General Update


by Pappy May 5th, 2008 , Posted in: life


It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, but not because I haven’t been busy. In fact, just the opposite is true. I’ve been developing several new, open-source PHP classes: the first, called awfDialog, was nominated for the PHP Innovation Award at PHPClasses.Org. I didn’t win, but did take 4th place with 14% of the vote. The second, not yet publicly released, called awfRadial, is in testing to be used first on one of my clients’ websites.

On top of that, I’ve been learning to use several new graphics programs to which I’ve become addicted. Check out the code and art at my TestLab site.

On the writing front, I’ve been toying with the idea for a story that I think may best be realized as a campaign setting for the Spycraft RPG system. I haven’t played table-top RPGs since I was in junior-high, but close friends have kept me up to date with the scene, and I think the story may well work best as something to be played instead of read directly. The general concept I call “The Sundowner” series. In a nutshell, there is a secretive corporate that is planning on a global take-over, fueled by destroying the world’s current energy driven economy, to be replaced with “free” energy provided by the consortium. It is a deep-seated multinational conspiracy, weaving in and out of numerous industries and across every part of the globe.

If I do develop this as a game module, players will have to uncover clues across many adventure missions in order to untangle the conspiracy and stop the corporate barons before they succeed in toppling the modern society as we know it. The plot is straight out of today’s headlines: fossil fuels based economies struggling to deal with increasing demand and diminishing supplies, environmental devastation caused by the effects of global warming, corporate espionage and terrorism, and the introduction of bio-medical, computer interface technologies.

That’s it for now. Just wanted the world to know Pappy hadn’t disappeared…

The Salem Witch Trials Never Ended


by Pappy November 3rd, 2007 , Posted in: History , Religion , World


Who hasn’t heard of the Salem witch trials of 1692? Nineteen men and women, including the town’s Puritan minister, were hanged on Gallows Hill for their participation in witchcraft. Another man was crushed under stone blocks for refusing to submit to trial. Hundreds of others languished in jail under accusations while this madness carried on for almost a year.

A group of teenage girls, for still unknown reasons, began the hysteria by accusing several older women of bewitching them, sending their witch’s familiars to oppress, threaten, and pinch the girls. Preposterous, eh? The real scary part really begins with the town’s response to these teenage pranks. The accused were dragged in for trial. No evidence other than the girls’ testimony was required. The trial of Rebecca NurseThe court did consider “spectral evidence”, although that was again mostly claims by victims.

Every time one of the women spoke of their piety, their goodness, or denied the charges, the girls would go into crazed fits, writhing and screaming on the floor. At one point, when Rebbecca Nurse was found innocent by the jury, the girls went into a frenzy. The judge asked the jury to consider this response of evil, and they changed their verdict. Amazingly, order was immediately restored in the court. On July 19th, 1692 she was hanged alongside four other innocent women.

Even though many of the girls admitted they had lied, the executions went on from June until September.

As quickly as it began, it was over. Massachusetts was in shock and the entire region was still dealing with and rationalizing the tragedy almost a decade later. But it was over.

Fast forward now to the 21st century. Man has walked on the Moon, developed and dropped the atomic bomb, peered into the heart of the DNA from which we are made, and sent messages around the globe in mere seconds. Thank goodness we, the enlightened children of our ancestors, are immune to such craziness.

Think again.

Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2007. As many as 18,000 children roam the streets, estranged or abandoned by their families. Poverty rates in the country’s capital have risen so high that families will do almost anything to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Thus the trend has become to accuse a child of sorcery. Test them. Try them. Punish them. Banish them.

Kill them.

The Salem trials never really ended, they just changed venues; adjusted victims. A whole new market has opened up, as religious charlatans accept money to “drive” the evil from the children. The true evil, the evil that can allow these events to happen repeatedly throughout human history is trapped inside of us. It is a part of us. Wherever we go, so goes it. We carry it with our fear and ignorance. We pass it around in our Bible tracts and sermons. We shout it out across the land in Friday prayers.

I encourage you to watch the following video, not because you can do anything to change the world. Watch it and know that you are not enlightened. You are no different from the jury members at the Salem trials. We all deserve a dose of humility as long as this goes on anywhere…

Indefensible Islam: On Wife Beating


by Pappy November 3rd, 2007 , Posted in: Religion


Religion: the equivalent to mental cholesterol. It blocks the arteries of the intellect and places blinders on personal accountability. It infuriates me to see people constantly defend religious practices and teachings that quite frankly have no place in modern humanity.

The Wife BeatersToday’s rant: Wife Beating

Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, gave a speech defending a religion she obviously knows nothing about stating:

“It is not laid down in the Koran, that women can be beaten by their husbands or that their evidence should be devalued, as it is in some Islamic courts.”

Historian Robert Spencer tells us this is not the case. In fact the Koran 4:34 tells men to chastise their wives after first warning them and sending them to sleep in separate beds. The word “chastise” is one of the milder translations of the verse. Many editions use the words “scourge” or “beat”.

Pickthall edition: “and scourge them”
Yusuf Ali edition: “(And last) beat them (lightly)”
Al-Hilali/Khan edition: “(and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful)”
Shakir edition: “and beat them”
Sher Ali edition: “and chastise them”
Khalifa edition: “then you may (as a last alternative) beat them”
Arberry edition: “and beat them”
Rodwell edition: “and scourge them”
Sale edition: “and chastise them”
Daryabadi edition: “and beat them”
Asad edition: “then beat them”

Ah, but those that try to defend Islam are constantly assaulting Mr. Spencer’s study of the religion. So fine, don’t believe Spencer. How about Saudi cleric Muhammad Al-’Arifi. On a recent Ramadan television program for young people Al-’Arifi not only clarifies the Koran’s teachings on the subject, he goes so far as to explain how hard you should beat your wife, and you should beat her with a toothpick. Just don’t hit her as hard as you would a child or a donkey…

Beating in the face is forbidden, even when it comes to animals. When a person is beating an animal… Even if you want your camel or donkey to start walking, you are not allowed to beat it in the face. If this is true for animals, it is all the more true when it comes to humans. So beatings should be light and not in the face. Some religious scholars say: “He should beat her with a toothpick.” I happen to have a toothpick with me. A man who is angry with his wife because she doesn’t get it… If he says to her: “Watch out, the child has fallen next to the stove,” or: “Move the child away from the electrical socket,” and she says: “I am busy” – then he beats her with a toothpick or something like it. He doesn’t beat her with a bottle of water, a plate, or a knife. This is forbidden. The scholars said he should beat her with a toothpick.

Say what you want, apologize if you must Mrs. Blair. If Islam’s teachings embarrass you so badly, then bury your head in the sand. But do so using actual research and facts, not what your Liberal party authorized interpretation of Islam says.

Another religious book I hate, the Bible, does at least tell you to “judge a tree by it’s fruit”. The fruit of Islam lies rotten on the floor all over the world: women who are beaten, and girls whose opportunities for education are routinely stripped from them. In the Islamic world, women are baby making machines whose purpose is to provide soldiers and suicide bombers. No amount of apologies or misinformed speeches by Westerners who feel the need to defend Islam will ever make me believe otherwise.

Essay: So You Have a College Degree?


by Pappy November 1st, 2007 , Posted in: Business


My dander is up this morning.

We have this new “analyst” the Chief Financial Officer of the company decided to hire to examine our numbers. From the day he was hired, he got under people’s skins asking incredibly stupid questions, making poor asumptions about what was “wrong” with the business, etc..

But he has a Masters degree in international business from the Thunderbird School of International Business; so prestigious an institution that I bet you’ve heard of it too? He has a paper that says he is supposed to know what he is doing. He are smart. The man loves his paper so much that he put it in a frame. Not so unusual, many people with degrees like to frame them and decorate their walls. But this guy framed it and placed it at the front of his desk, propped up so you had to look over the top of it to see him. Like I said, he are smart and he want you to know he are smart…

Before I finish my tale, let’s examine some of American Heritage Dictionary’s definitions for intelligence:

in-tel-li-gence (noun)
a. The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge
b. The faculty of thought and reason
c. Superior powers of the mind.

A college degree proves you can acquire knowledge. It says you have good enough short term retention that you can answer some tests about it. Upper level degrees are supposed to have requirements to ensure you have the ability to recognize context within your area of specialty and apply said knowledge. It has been my experience, on the other hand, that once somebody has that degree in hand, all reasons for pursuing it are dropped, and their thoughts turn immediately to using it to justify a nice salary so they can pay off their student loans. Take someone with some practical life and job experience and send them to college however, and you will see a person that learns from the standpoint of practical applicability from day one. They will know the right questions to ask their academic superiors. They will retain.

So, enough espousing on my part, lets get back to what really set me off today, shall we?

Our moron with a mail-order MBA comes into the IT shop and asks one of our systems admins to explain to him why the “Month to Date” numbers for October and “Quarter to Date” numbers are identical.

For those of you who may have never dealt with corporate finances before, most companies operate on calendar quarters; meaning 1st quarter runs from January to March, second quarter from April to June, third quarter from July to September, and fourth quarter from October to December. If you are in the first month of a new quarter, the numbers for the two will always be identical. It is corporate finance 101. It is so simplistic, and so essential to understanding and reading these values that almost anyone, finance department or not, degree or not, knows this instinctively.

And our guy, this “expert” they brought in, has to come to the Information Technology department to get it explained to him. Oh yeah, he’s a bright one.

In conclusion, can I please, please, please beg of you: if you want to pursue a college degree, please do so. But not until you’ve done some grunt work. Get an apprenticeship in the industry you wish to work in. Work in the mail room, sweep the floors, do whatever you have to do to get your foot in the door first. Then ask questions. Let those around you know you are deeply interested in understanding the business. You’ll be surprise how many of us will take the time to explain it to you and mentor you into the real way things work. You’ll also be surprised at how many of the most knowledgeable people in that business carry no degrees at all. When you do finally go pursue that degree you’ll immediately be able to ask meaningful questions of your professors. You’ll know the difference between what they teach you in school and how the real world works (believe me there are many.)

Just don’t become yet another moron with a mail-order MBA.

Essay: These Guys Knew How To Party


by Pappy October 31st, 2007 , Posted in: History


I’m a history buff, plain and simple, and what I like most about history is the act of re-discovery.

The snippet of events taught to you during History class in school is rarely accurate, and usually meant to paint and glorify our heroes in the most dignified light. Reality, on the other hand, is so much more detailed, vivid, and rich with the humanity of our fore bearers.

Take for instance, the most recent period I’ve taken to reading about: the American Revolution.

Note, I’m not talking so much about the Revolutionary War, but the mindset and sense of rugged individualism that eventually led to the War for Independence. The period of the Revolution really began in 1763, as unpopular taxation and colonial control measures began pouring out of the British Parliament. Although most American school children will tell you King George III was responsible, the real architects of this heavy-handed management of British colonies in North America were Prime Minister George Grenville, Charles Townsend, and other British politicians seeking to resolve rather stifling economic and taxation problems at home in England. From 1763 through 1773 they passed a series of acts designed to recover the national debt via trade controls and new taxes. Meanwhile, in the colonies loyalty to the British crown remained high, but these acts became increasingly unpopular and caused many colonists to examine their place in the British empire on a larger scale than simply economics.

Sons of LibertyAnd so were born the Sons of Liberty.

Contrary to modern belief, the Sons of Liberty were originally nothing more than a political action group. Their main focus was on generating a groundswell of opposition to the enforcement of these new trade and tax acts, and on coordinating the participation of colonial assemblies in that opposition. Their members included well known names such as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and James Otis. They were often at odds with more radical, street level groups who also used the name Sons of Liberty, who saw action and violence as the best way to attempt redress of British wrongs.

But what of their personalities? What was it like to participate with them in the furtherance of their political beliefs? One case in particular, I think, demonstrates the group mind and sense of comradery between the Sons of Liberty more than any other.

In June of 1768, things were coming to a head in Boston. Several of John Hancock’s ships had been seized on trumped up charges in an attempt at criminalizing and discrediting this very influential man. The Sons of Liberty held a meeting at Faneuil Hall, also know as the “Cradle of Liberty”, and determined to send a petition to Massachusetts governor Francis Bernard, asking that these heavy-handed tactics of the British be stopped. Several days later, on order from London, the governor appears before the Massachusetts assembly, requesting that it stop participating in attempts to unite the colonies in resistance to the Townsend Act.

After hours of debate, a vote was taken, with 92 in favor of continued resistance and 17 against. The governor had proved totally unable to deal with the assembly as the king’s agent. Most telling, however, is how the Sons of Liberty celebrated this victory.

Later that evening a party was held in Boston, with much fanfare and public participation. These gentlemen, our forefathers whom we treat as such saints and with much reverence, partied as if they had already won the fast approaching war. No less than 92 toasts were made that night to their victory; one for every patriot who struck a blow against British rule with their votes. 92 toasts. Let me say that again: 92 toasts. Think back to your most raucous college party days. Did you ever attend a party where 92 drinks were consumed by every one in attendance who could still stand?

These guys knew damn good and well how to party.

It is that youthful, rebellious, celebratory attitude that won our independence as a nation. It’s gotten us into plenty of trouble as a nation over the years as well, but that spirit is the definition of America. May we never lose it.

Party on, dude!

Discovery: The Science of Magic


by Pappy October 30th, 2007 , Posted in: Writing


Introduction

I wasn’t always a modern day wizard. Indeed, after years of looking for and failing to find a better alternative, it still doesn’t feel right to use that word. Wizard, after all, implies an adept of the arcane, a master of the mystic. But as my story will reveal, magic is neither arcane nor mystic, and I am neither adept nor a master. But to my knowledge, I am one of a handful of individuals who have stumbled onto the rediscovery of magic and an understanding of its source; knowledge that in this modern society of science and technology is worth more than all the processing power of the world’s super-computers combined.

Believe it or not, this knowledge came to me by the fusion of my choice in career path, and a penchant for juggling hobbies and interests as readily as a clown man-handles bowling pins. A student of anthropology, I focused my collegiate endeavors on religions’ influence on human cultures. The science of shared perception, that groups of individuals could in essence create their own concepts of reality in order to explain what their sciences could not, intrigued me. To really understand how these perception were built, however, I had to weigh in factors from myriad other aspects of that culture. From their level of technological advancement to the vagaries of sexual mythos, to understand the rise of religion in a culture one needs to understand almost every other aspect of a society’s evolution.

This naturally led me to dabbling in hobbies across the sciences. Agriculture, metallurgy, and historical context became evening playgrounds after the term papers and homework were complete. When I got around to examining the evolution of major modern religions such as Christianity and Islam I delved deeper into telecommunications, chemistry, and even physics to create my contextual reference points.

Most people would be shocked to learn that modern theoretical physics much more closely resembles New Age metaphysics than it does Einstein’s indelible E=Mc2 or the birthing of atomic energy. Today’s theorists are contemplating the very nature of existence. They ponder that the Universe itself exists only as we perceive it, and that by changing our collective perceptions we can change the Nature of our own realities. Great minds in physics evaluate factors from not 3 or 4 dimensions, but from as many as twenty-six dimensions; most of which are beyond human comprehension.

To boil it down, the line between science and religious beliefs are blurring, and whether believers understood it or not, I came to the conclusion that believing in something might just be enough to make it real. The most difficult part of this is so simple it’s nearly comical. You see, how does one believe in something when it violates every essence of thought the logical mind has come to recognize? It’s more than just a temporary suspension of dis-belief; one must accept these new realities without cause, nor basis in thought, the way we know the ground is there beneath our feet even when our eyes are closed.

It requires the absence of thought.

M.I.N.D.


by Pappy October 30th, 2007 , Posted in: Writing


Machine Interface Neural Device - M.I.N.D.

Nano fiber channels tie from the human brain to external relay devices allowing humans to interact as both input and output channels for digital machinery.

Early iterations of MIND devices were nothing more than dataport masks near the base of the skull, where the user was able to send basic queries outbound, then receive, process, and translate responses into human usable data. Later versions extend this functionality into the rest of the neural pathways, optionally enabling integration of man and machine at almost any point and process of the body.

Extreme MIND users that take full advantage of this integration are rare. Fears that this technology would lead to cyborgs replacing humans eventually faded as it was learned that long-term exposure to “Deep MIND”, as it is called, leads to early degeneration of neural tissues, nervous disorders, and in a few cases a complex form of schitzophrenia called MIND Fracture. Bio-mechanical designers continue to work on the problem. If Deep MIND problems are ever overcome this could again become a major ethical and political issue.

The most common use of MIND devices by the general populace is still the original data interchange, social networking, information distribution, etc.. Knowledge enhancements can be purchased which use MIND to give the user advanced knowledge in a particular field, and additional data storage capabilities. These are prohibitively expensive, however, and remain mostly in the domain of government and research facilities.

Approximately 80% of Earth’s human population now use at least one form of MIND.

Due to the risk such integration exposes it’s users to, the MINDBLOCK protocol was established. MINDBLOCK uses a series of algorithms based on the user’s unique genetic fingerprint to create a private key/public key encrypted token. This token is required for all inbound data transfers to the brain or MIND device. If successfully authenticated the transfer is then examined by the user’s subconscious brain where the individual can decide to allow or deny the request.

It has been rumored that there are MIND hacks capable of penetrating MINDBLOCK defenses, however this has never been confirmed and most experts believe these rumors are simply the result of human worry rather than true threat. Each new MIND design is vetted through a super-computer designed specifically to test it’s security, and to date no device ever released to the public has failed this security testing.

Telktalker


by Pappy October 30th, 2007 , Posted in: Writing


Description:
A techtalker can speak with technology. Through bio-electric interaction he “communicates” requests for information or action. By bypassing normal input and output mechanisms most authentication and validation measures are circumvented. Security under these circumstances becomes minimal at best.

The more mechanical (versus electronic) the technology the less receptive it is of such communication. The more intelligent, the more receptive. Complex machines are actually the easiest for techtalkers to manipulate.

Potential Plot Points:
• techtalker seeks fortune by manipulating casino games of chance. Finds the game’s insistence on leaving all decisions up to it’s random number generator causes the “conversation” to be sketchy and the game winds up controlling him instead

Audio Drama Script: Bloody Twilight


by Pappy October 30th, 2007 , Posted in: Writing


Originally Documented on 10/5/2006

For those not familiar with it, Shadow Falls was an online audio drama with a full cast of actors. It revealed an ominous world where two ancient forces, the Coyote and the Wolf, struggled for dominance over evil, using the townspeople of Shadow Falls like pawns in a battle that lasted generations. Towards the end of their first season they asked for listener submitted short stories. This was the script I had worked up and was going to produce, but never got the audio work done.

Radio Drama Script for a piece of Shadow Falls fan fiction.
——————————————————————–
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Jonas Evans - family farmer
Martha Evans - Jonas’ wife
Luke Evans - Jonas’ son
Penny Evans - Jonas’ daughter
——————————————————————–

Narrator: Before there ever was a town of Shadow Falls, before the indigenous people had shared their knowledge with the European newcomers, an ancient evil already walked this land. The Evans family - the very first white settlers to cast their lots here, discovered this only too quickly…

(short, ominous music fades out)
(sound of crickets)

Jonas: Penny, put down your water bucket and come here for a minute, darlin’.

Penny: Yes, Pa. What is it?

Jonas: Look at that sunset. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

Penny: Oooo, it’s so pretty, Pa! What makes it look pink and orange like that?

Jonas: I wish I knew, sweety. I do know it sure is somethin’ to see, though.

Penny: (excitedly) Ooo, Pa, look over there, the moon is rising over the trees!

Jonas: (nervously) Oh, um, yes it is, isn’t it?

Penny: It’s almost as pretty as the sunset - all the same pinks and oranges.

Jonas: (softly) It’s almost red.

Penny: What’s the matter, Pa? Is it a Bloody Twilight?

Jonas: (angrily) Where did you hear that?

Penny: Luke says when the sun and moon are both out and and colored like that it’s called a Bloody Twilight.

Jonas: Luke said that? It’s nothing; nothing at all, honey. Do me a favor and get your brother, then go in the house and help your Ma with supper.

Penny: Yes, sir.

(sound of footsteps running off)

Jonas: (to himself) It’s too soon. This shouldn’t have happened at least ’til after Summer Solstice.

(heavier footsteps approaching)

Luke: You needed me, Pa?

Jonas: Take a look, son. What do you think?

Luke: Looks like Bloody Twilight to me.

Jonas: (angry) Don’t call it that! And don’t you ever discuss it with your sister again, you understand?

Luke: I was just trying to …

Jonas: I don’t care what you were trying, son. We don’t give names to these things. It only gives them life and power over us. And we don’t go scaring the women-folk. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it as we always have, but don’t you go givin’ it no name! Am I understood?

Luke: Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Should I get one of the new lambs?

Jonas: Better get two or three, son. Something is different this time. I can’t lay my nose on it, but somethin’ is different and I don’t like the feel of it one bit. Better to be safe than sorry. Tie them to the fence near the woods in the far pasture. You better take the rifle with you.

(sound of a rifle being cocked and passed to Luke)

Jonas: Oh, and Luke.

Luke: Yeah, Pa?

Jonas: Be careful, son.

Luke: I will, Pa.

(15 seconds music fade in and back out. cricket sounds replaced with faint howling in the background)

Martha: Jonas, why don’t you come inside and eat some supper? The children are already done, and would like to say goodnight before they go to bed.

Jonas: I’ll be in soon, Martha.

Martha: Jonas Evans, standing out here on this porch isn’t going to change a thing. You and Luke have done what you needed to do. Now stop frettin’ and come inside.

Jonas: (sounding tired) Somethin’ is different this time, Martha. I can almost feel it in the air. I gotta tell you, it chills my bones.

Martha: (worried) I’ve never heard you talk like this, Jonas. Is it the wolves or the coyotes this time?

Jonas: Maybe, that’s it. I can’t tell. It might even be both.

Martha: Both? Is that possible?

Jonas: I just don’t know, Martha.

Martha: Well, Luke said you staked out extra sheep this time. That should be enough, right?

(long pause as the sound of howling begins to get louder)

Jonas: We can only hope, hon. We can only hope. The real question is, how long will they continue to be satisfied with sheep, no matter how many we put out?

Penny: (voice distant, calling from inside the house) Goodnight, Pa! I love you!

Jonas: (calling back) Goodnight, Penny-girl. You have sweet dreams..

(howling continues as the music fades in and then all fades out)

Research: Social Evolution


by Pappy October 30th, 2007 , Posted in: Writing


More research for a writing project…
- http://www.motherservice.org/Essays/Social%20Evolution.htm

- http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/Faculty/murphy/evol.htm

- http://socio.ch/evo/index_evo.htm

Home to a new religion supposedly drafted by combining science, with zen, and other religious elements. The author does have some good sections on society and evolution, religion - the conclusions are made, however, based on the assumption taht one must reconcile God with science. Good info, bad results:
- http://socevol.blogspot.com/2005/12/religion-book.html

Explores religion as a fuction of society in the same terms as bodily functions within an organism. May help define the social requirement of what religion provides so that a replacement organ can be evolved.
- http://theoccidentalquarterly.com/vol3no2/rf-wilsona.html

Article on evolution as a religion and how science should not be allowed to take on the “persona” of religion. Good read.
- http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/evolution/perspectives/midgley.shtml

Encyclopedia of Religion and Society - article on Robert Bellah, Professor of Sociology at Berkley.
- http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/bellah.htm

NOTE: Need to do a comparison between Humanism/Christianity/new religion, similar to what is done here. In particular, clarify distinction between belief in things not known, whether it be god/afterlife or scientific attempts to disprove that which cannot be disproved through inference:
- http://www.bible.ca/tracks/b-humanism-is-religion.htm

Other considerations for needed comparison documentation: Point out differences between religions on specific hot-button issues or geographic flashpoints - then point out what they have in common as Man when religion is removed.

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