Topics

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-17/julian-assange-to-run-for-senate/3895958

WikiLeaks has announced that its founder and leader Julian Assange is planning to run for a seat in the Australian Senate.
...
He is currently waiting for a British Supreme Court decision on his appeal against the extradition.

But WikiLeaks says despite his legal predicament, Assange is eligible to run for the Australian Upper House.

In its announcement on Twitter, WikiLeaks said it would also be running a candidate against Prime Minister Julia Gillard in her Lower House Victorian seat of Lalor.

I don't think he'll actually win a seat, but if he does it could make for an interesting situation.

So I'm thinking of getting an eReader, and seeing as though a few people around here have them/know about technology, I thought I'd ask your opinions on them. I was thinking of getting a Sony because I've heard that they are pretty good, but after the PSN hacking and TOS thing, I'm not certain, they do use third party online stores, but still...

So do any of you have advice? I mainly want it for textbooks and science papers (but I also would like to be able to buy eBooks), so I need to be able to easily upload PDFs to it, also I don't need 3G connectivity.

Thanks in advance

Yeah, I really don't know what to say except 'Seriously?'

Is it worth life in a wheelchair to take a funny photo to impress somebody you don't know on the Internet?

This is the question police in Australia have posed after a man died on Sunday taking part in the latest craze going viral on the Internet -- "planking".

Acton Beale, 20, plunged to his death after positioning himself for a picture on a balcony railing seven floors up in Brisbane after a night out drinking.

He was a "planker", a fast-growing group of people who lie flat on their stomachs with their arms against their bodies -- to resemble a plank -- in unusual and sometimes dangerous situations.

Photographs of their exploits are then shared through social media sites.

Little-known until last week when a man was charged with planking on a police car, the Planking Australia Facebook page has seen its number of fans soar from under 10,000 four days ago to almost 100,000 on Monday.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/police-caution-as-planking-goes-global-20110516-1eph8.html


http://www.facebook.com/BrisbanePlanking

Next week I'm heading over to Europe for about a month, so do you have any suggestions of neat stuff I can see?

I'm going to be around the UK for about 11 days (London, Liverpool, Ireland and Glasgow), then spend the rest of my time around Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium (I have a rail pass that allows me to travel around those places).

Also, if any of you guys are free, I'd rather like to catch up with you guys.

Engineers in London are working on a sonic screwdriver:



http://www.smh.com.au/world/science/not-quite-doctor-who-but-sonic-screwdriver-a-new-twist-for-science-20101205-18lfb.html

I'm not sure if you guys have seen this before, but it is pretty neat.

http://www.chromoscope.net/

It's a site that lets view the universe at different frequencies. You can't zoom in much, unfortunately, but it is still rather pretty.

They're all nominated for Time's person of the year:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2028734,00.html

I rather hope that Beck gets it, it will do wonders for his ego

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/google-maps-error-sparks-international-conflict-20101108-17jl3.html

A Google Maps error is being blamed for Nicaraguan troops accidentally invading Costa Rica last week.

The troops have been accused of crossing the hotly disputed Nicaragua border into Costa Rica and setting up camp for the night after taking down a Costa Rican flag and raising the Nicaraguan flag.

But their commander, Eden Pastora, told Costa Rica's largest newspaper, La Nacion, that Google Maps was used to justify the incursion. Nicaraguan government officials have also blamed a "bug in Google" for the error.

This sounds too much like an Onion article.

It is more likely than you think:

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/11/play_zork_on_a_typewriter.php

I think this is the best way to play text based adventures.

Now I need to get one and hook it up to LotGD

Well, kinda, according to some guy who decided to rank the top eight nerd religions:


http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/10/the_worlds_8_nerdiest_religions.php


We got beaten by Jedis

Would you please stand up?



Rumckle,

Jumping on bandwagons since he was old enough to jump.

Do you know if this is real:

http://www.wimp.com/hacksnews/

If it is, I am damn impressed.

So lately I've rediscovered how awesome mashed potato can be. I've also been trying out throwing extra things in the mash, and am trying to think of various experiments I could try.

So far I've added:
-Bacon (very tasty, though more of a snack in itself, rather than a side)
-Garlic and Parmesan (also really good if you get the amount of garlic right)
-Various herbs

Do any of you guys have any other ideas of what to add?

One thing I've been meaning to try is sweet potato and maple syrup, but I haven't got around to it yet (I need more maple syrup ).

Looks like the independents have finally decided to go with Gillard. However it is only 76-74, now I guess we just wait and see how long it takes for everything to break down and another election is called, I'm guessing 16 months.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/labor-to-form-government-20100907-14ynm.html?rand=1283837684230

Plus, with the greens having nine seats in the senate, this could get interesting (part of me wishes Steve Fielding gets in, just for the lulz).

CGI Owls!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_lMihSKkgA&feature=related

You do not exist.

Go ahead, prove me wrong.

So, I found this, and thought it had some interesting ARG elements:

The Cold War Re-enactment Society

http://www.foodpairing.be/

It is a website that gives you an idea of what foods go well together.

Tonight for dinner I had pork chop, with ginger, orange and cilantro, with a salad consisting mainly of carrot and tomato, with an orange based dressing.
Based on the suggestion that orange goes well with ginger, cilantro, carrot and tomato.

I've been having trouble motivating myself lately, and I'm just wondering, how you guys help to motivate yourselves.
Do you have any tricks or advice? Or should I just suck it up and stop being a lazy bitch?

http://www.worldofchorecraft.com/index.php

You! Yes, you! All of you down there! God is watching and He knows. Oh yes, He knows. He knows your sins. From the tiniest to the largest, He knows your sins. The sin of obsessing over the meaningless. The sin of going to crappy bars playing the same crappy forty songs every week. The sin of staring at that screen, the screen that repeats the same shit over and over. He knows.

And you! The people standing in the back, looking smug. Do not think that you have been overlooked by the almighty. He knows of your sins, too. The sin of continually repeating the same argument, and not listening to the reply. The sin of reading just to spout some bullshit quote that you do not understand. Your addiction to the lies and rhetoric of silver tongued daemons. The sin of continued discontent without attempting to initiate change. Oh yes, God knows.

You are all guilty. God judges you all harshly. Yes He does, repent sinners, lest you taste his vengeful wrath. You are all guilty, you all have sinned. And it is a grand sin, under which all the above fall. The deadliest sin of all; the sin of contentment. Yes, contentment, my friends. The sin for which you shall all burn, the sin of which you are all guilty.

But do not fear, my friends, no do not fear, for saviour is at hand. Oh yes, repent dear friends, but listen closely, for I have the answer that you seek. I have the answer to save your souls from eternal pain. Fun! Yes, that is the answer friends, fun.  Only through fun can you be saved from the sin of contentment.

It is simple my friends, yes, but it isn't as easy as you would think. You see, you need to be serious about having fun. It isn't always easy to have fun, no, but it is necessary. So you need to try my friends, you need to be serious about having fun. If not for yourselves, then for your eternal souls.

Hallelujah!

[First Circle"I AM WHAT I AM"]

"The Coming Insurrection" is our new book club book, and is available:

http://tarnac9.wordpress.com/texts/the-coming-insurrection/

and a number of PDF's that are good for printing:

http://www.bloom0101.org/translations.html

(Thanks Enki for the links)

There is a tract that originated in France, with some situationist influences, called "The Coming Insurrection".  It is kind of a big deal in radical circles, because the text is associated with the Tarnac 9, French anarchist saboteurs who were arrested in a very high profile case on the Continent, not least because of the use of draconian anti-terrorism legislation against the 9, who never hurt anyone physically with their actions.

Being non fiction I don't think we have to worry about spoilers, so I'm going to post a bit after I read a section or two.

I am going to start with The First Circle: "I AM WHAT I AM", because I want to read up more on the events mentioned and the recent history of France before I say anything about the introduction.



First Circle
"I AM WHAT I AM"


I was reminded of the Law of Eristic Escalation, the more we try to define ourselves, as individuals, the further we get from our "self". We start to define ourselves as our jobs, our race, our gender, our preference in cola, the trainers we wear, but this just leads to us no longer identifying with our self, but identifying with the products we use, and various other meaningless descriptions.

It reminded me of the Apple ad campaign, "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC", while this was a campaign designed for and payed for by Apple, it is not just an advertising campaign for Apple. It creates strong feelings of association for both Apple and Microsoft, depending on which you use. It goes beyond someone who uses Macs, beyond someone who prefers Macs, to the point where the person is identified by the product. And, although the ads were designed to make PCs look dorky, the same identifying idea works just as well for PCs (and by extension Windows).

This leads to people making certain that they are an individual, they have to strive to show how they are special and unique (just like everyone else), rather than just live their lives. Thus we seem to have people wasting their time and energy, running themselves down, not just to differentiate themselves from the group, but to make damn sure that everyone can see how they are different. The problem of course is that everyone is striving to do that, which means that even though everyone's individualism is just different form of the same marketed bullshit, people are shouting louder and louder to get people to pay attention to them.


This chapter brings up two points I found particularly interesting:

1. The way the author refers to the military struggle between the "Empire" and the people.

"I AM WHAT I AM," then, is not simply a lie, a simple advertising campaign, but a military campaign

This partly seems like hyperbole on part of the author, but it also seems like the author wants to get us to consider this "rebellion" in terms of a military conflict (which it is pointed out in the introduction the "Empire" is doing anyway). If we consider it as a military conflict, then, even with the disorganised nature of "our" campaign, we would have a better chance of succeeding with "our" goals.
(As an aside, calling the enemy/machine the "Empire" is in the introduction in one of the bloom0101 PDFs that is not present on the html version of the text, I just like using it because it gives a Star Wars feel to the whole thing)


2. The way in which we are urged to stand our ground, in a way. Consider:

Freedom isn't the act of shedding our attachments, but the practical capacity to work on them, to move around in their space, to form or dissolve them.

and

Contrary to what has been repeated to us since childhood, intelligence doesn't mean knowing how to adapt – or if that is a kind of intelligence, it's the intelligence of slaves. Our inadaptability, our fatigue, are only problems from the standpoint of what aims to subjugate us.

This would be an effective method of standing up to the "Empire", if you have the numbers. But, I feel that this early on in the campaign, there must be some kind of adaptability needed in the way we attempt to take down the "Empire".


Though, I could be reading this wrong, I guess the other option is that we shouldn't have to adapt our "selves", or sacrifice our own individualism, making it become what the "Empire" thinks an individual should be. In which case it would be okay to adapt our techniques and tools of war, as long as we do not compromise our own morals or individualism.


There was one part that I really did not understand however:

The family only exists as a family, that is, as a hell, for those who've quit trying to alter its debilitating mechanisms, or don't know how to.

I can't see what they are trying to get at here, are they saying that our family will only hold us back from our goals, or is "family" another term for the "Empire", or something else entirely?

So, I'm going to be kicking around PDX on the 7th, with no discernible goal. So, I was wondering if anyone in the PDX cabal is free if they want to meat up. Or if anyone can make suggestions of things I can do/see in Portland (keeping in mind I am not yet 21 ).

I'm not sure if you star wars geeks/beer fans are aware of this, but I think I need to get my hands on some.

http://beernews.org/2009/12/new-england-imperial-stout-trooper-arrives-in-two-weeks/

http://www.mirrormustaches.com/

Not sure if this has been posted before, but it is pretty awesome, so have at it!

Things are starting to get out of hand when you create bacon flavoured envelopes:

http://mmmvelopes.com/

OMFG!



BAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCON!!!!!!!

You need to get a good job. You need a good job so you can afford that new TV. The one with the 150" screen, and the surround sound that will make your ears bleed. You need that TV so you can forget how shit your job is. And your job is shit, but you can't quit it, otherwise they might repossess your TV. Then what will distract you from how shit your job is?

I wish I was immune to this cycle but, alas, I am not. Last time I checked I was about ten grand in debt. I've never owned a credit card, never got a mortgage, never bought a car, but I'm still in debt.

Why? Well, I'd like to think it was because I am learning all of this neat stuff, and I am, but that's not the reason. If I just wanted to learn something I could do it for free. No, the reason I am in debt is to get a little piece of paper. A special piece of paper which says that I get to earn a slightly better wage. So I can get a slightly bigger TV, and go somewhere slightly further away on my annual two week vacation.

But once you have that nice piece of paper, and a good job, it''s not over, there are still things to learn. For example, you need to learn to like the taste of arse, because you are going to be kissing a lot of it. You need to kiss arse because if you kiss arse you will get a promotion. And if you get a promotion you can buy an even bigger TV. You'll need that bigger TV to relieve the stress of having to get a promotion.

But that's not all you get, promotions bring other benefits too. If you get a promotion you may get to move up a floor, and you definitely want to move up a floor. Not because the views are nicer (though that is what they will tell you) but because a higher floor means you are further from the ground. It means you have further to fall when you are tired of your job and want to retire.

SPLAT!

You open your mouth to scream, but you don't, instead you laugh. Because, although laughing is bad, screaming is worse. You laugh because screaming terrifies them, and if you terrify them they will come after you. It terrifies them because deep down they want to scream, they just haven't realised it yet.

So you laugh. You laugh till it hurts. You laugh till it drowns out the screams. You laugh until you can't scream anymore. And then you laugh some more.

They will look at you funny, and ask you what's wrong, because they don't laugh. Eventually they may avoid you, or have you taken away.

But laughter can be contagious. And perhaps, just perhaps, one of them will forget to take their vaccination one day. And they will start to laugh. And maybe, if you are lucky, they will laugh until they scream.

One case is not an epidemic however. So laugh, and keep laughing. Keep laughing until the screams drown you out. Keep laughing until the screams become a revolution.

And then laugh some more.

I used to be pro-choice, after all it's the woman's body, there seems to be many cases where abortion is permissible, and anyway, fetuses probably aren't even human. But then I read the Pope's argument (actually it was JPII's argument, but I'm assuming Benny 16 agrees with it) regarding the Catholic pro-life stance. That piece made me realise the brilliant potential of the pro-life stance, specifically the Catholic pro-life stance.

The main argument is that fetuses are potential people, and therefore the fetus has a right to life, much the same as any other person. But really, when you consider it, every time a women of child bearing age, isn't either pregnant or fucking, then a potential human is being denied existence. If you consider the possibility of twins or triplets, then several human beings are being denied their right to life. If abortion is murder, this could be considered triple homicide.

On the topic of multiple babies, it seems to me that in order to ensure that the maximum number of people are given their basic right of life, then fertility medication, and perhaps even other fertility treatments, should be mandatory. In fact, to not do so could be considered discrimination against people who are a result of multiple births.

Okay, so far, it may seem like we'll just end up with a hell of a lot of humans, and this 'brilliant potential' I mentioned, amounts to nothing more than overpopulation, and possible extinction of the species. But that is where the second part of the plan comes into play.

Ok, so far I've only examined the role of women in ensuring that people get their right to life, however, as Monty Python put so succinctly, "every sperm is sacred", thus any plan that truly guarantees the right to life for everyone, must include provisions for the male population. To ensure that as little sperm as possible is wasted, I suggest castrating around 95% of the male population.

The great result of this, is not only do we stop the unnecessary production of sperm, we are provided with an excellent opportunity for genetic selection. By picking the 5% with the best possible genes we can help strengthen the human gene pool. Through genetic selection we can create a race that is smarter, and uses resources more efficiently, thus helping us cope with the massive overpopulation problem. A smarter population will allow us to develop better energy and food production, hope us to cure many diseases, and eventually allow us to colonise other planets, thus giving us even more space to grow as a species.

All these measures will not only ensure that everyone is given the right to life they deserve, but it helps us achieve the perfection that God originally intended, and helps to spread the Lord's message all over the world, and even throughout the universe.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD AND THE LORD

I'm heading over to your continent next week and am after some suggestions of things I should check out.
I'll be spending the majority of my time on the East coast of the US, and in Toronto, though my plans have a habit of changing rather abruptly, so suggestions for anywhere are welcome   

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/revealed-burma8217s-nuclear-bombshell/2009/07/31/1248977200181.html

Burma's isolated military junta is building a secret nuclear reactor and plutonium extraction facilities with North Korean help, with the aim of acquiring its first nuclear bomb in five years, according to evidence from key defectors revealed in an exclusive Herald report today.

I'm thinking that this will probably lead to nothing, as most of these nuclear arms projects do these days, but the North Korean link makes it slightly more interesting.

Okay, so this was written over about six months as I lost it, found it, forgot about it, and found it again, so it might not be that cohesive.

Hi, and welcome another instalment or Rumckle's Renovation Report, this week I'll be showing you how to turn your Black Iron Prison, from this:



A rather empty and boring BIP.

Into this:


A character filled BIP with a certain level of depth, which would impress many people. It's simple really all you need is a bit of determination.

Firstly, you may notice the book shelf. Literature is a very important aspect of modifying your BIP, it not only adds character (or at least the appearance of character), but it can also be a great tool in further modification of your BIP. A book may contain further ideas of what you can add to your BIP, or it may just be useful to compensate for your table's uneven legs. What kind of literature you have in your BIP is up to you, and really you should try and make the contents of your book shelf yours. However don't be dismayed if what you end up with is small sections of other people's bookshelves thrown together as your own, this is normal. Hell, you don't even have to read what you have on your bookshelf, if you know the blurb a lot of people won't even look twice.

Posters and art are a great addition to your BIP, they serve three main purposes. Firstly they serve as an instant reminder to you of things you find important. Sometimes you may feel like you need reminding of something, sure you could go read a through "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" again, but really, in this hectic world, who has the time? Posters or art works can serve as simple thought shot straight into your veins, for that quick hit. Secondly, it quickly shows your interests to people you may meet. Finally, you can use them to cover up the escape attempts you've made. Either because you are insecure about your failed attempts or you just don't want anyone noticing you are trying to break out.

A desk is pretty much essential, somewhere to plan your acts of mindfuckery, write down your new memebombs, and, of course, somewhere to place your computer, so you can visit PD.com. They say a tidy desk, is a tidy mind, I say an empty desk is an empty mind. Make sure your desk is covered in everything you need. You want all your half done projects right there, staring you in the face. It is good, not only to remind you to complete said projects, but also to keep your aim staring you in the face, so you don't forget your goals and what you're trying to achieve.

I hope this guide has given you some idea for your own BIP, so if you aren't ready to break out, you can still make your BIP a slightly nicer place to live.

Join us next week, when I look at people who have already knocked a wall out of their Black Iron Prison, and show them how to add a nice new patio.

Have any of you spags heard of Lord Horror? A novel/character by David Britton and Michael Butterworth.

Apparently the original novel isn't in print anymore, which is a shame, it seemed rather interesting. It is a surreal novel about a DJ (Lord Horror) based in an alternate history where the Nazis won WWII. Unfortunately I haven't really been able to find it online, and it is probably even harder to find in print (it was banned in the UK).

Anyway here is a link to an essay about it:
http://supervert.com/essays/horror_panegyric/

So I was reading this article today:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/science/what-pain-looks-like-20090218-8bkc.html

Essentially it is about how certain colour clashes, and harsh lines, etc can cause migraines in some people.

Which seems to me like it could have some potential.

Of course only roughly one in ten people get migraines, but still, interesting mindfucks or vengeance.

I don't have a lot of rules by which I live my life, and aside from the "normal" ones, there is only one main rule:
Don't look forward to anything.

Okay, I know that it may seem fucking angsty, and like I'm whining pessimist bitch, but bear with me.

Normally I am an optimistic person, I find that most of the time things end up working out, to some degree. But that isn't really where this idea comes from, I try to look at this from a logical point of view. This idea from me stems from the fact that if you look forward to things you invariably, get let down.

If you don't look forward to something, and it happens you still feel elated, but if it doesn't happen, you don't get disappointed.

Personally I find happiness you aren't really expecting is much better anyway.

Unfortunately I do sometimes forget this rule of mine, and sometimes it doesn't matter, but when things turn out to be shit, or plans get canceled, well that is when I remember why I try not to look forward to things.

But then again, since when did logic and emotions mix anyway?

So, I was reading an article in the paper the other day about the gene SCN1A (aka Nav1.1) being patented. Ok so, could people explain this to me, the way the article was putting it it seemed that the actual gene is patented, and any attempts to examine it, isolate it or look for it are illegal. It just doesn't make sense, if it was the treatment being patented it makes sense, but DNA? Anyone care to explain? Or even just give ranting opinions?

   Give up, it doesn't matter. You can't change anything anyway. And if you stop now, you can pretend that you didn't try in the first place. It will much easier if you just return to your rightful place in the machine, instead of having the other cogs jar up against you. Remember, that in this machine any cog can be removed and it will still run fine, perhaps even smoother, and you don't want to be removed, do you?

   Stop waiting, the revolution isn't coming. It was just a myth, to keep you placated, give you a glimmer of hope, lest you decide to take matters into your own hands. People aren't going to take to the streets, take matters into their own hands. No-one is going to try and rid themselves of the shackles placed on them. No-one is going to bring the government back into the hands of the people. No-one is about rise up against the ruling elite, who aren't paying them any more attention than a couple of lines on a graph, three lines with error bars if you are lucky. And if you associate with these people considering a revolution, you are just going to be taken out behind the chemical shed, and you don't want that, do you?

   What? You think that when Obama gets elected it will all be okay, well I guess there's no point arguing otherwise. You do realise, democracy doesn't really work, it just gives the illusion of change, in the long run, what does that extra 1% tax cut matter anyway. What happened when Kevin Rudd was elected? Sure Howard's tyrannical rein ended, but what's changed? All we have is a new tyranny, admittedly it is someone who smiles when they fuck you, but they are still fucking you. Not that it matters, because chances are this will get on the black list of this censorship scheme anyway. And if our new leader didn't change anything, why should a new US leader? Sure they rule the world, but that just makes it easier for them to play it safe. You could vote for a third party, sure, one that wants a great amount of change, but that would be a waste of a vote, and you don't want to waste this opportunity to change things for the better, do you?

   Just stop thinking, everything will be okay. Listen to the media, they'll tell you what to do, that way you won't have the burden of thinking for yourself. If you stop worrying about all this useless stuff, like the economy, revolutions, or voting for Obama, then you'll have more time think about the important things, like hating Muslim terrorists, or what Britney Olsen-Hilton is doing. Just relax, sit back and let the government sort out everything, switch on the TV, I'm sure there'll be a football game on soon, or perhaps another celebrity watch show, you wouldn't want to miss that, would you?


Sorry to anybody whom I may have accidentally stole ideas from, I had no intention of that, I just sat and wrote whatever came into my head at the time.

If I had $5k spare, this is totally what I'd get, possibly the coolest PC ever (pun intended)

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/hardcorepc_reactor