Notes

William James's four marks of mystical experience:

1. Ineffability--'it defies expression...its quality must be directly experienced.'
   
2. 'Noetic quality'--mystical states present themselves as states of knowledge
   
3. Transience
   
4. Subjective passivity--they cannot be controlled by the experiencer

From The Varieties of Religious Experience

http://cryptome.org/diebold-fix-vote/lists.tgz Diebold Vote Fixing E-Mail (11.5MB)

Comic Of The Day: iTunes For Windows

Kiss and tell

From Wicked Thoughts, via SCSU Scholars, comes a story about a private school where senior girls were kissing the restroom mirror after putting on lipstick, leaving prints that had to be cleaned every night. Finally, the principal called the girls to the restroom.

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers, and then there are educators.

Ghost Story

The Pool in the Graveyard

"By this corner of the graveyard the red dawn discovered to Jonas a little pool of clear water, with mosses and parsley-ferns all around it, and so clear and cool-looking that he must drink. The larger part of it was still shadowed by the wall. On knees and hands, he put his lips to it and drank. The refreshment was wonderful. He rose with a sense that he should find the lost sheep yet and bring her home. He looked down once more into the clear pool. It was wider than he had thought - indeed, he had been mistaken; it was a great tarn on the mountain-side! Then he saw that wonderful things were happening on the face of and all round the water. What appeared to be little glow-worms were lying motionless in groups on the mosses in a still-shadowed region by the side of the water. From beneath a low arch in the wall, where the water was slowly flowing away in a river, there came, against stream and wave and wind, a fishing-boat. Its great red sail was spread, and its pennant shone silvery blue in the sun. It came alongside a pier of mossy stones, and cast anchor. From it leapt twelve strong young fishermen, all with bright faces. They took up the little creatures with the glowing lights, and carried them aboard; then back again to other groups, until all were gathered in. For they were all sleeping human forms, close-wrapped in grave-clothes, but with their light still living, as might be seen by anyone who had suffered. When all were safe aboard, the men cast off and the boat disappeared under the arch."
- Greville MacDonald

Why have an emblem at all?

To some hackers, having an emblem might smack too much of groupthink. But the hacker community is, in fact, a community, knit together by trust bonds over the Internet. One thing we've learned since 1991 is that visible emblems of community are just as valuable to hackers as they are to other kind of human beings. They help us recognize each other, help us affirm common values and cooperate more closely. They're useful social engineering.

Using this emblem means something a little different from just presenting yourself as a Linux fan, or a Perl-monger, or a member of any of the hacker subtribes that have become so successful since the mid-1990s. These are relatively recent developments in a tradition that goes back decades.

The hackers, in the broadest sense, are the people who built the Internet, and Unix, and the World Wide Web; our dreams of freedom have changed the world everybody lives in. See How To Become A Hacker for an in-depth look at what that means. If you find yourself nodding in agreement as you read that document, you are one of the people who should be using this emblem.
[more]

A How To Halloween Pumpkin

SOHO Observed Two Eruptions This Week

Active region 10486, already under close scrutiny by several instruments on SOHO and other satellites, as well as numerous ground observatories, played up a spectacular show in the morning on Tuesday 28 October 2003. An X 17.2 flare, the second largest flare observed by SOHO, was setting off a strong high energy proton event and a fast-moving Coronal Mass Ejection.

The high level of energetic particles have caused two SOHO instruments to take precautionary measures: Both CDS (Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer) and UVCS (UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer) have stopped taking science, ramped down their high voltages and turned off the high voltage supply. Other instruments are less affected, although the onslaught of particles is quite noticeable for some - they are the cause for the "snowstorm" in EIT and LASCO images. Not only does it make detection of new CMEs difficult, it is also making their on-board compression algorithm less efficient - over time, their observations lag behind the schedule because images take longer to downlink, and their buffer fills up.

A number of people have noticed that a comet was approaching the Sun shortly before the flare and CME (see the beginning of the LASCO C2 movie above, lower right corner). However, we have no reason to believe there is any connection. Such a comet would evaporate completely before getting anywhere near the surface, and its mass would be like a speck of dust compared to the almost 10 billion tons of matter involved in the CME alone. And the orbit of sungrazing comets (theoretically speaking, should they have survived the encounter) does not touch the Sun itself.

Diebold documents now on Freenet, safe from censorship?

IndyMedia Says Goodbye To stallman (The Server)

"There are men too gentle to live among wolves -- Who prey upon them with IBM eyes And sell their hearts and guts for martinis at noon. There are men too gentle for a savage world Who dream instead of snow and children and Halloween And wonder if the leaves will change their color soon... " James Kavanaugh 1970

Diebold nastygrams Politech member over internal letters

A Very Scary Solstice:

the HPLHS Solstice Carol CD and Singalong Songbook

Enjoy the horror of the holidays with twenty-five of your favorite seasonal songs infused with an insane dose of the Cthulhu Mythos.
[more]

For a (568K) MP3 sample: Oh Cthulhu Chorus (click to hear or right click and "Save Target" for a local copy).

Welcome to the MetaCollection of CGI and PHP script archives

This site is a guide for webmasters and developers who are in search of CGI or PHP script archives. As a webmaster you will find link directories where you can look for scripts and code snippets that power your interactive dynamic website. As a programmer you will find link directories where you can publish your own software and drive traffic to your website.
There are several script archives on the web who claim to be the world largest directory. However, worlds largest directory or not, quantity is not everything. For webmasters who need a script for their website only quality counts. And for developers who want to promote their script traffic is the key.

This site is an independent project and not affiliated with the script directories. We divided the script archives in three categories: High-Flyers, Average and German script archives. The section 'High-Flyers' contains the largest and most popular script collections. The average script archives are all the others which are not as big as the High-Flyers but nevertheless worth it to look at. And finally for the German market - origin of MetaCollection - the important script archives in that special region.

By the way. You may notice an emphasis on PHP related scripting resources. But feel free to » send us your favourite CGI/Perl script directory.
[more]

The Luntz Memo

It's common knowledge that high-powered corporate lobbying interests and their allies in government use elite public opinion researchers to coach them on how best to mask their efforts with inoffensive language to advantageously slant public perception.

However, it’s rare to actually get an under-the-hood glimpse of the formulation behind such propaganda.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently obtained documents from a briefing book compiled by the lobbyists’ top public opinion researcher. Frank Luntz is known as the architect of House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract with America,” and he has a “who’s who” corporate lobbyist client list along with a large number of conservative politicians. The attached 16 pages are part of a briefing book for lobbyists and Republican politicians on how to spin a variety of topics to roll back environmental and public health protections while avoiding a public backlash — like the one they experienced in 1995-96.

It was Luntz who helped sweep Republicans into power in 1994, and it was also Luntz who warned them a year later that they were overreaching on the environment:

Republican pollster Frank Luntz, whose work steered much of the “Contract” campaign, warned GOP leaders in a memo last July that 62 percent of American voters — and even 54 percent of Republican voters — would prefer to see Congress do more to protect the environment rather than cut regulations.

— The Plain Dealer, 10/22/95

Recent news accounts have reported that powerful monied interests are preparing multimillion-dollar advertising and public relations campaigns to support a renewed effort roll back environmental and public health protections. These efforts will be aimed at providing new and effective cover for long-standing influence peddling goals. The resulting advertising and PR messages will almost certainly reach your readers. We are providing you with this memo as a reporting tool, in case it proves useful to your readers in decoding the lobbying spin they will soon see.
[more]

SOHO Image Of The Flare

It is the feline equivalent of the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Yes, there has been a major shift in the geopolitics of the cat world here at MarnCo, the ruthless multinational behind The Big Adventure. We're still reeling.

Two days ago Enid, our little calico cat, realized that she is strong enough to kick the butt of Norma, our imperious tabby cat. I know. I think the tilt of the world's axis might have shifted slightly.

[...snip...]

Very, very shortly we're going to have a regime change here.

Think I might need to find a blue beret.
[more]

Sun shoots monster flare at Earth

Oct. 28 — The sun on Tuesday unleashed what appears to be the third most powerful flare in recorded history, a storm of charged particles that could hit Earth midday Wednesday with more effect than any since 1989, when power was knocked out to an entire Canadian province.

DEPENDING ON the storm’s magnetic orientation, it could set off a dramatic display of colorful northern lights well into midlatitudes of the United States and Europe.

Meanwhile, satellite operators and power grid managers are preparing to endure a potentially damaging event. And astronauts aboard the international space station have taken cover from heavier radiation sent out by the flare. They are not expected to be in any serious danger.
[more]

FROM HAMSTERS & PENGUINS, ISSUE 1, FEB 2003:

"...but leaving aside the guacamole incident for one moment, I want to turn to 1975 when you got a job as a test pilot for a leading hamster ball manufacturer."

Nibbles puts down the piece of cheese he's been toying with and leans forward in his chair. "Well, of course," he says, "it was dangerous work, I can tell you. Oh, make no mistake, the boys in the lab were some of the best in the business but - how does the old proverb go? - there's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip. Yeah, well there's a whole heap of stuff that can go wrong between the drawing board and the finished prototype and - hell! - I should know. It doesn't matter how many factors you take into consideration, or how carefully you work out your wind speeds, or your trajectories or any of that numbers stuff. Until you've actually got that baby on the launch pad and you're ready to go, you never know how it's going to perform."
[more]

Symantec's "Internet Filter" blocks pro-gun websites

Om Mani Padme Hum

Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra (prayer) Om Mani Padme Hum, invites the blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion.

They also believe you can produce the same effect by spinning the written form of the mantra around in a prayer wheel (called 'Mani wheels' by the Tibetans). The effect is said to be multiplied when more copies of the mantra are included, and spinning the Mani wheels faster increases the benefit as well.
[more]

[snip]

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, has said that having the mantra on your computer works the same as a traditional Mani wheel. As the digital image spins around on your hard drive, it sends the peaceful prayer of compassion to all directions and purifies the area.

The creators of this animated Maniwheel image  and the larger version shown below have authorized it's use for any respectful purpose. Mantra image thanks to Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Homepage; Animated GIF version thanks to Steve Bennett.

Mu

"Before he became a hermit, Zarathud was a young Priest, and took great delight in making fools of his opponents, in front of his followers.

One day Zarathud took his students to a pleasant pasture and there he confronted The Sacred Chao while She was contentedly grazing.

"Tell me you dumb beast," demanded the Priest in his commanding voice, "why don't you do something worthwhile? What is your Purpose in Life, anyway?"

Munching the tasty grass, The Sacred Chao replied "MU" (The Chinese ideogram for NO-THING).

Upon hearing this, absolutely nobody was enlightened.

Primarily because nobody understood Chinese."
- Camden Benares
Zen Without Zen Masters

Cargo Cult Software Engineering

In the South Seas there is a cargo cult of people. During the war they saw airplanes with lots of good materials, and they want the same thing to happen now. So they've arranged to make things like runways, to put fires along the sides of the runways, to make a wooden hut for a man to sit in, with two wooden pieces on his head for headphones and bars of bamboo sticking out like antennas—he's the controller—and they wait for the airplanes to land. They're doing everything right. The form is perfect. It looks exactly the way it looked before. But it doesn't work. No airplanes land. So I call these things cargo cult science, because they follow all the apparent precepts and forms of scientific investigation, but they're missing something essential, because the planes don't land.
— Richard Feynman

I find it useful to draw a contrast between two different organizational development styles: "process-oriented" and "commitment-oriented" development. Process-oriented development achieves its effectiveness through skillful planning, use of carefully defined processes, efficient use of available time, and skillfull application of software engineering best practices. This style of development succeeds because the organization that uses it is constantly improving. Even if its early attempts are ineffective, steady attention to process means each successive attempt will work better than the previous attempt.

Commitment-oriented development goes by several names including "hero-oriented development" and "individual empowerment." Commitment-oriented organizations are characterized by hiring the best possible people, asking them for total commitment to their projects, empowering them with nearly complete autonomy, motivating them to an extreme degree, and then seeing that they work 60, 80, or 100 hours a week until the project is finished. Commitment-oriented development derives its potency from its tremendous motivational ability—study after study has found that individual motivation is by far the largest single contributor to productivity. Developers make voluntary, personal commitments to the projects they work on, and they often go to extraordinary lengths to make their projects succeed.
[more]

Shark!

This file was taken with my digital camera the other night at the Melbourne Aquarium. Thank you for your patience whilst the file loads (it is approximately 1500kb)

posted by Gary Williams at 10:04 PM | link |

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via i -- (Celestial Offerings, Halloween version)

Ghosties and ghoulies,
Witches and bats,
Pumpkins and monsters,
even black cats!
All of these things
Can be found on this night.
All of these things
Can cause quite a fright.

Even though spooky ghouls
May cross our way,
Our friendship will shine
As bright as the day!

~Lynda Harrison~

posted by Gary Williams at 9:59 PM | link |

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via SignOnSanDiego.com

Associated Press
In this satellite image, plumes of smoke caused by wildfires are seen moving off the coast through Southern California on Sunday, Oct. 26. At this point, fires burned than 208,000 acres, destroyed 500 homes and caused at least 11 deaths. The Scripps Ranch and other San Diego County fires are in the bottom right. Other fires burning are, at left, Simi Valley and Moorpark; center, the combined Grand Prix and Old Fire, north of San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario.

posted by Gary Williams at 5:52 PM | link |

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via Zippy The Pinhead

Cartoon Of The Day

posted by Gary Williams at 12:19 PM | link |

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via In The Pipeline

This Coyness, Rodent, Were No Crime

Just a short piece tonight, with extra credit points to all the liberal-arts science types who get the source of that title. I'm catching up here on Sunday night, getting ready for another week at the Wonder Drug Factory. Longtime readers of this blog know that I don't spend too much time talking about day-to-day stuff from my work, for obvious reasons. It's a pity, because a blogged drug discovery project would make for interesting reading. A little too interesting, though, from an intellectual property standpoint!

What I can say is that right now we're involved in an odd sort of problem. We have too many good compounds. I know, I know, some of my industrial readers want to throw food at me right about now, but you guys know what I'm talking about, too. We have a whole list - a long list - of compounds that all look just fine in all the assays we have set up.

And that's the problem. There isn't a good way to differentiate all these nice compounds. We could, had we but mice world enough and time, just scale 'em all up and put them in the animal models. That would sort the lot out, I'm sure. But just the thought gives me the shakes: all that time, all that effort, all those compounds, all that work in the in vivo group. Not possible, not even remotely.

So the hunt is on for an assay that will spread things out a little. It would be nice if it were a relevant assay, but projects have been known to waive that requirement in moments of desperation. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

posted by Gary Williams at 3:07 AM | link |

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What Irrational Number Are You?

What Irrational Number Are You?

You are e Of all the irrational numbers, you are the most intense. By nature you are powerful, although sometimes you can spiral out of control. You are good with money; the interest seems to just compound whenever you are near. When someone uses the word "exponential" they are probably talking about you. In some ways you and φ are a nearly perfect match. Not to mention how attractive φ is. But then, there is the remarkable π... Your lucky number is approximately 2.71828183

Shiny Lemur Straif's Blog

posted by Gary Williams at 1:07 AM | link |

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Sunday, October 26, 2003  

via Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters

QOTD

In order to discover who you are, first learn who everybody else is; you're what's left.

posted by Gary Williams at 6:41 PM | link |

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SOHO Solar Images Available On-line Almost Real-time

Click here (http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/) for the current SOHO solar observatory sattelite images (click on the "Sun Now" image in the upper left to go to the current images page). Here we're showing the images from 1:00 a.m. EDT (just before the time change!) colsolidated into one sequence from the EIT (Extreme untraviolet Imaging Telescope) instruments, four different frequency bands : EIT 171 (blue) EIT 195 (green) EIT 284 (gold) EIT 304 (red) shown in false colors. I've combined the images in 128 X 128 pixels as shown here, or you can see larger images in popup windown by clicking here (256 X 256 -- 56K) or here (512 X 512 -- 198K).

posted by Gary Williams at 1:21 AM | link |

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