People continually dismiss or outright argue with me when I tell them about the nature of time. Simultaneously my knowledge of time isn't represented in any big theories as far as I know, and Wikipedia certainly doesn't have anything about it. So I'm going to post here something I figured out when I was 12 years old. The nature of time and its application to time travel. If there's something wrong with what I say, please point it out, if you have a question, please ask. If it makes sense to you, ponder about why this information is wholly unavailable to the public. Is this novel information, have I put together something new for the world?
First I want to dispel the "common" views of time and time travel. I just read what Wikipedia had to say about theories of time travel (back in time) and they were put together in a couple general categories.
=Alternate Dimensions=
These are touted as "paradox proof" theories because they completely ignore "time travel" and propose the ability to enter an alternate "dimension" that may coincidentally look exactly like the past. Essentially these theories rely on an unknown and entirely imaginary view of the universe. Similar to Russell's Teapot and the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the design is based on the lack of evidence, not actual evidence, thereby ensuring the theory can't be proven wrong. There may be alternate dimensions, but there's literally no evidence of it. However this is irrelevant and basically a cop-out to the question "Is it possible to move back in time?" with the customized add-on "In the same dimension".
=Paradoxes prevent certain events from occuring=
Admitting that certain actions taken by travelling back in time would be paradoxical (like killing your grandfather before he gets your grandma pregnant) these theories suggest you can still go back in time, but somehow those paradoxes won't happen. Theories along this line don't entirely dodge the theoretical paradoxes of time travel (like the dimension theories), they try to contain them. Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder simply and inexplicably declares since you are one person, you can't go back and meet yourself, so if you do go back to some distant past, you'll pass yourself returning. This fit in the narrow confines of the short story but didn't even begin to address what would happen if you went back to your own childhood. Interesting to note that this short story is where the term "butterfly effect" originates. In the story, the main character accidentally steps on a butterfly during the age of dinosaurs, comes back to his time and finds there's a different president, words are spelled different, etc. The movie Time Cop suggested you could see your past self, but not touch. Again, this is really a limited explanation, saying the same matter can't occupy the same space, but no person is ever "the same" all people are at all times in motion and changing, and in Time Cop there's like a 20 year age difference, certainly by then their skin wouldn't even be of the same cells. The latest big budget adaptation of The Time Machine delt with the paradox of taking actions in the past that would prevent the time machine from being invented. The guy builds a time machine to save his love, but if he saves her, he won't build the machine, so when he does save her, something else just kills her. Kinda like that inexplicable series of films "Final Destination", there's no explanation for "who" is making people die, and even if people are meant to die, isn't extending their life for even a fraction of a second already a negation of necessity? I mean, if you were going to die by mugger, instead get hit by a car, won't there be implicit unavoidable side effects, like a good driver feeling bad for the rest of his life, and an evil mugger just killing someone else? Basically all these variations imply that you can change some things but not others, but the very ability to change anything, makes everything possible. If you can save someone's life for a minute, you've saved them nonetheless. Do it a thousand, or a hundred thousand times, and you'll have bought your time paradox. Or to put it in another way, these theories give a moralisitc quality to time. As if time gives a shit if someone dies, but also doesn't care if someone from the wrong time is just walking around. If there were a force that could force events to occur, why would it let you do anything at all? This is elemental theism, like in old Greek myths where mortals "fight" universal forces.
=There's no going forward=
I'm using movie references, because the theories aren't any more complicated, and at least films try to hammer out the kinks. A good one is the idea that you can only go back, not forward. Because forward doesn't exist yet. I love this kernal of conception because if you build on it, it reveals the flaws in all these theories. But I won't get ahead of myself. Time Cop sort of followed this, but the movie opens with guys from the future killing Van Damme's wife. So the question would be, if people can come from your future, then if you hop into their time machine and go to their present, then haven't you just gone into the future? The "Terminator" films try to cover up this flaw by saying only human tissue can go through, and that their machine only goes back in time. But again, it doesn't really solve anything. Because if at any time anyone can come from any future, then at all times, the future is just an open door.
Overall these theories create as many paradoxes as they try to negate. Who was the father of the first John Connor (infinite time loop paradox, although I came up with a smart-ass answer to this, the first John Connor, the one we see as an adult in the first movie had no idea that his buddy would nail his mom, in his time line his dad is just some random guy. Sending back his buddy broke his continuum, and he stopped existing, however his buddy got Sarah Connor pregnant, and 50/50 chance it was a boy, she wrongly assumed this was THE John Connor, and so names this boy, essentially the real Connor's half brother, John Connor, and this kid has to live up to the real Connor's legacy, paradox averted. But I've really digressed here).
=The Intentional Paradox=
I flat out don't like time travel stories with this attitude. The Terminator is one of these, trying to claim that John Connor could only exist after his adult friend from the future bangs his mom. That's probably why I came up with that alternate possibility. Another one of these is Professor Peabody and his Wayback Machine, I don't know where the hell that cartoon came from but when I was younger it was attached to episodes of Underdog. Anyway so Peabody is a dog, and there's a stupid boy who's is assistant or something and they keep going back in time to make things that already turned out fine, turn out fine. The way it's presented is that if they hadn't gone back, things would have been different than what we know them to be, as if the past was waiting for Peabody and the idiot to fix it. The television series Heroes pulled this shit too, a time-travelling "Hiro" goes back to the age of Samurai, and finds out his hero from history is an immortal douchebag alcoholic Limey. Seeing that the drunk couldn't pull off the legendary acts he was known for, Hiro fills in for him...but then how could Hiro ever hear the story in the first place? Intentional Paradox, that's how. Bullshit. The newest time travel movie, Hot Tub Time Machine, among other insane, impossible, and absurd ideas about time travel, did its own intentional paradox, when a kid goes into the past, and is then reborn as the same person but with a different dad, right after said different dad altered the time line to destroy the kid. Jesus that was stupidity at its finest. Still a funny movie, on DVD or BluRay now.
=Misc=
The fun of time travel stories is that they pretty much just make up rules without any factual reasoning to fit the plot. Back to the Future had a ball with the idea that if you change the past, you can view its effects while it's happening, like seeing photographs or people disappear, or words in newspapers change, equally speculatory are films that suggest you won't see the changes until you get back, like Time Cop, and The Butterfly Effect, however even between those two films there's a huge difference, when Time Cop Van Damme went back to the future, he was surprised to see how things were changed and had no memory of the alternate timeline (this is a common assumption) in The Butterfly, when Ashton goes back to the future, he immediately acquires all the memories. Another common one in many stories, even if not overty acknowledged is that even after someone goes to the past, the present continues. Sometimes this is an extremely important plot point, as it was in Star Trek: TNG's series finale, 3 ships from 3 times had to go to the same place in space at the same time, yeah, how could it be the same "time" if they're definitively separate times? Most of the other examples I can't think of off the top of my head but they are all tv/cartoon interpretations, where the "ticking clock" somehow keeps ticking even with the ability to travel through time. By the way, I hate that so many entire series' of cartoons rely solely on the "ticking clock" for plot drive.
=Why time travel theories are created=
People imagine a past that doesn't exist, but because it did exist at one point they conceive of a way to return to it. The time machine, is really just a manifestation of memories. It is a projection in narrative, that is a recreation of the human mind. The cultural perception of a time machine allows one to revisit the past, as a present self (this is memory incarnate) this machine also allows a person to see the future (our mortality and daily grind suck the fun out of our regular path to the future), or change a past event (desire and regret). The best proof I can offer that the common portrayal of time travel is purely self-serving wish fulfillment is that in all stories of time travel, the method of travel is accessible to only a very small number of people. If time travel were possible in the way it's portrayed in all science and stories, why wouldn't there be millions of time travellers? Why wouldn't there be a total collapse of society and functional reality? A while back I addressed this by writing a short story that takes place in a world where anyone can travel through time, so "reality" becomes as fleeting as a flicker from a match.
I love time travel stories, not for their science fiction, but the underlying goal of the story, to seek answers that can never be had in our real lives (what will the distant future be like or what if a different choice had been made) and to allow people a second chance at something that burns inside them, an everlasting regret. The "Back to the Future" films deal with this, amidst all the bitching about affecting past/present/future, by the end every character's life has been completely altered to their satisfaction. So it is the narrative, and journey of imagination, that I love in time travel stories, but they are all wrong. And now I will tell you how.
=Joshua's epiphany in 7th grade=
So I was at my house and the brother of my friend comes to the door. I see him through the screen door, and I walk towards it. Bam! The nature of time hits me. Almost a "Eureka" moment, but to this day I don't know what the trigger was exactly. I didn't shout eureka, I calmy said aloud "This is it, there is only now".
I had realized that our common perception of time is that it is a place. That there is a now, and a then. That we actually "pass through" time. Whether it's conceptially continuous or fragmented, it doesn't matter. The common portrayal is that there is a past just waiting for someone to visit.
But time is not space. Time is a measurement and a function of motion. That is, if there were no motion in this universe, even if it were full of matter, then time would not exist. Time is effectively the acknowledgement that the arrangement of the universe alters. And this is what most time travel theories get wrong.
To put it bluntly, you can't build a machine to "go" into the past, because there is no past. This world IS the past. There is no duel 1985/1955 this is 1985 and 1955, and all other time, past present and future. What most humans regard as "the past" is psychologically another world. But in terms of true functionality, there is only one time, now. It has always been now, and it will always be now. Time is a measurement of objects just rearranging themselves. Every atom of your childhood puppy is still in this world. Every atom of your future grandchildren is in this world right now, maybe some of it is in a tree, much of it is in the soil, in the sun, in the air. There is only now, but your childhood puppy suffered the effects of mechanical breakdown, and lost the ability to manipulate existing matter in its image. Eventually, things you are stepping on, mowing, breathing, drinking, will be pieces of your great great grandchildren. They are here now, as is your dog, but not in the forms of your paychological conception. Human minds create a chronology to make thinking easier. Imagine seeing a cup of tea, as both plants and mud, a satisfying drink, and broken glass, urine, and a breath of energy in a person. Past, present, and future. I know I'm teetering on Buddhism at this point, but Buddha was right in this regard. The nature of existence is motion, yet our minds tend to create stagnant perceptions.
Reality is quite different. There is no 1257 that can just be dialed up in a phonebooth, no 1985 that can be "returned" to in a car. There is always now, and now is always.
But, alas, this does allow for one way to "time travel" provided the technology existed, if you had the power, however that may be, to rearrange all energy in the universe, AND, if you had some blueprint, or tracing method of the arrangement of all energy, matter, etc. from a fixed point, and providing for the matter necessary to both create this world, and put yourself in it (thus requiring some compromise) you could effectively travel "back in time". But it is in this requirement that you might realize a few things, 1. All those paradoxes about time travel are bullshit. If you could recreate the past with yourself in it, then it is, by definition not really the past, so if you happened to kill your grandfather, there is no paradox, your real grandfather was destroyed the moment you manipulated the entire universe, and this recreation of your grandfather might have produced a child like your father, and that man might have produced a child like you, but it isn't you, because the only way to "go back" in the past, and "be" in the past requires keeping yourself with you, essentially stealing those atoms and molecules from the wind and trees and shit, so it can never be "your" past, as time is always now, and this recreation can't be 100% accurate if you're not dismantled in the process. Those aren't your atoms, you're borrowing them, and some of what you call you, was a part of your mother and father and other parts were in other arrangements, so that to ever truly recreate the past, no one, and no thing could "visit" or observe or "travel" there. Well, as long as we assume energy can neither be created nor destroyed, otherwise that would be one of those teapot unanswerables.
I beg anyone to tell me why I'm wrong. Although I'm not looking for theories. Because, you know, teapot again, I don't care what the teapot has to say. What I have written is just a blunt observation of how energy transfers get labelled as eras.
=Random=
I mentioned Time Cop a lot, probably because there aren't a lot of stories that take as many liberties with time travel, most films use time travel as a pretext to create a "fish out of water" or redemption story, Time Cop didn't play that noise, the time travel was the story. It was Van Damme's most successful film earning over $100 million globally in '94. The movie takes place with the "present" set in 1994 and 2004.
I alluded to Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, making a total of 2 written stories, 1 tv show, and 6 films not counting sequels. I'm sure I could have pulled out many more, every incarnation of Star Trek, and many of the films use time travel in various ways. I didn't even want to get into Bill and Ted's version, where it's more like the anti-butterfly effect, and was it Bogus Journey where they just keep dropping time travel cages on each other? That was ridiculous. But Bogus Journey was all fucked up, instead of just time travel, it had aliens, God, heaven, hell, the Grimm Reaper, mother fucking evil robots, Jesus, oh and excessive yet mundane time travel.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Monster.com waste of time
I've had at least 1 serious resume' on monster.com since 2006. I have NEVER received a job offer. I do have a valid resume. It's just that no company has ever actually looked for a good employee. That's not how the system works. It's more like with women, they just wait for guys to hit on them, and they choose from among that group. Even if a chick gets wet just looking at a guy, 99% of the time she would not ask him to ever do anything. She'd flirt. But in the long run flirting is worthless, even bitches in long term relationships who would never date a guy would still flirt.
Anyway, a couple years ago I added a less serious resume' realizing no one reads those things anyway. I was right, my
2 current resumes on monster have been viewed a combined less than 20 times in 2 years. Fuck you monster.
Here's my funny resume.
No one is interested in my years of expertise and accomplishments. You are cowards, and you want safe hires. You're burned out from online apps, so no businesses actually hire online anymore, you guys just leave your information up here because your boss says you need it. So I'm just going to tell you the truth. I am the hardest working son of a bitch I have ever met. I started working when I was 12. By age 13 I was on my third job. I paid for all my food and clothing from that point on. I've worked in auto shops, I've painted houses, I've laid cement, I've torn up cement. I've spent 8 hours a day in 100 degree weather pulling weeds with my bare hands. I've torn down pallets with crowbars, and I've built sheds. Have you ever torn up non skid? No you haven't, I have, for days. I've weed-whacked mountain sides. You think I'm kidding? I don't even care. No one will hire me, you are cowards and I am too qualified. I'm smarter than you, I have a better education than your boss. You are threatened by my skills. I remember working 18 hours a day for months at a time, doing anything from washing pots in a huge kitchen, to fixing pipes, to cleaning filters in ventilation. I solder microcircuitry when I'm bored. In my spare time I study the other two languages I speak, I work on my writing skills, which are better than yours. I have a security clearance from the Federal government higher than your business knows about. I had a higher reading comprehension level when I was 9 than you ever will. I don't even know how I could exaggerate, I haven't even mentioned all the careers I'm already an expert at. I honestly don't think there's a more qualified person than me, anywhere. Maybe if you brought Ben Franklin or Tesla back from the dead, I could slap them around a bit. I'm better than you. And you wouldn't even consider hiring me.
Anyway, a couple years ago I added a less serious resume' realizing no one reads those things anyway. I was right, my
2 current resumes on monster have been viewed a combined less than 20 times in 2 years. Fuck you monster.
Here's my funny resume.
No one is interested in my years of expertise and accomplishments. You are cowards, and you want safe hires. You're burned out from online apps, so no businesses actually hire online anymore, you guys just leave your information up here because your boss says you need it. So I'm just going to tell you the truth. I am the hardest working son of a bitch I have ever met. I started working when I was 12. By age 13 I was on my third job. I paid for all my food and clothing from that point on. I've worked in auto shops, I've painted houses, I've laid cement, I've torn up cement. I've spent 8 hours a day in 100 degree weather pulling weeds with my bare hands. I've torn down pallets with crowbars, and I've built sheds. Have you ever torn up non skid? No you haven't, I have, for days. I've weed-whacked mountain sides. You think I'm kidding? I don't even care. No one will hire me, you are cowards and I am too qualified. I'm smarter than you, I have a better education than your boss. You are threatened by my skills. I remember working 18 hours a day for months at a time, doing anything from washing pots in a huge kitchen, to fixing pipes, to cleaning filters in ventilation. I solder microcircuitry when I'm bored. In my spare time I study the other two languages I speak, I work on my writing skills, which are better than yours. I have a security clearance from the Federal government higher than your business knows about. I had a higher reading comprehension level when I was 9 than you ever will. I don't even know how I could exaggerate, I haven't even mentioned all the careers I'm already an expert at. I honestly don't think there's a more qualified person than me, anywhere. Maybe if you brought Ben Franklin or Tesla back from the dead, I could slap them around a bit. I'm better than you. And you wouldn't even consider hiring me.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Things no one gave me credit for
I'm in the mood to Rodney Dangerfield a bit. I get no respect.
- In 1994 I pulled my brother's ass out of the ocean while he was being swept away by a rip-current.
- In 2003 I recruited a winning team of sailors for a tug-a-rope tourney.
- In 2006 a fire on the bridge of the USS Fitzgerald knocked out the nav lights for the ship. It was nighttime and the Fitz was in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a crowded waterway to be sure. All the electricians were busy with the fire damaged circuits, and apparantly eveyone else had their heads up their ass. For no logical reason it fell to me to fix the situation. I mobilized my team and got port/starboard/aft lights up just in time. Just seconds after setting up the port and starboards I was heading aft and on the fantail I watched as a huge ass cruise ship barely turned to avoid us. They were about 50 feet off port heading aft. Although technically later on the Captain did get back on the 1MC after thanking everyone else and said "Oh yeah and thanks to the EWs for helping out". I just like telling that story, because when you look at
it, obviously I wasn't the only person doing anything, rather it was because our division wasn't doing anything that we could mobilize.
- In 2007 douchebags ran San Diego's world famous "Street Scene" concert right into the ground. All these morons kept bitching that Street Scene was "too popular" to be held downtown. And that it was getting in downtown's way. You can look this up if you don't believe me, but Street Scene was THE ONLY REASON downtown San Diego was revitilized. It turned literal crack houses into world class restaurants because the concert brought so much money downtown. Anyway these fuckers, including most San Diegans and the media railed against the Street Scene, like fucking Jews against Christ, they killed their savior. Then along came me. I went on a fucking one man crusade when I found out they had ruined Street Scene. I sent every asshole in the industry a piece of my mind. The next fucking year they held the concert exactly where I told them to, which was in East Village a block from my apartment. It was a fucking epic success for them. Only problem for me, I didn't live there anymore, and nobody has sent me a fucking thank you.
-2010 I helped two women pass Biology class by studying with them and tutoring them. As soon as the semester ended, they completely blew me off and wouldn't even talk to me. Bitches. I also helped a guy with his Economics final, he said thanks. That's all I'd ever hope for. Fuck.
I better think up some more or I'll be out done. Seriously most people are very appreciative. I wouldn't ever claim I've given more than I've got. It just sucks when the big stuff I do goes unthanked.
- In 1994 I pulled my brother's ass out of the ocean while he was being swept away by a rip-current.
- In 2003 I recruited a winning team of sailors for a tug-a-rope tourney.
- In 2006 a fire on the bridge of the USS Fitzgerald knocked out the nav lights for the ship. It was nighttime and the Fitz was in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a crowded waterway to be sure. All the electricians were busy with the fire damaged circuits, and apparantly eveyone else had their heads up their ass. For no logical reason it fell to me to fix the situation. I mobilized my team and got port/starboard/aft lights up just in time. Just seconds after setting up the port and starboards I was heading aft and on the fantail I watched as a huge ass cruise ship barely turned to avoid us. They were about 50 feet off port heading aft. Although technically later on the Captain did get back on the 1MC after thanking everyone else and said "Oh yeah and thanks to the EWs for helping out". I just like telling that story, because when you look at
it, obviously I wasn't the only person doing anything, rather it was because our division wasn't doing anything that we could mobilize.
- In 2007 douchebags ran San Diego's world famous "Street Scene" concert right into the ground. All these morons kept bitching that Street Scene was "too popular" to be held downtown. And that it was getting in downtown's way. You can look this up if you don't believe me, but Street Scene was THE ONLY REASON downtown San Diego was revitilized. It turned literal crack houses into world class restaurants because the concert brought so much money downtown. Anyway these fuckers, including most San Diegans and the media railed against the Street Scene, like fucking Jews against Christ, they killed their savior. Then along came me. I went on a fucking one man crusade when I found out they had ruined Street Scene. I sent every asshole in the industry a piece of my mind. The next fucking year they held the concert exactly where I told them to, which was in East Village a block from my apartment. It was a fucking epic success for them. Only problem for me, I didn't live there anymore, and nobody has sent me a fucking thank you.
-2010 I helped two women pass Biology class by studying with them and tutoring them. As soon as the semester ended, they completely blew me off and wouldn't even talk to me. Bitches. I also helped a guy with his Economics final, he said thanks. That's all I'd ever hope for. Fuck.
I better think up some more or I'll be out done. Seriously most people are very appreciative. I wouldn't ever claim I've given more than I've got. It just sucks when the big stuff I do goes unthanked.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Updating
I've been really "busy" with school. So I haven't done much of anything else in months. I'll be done in a week or so, for a week or so, before summer school. In the meantime, I'm going to try to make a blog just about Stockton.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Serious Gold Panning
My father and I went north-east from Stockton, over the first mountains of the Sierras, north-west of Lake Tahoe. High high up. There was snow on the ground, all we could see for miles was mountains and valleys with thousands of pines. We drove down down into a valley, to a town on the edge of nowhere, Washington California, population about 200. They all stared at us. We continued on to the one lane road that serves two way travel, it hugged the mountain side, and believe me, that's fantastically exciting on its own. Hairpin turns with no guarantee there isn't another car coming your direction on this one lane road next to a steep cliff with no rails. We came to a fork of the Yuba River and parked the car. We had to walk from there. Down down, to the river's edge. There had been water shooting out of the sides of the rock everywhere we drove, but now, up close, scaling this steep edge to the river below, it was much more fascinating. We could see where springs had come and gone, leaving loose rocks all roughly pointing riverwards. At the top, there were giant, maybe 15 foot high, hundreds of feet wide piles of stones, remnants of the 1849 gold rush. It was only a couple years after the gold rush that these massive piles of rocks were made, left over from the massive industrial operations on these mountains and rivers extracting gold. It was only a few years after that that California banned massive gold mining tactics like blasting and dredging, preserving the Sierras (unlike some now much uglier parts of America) and ending the gold rush. Yeah, I bet you didn't know that, the government ended the gold rush, they didn't run out of gold.
Finally we came to the river's edge. Just for the hell of it, I grabbed some loose rocks, and I panned them, using a spring that was shooting out perfect clean/clear water. I planned on just diving in the river. This water was crystal clear, and I thought the better panning area might be on the other side. Some parts of the river were about 10 feet deep, and I could clearly see the bottom. But caution got the better of me, and I checked the water first. It was ludicrously cold. I started panning close to the bank. I found gold in nearly every pan. Although it was very very little gold. Fingerprinters I called them, because they could fit between the ridges of my fingerprint when I picked them up. I came up with various names to call my gold if I should find anything larger.
Bill-payer: about $100 worth of gold. It would be enough to pay a bill.
Pay-checker: about $1200 worth of gold. This much could survive me a month.
Year-wager: $35-38K this was the first value I came up with, 1 Kilogram of gold is about $35-38,000 and would be about a year's wage.
After an hour of panning, I ate some lunch out of my pan. My lunch was a Lunchable.
I cooled off my Capri-Sun in the ice-cold river.
So at some point I was thinking, this river is too cold for frogs. If there was a frog that could tolerate this river, it'd be one hardcore fucking frog. Then I looked over and saw a small pool near the river made by one of the springs. Because it was much more shallow it was obviously a bit warmer, and it was full of moss and mold etc. I thought, now there's a place for a frog. Then I saw a frog, so I grabbed it.
Anyway, back to the river, I decided to cross it. By the time I had explored the other side and come back I was relatively wet from the waist down. I decided why not go all the way? So I jumped in the river and let it carry me downstream. I reached a broad area, where it branched. The river was shallow here, but slow, one part of the river took an extremely sharp turn, becoming very rapid, and the other part just went to a pool of moss with a couple very beautiful waterfalls coming out of the rocks.
Ice cold, and probably dying, I started swimming back. I finnally came out and warmed up a bit. Then I went back to panning. I found a rock that had gold color in it. I thought it was gold. My dad wasn't so sure.
After another hour, we were fairly worn out and unlucky. We packed up and climbed out of there.
When we got home, my father tried further techniques to identify the gold color, and couldn't. I still think it's gold. I stated that if it is gold, it would be a Sam's Breakfaster: about $3-4 worth of gold, enough for a Sam's Cafe' ham and eggs breakfast.
So altogether, we had a great time. I brought home snow and threw some at my brother, we brought home gold. I'm convinced I have a little nugget of gold. I have an unidentified species of frog. We got some photos, so I'll be putting them up here.
Finally we came to the river's edge. Just for the hell of it, I grabbed some loose rocks, and I panned them, using a spring that was shooting out perfect clean/clear water. I planned on just diving in the river. This water was crystal clear, and I thought the better panning area might be on the other side. Some parts of the river were about 10 feet deep, and I could clearly see the bottom. But caution got the better of me, and I checked the water first. It was ludicrously cold. I started panning close to the bank. I found gold in nearly every pan. Although it was very very little gold. Fingerprinters I called them, because they could fit between the ridges of my fingerprint when I picked them up. I came up with various names to call my gold if I should find anything larger.
Bill-payer: about $100 worth of gold. It would be enough to pay a bill.
Pay-checker: about $1200 worth of gold. This much could survive me a month.
Year-wager: $35-38K this was the first value I came up with, 1 Kilogram of gold is about $35-38,000 and would be about a year's wage.
After an hour of panning, I ate some lunch out of my pan. My lunch was a Lunchable.
I cooled off my Capri-Sun in the ice-cold river.
So at some point I was thinking, this river is too cold for frogs. If there was a frog that could tolerate this river, it'd be one hardcore fucking frog. Then I looked over and saw a small pool near the river made by one of the springs. Because it was much more shallow it was obviously a bit warmer, and it was full of moss and mold etc. I thought, now there's a place for a frog. Then I saw a frog, so I grabbed it.
Anyway, back to the river, I decided to cross it. By the time I had explored the other side and come back I was relatively wet from the waist down. I decided why not go all the way? So I jumped in the river and let it carry me downstream. I reached a broad area, where it branched. The river was shallow here, but slow, one part of the river took an extremely sharp turn, becoming very rapid, and the other part just went to a pool of moss with a couple very beautiful waterfalls coming out of the rocks.
Ice cold, and probably dying, I started swimming back. I finnally came out and warmed up a bit. Then I went back to panning. I found a rock that had gold color in it. I thought it was gold. My dad wasn't so sure.
After another hour, we were fairly worn out and unlucky. We packed up and climbed out of there.
When we got home, my father tried further techniques to identify the gold color, and couldn't. I still think it's gold. I stated that if it is gold, it would be a Sam's Breakfaster: about $3-4 worth of gold, enough for a Sam's Cafe' ham and eggs breakfast.
So altogether, we had a great time. I brought home snow and threw some at my brother, we brought home gold. I'm convinced I have a little nugget of gold. I have an unidentified species of frog. We got some photos, so I'll be putting them up here.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
What I don't know
I don't write or talk about things I don't know about or understand. Or, at least what I don't know about, or think I don't understand. Or maybe what I don't think I understand.
Isn't digital its own analog? Fundamentally even analog follows patterns, bumps, digits if you very so kindly would accept? But even then I suppose digital would still be a subset of analog, as it is characteristically quantifiable in integers.
So I started noticing the number 255 everywhere, and it was annoying me, because I knew it meant something in hexadecimal. So I looked it up, and lo, it is the highest number used in hexadecimal coding for colors (this can be used in html and CSS to indicate what color something should be, for example, if I designated this page to be blue: 255, red: 0, and green:0, this page would be completely as blue as could be displayed. Note: 255 in Hex is written "FF". If you want an easy example, open MSPaint and make a custom color, you'll see the color values go up to 255.
While looking up hexadecimal I noticed a joke on Wikipedia using Hex.
"If only dead people know hexadecimal, then how many people know heaidecimal?"
This reminded me of a binary joke I learned in binary class. "There are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary, and those who don't."
Anyway the whole reason I wrote this is because I don't know what "tort" is. I looked it up, and I'm still confusd. Why would "tort reform" be on the mouths of people like Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart daily, when no one gives a fuck, and never has? It is simply a too encompassing term for what they really mean, which is a trillionth of what they imply. They don't want to reform the entire justice system. They want frivolous lawsuits to stop. That's like calling a grain of sand a beach.
History channel told me today that the word "pepper" is sanskrit in origin. That's cool.
Isn't digital its own analog? Fundamentally even analog follows patterns, bumps, digits if you very so kindly would accept? But even then I suppose digital would still be a subset of analog, as it is characteristically quantifiable in integers.
So I started noticing the number 255 everywhere, and it was annoying me, because I knew it meant something in hexadecimal. So I looked it up, and lo, it is the highest number used in hexadecimal coding for colors (this can be used in html and CSS to indicate what color something should be, for example, if I designated this page to be blue: 255, red: 0, and green:0, this page would be completely as blue as could be displayed. Note: 255 in Hex is written "FF". If you want an easy example, open MSPaint and make a custom color, you'll see the color values go up to 255.
While looking up hexadecimal I noticed a joke on Wikipedia using Hex.
"If only dead people know hexadecimal, then how many people know heaidecimal?"
This reminded me of a binary joke I learned in binary class. "There are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary, and those who don't."
Anyway the whole reason I wrote this is because I don't know what "tort" is. I looked it up, and I'm still confusd. Why would "tort reform" be on the mouths of people like Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart daily, when no one gives a fuck, and never has? It is simply a too encompassing term for what they really mean, which is a trillionth of what they imply. They don't want to reform the entire justice system. They want frivolous lawsuits to stop. That's like calling a grain of sand a beach.
History channel told me today that the word "pepper" is sanskrit in origin. That's cool.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
To horse, you gallant princes! Straight to horse!
Stockton California. Named the second most miserable city in America this year by Forbes. It was #1 last year, and #2 the year before. It's also the only city to have such a high ranking streak. Stockton California, top of every list, violent crime, car thefts, illiteracy, home foreclosures, unemployment, etc. Stockton California, the great boiling-over melting-pot;
% of Population Foreign Born
Stockton - 31%
LA - 29.6%
San Francisco - 28.3%
New York - 22.8%
And only 1/3 of the foriegners in Stockton are citizens. Not to suggest that Stockton is bad because it has more foreigners, as I explained in much more detail in a previous blog, it's that Stockton is a storm, and California seems to just dump all its problems into this storm, and hope nothing escapes.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, 70% of Stockton's murders go unsolved. I have lost count of how many people have been murdered in 2010, but here's some news from just the past week.
There were at least 6 shootings in Stockton from Saturday to Sunday this week. 6 shootings, in 2 days. And there were many many more crimes in those 2 days, and more shootings throughout the week.
So here's Sat-Sun in Stockton California:
1. "an 18-year-old, was hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot while sitting in a parked car"
2-3. "A home in the 1700 block of West Lane was targeted by gunfire twice. Police report as many as 10 people may have been inside the home at the time of the shootings."
4. "Another shooting occurred around 8:50 p.m. Saturday. Two teenaged girls were walking on the 700 block of Sutter Street when they were approached by a black male teenager, about 17 years old, wearing a maroon hooded sweat shirt and baggy dark blue denim pants. He asked to borrow a cell phone and they complied. When the victim asked for the phone back, the suspect took a handgun from his waistband and shot her. She was struck in the lower body and taken to the hospital, where she was listed in stable condition."
5. "A 22-year-old man told police he was walking into an apartment complex when he was approached from behind by another man who asked, "what you got?"
The victim said he didn't have anything and continued walking. The second man then pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired a shot in the air before shooting the victim in the foot, police said."
6. "Later that day police responded to a report of a drive-by shooting in the 1300 block of East Harding Way. The victim told police he was walking in the area at about 10 p.m. Sunday when a car containing three men drove past. He said he then heard gunshots and was wounded in his hand."
Now what's interesting is how quick the police (and everyone else) are to write off every shooting as gang related. There is a prevailing attitude in Stockton that if you get shot, it's your fault. While Police can't solve 70% of murders, and they've solved nothing them I'm going to mention in this blog, they immediately released that two of the people shot were brothers, and therefore were probably in trouble with a gang, so of course they deserve it.
Here's some more love in Stockton:
"Three McDonald’s restaurants were robbed Monday night and Tuesday in apparently related robberies." "by a man who claimed he had a gun."
"A 49-year-old man was shot in the face Thursday night near an east Stockton liquor store." "the assailant was riding a kick scooter and was wearing a white T-shirt with bones and a cross on it. He was carrying a black backpack."
Of course Stocktonians don't just keep their fun in Stockton, increasingly I've noticed Stockton is tied in with crime all around northern California.
More recent news:
"Two teenagers were shot at the Jackson Rancheria early Sunday morning in what officials say was a gang related incident." "The shooter is reportedly associated with the Norteno gang and based out of Stockton. His name has not been released."
"Two people have been arrested in connection with two separate shootings in Concord overnight in which one man was injured, Concord police Lt. Jim Lardieri said." The gun police believe was used in the two shootings was recovered and had been reported stolen out of Stockton, Lardieri said."
==Notice here, that it took an outside force to bring in a couple Stocktonians. Left to their own accord, the Stockton Police do not do so well.==
All of these events occured in the last 2 weeks, all the events in Stockton were this week. This is not a comprehensive list of recent crimes, just what I could find in a couple minutes. This is by no means a crime wave by Stockton's standards, it is Stockton standard.
And yet, I don't have a right to protect myself? I want to be able to bear arms here. But California law demands that if I open-carry (conceal carry is illegal) the weapon needs to be unloaded. So basically I would have to advertise that I'm armed, without actually being armed. Wonderful, who do you think a criminal would shoot first? Also, the entire state of California has been experiencing a bullet shortage for over a year. And Schwarzenegger just passed a law that will make bullets extremely hard to obtain, for law abiding citizens. So while I still can, I ordered 300 rounds of ammunition online, and I'll probably order another 1,000. This is just short term though. I'm doing what I can to convince my family to get out of this city. I plan on leaving the state and/or country as soon as I'm done with college. I'm done with Stockton, and California.
In the mean time, just in case you have some illusion there are safe parts of Stockton, here is a map from Google Earth, I added red dots showing where just these most recent events occured. If you want a more comprehensive map of major crime locations, people have tried to do that, but they can't keep up with the crime. Basically it's just a completely covered map of Stockton.
Click on map to view larger. I displayed Stockton with the north to the left to fit the screen.
*All data and quotes stolen from other websites.
% of Population Foreign Born
Stockton - 31%
LA - 29.6%
San Francisco - 28.3%
New York - 22.8%
And only 1/3 of the foriegners in Stockton are citizens. Not to suggest that Stockton is bad because it has more foreigners, as I explained in much more detail in a previous blog, it's that Stockton is a storm, and California seems to just dump all its problems into this storm, and hope nothing escapes.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, 70% of Stockton's murders go unsolved. I have lost count of how many people have been murdered in 2010, but here's some news from just the past week.
There were at least 6 shootings in Stockton from Saturday to Sunday this week. 6 shootings, in 2 days. And there were many many more crimes in those 2 days, and more shootings throughout the week.
So here's Sat-Sun in Stockton California:
1. "an 18-year-old, was hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot while sitting in a parked car"
2-3. "A home in the 1700 block of West Lane was targeted by gunfire twice. Police report as many as 10 people may have been inside the home at the time of the shootings."
4. "Another shooting occurred around 8:50 p.m. Saturday. Two teenaged girls were walking on the 700 block of Sutter Street when they were approached by a black male teenager, about 17 years old, wearing a maroon hooded sweat shirt and baggy dark blue denim pants. He asked to borrow a cell phone and they complied. When the victim asked for the phone back, the suspect took a handgun from his waistband and shot her. She was struck in the lower body and taken to the hospital, where she was listed in stable condition."
5. "A 22-year-old man told police he was walking into an apartment complex when he was approached from behind by another man who asked, "what you got?"
The victim said he didn't have anything and continued walking. The second man then pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired a shot in the air before shooting the victim in the foot, police said."
6. "Later that day police responded to a report of a drive-by shooting in the 1300 block of East Harding Way. The victim told police he was walking in the area at about 10 p.m. Sunday when a car containing three men drove past. He said he then heard gunshots and was wounded in his hand."
Now what's interesting is how quick the police (and everyone else) are to write off every shooting as gang related. There is a prevailing attitude in Stockton that if you get shot, it's your fault. While Police can't solve 70% of murders, and they've solved nothing them I'm going to mention in this blog, they immediately released that two of the people shot were brothers, and therefore were probably in trouble with a gang, so of course they deserve it.
Here's some more love in Stockton:
"Three McDonald’s restaurants were robbed Monday night and Tuesday in apparently related robberies." "by a man who claimed he had a gun."
"A 49-year-old man was shot in the face Thursday night near an east Stockton liquor store." "the assailant was riding a kick scooter and was wearing a white T-shirt with bones and a cross on it. He was carrying a black backpack."
Of course Stocktonians don't just keep their fun in Stockton, increasingly I've noticed Stockton is tied in with crime all around northern California.
More recent news:
"Two teenagers were shot at the Jackson Rancheria early Sunday morning in what officials say was a gang related incident." "The shooter is reportedly associated with the Norteno gang and based out of Stockton. His name has not been released."
"Two people have been arrested in connection with two separate shootings in Concord overnight in which one man was injured, Concord police Lt. Jim Lardieri said." The gun police believe was used in the two shootings was recovered and had been reported stolen out of Stockton, Lardieri said."
==Notice here, that it took an outside force to bring in a couple Stocktonians. Left to their own accord, the Stockton Police do not do so well.==
All of these events occured in the last 2 weeks, all the events in Stockton were this week. This is not a comprehensive list of recent crimes, just what I could find in a couple minutes. This is by no means a crime wave by Stockton's standards, it is Stockton standard.
And yet, I don't have a right to protect myself? I want to be able to bear arms here. But California law demands that if I open-carry (conceal carry is illegal) the weapon needs to be unloaded. So basically I would have to advertise that I'm armed, without actually being armed. Wonderful, who do you think a criminal would shoot first? Also, the entire state of California has been experiencing a bullet shortage for over a year. And Schwarzenegger just passed a law that will make bullets extremely hard to obtain, for law abiding citizens. So while I still can, I ordered 300 rounds of ammunition online, and I'll probably order another 1,000. This is just short term though. I'm doing what I can to convince my family to get out of this city. I plan on leaving the state and/or country as soon as I'm done with college. I'm done with Stockton, and California.
In the mean time, just in case you have some illusion there are safe parts of Stockton, here is a map from Google Earth, I added red dots showing where just these most recent events occured. If you want a more comprehensive map of major crime locations, people have tried to do that, but they can't keep up with the crime. Basically it's just a completely covered map of Stockton.
Click on map to view larger. I displayed Stockton with the north to the left to fit the screen.
*All data and quotes stolen from other websites.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
spacing blogs
Except for 3 wayward months. I have at least one blog post here from every month since September 2004. So that's 64 of the last 67 months. I think this is a decent, (albeit not nearly comprehensive) timestamping of my life and writing.
This is really good considering all the 3-4 months I spent at sea at a time. Many of my blogs have been written in various foreign nations, though I usually don't mention them, except rarely in an offhanded manor.
This is really good considering all the 3-4 months I spent at sea at a time. Many of my blogs have been written in various foreign nations, though I usually don't mention them, except rarely in an offhanded manor.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Redistricting.
One argument against term limits for congressmen is that people should be allowed to chose when their representative leaves office. Unfortunately in California, ha ha, it is not your choice! A practice so diabolical it has two names, gerrymandering, or redistricting.
Basically, political parties have become more powerful than actual elected representatives, and the parties work together, at the expense of voters, and their representatives.
In California, the Democratics and Republicans get together, and cut up California into congressional districts that give each party secured positions. The Democratics will give some conservative leaning areas to Republicans, and the Republicans give over liberal leaning areas. In this way, they draw districts that guarantee wins for both parties.
Of course they don't absolute power, and they have to sacrifice some representatives in order to achieve this. If you've ever looked up the history of a congressional district, you'll see every few years, the district is somewhere else, and this usually puts a new party in power.
I was looking up my current congressional district, the 11th, and I wanted to point out some of its travelled history.
Currently the 11th encompasses East-Bay, and swoops south then east, then swoops back up to San Joaquin County into Stockton. I should also mention, all you have to do is look at district boundaries to see they are politically drawn, not logically, in nature.
In 1912 the 11th District encompassed Imperial, Inyo, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties, basically most of southern California. From 1933-1943 it was the district for Los Angeles County. Then it jumped to northern California and bounced back and forth for decades, until it came to where it is now in 2003.
Congressman Leo Ryan represented the 11th district in San Mateo in 1978, when he went down to Jonestown in Guyana because of the stories about people being forced to stay in the cult. He was ambushed at the airport and murdered by Jones' thugs. Congressman Ryan was the first and only Congressman killed in the line of duty in U.S. history.
The current Congressman, Jerry McNerney has held the seat since 2007. He is likely to win again in 2010. There was a really good challenger but he dropped out for family reasons. There are a lot of challengers on the Republican side, but no one stands out for me.
What is most likely to oust McNerney? Nothing. Fixed!
Case Closed.
Basically, political parties have become more powerful than actual elected representatives, and the parties work together, at the expense of voters, and their representatives.
In California, the Democratics and Republicans get together, and cut up California into congressional districts that give each party secured positions. The Democratics will give some conservative leaning areas to Republicans, and the Republicans give over liberal leaning areas. In this way, they draw districts that guarantee wins for both parties.
Of course they don't absolute power, and they have to sacrifice some representatives in order to achieve this. If you've ever looked up the history of a congressional district, you'll see every few years, the district is somewhere else, and this usually puts a new party in power.
I was looking up my current congressional district, the 11th, and I wanted to point out some of its travelled history.
Currently the 11th encompasses East-Bay, and swoops south then east, then swoops back up to San Joaquin County into Stockton. I should also mention, all you have to do is look at district boundaries to see they are politically drawn, not logically, in nature.
In 1912 the 11th District encompassed Imperial, Inyo, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties, basically most of southern California. From 1933-1943 it was the district for Los Angeles County. Then it jumped to northern California and bounced back and forth for decades, until it came to where it is now in 2003.
Congressman Leo Ryan represented the 11th district in San Mateo in 1978, when he went down to Jonestown in Guyana because of the stories about people being forced to stay in the cult. He was ambushed at the airport and murdered by Jones' thugs. Congressman Ryan was the first and only Congressman killed in the line of duty in U.S. history.
The current Congressman, Jerry McNerney has held the seat since 2007. He is likely to win again in 2010. There was a really good challenger but he dropped out for family reasons. There are a lot of challengers on the Republican side, but no one stands out for me.
What is most likely to oust McNerney? Nothing. Fixed!
Case Closed.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
California's State Song Sucks
Most everything about California is awesome, or at least better than you. This is a scientific fact.
But California does have its issues too.
I think the most obvious is that we let Mexico keep Baja California. This is just wrong. Until 1846, Baja and Alta California were united. Just throwing that out there, in case any new filibusters were being planned.
Anyway I remember learning the song "California, Here I Come" in first grade. It's a catchy showtune. I sang it everytime I was coming back to California from parts unknown. I suppose I assumed it was the state song. Nope.
California's state song is "I love you, California"
I love you, California, you're the greatest state of all.
I love you in the winter, summer, spring and in the fall.
I love your fertile valleys; your dear mountains I adore.
I love your grand old ocean and I love her rugged shore.
Chorus
Where the snow crowned Golden Sierras
Keep their watch o'er the valleys bloom,
It is there I would be in our land by the sea,
Every breeze bearing rich perfume.
It is here nature gives of her rarest. It is Home Sweet Home to me,
And I know when I die I shall breathe my last sigh
For my sunny California.
I love your red-wood forests - love your fields of yellow grain.
I love your summer breezes and I love your winter rain.
I love you, land of flowers; land of honey, fruit and wine.
I love you, California; you have won this heart of mine.
I love your old gray Missions - love your vineyards stretching far.
I love you, California, with your Golden Gate ajar.
I love your purple sun-sets, love your skies of azure blue.
I love you, California; I just can't help loving you.
I love you, Catalina, you are very dear to me.
I love you, Tamalpais, and I love Yosemite.
I love you, Land of Sunshine, Half your beauties are untold.
I loved you in my childhood, and I'll love you when I'm old.
They're great lyrics, or at least they're lyrics reminding us of how great California is, but the song is unsingable. I don't know if it can be made to sound good. I think at best it comes off as sounding like an eastern European propaganda song.
Here's the absolute best version on YouTube.
Now compare it to "California, Here I Come" sung by Al Jolson in 1924
But not all our "official" things suck. Most of them are decent. California was the first state to have an official insect. The California Dogface Butterfly.
And our state soil is the San Joaquin.
-All facts and photos stolen from the internet.
But California does have its issues too.
I think the most obvious is that we let Mexico keep Baja California. This is just wrong. Until 1846, Baja and Alta California were united. Just throwing that out there, in case any new filibusters were being planned.
Anyway I remember learning the song "California, Here I Come" in first grade. It's a catchy showtune. I sang it everytime I was coming back to California from parts unknown. I suppose I assumed it was the state song. Nope.
California's state song is "I love you, California"
I love you, California, you're the greatest state of all.
I love you in the winter, summer, spring and in the fall.
I love your fertile valleys; your dear mountains I adore.
I love your grand old ocean and I love her rugged shore.
Chorus
Where the snow crowned Golden Sierras
Keep their watch o'er the valleys bloom,
It is there I would be in our land by the sea,
Every breeze bearing rich perfume.
It is here nature gives of her rarest. It is Home Sweet Home to me,
And I know when I die I shall breathe my last sigh
For my sunny California.
I love your red-wood forests - love your fields of yellow grain.
I love your summer breezes and I love your winter rain.
I love you, land of flowers; land of honey, fruit and wine.
I love you, California; you have won this heart of mine.
I love your old gray Missions - love your vineyards stretching far.
I love you, California, with your Golden Gate ajar.
I love your purple sun-sets, love your skies of azure blue.
I love you, California; I just can't help loving you.
I love you, Catalina, you are very dear to me.
I love you, Tamalpais, and I love Yosemite.
I love you, Land of Sunshine, Half your beauties are untold.
I loved you in my childhood, and I'll love you when I'm old.
They're great lyrics, or at least they're lyrics reminding us of how great California is, but the song is unsingable. I don't know if it can be made to sound good. I think at best it comes off as sounding like an eastern European propaganda song.
Here's the absolute best version on YouTube.
Now compare it to "California, Here I Come" sung by Al Jolson in 1924
But not all our "official" things suck. Most of them are decent. California was the first state to have an official insect. The California Dogface Butterfly.
And our state soil is the San Joaquin.
-All facts and photos stolen from the internet.
Perpetual Motion
I was reading about perpetual motion machines, and basically how they have been completely dismissed as they don't fit the laws of thermodynamics. But. I was thinking, who actually needs created or infinitely re-used energy?
Perpetual Motion, in its name doesn't explicitly demand the same energy perpetually moves, it is simply a description of a reaction.
One would only need to create something that runs continuously, by its own actions, not continuously with a finite set of energy. And it isn't the continued functioning that is against the law of nature, it's the re-used or imagined energy that can't be harnessed.
Looking at the goal of Perpetual Motion, I realize the standard has been set way too high for practicality. And the true desire for Perpetual Motion is not about what energy is used, but rather if it is costly to people.
A realistic goal could be set in two lengths, and as far as technicalities are concerned would be "perpetual".
1. Create a machine that requires no more input to function once it is built, that will last a life time.
2. Create a machine that requires no more input to function once it is built, that will last for as long as its energy source exists.
Both of these goals were met hundreds of years ago. Clocks have been designed that run on temperature changes. Earth's temperature always changes, the clocks continue to run hundreds of years later.
Now some energy has to be put in them to maintain their accuracy (setting the correct time), but this isn't the source of the power for the clock, and perhaps, already proof of concept in themselves, if you simply look at the device, not as a clock, but as a machine that moves parts powered by temperature, it has worked continuously for hundreds of years.
When you up the desired results, before the technology exists, sure you might need human input. Now maybe someone needs to make one of these clocks, but make it so the clock is also able to correct its own time (like storing excess energy in a battery, use a memory chip and have it readjust when it needs to, or something like that).
In the meantime, no one gives a shit about inventing a machine that needs no new energy, we just want machines that don't need human energy.
Solar Power, wind power, water power are all renewable and will outlast 1,000 human generations. I'd say that is sufficient to call it "perpetual".
Of course everything breaks down too. But I'm sure there can be ways to solve this when you have the energy continuously backing you up. It's hard to believe there's no perpetual motion, when you think no life could exist on this planet if water itself wasn't in a perpetual state of motion. Water turns to gas, becomes liquid again (or solid) comes back to earth. Water's motion gives resource of perpetual motion to feed plants, which in turn feed animals (who also need water). If water couldn't cycle in this atmosphere, the nature of our bodies could not function.
Anyway. So I was looking at one supposed non-functional example of Perpetual Motion called a "SMOT" where the T is for "toy" meaning it is useless.
Basically you can make a ball roll up an incline if you align magnets on either side. It is argued that this only works because the magnets help "convert" the potential energy of the ball into kinetic energy.
But electro-magnetism is its own force. It is energy. Thinking you can't convert it to kinetic energy is downright idiotic.
Now whether or not the SMOT can be made into a perpetual motion machine remains to be shown, as everyone seems to only make them straight.
But I was thinking, if the magnets can raise the ball on an incline, why not make an incline, have the ball roll up, but have a hole in the incline, the ball will drop, but have another SMOT placed right underneath, each SMOT would be set in a curve, each time the ball would move maybe a few inches up, then drop down, then a few inches up then drop down, SMOT to SMOT to SMOT until it comes full circle, and that would be perpetual motion. (people then argue that might work, but it would drain the magnets power, which doesn't count, but I disagree, I think the whole point of perpetual motion is finding ways of tapping into alternate energy sources).
SMOT
Perpetual Motion? lol. That is how an electric motor works though, converting electo-magnetic energy into kinetic energy through the motion of attracting and repelling magnets.
Absence of heat is absence of friction, thus "perfect" energy transfer.
The last video isn't about Perpetual Motion, but it does make me wonder, you see at the threshold, the rules change, and energy depleting liquid nitrogen actually becomes fuel for the levitation. If absence of energy, is a source of energy, if a system could drain energy completely, and then use it, it would be Perpetual Motion. And again, no one cares where the new energy comes from.
If you want to look at it in the big picture, if no energy can be created or destroyed, no source of energy is really an "outside" source. Call it Universal Perpetual Motion and you've jumped the technicality bridge.
Perpetual Motion, in its name doesn't explicitly demand the same energy perpetually moves, it is simply a description of a reaction.
One would only need to create something that runs continuously, by its own actions, not continuously with a finite set of energy. And it isn't the continued functioning that is against the law of nature, it's the re-used or imagined energy that can't be harnessed.
Looking at the goal of Perpetual Motion, I realize the standard has been set way too high for practicality. And the true desire for Perpetual Motion is not about what energy is used, but rather if it is costly to people.
A realistic goal could be set in two lengths, and as far as technicalities are concerned would be "perpetual".
1. Create a machine that requires no more input to function once it is built, that will last a life time.
2. Create a machine that requires no more input to function once it is built, that will last for as long as its energy source exists.
Both of these goals were met hundreds of years ago. Clocks have been designed that run on temperature changes. Earth's temperature always changes, the clocks continue to run hundreds of years later.
Now some energy has to be put in them to maintain their accuracy (setting the correct time), but this isn't the source of the power for the clock, and perhaps, already proof of concept in themselves, if you simply look at the device, not as a clock, but as a machine that moves parts powered by temperature, it has worked continuously for hundreds of years.
When you up the desired results, before the technology exists, sure you might need human input. Now maybe someone needs to make one of these clocks, but make it so the clock is also able to correct its own time (like storing excess energy in a battery, use a memory chip and have it readjust when it needs to, or something like that).
In the meantime, no one gives a shit about inventing a machine that needs no new energy, we just want machines that don't need human energy.
Solar Power, wind power, water power are all renewable and will outlast 1,000 human generations. I'd say that is sufficient to call it "perpetual".
Of course everything breaks down too. But I'm sure there can be ways to solve this when you have the energy continuously backing you up. It's hard to believe there's no perpetual motion, when you think no life could exist on this planet if water itself wasn't in a perpetual state of motion. Water turns to gas, becomes liquid again (or solid) comes back to earth. Water's motion gives resource of perpetual motion to feed plants, which in turn feed animals (who also need water). If water couldn't cycle in this atmosphere, the nature of our bodies could not function.
Anyway. So I was looking at one supposed non-functional example of Perpetual Motion called a "SMOT" where the T is for "toy" meaning it is useless.
Basically you can make a ball roll up an incline if you align magnets on either side. It is argued that this only works because the magnets help "convert" the potential energy of the ball into kinetic energy.
But electro-magnetism is its own force. It is energy. Thinking you can't convert it to kinetic energy is downright idiotic.
Now whether or not the SMOT can be made into a perpetual motion machine remains to be shown, as everyone seems to only make them straight.
But I was thinking, if the magnets can raise the ball on an incline, why not make an incline, have the ball roll up, but have a hole in the incline, the ball will drop, but have another SMOT placed right underneath, each SMOT would be set in a curve, each time the ball would move maybe a few inches up, then drop down, then a few inches up then drop down, SMOT to SMOT to SMOT until it comes full circle, and that would be perpetual motion. (people then argue that might work, but it would drain the magnets power, which doesn't count, but I disagree, I think the whole point of perpetual motion is finding ways of tapping into alternate energy sources).
SMOT
Perpetual Motion? lol. That is how an electric motor works though, converting electo-magnetic energy into kinetic energy through the motion of attracting and repelling magnets.
Absence of heat is absence of friction, thus "perfect" energy transfer.
The last video isn't about Perpetual Motion, but it does make me wonder, you see at the threshold, the rules change, and energy depleting liquid nitrogen actually becomes fuel for the levitation. If absence of energy, is a source of energy, if a system could drain energy completely, and then use it, it would be Perpetual Motion. And again, no one cares where the new energy comes from.
If you want to look at it in the big picture, if no energy can be created or destroyed, no source of energy is really an "outside" source. Call it Universal Perpetual Motion and you've jumped the technicality bridge.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Good and bad for the Olympics so far
I live in California. The Olympics are being held in Vancouver, BC. Vancouver is about dead north from where I am. Time zones are longitudinal. If anyone should be able to see these Olympic games live, it should be us here in Pacific. But no. Ever since who knows when, the assholes in the TV industry have decided Pacific Standard Time will NEVER be live. You know they show all the games live in Japan? Yeah. Way to go America.
Really the only reason I wanted to post this was because I just saw a Japanese downhill skier and I realized they all get to have music playing when they go down. Her's was "Around the World" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. They do love their RCHP in Japan. Me too.
I'm going to tell you a little dream I had back then. I wanted to get my Colombian woman, dress her up in white trash clothing, and go to the Fuji Fest (which hasn't been held near Fuji since there was a big earthquake years ago.) only problems were the price (many hundreds per person) and the location (I was near Fuji, it was on the other end of Honshu).
Anyway.
I really like the music, don't like the not live.
Other stuff, it was awesome seeing those two Koreans wipe out at the last second in the speed skating putting Americans in 2nd and 3rd.
Really the only reason I wanted to post this was because I just saw a Japanese downhill skier and I realized they all get to have music playing when they go down. Her's was "Around the World" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. They do love their RCHP in Japan. Me too.
I'm going to tell you a little dream I had back then. I wanted to get my Colombian woman, dress her up in white trash clothing, and go to the Fuji Fest (which hasn't been held near Fuji since there was a big earthquake years ago.) only problems were the price (many hundreds per person) and the location (I was near Fuji, it was on the other end of Honshu).
Anyway.
I really like the music, don't like the not live.
Other stuff, it was awesome seeing those two Koreans wipe out at the last second in the speed skating putting Americans in 2nd and 3rd.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
I told you so
In one of my previous rants I mentioned people only engage me when they want something from me and nothing in return (but of course that part doesn't apply to vendors).
So this morning I was eating breakfast at school and a woman sits down in front of me, staring at me with those "I'm going to engage you because I want something for nothing" eyes.
Her: How much did you pay for that burrito?
Me: Uhh. I don't know. About 4 or 5 dollars?
Her: Why are you so hungry?
Me: This is my breakfast.
Her: Can I have some of your potatoes?
Me: No. Who are you?
Her: You're racist. You won't give me anything because I'm Filipino (she scowls at me).
Me: Are you serious?! Do you even go here?
Her: (mumbles something, looks at me nasty, gets up and walks away).
I saw her pacing by several more times after that and I planned on threatening her with police if she started anything. Not that I want to involve police in anything, but the campus doesn't have security, instead they have their own licensed police force. Then I started thinking, if any college can get its own legal police, and a private company like BART can have its own legal police. Can anyone make up a police force? Can I just sign some papers with the state and make myself a legal California police officer? (California has no "state" police, but any officer in California can lawfully arrest anyone in the state, including the Keystone Kops at my college).
I would make myself a police force. Then I could sidestep all the commie laws about bearing arms.
So this morning I was eating breakfast at school and a woman sits down in front of me, staring at me with those "I'm going to engage you because I want something for nothing" eyes.
Her: How much did you pay for that burrito?
Me: Uhh. I don't know. About 4 or 5 dollars?
Her: Why are you so hungry?
Me: This is my breakfast.
Her: Can I have some of your potatoes?
Me: No. Who are you?
Her: You're racist. You won't give me anything because I'm Filipino (she scowls at me).
Me: Are you serious?! Do you even go here?
Her: (mumbles something, looks at me nasty, gets up and walks away).
I saw her pacing by several more times after that and I planned on threatening her with police if she started anything. Not that I want to involve police in anything, but the campus doesn't have security, instead they have their own licensed police force. Then I started thinking, if any college can get its own legal police, and a private company like BART can have its own legal police. Can anyone make up a police force? Can I just sign some papers with the state and make myself a legal California police officer? (California has no "state" police, but any officer in California can lawfully arrest anyone in the state, including the Keystone Kops at my college).
I would make myself a police force. Then I could sidestep all the commie laws about bearing arms.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Lewis Carroll, mediocre writer, notorious pedophile
I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass several years ago. Alice has been embedded in our culture through multitudinous repetitions and homages. What I realized reading the books, was that Lewis Carroll was a flagrant pedophile, and he wasn't that great of a writer.
I'll start with the bad writing first. You see, I've read references about the "deep" meanings of Alice's Adventures, and I've read about the complex math problems and philosophical dilemmas in the story.
Reading the books, I quickly realized they were very much "children's" stories. They were not deep. There was almost no character development. The story just shuffled from one scene to the next with no coherent progression and then it was over. I was very much let down. I realized a lot of the 'depth' and intrigue of Alice has actually been added on through the years. It isn't in the books.
Now, as for the seemingly serious accusation. Certainly pedophillia is serious, but it isn't much for an accusation, as I was to find out.
I first got suspicious while reading the book. It just seemed to focus on Alice the wrong way. But that wouldn't have raised any flags, had I not read the introduction. I don't ever read intros before I read books, because I've found intros try to lead a reader in a certain direction, and it's always written by someone who's already read the book (or wrote it) and assume you have too. So I read the intro after the 10 minutes it took me to read the book and I'll be damned if it didn't reveal his true nature. Alice was a real girl. Carroll actually wrote the books based on stories he would tell Alice. Although he was a priest, and a "family" friend, eventually he just started taking Alice out alone on trips. The intro mentions some unknown event caused the Liddell family (Alice Liddell's family) to forbid Carroll from ever seeing Alice again.
Now why does a parent need to ban a priest from taking their preteen daughter on trips? I don't know, can't think of any reason... except that he was molesting her.
Just reading his own books, and the intros to his books I was certain Carroll was a pedo. But then a couple years later I looked further into the matter. And this is some fucked up shit.
Carroll was a photographer. And he took lots of photos of naked preteen girls. Don't believe me? Google search it. They're online. Don't worry, if society decides child porn is "art" it's perfectly legal. Or don't search it and believe the hell out of me.
What's interesting is that I'm not the first person to realize this about Carrol. In fact books have been written about this issue. Even Wikipedia mentions the controversy, but somehow manages to dismiss it with "NPOV" (their magic word that allow Wikipedia articles to be completely biased as long as they do it in a certain way).
Anyway enjoy the latest movie version of a story created to woo a little girl into sex.
I'll start with the bad writing first. You see, I've read references about the "deep" meanings of Alice's Adventures, and I've read about the complex math problems and philosophical dilemmas in the story.
Reading the books, I quickly realized they were very much "children's" stories. They were not deep. There was almost no character development. The story just shuffled from one scene to the next with no coherent progression and then it was over. I was very much let down. I realized a lot of the 'depth' and intrigue of Alice has actually been added on through the years. It isn't in the books.
Now, as for the seemingly serious accusation. Certainly pedophillia is serious, but it isn't much for an accusation, as I was to find out.
I first got suspicious while reading the book. It just seemed to focus on Alice the wrong way. But that wouldn't have raised any flags, had I not read the introduction. I don't ever read intros before I read books, because I've found intros try to lead a reader in a certain direction, and it's always written by someone who's already read the book (or wrote it) and assume you have too. So I read the intro after the 10 minutes it took me to read the book and I'll be damned if it didn't reveal his true nature. Alice was a real girl. Carroll actually wrote the books based on stories he would tell Alice. Although he was a priest, and a "family" friend, eventually he just started taking Alice out alone on trips. The intro mentions some unknown event caused the Liddell family (Alice Liddell's family) to forbid Carroll from ever seeing Alice again.
Now why does a parent need to ban a priest from taking their preteen daughter on trips? I don't know, can't think of any reason... except that he was molesting her.
Just reading his own books, and the intros to his books I was certain Carroll was a pedo. But then a couple years later I looked further into the matter. And this is some fucked up shit.
Carroll was a photographer. And he took lots of photos of naked preteen girls. Don't believe me? Google search it. They're online. Don't worry, if society decides child porn is "art" it's perfectly legal. Or don't search it and believe the hell out of me.
What's interesting is that I'm not the first person to realize this about Carrol. In fact books have been written about this issue. Even Wikipedia mentions the controversy, but somehow manages to dismiss it with "NPOV" (their magic word that allow Wikipedia articles to be completely biased as long as they do it in a certain way).
Anyway enjoy the latest movie version of a story created to woo a little girl into sex.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Songs that tell you to do stupid shit
I figure it's the epitome of collectivism, this ideal of producing a song, that is intended to not be enjoyed, but to get a bunch of people to make idiotic motions together.
A lot of them simply start with "Do the" followed by the dumbshit name they gave their dumb shit commands.
Here are some great examples, old and new.
The Hustle by Van McCoy
This one is simply called "The hustle" but makes sure to say absolutely nothing but "Do it" and "Do the hustle" for 4 godforsaken minutes. At least I assume the lyrics never change, as I am physically unable to listen past 2 minutes. And the idea of looking up the lyrics seems downright insane. You know what, fuck it, here's the lyrics to "The Hustle"
Do It
Do It
Do The Hustle
DO THE HUSTLE
Do The Hustle
Do The Hustle
Do The Hustle
Do The Hustle
Do It
Do It
DO THE HUSTLE
Do The Hustle
DO THE HUSTLE
Do The Hustle
Do the Ricky Bobby by B-Hamp
This song seems to be a 4 minutes of samples. But the songs it is sampling, were samples of covers, so most of the music just sounds like electronic failure.
Interestingly, from what I gather, the "Ricky Bobby" seems to be just making a pose, as opposed to doing any dance, so this is probably the least demanding of the social command songs.
Do Da Stanky Legg by G-Spot
ROFL
Humpty Dance by Digital Underground
I listened to a lot of hip hop in the late 80s early 90s, but it was mostly stuff like Run DMC, Beastie Boys, followed by Coolio and Snoop Doggy Dog, then eventually down the terrible path of gangsta rap towards Biggie, Tupac, Warren G, Nate Dogg. Shit I remember memorizing songs like "Regulate" "Keep their heads ringing" "Murder was the case" as a young tween. This particular artist eluded until the 21st century, although I do remember the line "The humpty dance is your chance to do the hump" from Weird Al's "Off the Deep End" album. Weird Al really introduced me to a lot of different music. I completely missed the "grunge" era until about '94 when I started actually realizing other people liked music too, and I got a flood of Nirvana, Aerosmith, B-52s, Cranberries, REM, from people like my mom, dad, and friends.
Anyway. Nostalgiagasm over.
Do the Bartman by Michael Jackson
Never heard of this song until 5 minutes ago. And I've always loved the Simpsons. Apparently this song was ridiculously popular when it came out. It was mostly written and produced by Michael Jackson, who was a huge fan of the show, but he couldn't take any credit because the song went on a different label.
Walk it out by Unk
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is shitty command music at its most shitty and commanding.
Lean like a Cholo by Kilo
This homemade video has 800,000 views. Jesus Christ. This song came out when I lived in San Diego, it has a special place in my heart, mostly because I've always liked calling people "Homes" "cholo" and "vato".
The Twist by Chubby Checker
It really took radio and records to change the music world, to make the music "industry". Certainly there were folk songs, world famous musicians, and composers, but it wasn't until you could print music and play it in perpetuity, that shitty pop music really took hold of this planet. It wasted no time, and amazingly even with so much modern technology, much of it still boils down to its origins. Pop music is the heartbeat of the unthinking unquestioning masses. That so many songs simply expect people (usually millions of them) to make bad motions with their body in celebration of communal activity blows my mind.
I'm not against dancing. I'm very much for dancing, but I think if you're going to dance by yourself, you should follow your own moves, and if your going to dance with other people, it shouldn't be to the commands of the macarena, or Beck's waltzing, or whatever the shit the Monster Mash actually expected of us. If people want to dance with each other, it shouldn't veil that communal dancing in invariably about sex, and with that, I wholly support two people getting really close and holding each other, and seeing if they can literally move together, as so often metaphors and reality link, and if you can't keep in step with your partner, you might need to find a new partner, and there's no better place to do that than on a dance floor.
A lot of them simply start with "Do the" followed by the dumbshit name they gave their dumb shit commands.
Here are some great examples, old and new.
The Hustle by Van McCoy
This one is simply called "The hustle" but makes sure to say absolutely nothing but "Do it" and "Do the hustle" for 4 godforsaken minutes. At least I assume the lyrics never change, as I am physically unable to listen past 2 minutes. And the idea of looking up the lyrics seems downright insane. You know what, fuck it, here's the lyrics to "The Hustle"
Do It
Do It
Do The Hustle
DO THE HUSTLE
Do The Hustle
Do The Hustle
Do The Hustle
Do The Hustle
Do It
Do It
DO THE HUSTLE
Do The Hustle
DO THE HUSTLE
Do The Hustle
Do the Ricky Bobby by B-Hamp
This song seems to be a 4 minutes of samples. But the songs it is sampling, were samples of covers, so most of the music just sounds like electronic failure.
Interestingly, from what I gather, the "Ricky Bobby" seems to be just making a pose, as opposed to doing any dance, so this is probably the least demanding of the social command songs.
Do Da Stanky Legg by G-Spot
ROFL
Humpty Dance by Digital Underground
I listened to a lot of hip hop in the late 80s early 90s, but it was mostly stuff like Run DMC, Beastie Boys, followed by Coolio and Snoop Doggy Dog, then eventually down the terrible path of gangsta rap towards Biggie, Tupac, Warren G, Nate Dogg. Shit I remember memorizing songs like "Regulate" "Keep their heads ringing" "Murder was the case" as a young tween. This particular artist eluded until the 21st century, although I do remember the line "The humpty dance is your chance to do the hump" from Weird Al's "Off the Deep End" album. Weird Al really introduced me to a lot of different music. I completely missed the "grunge" era until about '94 when I started actually realizing other people liked music too, and I got a flood of Nirvana, Aerosmith, B-52s, Cranberries, REM, from people like my mom, dad, and friends.
Anyway. Nostalgiagasm over.
Do the Bartman by Michael Jackson
Never heard of this song until 5 minutes ago. And I've always loved the Simpsons. Apparently this song was ridiculously popular when it came out. It was mostly written and produced by Michael Jackson, who was a huge fan of the show, but he couldn't take any credit because the song went on a different label.
Walk it out by Unk
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is shitty command music at its most shitty and commanding.
Lean like a Cholo by Kilo
This homemade video has 800,000 views. Jesus Christ. This song came out when I lived in San Diego, it has a special place in my heart, mostly because I've always liked calling people "Homes" "cholo" and "vato".
The Twist by Chubby Checker
It really took radio and records to change the music world, to make the music "industry". Certainly there were folk songs, world famous musicians, and composers, but it wasn't until you could print music and play it in perpetuity, that shitty pop music really took hold of this planet. It wasted no time, and amazingly even with so much modern technology, much of it still boils down to its origins. Pop music is the heartbeat of the unthinking unquestioning masses. That so many songs simply expect people (usually millions of them) to make bad motions with their body in celebration of communal activity blows my mind.
I'm not against dancing. I'm very much for dancing, but I think if you're going to dance by yourself, you should follow your own moves, and if your going to dance with other people, it shouldn't be to the commands of the macarena, or Beck's waltzing, or whatever the shit the Monster Mash actually expected of us. If people want to dance with each other, it shouldn't veil that communal dancing in invariably about sex, and with that, I wholly support two people getting really close and holding each other, and seeing if they can literally move together, as so often metaphors and reality link, and if you can't keep in step with your partner, you might need to find a new partner, and there's no better place to do that than on a dance floor.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Just a regular guy
On Friday a woman walked up to me and asked me why I was not going to class. I vaguely recognized her as someone in my biology class. I'm rather dismissive of people as I know my worth on this planet, and it's not very high. Only people who want something from me for nothing in return, ever engage me.
Somehow she controlled this conversation into her explaining that she's been going to college forever, but that she had a head injury that had put her in a coma. I remarked it was good she recovered (as opposed to being in a permanent vegitative state) and she assured me she had not recovered, as in severe memory loss, problems learning, and has to take buckets of drugs everyday. On top of that she had problems with English, and the school was somehow screwing her in credits.
I really didn't fucking care. Especially when she mentioned she was married I pretty much tuned her out. Not that I had any superficial interest in her, rather, I've never even had a girlfriend. Love is all that matters in life, and no coma, no head injury will ever take away the fact that she got married. The way I see it, you get married you win. Doesn't matter after that. You won life.
So anyway she mentions that she's struggling in this class. I know what it's like trying to get out of this school, and knowing only 6% of students graduate, I know there's precious few people who are even trying. So I gave her my email. Nothing too special, I've already exchanged emails with people I don't know in 3 other classes, just in case there's critical information that I or they need.
I tell her if she has any questions I'd be happy to help.
Then she told me how everyone else had blown her off, and how nice I was to offer to help her. She started crying.
I hate people. Also I think I have the gout now, or arthritis or something, but I've been in constant pulsating pain and barely able to walk for 3 days now. I've gone past my limit on ibuprofen and I'm wondering what will hurt worse, this non stop pain in my foot, or vomiting blood when the drug wears a whole in my stomach? I'm thinking the stomach blood will be much less painful or inconvenient.
It took me 15 minutes to walk between classes today. Then I had to take the bus home, and walk about a mile limping in excrutiaing pain the whole time.
Reminded me of when I was in high school in San Francisco. I sprained my ankle. The day after I sprained it, I realized after class that I had no money for a bus, and I didn't really have the strength to walk up two hills on cruches anyway, so I just sat on the steps of the school and waited.
No one was coming to pick me up, but I figured maybe after my mom got home from work, maybe a few hours later she'd drive by. Or I could just sit on the steps until school the next day. Either way, I had no money,no friends, or any physical capacity to go anywhere in the city of hills on a sprained ankle.
About an hour later with few people left at that school a teacher came out. She saw I was in a bad situation and offered me a ride home.
I suppose a positive person would say "see, even when the chips are down..."
But that's fucking nonsense. Suffer long enough, someone'll come by eventually. That message sucks.
Suffer long enough, the bullet won't seem quite so sacrificial.
Somehow she controlled this conversation into her explaining that she's been going to college forever, but that she had a head injury that had put her in a coma. I remarked it was good she recovered (as opposed to being in a permanent vegitative state) and she assured me she had not recovered, as in severe memory loss, problems learning, and has to take buckets of drugs everyday. On top of that she had problems with English, and the school was somehow screwing her in credits.
I really didn't fucking care. Especially when she mentioned she was married I pretty much tuned her out. Not that I had any superficial interest in her, rather, I've never even had a girlfriend. Love is all that matters in life, and no coma, no head injury will ever take away the fact that she got married. The way I see it, you get married you win. Doesn't matter after that. You won life.
So anyway she mentions that she's struggling in this class. I know what it's like trying to get out of this school, and knowing only 6% of students graduate, I know there's precious few people who are even trying. So I gave her my email. Nothing too special, I've already exchanged emails with people I don't know in 3 other classes, just in case there's critical information that I or they need.
I tell her if she has any questions I'd be happy to help.
Then she told me how everyone else had blown her off, and how nice I was to offer to help her. She started crying.
I hate people. Also I think I have the gout now, or arthritis or something, but I've been in constant pulsating pain and barely able to walk for 3 days now. I've gone past my limit on ibuprofen and I'm wondering what will hurt worse, this non stop pain in my foot, or vomiting blood when the drug wears a whole in my stomach? I'm thinking the stomach blood will be much less painful or inconvenient.
It took me 15 minutes to walk between classes today. Then I had to take the bus home, and walk about a mile limping in excrutiaing pain the whole time.
Reminded me of when I was in high school in San Francisco. I sprained my ankle. The day after I sprained it, I realized after class that I had no money for a bus, and I didn't really have the strength to walk up two hills on cruches anyway, so I just sat on the steps of the school and waited.
No one was coming to pick me up, but I figured maybe after my mom got home from work, maybe a few hours later she'd drive by. Or I could just sit on the steps until school the next day. Either way, I had no money,no friends, or any physical capacity to go anywhere in the city of hills on a sprained ankle.
About an hour later with few people left at that school a teacher came out. She saw I was in a bad situation and offered me a ride home.
I suppose a positive person would say "see, even when the chips are down..."
But that's fucking nonsense. Suffer long enough, someone'll come by eventually. That message sucks.
Suffer long enough, the bullet won't seem quite so sacrificial.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Bullying
It breaks my heart when I hear about these kids that commit suicide from being bullied. The most recent being Phoebe Prince. Having only come to America months ago, apparently she caught the ire of some vicious people and she was bullied physically and emotionally ceaselessly until she killed herself. Even in death the people that were destroying her have continued their rampage.
I was thinking, this probably pisses a lot of people off because it taps into the heart of our society. Everyone who claims some "care" for this world must talk about "the children". When young teenagers are driving each other into suicide, that hope for the future comes crashing down. Your society has a gaping wound.
Anyway, I was thinking about what one could do to help people in such a situation, then I remembered, I've been shit on and ostracized by society since I was 10. Fuck you people.
I was thinking, this probably pisses a lot of people off because it taps into the heart of our society. Everyone who claims some "care" for this world must talk about "the children". When young teenagers are driving each other into suicide, that hope for the future comes crashing down. Your society has a gaping wound.
Anyway, I was thinking about what one could do to help people in such a situation, then I remembered, I've been shit on and ostracized by society since I was 10. Fuck you people.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Fuck Toyota
I first heard about the gas pedal issue a few months ago. I heard the audio of the family that called 911 to report their pedal stuck, the phone call ending moments before their death.
Repeatedly Toyota denied every claim that the pedals would rev-up and accelerate without the driver's action. They claimed that it was the floormat, even when people reported removing their floormat and still having their vehicle accelerate without their control.
In the case of the family that died, a series of electronic systems, set up to improve convenience, and protect the car from user mistakes caused the vehicle to become a death trap.
Here is the problem, the acceleration is now electronic, so if a rogue signal is sent to the engine, it can accelerate without the pedal being depressed.
Combine this with all these modern technologies that assume the driver is a moron, and make decisions for them (the dead family couldn't simply just turn the car off, because it is started electronically, and requires specific steps to turn off).
I am becoming increasingly disgusted with these technologies; cars that automatically force you back in your lane, cars that automatically put your seat belt on, cars that automatically lock your door, cars that automatically arm your alarm.
Every technology is put out with the assumption that people are bad drivers, and that the cars know better. Now this policy has literally killed people.
Now I'm not a lawyer, I'm not an employee of the government, nor Toyota, nor anyone for that matter. Reading that people are dying because of Toyota's lies and shitty technology I was pretty much helpless. I only thought, maybe Toyota is somehow right. The fact that they have finally admitted they were wrong, and are doing the recall (I hear it was under government pressure) now I see how fantastically evil they were being.
I thought in the 21st Century this kind of shit was no more. What's worse, no one seems to give a fuck. A major global corporation was literally selling faulty products that killed people AND NO ONE FUCKING CARES. Where's the outcry? A few decades ago a couple people got poisoned by Tylenol and the fucking nation came to a standstill. It wasn't even Tylenol doing the poisoning. Toyota literally knowingly killed people with their cars.
Crickets chirping. The time is ripe for great and varied evil.
Audio of last minutes of people killed by their car:
(http://www.entertonement.com/clips/mrkdpgncbs--Toyota-911-Call-Of-Family's-Fatal-Lexus-Crash-Due-To-Gas-Pedal-Stuck-On-Floormats-The-Consumerist-911-Call)
Repeatedly Toyota denied every claim that the pedals would rev-up and accelerate without the driver's action. They claimed that it was the floormat, even when people reported removing their floormat and still having their vehicle accelerate without their control.
In the case of the family that died, a series of electronic systems, set up to improve convenience, and protect the car from user mistakes caused the vehicle to become a death trap.
Here is the problem, the acceleration is now electronic, so if a rogue signal is sent to the engine, it can accelerate without the pedal being depressed.
Combine this with all these modern technologies that assume the driver is a moron, and make decisions for them (the dead family couldn't simply just turn the car off, because it is started electronically, and requires specific steps to turn off).
I am becoming increasingly disgusted with these technologies; cars that automatically force you back in your lane, cars that automatically put your seat belt on, cars that automatically lock your door, cars that automatically arm your alarm.
Every technology is put out with the assumption that people are bad drivers, and that the cars know better. Now this policy has literally killed people.
Now I'm not a lawyer, I'm not an employee of the government, nor Toyota, nor anyone for that matter. Reading that people are dying because of Toyota's lies and shitty technology I was pretty much helpless. I only thought, maybe Toyota is somehow right. The fact that they have finally admitted they were wrong, and are doing the recall (I hear it was under government pressure) now I see how fantastically evil they were being.
I thought in the 21st Century this kind of shit was no more. What's worse, no one seems to give a fuck. A major global corporation was literally selling faulty products that killed people AND NO ONE FUCKING CARES. Where's the outcry? A few decades ago a couple people got poisoned by Tylenol and the fucking nation came to a standstill. It wasn't even Tylenol doing the poisoning. Toyota literally knowingly killed people with their cars.
Crickets chirping. The time is ripe for great and varied evil.
Audio of last minutes of people killed by their car:
(http://www.entertonement.com/clips/mrkdpgncbs--Toyota-911-Call-Of-Family's-Fatal-Lexus-Crash-Due-To-Gas-Pedal-Stuck-On-Floormats-The-Consumerist-911-Call)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
GM and eBay might be criminals.
I have been the biggest reporter on this news since it broke many months ago. This is both odd and scary to me, as I'm not a reporter.
The program, GM selling new cars over eBay ceased at the end of October.
Now, me reporting this to you is completely old and not news. But as has been the case from day 1, I'm not the top reporter for timeliness; I've been the top reporter because NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THIS AND I'M THE ONLY ONE ACTUALLY PUTTING ANY EFFORT INTO THIS.
If you haven't read my previous blogs, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. Basically I did an in depth analysis of eBay and GM's plans, and used actual data that the media seems to be ignoring.
Hilariously enough, they've left the conclusion for me too.
You'd think one person in all of the media might have looked into this whole program. After all, millions were spent, and it was an industry first.
Sadly, what I've seen, one guy got a few official statements from eBay, GM dealers, and one customer, and wrote a puff piece for the NY Times. I looked around, and every other report on the close of the GM eBay alliance was just plagiarized from the NY Times article. Absolutely no original work across the global media.
What really annoyed me was that they all 'speculated' on the success of the program. They seemed completely unable to provide actual stats. Some people actually concluding that eBay and GM were "hiding" their results.
DO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY USE EBAY?? All I had to do was look up the "yourgmdealer" profile and I could see every vehicle they sold and the feedback from the customers.
Grand Total: 24 vehicles transactions through eBay. Note, I didn't say vehicles sold, because if you read the feedback, many of the sales fell through when dealers refused to honor their deals.
With only 15 positive reviews (and one of them recanted) This company, bailed out by America, owned by all Americans, a multibillion dollar global century old corporation completely fucking sucked on eBay. Their feedback score was 7. Motherfucking 7. With only 68.4% of feedback positive (less considering the recanted one).
This program from day one was written to screw customers. The way it was set up, no "deals" could be had, eBay and GM conspired to set up the decks in their favor, and apparently people realized this. The worst part, reading what GM and eBay had to say, I don't think they learned a god damn thing. The only reason they would admit any drawbacks, was that THEY COULDN'T SELL ENOUGH CARS ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO FILL A PARKING LOT!!
HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE BULLSHIT THEY EMPLOYED THAT ULTIMATELY GUARANTEED THIS VENTURE WITH TAX PAYER MONEY WOULD FAIL:
-"Buy it Now" prices were above sticker. Needless to say, nobody fell for it.
-eBay gave GM "Power Seller" status, essentially selling out their own standards for an accolade GM didn't earn.
-GM used a dummy account to give themselves more "e-cred" by changing some asshole's account from "bighouse0001" to "yourgmdealer" they did this to make it look like GM has been on eBay since the end of 2007, when they actually just got some guy to hand it over to them and changed the name a couple days before the program started.
-GM was given privilege to do "closed" auctions, something almost never used on eBay, it is completely the antithesis of open auctions people expect when they go to eBay. This way, it's like getting the credibility of a company like eBay, but going around their time-honored tried and loved system. The closed auctions gave the buyer no advantage (or even incentive) whatsoever compared to some shlub walking into a dealership.
-All deals made through eBay aren't guaranteed. Multiple feedback occasions showed the dealers changed the price, the car, or simply left the eBay customer ass-out in the end. When all is said and done, nothing on eBay is contractual, and therefore it is akin to window shopping. No deals could actually be made online, thus entirely negating any advantage, however small, to the buyer. Even if the buyer just didn't want to get hassled, tough shit, they still had to negotiate after the deal, then go into the dealership, negotiate again, then sign the real paperwork.
-eBay and GM did all they could to hide their failing venture. Listings only lasted a few days to a week. Even now, if you go to "yourgmdealer"'s profile, you can see eBay is violating its own rules, hiding information on the last 3 transactions. They claim the information is available for 90 days, but the last 3 transactions are less than 90 days old, and their information has been removed.
In addition to all these verifiable facts above, I have one theory, that I'm currently investigating. It would be nearly impossible for me to prove, but if I can, it would blow the fucking lid off this whole thing. I believe GM used a stooge to boost their ratings (that are still incredibly low). This is an absolute flagrant violation of eBay policy, because it is a crime in the United States to misrepresent a business transaction to dupe customers.
The easiest way to spot a stooge is if they don't bother leaving any other tracks. You see, usually people don't create accounts right before an event, then participate in said event, leaving a positive impact, and then vanish from a website forever.
So if you look at eBay user "661henryglen" who signed up for eBay June 30 2009, bought TWO CARS ON THE SAME DAY August 20, 2009 (being the second and third positive feedbacks) all the while NEVER DID ANYTHING ELSE ON EBAY FROM SIGN UP UNTIL NOW. It looks really suspicious. It is similar to the cheating card dealer on the side of the street who has a friend come bet a round and let him win to dupe the marks.
This kind of stooge work actually reminds me of the Balloon Boy, as most people know, the whole family took part in as much attention whoring as possible, and they had released a children's film. When I heard about the film I went on IMDb to check it out, and I found a couple suspicious positive reviews from two separate accounts. Both accounts had been opened within days of each other, both accounts left a positive review for the movie, and both accounts never logged on again, nor left any comments for any other movies. That was another clear Richard Heene scam, though on a much lower level, and oddly once again, I'm the only one reporting on it. Though if you go to the IMDb board for the movie, I left a comment explaining this, so any person who came after me would know about it.
Ultimately the company we own did a bunch of stupid shit at our expense, and everyone; government, media, customers, has looked the other way. I don't know why I'm the only person reporting it. It feels weird, like American news dropped the ball. But I suppose this is an indicator of the big change in American media. As the newspapers fall out, as news becomes increasingly less lucrative, reporters stop reporting, investigators stop investigating, and we get Twitter.
Previous post on GM/eBay: http://promontorium.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html
Official GM eBay Feedback page: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=yourgmdealer&ftab=AllFeedback&items=25
Richard Heene Movie IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387889/
The program, GM selling new cars over eBay ceased at the end of October.
Now, me reporting this to you is completely old and not news. But as has been the case from day 1, I'm not the top reporter for timeliness; I've been the top reporter because NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THIS AND I'M THE ONLY ONE ACTUALLY PUTTING ANY EFFORT INTO THIS.
If you haven't read my previous blogs, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. Basically I did an in depth analysis of eBay and GM's plans, and used actual data that the media seems to be ignoring.
Hilariously enough, they've left the conclusion for me too.
You'd think one person in all of the media might have looked into this whole program. After all, millions were spent, and it was an industry first.
Sadly, what I've seen, one guy got a few official statements from eBay, GM dealers, and one customer, and wrote a puff piece for the NY Times. I looked around, and every other report on the close of the GM eBay alliance was just plagiarized from the NY Times article. Absolutely no original work across the global media.
What really annoyed me was that they all 'speculated' on the success of the program. They seemed completely unable to provide actual stats. Some people actually concluding that eBay and GM were "hiding" their results.
DO ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY USE EBAY?? All I had to do was look up the "yourgmdealer" profile and I could see every vehicle they sold and the feedback from the customers.
Grand Total: 24 vehicles transactions through eBay. Note, I didn't say vehicles sold, because if you read the feedback, many of the sales fell through when dealers refused to honor their deals.
With only 15 positive reviews (and one of them recanted) This company, bailed out by America, owned by all Americans, a multibillion dollar global century old corporation completely fucking sucked on eBay. Their feedback score was 7. Motherfucking 7. With only 68.4% of feedback positive (less considering the recanted one).
This program from day one was written to screw customers. The way it was set up, no "deals" could be had, eBay and GM conspired to set up the decks in their favor, and apparently people realized this. The worst part, reading what GM and eBay had to say, I don't think they learned a god damn thing. The only reason they would admit any drawbacks, was that THEY COULDN'T SELL ENOUGH CARS ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO FILL A PARKING LOT!!
HERE IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE BULLSHIT THEY EMPLOYED THAT ULTIMATELY GUARANTEED THIS VENTURE WITH TAX PAYER MONEY WOULD FAIL:
-"Buy it Now" prices were above sticker. Needless to say, nobody fell for it.
-eBay gave GM "Power Seller" status, essentially selling out their own standards for an accolade GM didn't earn.
-GM used a dummy account to give themselves more "e-cred" by changing some asshole's account from "bighouse0001" to "yourgmdealer" they did this to make it look like GM has been on eBay since the end of 2007, when they actually just got some guy to hand it over to them and changed the name a couple days before the program started.
-GM was given privilege to do "closed" auctions, something almost never used on eBay, it is completely the antithesis of open auctions people expect when they go to eBay. This way, it's like getting the credibility of a company like eBay, but going around their time-honored tried and loved system. The closed auctions gave the buyer no advantage (or even incentive) whatsoever compared to some shlub walking into a dealership.
-All deals made through eBay aren't guaranteed. Multiple feedback occasions showed the dealers changed the price, the car, or simply left the eBay customer ass-out in the end. When all is said and done, nothing on eBay is contractual, and therefore it is akin to window shopping. No deals could actually be made online, thus entirely negating any advantage, however small, to the buyer. Even if the buyer just didn't want to get hassled, tough shit, they still had to negotiate after the deal, then go into the dealership, negotiate again, then sign the real paperwork.
-eBay and GM did all they could to hide their failing venture. Listings only lasted a few days to a week. Even now, if you go to "yourgmdealer"'s profile, you can see eBay is violating its own rules, hiding information on the last 3 transactions. They claim the information is available for 90 days, but the last 3 transactions are less than 90 days old, and their information has been removed.
In addition to all these verifiable facts above, I have one theory, that I'm currently investigating. It would be nearly impossible for me to prove, but if I can, it would blow the fucking lid off this whole thing. I believe GM used a stooge to boost their ratings (that are still incredibly low). This is an absolute flagrant violation of eBay policy, because it is a crime in the United States to misrepresent a business transaction to dupe customers.
The easiest way to spot a stooge is if they don't bother leaving any other tracks. You see, usually people don't create accounts right before an event, then participate in said event, leaving a positive impact, and then vanish from a website forever.
So if you look at eBay user "661henryglen" who signed up for eBay June 30 2009, bought TWO CARS ON THE SAME DAY August 20, 2009 (being the second and third positive feedbacks) all the while NEVER DID ANYTHING ELSE ON EBAY FROM SIGN UP UNTIL NOW. It looks really suspicious. It is similar to the cheating card dealer on the side of the street who has a friend come bet a round and let him win to dupe the marks.
This kind of stooge work actually reminds me of the Balloon Boy, as most people know, the whole family took part in as much attention whoring as possible, and they had released a children's film. When I heard about the film I went on IMDb to check it out, and I found a couple suspicious positive reviews from two separate accounts. Both accounts had been opened within days of each other, both accounts left a positive review for the movie, and both accounts never logged on again, nor left any comments for any other movies. That was another clear Richard Heene scam, though on a much lower level, and oddly once again, I'm the only one reporting on it. Though if you go to the IMDb board for the movie, I left a comment explaining this, so any person who came after me would know about it.
Ultimately the company we own did a bunch of stupid shit at our expense, and everyone; government, media, customers, has looked the other way. I don't know why I'm the only person reporting it. It feels weird, like American news dropped the ball. But I suppose this is an indicator of the big change in American media. As the newspapers fall out, as news becomes increasingly less lucrative, reporters stop reporting, investigators stop investigating, and we get Twitter.
Previous post on GM/eBay: http://promontorium.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html
Official GM eBay Feedback page: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=yourgmdealer&ftab=AllFeedback&items=25
Richard Heene Movie IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387889/
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Stockton Killings Up, Underreported and Unsolved
I try to tell people, in this city with an underreported population by tens of thousands of legal residents, the true number of killings is never acknowledged.
Stockton officially had 35 homicides in 2009, which is lower than average in the past, but more than in 2008. The Record's report admitted they cut out many deaths for these numbers,
No one the police kill are ever tallied, even if the death hasn't been ruled "justifiable homicide", no "justifiable homicides" are counted, and no DUI killings are counted.
Seems to me, death by cop, justifiable homicide, and car crashes would be three of the biggest sources of death tolls, I mean, at this point we're just talking about cold blooded murder, involving no law enforcement, and no vehicles, and still, Stockton can get up to 1 a week, like in 2006, 2005, 2004, where 40 plus people fit the category.
For regional comparison, Stockon in 2009 was 35, the entire county was 52, with the second highest city Tracy with 5.
2009 saw some of the worst rates for law enforcement, only 10 of the 35 cold blooded, unjustified, non police, non vehicle murders led to any arrests.
So in Stockton, if you're murdered, there's a 71.5% chance the police will completley fail in catching the criminal.
My contetion is this, if the police can't solve over 70% of the murders, and Stockton is actually much larger in population than anyone will admit, with or without the illegal encampments I know exist, and can show you on a map. How can we trust the number is actually 35? If someone is killed, and you don't find the body, and the person never officially existed in Stockton to begin with, there is no stat, that person was and will ever remain a ghost.
And it is precisely those people on the fringe who are most likely to be involved in shady operations, who are most likely to be murdered. The undocumented illegal brothers, sisters, cousins, of documented legal immigrants. The ones who couldn't get legal status, so they can't work legally, living either in the encampments or with their legal relatives. Either way, they must work, so they do it illegally. And once one crosses the legality threshold, once the threat goes straight to deportation, there is no limit, and here come the drugs, prostitution, slave labor, sex slavery, and with these criminals, all ghosts in the machine, murder goes unnoticed, unchecked, undocumented, and unsolved, or perhaps obvious to those who knew the victim, but never officially reported.
I have recently been in discussion about the subjectivity of focusing on blocks of time such as years and decades, so to throw in one more unhappy stat, 16 of 2009's murders in San Joaquin county were in November and December, 8 each. This is double the average. 2010 isn't looking good.
Stockton officially had 35 homicides in 2009, which is lower than average in the past, but more than in 2008. The Record's report admitted they cut out many deaths for these numbers,
No one the police kill are ever tallied, even if the death hasn't been ruled "justifiable homicide", no "justifiable homicides" are counted, and no DUI killings are counted.
Seems to me, death by cop, justifiable homicide, and car crashes would be three of the biggest sources of death tolls, I mean, at this point we're just talking about cold blooded murder, involving no law enforcement, and no vehicles, and still, Stockton can get up to 1 a week, like in 2006, 2005, 2004, where 40 plus people fit the category.
For regional comparison, Stockon in 2009 was 35, the entire county was 52, with the second highest city Tracy with 5.
2009 saw some of the worst rates for law enforcement, only 10 of the 35 cold blooded, unjustified, non police, non vehicle murders led to any arrests.
So in Stockton, if you're murdered, there's a 71.5% chance the police will completley fail in catching the criminal.
My contetion is this, if the police can't solve over 70% of the murders, and Stockton is actually much larger in population than anyone will admit, with or without the illegal encampments I know exist, and can show you on a map. How can we trust the number is actually 35? If someone is killed, and you don't find the body, and the person never officially existed in Stockton to begin with, there is no stat, that person was and will ever remain a ghost.
And it is precisely those people on the fringe who are most likely to be involved in shady operations, who are most likely to be murdered. The undocumented illegal brothers, sisters, cousins, of documented legal immigrants. The ones who couldn't get legal status, so they can't work legally, living either in the encampments or with their legal relatives. Either way, they must work, so they do it illegally. And once one crosses the legality threshold, once the threat goes straight to deportation, there is no limit, and here come the drugs, prostitution, slave labor, sex slavery, and with these criminals, all ghosts in the machine, murder goes unnoticed, unchecked, undocumented, and unsolved, or perhaps obvious to those who knew the victim, but never officially reported.
I have recently been in discussion about the subjectivity of focusing on blocks of time such as years and decades, so to throw in one more unhappy stat, 16 of 2009's murders in San Joaquin county were in November and December, 8 each. This is double the average. 2010 isn't looking good.
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