And here's my second #followfriday for Twitter...
*drum roll*
@jeskeets
I have been listening to a podcast called "The Basketball Jones" (http://thebasketballjones.net/) for a couple of years now. It's a podcast made by 3 Canadians JE Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle (Producer) about the National Basketball Association of America (NBA).
During the regular season they produce a show daily Monday to Friday, and during the finals almost as regularly (depending on scheduled games). The podcast is informing, entertaining and funny. JE Skeets posts a lot of funny and informative comments on his twitter, and occasionally posts live during games with his thoughts.
If you are a basketball fan (in particular the NBA), I thoroughly recommend following him :)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Top 5 Albums
This whole Facebook trend of top 5 blah blah is really getting quite annoying. It would be nice to not log on, infrequent as that may be, and be overwhelmed by that sort of stuff.
Having said that, it did get me thinking lol. I was listening to a song the other day, and thought "I recall this song, it's from one of those rare albums where I like every song...". Hmmm...albums where I like every song on them. Coincidentally they happen to pretty much be my favourite albums.
So here goes, my top 5 albums:
1. Master of Puppets (Metallica 1986)
Believe it or not, the first ever album (tape actually) that I purchased with my own money. A friend at high school recommended it. I was more into the poppy/rock kinda tracks on commercial radio, and at the time Metallica was hardly mainstream. I think the first few times I listened to it, my ears almost bled. And as a funny side note, it was in the player one day when my Aunt put it on and heard the accoustic guitar intro to "Battery"...when it kicked in she almost died lol.
A fantastic album from beginning to end, I listen to it regularly. To me it is Metallica at their prime.
2. Pretty Hate Machine (Nine Inch Nails 1989)
Another absolute classic. Trent Reznor is a master, created a genre and continues to expand it to this day. So many good tracks on this album, again one I regularly listen to. What more can I say. Seeing NIN live at Soundwave this year was an absolute high point for me. Incredible.
3. Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits 1985)
Ahuh, who would have thought that Metallica and Nine Inch Nails would be followed by Dire Straits?!?! Hey, it's as much of a shock to me as you hahaha. I found this album while I was staying at my Aunts place in Eneabba (near Geraldton) during school holidays. I was bored and going through her record collection...ABBA, Bee Gees...and then I put this on. Who are Dire Straits, no idea...give it a spin. Hmmm...I like. Still like. Brothers in Arms (the single) is an absolute classic, still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
4. Eyes Open (Snow Patrol 2006)
I was introduced to Snow Patrol by an ex-girlfriend. I had heard one of their singles on commercial radio, but I don't listen to the radio a great deal and hadn't heard much more...I think it was the song most people associated with them, "Chasing Cars". And to be honest, I grew a little sick of it due to it being played everywhere.
It wasn't until some time later that she played some more for me, I was intrigued and bought the album. I have since seen them in concert three times and enjoy all their albums...in particular this one.
5. American Idiot (Greenday 2004)
I think some people would probably have a fit with this being my favourite Greenday album. Don't get me wrong, I have been a fan for a very long time, and love a lot of their stuff. But this album blew me away when it came out. The way it tells a story, fits together, and the songs themselves stand alone. I hope I get the opportunity to see them in concert.
And now for the inevitable honorable mentions, in no particular order:
Infected (The The 1986)
Collision Course (Jay-Z vs Linkin Park 2004)
Substance (New Order 1987)
Come What(ever) May (Stone Sour 2006)
The Rising Tied (Fort Minor 2005)
Appetite for Destruction (Guns n Roses 1987)
There are many more, but given I am focusing on a top 5 I thought it would be reasonable to limit the honourable mentions to 6 :)
Having said that, it did get me thinking lol. I was listening to a song the other day, and thought "I recall this song, it's from one of those rare albums where I like every song...". Hmmm...albums where I like every song on them. Coincidentally they happen to pretty much be my favourite albums.
So here goes, my top 5 albums:
1. Master of Puppets (Metallica 1986)
Believe it or not, the first ever album (tape actually) that I purchased with my own money. A friend at high school recommended it. I was more into the poppy/rock kinda tracks on commercial radio, and at the time Metallica was hardly mainstream. I think the first few times I listened to it, my ears almost bled. And as a funny side note, it was in the player one day when my Aunt put it on and heard the accoustic guitar intro to "Battery"...when it kicked in she almost died lol.
A fantastic album from beginning to end, I listen to it regularly. To me it is Metallica at their prime.
2. Pretty Hate Machine (Nine Inch Nails 1989)
Another absolute classic. Trent Reznor is a master, created a genre and continues to expand it to this day. So many good tracks on this album, again one I regularly listen to. What more can I say. Seeing NIN live at Soundwave this year was an absolute high point for me. Incredible.
3. Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits 1985)
Ahuh, who would have thought that Metallica and Nine Inch Nails would be followed by Dire Straits?!?! Hey, it's as much of a shock to me as you hahaha. I found this album while I was staying at my Aunts place in Eneabba (near Geraldton) during school holidays. I was bored and going through her record collection...ABBA, Bee Gees...and then I put this on. Who are Dire Straits, no idea...give it a spin. Hmmm...I like. Still like. Brothers in Arms (the single) is an absolute classic, still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
4. Eyes Open (Snow Patrol 2006)
I was introduced to Snow Patrol by an ex-girlfriend. I had heard one of their singles on commercial radio, but I don't listen to the radio a great deal and hadn't heard much more...I think it was the song most people associated with them, "Chasing Cars". And to be honest, I grew a little sick of it due to it being played everywhere.
It wasn't until some time later that she played some more for me, I was intrigued and bought the album. I have since seen them in concert three times and enjoy all their albums...in particular this one.
5. American Idiot (Greenday 2004)
I think some people would probably have a fit with this being my favourite Greenday album. Don't get me wrong, I have been a fan for a very long time, and love a lot of their stuff. But this album blew me away when it came out. The way it tells a story, fits together, and the songs themselves stand alone. I hope I get the opportunity to see them in concert.
And now for the inevitable honorable mentions, in no particular order:
Infected (The The 1986)
Collision Course (Jay-Z vs Linkin Park 2004)
Substance (New Order 1987)
Come What(ever) May (Stone Sour 2006)
The Rising Tied (Fort Minor 2005)
Appetite for Destruction (Guns n Roses 1987)
There are many more, but given I am focusing on a top 5 I thought it would be reasonable to limit the honourable mentions to 6 :)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Twitter: Follow Friday #1 (@livbambola)
I got involved with Twitter early in 2009 to understand what it was all about. I feel that as someone involved in the Tech Industry, I should be aware of what the latest trends and devices and be familiar with their application and use.
Now I should say (and in line with my prior post) I am not a very self confident or extroverted person. I have not been a big user of Facebook or MySpace (but for similar reasons to getting into Twitter have explored both), and stayed away from blogging for a long time until recently.
I have actually found that Twitter is a very handy service, and you can get out of it what you want. I tailored my usage to obtain information on upcoming music and entertainment events, inside information on basketball happenings, and travel information amongst others. What I have also found is a vibrant Perth community of 'twitterers' (aka twitterazzi, twits). To date I have met some great people and expanded my circle of friends.
Now a concept of Twitter is 'Follow Friday'. It started out as a random post of twitterers names that you follow, together with a 'hashtag' of #followfriday. People that follow you see this post, and then they can find out about people that that otherwise would not have known about. I think it's a great idea.
Now last week I read a post by a gent name Steve Woodruff (post here How-to-improve-Follow-Friday). In it he suggests that rather than stuffing as many twitter names into a 140 character post as you can, post one or two and either put a reason why/description, or link to a more detailed blog post. Well I think that's a great idea, so here I go!
My first Follow Friday recommendation...
*drum roll*
@livbambola
Livbambola is one of the first people I followed on Twitter. When I first started using Twitter, I found an application called "Twitterlocal" and used it to discover people in Perth using it. Since then I have also found that @livbambola has her own blog which is regularly updated (far more than mine!) and I enjoy reading.
She has a great writing style, a nice sense of fashion, and a wonderful sense of humour.
So there you go, my first #followfriday!
Now I should say (and in line with my prior post) I am not a very self confident or extroverted person. I have not been a big user of Facebook or MySpace (but for similar reasons to getting into Twitter have explored both), and stayed away from blogging for a long time until recently.
I have actually found that Twitter is a very handy service, and you can get out of it what you want. I tailored my usage to obtain information on upcoming music and entertainment events, inside information on basketball happenings, and travel information amongst others. What I have also found is a vibrant Perth community of 'twitterers' (aka twitterazzi, twits). To date I have met some great people and expanded my circle of friends.
Now a concept of Twitter is 'Follow Friday'. It started out as a random post of twitterers names that you follow, together with a 'hashtag' of #followfriday. People that follow you see this post, and then they can find out about people that that otherwise would not have known about. I think it's a great idea.
Now last week I read a post by a gent name Steve Woodruff (post here How-to-improve-Follow-Friday). In it he suggests that rather than stuffing as many twitter names into a 140 character post as you can, post one or two and either put a reason why/description, or link to a more detailed blog post. Well I think that's a great idea, so here I go!
My first Follow Friday recommendation...
*drum roll*
@livbambola
Livbambola is one of the first people I followed on Twitter. When I first started using Twitter, I found an application called "Twitterlocal" and used it to discover people in Perth using it. Since then I have also found that @livbambola has her own blog which is regularly updated (far more than mine!) and I enjoy reading.
She has a great writing style, a nice sense of fashion, and a wonderful sense of humour.
So there you go, my first #followfriday!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Personal interaction in the "new world"
I'm sure there's been a lot...perhaps too much...written elsewhere about the effects of modern communications methods on the general interaction between people, in particular those of the younger generation. Hell, when have I ever cared about that hahahaha. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and to challenge the status quo.
I have been involved with IT since 1989. I have seen the massive leaps and bounds as the Internet became an available tool for the general populace. Things like mobile phones, email, messenger, social networking, blogs, micro blogs...and they are all eagerly accepted into the general population.
And rightfully so, after all technology is a facilitator, a means to improve our quality of life.
Hmmm...improve our quality of life. Really?
Well I am as guilty as anyone of living with my mobile phone. My excuse has always been "what if there's an emergency?". Well how has mankind survived for centuries without some form of instant communication? Yes, you can always revert to the old argument of "life was different, lifespans were lower, etc etc". I always find those sorts of 'base level arguments' somewhat convenient and not always accurate. More of an excuse to my mind really, to not really have to deal with the issues.
Two people that go out for the evening, have dinner and conversation...and constantly texting on their phones. I had a friend at a party one night that spent the majority of the night texting, and the occasional interruption by talking to other people. It becomes more acceptable to have people answering phone calls in the movies.
I have also seen how these things effect the younger generations. Pre-teens on social networking sites, on messenger programs for hours talking to their friends, racking up hundreds of dollars worth of phone calls on mobile phones. And the one thing that stands out to me is the accelerated rate at which social interaction is thrust upon them.
No longer is it a case of them seeing their friends a couple of times a week outside of school. Now it's every night, every moment, posting their activities on the Facebooks and MySpaces. Sending text messages constantly, and chatting with their friends. The interaction that would normally occur during teen years, happens much earlier. And then the interaction and indeed maturity that would normally be required for early adulthood, happens during the teens.
My question is, has anyone considered if this is healthy? What has the effect of this been?
Also things like the usage of abbreviations to shorten words for text messages and such things as Twitter (which is limited to 140 character length postings). This carries across to messenger programs, which have no such limit but conversely no enforcement so efficiency/laziness rules.
And of course all these convenient forms of communication inevitably lead to things such as breaking up relationships via text message, messenger etc. One person I was talking to recently had their name on messenger set as "What would you say if I said it was over?". I asked if they were breaking up with their partner, they replied "I'm not sure yet, but I'm hoping they get the hint to make it easy for me". Wow.
And a personal dislike of mine is people posting private conversations and bad behaviour on public forums. I saw two acquaintances once posting a conversation on Facebook, organising their Saturday. It went something like "Hey man, I will come over and help you move that pile of dirt", "Great bring the wife and kids", "Yeah its been a while, we haven't seen you since you broke up with blah", "Yeah..." and so on. Now firstly, is it necessary to post this in a public forum? What is wrong with picking up the phone? And even if you cant call, couldn't you do it privately? What's wrong with good old email?
As a side note, is it really a good idea to advertise to the world exactly when you will be away from your house etc? I wont even mention security concerns, privacy of personal information, etc.
And then the posts of drunken, rude or illegal behaviour. "OMG I had such a good night, I have the hangover from hell, got smashed and vomited in the gutter, went home with a random, and ended up doing some serious shit".
Yeah, like we need or want to know. Yes, if you don't want to know you don't have to read it. It's not so much about that. It relates to what I said earlier, what is the effect of all this sort of thing on people?
I hate sounding like some old man, or a prude. I'm not (well you could argue the old, but I don't think I am). Far from it. I just think there is a lot going on that is just accepted as "the way it is". And perhaps there needs to be a little more thought put into it than that.
I have been involved with IT since 1989. I have seen the massive leaps and bounds as the Internet became an available tool for the general populace. Things like mobile phones, email, messenger, social networking, blogs, micro blogs...and they are all eagerly accepted into the general population.
And rightfully so, after all technology is a facilitator, a means to improve our quality of life.
Hmmm...improve our quality of life. Really?
Well I am as guilty as anyone of living with my mobile phone. My excuse has always been "what if there's an emergency?". Well how has mankind survived for centuries without some form of instant communication? Yes, you can always revert to the old argument of "life was different, lifespans were lower, etc etc". I always find those sorts of 'base level arguments' somewhat convenient and not always accurate. More of an excuse to my mind really, to not really have to deal with the issues.
Two people that go out for the evening, have dinner and conversation...and constantly texting on their phones. I had a friend at a party one night that spent the majority of the night texting, and the occasional interruption by talking to other people. It becomes more acceptable to have people answering phone calls in the movies.
I have also seen how these things effect the younger generations. Pre-teens on social networking sites, on messenger programs for hours talking to their friends, racking up hundreds of dollars worth of phone calls on mobile phones. And the one thing that stands out to me is the accelerated rate at which social interaction is thrust upon them.
No longer is it a case of them seeing their friends a couple of times a week outside of school. Now it's every night, every moment, posting their activities on the Facebooks and MySpaces. Sending text messages constantly, and chatting with their friends. The interaction that would normally occur during teen years, happens much earlier. And then the interaction and indeed maturity that would normally be required for early adulthood, happens during the teens.
My question is, has anyone considered if this is healthy? What has the effect of this been?
Also things like the usage of abbreviations to shorten words for text messages and such things as Twitter (which is limited to 140 character length postings). This carries across to messenger programs, which have no such limit but conversely no enforcement so efficiency/laziness rules.
And of course all these convenient forms of communication inevitably lead to things such as breaking up relationships via text message, messenger etc. One person I was talking to recently had their name on messenger set as "What would you say if I said it was over?". I asked if they were breaking up with their partner, they replied "I'm not sure yet, but I'm hoping they get the hint to make it easy for me". Wow.
And a personal dislike of mine is people posting private conversations and bad behaviour on public forums. I saw two acquaintances once posting a conversation on Facebook, organising their Saturday. It went something like "Hey man, I will come over and help you move that pile of dirt", "Great bring the wife and kids", "Yeah its been a while, we haven't seen you since you broke up with blah", "Yeah..." and so on. Now firstly, is it necessary to post this in a public forum? What is wrong with picking up the phone? And even if you cant call, couldn't you do it privately? What's wrong with good old email?
As a side note, is it really a good idea to advertise to the world exactly when you will be away from your house etc? I wont even mention security concerns, privacy of personal information, etc.
And then the posts of drunken, rude or illegal behaviour. "OMG I had such a good night, I have the hangover from hell, got smashed and vomited in the gutter, went home with a random, and ended up doing some serious shit".
Yeah, like we need or want to know. Yes, if you don't want to know you don't have to read it. It's not so much about that. It relates to what I said earlier, what is the effect of all this sort of thing on people?
I hate sounding like some old man, or a prude. I'm not (well you could argue the old, but I don't think I am). Far from it. I just think there is a lot going on that is just accepted as "the way it is". And perhaps there needs to be a little more thought put into it than that.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Post regularity...the balance
OK, I guess I am a bad blogger. I see other blogs that draw me back, and they're updated daily. Others, weekly. Me...well it's early days but not great consistency so far hahaha.
Hey, I'm busy with 'Real Life' (TM), so shoot me :P
I am going to aim for a couple of postings a week. I have a couple of things I have made notes about to Blog, so now I guess it's getting into the habit of making a time to collect thoughts, post stuff and that sort of bollocks.
Well, I make a promise to myself (bugger you lot!) that I will post something by the end of this week, and then get my act together and post about twice a week. See how that goes.
In the meantime, go and read this really cool Blog that I like :)
http://worldontheinside.blogspot.com/
Hey, I'm busy with 'Real Life' (TM), so shoot me :P
I am going to aim for a couple of postings a week. I have a couple of things I have made notes about to Blog, so now I guess it's getting into the habit of making a time to collect thoughts, post stuff and that sort of bollocks.
Well, I make a promise to myself (bugger you lot!) that I will post something by the end of this week, and then get my act together and post about twice a week. See how that goes.
In the meantime, go and read this really cool Blog that I like :)
http://worldontheinside.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Movie Review: Star Trek 2009
In a bid to breakup my navel gazing and philosophical discussions, and thereby avert a potential existential crisis, I am going to do something I have never done before...a movie review. Why the hell not, this is all new to me :)
I went out last night into Fremantle, had a great dinner and coffee with a friend, and caught the new Star Trek movie. Now let me preface this by saying I am not a 'Trekkie'. Yes, I have seen original episodes, most (if not all) the movies, and one or two episodes of Next Generation. Mainly because I love the genre, rather than some deep attachment.
And I loved it! I am fairly easy to please when it comes to movies, as long as they have a relatively good storyline, enough of the core ingredient to keep me interested (be that action, drama, suspense, mystery, comedy) then I'm pretty happy.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
Firstly I think the Director, JJ Abrams was in the position of not having to really develop the characters a great deal, rather outline their beginnings and introduce them. Once introduced, I was curious as to how he was going to avoid the Trekkie's wrath in regards "They didn't do that" and "That's not write according to the books/comics/movies/series". The introduction of an alternate timeline due to the storyline incident was brilliant, and the writers have opened the floodgates for an entirely new series of movies and various spin-offs.
I also think the casting was done remarkably well. Not only are the characters matched fairly well physically, but the actors did a great job bringing out their quirks and flaws...although I think there was one or two too many forced "Dammit Man" comments from Bones, but it was still amusing heheh. Scotty, Uhura, Checkov, McCoy, Sulu, Spock and of course Kirk were all too my mind, perfect fits. And I think it was a great stroke to bring in Leonard Nimoy to play the alternate/older Spock. What a great way to tie it in, and include one of the favourites of the original series.
Now I know I probably don't need to say it, but of course all of the above is "in my humble opinion". But hey, that's what all this is about now isn't it (as uncomfortable as that can be sometimes for me!). So I thoroughly recommend it and will be eagerly awaiting the next one!
I went out last night into Fremantle, had a great dinner and coffee with a friend, and caught the new Star Trek movie. Now let me preface this by saying I am not a 'Trekkie'. Yes, I have seen original episodes, most (if not all) the movies, and one or two episodes of Next Generation. Mainly because I love the genre, rather than some deep attachment.
And I loved it! I am fairly easy to please when it comes to movies, as long as they have a relatively good storyline, enough of the core ingredient to keep me interested (be that action, drama, suspense, mystery, comedy) then I'm pretty happy.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
Firstly I think the Director, JJ Abrams was in the position of not having to really develop the characters a great deal, rather outline their beginnings and introduce them. Once introduced, I was curious as to how he was going to avoid the Trekkie's wrath in regards "They didn't do that" and "That's not write according to the books/comics/movies/series". The introduction of an alternate timeline due to the storyline incident was brilliant, and the writers have opened the floodgates for an entirely new series of movies and various spin-offs.
I also think the casting was done remarkably well. Not only are the characters matched fairly well physically, but the actors did a great job bringing out their quirks and flaws...although I think there was one or two too many forced "Dammit Man" comments from Bones, but it was still amusing heheh. Scotty, Uhura, Checkov, McCoy, Sulu, Spock and of course Kirk were all too my mind, perfect fits. And I think it was a great stroke to bring in Leonard Nimoy to play the alternate/older Spock. What a great way to tie it in, and include one of the favourites of the original series.
Now I know I probably don't need to say it, but of course all of the above is "in my humble opinion". But hey, that's what all this is about now isn't it (as uncomfortable as that can be sometimes for me!). So I thoroughly recommend it and will be eagerly awaiting the next one!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Life, the future and everything...
Talking to a friend recently, something came up that really bothered me.
We were talking about some issues she was having with her family. She still lives at home (glad I didn't when I was 21, but that's perhaps a whole other blog entry of it's own...), and is getting a lot of pressure from her parents.
"What are you going to do with yourself?"
"Why haven't you bought a house?"
"When are you going to find someone and start a family?"
Oh...my...god. She is 21. And she is supposed to have sorted out in her head what she wants to do for the rest of her life, have committed herself to the biggest debt she is ever likely to undertake, and found somebody and started spawning.
Wow.
It really got me thinking. Perhaps I'm a little unusual (some have hinted at this before...ok they have flat out said it). But here I am, sitting at the wrong side of 30, and I can't answer most of those questions.
I don't know exactly what I want to do, or where I want to go. If I may borrow some lyrics momentarily:
I want to find someone to be with, share life's experiences with, be intimate with, start a family with one day. I used to need...I have addressed that and now I want, a much healthier situation.
However I also would like to travel, live overseas, experience a lot more of life and the world. It seems that this is a little in conflict with the first one. Just as I had set myself up for the travel and living overseas, I met someone. I put the travel/living overseas on hold, to explore the possibilities. It didn't work out, and now I'm back to square one.
I have been married. Divorced. I have moved from one side of the country to the other, and back again (in Australia, that's a fair old way). I have raced motorcycles, coached state league basketball. I look back and think I have done a lot of things, experienced a lot of things...and here I am, not exactly sure what I want to do.
How the hell are you supposed to be able to figure that out at 21 when you haven't even lived? And why should we have to? What's the rush?
We were talking about some issues she was having with her family. She still lives at home (glad I didn't when I was 21, but that's perhaps a whole other blog entry of it's own...), and is getting a lot of pressure from her parents.
"What are you going to do with yourself?"
"Why haven't you bought a house?"
"When are you going to find someone and start a family?"
Oh...my...god. She is 21. And she is supposed to have sorted out in her head what she wants to do for the rest of her life, have committed herself to the biggest debt she is ever likely to undertake, and found somebody and started spawning.
Wow.
It really got me thinking. Perhaps I'm a little unusual (some have hinted at this before...ok they have flat out said it). But here I am, sitting at the wrong side of 30, and I can't answer most of those questions.
I don't know exactly what I want to do, or where I want to go. If I may borrow some lyrics momentarily:
I used to have a little bit of a plan
Used to have a concept of where I stand
Now that concept's slipped right out of my hand
Now I don't really even know who I am
(Believe Me - Fort Minor)
Various things come and go, who can really know where they are going to be? And what is the point in committing yourself to something that will tie you down, if you don't know what you want?Used to have a concept of where I stand
Now that concept's slipped right out of my hand
Now I don't really even know who I am
(Believe Me - Fort Minor)
I want to find someone to be with, share life's experiences with, be intimate with, start a family with one day. I used to need...I have addressed that and now I want, a much healthier situation.
However I also would like to travel, live overseas, experience a lot more of life and the world. It seems that this is a little in conflict with the first one. Just as I had set myself up for the travel and living overseas, I met someone. I put the travel/living overseas on hold, to explore the possibilities. It didn't work out, and now I'm back to square one.
I have been married. Divorced. I have moved from one side of the country to the other, and back again (in Australia, that's a fair old way). I have raced motorcycles, coached state league basketball. I look back and think I have done a lot of things, experienced a lot of things...and here I am, not exactly sure what I want to do.
How the hell are you supposed to be able to figure that out at 21 when you haven't even lived? And why should we have to? What's the rush?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Fate and destiny...
Something I am incredibly curious about is people’s ability to resign themselves to this concept of fate and destiny. I hear it over and over again, the "what will be will be". This annoys me no end. No, annoys is too nice a word. Upsets is getting closer. I find it bloody infuriating to be honest.
Lets examine the concepts behind fate and destiny:
fate –noun
- something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot: It is always his fate to be left behind.
- the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed; the decreed cause of events; time: Fate decreed that they would never meet again.
- that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny: Death is our ineluctable fate.
- a prophetic declaration of what must be: The oracle pronounced their fate.
destiny –noun
- something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune.
- the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events.
- the power or agency that determines the course of events.
(All taken from http://www.dictionary.com)
I have highlighted the areas I think are relevant. Let me list them...
- unavoidable
- prescribed
- predetermined
- what must be
- is to happen
So what are we saying when we say "I believe in fate and destiny, what happens will happen"? We are saying that in some way our futures are prescribed for us.
I find it ludicrous to think that fate and destiny exist. If you are religious, perhaps you can blindly accept this in some way (I’m not and don’t). Otherwise, explain how our lives are in any way prescribed? I guess if you want to find an easy point to put your back against, you could say as we can not time travel, we cannot know if things would be different if we had taken a different path. Therefore you could argue there is only one path, and how do we know if it is predetermined or not?
Poor, desperate argument if you ask me.
So what about other peoples decisions impacting ours? Is that some form of fate or destiny? That is what someone has argued...other peoples decisions cannot be altered and therefore you are stuck with that and can't help it.
Again, to me rather flimsy.
Firstly, their decisions can often be influenced by you. Let’s assume in this instance they can't to remove that variable.
Well the impact of their decisions on you...is a factor in your own decisions. Should that be seen as some sort of pre-determination?
Ultimately I personally think you make your own future, it is not pre-determined. Yes, you could very well choose not to make any decisions, and therefore follow a pre-determined path. But that pre-determined path is known as an outcome of your decision. Not a fate. If I choose not to make any decisions, I am actually making a decision and defaulting future decisions. Putting aside involuntary actions of the body such as breathing, what about when I get hungry? Don't eat. That's a choice, I made a decision. Otherwise I die. Is it my fate to die if I don't eat?
Oooh, now that's interesting. Fate works on a smaller scale. But guess what. Fate is called the outcome of a decision. Pretty short term to my way of thinking.
So does that mean a chain of smaller decisions leads to a fate? Well if you switch fate for outcome again, absolutely.
Was it pre-determined? Absolutely not.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
You are the sum of your experiences
An online diary. I have been keeping one since 2005, but it's been for my eyes only. Thoughts and feelings, experiences and questions...an inner dialogue made external. I think it helps me put some things into perspective, and think them through...often far better than if I was to stop and try and think it through on the spot in my head.
Anyway, recently I emailed an friend asking them a question I had pondered in my diary. We got to talking and I sent them the entry I had just put in that day. They said (very kindly) that I write very well, and had I ever thought about keeping an online diary? Well the answer was yes, but for various reasons I hadn't.
The largest of these reasons perhaps is my anti-narcissistic and very private nature. I see people that post a lot about themselves on Facebook, Twitter and the like and it is very anti me (perhaps that's for another topic). Regardless this whole thing is going to be a stretch out of the comfort zone. I have written blogs about my basketball coaching, but that was about a subject I was involved in and my thoughts on it, rather than about my own personal feelings and experiences.
Anyway...here I am. I was trying to come up with a name, and wracking the brain. Something funny? Something witty surely. Smart...yeah thats it. Failure on all counts. Something about me (the boy with the big blue eyes hahaha) nope. Oooh a personal motto or slogan. Other than be yourself, I have never really had one and that seemed a bit lacking and cliched.
Then it hit me (thankyou subconcious). A lot of people have repeated back to me a saying I have used many times and firmly believe in...
"You are the sum of your experiences". Whilst I certainly don't claim to have invented this saying, I didn't pick it up from anywhere it, just came out one day as it made entire sense. So this diary is all about that. The sum of my experiences.
The thoughts and feelings, questions and concerns, events and everything else in between. I have no idea if anyone will find it interesting, how often I will post, the format it will take...it is all a blank canvas that will evolve.
So here's to lifes experiences, and being the sum of them :)
Anyway, recently I emailed an friend asking them a question I had pondered in my diary. We got to talking and I sent them the entry I had just put in that day. They said (very kindly) that I write very well, and had I ever thought about keeping an online diary? Well the answer was yes, but for various reasons I hadn't.
The largest of these reasons perhaps is my anti-narcissistic and very private nature. I see people that post a lot about themselves on Facebook, Twitter and the like and it is very anti me (perhaps that's for another topic). Regardless this whole thing is going to be a stretch out of the comfort zone. I have written blogs about my basketball coaching, but that was about a subject I was involved in and my thoughts on it, rather than about my own personal feelings and experiences.
Anyway...here I am. I was trying to come up with a name, and wracking the brain. Something funny? Something witty surely. Smart...yeah thats it. Failure on all counts. Something about me (the boy with the big blue eyes hahaha) nope. Oooh a personal motto or slogan. Other than be yourself, I have never really had one and that seemed a bit lacking and cliched.
Then it hit me (thankyou subconcious). A lot of people have repeated back to me a saying I have used many times and firmly believe in...
"You are the sum of your experiences". Whilst I certainly don't claim to have invented this saying, I didn't pick it up from anywhere it, just came out one day as it made entire sense. So this diary is all about that. The sum of my experiences.
The thoughts and feelings, questions and concerns, events and everything else in between. I have no idea if anyone will find it interesting, how often I will post, the format it will take...it is all a blank canvas that will evolve.
So here's to lifes experiences, and being the sum of them :)
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