city trembles in earthquakes, bombardment,
flood and fire.
baby, air and light and time and space
have nothing to do with it
and don’t create anything
except maybe a longer life to find
new excuses
for.

~~ Charles Bukowski ~~

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

Today’s final pearl, old-school variety, is special, but, don’t ask me why. Instead, read it, let it percolate a bit, then, decide for yourself why I might say that. I even gave y’all a clue, at the top of the section. If you require it, call it homework, or a challenge. Anything you want….. I call it

Esoterica/Life at Large

“You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 596

“Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, viii, 51

“We are being educated when we know it least.” — David Gardner

“All conversations with a potato should be conducted in private.” — Wilner’s Observation

“The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who would be friends.” — Shirley MacLaine

“How you do anything is how you do everything.” — Zen proverb

“Life is too short for grief. Or regret. Or bullshit.” — Edward Abbey

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

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” — Anais Nin

“But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.” — Alan Watts

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery,
None but ourselves can free our minds.

~~ Bob Marley ~~

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

What an ordeal! Suffice it to say, again, it’s done. It was such an ordeal, I’ll not bore you further, but, will take my leave, stage virtual. I will, however, leave you with the knowledge of my return, tomorrow, should Fate be kind…. Of course, we make our own Fate, so, well, you get the picture…. If nobody stops me, I’ll be back…. See ya…..

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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