Sentient Life

People who take a scientific, materialist view on the world have largely arrived at the idea that consciousness is a purely physical process. If some combination of chemical interactions in the brain can produce sentience, what other types of interaction could combine to produce it? In science fiction, there is already a plethora of movies and books dealing with the possible creation of sentient computers. What about more arcane possibilities? In some ways, governments and other large organizations behave like single organisms; could a large enough bureaucracy become self-aware and intelligent, with flows of paperwork acting like neurons in the brain? Could slang terms and catch phrases begin to interact in a way that mirrors transistors in a computer?

GWB

This article makes me love our president:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702474_2.html?hpid=topnews

Here's a choice quotation:

"And last month, the company lost a federal appellate court battle over whether it could ignore a vote by workers at its Brooklyn distribution center to unionize, on grounds that those in favor were illegal immigrants and not entitled to federal labor protections."

It sure is nice that the government is just punishing workers and not asshole companies like this one, which admitted to employing illegal immigrants to attempt an excuse for other wrongdoing.

Great Rap Albums

I am going to attempt to list my top ten favorite rap albums. I do not claim these are all "good" in some absolute artistic sense, although I reserve the right to do so at a future date. Here goes...

7. 504 Boyz "Goodfellaz"
This album was nicely produced, but also was not afraid to be trashy...
"When you shake that ass, I get rocked up,
You got a boyfriend, boo? 'My man locked up.'"
...which really opened up some possibilities. A fun album in general.

6. OutKast "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik"
This is OutKast's very first full-length album, from back in the days when they were actually a rap group. Really funky, wonderful production and good lyrics. I particular enjoy Andre 3000, which is kind of unfortunate because he seems to have lost interest in doing verses of late. If I haven't been clear enough already, this album doesn't really sound that much like what they did later, so it is interesting on that level. And its awesome.

5. Ying Yang Twins "Alley: Return of the Ying Yang Twins"
I consider this album the ultimate in trashy booty rap. The lyrics are funny, wacky, and at least vaguely obscene at all times. Thematically, the album focuses exclusively on the D-Roc and Kaine's efforts picking up women in clubs, something they seem to approach with great enthusiasm. Their sense of adventure is contagious, and as usual as they are ridiculous to the point of being lovable. Every song on this album hits (which I couldn't say of their others) and beginning to end it is a really enjoyable listen.

4. Nas "Stillmatic"
Nas is really intelligent and has a supernaturally vivid imagination, and he really shows it on this album. I also think he's genuinely really ghetto, more so than any other rapper of comparable sophistication. Nas is able to take stock gangster rap stories and tell them with a vividness and originality that is really unmatched. On this album, I would recommend "2nd Childhood" "What Goes Around" and "Rewind" in particular as examples.

3. Dr. Dre "The Chronic"
The swagger and fuck you attitude of this album are fantastic. The production is also amazing; there's a reason Dr. Dre could take a hack like 50 Cent and make him famous. "The Chronic" is a timeless classic.

2. UGK "Ridin' Dirty"
1. UGK "Super Tight"
Both these albums are amazing. For the genre, they are uniquely emotionally complex; in one song they brag about selling drugs and the next describes the horrors of watching junkies go to pieces. They achieve conflicting goals at once in that each album maintains a cohesive feel without feeling monotous. All the songs are great: great lyrics, each has a focused theme, and the mood of the product is always topically appropriate. These two are not so well known, so if you are a rap afficionado and you haven't checked them out, you should ASAP.

Ok, I'm only at seven. Hopefully I can come back to this later.

Saudi Arabia

This is something from outer space:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/world/middleeast/13girls.html?_r=1&hp&oref=login

Role Models

I've noticed an emerging pattern. I come home for a few days, get really drunk and talk to some random people...and in doing so, I have an important epiphany about something. So here is Example 2:

I was at Pin-Up, and I was (wasted) talking to some lesbians. I think it was their first date, and looking back I was maybe giving them a rash. This is significant because they were giving me a hard time about stuff, and somehow the ultra-feminist vibe about being messed with by lesbians stirred up my thoughts in a really novel and positive way.

Naturally, at some point I unearth some repressed emotional shit and I start crying. I am talking about all these good role models I have had, and how I never thanked any of them. I had and still have this vague feeling that you're not supposed to do that, but I frankly think thats pretty messed up.

I'd really like to write more, but its pretty late. So I am just going to promise my readership I am going to start thanking all of my good role models, retroactively, starting today.

jesus is for poor people

If I was a writing teacher (and someone turned this in) I would anally violate this essay. If you are bored, you can anally violate it too. If you are interested in getting deeper into the issues, thats even better.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52402

On a scriptural level (ignoring the other problems) this author is ignoring the fact that our society is radically different from the one Jesus directly commented on. That fact demands we translate some of Jesus's ideas to the present environment; in particular, the role of the state has radically changed. Although Jesus did not comment on the role of the state in redistributing wealth, he really didn't have an opportunity, and if he had tried to no one would have understood (much less written it done for modern commentators to read).

I respect private philanthropy, and I recognize that many wealthy people in our society are trying to do constructive and altruistic things (Bill Gates IMO being a good example). I also know that many aren't. The secular debate about these things today is complicated, but Jesus's statements in the bible about the self-interested wealthy are not.

Marvin Gaye

Perhaps the pervasive element of tragedy that ruled Marvin Gaye's life accounts for the profound intimacy found in his songs.

-I stole this from a Rhapsody review