One more for the books.

[silveradept]

An interesting day today. More things produced, others resolved, of a sort. School tomorrow, of which I have read some of my required material - and then I think I'm scheduled to lead discussions for the next week. I amassed some more data to craft into a paper. Tomorrow I might amass more data for a different paper and see what happens. It's a little different, having classes in the afternoon. Makes me feel like I'm going to waste my mornings. That said, I have two days without class now, so there's more time to make lots of good work uninterrupted. I feel a little less stressed out by this semester. For the moment, anyway - the due date list is shorter, even if there's a long column of weekly assignments to be done. It's a trick of the mind, though - I make it look smaller, it feels smaller, and I don't panic. I might be able to handle a semester set like this.

This was introduced in a great way by amenquohi: Pat: Perhaps you should have a disciple wash those feet before you stick them so firmly in your mouth.

A short, simple explanation of why people choose the blue pill, or why the second and third Matrix movies weren't as good as the first. For more things that we learned or knew that are slightly off the beaten path, consult a list of 100 things we didn't know at this time last year. Proving that even in offbeat news, foreign sources are superior.

Something threatening to unmake the fabric of reality, this article about humans-as-protagonists does some nice description of how many humans conceive themselves as protagonists of a narrative, since they can't access the outside position of knowing. There's something in there about how our society is unraveling the idea of the cosmic narrative, and at the end, the author says that the idea of the cosmic narrative will fade out, as we gain the ability to read our own story as well as act in it. The article doesn't hang together quite right for me - the conclusion is an abrupt shift from the data that's being laid out - maybe it just needs a few more pages to explain itself.

A useful thing to keep in mind - if you're looking for investment advice, the best place to turn might be a shrink. Psychologists pick stocks better than some economists. The article attributes the psychologists' recognition that the other investors may not be behaving rationally, and so may not choose the popular stock.

Cannabis may be good for your bones. Another interesting thing to think about in the War on Some Drugs. The family of the marijuana plant may be quite useful indeed. We note that this is not an American university producing this research, and the supplements used have no psychoactive effects. Perhaps this will help counteract the generally negative press that cannabis gets in America?

Comments

[aoanla.livejournal.com]

I don't know: I think the guy who wrote the "The Matrix" article is slightly overstating his case. Yes, the relative uninterestingness of the "real world" was one factor in reducing the effectiveness of the two sequels, but equally so was the increase in pointless sophomoric philosophising. (Which mostly went over the heads of the target audience anyway - how many of those watching twigged that the climactic battle was supposed to be symbolic of "free will" versus "determinism"?)

[silveradept]

Well, once you say it, yeah, I can see that, especially since that theme started in the first movie and went through the next two. I think I figured it out and then filed it away, because I wanted to see the action at the time.

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

N) ...huh. Did Smith symbolise free will or determinism?

[aoanla.livejournal.com]

Determinism. (Which is kinda like being dead.)
Remember Neo's response to Smith's "Why do you keep on fighting?" is something like "Because I choose to".

[silveradept]

For as "unplugged" as Smith is, he likes to use the word "inevitable" a lot, much like his previous counterparts. And there's that whole sequence before the Burly Brawl where Smith explains the illusion of free will to Neo.

I'd say he's pretty solidly a determinist. Although he takes a very active role in accopmlishing his perceived purpose.

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

N) To both: makes sense, particularly factoring in his attention to/obsession with the future and the Oracle's eyes (was thrown off by Neo's 'it was inevitable' at the end). Thank you.