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20120131

Deal with it

Frog stack baby!

That's where it's at in terms of hauling babies - just keep stackin' 'em. You know you get money from the frog government for every frog baby you can stack on your head? You go girl!

Also too for extra bonus coda:
Imagine a turtle at every point in space time - at the Planck Scale. Then perhaps you can see how it's turtles all the way down.

20120130

Model of the Universe

So, this here is a LITERAL model of the Universe. First, there's God - that's the hand, as in He has us all in His hands. Next, of course, is a turtle, as everything rests on a turtle, not only all the way down, but get this, all the way up too. And also, God loves turtles. Next is the Earth, here represented by a frog since Earth is made up of both land and water, and only frogs can live in both. Finally, there's an evil spider, representing wicked mankind. God hates spiders, as every child knows, and He hates Sin, and so since mankind was born into Sin because of that terrible Eve, we are unto spiders, hideous creatures scuttling about hiding from the light of Truth.

My goto guy Jonathan Edwards said it best:
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours.
So wise up, wicked Sinners: We are but Spiders sitting on Frogs riding on Turtles, all held in the shaking hand of a terribly Angry God. Repent now!

Or soon. Whatevs. It doesn't matter, since the shit's all Predestined anyways. Am I right Calvin?

20120128

Up Here (look into my eyes)

Of course there is a Spider Woman, though this is not her costume. Just as there is a Bat Girl, Super Boy, and She-Hulk. The comics are free to create untold versions of the same characters, repeatedly. Clones? Long lost twins? Doppelgangers from a different dimension? Robots? Long lost child? Time traveling version of you? If you can think it, you can write it in a comic. Name me another medium with such freedom!

With great power comes great responsibility.

9 2 5

Actually, more like 8 to 11 these days. Seriously - for months now, I've been working like a dog. And it's all the more difficult due to the thought of what could have been - I could be kickin' it at New Gondolin, permanently. Instead, I toil. But. BUT! It's all for a bigger goal.

Also seriously, office work sucks. I'd rather landscape, or farm, or work on construction (note! If I had any of these jobs, no doubt I'd long for the easy comforts of the office job). Cool construction, that is.

It's the forced hierarchies that really drive me nuts. Like High School, except the cliques are real and the jocks can "terminate" you. I used to be a jock, but now I'm in the AV Club, and at any and all's beck and call. It's karma, I suspect, punishment for my past Jockish deeds. Sorry, Jack!

It's like Spiderman working in an office, really. What a waste! This is more like it:

20120127

What I Like

So, apparently there's this thing on the internet where people who like the remake of "My Pretty Pony" gather and do their internet thing. Known as "Bronies". Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Dick Butt
There's a whole lot of scribblings out there. Cartoon is my favorite medium, by the way.

Happy Tree


Have you ever seen Bob Ross paint? If not, here. I unironically enjoyed the show immensely, first because I found the process of painting a landscape fascinating. Second, because Bob Ross spoke so serenely, calmly, it was hypnotic. I gave up on TV though for a long while, then Ross died, like we all will one day, and alas, this simple pleasure has been taken from us all.

But there's still photoshop.
There are a collection of starting images that are iconic in the Halls of Photoshop. The Kent State shooting, the head shot execution in Vietnam and the pic of the naked kids running terrified down a road, a segregated water fountain, and so on. This pic above shows a starving child being stalked by a vulture and is a fine example of a moral dilemma - when to document, when to intervene? The photographer, Kevin Carter, did not intervene, and won the Pulitzer for this photo. But it did not end well for him.
It sure seems like it will end well for Harrison Ford, though. Big star forever. Though I do question the Calista Flockhart decision.

'Shop

The power of Photoshop (and any similar program) should be well recognized by now - no image can truly be trusted, since digital manipulation is so easy these days, and only getting easier by the day. A good 'shop and you don't even know it's been shopped.

Or sometimes you do, but there's art in it, is there not? Good for a lulz in the least, and isn't that enough? In this life of hardship and apparent lack of binaries, is not the LOL worth it? Even if it's cheap.
Also too.

20120126

Signals

Never forget we are animals and despite our pretty minds we are still ruled, in large part, by our animal instincts. Hormones. Visual cues. Touch. Inputs into our brain no different than for any other mammal. And what are mammals but another form of gene carrier - life, by definition, is the transport vehicle of the Genes.

As such, boobies. Bat boobies, I suppose.

Also, the Griffith Observatory in LA. Science!

20120124

Fired up

Dated, but still appropriate. The Obama signal is lit, get off your ass and out into the streets. If you're not fired up about this upcoming election in November, you're not paying attention. You should be if not - there's some serious shit at stake. There are some straight up villains vying for Power over the World. And your life. They must be stopped, and Barack Obama (and whatever Democrat is running for your local seats) is our only hope. Here's a rogues gallery:
Man behind the curtain. There's lots of them - the billionaires, the corporations, the political operators, the agents in the field. This is "The Turd", face of the so called "brains" of the evil Republican Party. He's not really that smart.
The Voice. "Rusty Sharpe". Agitator and disseminator of the Brain's talking points of the day. Everything about media control is part of Operation FUDD - Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt, and Disinformation. It's Republican 101. It works.
Generic Southern Cracker. Usually used as henchmen, of varying degrees. Can be counted on to stir things up on command, or unleash righteous whines when things don't go their way.
The Destroyer. The face of power, wreaking a mighty path of destruction wherever they lay their gaze. Sometimes presented in a pleasing package, sometimes not, but underneath is always the same - tear down any social program or anything else not directly benefiting the men behind the curtain.
The Grifters. Come in many flavors, usually from Southern cracker stock, but also occasionally a plutocrat steps into the race to assuage their sociopathic egos. Remember Steve Forbes?
The Moralizers. Monsters of a different stripe. Almost always wimpy and weak, yet physical strength is not required in this War. If they gain power over you, everything in your life will  become theirs.
Criminals. The lot of them. I bet there's very few Republicans who have not broken some serious law. And I'm serious here - we're dealing with a group of psychopaths, bent on destroying this country and the World. Sound dramatic? It should - these are the stakes! Do you want the World to slide further down into poisoinous hate? Or rather rise up in friendship and peace? Choose!
I choose Barack Obama. Our only hope.

And realistically, barring some external catastrophe, I give President Obama a 90% chance of re-election. I'm that confident. While Evil, the Republicans have seemingly, laughingly, started to believe their own FUDD, and have devolved to a pack of Morans and clowns. All these guys are toast against Big O.

And for that, I am thankful. Yet not resting - it's time to get to work.

20120122

Tagged

This is some Conservative humor. It's not without a chuckle, I suppose, but of course it's damn racist. That's not surprising.


Although, perhaps, it's a celebration of the art of Spraypaint. Here:

Artist unknown. But wicked awesome, whomever they are.

20120120

Opinions Like Assholes

Everyone's got an opinion - either their own, or imported from someone else, or some mixture of the two. And in America! We've got this here "Freedom of Speech", which is supposed justification for messages like the above - an actual billboard put up somewhere in Colorado. Here's a close up:
As racist, repulsive, repugnant, and really just nuts a message as could be, paid for no doubt by some folks who HATE Barack Obama. Why would that be, I wonder? Hmmm.

Republicans, a truly depraved, deplorable lot. I say a lot of mean stuff about them, and they'd use that as justification for their horrible behaviors, no doubt. But that's bullshit. These assholes have gone insane since Tricky Dick riled them all up and they've been getting crazier, more dangerous ever since. I'm gonna call it, but believe me when I say, I wish it were not so. I could dig voting for a fiscally conservative, socially liberal moderate Republican - that's what they should be, for crying out loud, if you actually followed their so called tenents. But no, they come nowhere near acting what they espouse. "Small Government", for example? An utter joke - every Republican Admin has swelled the size of government over the last 40 years, debt included. They want to regulate every aspect of your personal life and yet loudly bray "FREEDOM" any chance they can. They call themselves "Conservative" and yet are really bomb throwing, blow it all up Radicals. The Republican Party is a collection of deluded hypocrites, greedy scoundrels, cowards and racists - it's literally a party of the most despicable elements of not only our society, but mankind.

And yet, here we are, pretending Newt is not an utter joke, and for sooth! If he wins the nomination, vile creature that he is, he's guaranteed 35-40% of the vote right out the box. And the idea of President Gingrich is no laughing matter.

But this too, of course, is an opinion. But I'm also right - I mean, Jeepers! Check out this racist tripe above in detail - it's loaded with Wingnut symbology. There's a "SOROS" vulture! Truly insane.

20120119

From a certain point of view

Quite often, but not always, your national heroes are someone else's villains. Doesn't mean there ain't wrong or right, sometimes, but rather you should be wary of accepting any story at face value. Questioning the perspective of the tale is useful in coming closer to the truth.

20120118

21st Century Pirates

I find this hilarious and sad. But then, I feel that way about most things.

20120117

Unleashed (Cry Havoc)

Remember those fun days? They're not that long gone, and by gum we're on the verge of bringing the political party responsible for all of it back into power of the US Government, Ruler of the World. You should be terrified, for they are not only Unrepentant, but even more insane, rapacious, bloodthirsty. The Republican Party is an active source of evil in this world, and we all suffer from their predations. And not just us, but our dogs.
Dogs trained to be aggressive, threatening. Wonder how their lives turned out? Wonder how everyone in this picture lives turned out. Badly for all, I hazard. But this is not new, of course. We've been waging war, and torturing, and ruining dog's lives for a long time.
 An Assryian relief, circa 650 BC. This relief was found in Nineveh, Iraq, and now probably lives in the British Museum like most everything else ever found from Assyria. If you ever have the chance to visit this museum, you must. And take more than one day. But anyways, know who else had a dog?
That's right: Hitler Dog. Think the other NAZI dogs had to salute him and give up their bones and such? Probably not: Dogs are naturally socialistic as shit. But I digress.
This is a military medic treating a dog bite on an Iraqi prisoner, naked, as per the torture routine - handed down from on high, probably right from the tippity top - Cheney, Rummy, and the Gang. Everyone else on down to these folks is just following orders, but perhaps taking a bit too much glee in it.

And here is my Redshirt's Lament for today: That these destructive Republicans have released a wicked genie from its bottle for their short term political and financial gains - hate, torture, sadism, fear, distrust, etc, etc. They've unleashed havoc - and here, or rather there, in the early 1990's,  I had such high hopes that America was turning a corner. The PC Movement - arguably one of the most important movements in American history for it's wide ranging impact -  was at it's peak and changing everything, for the better. A New Era of Hippyism was rising - I refer you to The Spin Doctors, for example - and everything in the country and the world seemed to be getting awesome. Europe was free, dictatorships were crumbling across the world, with few bullets fired. Global co-operation was at an all time high, nations mostly working for each other's benefits (mostly)... ah. It was great. But then something horrible happened - an evil seed (Nixon) sprouted and unleashed insanity upon our nation. Newt Gingrich was in the lead and it led to the Impeachment of a popular president, the mass consolodation of corporate power across the board, including the media (Witness the banks merging, the oil companies merging, all the media merging, etc), and a stolen election. About which I still am in dumb shock that it happened, all orchestrated out of Fox HQ and the state government of Florida. And then 9/11 and it was like Manna from the Heavens for these psychos - this, OBL wisely knew, and thus the brilliance of his terrible plot - as they could indulge every one of their long held lusts, for war and death and bombs and torture and a cowering domestic population giving them whatever they want - gladly, with a vicious spite in it. We, as a nation, have been thoroughly poisoned by these people, and this is but one of the results.
Once we go down this road too far, we'll never come back - perhaps it is already too late, but I have hope in Obama, still. So we'll see. If anyone can roll back the tides of hate, repression, bigotry, and sheer evil, it's Barack Hussein Obama.

Anyways, all this was just a setup to post this awesome pic, the artist of which I have sadly forgotten.

20120112

Guns for Peace (Occupation), Freedom (Terror)

Wry global political humor, don't you know? I root for the UN, and especially armed UN missions into troubled areas of the world. Why? Because I want to see a One World Government and a planet mostly united in peace and harmony. Instead of spending trillions on war and death, we could colonize the solar system and expand beyond our wildest dreams, Lords of the Seas, Lands, Air and Space. We would be unto Gods.

So I kinda get why the wingnuts are always all "hurf durf black helicopters", because the UN is our best shot for now at a World government that can function. And they don't want that for their small, frightened ways. And that's their right, and so we struggle on, tribal factions all across Earth spilling blood and causing so much strife and carnage, holding us back and keeping us scared and angry. Alas!

Guns have become the tool of choice for when these conflicts turn violent. Has there ever been a more destructive tool in terms of lives taken? The sword, maybe? Sharpened stone?  Guns are so slick and sophisticated at what they do, why they exist: Deal Death.
Can violence ever be good? Are there valid reasons to kill another? An age old question, I suppose. The Super Hippy in me wants to say no, never. Violence can never be good, by definition. But the realist in me scoffs: What if someone(s) has come to burn down your house, steal anything of worth, kill or enslave your family, and then ride off to do the same to some other poor, innocent souls? Wouldn't it be "good" to stop them and aid the greater weal?

Each person has to decide for themselves.

Above is Subcomandante Marcos, former College Professor, Poet, and Revolutionary Spokesman for the Zapistas in Mexico. I don't know if he's ever used any of those bullets. But I doubt the Mexican Government thinks he's cool. Does that make Marcos good or bad?

Just words, just as guns are just tools, and what matters is how you use them and your true intent. Everything's just itself and it is only we humans that give anything meaning. And we all should remind ourselves of, frequently, we're all subjective creatures, influenced by myriad factors, and prone to illogical, emotional acts. And so meaning is a point of view. Right? Like good or evil.

So the wingnuts say: Guns don't kill people. People kill people.

20120110

Terminator Dreaming


I had a fevered dream as a 10 year old in which the cities of the world burned and giant mechanical ants crawled up and down the smouldering husks. I was really sick, and there were giant ants all around the New Mexican campground (we were "camping"). That explains the mechanical ants, I reckon. But dreams - nightmares - can linger, leaving a lasting impression.
A day later we were driving through the burning hell of West Texas in August, and still sick and dangerously fevered I had the realization of Death - that my Mother and Father and Sister and baby Brother would die, my Grandparents would die, I would die one day, everyone will die one day. As a 10 year old, it was a damn powerful revelation, for I had no real concept of death hitherto.


So I darkened, and shit got weird all around. And then I developed some serious migraines that would incapacitate me for a day, occurring at times of high stress, ruining so many events. Lasting for years, this shit was intense and there were lots of hospital visits and I came to recall more and more that second fever dream: Death.
And then I saw The Terminator and I was all like: Yep. Killer Robots are gonna get us (Remember the Mechanical Ants?). I was quite a nerd of course, reading anything and everything and lots and lots of comic books were part of that so killer robots were right up my alley. And thus, the source of my robot distrust.


For real! I've been following the topic seriously for years. Running with smart folks, I've talked with robotic experts, read all kinds of papers, and feel pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Robotics are fascinating and will change the world, as will the similar work ongoing in Artificial Intelligence. For good or ill is up to us.

And thus my conclusion: I can't really trust my own opinion of robots or AI, given my series of related mental happenstances. And so I strive for objectivity as I can, even over my own opinions. Or I try.

But really - intelligent robots will kill us all if we don't kill ourselves first. Beware giant Mechanical Ants!

20120109

Gun Dam!

This is a Gundam, which apparently is a big deal in Japan. Check it out if you must. To gauge how popular, look above - a real statue in Tokyo. How cool?! Or nerdy. Or both, and so much more.
Here's a subpar photoshop of that OBAMER as a Gundam, menacing/protecting the Capitol - your mileage varies, I suppose.

Realistically, I have a hard time seeing giant robots that walk like people - why go through that hassle? Human bipedal motion is extremely complicated, and what does the giant robot get out of it? A spider form would be way more stable/practical/terrifying. Now, robots that are human sized using bipedal motion, sure. That can make sense for certain purposes, and even the robots can enjoy it. For it will be important to keep our robot overlords well pleased. Here's a gift, Robot Boss!
An ultra rare Thomas the Transformer Gundam.

20120107

NOW on ROBOT NEWSTANDS!

Oprah's conquest of all known forms continues unabated. Soon, there will be nothing left that is not "O'S".
This is our future in short order - artificial enhancements to the human body. First for need - bad needs/legs, amputated arms, but soon enough it will be done by choice, by people looking for upgrades. Imagine having a full tool kit contained within your robotic arm - what Contractor would not get it done? Or looking 25 years old for the next 100? It's coming, and the only question is how will we deal with it as a species. Cuz it's gonna get weird.