Sci-Fi things

My housemate Liz is really into the Stargate tv series. I've watched a bit of it, and must confess that it is a pretty cool sci-fi series, and makes awesome references to the fact that MacGyver is on the cast (including using MacGyver as a verb!). However, it bothers me that in on the logo, the name is actually spelled STARGÅTE. This is done because, apparently, on the Stargate dealie, Å is the symbol for Earth. However, this means that the name really should be pronounced Star-Go-Tuh, or just Star-Goat. This has given me an idea for a children's show:

Star Goat and Friends.

Star Goat and Friends would be an animated series about a group of ethnically and culturally diverse children living on top of the mountain of Lochnagarr in Scotland, in a house balanced on the mountain's peak. The children would play around under the supervision of an androgynous person in a robe, the high priest of the Star Goat. The children would lead a merry life, regularly being visited by educated guests who would teach them about things such as how slate is mined or how to make a traditional Ethiopian meal. Then, at the end of every show, all would bow down as the (live action) Star Goat would appear on a giant screen and remind everyone what the day's listen is. The Star Goat's voice would be deep and sonorous, and he would speak Scots. Occasionally the English would invade, and would have to be fended off by the mighty will of the Star Goat.

Where Dead Guitarists Lie

Metalhead as I am, I suppose I do have to comment on the suicide of Dissection's Jon Nötveidt. Scarcely the first -- or most important -- black metal persona to end himself, Nötveidt does have the distinction of being the only major character in black metal history so far to have a murder AND a suicide under his belt. But while the man did seem like an asshole even by black metal standards, I do give him credit for never corpsepainting himself or taking on a goofy pseudonym; Jon Nötveidt is a pretty great name, though not quite as good as Øystein Aarseth.

Now, notably I'm not really that much of a Dissection fan. They're good and everything, I just never got particularly into them. But, I do have opinions on the death itself. Many -- possibly including himself -- have purported that he ended his life in the fashion of a "true Satanist," at the time when his "power" was at its height and he had achieved everything he sought to achieve. Now, I don't know if this is really how a true Satanist should act, or indeed if this is actually how he was acting/thinking as he slew himself. I do know, however, that Satanism is, in general, tacky and pretentious, and that is exactly the way this whole thing seems. A true Satanist kills himself/herself and then makes a big deal about being a true Satanist.

Short and Sweet

Power metal is awesome forever.

Many Blogs, part 2

Now, moving on to Tara's request, I will write about spirituality aside from the aspect of organized religion, the positive side of it as I see it.

I consider myself a spiritual person, by and large. I believe that there is more to the universe than the empirical; that there is more to this world than this world. That being said, I don't believe that there is any definitive way to qualify or quantify the world beyond what we can empirically observe. Suffice it to say that there are experiences in this world that can be interpreted as "spiritual" ones, whatever that may actually mean. Indeed, I am of the belief that all experiences in this world should be treated as such. I believe in, to put it in as dense a manner as possible, the transcendent spirituality of the carnal* and terrestrial. There's nothing that can't be treated as a form of personal worship or meditation or whatever else you want to call it. Everything from cooking to making music to sex to taking a shit, and so on and so forth and shooby dooby doo.

I keep meaning to attend a Quaker meeting, out of curiosity more than anything, but have not had the opportunity yet.


*While this does include the meaning of carnal that I'm sure you just thought of, it also includes other things. So there.

Many Blogs, part 1

Ok, ladies and germs, inspiration has come, courtesy of, among other things, Richard and Tara's comments in the last post. I now have four things to blog about, the first of which will be the shortest and in response to Richard's suggestion.

Personal experience is, as a wise professor once told me, a source of systematic error when relied upon to judge patterns or make generalizations. A real life example of this can be taken from my place of work. As regular readers will note, I work at a pawn shop in Bellingham, Washington. This experience has taught me that the primary uses of a tile and brick saw are to take up space and annoy pawnbrokers. Every day, we must wheel it out of the store (it always gets caught on the door frame) and chain it up around a column. Then, at the end of the day, we must unchain it and wheel it back in (it always gets caught on the door frame again).

And yet, just looking at the name of the object tells us that it must have a use beyond pissing us off. It's called a tile saw, or a brick saw, not a pawnbroker irker, or a Mike annoyer. It is clearly designed to cut bricks, tiles, and similar objects. This is why it is heavy and has a large, electric blade mechanism. And yet, in my experience, it has never done any cutting of anything. Thus, my experience is not reliable for judging the uses of a tile and brick saw.

Incidentally, the price tag on it is $905. Please come by, pick it up, and put it to its originally intended use. Please.

OFFICIALLY

I'm officially taking requests for things to blog about. Post suggestions here or tell them to me in some other manner. Psychically is an option, as is not at all.

Side note: I've never had a job where I ask and get asked the question "whoa, what is that thing?" as often as at my current job.