I am privileged to have a college education, however if I had had to pay for that myself, I think I wouldn't have.
Graduate students can't take astronomy 1010 at the University of Missouri. I hope that is because they assume we could learn more in a few weeks with a few books.
I could go on a rant spanning many more posts but it's not really necessary.
Be smart, fool.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
More Pokémon
In other news, a lot of people are still doing Pokémon GO wrong. Remember that distracted driving is no better than drunk driving. Besides doing your self an anti-favor, you could also potentially hurt someone else. Save it for red lights.
I'd also like to use this as post as an opportunity to brag about my awesome powers of foresight (though it's not so great for the sake of practicality) -- on March 9th, 2012, I figured that there really needed to be a psychic/electric type Pokémon, and wouldn't it be awesome if it just happened to be in the Pikachu-type evolution line in another generation:
This Pokémon can usually be found where you'd least expect it. It's tail glows with a mysterious energy and seems to be the source of its psychic power. When agitated, it can also let loose powerful electricity from its tail.
I'd also like to use this as post as an opportunity to brag about my awesome powers of foresight (though it's not so great for the sake of practicality) -- on March 9th, 2012, I figured that there really needed to be a psychic/electric type Pokémon, and wouldn't it be awesome if it just happened to be in the Pikachu-type evolution line in another generation:
Kupachu
(Emphasis on the 'a')
Electric/Psychic type
This Pokémon can usually be found where you'd least expect it. It's tail glows with a mysterious energy and seems to be the source of its psychic power. When agitated, it can also let loose powerful electricity from its tail.
Kupacho
(Emphasis on the 'a')
Electric/Psychic type
(Emphasis on the 'a')
Electric/Psychic type
When
Kupachu evolves, its body shrinks and it grows wings. Given enough
practice, this Pokémon can fly among the best of them. Strong psychic
and electrical power emanates from the glowing ball on its tail.
There are certainly much better "Fakémon" out there.
Lesson six: It will never stop being fun to pretend :]
Selling out
Yesterday I sold out. Mystic was overpowered by instinct. I rationalized it by considering that there are at least fifteen to twenty-five years before all hell breaks loose and I'd rather keep my bank account in green mode for a little while longer while treading through this little brainwashed life. Was it the right decision? Who can say, but the future?
Lesson four: No matter what roadblocks I may meet on any given day, I know that in the end it will be okay. It pretty much always is.
Lesson five: A karma check every once in a while is nice, though.
Also, I recently had some artistic inspiration and feel inclined to share it. Before I sold out, I had this grand idea to travel across the country, collecting more knowledge and perhaps also inspiration for a novel. While that may not happen very soon, it could certainly still happen. Here is the rough sketch of a scene I envisioned:
Lesson four: No matter what roadblocks I may meet on any given day, I know that in the end it will be okay. It pretty much always is.
Lesson five: A karma check every once in a while is nice, though.
Also, I recently had some artistic inspiration and feel inclined to share it. Before I sold out, I had this grand idea to travel across the country, collecting more knowledge and perhaps also inspiration for a novel. While that may not happen very soon, it could certainly still happen. Here is the rough sketch of a scene I envisioned:
Thursday, August 11, 2016
On the meaning of my most recent song
I recently learned how to format subtitle files -- it's easy and quite convenient!
Anyway, the last song I made/wrote is called Neo-Shamonic Entheogen and it actually has real roots in ancient history, improved some with knowledge that is regarded as common today. I will brush through it by stanza. If you learn nothing else, you will see how a .srt file is formatted.
1
00:00:0,000 --> 00:00:05,000
C. Masta - Neo-Shamanic Entheogen
2
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:21,000
All this information in our DNA,
It can tell the stories of yesterday.
Written in the bases: C, T, G, A;
We decode it on the regular anyway.
Theoretically, if a collection of DNA was *very* well-preserved (1), it could be read and compared to modern DNA. Unfortunately, it cannot be extracted directly from ancient excavated bones (2). We are constantly reading and writing both DNA and RNA, which allows us to survive.
(1) http://www.livescience.com/52175-ancient-giant-virus-revived-siberia.html
(2) http://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.11555
3
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:34,000
Find our place,
Rocks are crashing from outer space.
Track the orbits 'cuz we live in fear,
Now get that feeling out of here.
Fear and love are sometimes regarded as the most pure emotions and they exist in a sort of duality (3). The notion of death by 'divine punishment', or what was originally the work of large comet/meteors (4), has scared people into believing that they need to appease the God(s) for millennia. While this has forced some of them to behave, it also somehow incited the widespread belief that the God(s) require blood sacrifice to be appeased. While the circle of life is certainly a thing, the point is that fear has distorted modern human belief. The reader is referred to the abundance of knowledge that has been recently shared with the mainstream by people such as Graham Hancock (and others, like the author of the link provided in reference 4) if they wish to learn more about this, or perhaps if they don't understand how I came to this conclusion.
(3) http://biblehub.com/1_john/4-18.htm
(4) http://www.robertschoch.com/youngerdryas.html
4
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:50,000
Energy streams,
Turning our cells into machines.
They run on fuel, that's chemistry,
But the laws of nature don't bend to the will of a textbook.
I noticed the 'energy stream' recently when a group of five people (including myself), sitting in a pentogram-shaped arrangement, simultaneously sparked butane lighters. During the brief moment when all the flames glowed, I felt the energy stream and realized that witchcraft probably existed.
5
00:00:50,000 --> 00:01:01,000
That theory can be approximated mathematically.
There's always something more that you'll find
When you dig a long time,
Math is great, but you need an effective model to get anything meaningful from it.
6
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:13,000
This interpretation keeps beings refined,
But as long as these brains are chained and confined,
They'll all just die and get left behind.
Those that refuse to hear and accept the truth will be left behind.
7
00:01:19,500 --> 00:01:33,500
Symbiotic singularity,
This phenomenon was present since antiquity.
When we understand it entirely,
We'll make peace and love and music.
The symbiotic singularity is my expression for the self and the microbiome working in concert (5). It can also be more generally applied to include all symbiotic intra- and inter-species interactions, for example: man gives dog food, dog helps man hunt. The 'you help me, I help you, we both win' mentality.
Peace, love and music are signs of flourishing culture.
(5) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255722069_Symbiotic_Singularity
8
00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:48,000
So please vibe along,
There's untold power in certain songs.
Waves combine, both short and long;
Together they divine this pressure that's insanely strong.
Sound has much oft-neglected influence on its surroundings, both in its elicited response by the organisms that can hear it and in its physical effects on everything else that it travels through. Recall from physics I that sound is a longitudinal wave, thus it propagates by physically distorting the molecular 'landscape' in its path. Needless to say, this has the potential to influence the macro-scale world if harnessed properly.
9
00:01:48,000 --> 00:02:03,000
Don't hesitate;
We can make this passion propagate.
Your pure intention is all it takes,
So sit on that and meditate.
Intent is perhaps one of the most powerful tools at human disposal -- if you have a clear goal and the means to fulfill it, even those barriers that do stand in your way can be avoided. A focused mind, clear of distractions, is invaluable. That being said, sometimes it takes a distraction to be freed from negative thought patterns.
10
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:55,00
Then stand with me, we're almost there!
Send a shockwave through the air.
We'll tunnel through that mountain there
When the world hears our prayers.
Whether it be simply by uttering sound or by some other means, you certainly have the capacity to influence the world around you. By the time we settle into the age of Aquarius, much of the negativity that held us back in former times should have receded. Listen to the Light and you will be spared from the darkness.
11
00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:02,000
When the world hears our prayers
12
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:10,000
We'll keep thriving till the sun explodes!
Anyway, the last song I made/wrote is called Neo-Shamonic Entheogen and it actually has real roots in ancient history, improved some with knowledge that is regarded as common today. I will brush through it by stanza. If you learn nothing else, you will see how a .srt file is formatted.
1
00:00:0,000 --> 00:00:05,000
C. Masta - Neo-Shamanic Entheogen
2
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:21,000
All this information in our DNA,
It can tell the stories of yesterday.
Written in the bases: C, T, G, A;
We decode it on the regular anyway.
Theoretically, if a collection of DNA was *very* well-preserved (1), it could be read and compared to modern DNA. Unfortunately, it cannot be extracted directly from ancient excavated bones (2). We are constantly reading and writing both DNA and RNA, which allows us to survive.
(1) http://www.livescience.com/52175-ancient-giant-virus-revived-siberia.html
(2) http://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.11555
3
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:34,000
Find our place,
Rocks are crashing from outer space.
Track the orbits 'cuz we live in fear,
Now get that feeling out of here.
Fear and love are sometimes regarded as the most pure emotions and they exist in a sort of duality (3). The notion of death by 'divine punishment', or what was originally the work of large comet/meteors (4), has scared people into believing that they need to appease the God(s) for millennia. While this has forced some of them to behave, it also somehow incited the widespread belief that the God(s) require blood sacrifice to be appeased. While the circle of life is certainly a thing, the point is that fear has distorted modern human belief. The reader is referred to the abundance of knowledge that has been recently shared with the mainstream by people such as Graham Hancock (and others, like the author of the link provided in reference 4) if they wish to learn more about this, or perhaps if they don't understand how I came to this conclusion.
(3) http://biblehub.com/1_john/4-18.htm
(4) http://www.robertschoch.com/youngerdryas.html
4
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:50,000
Energy streams,
Turning our cells into machines.
They run on fuel, that's chemistry,
But the laws of nature don't bend to the will of a textbook.
I noticed the 'energy stream' recently when a group of five people (including myself), sitting in a pentogram-shaped arrangement, simultaneously sparked butane lighters. During the brief moment when all the flames glowed, I felt the energy stream and realized that witchcraft probably existed.
5
00:00:50,000 --> 00:01:01,000
That theory can be approximated mathematically.
There's always something more that you'll find
When you dig a long time,
Math is great, but you need an effective model to get anything meaningful from it.
6
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:13,000
This interpretation keeps beings refined,
But as long as these brains are chained and confined,
They'll all just die and get left behind.
Those that refuse to hear and accept the truth will be left behind.
7
00:01:19,500 --> 00:01:33,500
Symbiotic singularity,
This phenomenon was present since antiquity.
When we understand it entirely,
We'll make peace and love and music.
The symbiotic singularity is my expression for the self and the microbiome working in concert (5). It can also be more generally applied to include all symbiotic intra- and inter-species interactions, for example: man gives dog food, dog helps man hunt. The 'you help me, I help you, we both win' mentality.
Peace, love and music are signs of flourishing culture.
(5) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255722069_Symbiotic_Singularity
8
00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:48,000
So please vibe along,
There's untold power in certain songs.
Waves combine, both short and long;
Together they divine this pressure that's insanely strong.
Sound has much oft-neglected influence on its surroundings, both in its elicited response by the organisms that can hear it and in its physical effects on everything else that it travels through. Recall from physics I that sound is a longitudinal wave, thus it propagates by physically distorting the molecular 'landscape' in its path. Needless to say, this has the potential to influence the macro-scale world if harnessed properly.
9
00:01:48,000 --> 00:02:03,000
Don't hesitate;
We can make this passion propagate.
Your pure intention is all it takes,
So sit on that and meditate.
Intent is perhaps one of the most powerful tools at human disposal -- if you have a clear goal and the means to fulfill it, even those barriers that do stand in your way can be avoided. A focused mind, clear of distractions, is invaluable. That being said, sometimes it takes a distraction to be freed from negative thought patterns.
10
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:55,00
Then stand with me, we're almost there!
Send a shockwave through the air.
We'll tunnel through that mountain there
When the world hears our prayers.
Whether it be simply by uttering sound or by some other means, you certainly have the capacity to influence the world around you. By the time we settle into the age of Aquarius, much of the negativity that held us back in former times should have receded. Listen to the Light and you will be spared from the darkness.
11
00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:02,000
When the world hears our prayers
12
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:10,000
We'll keep thriving till the sun explodes!
Monday, August 8, 2016
Because I don't want to fall behind...
... I'll have to resort to a series of very short rants here:
1. If I had been paid $54.79 per day for four and a half years, corresponding to a modest college tuition of $20,000 per year, I would have been happier and potentially more productive.
2. Thank you, Bernie Sanders, for suggesting that college should be tuition-free.
3. Why is everything a scam?
4. Why can a word be trademarked or copyrighted?
5. What the heck is "intellectual property"?
6. The United States of American judicial system is less just than anarchy.
7. The Democratic party is less democratic than the Republican party.
8. Girls are weird.
9. People are dumb.
10. Fuck.
1. If I had been paid $54.79 per day for four and a half years, corresponding to a modest college tuition of $20,000 per year, I would have been happier and potentially more productive.
2. Thank you, Bernie Sanders, for suggesting that college should be tuition-free.
3. Why is everything a scam?
4. Why can a word be trademarked or copyrighted?
5. What the heck is "intellectual property"?
6. The United States of American judicial system is less just than anarchy.
7. The Democratic party is less democratic than the Republican party.
8. Girls are weird.
9. People are dumb.
10. Fuck.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Everything you need to know to be a Pokémon GO master
Everything you need to know to be a Pokémon GO master:
1. Find spawn points. Pokémon appear to be available for 45 minutes to an hour. Catch lure Pokémon quickly because they don't stick around for tea.
2. Use items wisely.
3. Don't drive (but use in car sometimes).
4. Hit the circle with the Pokéball, smaller is better.
5. Evolve the strongest Pokémon with good natural stats. Save candy until you have 500 CP+ Pokémon to evolve.
6. Use type matchups to your advantage.
7. (Rule rescinded) We are always learning.
8. Beat gyms.
9. Cash out / 21+ hours.
10. The real game is also good. Consider playing.
1. Find spawn points. Pokémon appear to be available for 45 minutes to an hour. Catch lure Pokémon quickly because they don't stick around for tea.
2. Use items wisely.
3. Don't drive (but use in car sometimes).
4. Hit the circle with the Pokéball, smaller is better.
5. Evolve the strongest Pokémon with good natural stats. Save candy until you have 500 CP+ Pokémon to evolve.
6. Use type matchups to your advantage.
7. (Rule rescinded) We are always learning.
8. Beat gyms.
9. Cash out / 21+ hours.
10. The real game is also good. Consider playing.
Friday, August 5, 2016
On to more important things, though...
Lesson three: Life is cyclic, especially if you just let it be.
After listening to part of Graham Hancock's Fingerprints of the Gods (I am currently about 3/4 of the way through it and about 1/3 through my physical copy of Magicians of the Gods, which I heartily recommend (just skip the first one if you're pressed for time)), I got to thinking:
"You know, life is pretty frickin cyclic, just like the orbits of the planets and the stars."
Perhaps I will provide specific examples later, but, long story short, I think everyone has what I'm calling an "optimal phase", or a given amount of time that will allow them to do their best work before moving on with life. If remaining stationary past the "optimal phase", said person might start becoming unhappy and/or producing less-than-stellar things. Then again, it probably also has a lot to do with the specific environment that said person is subjected to on a day-to-day basis. The theory is still quite rough, but I know I'm on to something. Stay tuned.
After listening to part of Graham Hancock's Fingerprints of the Gods (I am currently about 3/4 of the way through it and about 1/3 through my physical copy of Magicians of the Gods, which I heartily recommend (just skip the first one if you're pressed for time)), I got to thinking:
"You know, life is pretty frickin cyclic, just like the orbits of the planets and the stars."
Perhaps I will provide specific examples later, but, long story short, I think everyone has what I'm calling an "optimal phase", or a given amount of time that will allow them to do their best work before moving on with life. If remaining stationary past the "optimal phase", said person might start becoming unhappy and/or producing less-than-stellar things. Then again, it probably also has a lot to do with the specific environment that said person is subjected to on a day-to-day basis. The theory is still quite rough, but I know I'm on to something. Stay tuned.
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