This is something that I ran across this morning on /. The topic is something that we went over ad naseum while I was at school to fulfill my ultimate dream. It is probably something that will more most everyone I know.
It seems that our civilization is creating more and more digital documents but not actually thinking of ways to store them. Now so many documents will be lost! Woo are we! I do not really think that losing these documents is the biggest issue. It seems to me that not being able to get access to the documents right now is worse (Government secrets are bad. How will I know who to vote for if all relevant data are hidden?). What good is keeping something if no one can use it? If these institutions focus on giving access to the documents and use system redundancy I think the major issue of storing the information in an archival manner can wait. My humble opinion.
Anyways, on a completely different note, tonight should be fun as I will probably be playing two hockey games. Also, Mr. Wilson will be filling in for me at softball this afternoon.
Z.Monkey
Ah, Wikipedia! I think that this post is really just an expansion of the last post. In my readings yesterday I was somehow directed to Occam’s Razor. This has basically become the idea that the simplest theory is usually the best; assuming that it takes all evidence into account.
I think this is the theory that I, unknowingly, used when I was a kid. Back then I was often brought to Church and I was probably as strong a believer as a little kid can be (This brings to mind the Anabaptist argument that a child cannot be a believer). Anyways, I was a avid reader and, like many children, I loved dinosaurs. This is where I got in trouble; the stuff I was learning in Church did not make room for dinosaurs (many of whose remains I had personally seen). So, I took it upon myself to see if I could figure it out. I asked my mom and others whether it was possible for the 6 days of creation to actually be billions of years. I was flatly told “No”. There was no discussion, there was no explanation. This forced me to actually look at the creation myth, which I will admit is a fascinating story, and decide that it did not take everything into account and must be wrong. Of course, once you stop believing that a god did not create you, you have a hard time following any of the rituals.
I think my argument here is that creationism becomes ridiculously complex if it tries to take everything into account (i.e. God hide the dinosaur bones in the earth), therefore it is probably not correct. I do not know why this is bothering me so much lately. I think religious people just frustrate me.
Z.Monkey
P.S. ‘Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity’
I just finished reading this article in the New York Times. I really find it difficult to believe that people have such a hard time reconciling religion and science. I personally think that a god that created species based on evolution, or something similar, would be much more impressive than a caretaker god (one that makes something but has to keep fiddling because it didn’t get it right in the first place). It just seems like they are unwilling to accept anything new, which is why I stopped going to church, stopped believing in god, stopped have faith (in god or man) and started feeling better about myself. Just be a good person and stop worrying about specifics.
[Name calling time] Pigheaded nutjobs!
If evolution is not taught in school then a whole bunch of people will be deficient (sort of like I am with grammar as I was taught none until I got to College).
Some interesting resources: http://nationalacademies.org/evolution/, http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NEWS_letter_president_03042005_BA_evolution, http://skepdic.com/intelligentdesign.html
Z.Monkey
P.S. Delicious flood of death sweeps through Manhattan.
P.P.S. Actually, after thinking a bit it seems that I could not reconcile the two. I guess I am upset that people are willing to work so hard to disregard something… isnt it easier to go with the thing that makes more sense?
I will be posting again soon with something substantial, but right now I am catching up with work and tonight I am playing softball. You will have to wait for the violent Canadian story, more photos, videos and me complaining about missing my flight.
Yatta!
Nothing like nearly getting into a fight with some drunkin’ Canadians to livin’ up you night! If you live in Korea with your brother and your brother is a spaz, do not let him freak out and start a fight!
More tomorrow… I need to drink some sweat and get some sleep. Er.. argh!
Hizzah to three hours of sleep!
Fuck off!
One of the women here has this. An idea of the specs can be found in english here. Why are all the laptops in the US so farqing big? Why can’t I buy one of those from Dell? This is the kind of laptop that I really want. Something I can carry with me everywhere! Too bad the battery life is only 2.5 hours.
Merry X-Mas? No nevermind. I believe that this will be a hippie christmas (not cheap mind you). We will be making presents or buying presents that are made locally and with respect to our environment. At least I think this is the plan…
Everything is starting to wind down now. Things are no longer new and adventurous. I am here for three more nights but I am ready go home now. So, I’ve been told that after a long rain you can actually see the ocean, which is 25km away (this happens once or twice a year)! I still have not purchased batteries so no new pictures. I cannot put two sentences together.
Besides meetings and working in the hotel room I went to see Star Wars. The theater was really nice even if it was owned by Loews; it also had DTS.
Tonight I get to go out to dinner with everyone here and then I think it will be the gym, a little work and sleep.
Z.Monkey
P.S. If you feel like buying me something…
My feet hurt. Too much walking I think, especially after sitting on my ass for 7 days straight. I have a bunch of noteworthy photos to share but I had lost my USB cable, which I found, but then the batteries in the camera died. Also the backup batteries I brought are also dead… fuck. WTF by the way. I just got every email on my mailserver sent to my inbox… again. I do not need to read those 4000+ emails again. Fuck!
Crush kill destroy.
Random link: http://einstein2005.co.kr/ (remember to babelfish it)
If I get really bored this week I may learn the dance from the yogurting video, though I do not think it is physically possible to do. Also, I miss my wife… if you see her tell her I say hello!
Friday went over smoothly, with actual work only rearing its head once. After the event a bunch of us went in search of dinner and found it at The Outback. After dinner it we wandered around the wrong part of town looking for a place to have a drink, the only thing to be found were Karaoke and ‘Hooker’ bars. So, in a couple cabs we hopped and found a more interesting location (the name of which escapes me). We ended up in a beer bar til 4am. While there we were able to watch a bunch of Brittney Spears and even a game of Starcraft, the later being the more enjoyable. Also, feel free to check out this video… I did not know yogurt was a verb.
Yesterday I slept in past the DMZ tour… so I instead went out with some guys from Lamprey. We saw the reprocussions of Bush’s meeting with Roh Moo-hyun while trying to see the changing of the guards. Then we went to Korean War museum. After, because we were tired, we went to get some beers, then to bed by 8.
I would put up some more photos but I cannot find my USB cable… I may have to pick one up today.
One observation I can make is that when people are tired after these events the response is to go find a bar. Now I am off to find someone so I do not end up spending the day walking around by myself.
Losing my mind!
