Morning sux, redux….

Posted on January 15, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Is a mirage real? Well, it’s a real mirage.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

You didn’t want to hit ‘delete’?

Hajime…. I am unsure why, but, I woke up grumpy; so be it…. This generally means a nice, vitriolic rant for later, but, since we are already ‘later’ than I’d like, we’ll pass on that, & go with an archived piece; the fresh treatise upon which I’ve been working isn’t ready anyway. Leelu isn’t happy with me, either, so, I guess it’s all of a piece, so to speak. Grumpiness, mad cat, late Pearl… I have a feeling I may not be attending Bingo Night tonight; too many opportunities to lose it altogether. Since I like the people who organize it, I’ll probably be nice, & stay home.

If you have come this far in today’s narrative, it may occur to you today’s title is actually connected to the Pearl, which is NOT my habit, nor my wish. It just came out that way; I made it up while still in extreme grump mode, and, it seems to have stuck, no matter what I do. Oh, well, that’s just one more to add to my list, which is reaching epic proportion, and it’s barely 6 AM. Now I’m getting worried; is there some cosmic event my perception has picked up subconsciously? Is the Universe about to go critical? Is the Space/Time Continuum shaking in its proverbial boots?…. Tune in tomorrow, & we’ll have a report on all of that…..

For now, and today, I think, perhaps, ‘t would be a good thing to get this slow on the toad. In keeping with that most perceptive insight, let’s do this, which is fast, and may cause a bit of vertigo, but, what the hell? The morning’s shot anyway. Hang on, ffolkes, this one moves wicked fast….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Human, do you know how interesting it is, this thing you describe? Avata does not have a god. How is it that you have a god? Avata has Self, has the universe. But you have a god. Where did you find this god?” — Frank Herbert

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

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

Today’s music is a lazy compromise; I wanted to hear some guitar, but, was too lazy to figure out to whom I wished to listen. This is the compromise, with 3 hours of classical guitar, by various artists…. It will do for our purposes today. Enjoy, ffolkes…

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

Classical Guitar

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

https://youtu.be/V80EzF–UNk

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

I am working on a piece for this section, but, it keeps growing in different directions, so, it isn’t ready yet. To sublimate, here is a reasonably short discussion of a similar subject, from the archives, about three years ago…. Enjoy, ffolkes; at least you don’t have to hear me go off this morning; well, not with any oomph, anyway….

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

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

Modest sounds of impatient concern….

Crowds converge at the raw and grisly scene,
comatose to compassion, curiosity tugging at the hem
with sharp, oh, sharp tools made obscene,
filing the essence of future hopes in spite of them.

Yet who has won the keys to the treasure,
who whipped up the fear of another brother?
Who spent the dreams of the old in selfish measure,
with such arrogant blindness grave issues to smother?

Fateful decisions may prompt still another pause,
to catch and release collective images of insanity.
Surely legitimate anger arises with ample cause
wallowing in self-made entrepreneurs, fluent in profanity.

A quartet of eternities must pass to guarantee change,
regardless of need, or desire, or autonomous manipulation.
Ancient rules and modern aggression is only passing strange
when golden delusion grasps futilely at its related illusory station.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/18/2013

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

Naked Pearls

“And what have we learned today…?

*********

“Change a life; make someone feel important.”

~~ Compassionate Bee ~~

*********

“Anger is never without an argument,
but seldom with a good one.”

~~ George Savile ~~

*********

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.

~~ William Arthur Ward ~~

*********

Fortune is like glass;
the brighter the glitter,the more easily broken.

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 280 ~~

*********

Know then this truth (enough for man to know),
“Virtue alone is happiness below.”

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 309 ~~

*********

“The worst vice of the fanatic is his sincerity.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*********

“Laughter is the language of the gods.”

~~ Buddhist saying ~~

*********

“I used to think I was an expert.
Then I met one…”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

*********

“I cannot teach anybody anything,
I can only make them think.”

~~ Socrates ~~

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

Well, it’s done. As we all know, that is our primary goal, & once reached, we tend to bail quickly. How quickly? Oh, about like this….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. That isn’t meant as a threat, but, you take it however it occurs to you….. I’ll be here anyway, as long as the Net is still up & running…. 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….

Clipping the bright plastic….

Posted on January 8, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.”

~~ J. R. “Bob” Dobbs ~~

Night Sky in Oregon

Image Credit: Deepanshu Arora | PhotosByDeepanshu via Space.com

Hajime…. If one were to take seriously our opening statement of attitude from J.R., it would go a long way toward providing them with a seriously improved lot in life, as they would no longer have to worry about offending anyone. Once you can bring yourself to realize the wisdom of such an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory epithet, why, nothing else matters. Life becomes a breeze….

Of course, that’s because you won’t have any friends, and all your loved ones will probably try their best to see you dead, but, hey, who cares, right? Right. As long as you can maintain such a demeanor, other folks will pretty much leave you to your own devices, which, believe me, can be a blessing… It’s also a curse, naturally, but, one must make sacrifices in life to achieve one’s ends….

Okay, I’m done with the snarky silliness…. You may disregard the previous two paragraphs entirely from this point onward, as they really have nothing to do with anything but filling up space. My brain is currently non-functional, in spite of having consumed my first cuppacoffee in record time, and, having zipped halfway through my second. But, since the degree of non-functionality is so severe, it also blocks any feelings of guilt; there is simply nowhere for them to hang out near an exit….

There. Done. Honest, I won’t do this again; too many points where it could have caught fire & burned the whole deal to the ground. I’m thinking, sort of, it might be best to just head out, and deal with things as they happen…. Sure I will. Meantime, let’s use this little gizmo right here, and get the hell out of here, before I can say anything close to coherent…. Wouldn’t want that, would we? Of course not….

Shall we Pearl?….

Enjoy the spring of love and youth,
To some good angel leave the rest;
For time will teach thee soon the truth,
There are no birds in last year’s nest.~~ Longfellow ~~

~~ It is not always May ~~

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

The Kinks

Image from music.naij.com via Google Images

For anyone my age, this band needs no introduction. It they are new to your ken, why, then, sit back, and prepare to have your mind blown a bit, if not a lot…. Enjoy, ffolkes; these guys set the standards for a LOT of today’s rock & roll, as well as pop music, to mention only one venue they influenced during their time in the limelight….

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

The Kinks

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

https://youtu.be/LemG0cvc4oU?list=RDLemG0cvc4oU

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

The Anti-trafficking Movement Needs Survivor Voices: Why Are We Ignored?

Dueling Rants

Today’s rants come from the archives… On the date shown, I found two short discussions, on two of our favored subjects, to wit; religion and politics… Go figure…. I have cleaned up the formatting, but, changed none of the text; anything weird will just have to fly solo….

From 2/8/2012:

“If God had meant for us to take life seriously, He wouldn’t have given us a sense of humor.” — Theologist Bee

I would say this is true, as far as it goes. I would feel compelled to add that to listen to some of the folks who consider themselves tight with God, would be to believe they don’t figure He has one; at least they won’t cop to it. They live and act as if they never did anything bozoid, or made a mistake, or for goodness sake, looked at a platypus. If that creature isn’t proof that God has a sense of humor, I couldn’t say what is.

Since I don’t honestly believe in the tenets put forth by any of the organized religions I’ve studied (damn near all of them now), I would have to say that our sense of humor is a survival characteristic, a buffer for our minds, to protect it from all the crap and nonsense that floats free in the universe, especially in what we see and hear from our cohabitants on this little mudball we call home. Such a device is essential to retaining one’s sanity in the face of the kind of complicated, emotionally charged, irrational, and illogical BS we constantly have to deal with when trying to deal with the great unwashed masses.

It certainly has aided me in my campaign to bring some light to the dark-headed among us (I refer here to the old saw: the lights are on, but nobody’s home), both by acting as a favored method of teaching for me, and a favored method of learning for them. So, for me, it is a two-edged sword, giving me both protection from the assaults on my mind from the ignorant, and allowing me to share some helpful information in people who can’t learn any other way.

And in the final analysis, it’s always good to remember that humor is best applied in looking at ourselves. I can’t tell you how often I break out in sheer delight over something stupid I’ve done, something I have told myself time and again to not do, but that I end up doing anyway. Just goes to show that even us smart guys are not immune to bozoid tendencies…..thank God…..

🙂

___________________________________

“I have a feeling that at any time about three million Americans can be had for any militant reaction against law, decency, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, compassion and the rule of reason.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

Mr. Galbraith makes a valid point here, but I think his estimate is low, considering there are over 310 million of us now. I’d wager it’s closer to 30 million, of which 95% would be fundamentalist Christians and/or Mormons. The entrance qualifications for acceptance into one of those organizations are pretty low, and since the principal characteristic of all of them is sheer mental laziness (they refuse to think for themselves, instead of blindly accepting what their leaders tell them), their ranks have swollen in the last decade. If you need proof, look at the Tea Party, which I consider one of the more apt descriptions for that entity. I would, however, prefer to add some words to it, to wit: the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

For the sake of argument, let us look at just one subject, say evolution vs. creationism. As recently as November of last year, several of the Republican candidates for the nomination to run for President expressed their doubts about evolution, trying no doubt to appeal to that 30 or more million folks who believe in creationism. Below, you will find just one argument on the subject; there are literally millions more scientists who would say the same…..

“Evolution is as much a fact as the earth turning on its axis and going around the sun. At one time this was called the Copernican theory; but, when evidence for a theory becomes so overwhelming that no informed person can doubt it, it is customary for scientists to call it a fact. That all present life descended from earlier forms, over vast stretches of geologic time, is as firmly established as Copernican cosmology. Biologists differ only with respect to theories about how the process operates.”– Martin Gardner, “Irving Kristol & the Facts of Life”– The Skeptical Inquirer, Vol. XII No. 2, ppg. 128-131

In reality, I am aware that I’m preaching to the choir here; most of the folks I know don’t much hold with nonsense. But, a lot of other folks may eventually read this, and if I can offend them enough, maybe I can get them to think for a moment or two, much as it pains them to do so……if not, well, it’s fun for me, and leaves them feeling confused, so that’s all good…..

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

A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.

I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.

My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/27/2012

This is one of the first poems I wrote after a 35 year hiatus from writing any at all…. I still like it, & I hope you do as well….

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

Today’s final section contains a rather classical style old-school pearl. The process for including the following was, for the most part, unconscious, which is why I couldn’t say what the message may be, at this time. It may come to me, as it usually does, by letting the ideas into my head, & letting them play together for a while; the message always settles out as a precipitate…. Trust me on this, it works…. Go ahead, try it…. I dare you….

For a true master,
Sitting on a throne
Is no different than
Sitting on dirt.~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*********

“All of the animals excepting man know
that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.”

~~ Samuel Butler ~~

*********

“Some folks say honesty is the best policy,
while others say keeping your mouth shut is even better.”

~~ Contrary Bee ~~

*********

“Morality is truth in full bloom.”

~~ Victor Hugo ~~

*********

“To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

*********

“The beginning of knowledge is the discovery
of something we do not understand.”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

*********

He who knows nothing, loves nothing.
He who can do nothing understands nothing.
He who understands nothing is worthless.

~~ Paracelsus ~~

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

It’s done; that is, unfortunately, the best I can say of it, for, it went by so fast, and without much input from me, it rather created itself, by process rather than any sort of creative process in me. So be it; it is, all that notwithstanding, done. I’ll try again tomorrow to get this right. Until then, y’all be strange, it’s cool out there…. or, wait. Oh, never mind…. See y’all tomorrow; it isn’t meant as a threat, but, take it as you like….

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….

ALL policies are foreign….

Posted on November 23, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

Leelu, asserting her will….

Hajime….

Other than the fact I’ve been up now for six days, there’s no really good reason not to do this. Therefore, I’ll do it. I won’t, however, make any claims as to quality, or, for that matter, quantity. It’s here, it’s done, deal with it. I have to, so, you may as well. I’m also damn tired of coming up with new shit for this intro, so, fuck it. Let’s do this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“It is the edge and temper of the blade that make a good sword, not the richness of the scabbard; and so it is not money or possessions that make man considerable, but his virtue.” — Seneca

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

Antonio Vivaldi

Image from 8tracks.com via Google Images

Today’s musical selection is, without doubt, my favorite single piece of classical music. When I worked the night shift, this concerto got me through more hours than any other piece… Enjoy!….

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

The Four Seasons
Antonio Vivaldi

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

https://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA

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

Aristotle_Bust_White_Background_Transparent

I’ve a fresh rant brewing, but, ’twasn’t done, and, besides, it’s been a tough night. I’ll sublimate, again, with a nice little discussion from the archives. Enjoy!….

From 4/17/2013:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Accentuated Lessons

Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.

Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.

Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.

Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/27/2012.

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

A slightly recalcitrant SB finally gave up a closing pearl for this one, an event it’s been putting off for twenty-some hours. I think it came out well; the final result makes the wait worthwhile for me. Enjoy, ffolkes….

“I must invent my own philosophical systems, or else be enslaved by other mens'” — William H. Blake

“I’m the one who’s got to die when its time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.” — Jimi Hendrix

“Is consciousness just a special form of hallucination?” — Frank Herbert

“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. ravel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.” — Louis L’Amour, Ride the Dark Trail

“How could the drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life. Then, even the holiest of words are only words.” — Deng Ming-Dao

I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it,
Time in hours, days, years,
Driv’n by the spheres
like a vast shadow mov’d; in which the world
And all her train were hurl’d.

~~ Henry Vaughan ~~

~~ The World ~~

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

This one is another testament to stubbornness, as much as anything else. Nonetheless, it’s done, and that’s all I care about. Especially at almost 2 AM. I guess I’ll go get it posted, and see if maybe I can fall out for an hour…. Fat chance. I will, however, be back tomorrow, regardless of whether or not Fate allows me to gather Morpheus’s boon to my breast….. Who needs sleep? Apparently, not me….

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….

Sauté, flambé, it all ends up in the fire….

Posted on November 20, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

Monument to the Victims of the Great Famine in Ireland

Galway

Hajime…. The monument you see is quite a moving experience in person; the events of that time were horrendous, as well as misnamed in the official history of the time. Even the name of the monument, in my mind, isn’t as it should be, for the Famine was not a famine; it was attempted genocide by the British government. Now, such a statement may not match what the world was told, but, it resembles reality much more than the story that eventually was agreed upon, which is all history really is….

Gosh…. That’s pretty heavy, eh? Well, it’s a heavy monument, so, there’s nothing unusual, or wrong about that. I shan’t continue in such a vein, for it’s already hard enough to see the keyboard, but, everyone alive should take a moment often to remember the victims of such crimes, which happen every day, in almost every country in the world, at one time or another. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man is a subject that’s been covered by greater minds, and writers, than I, so, I won’t bother to try to cover their work, either. What I can do is put together a Pearl, as best I may. So be it.

Hell, we’ll just go do that now. Take us away, Luigi, before anyone notices….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A sky as pure as water bathed the stars and brought them out.” — Southern mail, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1929

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

Image from amazon.com via Google Images

I never was privileged to see Leon play live before he was gone, but, I’ve seen Willie a couple times, here & there over the years. They played together a lot back in the day; here’s a concert from 1979 I missed, being busy preparing to get married at the end of the month, in California….. Nice to get to hear it now; hurray for You Tube, and old hippies….

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

Willie Nelson & Leon Russell
Live in Passaic, NJ, 3/1/79

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

https://youtu.be/TsQCFLgeusY

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

“I like the way ONLY their mouths move.. They look like DYING OYSTERS” — Zippy the Pinhead

I’ve seen a lot of the Zippy books & cartoons, but, not this one, so, I don’t know for sure if he’s talking about a choir, or, almost anyone on the floor of the US Senate during almost any session. But, then, he COULD be talking about what I used to do, which was to watch the news without sound. The Zipster’s fond observation could describe practically every newscast team, as well, but for the weather folks, who are generally the most interesting, especially without sound. And, please, don’t get me started on the politicians, or police spokesheeple, or other members of the BRC, (you know, the Asininnies) being interviewed; let’s just note Zippy nailed them in one….

I had intended to rant upon the political group, using Zippy’s quote as a springboard, but, circumstances preclude much besides the sort of thing you see in the first paragraph. So, rather than subject y’all to any more of my occasionally infantile humor, (it happens most often in this situation, after the fourth day of not sleeping; the damn cat gets 20 times the sleep I’m getting…. But, I’m not complaining, just explaining the whyfor….), I went searching in Smart Bee for some off the wall, or ‘different’ thoughts with which to entertain y’all, with each one relating in some fashion to my own thoughts on why we’ve ended up in such a mess….

And, what the hell, because I can….

“More comfortable seeing 2 men holding guns than holding hands?” — Sardonic Bee

“I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleges, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.” — Tolstoy

“A free life cannot acquire many possessions, because this is not easy to do without servility to mobs or monarchs…” — Epicurus

“If you think the United States has stood still, who built the largest shopping center in the world?” — Richard M. Nixon

“Q: How can you tell when a lawyer is lying? A:His lips are moving.” — Sarcastic Bee

“How many gun control advocates does it take to screw in a light bulb? Let the police do it – private citizens can’t be trusted with light bulbs !” — Smart Alec Bee

de-moc-ra-cy (di mok’ ra see) n. Three wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner. — Realistic Bee

“For neither men nor angel can discern hypocrisy – the only evil that walks invisible.” — Milton, “Paradise Lost”, iii:682-684

“Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.” — Lily Tomlin

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

Momentary Terror

Absently casual, memories pester endlessly
leaving only bleeding remnants, amiable and loving.
Coming awake, I cry to still the pain, shamelessly.

Elsewhen, time gives surcease, if only to live,
shoring broken pilings, worn and gray.
Passing on, I laugh at the pain, accept all it will give.

Time will build a shelter, warm and ever safe
save for Fate’s busy hands.
Enduring, I follow the pain, knowing it will chafe.

Fixed against a darkened sky of starry black
such beauty brings us to our knees.
Entranced, I welcome the pain, ’tis all I lack…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 2/4/2013.

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

Sometimes, Smart Bee is a moralist about Life at Large; today was one of those days. We did manage to find some pretty cogent thoughts about the whole shebang, for what they’re worth. In my mind, that isn’t an insignificant value…. You decide for yourself….

“I grow old ever learning many things.” — Solon

“I certainly wasn’t happy. Happiness has to do with reason, and only reason earns it. What I was given was the thing you can’t earn, and can’t keep, and often don’t even recognize at the time; I mean joy.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

“Hunger is the best seasoning for meat, and thirst for drink.” — Cicero

“Be not ashamed of thy virtues; honor’s a good brooch to wear in a man’s hat at all times.” — Ben Johnson

“Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.” — J. R. “Bob” Dobbs

“It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise. This is true of men as of dogs.” — Eric Hoffer

“The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth.” — Chinese proverb

“The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 3

“Better clean death than dirty life.” — Frank Herbert

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

It’s done. The mere fact of its doneness is a testament, to be sure; whether to my will and perseverance, or to obsessive-compulsiveness, is both unclear, and, ultimately, unimportant. To me, anyway, because, hey, done. We’ll try it again tomorrow, ffolkes; one of these times I’ll get it right…. Sure I will….

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….

Such a waste of appealingly bitter waffles….

Posted on July 26, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“No human thing is of serious importance.”

~~ Plato ~~

Struggling Beauty

Good morning….

“Sleep is a weapon.”

~~ Philip D’Anjou, “The Bourne Identity” by Robert Ludlum ~~

I first read the above words in the 1970’s, I think, when the book was first published. Regardless of the book’s qualities, I’d have liked it, anyway, if only for that line…. It’s such a powerful idea, and is, to my own knowledge, a very important piece of data for anyone to know, at least, if they’re the kind of person who enjoys life. It has so many applications to every part of life, it touches on all we do, and all we accomplish….. Without a sharp, strong, flexible weapon, life can be very hard, and very dangerous…. The weapon, of course, is our own mind….

Why is this relative to our purpose here today? Well, that’s simple actually…. Sleep, or rather, finding the means within myself to sleep, has become one of the more pressing issues in my life, as I am currently unable to predict at all when I’ll be able to go down for some rest…. Some days, I feel like I’m back in boot camp…. Of course, I never went to boot camp, aside from having been raised by a Master Sergeant… I guess that would count…

I’m not going to go into all the reasons for my reluctant insomnia; it’s TMI, and, no doubt, pretty boring for anyone not going through it. I will say, it’s not the kind of thing designed to make one into a happy camper, an assertion of which I possess no doubt whatsoever as to it’s truth….. In short, FUCK ME! THIS IS A PAIN IN THE BLOODY ASS!

Okay, I’m done. We can go now, to see if there is anything else in my head that might have some little entertainment value…. It may be a long search, so grab some of the trail mix before we head out; it could be a long time to lunch….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that balances are correct.” — from “Manual of Maud’Dib” by the Princess Irulan

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

Image from blu-ray.com via Google Images

Today’s video selection is a classic Science Fiction movie, long considered the definitive “First” in that genre. Shot on a minimal budget, with young stars, such as the then-unknown Leslie Nielsen, alongside fading Hollywood stars, such as Walter Pidgeon, the movie was shot as an entirely serious movie with a dramatic plot; it came out unintentionally hilarious, and campy, due to the special effects, for which the kindest word to describe would be “cheezy” ….. (Look at that robot!…. and, the alien landscape!…). I’ve included links and players for the official trailer, as well as some of the outtakes from the shooting process. To watch the entire movie, you can pay $2.99 to You Tube, or follow a link to many sites streaming old movies online…. Type “forbidden planet full movie” into the YT search bar, & it will furnish you with any number of links to the movie… Enjoy!…

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

Forbidden Planet

Trailer & Outtakes

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

https://youtu.be/AxQ9GG6hUDM

https://youtu.be/5dd-5qR5AD4

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

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

Last posted on 11/20/2013:

Below you’ll find a short, but concise, religirant, another blast from the past, as I continue to mine my archives for material I can use today, to save me a bit of time, and mental energy, which I can always use to decide where I’m going for my next trip to…. ANYWHERE!…. Any who, all personal idiosyncrasies aside, this one is pretty good, I think, so pay attention, if you please, and take heed of what it says, for it is good advice, if naught else….

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

Today’s effort is, to my chagrin, falling somewhat short of my expectations; not surprising, given the handicaps with which we began our journey today…. As I mentioned above, or, not, I’m going to cheat; this, of course means we go to the archives for our thoughts for today…. This one is pretty good, I think, but, regardless of its quality, it’s going to have to do…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s the best we’ve got today….

From April 27, 2012

“He that doubteth is damned.” — Romans 14:23

It took a while, but it was worth the time spent searching…. This is a perfect example of how, if we let them, all those folks who would have us believe that the Bible, (or any other sacred books inspired by alleged supernatural entities), is a direct line of information from God, will go to almost any lengths, trying to trick us into doing exactly what that book tells us to do. In this case, they apply both guilt and fear of retribution in the next life if we question any of what we are told by that book, or any of what we are taught by those who hold it as truth….

I have previously written here as to the value Doubt possesses, in the bag of tools people have to get by in this complex, confusing universe we inhabit. It is our only defense against information or events that can cause, or even intend, us harm, rather than good; such information invariably is given to us by other people, whose only intent in doing so is to achieve some sort of power or control over us. I don’t think this is a particularly hard concept to understand; its proof lies in almost every interaction we have when faced with organized religions. Anyone who has studied the psychology of humans can point out the techniques of behavioral modification used by the religious hierarchies to assert their will upon the public….

The above short little warning/threat, drawn directly from the Christian Bible, (Old Testament, if memory serves….), implies that anyone who does not bend over in submission to its decree will spend eternity in Hell. Hmm, a bit harsh, don’t you think? For merely entertaining a question regarding the accuracy of a concept presented, one with no evidence that proves its reliability? The Universe at large presents us with such false information regularly; anyone who doesn’t learn caution in such instances is liable for the consequences, which can be severe, such as in the case of being confronted by an apparently friendly, but in reality, rabid dog. Rabies is no picnic, from all reports, so, Doubt, used as a tool in such instances, is very appropriate, patently a valuable one.

However, in the minds of the folks who are selling faith-based products, Doubt is the last thing they want people to have in mind when considering what they say. It tends to cause their arguments to fall apart right in front of their eyes, and they cannot make the sale that way. If they can’t convince people to accept what they say without questioning it, their entire house of cards will come tumbling down around their ears, and they would have to give up all those nice little perks that go along with having everyone believe everything they say, like having poor people willingly give up 10% of their earnings in tithe, or getting to reside, with no rent, in a house built by the labor of others…. Did you think they would give that up easily?…. Well, then you’ve lost your strongest ally against such degradations to your sensibilities…. a healthy sense of Doubt….

“Fear not, for I have given you authority to do so.” — Smart Bee, via some random preacher’s King James version….

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

As intimated would be the case today, here’s one from the archives….

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 3/10/2013.

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

I’m not sure about this one; it’s an odd, obscure little pearl…. I like it, so, it stays…. Follow the bouncing ideas, and you’ll get to a lovely surprise…. Trust me….

“Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.” — Mark Twain

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

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” — Flannery O’Connor

“Virtue is its own revenge.” — E. Y. Harburg

“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” — G. K. Chesterton, Everlasting Man, 1925

“Before enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood. After enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood.” — Zen Proverb

“In a mad world, only the mad are sane.” — Akiro Kurosawa

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

I suppose they can’t all be gems…. Whether this came out good, or bad, or indifferent has now become irrelevant, when weighed against the fact it is done. So be it. I don’t know why, but, I’m a grump…. I guess I’ll go out into the BBR and torment some mundanes…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; it’s the primary reason I’m not in jail yet, 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….

Look, Ma! Jalapeño Pop Tarts!…

Posted on July 7, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Where pain predominates, agony can be a valued teacher.”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

Scenes from a train VI….

Good morning…. Naturally, we don’t expect you to believe us; it’s a social nicety we are unwilling to forgo, merely for the sake of modern expediency. That would be unthinkable. Inconceivable! Pretty rude, too, I should think.

Now we have the obligatory nonsense out of the way, I think it would be best to get on with this, before I slip back into the royal we again, and can’t find my way out….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage amongst his books. For to you Kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring, but to him they are but toys of the moment, to be overturned by the flicking of a finger.” — Chinese proverb

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

Image from fandango.com via Google Images

In 1968, I went to a midnight matinee in Berkeley, where a newly made film was making the rounds of the universities in the US. It was a student-made film, with perhaps the greatest visual joke ever produced, in a hand-drawn, frame-by-frame film produced for a class…. Here is one of several sequels made. By following the link to the You Tube page, you can see the original, as well… Enjoy, ffolkes, this be some funny shit….

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

Son of Bambi Meets Godzilla

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

https://youtu.be/VujzyznQ4eE

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

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

To alleviate the possibility of this becoming a bore, we’ll refrain from a full out rant today, to go with a modified old-school pearl. In this style of pearl, there are a number of quotes from various entities, having to do, for the most part, with some part of the Asininny Group, aka our Beloved Ruling Class, or their sycophants, the Dogma Dogs, or their zombie-like enforcers, the Faceless Myrmidons who inhabit our police and military. It can get a bit chaotic, but, it sure is fun for me…. Enjoy, ffolkes. even if it’s hard to follow in spots….

“Find out just what any people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; … The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” — Frederick Douglass, U.S Marshal, son of a slave, 1857

Fred Douglass was a smart man, obviously…. In this particular observation, he makes a veiled reference to not only the corruption already present in government, by implying oppression, but, also by implication, identifies the culprits, as this is a clear restatement a basic law of economics, by which human society is ruled. In short, he merely restates the old adage which says, and means, “whatever the market will bear”….. As it turns out, it’s true, as well, always a good thing in a point of philosophy….

“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.” — Thomas Jefferson

In 2001, in the last weeks of August, in the US, you’ll find news articles in several major mainstream news outlets regarding accusations of election fixing by the Bush campaign in the Presidential election the previous year, when George Bush was again elected, under suspicious circumstances, though losing the popular vote in both 1996 and 2000. The articles spoke of suspiciously sabotaged voting machines in key voting districts of swing states. which gave the vote to Bush, rather than Gore; there was talk of forming an investigation by the Attorney General’s office into the allegations, which was printed on 9/9/2001…. Two days later, the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon took place, taking the entire world’s attention off the election, and onto the egregiously ill-timed attacks….

Since then, we have watched every one of the Bill of Rights abrogated…. You decide; CIA plot? (Remember G. Bush Senior’s first job? CIA director….) Or circumstance? (Hah!…. sure it was….)

Either way, the American people gave up their liberty for the illusion of safety…. Believe it.

“Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.” — Thomas Jefferson

Pretty clear warning, ya think? Did anyone listen? Nope….

“A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks.” — Johann L. Uhland (1787-1862) — Speech, May 27, 1836

Didn’t take long, did it? Not long after this statement, a corrupt federal judge made the first decision, as scripted by his employers advisers in the banking industry, which gave the rights of personhood to corporations, thus paving the way for the usurpation of the entire banking industry, embedding it into the government, so it could formulate the laws to suit its own needs and desires, to loot the US Treasury….

“If you started a business when Christ was borne and lost $1 million a day, it would still take another 700 years before you lost $1 trillion.” — Representative Phil Crane

I wonder if Phil realizes the government does this on a consistent basis; they typically use/lose about $1 trillion in one MONTH, or so, just by invading another country….Hell, it’s been reported to cost about $750,000,000 a DAY to bomb ISIS. The trillions add up quickly at that rate…. and, it’s a wonderful method of laundering all that beautiful money….

“Maybe if you could comprehend how most people can be unconcerned about the loss of hundreds of millions of animal lives for greed you would be able to understand why some Nazis were unconcerned about the lives lost in the holocaust.” — barry@garion.it.com.au (Barry O’Grady)

This one seems crystal clear to me; it’s a short step from killing animals to killing people…. But, then, people are pretty nasty, vicious creatures, all in all…. If you don’t believe me, just go read the Bible….

“Americans are so enamored of equality they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” — Alexis de Tocqueville

“It makes no difference who you vote for– the two parties are really one party representing 4 percent of the people.” — Gore Vidal

These last two have been left together to demonstrate the breadth of the issue, and the primary cause…. Americans tend to think in platitudes, as far as most of them think at all. This makes them easily fooled, and easily led, for they choose to believe all the lies they’re told by those in authority, despite constant demonstrations of being lied to at every turn…. It’s enough to make a patriot cry…. and frequently does….

Bah, humbug. That’s enough…. If y’all don’t get the picture by now, well, too bad…. I have the distinct feeling it’s already too late to do anything about it, anyway…. Not without a return to the attitudes and beliefs implied in our final pearls for this section, and our final word on this for today…. The only way we’ll get our freedoms back, is to take the following statements to heart…..

“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Abigail Adams, Paris, Feb. 22, 1787

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William S. Smith, Paris, Nov. 13, 1787

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

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

Lamenting Empathy, No Grace

Strange, strong, passions burn from within
Selling nothing short, nor out
Consumed, loudly, failing to mark the spin
Sad, resigned, in singular redoubt.

Fallow grounds for twisted seed
Become fated, grow, and die.
Experience never fills critical need
Save perhaps once, in ages gone by.

Shouting in severe, dulcet tone
Brittle, flaking, destiny floats away
Making noise, rattling the bone
Simply ageless fears held at bay.

We mask our illusions in faux belief
Tied to reality by matter of rote,
Send them postcards, without relief
Consecrated time, forever remote.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written sometime prior to 12/14/2014, when it was re-discovered & added to the archive. I think it was in 2013…. Doesn’t matter much now, does it?…. All grist for the mill, is what it is….

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

This one is a little hard to categorize. It speaks of being human, and about Life, but, it’s more than either of those…. It’s a breakthrough pearl, a nine-star wonder fresh from Smart Bee’s hidden treasure pile…. Enjoy!…

All that is gold does not glitter,

All those that wander are not lost.

~~ J.R.R. Tolkein — Lord of the Rings ~~

“Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.” — W. Edwards Deming

“The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.” — Anais Nin

“It is the ability to choose which makes us human.” — Madeleine L’Engle (Walking on Water)

“A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.” — Bob Edwards

“Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.” — T. S. Eliot

Learn to think for a living.” — Smart Bee

“A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders.” — Lord Dunsany, The Laughter of the Gods

History, with all her volumes vast,

Hath but one page.

~~ Lord Byron — Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iv, Stanza 108 ~~

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

Who says beggars can’t be choosers? My ability to sleep has gone begging, yet, I choose to be awake, anyway, in defiance of the absolute NEED to collapse in exhaustion…. Oh well, such is life in senior citizenville, I suppose…. I guess, since this went so well (hah!), I’d best do it again; until tomorrow, then, I shall bid thee a fond farewell, with hopes the rest of your day is a bit more coherent, if less interesting to observe in action…. Ta ta, then, luvs….

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….

Pigeons, smidgeons…. we’re going in hatless!

Posted on June 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God but to create him.”

~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~

Scenes from a train….

Good morning…. In the still, peaceful quiet of early morn, sleepy birds sing, suggesting the presence of intimate time, filled to bursting, formal and replete. No cats, no rats frighten the flock, yet, they stop, to listen as the spirit of the hunt passes by. No one cries out for safety, no one speaks to the night. Only as the last bird flies away does the last child drop back into the lap of sleep, quickly, before the mast, not after….

Hmm… A bit of fanciful meandering, as it were, through the back corridors of a dark mind, still sleepy after a half-cup of the blood of life, yet determined to complete a fresh Pearl, come what may…. even if I have to…. well, I won’t go there just now, to save us all losing our breakfasts…. Instead, I believe I see an opportunity to set out for the oyster beds right over there, so, we’ll snatch it up, and use it…. Some days, ya just gotta take what presents itself, ya know?….

Shall we Pearl?

“Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.” — Plato, The Republic. Book VII. 536

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

Image from fansshare.com via Google Images

Everybody knows Betty, but, not everybody knows Betty got banned for being naughty…. Today’s video is a compilation of a number of the cartoons which led to her being put on the list of entertainment thought to be TOO immoral for the American people…. and, no, I don’t know who the hell they thought they were…. But, I enjoyed the cartoons, and so will you….

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

Betty Boop

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

https://youtu.be/VkG9c1yy2lg

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

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

“Everything you know is wrong.”

~~ The Firesign Theater ~~

I’m fairly certain the above quote from the ffolkes at TFT is one of the most cogent, accurate summarizations of this section I’ve come across in my reading. It’s a perfect description of the mental status of almost everyone on this planet over the age of 4 years (right about the time we begin serious interactions with the world outside our immediate family….), based on the assumption the parents of any four year old were slaves to begin with, thus passing on many of their own misguided assumptions about Reality.

Now, I could spend a long time sharing the incontrovertible evidence I’ve accumulated to support such an assumption; in fact, I’ve done so. For the past 3.8 years I’ve posted here on a daily basis, with about 60% of those posts including some sort of rant against the machine, whether of a political, religious, or philosophical nature. I’ve done my best to share what I know to be true, to give those who come to read a chance to compare what I present against their own thoughts and experience…. In all that time, nobody, and that means nobody, has ever presented any arguments suggesting any of the evidence is wrong. None.

This could mean I’m right; it could also mean nobody who disagrees ever comes to read…. My own guess is the truth lies between those two points; mostly I preach to the choir, and those who aren’t convinced to sing aren’t brave enough to argue the point…. or, some combination of factors…. It remains true, however, that what I’ve said is all true, to the best of my knowledge, so, there’s something in that, for what it’s worth….

All that being said, I’m not going to rant today, merely to give us all a break from all the bad/evil shit with which we are surrounded every day on the news…. Instead, I’ll just throw together an old-school pearl, with some random thoughts about those members of the species upon whom I heap all of my disdain and vitriol, our Beloved Ruling Class and Friends…. those silly, yet dangerous humans who prey upon their own kind…. Yes, it’s the Asininnies, all of them…. The Bankers (aka Corporate Snakeheads), Pimps (aka Human Traffickers, aka Scumbags), Politicians (aka Congenital Liars…), Preachers (aka shamans, priests, imams, etc….), Faceless Myrmidons (Police, military, spies, and wannabes…), and, of course, Mrs. Grundy ( aka Everybody’s Nosy, Bigoted, Racist, Fat-headed neighbor….).

Enjoy…. I intend to enjoy putting it together, so, y’all may as well join in the fun….

Who love too much, hate in the like extreme,
And both the golden mean alike condemn.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Odyssey of Homer, Book xv, Line 79 ~~

“Not every soil can bear all things.” — Virgil (19 BC)

“Who is ever secure? Every one of us searches for security. We seek it from our family, from our friends, from our pets, from strangers and from “God.” Once in a while we experience it, only to discover that it was merely an illusion. And yet we never learn that security is an impossibility. For we are only human beings.” — Chen-It Ong

“It is better for a city to be governed by a good man than by good laws.” — Aristotle

“You have to realize that the government, any government, is insane. You have to treat it the way pagans treated their gods: As an irrational, capricious,
and powerful entity which will mete out total destruction if not sacrificed to or otherwise placated.” — Mike Long (future Libertarian revolutionary)

“Any priest or shaman must be presumed guilty until proved innocent.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“Of a rich man who was niggardly he said, “That man does not own his estate, but his estate owns him.” — Diogenes Laertius — Bion, iii

“Our own age is not likely to be distinguished in history for the large numbers of people who insisted on finding the time to think. Plainly, this is not the Age of Meditative Man… Substitutes for repose are a billion dollar business. Almost daily, new antidotes for contemplation spring into being and leap out from store counters. Silence, already the world’s most critical shortage, is in danger of becoming a nasty word. Modern man may or may not be obsolete, but he is certainly wired for sound and he twitches as naturally as he breathes.” — Norman Cousins

Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under ‘t.

~~ William Shakespeare ~~

~~ Macbeth — Act i, Sc. 5 ~~

To conclude, let us turn to one of the masters of metaphor, The Kwisatz Haderach (aka, Frank Herbert, author of “Dune”):

“Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife – chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: “Now it’s complete because it’s ended here.” — Muad’dib

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

Future Shocked:

Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.

Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.

Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.

We all weep now…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 7/22/2013.

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

Today’s final old-school pearl is…. well, I’m sorry, it just IS. Beyond that, deponent sayeth naught….

On a huge hill,
Cragged & steep, Truth stands, and hee that will Reach her, about must, and
about must goe;
And what the hill’s suddenness resists, winne so.

~~ John Donne ~~

Conventional wisdom, isn’t.” — Smart Bee

“No man can purchase his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value must ever increase with the price it has cost us. Our integrity is never worth so much as when we have parted with our all to keep it.” — Colton (1780-1832)

“Death, the most dreaded of evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist death is not present, and when death is present we no longer exist.” — Epicurus

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” — H. G. Wells

“Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.” — W. Somerset Maugham

“Sigh… Every day I thank my statuette of Wilma Flintstone that I was born normal.” — Zippy the pinhead

See what I mean? No word, or words, I could come up with would suffice to explain such an event. But, I digress…. I hope nobody got seriously injured on that last turn; more than three would get my insurance canceled…. Oh well, it’s fresh, and it’s all in the “for sure & for certain” category, so….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken.

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

Done. All fresh, too. Not bad for an old phart with phlat pheet and phrequent phlatulence, eh? Oops…. By the looks of the last sentence, I think it’s time to get us the hell out of here…. Next, I’ll break out in an old show tune…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can continue to find the rhythm…. Could be tough; the rhythm method is a particularly unreliable resource, in many respects…. or, so I’m told….

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….

More harlequin than brindle, I’d say….

Posted on June 13, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Is consciousness just a special form of hallucination?”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

Emma, suffering nappus interruptus

Good morning…. But, then, you know that already, or you wouldn’t be reading this.

I hope.

Regardless, here we are again. As a consequence of such consistency, (or, insanity. Take your pick….), I hereby pronounce this intro complete….. There, that was simple, wasn’t it? Completely legal, too….. Since we are, and, it’s where we wanted to be, let’s just take advantage of the unusual, yet, more than welcome opportunity to get on with it….

Shall we Pearl?

“I’d rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.” — ee cummings

Me, too….

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

Image from rockbandaide.com via Google Images

This band doesn’t need much introduction to anyone near my age…. One of a number of aging groups, the Who have recently celebrated their own 50 year anniversary….. Here is a live concert; having seen them once, back in the early 70’s, I can attest they put on a good show…. Enjoy!….

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

The Who

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

https://youtu.be/VCWzPrwBTW8

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

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

My sleep pattern has lost all consistency, which makes me irritable, if not completely grumped out…. Since I can barely see, much less maintain a coherent train of logical thought, unless it has to do with the process of consuming coffee, we’ll go with a philosophical meander from the archives…. I always have fun with Descartes; he was so damned positive!…. Any who, enjoy!….

Or, not…. We like to give ffolkes the choice….

From 2/10/2013:

“…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

And, after due consideration, he came up with, “I think, therefore I am.” That’s it…. after all his steady cogitation, all his heavy thought, he comes up with six words….. Seems like he might have gone a bit further with it, since he was already thinking, but, hey, that’s just me….. He probably got distracted solving a quadratic equation in his head, or something equally fascinating, and just wrote down the first thing that came to him….. I suspect a lot of philosophies start that way, if what is in them is any indication…. Many of the ancient philosophies seem to me to have been put together during a drunken night around a campfire, and copied down the next day while hung over….

Actually, Descartes “I think” statement is one of the more consistent and logical of the statements that speak to belief, and its origins. I cannot say it is logically unassailable, for it is not, but, it is consistent within its own paradigm. This logical flaw is one reason I modified the idea when I came to make my own set of philosophical assertions, Peruaosophy…. where I said, in Axiom #1, “I think I am…. that’s close enough.”….. Much more tautological, I would say, and not subject to the same sort of picking apart, as it has no holes in it. Well, actually, it’s so holey it doesn’t need air-conditioning, but that is what supplies that logical strength, as it is a flexible enough proposition to fit any size mind….

It is not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong,
It is not what we read but what we remember that makes us wise,
It is not what we earn but what we save that makes us rich,
It is not what beliefs we hold but what we do with those beliefs that make us what we are.

— Old Chinese misquotation.

You gotta love honesty…. I love that this is so aptly named as a misquotation; that kind of honesty just tickles my fancy, and makes for some good mental exercise…. In this case, it means trying to figure out WHICH part is misquoted, a process by which one can learn a lot, both about what is said in the quote, or misquote, and about themselves, and how their mind works. If it works, that is….

I am not sure exactly where this pearl is going…. it started out okay, but seems to be wandering a bit now, and I can’t seem to figure out how to find the way back to my original intent….. must be time for fresh coffee…. be right back….

“We begin life with a seemingly blank slate, and, though the writing that gradually appears on that slate is not our own, our judgment of the things written thereon determines what we are and what we will become. In much the same way, our work will be judged by the use to which other people put it…” — Marion Zimmer Bradley, _The Codex of Riveda_

What, then, is the mind? What is consciousness? We know they exist, for we perceive ourselves as a separate entity from the rest of what we perceive. Encountering other minds serves as corroboration of our perceptions, while at the same time offering solace for our separation from the universe, trapped alone in the confines of our minds, with only our own thoughts as company. I don’t know about anyone else, but just knowing there are others who are in the same boat is a comforting thought….. It’s a big universe, full of dark and dangerous energy, as well as beauty and opportunities for joy, and it would be a shame to have no one with whom to share it all….

“The mind of man is far from the nature of a clear and equal glass, wherein the beams of things should reflect according to their true incidence.” — Sir Francis Bacon

I suppose I’m just wandering now, rambling around in my own mind, without a clue as to how to bring this to a close…. but, here goes….

“I think I am…. that’s close enough.” This is MY philosophy of life, and my take on consciousness…. As I see it, I know I’m here, and I know what I can do in my own mind….. and no matter what the rest of the universe is up to, or believes, that’s enough for me. I don’t need confirmation of my existence, or permission from a supernatural entity, or anyone else, to live my life the way I choose.

Mssr. Descartes statement is, to my mind, too stiff, too formal, and doesn’t meet the test of illogic…. We all interpret Reality in our own way, according to our own perceptions of that Reality, and our own set of decisions about how we will approach life…. our attitudes, as it were. We can make those attitudes whatever we choose, regardless of how clear are our motives to others; in my mind, all living creatures have that right…. with, of course, the caveat that whatever attitudes we choose must be able to merge with the attitudes of others, or, at least, not step on the other person’s right to the same freedom of choice…..

In short…. You were issued a mind when you came into this universe…. It would be a good thing, for you, and, for the universe, to learn to use it….

Just a suggestion…. The reason I urge each and every one to make this effort is my strong belief in Axiom #2 of Peruaosophy, perhaps the most accurate, and powerfully influential, of all the axioms therein…. to wit:

Axiom #2: “The Nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative Transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you are in for a Rough Ride.”

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

Because the poem percolating somewhere in my head isn’t ready, and, simply because I can, here’s another of my own poems from the archives….

Momentary Terror

Absently casual, memories pester endlessly
leaving only bleeding remnants, amiable and loving.
Coming awake, I cry to still the pain, shamelessly.

Elsewhen, time gives surcease, if only to live,
shoring broken pilings, worn and gray.
Passing on, I laugh at the pain, accept all it will give.

Time will build a shelter, warm and ever safe
save for Fate’s busy hands.
Enduring, I follow the pain, knowing it will chafe.

Fixed against a darkened sky of starry black
such beauty brings us to our knees.
Entranced, I welcome the pain, ’tis all I lack…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 2/10/2013.

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

Smart Bee is showing some recalcitrance this week, making the process of creating new pearls a bit sticky, as well as time consuming…. This one turned out pretty well, if a bit more esoteric than our usual fare…. As the logo icon indicates, it’s about Life at Large, with some ideas on how it might be lived with some dignity….

Full little knowest thou that hast not tride,
What hell it is in suing long to bide:
To loose good dayes, that might be better spent;
To wast long nights in pensive discontent;
To speed to-day, to be put back to-morrow;
To feed on hope, to pine with feare and sorrow.

To fret thy soule with crosses and with cares;
To eate thy heart through comfortlesse dispaires;
To fawne, to crowche, to waite, to ride, to ronne,
To spend, to give, to want, to be undonne.
Unhappie wight, borne to desastrous end,
That doth his life in so long tendance spend!

~~ Edmund Spenser ~~

~~ Mother Hubberds Tale, Line 895 ~~

“Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason.” — Cicero

“I value kindness to human beings first of all, and kindness to animals. I don’t respect the law; I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper, and old men and women warmer in the winter, and happier in the summer.” — Brendan Behan

“If life must not be taken too seriously, then so neither must death.” — Samuel Butler

“If it is not seemly, do it not; if it is not true, speak it not.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, xii, 17

“Cursed is he that does not know when to shut his mind. An open mind is all very well in its way, but it ought not to be so open that there is no keeping anything in or out of it. It should be capable of shutting its doors sometimes, or may be found a little draughty.” — Samuel Butler

A fiery soul, which, working out its way,
Fretted the pygmy-body to decay,
And o’er-inform’d the tenement of clay.
A daring pilot in extremity;
Pleas’d with the danger, when the waves went high
He sought the storms.

~~ John Dryden ~~

~~ Absalom and Achitophel, Part i, Line 156 ~~

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

Considering the state of mind with which this Pearl was begun, combined with the state now extant, it’s a damn good thing it’s done. I don’t think I’d want to be responsible for what happens if this were to go on any longer…. That said, I’ll add, it’s been completely real, ffolkes, but, I think we whupped ’em good…. If not, we get another chance tomorrow, as long as the sun comes up as it did today….

Odds are good…. See ya tomorrow, most likely….

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….

Omigosh! It’s muddling again!….

Posted on June 7, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Th’ MIND is the Pizza Palace of th’ SOUL”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Pannacotta

Or so it said. Looks more like Zabaglione to me….

Good morning…. Here we are again…. Since I don’t have anything particularly compelling to say right now, we’ll just get on with the scheduled mess, without any feeble attempts at wit so early in the day…. In fact, we’ll do that right now….

Shall we Pearl?

“Though one must first learn skill and ethics thoroughly, one must come to embody them so completely that they become subconscious. Reacting to a situation by asking what is right and wrong is already too slow.” — Deng Ming-Dao

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

Image from blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org via Google Images

When the best guitar players in the world get together, it isn’t easy to get them to agree on much of anything. But, when you ask any of them to name the best flat-picker who ever lived, the only name you will ever hear is this man’s…. He was, before his death a few years ago, the acknowledged Master of that style of playing, with, literally, no one else who came close….. Enjoy, ffolkes…..

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

Doc Watson

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

https://youtu.be/iGReRGvU4GE

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

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

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the rights of the people by the gradual & silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” — James Madison, Virginia Convention 1788

I am still not quite full of enough angst to prompt a fresh rant…. To sublimate my always-present anger at the BRC, however, I’ve found a pearl from a couple years ago to fill in. It’s a rather fun old-school indictment of the pathological liars who inhabit our governments hallowed halls these days, as Mr. Madison warned us about, having abridged the rights of the people by their “gradual & silent encroachments” upon the basis of our freedom. In short, the assholes have already screwed us….

Gee, I guess there IS a bit more angst in there…. Ah well, this will help…. Enjoy!…

From 8/6/2013:

Yesterday, Smart Bee was a bit off center at times, but, with good grace, and a willing heart, it managed to get me what I needed, and threw in a few extras for today’s post, which I dutifully saved, recognizing them as the lustrous gems they were…. I’ll now go search out a few more, to fill out the dimensions for a proper indictment of the beloved ruling class, and the panorama of human folly we call “politics”, which, as, I believe, Ambrose Bierce pointed out, is a combination word, coming from “poly” meaning “many”, and “tics” meaning “blood sucking insects”….. a perfect description of the general run of that sport’s participants….

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” — H.L. Mencken, “Little Book in C major”, 1916

“Can there be a republic that does not slump under the weight of so much human desire?” — Michael Scully

“Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. . . . the human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.” — Frank Herbert, Dune

“‘Tis better to be alone than in the company of fools.” — Bobby Matherne, American Philosopher (1940-)

“I had too much to dream last night.” — Electric Prunes

“In our society, the Republicans set out to prove that the Democrats can not be trusted to run the government. And the Democrats set out to prove that the Republicans can not be trusted to run our government. The real problem here is that both the Democrats and the Republicans have come up with something which is absolutely true and perfectly correct. This means that the people get to pull some sort of horrible trick on themselves and live with their choice for four years.” — Smart Bee

“Now I’m concentrating on a specific tank battle toward the end of World War II!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Okay, silly, I know…. but, look closely, and you’ll see how true all of them really are, when compared to reality…. Here, if it’s that big a deal for y’all…. here is a final word, that pretty much says it all… but, without the buffer of humor….

“…when all government… in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821

—————————–

Note from 2015: There…. doesn’t that feel better? To finish off this indictment, here is one last thought on our beloved leaders, an actual FACT, of which they are all fully aware, utilizing to their advantage on a regular basis….

“Crime does not pay … as well as politics.” — Alfred E. Newman

There you go….

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

Here’s one of mine we haven’t seen for a couple years….. Enjoy!….

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 ~~

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

Today’s finals pearl is what I’d call an esoteric pearl about Life, (hence the ankh). Each of the individual pearls speaks to a part of Life important to living well, but, from a direction one often doesn’t remember to view….. Enjoy!…..

“Cato said the best way to keep good acts in memory was to refresh them with new.” — Francis Bacon (1561-1626) — Apothegms, No, 247

“Although war is cruel and brutal, it is also dangerous and stupid.” — Yakko Warner

“All generalizations are dangerous, even this one.” — Alexandre Dumas

“A child is a person who can’t understand why someone would give away a perfectly good kitten.” — Doug Larson

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” — Jack London

“Doth perfect beauty stand in need of praise at all? Nay; no more than law, no more than truth, no more than loving kindness, nor than modesty.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 20

“For a man needs only to be turned around not once with his eyes shut in this world to be lost…. Not til we are lost…. do we begin to find ourselves.” — Thoreau, Walden

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

I have fulfilled my vow…. Well, at least, for another day. I’m tired now. I think I’ll go back to bed, & start again in a couple of hours…. Hopefully, this short episode of creative reverse peristalsis won’t have gone sour by then…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided Fate doesn’t have other plans for me…..

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….

Flibbertigibbets for sale or lease….

Posted on June 6, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Instead of being born again, why not just grow up?”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Emma

Good morning. We meet again…. What? Who is Emma? Oh, just a lovely young cat I met, while off playing in the BBR this last week…. She’s a peach, for sure. But, since we have much to do, we’ll leave Emma to go chasing her lizards, and get on with our business….

Shall we Pearl?

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

Today’s video selection is a concert, from 1991, by two string instrument virtuosos, who played for a long time together. Their first album together, called Old And In The Way, which is what they called their two-man group for a while, changing it to Grateful Dawg later on. Together, they gave us some of the finest music of the twentieth century…. Enjoy!….

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

Jerry Garcia & David Grisman

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

https://youtu.be/PJl-zvWLitY

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

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

“The effects which follow too constant and intense a concentration upon evil are always disastrous. Those who crusade, not _for_ God in themselves, but _against_ the devil in others, never succeed in making the world better, but leave it either as it was, or sometimes even perceptibly worse than it was, before the crusade began. By thinking primarily of evil we tend, however excellent our intentions, to create occasions for evil to manifest itself.” — Aldous Huxley — The Devils of Loudun

I’ve seen, and probably used, this quote previously, to act as the centerpiece of a rant…. I’m not quite ready to write any fresh ones, so, again, here is the piece created for the first time this situation occurred here on ECR…. Don’t fret, ffolkes, it’s a short, but, pithy one, not a long, passionate one….. No drama today…. Well, no huge drama, anyway….

From 9/15/2012:

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

See? There, now, I’ve been saying this for years, and here’s old Marcus Aurelius, that Roman cogitator extraordinaire, putting it straight out there way back around the time of J.C.’s failed attempt at societal reform. A very cogent, yet poignant description of human nature and the preponderance of Ego that drives most of humanity to act out of their own ignorance, rather than consider the veracity or usefulness of someone else’s ideas. This format for stating this answer to one of the great questions is one that all the best philosophers choose when creating aphorisms; clear, simple language and brutally honest self-examination provide us with true wisdom, like it or not……

What particularly gets me about people at large is the high percentage of folks who fall into the trap that Ego sets; for some reason, people seem to prefer the cozy blindness with which ignorance can cover them to the cold, harsh light of self-knowledge. The very ego that sets them apart from the rest of the animals who inhabit this planet becomes also the greatest threat to survival, when it is allowed to dictate how one views reality.

The state of society in today’s world rests on the brink of total collapse; any number of issues currently in play in the world can lead us to upheaval unseen since the last Ice Age. Pollution, created by mankind, is pumping tons of carbon monoxide into the air every minute, and all those precipitates are eventually bound to cause changes to climate that we will have no power to stop, or reverse.

The economy of the world is constantly on the verge of collapse in these times, due mostly to the unacknowledged crimes of the 1% of mankind who controls 99% of the money and resources. These crimes arise, again, out of Ego, as the elite of the world believe that they are “different” from the rest of humanity, and deserve to make all the decisions, which oddly enough, are only beneficial to themselves….. again, the power of Ego trumps virtue…..

I’m a smart guy, pretty much, but this is a problem for which even I cannot find a solution, other than the age-old, time-worn, and always ineffective war between the classes. That solution has been tried innumerable times throughout history, and each time the same structure of society re-settles into the same old shape, with a few people at the top, making all the important decisions for the rest of humanity. All because we, as individuals, and as a species, cannot learn to control our ego, to persuade it to act for the benefit of all, rather than just looking out for itself….. I figure that whatever happens will be what we deserve, and I can’t say that I think it will be very pretty, for the species….. or for a lot of individuals…..

Maybe there is a solution…. as a matter of fact, there is one that has been around for as long as mankind has been writing stuff down…. and it’s always the same little piece of advice, a little idea that can change one’s entire life and world-view….. but only if it is accepted, and believed, and applied to reality…… Everybody knows this, but, how many actually live it?…..

“Do unto all as you would wish to have done unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself.” — Mohammed

That’s right, the Golden Rule…. a basic tenet of EVERY philosophy that Mankind has ever formulated; even most religions will acknowledge the wisdom of this, though it doesn’t serve their interests as well as they would wish. But, throughout history, we have always known what is the right way to act…. we’ve just always chosen not to apply the principle in interacting with others…. Instead, we allow our ego to dictate how we behave, thus bringing us to the current world, with all of its problems and dangers…..

SIGH….. It’s really quite easy, and it’s the only answer that will work, in the long run. It really is too bad that most of humanity isn’t buying into it, isn’t it?……

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

Visible life

Forty-two days of pressure and internal rain,
leave marks of salvation, often in pain.
Such sharp reminders of yesterday’s remorse
fight heavily to keep a straight course.
Rash moments, bright, and routinely immense
Give us pleasure, bereft of common sense.

Still the night comes soft and eternally dear
to bring out wishful dreams so vitally clear.
Life’s myrmidons give freely in protest
lifting with skill, soul pieces first to infest,
Loudly brash, with no such voices to remain
Sealed in infamy, branded ugliness all too plain.

Now come brave signs of chapter and verse
Shielded by ignorance, irritable and terse.
Gravid portions of in-between retaliation
leave only pale marks of initial gestation
With hope even pallid warriors grow brave
Leading all humanity, to a warm, stale grave.

Hope never falters, nor leaves any trace
Yet lingers forever in a welcoming space.
Cheerful faces yet shine out of time
for tricking and fumbling sweet melody sublime.
Fill in the spaces with a long, strong retort
life is ever visible, if only as last resort.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/15/2012

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

The very first time I failed to post a Pearl, after beginning in August of 2011, was on 9/14/2012. Since I missed a few days here in 2015, (though yesterday was not one of those…), I went back to find the pearl I first created back in the day, on the occasion of my first failure to post…. This is one of the offerings from that day’s Pearl…. It’s a good one, so, you won’t be missing out on anything you might otherwise have seen today…. Got that?…. Good, because I’m totally confused…..

From 9/15/2012:

Here is an old-school pearl, using quotes from fairly famous people….. and some not so famous outside SF fandom. All of the quotes, when co-mingled and mixed up like a smoothie, will give you a really good philosophy of life, and lots of good advice for living with a serene mind….. good luck!….

“He who knows does not speak, He who speaks does not know.” — Lao Tzu

Water wears the rock — Smart Bee

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” — Buddha

“Human beings do not survive on bread alone … but on the nourishments of liberty. For what indeed is a man without freedom … naught but a mechanism, trapped in the cogwheels of eternity.” — Harry Mudd, “I, Mudd,” stardate 4513.3.

“Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.” — Aristotle (B.C. 384-322)

“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.” — Joseph Conrad

“Yeah, but you’re taking the universe out of context.” — Smart Bee

There, see how painless that was? You’ll never even know you’ve been enlightened, until you wake up in the middle of the night, mumbling something about “he who speaks….”….. Onward into the fray!….

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

Gosh! Will you look at that? It’s a Pearl….. Moreover, it’s done. Wow, Moms, look what I found….

Okay, I’ll stop. But, it’s all true, so, we’ll fly with it. Besides, what else can I do with a finished Pearl, but, post it? Nothing, that’s what. So, I’ll go do that, and, when you’re done reading all this nonsense, you can do that, too…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should the Universe decide to give me one more break….

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

View Full Profile →

	katiemiafrederick on Are those Foster Grants to blo…
	katiemiafrederick on Funk-o-matic accessories are o…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on But…. but…. what a…

gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Frank Herbert

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: