Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Atsuhiro Takaichi Rears Abandoned Polar Bear Named "Peace".

Meet "Peace". I love her.




Find information about this, it is a great story.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Environmentalist causes problems at BLM auction

It is nice to know that SOME people are still sane, and care about the Earth enough to disrupt these crooked business deals.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Thursday, December 18, 2008

PETAs top 10 Karmic Moments for Animal Abusers

10. While striking his dog with a gun to make him release a bone, a man managed to shoot himself. Granted, I don't think there's any safe place to point a gun, but letting the "business end" face you as you swing it like a club? Wow. Maybe he'll think twice about hitting his dog next time—if he, ya know, survived.

9. What happens when you anger a 10-foot python who's been stuck in a cage for a long time? An intern at a Venezuelan zoo found out when he decided to play with the snake during his night shift. Turns out that snakes are fond of strangling and swallowing their prey (someone really should put that on Wikipedia).

8. Some people shoo wasps away with their hands. Others think it's fair play to go after them with lighted torches. One monk learned that when you play with fire, you (and your entire temple) might get burned (to the ground).

7. While tracking a deer whom he had shot and was in the process of killing, a hunter apparently misjudged a cliff's edge and fell off.

6. A New Jersey man tried to kill insects in his apartment with bug spray, but the propellant chemicals in the spray seemed to have some unforeseen consequences. He succeeded in killing many bugs, but probably not so much because of the poison as because of the explosion, which destroyed 80 percent of his apartment.

5. Though the purpose of "sea kitten hunting" is to dig a hook painfully into another being's skin, one guy seems to have misread the how-to manual and managed to drive the hook into his own hand.

4. Have you ever seen bears who were forced to perform in captivity and felt sorry for how helpless they look? Well, it turns out gigantic land mammals with sharp, sharp teeth aren't always that helpless—as demonstrated by the fatal attack that a bear at Predators in Action wild animal training center made against a trainer.

3. Why don't we allow children to drive? Because it's dangerous. Why do we allow children to kill animals with loaded firearms? Good question. Though some folks argue that children can be trusted with firearms if trained properly, I don't think that helps the two men who were allegedly shot by one eight-year-old boy who had reportedly been taught how to use a deadly weapon to hunt animals.

2. After being jailed on burglary charges, a man was attacked by another inmate who chewed off a part of his ear (ewww!). What are the odds that something so disgusting and awful would happen to someone? To top it off, what are the odds that it would happen to a man who had previously been charged with cutting off a dog's ears?!

1. Proving that using a .44 Magnum to kill mice is not a good idea, a trailer park resident managed to shoot herself and a bystander while trying to fire at a rodent who was simply trying to share her space. Is anyone else stunned that two accidental injuries occurred? PETA's humane mousetrap, on the other hand, has never hurt a living soul.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

A bill passed by congress to turn people who oppose the torture of animals and destruction of the Earth into terrorists. This bill was design to "give law enforcement officials more power when dealing with animal rights activism".

So, apparently those who care about ALL sentient beings need to be dealt with in a harsher manner than those interested in torturing and causing violent pain upon these beings. Thanks America.

I've always felt as though I've been missing a part of myself...

But then I found it, in Johann Sebastian Bach's piece entitled "Toccata & Fugue in D-minor".

You complete me.

haha

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Utahn's opinions of homosexuality? **UPDATED

On the KSL News website here in Utah, you can post comments about the news stories posted. And every single time a story is posted that has anything to do with homosexuality, I see the most hateful, ignorant, and downright dangerous comments that exist on the website. I see how the normative view is in Utah, and it is a very sad thing. Below are a few of the comments taken directly from their comment board (also note that KSL moderates these comments, and doesn't allow words like "Fuck" or "Shit" or as far as I know, even words like "Damn," yet they allow words like "Fag" and so forth - it should also be notes that 20-to-1 of the comments is against homosexuality in general, not just against the marriage of homosexuals).

Comments from the KSL story: "Gay-rights group takes out ad in Prop 8 fight."

dragonempress writes:

Really... enough is enough. They want to make is legal to violate gods laws. ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! END OF STORY! If you didn't give them air time they wouldn't keep whining like the whiney little babies they are.

Its like a child who has stolen a cookie from the pantry and got caught... its wrong the child knows it... but they whine anyway...

Like it or not all you gay freaks out there... religious people will stand up for what is right whether or not you like it.

---

Ben D. writes:

How many times can you beat a gay horse. Er, I mean a dead horse???

---

denn034 writes:

They are a bunch of sore losers that're just trying to wear down people's resistance to it... Promoting the gay lifestyle can only lead to more AIDS infections as the recent spike in AIDS infections shows.

---

DJC 47 writes:

Give it a rest. We don't want it and you have no right to demand it. Just get on with your immoral lives and leave the rest of us out of it.

---

newsreader435 writes:

Homosexuals are just wacko in mind as well as body.

---

Cankerpuss writes:

I agree with you 100%. Homosexuality by and of itself leads to death of a society because homosexuals cannot naturally reproduce themselves. It's insanity to put same sex marriage on the same legal status of children producing hetero sexual marriages.

---

And finally,

I'm so sick of the homosexual mafia throwing crap around. This fight against prop 8 is going to backfire against the perverts.

It's time to let it die. Maybe the up and coming generation of vacuuos souls will give someone the right to marry anyone or anyTHING they want. Until then, accept your losses and just go away. Gays are only inflicting more pain on an already painful situation by not going quietly into the realms of the defeated.

UPDATE:

Here is a quote from the same site (ksl.com) on another news story about gay marriage.

Why can't these qweers just go away and go back in the closet where they belong?
by Sambecks C. @ 8:36pm - Fri Dec 19th, 2008
Geez, this is getting SO OLD!!!!! Homosexual activists are nothing but predators and they should be treated as such.

Monday, December 1, 2008

This concerns me.

Why is it that you have a better chance of having your named mentioned on the news (or in the newspaper) if you kill somebody (or are killed) than if you help somebody? Why is it that it is easier to find out who is on death row than to find out where the next great humanitarian project is happening?

Google News Search Results:

PERSON KILLED (38,000 results)
PERSON RESCUED (1,400)

Thursday, November 27, 2008

WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR

I am thankful that I am not the type of person who only thinks about what he's thankful for one day of the year.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Moral Sense Test (especially for post-secondary philosophy graduates)

http://moral.wjh.harvard.edu/eric1/test/testP.html

The above link is a "survey" of Experimental Philosophy directed primarily at philosophers who have graduate level degrees... think of it as "Experimental Ethics". I advise you take the time (15 min. or so) to answer the questions, whether or not you are a philosopher.

politicalcompass.org (try it!)


At www.politicalcompass.org you can answer a series of questions to see where you fit on this scale. Most conservatives score more to the liberal (left) side than most liberal politicians! Take it, let me know your results. My result is depicted by the image above.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Catholic Priest calls for repentance if you voted for Obama

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/11/17/nastasi.sc.priest.controversy.wspa

Obama is pro-choice, so if you voted for him and go to this church, you must repent. Somehow, though, if you voted for McCain (who supports killing BORN children in war), you don't have to repent.

Hmmm...

Saturday, November 15, 2008

A SIGN FROM GOD???



Most Christians who are anti-gay (marriage or otherwise) claim that homosexuality, and the acceptance of such, will bring a curse upon our country.

But it looks as though god is telling us otherwise. Gay marriage was banned this month in California and now half of the state is suffering from burning flames of fire (analogous to hell??). Is this a sign? YES! God is saying REINSTATE GAY MARRIAGE IMMEDIATELY OR HE'LL BURN YOU ALL!

California will pay for what they did. God is burning you all in hell RIGHT NOW for NOT supporting gay marriage!

Friday, November 14, 2008

WANTED: MORE PROTESTING

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
-- Abraham Lincoln





















Monday, November 10, 2008

The Price of Our Oil Addiction

This link provides audio commentary matched with pictures taken in Nigeria, which regard the oil companies in the area.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/10/what.matters.niger/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

http://whatmattersonline.com/

Also, bookmark this page.

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/planet.in.peril/

Unfortunately

We are a society that views human life in a matter of degrees.

Rich over Poor
Men over Women
Home owner over Homeless
White over Black
Straight over Gay


etc. x infinity.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Hate vs Love

Last word on this. I've lost a LOT of respect for the Mormon church for their influence upon the passing of Prop 8. I hope they enjoy the backlash and the reputation of a discriminative religion for hurting these people.

Quick thought about this:

If the government votes to go to war for no reason better than simply killing 1 MILLION civilians and fight and war on terror that can't be won, the Mormon church stands WITH this decision. Stands with HATE.

But if the government passes a law that gives adults more FREEDOM to LOVE whoever they love, the church stands AGAINST this. Stands against LOVE.

I'm very disappointed. Not like they will care. But when the Mormon church changes their opinion on this, much like in the way they changed their opinion on Polygamy and Racism against African-Americans, I hope some of their members will begin to see that they simply go with society, and not any type of god.

Many of my friends and family are LDS, but this is on thing that I cannot tolerate: hatred and discrimination. I'm very disappointed.

HOW CAN WAR BE LESS EVIL THAN LOVE?

Thursday, November 6, 2008

THIS MAN IS A KILLER!



This man was just convicted of killing a married couple on their yacht. According to CNN, the jury is recommending the Death Penalty and the victim's son is pleased with this. But does this man (pictured) deserve to be killed - even for the crime of murder?
Are we such an archaic society that we murder murderers - proving that we are no better? Are "we" so senseless and unforgiving as Christians that we want to send this man to Hell, rather than try to rehabilitate him and hope that he can get to a better place, regardless of whether he spends the rest of this life in prison? But this man killed somebody - two people in fact. So does he deserve death? Do we deserve to take the life of another human being, ever, in our judicial system? He is a murderer, no doubt, but he is still a human being. If we (as a society) choose to execute him, that is as premeditated of a murder as the murder committed by this man. Would you pull the trigger? Would you enjoy it? Or would you take pity on a lost soul and try to better him, and the world, in such a way that there remained a chance?

PROTEST BAN ON GAY MARRIAGE IN SALT LAKE!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=34322082542

Friday, November 7th (yes, that's technically today!), there will be a protest in Salt Lake City at North Temple and State St at 6pm. Go if you can! This will be a protest of Proposition 8 in California, which bans gay marriage in that state. The Mormon church is a large part of the reason why that past, so the protest will be primarily focused toward the Mormon Church (hence the location).


Again, show up if you can!

Here are some words about it.


http://www. sltrib. com/contents/ci_10918202

Have You Ever

HAVE YOU EVER contemplated suicide?—
owned a bicycle

that wasn’t yours?—
swam alongside creatures
who accept you

more so than you accept
them?—

inhaled the world around,
drawing closer to an
inanimate object?—

wished for

for

forgiveness?—
slept with your eyes open?—

experienced an out of body
experience,
by the mere fact that you are
inside another or
another inside you?—

have you ever truly loved someone
today?
how?

Proposition 8 PASSED in California

You stupid people. Go back to Nazi Germany or to the Dark Ages if you want to control who rational adults can love.

Suppressing LOVE? What the fuck kind of country are we? Besides a hateful, discriminative one.

Nov. 4 produced a couple of victories, and a milestone for America for sure. But unfortunately, not without the reminder that we still aren't past discrimination and hate IN GENERAL.

It's very disgusting to me. And I hope most of you will try and reexamine your lives to see if whatever it is you are doing is worthwhile. I hope that it is. I'm not so happy with my results. We could all do more.

I had more faith in California. Faith gets me nowhere though.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

For the Record


For the record, I'm very happy that Obama won. But not nearly as happy as I am that McCain lost and will, therefore, NOT be president.

Obama better make good on reducing troops, etc. etc. Democrats take the House and Senate, too. It's about time!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Reflecting Forward

Beneath the eyes
Of every madman
Lies a smiling child
Born decades too early

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Lyrics

Orbit Service - Thought You Should Know

my memory is a dream
and i fail to sleep
because i fail
to see the point

and in my midnight showdown
with the black black sky
i look upon your angel face
and for a moment
we are frozen
forever
for the moment

sometimes i can't see you through the fog
but i know you are there
when hand touches heart
it brings me back
when i'm lost
when i'm out there
nowhere
when i've lost my way
thought you should know
thought you should know

Things

Things I Used To Believe In:
-God
-America
-Free Will
-A Soul
-Language
-The Death Penalty
-Religion
-Hatred
-History
-Heaven
-Creativity

Monday, October 6, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Listen to Parachutes

I went and saw Sigur Ros last night and the opening band was Parachutes. The singer of Sigur Ros' partner is in the band, they are very good (they are the same genre as Sigur Ros, Icelandic style).

http://www.myspace.com/parachutesmakesongs

Click the link. Let me know what you think.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Vow of Silence

For anyone who reads this, I am taking a "vow" of silence (or experimenting with silence) tomorrow (Friday). So if I seem rude, this will be the reason.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Ideas about Language

In my class "Language, Most Dangerous of Possessions" we are speaking about how language contributes largely to our identity. From thinking about this I drew (with my lack of artistic talent) a picture of Elliott Smith (from the portrait of him standing in a black shirt, holding an umbrella), but instead of drawing with lines, I used only lyrics from his songs, album titles, or quotes of his (and once I used his name). I'm positive it won't show up in the picture with how small it will be, but I put a bigger copy up on a link (at the bottom) so hopefully you can click that and zoom up to see some of the letters/words/lyrics/language.

I'm obviously not "showing off" any type of talent in drawing, just a fun idea that I enjoyed bringing to life. I call it: "Elliott Smith, A Man of Many Words"



Link to a (hopefully) larger image of it: http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/JorgensPhotography/elliottsmithletter.jpg


Here is the original picture:

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

I just realized

I just realized that my last few posts have been about RADIOHEAD. This one is technically no different, either. However, I will begin to post about normal life soon. Here's a surprising hint (for those who know me), it'll probably be about one of the following things:

Language
The Brain
Psychology
Philosophy
Free Will
or
Music

Maybe I'll throw a curveball. Not likely. I'm not all that interesting lately. Homework, homework, homework.

Monday, September 1, 2008

RADIOHEAD in AUBURN (Corb Watch)

This was probably one of the bigger highlights of the Auburn, WA Radiohead show. I haven't even watched the video yet, but I'm posting it nonetheless.

Funny or Odd Thought

According to the news in Los Angeles, the Radiohead show Paige and I saw at the Hollywood Bowl in LA was also attended by Heather Graham (we saw her), Elijah Wood, Christina Aguilera, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tim Roth, Seth Green, and a few more (we're pretty sure that we saw Jim from The Office).

I don't really know why I'm posting this... other than the fact that I suppose it is cool that the previously mentioned "celebrities" enjoy some good music. I guess I've never been to a show that so many "famous" people have also attended. Weird to think about.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

First day of Fall 2008 semester in the books.

Paige enjoyed her first day of school, but she is now suffering the aftermath of homework. This semester appears to look promising thus far.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

RADIOHEAD VACATION!

OK, here is a brief summary of my vacation with Paige. I wanted to go more in depth - and maybe I will at a later time - but I start my next semester tomorrow and have too much to do.

So, we left Utah on Saturday, August 16th. We drove 12 hours to Portland, OR. where we stayed (just) one night. We walked around the city for about an hour and got back on the road.

We then drove 3 hours up to Seattle (actually Kent), WA. Both Paige and I agree that, out of the place we were able to visit on our road trip, Seattle was by far the best. The people were nice. Everything seemed to click. It was my favorite city aesthetically and it just felt right. I would love to live there. We stayed in Washington for 4 nights before continuing on, but before leaving, we were able to see RADIOHEAD for the first time ever! And I must say, it was the best show I have ever seen in my life. It was amazing. I will spare details as I am strapped for time (there will probably be grammatical errors by the dozens), but I managed to list the setlist below.

On the 21st - the morning after RADIOHEAD - we drove 7 hours to Grants Pass, OR. This place was terrible. Maybe we just had a bad experience, and it was nothing on its own, but the people were odd, the town was boring, and, other than some nice sites, it wasn't worth the stay. The hotel wasn't anything to brag about, and we were a even a bit scared for our safety at times. We only stayed here one night.

On the 22nd, we drove 9 hours into San Francisco. Unfortunately, we weren't able to spend much time here, either. We had to get to LA for the second RADIOHEAD show. We stayed in a fancy hotel that we were able to get on discount (Paige forgot her pillow, whoops!) and we spent about 4 hours the following day site seeing (hopefully pictures for the entire vacation will follow soon - we took almost 400!).

But most importantly, before we got to San Francisco we drove through (and stopped at) The Redwoods in Northern California. We saw the "Avenue of the Giants". It is worth posting a picture here.


After 4 hours in San Fran, we drove 6 hours to Los Angeles: the down where spray paint/graffiti covers EVERYTHING! LA was pretty cool, and we saw RADIOHEAD once again. The show was amazing, of course, but the Washington show was better. I've listed the setlist for this show below as well. Before the show we visit the Elliott Smith memorial wall (it was on the cover of his album "Figure 8". It's worth a picture (I told you there is graffiti on EVERYTHING).



The next morning, Aug. 25th, we drove 9 hours home. Exhausted and ready to rest. But alas, there is no rest anytime soon, as today we had to prepare for school, which starts tomorrow!

Enjoy the RADIOHEAD setlists. I hope more pictures will follow.


RADIOHEAD setlist for Auburn, WA, August 20, 2008.

15 Steps
Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Talk Show Host
National Anthem
The Gloaming
Videotape
Lucky
Faust Arp
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Climbing Up The Walls
Dollars & Cents
Nude
Body Snatchers

(Encore 1)

How TO Disappear Completely
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Idioteque
In Limbo
Street Spirit (fade out)

(Encore 2)

You And Whose Army?
No Surprises
Everything In Its Right Place

--

RADIOHEAD setlist for Los Angeles, CA, August 24th, 2008.

15 Step
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Nude
Weird Fishes/Apreggi
The Gloaming
The National Anthem
Wolf At The Door
Faust Arp
Exit Music (for a Film)
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Idioteque
Climbing Up The Walls
Bodysnatchers
How To Disappear Completely

(Encore 1)

Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars & Cents
Street Spirit
Rechoner

(Encore 2)

House Of Cards
Lucky
Everything In Its Right Place

PS: At the Washington show Thom messed up and it was pretty funny. Here's a video for it (thanks Paige).

Saturday, August 23, 2008

RADIOHEAD ONCE AGAIN

Hello from San Francisco, CA. We're leaving the hotel in about 20 minutes to explore this city, then drive to Los Angeles a little later in the day - where we will see Radiohead for a second time this trip. I can't wait.

Anyway, Radiohead put a video up of them driving to the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation (where we saw Radiohead the first time on this trip) in Washingon (White River Amphitheater).

We drove this exact same route to get to the venue as well.


Find more videos like this on w.a.s.t.e. central

Thursday, August 21, 2008

QUICK BLURB

Really quick, because we're on the road (leaving Seattle to drive 7 hours to Grants Pass, OR)

This is Paige and I at the Radiohead show in Auburn, WA - going crazy.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Preparing for Euphoria

In less than a week Paige and I will see Radiohead for the first time ever. I don't know if I've ever been so excited for anything. This will be one of those life-changing events for sure.

So, for preparation, I will listen to no other music (by my own free will) until after the first show.


BATTLE IN SEATTLE

Here is a trailer for the new film entitled Battle in Seattle. It is about the 1999 protests of the World Trade Organization. It struck my curiosity. What do you think?

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Language

Beginning August 27th, I will embark on my new academic path with the Integrated Studies program at Utah Valley University. First and foremost on the itinerary, Scott Abbott and Alex Caldiero will be teaching the course: Language, Most Dangerous of Possessions. This will prove to be an amazing experience, I'm sure.



After that class I will have a Buddhist Philosophy course, which will specifically focus on the works from the Dalai Lama. This course will be taught by Wayne Hanewicz.

Then, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I will have Philosophy of Metaphysics with Chris Weigel and Intro to Psychology with James Cameron. These to courses will kickstart my integrated academic experience in philosophy of mind and psychology/physiology of the brain.

If anyone happens to be in these classes already (or interested in them), let me know.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Brothers Enjoying the Rain

These are two of our cats. They are brothers. It's just beginning to rain the lightest of sprinkles.

My Personality Type

Your Type is
INTJ
IntrovertedIntuitiveThinkingJudging
Strength of the preferences %
561008856

Qualitative analysis of your type formula

You are:
  • moderately expressed introvert
  • very expressed intuitive personality
  • very expressed thinking personality
  • moderately expressed judging personality
Other INTJs include:
Alan Greenspan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Niels Bohr, Peter the Great, Stephen Hawking, John Maynard Keynes, Lise Meitner, Ayn Rand and Sir Isaac Newton are examples of Rational Masterminds.

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.


WHICH TYPE ARE YOU?

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

If you take (or retake) this test, post the results on your blog and give me a link to them. I'm very interested.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

English Lyrics to Sigur Ros song

Sigur Ros - Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa

I let myself flow onwards
I swim through my mind back and forth
My soul still sings the song we once wrote
Together
We once had a dream
We had everything
We rode to the end of the world
We rode on searching
We climbed skyscrapers
But they were all destroyed
The peace is gone now
I lack balance, I fall down
Still, I let myself flow onwards
I swim through my mind
But I always come back
To the same place
There is nothing left to say
This is for the best
God will provide a day
For us…
Tomorrow

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Movie News

Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream & The Fountain) is set to direct the new installment of Robocop. I am not sure how I feel about this, but I really love this director.

Thoughts?

Monday, July 28, 2008

On the Horizon...

Here are a few things I have to look forward to.

First off, I no longer have a job. I don't have to work (for at least 8 more months, and hopefully for a few more years). I am extremely pleased about this.

Next, Paige's 20th birthday is August 10th. It'll be awesome!

Then, just 6 days after Paige's birthday, we both leave for our double-edged Radiohead vacation. We'll be leaving the 16th of August, staying a night or two in Portland, OR, then 3 or 4 nights in Seattle, WA (the last of which will be after we both see Radiohead for the first time ever!), then we'll drive down the coast to visit the Redwood Forests; from there we'll stay a night in somewhere close to the Redwoods--probably Crescent City, CA--then from there we are driving and staying a night in San Francisco, CA, then it is on to Los Angeles, CA for the second Radiohead show! We will stay in LA for two nights--as the plan currently tells us--and then drive home just in time to have a day off before school starts. Which brings me to the next thing I have to look forward to...

The Fall Semester of school. New major, University status (big deal, right?) and the best of all... Paige's first semester of college!

Corb, I wish you could drive out to Washington with us and see Radiohead, but I understand the reason(s) why you cannot. Any luck with a job?

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

College Changes

A couple of changes have taken place this month at my school and for myself.

First off, Utah Valley State College became Utah Valley University. I'm not sure if this will affect my collegiate career in any way, but regardless, I am happy about the transformation.

Secondly, I have switched my major for the last time ever. And I've never been more excited about school.

The degree I am pursuing is a BA in Integrated Studies with emphases in Philosophy and Psychology.

Now, I realize on the surface this seems rather pointless. What will a degree in Integrated Studies get me, right? I mean, isn't it just a Bachelors degree in General academics with two minors pretty much? No. It's so much more.

At first, I thought that very thing. I thought, why would somebody pursue a major that is really just two minors? Here is the answer: Experience and Grad School preparation.

In this program I will take integrated studies courses, 21 psychology credits and 24 philosophy credits (a major in philosophy only contains 37 philosophy credits). The difference in this program? Research! The student of integrated studies is required to do a one year research project in their senior year. This includes independent research that is guided by a faculty committee - chosen by the student. This senior thesis can be anything from making a documentary film, to making an album, to writing an argumentive paper, to designing a magazine.

My senior thesis will be a research paper that will be 60-70 pages in length. This paper will integrate the two disciplines I am studying (philosophy and psychology) and will pay special attention to the anatomical and physiological processes of the brain and how free will plays into this equation. My definitive thesis is yet to be decided (I must take Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Physiological Psychology, and Cognitive Science courses first), but will most likely deal an attempt to find empirical and quantitative evidence for free will or determinism within the physical aspects of the mind, and how, if such a metaphysical process exists, how the possibility hinges on the physical processes of the brain.

This research will be exciting and will help me prepare for graduate school like nothing else could. The faculty committee will consist of three professors (who will rip my apart for the next three years of my life). These three professors will be David Yells of the Psychology department - he is also the Dean of the School of Humanities; Christine Weigel of the Philosophy department - she is also the Department Chair of the Philosophy department; and either Scott Abbott (PhD in German Literature from Princeton and Chair of the IS program) or Mark Jeffreys (PhD in English from Emory and another PhD in Anthropology from the UofU).

Needless to reiterate, I have never been more excited about my academic setting. Wish me luck.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Radiohead's Revolutionary Video

In Radiohead's new video for "House of Cards", no cameras or lights were used. Instead, 3D plotting technologies collected information about the shapes and relative distances of objects. The video was created entirely with visualizations of that data.


Friday, July 18, 2008

The Dark Knight

This is not a movie review, this is all I am saying.

GO SEE THE DARK KNIGHT IN THEATRES!

It won't disappoint. I, like many people, bought into all the media hype - especially after the death of Ledger (though I was looking forward to the film beforehand, as were many) - and I had higher expectations than I should have; especially for an action film that is also a comic book film, since I am not a fan of either. However, it exceeded my expectations and then some!

This is not the average action movie where the villain talks for an hour and then doesn't end up doing much of anything. This movie is as realistic of a comic book movie you can get.

Last points:

Heath Ledger did an amazing job. It's too bad he won't be able to receive the acclaim he deserves.
Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Aaron Eckhart (etc.) were all great as well. It held my interest the entire time.

GO SEE IT! You shouldn't regret it.

PS: It does have some semi-shocking imagery for a PG-13, but nothing that would constitute an R rating really (though they could have pushed for an R). But it's all just makeup folks!


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Did you know...

Did you know that the drug company Bayer first marketed heroin as a non-addictive cough syrup? They only relinquished the sale of this "cough syrup" when they discovered aspirin - which was much more effective and less harmful to the patients.

You see, businessmen aren't ALWAYS at the bottom of the list.

Monday, July 14, 2008

DO YOU REALIZE?

Do you realize...

That the brain forms at 250,000 neurons per minute while you are in the womb, and continues to form until you are five years old (most of it completed by the time you are two)?

Most people fill the first couple of years with Teletubbies. This is actually the best time to introduce languages (other than your own) to the child. The brain is born with a blank slate and begins making neural connections from birth. By the age of five, many of the connections are made - and permanent - and by the age of twenty your brain slowly begins to disintegrate (your learning ability disintegrating along with it). A two year old's brain is literally making language connections every minute, and if you don't feed that brain with good food and information, it will lose the chance forever.

Think about it.


Wednesday, July 9, 2008

LIFE IS A CONTRADICTION!

There is no proof for what you believe, and if there is, the person who is better at speech will steal it away from you. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL! This must never be considered a cliché phrase; because it is the only truth we have left on this Earth. We are walking contradictions. We pass by endless other entities with hopes that one day we will find some other thing that contradicts itself in the same sense we do.
I feel like screaming into the streets, “DO YOU FEEL LIKE I DO?” But I’m not certain if anybody would leave his or her television set to reply—even if the answer was a resounding “no”. The answer seems to sing “no” to my mind very often, because nobody seems to feel anything anymore. Nobody seems to FEEL. Our society has moved into the realm of artificiality. We have artificial nature—streams don’t run like that, trees don’t grow like that. We have artificial reality—TV. We have artificial intelligence—almost. And now, we have artificial emotions. Who do you care about? Who cares about you? Do you love somebody? Is humankind worth fighting for? Is life? Or can we just turn off the television?
We are becoming more and more like Plato’s cave-dwellers, presented in the famous allegory. And you know what?

IT PISSES ME OFF!

Life is too important to waste. Television is NOT real. Your school is NOT real. Your pricey handbag, your religion, your frets and worries, your goals, your aspirations, your sense of humanity, your EVERYTHING!!! These things are NOT real… unless you choose them to be as such. This is what free will means. This is what life is. It’s a choice. Unfortunately, the majority of us now choose artificial life.

Go swimming. Have sex. Eat ice cream with your siblings. Pet your cat. This isn’t The Sims unless you choose it to be.

This is your life, and it’s ending one minute at a time.


I would never pray for humanity, because I am no longer a religious person. But if you are, then you should. And if you are not, you should hope. And whether you are religious or not, you should all get off your asses and do something. Even if you can't stop what's coming, you can try to. And more importantly, you can embrace a non-artificial life until you no longer have it.


THIS IS MY GIRLFRIEND


THIS IS MY THREE LEGGED CAT


THIS IS HER SISTER


THIS IS TWO BROTHERS


THIS IS INSPIRATIONAL (albeit artificial)


THIS IS THE SETTING SUN


THIS IS A GIRL TAKING A PICTURE OF A CLOUD BUNNY


THIS IS MY CONNECTION TO NATURE


WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LIVE FOR?


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

CURRENT INTERESTS:

The Mind/Brain
Philosophy of Mind/Cognitive Science
Metaphysics (mostly Free Will and Personal Identity)
Evolutionary Biology
Memetics
Religion/Bible Studies
Language
Evolutionary Psychology
Buddhism
Rhetorical Theory
Edgar Allan Poe
Feminist Movements
The August Vacation
U.S. Government Corruption
and of course... PAIGE!

We Need a Brain THEORY!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Two Days before D.C.

Corbrett moved to Washington DC on July 4th (2008, in case this blog lasts a long time)... this picture was taken (by Paige) two days previous to that - outside of Sensuous Sandwich.





It's actually not a bad picture. As usual, I'm talking out of my ass and Corb is ignoring the hot air.