Writings of an Affirmed Atheist

As someone who’s always been in awe of the various space...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:59:07 +1000

As someone who’s always been in awe of the various space programs (whether we’re talking manned or robotic flights) and missions, it’s about time someone did something like this. I’ve always been of the opinion that we need to get our artists and our musicians up there. Maybe then we’d care a little more about the planet we’re so rapidly working to destroy. Science is a beautiful thing.

Imagine if Handel could have flown up there, or Bach. Imagine the symphonies they might have written… I would have loved to have read Mark Twain’s comments on looking down on the earth. Or to read a Shakespearean sonnet on earthrise. Or any other of the great writers, it really doesn’t matter.

And then I’d like to send all of our politicians (of all stripes, left, right, centrist, pink, purple, whatever) up there and say: “Where are your lines? Where are your borders? See? They are nowhere! Let them fall - they were arbitrary to begin with. Put aside your hatreds, surrender your greed, lay down your anger. We are all here, and it’s precious. The planet is, the environment is, the animals on this planet are, and the people are, too. Let’s work together to make a better world. I have been able to see this from the ground. If you cannot see it from space, then you are truly blind and humanity is doomed to failure. And it will be doomed because of people like you.”

As someone who has recently come to the conclusion that she is...

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:11:00 +1000

As someone who has recently come to the conclusion that she is trans, so much this! (MtF, prefer feminine pronouns).

ilaeria: disabledpeoplearesexy: Stella Young, Australian...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:34:49 +1000

ilaeria:

disabledpeoplearesexy:

Stella Young, Australian disabled writer and comedian

Her shoes are fantastic!

She’s brilliant. Awesome woman. :3

weather-underground: punk-fuck: this ones tough… all...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:56:02 +1100

weather-underground:

punk-fuck:

this ones tough…

all nations?

Dingdingding! We have a winner!

captainraz: mydollyaviana: Disney heroines & their voice...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:56:53 +1100

captainraz:

mydollyaviana:

Disney heroines & their voice actresses (singing voices & animal protagonists not included)

According the God of Wikipedia, Irene Bedard was also the physical model for Pocahontas. I think I see it.

Oh yeah, you can definitely see the resemblance. It’s interesting to note that the divergence between character and voice actor appearance has generally increased over time, though there are still definitely features they’ve obviously picked up from the VA in most of them.

So much fucking this. Guys, it’s not hard. Women...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 20:59:08 +1100

So much fucking this. Guys, it’s not hard.

Women don’t like to be raped; therefore
DON’T RAPE THEM. Simple. Vice-versa for men (though men being raped is comparatively rare, the rule is still logical and sensible).

Continue for other creepy behaviours for all genders.

We are everywhere. Also, those koalas are heavy buggers....

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:50:42 +1100

We are everywhere.

Also, those koalas are heavy buggers. Don’t let that cute appearance decieve you, he weighs

atopfourthwall: VIVA LA REVOLUCION. Bahahahahaha Priceless.

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:42:24 +1100

atopfourthwall:

VIVA LA REVOLUCION.

Bahahahahaha

Priceless.

Because you’ve gotta intimidate the people somehow. the...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:58:09 +1100

Because you’ve gotta intimidate the people somehow. the police station moved a few doors down. This is actually a court of law.

folkingthesystem: i love this so much This is awesome.

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:34:11 +1100

folkingthesystem:

i love this so much

This is awesome.

mutualistvanguard: frozenrevolutionary: Best. Christmas...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 18:58:03 +1100

mutualistvanguard:

frozenrevolutionary:

Best. Christmas present. EVER.

DAMN

Classy. :D

May 2013 be the best year yet

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:51:01 +1100

fishingboatproceeds:

I mean, like, in all of human history.

Don’t jinx it! It’s only just begun*

*I’m in Australia. Hurry up and get into 2013 you slowpokes. :P

Person who wrote this: I don’t think that means what you...

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:51:10 +1100

Person who wrote this: I don’t think that means what you think it means. The word you’re most likely looking for is bourgeoisie, which traditionally has been used to represent the owners of production, but actually means middle class. Bourgeoise itself *is* actually a word, and it means a female constituent of the bourgeoisie.

It should be noted that the meaning of this word when used in the Communist Manifesto is very different to the modern conception of the idea of classes. These days, the term middle class generally refers to incomes at or around the mean or median income, to those neither rich nor poor; to those not necessarily suffering, but not necessarily prospering either.

It’s an interesting observation in how society and language change - at one time the discussion was about who controls or owns what, and the lie was that people needed somebody to order them around.

Now the lie is that we will be able to climb up if we put in enough effort and earn enough money (which we never can, because the rich fleece us in all our attempts to rise, money running in the modern society to the highest bidder, who already has plenty).

He/She also probably meant to say “means” not modes of production (modes being the way by which production occurs as opposed to that which is used to produce, but this is IMHO enough of a truism that I’ll simply point this out and let it be). Otherwise, agreed.

For the proletariat!

TL;DR: If you’re going to use big words, use them correctly.

I beg that you forgive my pedantry in relation to word choice.

joerobsbanks: Seriously though, I hate those anti-Kindle hipsters Because they’re the same kind of...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 13:34:47 +1100

joerobsbanks:

Seriously though, I hate those anti-Kindle hipsters

Because they’re the same kind of people who will buy every Apple product and every “indie rock” record that comes out

What you’re saying is “I’ve never met an actual information lover who used the internet”

And 200 years ago you would have thought public libraries were absurd

I still prefer physical books, but these e-books definitely have their uses. I’m not a hater, I just want to make sure we don’t do something stupid again as a species and put all of our eggs into the technological basket. Because if we do that, and then we lose the ability to power all these devices (such as running out of oil and being unable to transport the raw resources that power our cities and chargers, well fuck. That’s a shitload of information that could be used to rebuild society gone.

Physical books are prone to fire and censors of course, but so are these datacentres and electronic books (in fact, they’re probably more prone to censors in some ways, less in others), and the systems of libraries we’ve invented act as an effective distributed backup facility.

basedsuperstructure: Yup, that’s just about right This is what...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:35:23 +1100

basedsuperstructure:

Yup, that’s just about right

This is what fundies *actually* believe.

Golden Dawn members implicated in assault by BBC recording

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 12:30:45 +1100

Golden Dawn members implicated in assault by BBC recording:

class-struggle-anarchism:

“A BBC reporter has infiltrated a meeting of Golden Dawn members and made a recording which implicates Chryafgites in the assault on SYRIZA MP Dimitris Stratoulis. Digital Journal reported Dimitris Stratoulis claimed three members of Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) launched a murderous assault on him last Sunday, a claim vigorously denied by Golden Dawn.”

Fucking assholes. Fascists, fuck off!

Was searching for podcasts on anarchism, and couldn’t help...

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 22:12:03 +1100

Was searching for podcasts on anarchism, and couldn’t help but laugh at the text ad.

Melancholic Joy

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:16:09 +1100

Music is a wonderful way to soothe the soul.

It has been, is, and always be a refuge for me when I need solace. It will always be a comfort when even friends might turn against me.

Perhaps I turn to that refuge too much, but I can’t help but be thankful for it in my current, somewhat melancholic mood. (Chopin is wonderful soup for the “soul” in such a mood, as well as being hauntingly beautiful). As the audio replays, I’m reminded of friends I don’t hear from any more, of my naivete. Of my former incredulity. And then my mind turns again to the smouldering shell that is the world we live in.

And I weep internally. I mourn deeply the great losses and setbacks, at the myriad hatreds that set us apart, at the empty arguments and grudges we hold against each other, often for no reason at all.

It sounds awful, but I have come to appreciate these moments. For me, it should be experienced, it should be embraced. Emotion is not a weakness of our species, but one of its greatest strengths. Yes, it must be tempered and treated with caution at times and we should always be mindful that it does not cause us to lose sight of our mental faculties, but we should not ever deny it in all of its beauty and terror. I consider it a part of the human experience, and that we should all be so lucky.

Sadness for me is a form of joy; it is a reminder that I am indeed human. For me it is deep, it is profound, it sometimes borders on depression (though it rarely shows - I know well when I need help and when I can stare down those demons with my own strength), but I would not change it for the world. In these moments, at least, I feel, I am nearly free. I am nearly certain this illusion is one I will be disabused from in short order, but we must all experience it to feel the fullness of human experience.

I have much to do. I have much to learn. I have many new faces to meet, ideas to expound, people to encourage, hope to instil, even when the world seems hopeless.

And I turn back to the music as the last note rings out, as it echoes across the stage of my mind. Such a beautiful melody.

Originally posted on my WordPress blog, but has been slightly modified.

On the degradation of unemployment

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:03:08 +1100

So, I’ve been unemployed for a long time now…

It’s not that I hate doing work. I like doing stuff that makes me feel fulfilled and that benefits others. I love to read. I love to learn. I do some stuff refurbishing and repairing PCs. Yes, it’s with a religious charity (and I do somewhat detest religion), but this group actually seem to care, viewing it as more than just their religious duty, but also as simply a good thing that needs doing, so they do it. I am quite happy to work with such people; we may disagree bitterly on matters of religion, and almost certainly on politics (I’ve never really asked, but I’m quite certain none of them are fascists, at least), but for the greater good, I’ll quite happily set such things aside in the here and now.

We do charge for the work we do (power bills don’t pay themselves, sadly), but it’s often waived for hard luck cases, and there’s pretty much an “ask and you can have it” policy with regard to things like keyboards and stuff (which is how I got the keyboard I’m typing with). You can see the effort they put in. The person who’s effectively in charge of the place works tirelessly.

But, you know, the constant job hunt takes its toll. I suppose it’s a reflection of the modern world when in order to get work, you basically have to sell yourself.

I hate selling myself. I’m not a product! I’m not for sale! Maybe for now I might do labour in exchange for that terrible stuff we call money because I wish to survive, but I am not yours to be dictated to in thought, and I won’t do more than I have to. Ever as I work away, I would quietly resent you profiting from my effort.

I hate money! I hate that so many of our interactions are arbitrated through the exchange of note and coin! It cheapens us, and sells us short of our true value, the social value we have that is more than any note or coin can express.

More, I hate the modern world. It has become the very opposite of what it promised: full of greed and profit taking for the rich where it promised equality; exploitative where it promised fairness; destructive where it promised to improve the world.

It is also ultimately part of the root of sexism, racism, and general bigotry. When society pushes you to compete against your fellow-person, with it being either your or your comrade, it’s quite natural that you seek out ready labels and easy things which you can use to socially reduce your competitor’s standing in the race for that elusive job/status/social credit/etc. that you so crave because the system has taught you to crave it and the products that said system is trying to sell you.

Yes, the world we have been sold by our politicians, by our religious leaders, by our bureaucrats and by our capitalist class (aka business leaders, CEOs etc.) is a lie. It never existed. Using the means it has, it never *could* exist, because its very basis was fraud from the beginning; it is only now we are beginning to see that what we were actually being sold was a road back to our own servanthood.

Note I do not include scientists here; most of the chemicals and such that have had detrimental effect have been designed and produced at the behest of these charlatans and liars. Science is merely a blind tool, one that requires people to wield it.

Yes, I’m angry. I’m angry for two reasons: one because we have been mislead by these crooks and liars, two that we have been so eager to hand them the keys, and so willing to destroy our own emergency copies in the vain hope for some scraps, which of course will not be forthcoming.

Yes, I am an anarchist. I’m not ashamed of that fact, either. And I am more than willing to bite the hand that currently feeds me as well, because ultimately, that hand - government - must surely pass into the annals of history if humankind is to progress, along with the shackles of capital and money.

basedlibido: checkmate atheists nuclear grade facepalm You...

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:00:12 +1100

basedlibido:

checkmate atheists

*nuclear grade facepalm*

You do know this is Discworld, right? From the fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett? (which, by the way, I thoroughly recommend).