Year: 2005

On Jorn’s new blog, a typically thoughtful lefty Bush (NeoCon) bashing piece, which picks up on spin as meme-creation. Using Cheney’s post 9/11 “Liberals wanted to give al-Qaeda therapy” quote, he says it’s that perfect 1% true. Interestingly it is an admission that “we” have to play “their” game. Personally I’m not into us and them conspiracies, but it does show that we all actually must play or at least understand the meme game.

Wow, Jorn has a new blog “Robot Wisdom Auxiliary” or RWX for short. Here he can post his longer posts, RW itself being the tersest of link gathering formats. Presumably RW will always link to RWX. Blogger too, rather than home grown. Interesting development.

Jorn’s range of stuff remains mind-boggling. Last one for now, but loved this set of Vogue “Alice in Wonderland” fashion pix.

Couldn’t resist the headline. Bush bashing piece from Common Dreams [via Robot Wisom]

Link to review at Blog Herald [via Robot Wisdom]

This piece by Douglas Adams from 1999 is something I linked to in my first few days of blogging back in September 2001. I came across it from another link, and I think it’s truth is becoming more apparent by the day. Knowledge is social interaction.

As well as the current spats in MoQ-Discuss about hoaxes, honesty, motives, rights and freedoms, I see Mark Federman over at the McLuhan Program’s “What is the Message” has had to move to a new private blog “What is the (Next) Message” in oder to voice his own opinions. “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish” he says.

Even in well aligned constituencies of common interest, it remains important that the personal and common voices are clearly ring-fenced.

And I see Mark’s new blog continues to move in the same circles as Psybertron. Sam recently passed me The Onion’s “Intelligent Falling” link in a comment thread below. I say satire is good, provided the motives are honest.

Must update my side-bar link.

Microsoft that is hard on the heels of Google following in Skype’s footsteps. By acquisition of Teleo in this case. No mention of Skype in the news story.

Messenger has all the components in place already I guess. VoiP has been easy for ages. All Skype brought to it was Kazaa’s P2P networking, and a neat user application.

Interesting too, this Creative / Apple iPod “Zen” patent story. I told you so I guess. The main innovation with iPod MP3’s was not the compact portable storage format, but the really neat UI. I’ve never yet owned one, but I’m always impressed with it when I see people using it. Good to see they patented the right thing.

Wow, younger son’s A-Level re-mark has just come through in double-quick time. His Biology B is now upgraded to an A. That’s 5 grade A’s ! So back on for first choice University place after all. Great news. Sounds like the University were really pleased too – which is nice for him.

Is the working title of Sam Norton’s book. Sam provided a link to the drafts of chapters 1 and 2, and I’ve written a commentary so far, and posted it here.

I guess the reason Sam suggested I read it is that is covers a lot of material I’ve blogged about. I remember in a previous exchange with Sam in the “Eudaimonia” thread I concluded by saying we’d be better off starting with a blank sheet of paper than with analysis of lots of existing work we don’t actually agree with, and risk talking past each other attributing quotes as assertions. I have the same unsatisfying view of this draft and review so far – but it’s full of the key issues – so lots to build on. Just need to find those static latches.

I’ve no wish to clutter up Sam’s blog with my atheist comments, so I’ve brought the link here to make my comment.

OK OK you win, I have to read Wittgenstein 🙂

Sam Says [Quote] In Remarks on Colour, §317, Wittgenstein writes: “When someone who believes in God looks around him and asks ‘Where did everything that I see come from?’ ‘Where did everything come from?’, he is not asking for a (causal) explanation; and the point of his question is that it is the expression of such a request. Thus, he is expressing an attitude towards all explanations.”

In other words: this is meaningful. Asking the question is an expression of its meaning, not a query about the meaning. [Unquote]

I would point out that Wittgenstein’s point is applied to “someone who believes in God”. However I doubt the statement is true even with that caveat. Yes asking a question has some value in it’s own right – for some of the askings it may indeed be the primary, only value – rhetorical questions for a start. But it can scarcely be the only reason anyone would ask that question.

Wittgenstein’s quote actually contains many other useful points, but accepting that causality itself is somewhat mysterious, there are also pragmatic reasons to ask such a question and apply an understanding of any possible causal answers to decisions affecting the future. So yet again, I buy god-like analogies for the wonder of the workings of the world, but cannot buy any causal involvement (in any intentional, purposeful intellegent entity sense) beyond “natural causes”.

Good news is that “explanation” is the focus again.