2010 blogging projects

Looking back on the year, I was wondering about all the books I have read and movies that I've seen. Movies and books are largely means of entertainment and passing the time; however, I generally try to see only good movies and read only good books - ones which have some worth, something to think about, something that add to my life in some way.

But I could hardly remember what I had seen and read :(

This was sparked by seeing Where the Wild Things Are, which is one of the best movies that I have seen. Definitely one of the best in 2009. Um… what were the other good movies I watched this year?

Also, looking through our newly cleaned and sorted study, I came across a boxed set of 20 small books covering some of the Great Ideas* in philosophy from the last few thousand years.

Putting these ideas together, I realised that to make the most of the books I will read and the movies I will watch, I should write a little something about each one. I would also like to work through the Great Ideas set and actually think properly about the ideas contain therein. Anyway, that's my goal, so we'll see how it goes. And if you actually read this blog, please comment on any thoughts I put up - hopefully we'll all benefit from the discussion.

Also, if you like reading, there is a new blog to keep your eye on.




* This is the set we have but I could only find it in this format on the Canadian site.

Surely…

Most ironic of words
Innocent, yet abused
You must question your thoughts
If this word you must use

If you actually knew
About what you would say
You would surely say it
Without this in the way

This word being present
Can be only at best
Not the sign of a fact
But a wish or a guess

Really good photos

This comes from a fantastic photo blog: The year 2008 in photographs (part 1 of 3).

I recommend coming back for parts 2 and 3 as well as going through the archives. And then adding it to your feed reader. (See link on the side.)

amiably agnostic :)

Have you heard about the atheist ad campaign in London? The aim is to make some sort of counter to religious advertising and will be the first ever athiest advertising in the UK.

I liked Neil Gaiman's observation that the ad seems more aimiably agnostic than atheist. (If you click on the link note that the post has several sections so and scroll to a bit over half way - the one that I'm pointing you to starts with "I saw a bumper sticker". The line that I liked was the one just before the picture…)

The article says that the campaign "will give atheism a more visible presence in the UK, generate debate, brighten people's day on the way to work, and hopefully encourage more people to come out as atheists." This raises certain questions.

How many people are not enjoying their life because they are worrying about the probable existance of God? What proportion of the population is operating under the burning guilt and pressure of impending doom? (The article says that part of the motivation for the campaign is to counter advertising by Christian groups saying you'll burn in Hell if you don't follow Jesus.) Is it saying that if there is no God then you can do whatever you want and be happy about it? Isn't that how most people act anyway? And, of course, there is also the point that if everyone just did what they felt like it would not be likely that everyone would end up being happy.

Atheism is not a happy philosophy. It's not necessarily a sad one (depending on where you think nihilism will take you) but it is at least a-emotional. I'm not sure how the probable lack of existence of God will make anyone happy. Because then who are we going to blame for all the world's problems? Us?

It also quotes Richard Dawkins as saying that "this campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think – and thinking is anathema to religion." I suspect that in a lot of cases Dawkins is correct. But I also suspect that thinking is an anathema to most people (including most people who think they are atheists).

Australian Top Gear summed up:

To be as subtle and nuanced as the show: IT'S ALL ABOUT DONUTS!

my first (double) ristretto

We're not pregnant

And I write blog posts more often than Maz :p

∏ Day!

The Americans think that ∏ day is 14 March but that is only because they write it 3.14 whereas any sensible person writes the date in ascending (or descending) order. The American conventions is just as bad as saying twenty past eight and 12 seconds (20:8:12 instead of 8:20:12). You can say "twenty past eight" but that doesn't mean that you have to write it that way.

Anyway, today is 22/7 which is a classic approximation for π. How fun.

OMG Pope!!

I hope you realise that I don't use that kind of language in either full or abbreviated form. But if does seem kind of appropriate for several reasons.

The point of this story is that I got stuck in the only place in the city where the Pope's motorcade created an island. I had left work early to see some of the crowd and to watch the Pope go by if that was convenient. I was due to meet people to see a movie so I didn't have much time to hang around. I walked along the crowds as they lined the barricades enjoying the positive energy with groups singing (although one example of that was "Let it Be" by the Beatles - "when I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comforts me…") or chanting (more like football chants - Beee-ne-dito!). I ended up coming past the State Library and walked across a couple of streets, through barricades, to get into the Domain. There I saw on the big screen that Benedito (Benedict) had just got into the Popemobile and so wouldn't be coming past for a while. OK, I don't need to see him and it was a good time to get going anyway.

But in the few minutes since I had passed through they had decided to close the barricades and no-one was able to pass through. The procession was due to pass around/through the domain and with the highway on the other side I was completely trapped. I had no choice but to wait and watch. Mostly what I saw was people and a few crosses. When it looked like he was about to go past then all I saw was the backs of cameras as everyone raised their hands in… supplication? Voyeurism? (It's easy to get big words like those confused.) Then the Popemobile zooms past. OK, it was moving fairly slowly, for a car, but from my perspective it was only moving slow enough to allow you to see that the pope was actually in it.

It? It is basically a glass display case. It didn't feel like meeting a person. It felt like the viewing of a holy relic, a symbol. Or something interesting, worth preserving, to be kept in a museum (and maybe brought out on special occasions). Or a body in a mausoleum. (I'm not meaning to be morbid or denigrating anything, I'm just commenting on the strangeness of the event.)

In the end I wasn't waiting that long and managed to get up to the movies with plenty of time to meet people and get some food. So I'm glad I got to see the Pope and have some experience of one of the biggest events in the world. And the movie was great too :)


If you got there a little bit late, this is the view that you would have seen (ie the backs of cameras).

And finally we saw him … zoom by. (I like this photo even though it is taked in low light with a dodgy cemera phone.)

Blue Mountains colours