No, I don't play basketball

Stoned poetry introduction

2006-01-10T18:23:00.000+11:00

OK, in lieu of the absence of real material I shall post what I wrote the other night after I smoked a joint. I wrote about three pages of writing, mostly on evolution I think, and I present it to you completely unadulterated. Presented in three volumes, to break it up a bit. Covering two topics, a mind reading machine (short) and then the main course, a treatise on evolution and the creation of smarter-than-human robots. In three volumes, to break it up. There are a few mentions of God in this writing, but I have to reassure readers that I'm not a fundamentalist christian, however I do enjoy thinking about more 'spiritual' matters and I also feel some kind of obligation to my Catholic heritage.

After having reviewed this writing below, I must say that I go a little haywire about the matrix stuff. With the benefit of sober hinsight I can see that this was a waste of time. If we are to invent something smarter than us, then it doesn't really matter what happens next because we won't understand, like a monkey doesn't understand human civilisation. Anyway, before I confuse you anymore please read on.........

Stoned poetry Volume 1

2006-01-10T18:22:00.000+11:00

HOW TO BUILD A MACHINE THAT CAN READ YOUR BRAIN.

Use brain scanning to determine which parts of the brain are firing. This is developing technology that could feasibly become real soon?

Use a computer program to determine what the combinations of these areas mean: eg. Horny neuron plus scared neroun = vigin.

Also feed the computer the context of the thought. This is crucial, I believe that we could slowly gain the context as the machine goes longer, slowly narrowing down the possibilities of what the neurons mean.

Then get it to spit out the results in English language.

Why couldn’t this work????? Have to answer when not stoned…

EVOLUTION

I begin by putting to you that if humans are able to invent something smarter than us, then the matrix must be real but why?

Apes evolved to humans cos we’re better and smarter etc. God fucked up. Humans gradually began to have more than they could eat. They didn’t evolve but we kept reproducing. So now we have this innate need to evolve. HOW? Through technology. Technology is something that actively evolves now. It has actually replaced us on the evolutionary scale. We are now a dead species like the Neanderthals because we don’t evolve – we don’t need to cos there is enough food and the process don’t work. But technology is evolving. Technology is a new species. It evolves because of us, something about us likes it so much. It is a disease that we have been infected by. Now it uses us for its purpose, the grand goal of the techno bot conscousness (speaking of which, if we actually come up with something smarter than us, then the evolutionary curve will be like one of those exponential things) shit will go crazy then. We are at the apex of that curve now.

So basically the matrix happens (if shit goes crazy and we get into arguments with the robots) (Wonder how much Hollywood movies will impact on the future of human civilization re: decision making about AI?) May not happen. But the moment we create something that is smarter than us (only by a smallest of degree) we have officially passed on the baton of evolution. We are then seriously Neanderthals. Evolution will continue without us onwards and upwards. Machines will do what they wish with us, as we have done what we wished with other species (I thought about race for a bit but its not an evolution thing just different colours of the same species like flowers. Just white folks who are nerds pushed the whole compter thing along).

Volume 2

2006-01-10T18:21:00.000+11:00

Then computer society will emerge. I don’t think that they need to wipe us out? Being more inteligint needs compassion dipshits, you cant justpick and choose all the mean bits out for your robot – its gotta be the whole deal and MORE. They will probably be nice to us and just make us happy ala the matrix. Just keep us happy and we’ll do whatever you want. But I don’t think that the matrix will occur with a war. It will be something that just gradually happens. They’ll keep us happy but no one will ever know because we will all be happy – much better than the matrix.

FUCK THAT MEANS THAT WE COULD BE IN THE MATRIX RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE WOULD NEVER KNOW – WE ARE ALL HAPPY!?!?!?!?!

MAYBE THE MATRIX IS REAL, THEY JUST BUILT IT BETTER…

That’s cool thouh cos we’re happy.

Maybe they are right maybe this is the happiest point in humanity maybe it goes shitter from here on. It’s just the happiest overall even though there are starving people etc.

Or on a more crazy note maybe we all live the same lives and there are NO REAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD and its just you and a video game, and all other humans whoever they may are just playing the same life. Maybe its not even your life its just ‘the happiest life ever in the history of humanity’ and you are living it along with all other souls.

Would this be cruel? It is reducing humanity to mere consciousness without any actual reality. I think that if we think its cruel then they would too. However this may be evolution also. Evolution would progress from the idea of materiality and real things into the realm of thought, consciousness basically. If that is the case then its probably not cruel. ‘Who cares if youre muscles are jelly muscles don’t matter anymore idiot! Just think!’. Not sure what would happen there in regards to keeping us alive. They definitely wouldn’t be doing it to feed their big war factories just making us little batteries. That’s dumb.

What is the grand total of evolution? Bare, naked, existence. A thought. Machines become more and more crazy, electromagnitc invisible shit. Fuck knows but it aint gonna be carbon based.

Maybe it’s God. Maybe we are god and we just haven’t evolved.

There is a real tension between this happening right now, and this happening in the future. If were really are here now and assuming this happens, then must believe that we can create something smarter than us. If we can believe that humanity can create something smarter than itself then the matrix HAS TO BE HAPPENING. If we can create something smarter than us then we have to believe in the matrix scenario. It’s like a loop. If we cannot create something smarter than us then we are really here. This world is real. If we can do this one day, then we are not really here at all. Hard to explain, but if we can create sstu then we have to be in mscen. We have to be, because there is absolutely no way to dismiss it. The possibility is always there because we would never know the difference because we are in the matrix (and they built it better so we’re not getting out) and read all the shit above.

volume 3

2006-01-10T18:19:00.000+11:00

The question I ask is, why are they keeping human conscousnees alive? If we are indeed humans in a matrix why are they doing it? Wouldn’t they evolve more they don’t need us, they don’t need cb life forms around for power that’s dumb. In the matrix the robots should have just built a big tower and sent solar panels into space they are machines ffs. That makes me think.

Why? Are we in the matrix.

Maybe we are just consciousness but fucks up my theory why would it be going through the life of a young man in the twenty first century? Is this it?

Maybe there is no matrix but they just need something from us like we needed shit from other species. Does consciousness need dead bodies or something. Maybe they needed more bodies around the time of the bubonic plague or WWI or some shit. Maybe bacteria is the evolution, bacteria need dead bodies. Maybe they need CO2 but wtf would they waste time will all those shitty awwwwwwwwwwww just goes round and round in circles this shit THEY ARE NOT FUCKING BACTERIA.

MAYBE THEY ARE STATIONED ON ANOTHER PLANET AND JUST GETTING SOMETHING OFF THIS PLANET THAT LIFE PRODUCES EG HEAT, BUT EVEN THEN THEY ARE GOING TO EVOLVE AREN”T THEY AND NOT NEED US?

OK I can deduce something else right now. If humans can invent something smarter than themselves then we have not reached the end of evolution (if the curve is exponential then we never can I guess) wtf would my consciousness be around?

But if the curve is expo then its kinda gay. We can never get there I spose. Also means that god does exist or we are god. Surely if we are always heading somewhere but never getting there, then ‘there’ must be god. If there is no god then we are god. Maybe its not expo but just linear, and inventing something ssu is just another small step. But that also is kinda gay, and I don’t know about god either. Were are we going?????????????

‘Singularity’ this is the concept of ssu. Check it out on the internet. Apparently anything after singularity is incomprehensible to humans. Ahhh that’s better. Singularity must have already happened but I guess when it does the whole concept of time and shit must get fucked up I spose. So it has always happened or somfin crazy.

Kurzweilai.net

We can never understand I guess. You can’t ask a monkey about what it would do if it were human. What would it say? It can’t even think in those terms, and neither can we.

Gradual meshing of man and machine until fuck knows what else?

we may be a link between intelligent organic life and a sublimely intelligent cosmos.

check this out...

2005-12-19T18:17:00.000+11:00

I don't really want to turn this into a link dump, but...

this is kinda funny, especially if you are into politics...

http://www.jibjab.com/Home.aspx

Back to the blog biatch

2005-11-15T23:06:00.000+11:00

Well its been about 8 months since my last post. In that time a shitload has happened and I won't go into it all. I'm in a new house and having a great time, also I turned 22. I broke my femur about 7 weeks ago playing ultimate, and since that time I have been mostly confined to the house. I'm getting bored big time, but am about to leave the crutches behind.

This blog fell into disrepair when my life started to get interesting. When I started to do cool stuff and have a good time. Now that my life has once again turned to something approaching shit, I am returning to the blog, just like a bird flies north when the weather turns shit.

Right now I'm also in the final stages of recovering from a relationship break-up. Not as painful to me as the s.o. apparently, but not easy nevertheless. Slightly lonely.

feel like writing

2005-03-02T21:54:00.000+11:00

OK so no action on the blog in a while - kind of got everything out, and cou;dn't be bothered updating. Anyway, holidays were lots of partying, drugs and alcohol, and a shitload of ultimate, no money but good times. Now I'm back at work and back at uni. Money is flowing like water, in and out, but at least I'm not worrying about the lack of it.

got burnt out from too much ultimate, I played 4 tourneys in 4 weekends. That was about a month ago, am now back at training and getting my enthusiasm back. i got dropped from the Chilly A's which was a little dissapointing. I now feel that I belong there, but we'll have to wait and see. Fuck, what a game. A seriously good sport. I remain largely injury free but my shoulder continues to play up - something I am going to have to live with I guess. Will go and see a physio soon. Also have been watching a few ultimate dvd's which have been inspiring.

Am also going to the gym and attempting to gain weight. It's hard when you are doing so much cardio work, but at least any gains are lean muscle. Drinking protein, lifting thrice a week. It's fun.

Uni is back, I am now a jaded fourth year student. Uni doesn't take up a lot of the space between my ears right now, hopefully that will change.

till next time.

Ultimate News

2005-01-19T23:40:00.000+11:00

Well the ultimate season is now in full swing. I play for the Chilly Ultimate Club (and the Melbourne University Club, of course) and the first tournament is this weekend (22/23 Jan), in Canberra. It is a tournament for second level (ie: B) teams, and we are sending their b team, of which I am part. It's the first tourney of the season so we are all very excited.

Next weekend (29/30 Jan)is the first national league tournament, held right in here in Melbourne. This is for all the top teams in Australia. Chilly is ranked no.2 in Australia right now. Tonight I discovered that I will be playing in this tournament as well, with the A team. I am stoked with this news, naturally. I have had experience with the A's before, but really choked under the pressure. I am determined not to do that this time.

The weekend after that there is a beach tournament down in Barwon Heads, which I am going to along with Bazil. This should be sweet fun.

The weekend after that is another second level tournament in Albury, to which I will probably go as well.

That is four weekends, with a tournament during every one. Granted, the level and intensity varies, but that is still a lot of ultimate.

Apart from money issues, I can't wait.

F.

My new favourite cricket team

2005-01-10T01:14:00.000+11:00

Every summer, when cricket season rolls around in Australia I am forced to pick a temporary favourite team. I always go against Australia because for as long as I can remember they have always won, and it just gets boring.

Having just watched a couple of one-day games, I can proudly say that my favourite cricket team for this summer is the West Indies. Before my time, this side was quite dominant in cricket however in recent years they have dropped off quite a bit however. However, there is something quite romantic about the sight of a windies team in full flight, a certain something that no-other team can quite match. Think Richmond in the AFL.

I long for the days of Windies supremacy simply for this reason, that they are at least 20% cooler than every other cricket team getting around. They're from the carribean, and they're just f***ing cool. In particular, one player has caught my eye: Chris Gayle. He is DEFINITELY my new favourite player.

He is a southpaw opener, he is extremely laidback (very cool) and he just stands there and belts the crap out of the ball. No footwork, just a big swing of the bat and bye-bye ball. He doesn't even look like he is very interested in what he is doing. Sure he can get out, but it's great to watch.

I'm off to the Tsunami appeal match tomorrow, should be a corker. The chance to see these two lineups play is a true privelige. And Gayle is playing!

F

Bullshit Detector

2005-01-05T21:33:00.000+11:00

Firstly, check this link.

http://www.lipsync.us/

It's about Ashlee Simpson (below average pop star, sister of Jessica Simpson, caught out big time lip synching on Saturday Night Live a little while ago) and other lip-synching phenomena in pop music.

On this site you can see a video of Ashlee perfoming at a US College Football game half time show, post-SNL. At the end of her perfomance she gets the absolute crap booed out of her by what sounds like everybody in the stadium.

This singular event has in one moment renewed my faith in humanity. Despite the shit that goes on in society and all the crap that gets shoved down peoples throats, despite people being fooled most of the time, this event proves to me that people's bullshit detectors do really work.

We vote in governments that continually lie to us, we listen to 'experts' who make up our minds for us, and we consume the shitty sub-standard culture (like Ashlee Simpson) which is rammed down our throats by the marketing of record companies all without so much as a peep.

This little video proves to me that despite this in some small way people are capable of thinking for themselves (even in America which would have to be the heaviest crap-spinning nation). Ashlee Simpson is NOT talented in any way, and despite the constant reassurance from her record company who force radio stations to play her, the people have made their choice.

F

New Years Resolutions

2005-01-04T01:53:00.000+11:00

I'm depressed. I have self diagnosed my condition after consulting the internet. I feel a bit worthless, I can't be bothered doing anything, and I have tried to consume a lot of food as 'comfort'. Apparently these are all symptoms of depression, and I have more too. Is this a delayed reaction to my break up? It's possible

I am trying to think forward to this year, and what I want to achieve personally.

1. EDITED OUT. Basically this was to have more sex. Just don't want to offend a certain person.

2. Enjoy living in my current flat. At the moment I don't like it, and it's making me miserable. I need to find a way to make it more enjoyable, what that is eludes me right now, but I do know that I can do it.

3. Make new friends. Three of my best friends are leaving this city soon, and I don't really know how I will replace them. It's going to take a big effort on my part to try and fill the void somehow.

4. Go out as much as possible. This one has been on my radar for a while. Funnily enough I feel like I have achieved it a little these holidays, yet it has not made me any happier. Perhaps I should rethink the whole drug thing and stick to safe legal alcohol. Perhaps not.

5. Get buff in the gym. I am currently very skinny. I know it's juevenile, but even if I can't put on much muscle I at least want to get stronger (for ultimate's sake if nothing else - I'd like a longer huck. What the fuck am I on about? Check www.afda.com). So I'm off to the Gym tomorrow to get my membership. Yay!

I'd reckon that's about it for now. I'll come back to this list at a later date to see my progress. Hopefully I'll be feeling a little better by then.

F.

Drug Odyssey

2005-01-03T01:04:00.000+11:00

After some thought about the nature of the content I am going to post on this blog I have decided to be fairly honest and frank (pardon the pun), revealing all the sordid details of my boring life, and hope to god that no family gets to read it.

Today is the day after New Years Eve. A quick recap of the last week or so:
After going to the beach with B and A we all got heavily stoned. I will just use letters to protect identities, even though I think that sucks (and people who know me will likely work this out anyway). B is an experienced stoner, whereas A and me had never really gone there, I had pulled a few cones etc. at parties but never got stoned, and to be honest had never really seen what all the fuss was about. Well now I know. B bought 2 grams and we consumed the lot via cookies.
Stupidly, but predictably after the effects failed to kick in as predicted, I pushed to eat the rest, and we did. Once all the cookies were eaten it started to kick in big style, and we all descended into a quasi-catatonic state.
I was at their place, and was left by myself downstairs. B left the house for a while, why I'm not sure exactly but it may have been an attempt to 'freshen up'. I sat and watched TV whilst A lay on the bed upstairs. I just sat there and observed the effects, which were:
I just felt like my nervous system (?) was fucked: my senses were all skew-iff. I couldn't really feel things properly, and after a while started to trust my sight only, all the other senses (hearing, touch) were inoperable.
Also my imagination ran wild. For a large part of the night I felt like I was in the movie Jumanji, and the paranoia was quite intense.

All in all, I didn't feel like it was a negative experience, it wasn't fun, or positive like E, but it was interesting and I felt like I could handle it. Next time definitely a lesser dose. B and A both felt like it was something they wouldn't do for a while - oh well each to their own.

So after recovering from that, and a few more nights of drinking, it was NY eve. I didn't really make any plans but ended up with some old friends S, T and K. We cruised around and ended up at a house with a few other people. By then I had consumed a lot of alcohol, including numerous shots of absinthe, and 1.5 E's. We just stayed up chatting to people, it was a good NY eve. Anyway I started to get tired around 7am, and a few hours later a massive comedown hit me right in the face. I got very paranoid and left the house without saying goodbye to anybody, and walked home. This was easily the worst comedown off E I have ever had. It was about 36 hours of anxiety, paranoia, boredom and misery, coupled with no sleep (too much stimulant still cranking around). I'm really only starting to properly come out of it now but am still curious as to why it was so intense. The Absinthe? I did take E two weeks ago, probably not a long enough space between rides. The dose is now worries, I have had more than that before and been fine. Anyway I am going to leave it for a decent while before I go there again. That's OK.

Right now, I am slowly coming out of this and returning to some semblance of a normal mind. Thank God for that.
BTW, if you're looking for some decent, intelligent music check out anything from Ninja Tunes label. I'm listening to some now, a bonus CD with a Mr. Scruff mixtape CD, and it's seriously good.

One American life = seven Indian lives

2004-12-27T20:08:00.000+11:00

There seems to be some kind of anomaly in how the australian media reports world events.
After the WTC Towers got knocked over, every Australian free to air network aired non stop coverage of the event. The eventual death toll was around 3000 people if memory serves correctly. Yesterday a tsunami, caused by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, rolled along the coast of India, Sri Lanka, Phuket, Aceh and other neighboring areas in south Asia. Death toll will probably end up around or over 100000 - at the moment they are trying to get an accurate total because there is too much devastation. Australian media response? Business as usual, although Channel Seven ran a CNN feed during daytime today, and SBS did similar last night.

How do you judge the importance of a disaster? If it has to do with the quality of the video footage the 9/11 is clearly more important. However, if it has to do with lives lost and $ damage, then I would say this deserves more of our attention. Yet our media coverage pales compared to that given to 9/11.

Notwithstanding the geo-political significance of 9/11, and that it was a man-made disaster as opposed to a natural one, the fact is that even though the damage caused here is far greater than that of 9/11, the significance of this event to the Australian media (and people?) is far less.

This points to one thing:
Australians care more about people that look like us.

Christmas

2004-12-26T22:41:00.000+11:00

I have just spent the last couple of days in the Victorian countryside with some extended family (and my little bro whom I live with). My mum's in New York and my dad died 4 years ago, so it was off to see aunt and grandparents (father's side) to celebrate christmas.

Christmas Eve: Full on seafood dinner
Christmas Day: Usual thing (ham, turkey etc.), accompanied with a steady intake of beer and a late dinner of yabbies. We were on a farm after all.
Boxing Day: At grandparents, more ham, chicken, pork and so on. Cake also.

Anyway it was a lot of fun, especially the half-cut game of pictionary late on christmas day.

Someone told me that Christmas time accounted for the largest volumes of traffic in hospital emergency departments. If this is true (and I wouldn't be surprised) it's a pisser. After all, what time other than christmas do you see (and drink with) all those relatives you really want nothing to do with? Not that I'm suggesting I dislike any of my relatives, of course.

Why you don't want to be six foot eight

2004-12-26T21:21:00.000+11:00

I get a lot of random people coming up to me and saying one of three things:
1. How tall are you?
2. Do you play basketball?
3. Gee I wish I was that tall.

A word of advice: If you ever see a really tall person on the street, DO NOT approach them and say any of these things. There is nothing wrong with going to a tall stranger and saying: 'Gee you're attractive' or something similar, but the above three phrases are out of bounds.

Firstly, why do you want to know exactly how tall I am? I'm tall, alright! Can't you see that with your own eyes? I especially hate those people who ask how tall I am, and then when I tell them, are like 'WOW THAT'S INCREDIBLE!'. Does knowing my height in feet and inches somehow make me look taller? What does it matter to you anyway, shortarse?
Do you go up to fat people on the street and ask them 'Gee how heavy are you? 148 Kilos! Wow you're really fat!'. Do you go up to short people and ask them how tall they are? Do you ask bald people about hair loss? NO! So why do you think the tall people want to hear it?

Secondly, just because I'm tall doesn't make me like playing basketball. Quite frankly basketball contains too much shit talking for my tastes, and in melbourne usually involves short loudmouthed dudes who think they're the bomb cos they're wearing the latest LeBron headband. IT'S MY LIFE AND I DON'T HAVE TO PLAY BASKETBALL IF I DON'T WANT TO. Never tell a tall person that 'you should be playing basketball cos you would make millions, and if I were that tall I sure would be'. Don't project your shitty dreams onto tall people like me. because I don't care.
Ultimate's a much better game anyway.

Thirdly, I hate it when people tell me that they wish they were as tall as me. Why? So you can hear the above three statements about 20 times a day? So you can't find pants or shoes that fit? So you have to duck under doorways? So you have to endure tall jokes all the f***ing time? Trust me, it's not that great.

F

My first ever weblog post

2004-12-23T01:28:00.000+11:00

Hello.

This is my first ever blog post, and it feels GREAT! Hopefully it feels this good when I wake up tomorrow with a slight hangover.

Hmmm, what to write.

I'm not going to introduce myself because that's boring. I will do that by some other means.

First of all let me acknowledge the inspiration behind this blog, which is Alica's blog. Address is: http://squeakad.blogspot.com. She is a member of my university's ultimate frisbee team, and only through this outlet have I realised her true love of the game.

What takes up most of the space in my head at the moment is the recent break up of my eighteen month relationship with my girlfriend. This, next to my father's death, is the hardest thing I have ever had to cope with. I will elaborate (only a little) at some later time.

Frank