Several things on my mind today:
First. Recently, scientists announced that they had found a way to establish colonies of human embryonic stem cells without destroying a human embryo. The fact that it is necessary to jump through this particular hoop already seems silly to me when you consider the unbelievable potential of stem cells. BUT... this should finally shut-up every fucking moron who is against any and everything stem cell related based on pro-life dogma.
But you know the religious right as well as those who wish to appease them (read: George W. Bush) will find some other way to stand in the way. We are talking about (potentially) the most promising medical technology ever here... but (as usual) politics stand in the way of progress.
Second. I've mentioned before that I really don't care if people want to smoke. None of my business, frankly. But all you smokers who throw your cigarette butts out your car windows... cut that shit out. It's friggin' nasty. If I were a cop I'd be writing you a littering citation. And using my baton on anyone who gave me any lip about it. Seriously, smoke all you want... I really don't care either way... but use an ashtray.
Third. And most abstract. Have you ever thought it was something of a bummer that the universe we exist in sometimes seems rather ordinary? Sure, there are countless wonders. But what I mean is... we as a species frequently fantasize about magic. That can take many forms of course... from a medieval themed wizard to a jedi knight to any number of strange powers "demonstrated" on shows like the X-Files. We are always thinking about things that seem fantastic but... to the best of our knowledge... are simply beyond our grasp. It makes for entertaining stories, but everyone knows we have to live in our boring reality.
Or is magic simply the evolution of technology to the point where it is indistinguishable? It is not ridiculous to think that... given sufficient advancement... virtually anything could be done with scientific tools. To any less-advanced beings the results could almost appear to be magic. A concept of this type is the general basis for the movie and subsequent television series "Stargate". The specific premise being that ancient Egyptian pharohs were actually under a type of parasidic control by an alien species that needed a host body. This particular alien society was sufficiently advanced to include interstellar travel and control and manipulation of matter and energy. Certainly things that... to those in an ancient world... might seem like pure magic because they are so incredibly beyond what humans had themselves achieved.
Not really going anywhere with that. Just something to think about.
Heading to Maine and then Springfield, Massachusetts this weekend. Not going to bother stopping at home since I expect to have a little bit of time off for Labor Day.
First. Recently, scientists announced that they had found a way to establish colonies of human embryonic stem cells without destroying a human embryo. The fact that it is necessary to jump through this particular hoop already seems silly to me when you consider the unbelievable potential of stem cells. BUT... this should finally shut-up every fucking moron who is against any and everything stem cell related based on pro-life dogma.
But you know the religious right as well as those who wish to appease them (read: George W. Bush) will find some other way to stand in the way. We are talking about (potentially) the most promising medical technology ever here... but (as usual) politics stand in the way of progress.
Second. I've mentioned before that I really don't care if people want to smoke. None of my business, frankly. But all you smokers who throw your cigarette butts out your car windows... cut that shit out. It's friggin' nasty. If I were a cop I'd be writing you a littering citation. And using my baton on anyone who gave me any lip about it. Seriously, smoke all you want... I really don't care either way... but use an ashtray.
Third. And most abstract. Have you ever thought it was something of a bummer that the universe we exist in sometimes seems rather ordinary? Sure, there are countless wonders. But what I mean is... we as a species frequently fantasize about magic. That can take many forms of course... from a medieval themed wizard to a jedi knight to any number of strange powers "demonstrated" on shows like the X-Files. We are always thinking about things that seem fantastic but... to the best of our knowledge... are simply beyond our grasp. It makes for entertaining stories, but everyone knows we have to live in our boring reality.
Or is magic simply the evolution of technology to the point where it is indistinguishable? It is not ridiculous to think that... given sufficient advancement... virtually anything could be done with scientific tools. To any less-advanced beings the results could almost appear to be magic. A concept of this type is the general basis for the movie and subsequent television series "Stargate". The specific premise being that ancient Egyptian pharohs were actually under a type of parasidic control by an alien species that needed a host body. This particular alien society was sufficiently advanced to include interstellar travel and control and manipulation of matter and energy. Certainly things that... to those in an ancient world... might seem like pure magic because they are so incredibly beyond what humans had themselves achieved.
Not really going anywhere with that. Just something to think about.
Heading to Maine and then Springfield, Massachusetts this weekend. Not going to bother stopping at home since I expect to have a little bit of time off for Labor Day.
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You might say that the only challenge ultimately worthy of a sentient being is to work towards happiness and being at peace with himself and the world without the use of magic. With only the power of your own mind and your own hands. And with a finite span of time to work with.
A lot of what great artists and poets and others do is at the edge of magic, finding things and making things that previously had no existence. You might read Eugen Herrigel's Zen and the Art of Archery for some clue as to what is possible for human beings to, for what is within reach of the mind.
The TMC rep was in this week. It seems like a fantastic company to start out working for, but they're highly selective it seems. Only about a third of their candidates make it through orientation.
My instructor has some stories about experieces he's had with people trying to hijack trucks. At one time a big black guy tried to hijack him but got himself blown out the door with a .45. Another incident led him to not ever park at night in NYC. Back in 1973 he was hauling swinging meat from denver to brooklyn. He was running with a couple of other guys. When they were close to NYC my instructor stopped in Pennsylvania to shower and get a bite to eat. The two other guys went on ahead. When My instructor got to his destination in brooklyn, he parked on the street and went to sleep until he heard a loud banging on his door. The police wanted to know if he had seen anything. The two guys who had arrived an hour before him had been killed and they were hanging on meat hooks in their trailers and their loads had been stolen.
This got me thinking a lot this week about what to do about personal security. I was wondering if you had ever been assaulted or knew anyone who had.
I have some handguns and while it's highly illegal and against most company policies I'd think real hard about bringing one along. And getting something small to carry.
There's other alternatives. Pepper spray at the very least. I think one could also carry an accessory SLR camer flash. At night if someone accosts you in a dark place you could blind him with that flash. IF you're in your truck you could blast a guy in the face with a fire extinguisher or a can of spray paint. A million things you can have in the cab of your truck but it's a lot harder to protect yourself when you're outside of it. If someone attacks you where you can't get help, on the plus side he can't get help either, and if you've got him blinded with a camera flash or pepper spray you then have the advantage to make him understand that you were really the wrong person to run afoul of. Whatever. I hope this discussion remains nothing more than hypothetical.