58% Proof By Induction, 32% Random Chance

Mathematicians use proof by induction all the time, and while considered a "forced" proof, it is still a valid way to prove something. The issue, however, is that this does not work in the real world, which is to say, just because someone does well on a test one week, does not mean that they will do well on the next test. But why?

Two possibilities emerge: either proof by induction is flawed, or something is not being accounted for when induction is used. Since the method is sound, (as it has continued to be used), then something is not being accounted for. And this does make sense.

In the example above, only one variable is accounted for: is there a test? In actually, however, there a millions of variables in play, some of which are more important than others (one being: did you study?). Because these variables are not taken into account, or ignored, then incorrect results are the result.

For example, you see a friend with lots of blue clothing, and whenever they receive a piece of blue clothing as a gift, they are genuinely happy. Using proof by induction, you infer that every time he/she gets blue clothing they will be happy. This is a simplification through a generalization, and while it makes your life easier, it does not lead to a guaranteed good gift giving method.

Now, it does increase the probability that your friend will like the gift. But, they could absolutely hate scarves, in which case a blue scarf would be a bad idea. Still, the chance that your gift will be successful does increase. Which brings me to the summation point:

Patterns do not prove anything, but instead give background for claims. There are always multiple models and theories which fit the same data, however the one which is most effective and simplest is repeatedly chosen, as science reflects. So do not think that proof by induction is solid, just think of it as a quick way to improve your chances of success.

1, 4, 13, 40, 121, 364...

Humans are nothing more than advanced in the department of pattern recognition. Creative thought is no more than random interference of ideas. We are just quicker at this pattern recognition, as well as more adept at random interference. Humans are nothing more than chimps with faster brains.

Tangent 1: Pattern Recognition

How do we learn anything? We learn things through patterning. If we hear a car when we're crossing the street, we turn to see if there is one coming. Why? Because the probability of there being a car coming is high when one is heard, as we learn through pattern recognition. Through spending time around cars, we begin to realize that when there is a certain sound, there is usually a car. Additionally, we further discover that depending on what sound is made, a different car makes it, going at a different speed. All of this is pattern recognition.

Indeed, the entire foundation of the scientific method is based upon this cornerstone: A pattern is discovered, and then scientists attempt to find a counterexample or prove that it is true in all cases. If they prove it in all cases, then they create a general rule, often known as a natural law. Mathematicians do the same with number theory.

*Math Warning!*
Let's say that we just discovered an interesting phenomenon: Every odd number squared minus one, is evenly divisible by eight. That is to say that if k is any integer, then 2k+1 will be odd. Thus, ((2k+1)^2 - 1)/8 gives you an integer. The question becomes, why? And if so, can we prove it?

Quick answer: Because it does, and we can prove it.

Long answer: ((2k+1)^2 - 1)/8
= (4k^2 + 4k + 1 - 1)/8 Expansion of the bracket
= (4k^2 + 4k)/8 Addition of 1 and subtraction of 1 “cancel”
= 4(k^2 + k)/8 Factorization of 4
= (k^2 + k)/2 Simplification of the fraction
= (k+1)(k)/2 Factorization of k
Now, at this stage the proof takes a little bit of logic (which, itself, is pattern recognition). If k is odd, then k+1 is even, and hence divisible by two. If k is even, then k is divisible by two. Regardless, the final expression is always divisible by two.
*End of Math*

Double Tangent 1: Logic And Pattern Recognition

All of our logic can be classified as Aristotelian, which is to say that if a=b and b=c, then a=c. Think it through for a moment. If I love pizza, and pizza is my lunch, (and these are the only two factors), then I will love my lunch. Again, if I only love pizza and pizza is not my lunch, then it stands to reason that I will not love my lunch.

Now, how was this discovered? One possibility is that someone noticed that if one thing is true, and another is true, then together they are true. If the grass is green, and trees are green, then trees and grass are both green, so therefore they are the same colour. As the person saw more examples of this, they created a general theory of logic.

An alternate theory is that a person may have been asleep and then simply woke up with the idea which was inspired by a dream. This is known as spontaneous generation, and is often attributed to creative thought. But that is just random interference, and is not unique to humans.

Tangent 2: madRon recinnerfeet

Snakes on a Plane. There's a part in the movie, "Do you remember all those terrorists simulations? Well, I'm smack in the middle of one we didn't think of," or something along those lines. Upon seeing the trailers, I began to think that someone should do a parody and use the exact same quotes as those in the trailers, but instead of having the whole thing take place on a plane, have it take place in a field. The new movie would be called "Snakes on a Plain."

Now, some may call this creative thought, but instead I believe that it is random interference; the meshing of two ideas together in random configurations until one is found that works, and all other ones are rejected. I took the name, my subconscious looked through my mind to find things to associate with it, randomly encountered the word plain, substituted it, and voila.

This idea is so well known, computer programmers have used it. One computer programmer took this idea, wrote some code, and now the software can be put into any robot with limbs, and eventually the robot will find how to move the limbs most effectively through this method. No additional programming is needed, and if a limb should be removed, the software adapts through the same method.

Double Tangent 2: I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

The human mind does random interference all the time, although it is more associated with the subconscious than conscious. When we dream, we take the day's events and randomly intersect them with each other. Through this, we discover things that we normally would not have, and make connections in a similar manner.

In the same way, we do this on a daily basis in everything we do. All creative thought can be traced back to random interference.

Tangent 3: Bananas? Chimps And Chumps

In general, we're no different than animals. They may take 150 tries to see that they cannot go one way, but the next time they only take 100 or so. This is simply pattern recognition, albeit at a much slower rate that us highly evolved humans can. Animals, our distant cousins, work the same way we do, in regards to pattern recognition.

Do they have creative thought? Obviously they must, if all it is is random interference. Proof of this is found all over the animal kingdom, such as the gorilla who signed "tomato toothpaste" for ketchup.

Summation:

As far as I can see, we are no more "evolved" than any other animal, except in the fact that we can "learn" quicker than other species. We all use pattern recognition, and we all experience random interference. If you, however, would care to disagree, then please do comment on this blog. I will use my previous ascertained knowledge on the English language (through pattern recognition) to reply to you in hopefully witty way (barring any unforeseen problem with my ability to experience random interference). Oh, and good luck on finding the pattern in my title.

Earrings: A Defense?

Girls do it all the time. They put jewelry on themselves, do up their hair, and then paint their fingernails. The question of why has long been answered: they do it in order to enhance their appearance. However, I wish to dispute this closed idea, and instead offer my own analysis: they do it as a defense.

First, why do we shield our bodies with clothing? We do it to protect ourselves from both the extremities, as well as others' peering eyes. I put forth the idea that we hide our bodies as a preventative measure: we don't want people to see something they can ridicule.

Think about it for a moment: if people insulted what you were wearing, then you wouldn't be nearly as hurt as if they insulted you directly. So what would you logically do? Try to distract people from you more and more, until people were so distracted that they didn't see you anymore, but instead what you wore.

Perhaps this is part of what females do; they wear earrings, elaborately make their hair, and paint their nails, all in an effort to distract attention from themselves. The underlying truth of this is simple: we are all vulnerable, and wish to protect ourselves. Magicians use this method all the time; they distract you from what they truly try to accomplish (redirection). Similarly, we dress up when going to a ball in order to impress others, and reduce the chance that people ridicule you on who you are. It would make sense that on a day when you are being judged by others, you would protect yourself by wearing garb to disguise you.

So, if we wear things to distract others so they cannot ridicule us, then why do we not wear a suit of armour itself, instead of these trinkets, which serve that purpose? Despite the physical problems with the idea itself, there is also the fact that we wish to bond with others, and completely hiding ourselves from ridicule is a problem. With this in mind, we let ourselves be vulnerable, and we let people interact with us, so that we too can gain emotional support.

So, what does this prove? Simply put, something that we have always known: those who are shallow and wish to decorate themselves with beauty enhancing things, wish to hide who they truly are, for fear of rejection.

"a" versus "ur"

It's a question that's plaqued the philisopical for thousands of years: Are we who we are due to our genetics, or due to our experiences, and if it's both, then in what ratio? This essential question is woven into a myriad of ponderings that stem from it: Do people change, and if so, how much? Is that really just the nature of the beast? Can an old dog learn new tricks?

More importantly, however, is the question of where do our genes end and our life experiences begin?

I won't deny that our genetics lay the foundation for our being. In the few moments we're alive, our actions are solely based on our genetics (where’s the grub?). But when do we start to change due to our experiences? And do we? Just because you learn calculus or how to play the piano doesn't mean that they decision and aptitude didn't come from your genes. (It also doesn’t mean that it didn’t come from the chocolate bar you just ate.)

Let me attempt to tackle this question in sequence. First, how can your genes give you an aptitude for playing the piano? It seems like a rather impossible feat, seeing as how pianos have only been around for a relatively small portion of time. How could our genetic structure adapt to hold information about playing the piano? (Besides magic, although magic is awesome.) My answer is simple: it doesn't. Instead, it categorizes talent.

Most people who have a talent for something have a talent for related things. I have a talent for math, and so this lends itself to a talent for physics as the majority of physics is mathematics. Similarly, someone who has a talent for words is most likely good at debating. (Or rapping, even if that’s just a lot of “mofo”ing.) The counter point to this line of thinking is what about specific, out of the ordinary talents? There are people who are horrible in math, but can do pattern analysis exceptionally well. Why is this?

Overlap. Just like any properly drawn Venn diagram, we have overlap in our talents. A natural interest in art may lead to an ability to look at a picture and recognize a pattern present in it. (Or acting really snobby.) They may not seem related, but they are. Additionally, a talent in music may come from math skills (for recognizing numerical patterns) and an appreciation for art (in order to make said patterns appealing to the ear).

This being said, we can end up with highly refined talents, such as being able to visualize the complex structure of biological components of a theoretical plant. Our genetic structure could not specifically give us the talent for this, but the interference from our other talents did. Just as two musicians harmonize to create music, so too does your genetic structure conduct your talents.

Now, have you ever noticed how some people work so hard on a certain area, and just can't get it? Or people try to give up smoking but can't? (Winners don’t do drugs kids!) Perhaps you've seen people continually fall into the same problems, no matter how hard they try. Currently, it's up for debate as to whether or not these things occur do to the nature of the person, or who they've become to be and their mental roadblocks.

Many people study very hard and try their best to understand engineering, and just cannot. One theory is that they were born without the ability to learn it. Another theory is, however, that they failed once and then they expected that they'd fail again. This expectation then occurred, resulting in their continued annoyance at engineering and the belief that they could not succeed in it. (Some people might just argue that they shouldn’t even attempt engineering, as it’s a waste of their life anyway.) Alternatively, they could have been told at a young age that they couldn't build a fort cool enough, so again they got discouraged, and the same result was the outcome.

These two theories are at the heart of the nature versus nurture the debate. Some people want to know that they have free will and can control their own life. Others would like to be able to dismiss their failures as simply fate (all while silently cursing their parents).

What does it matter though? So what if we're all pre-programmed automatons? Who cares if eating that second chocolate bar was your own choice, you fat worthless slob? I'll tell you who: me. I care.

Should I get rid of my friend who thinks that soap operas are the holy grail of television? If she can't change, then who cares about her? If she can, then I'll just strap her down in front of some Terminator and cure her of the disease. Enough is enough though! These philosophers would tell us that if she doesn't change, then it could just be because of some mental roadblock baloney.

So how the hell can we find the answer? If we test one of the theories, and seemingly disprove it, then the other philosophers just go "That was meant to happen due to their genes!" or "They chose to stay that way!" The truth is, if we can't prove it either way, and the results are the same, then the why doesn't matter.

“I don't give a damn”, I guess is the right attitude. If your friend can't stop watching soap operas, either accept it or move on. It's either the nature of the beast, or their stupidity. And that's the real point. So, eat that second chocolate bar, because even money says that it's not your fault. And I'd take those odds any day. Just remember, the result will be that it will damage your teeth anyway, so make sure to brush. That is, unless you're not meant to...

Who knows what we’re programmed to do… Was I meant to write this?... Will I become homophobic?... Will I start a mass revolution involving elephants painted pink flying through the skies in hot air balloons, ready to do my evil, if hippie-idealist, bidding?!...

I hate my parents.

It's like... one of those optical illusions...

Since I don't have time to go into anything indepth, I just wish to say:

Isn't it interesting that the one time you know for sure that you're above someone else, and that you shouldn't waste your time on that person any more, is the minute you find out that they think they're better than you?

Stone Cold Shoulder

In a completely logical world, we would not have friends. (A completely logical world being one which people do not do things for emotional reasons, and ignore the influence of them.) A logical person would instead have associates, people who they would meet for information, nothing more.

No one would get together for fun, but instead for a purpose. We would congregate to discuss problems which face us as a whole, and we would do things that would benefit us and society. Games would not be played, and cards would not be dealt. Instead, we would increase our lifespan at the gym while casually discussing the existence of an almightily being with the chap whom we may never meet again, but just happened to be riding a stationary bicycle next to us.

Indeed, friendship would be pointless. If you felt emotion, you would act illogically. In essence, we would be weakening our self, corrupting our pure state of logic with petty whims. Besides, friendship requires risk, and emotional risk would be pointless as it would only lead to the potential for emotional gain, and emotional gain does not provide a logical person with anything. Truly, friendship is pointless if a person is logical.

Instead, your relationships would be trivial, both people only talking if they got knowledge out the endeavour. It would illogical to fraternize with people who could not benefit you with knowledge, and so the world would become highly divided. We would separate into classes of the most intellectual, and the least, with all the hues in between. Sure, teachers would still be ever-present, as it would be logical to attempt to educate people as much as possible, (it would ultimately lead to the betterment of all society) but there would still be segregation amongst the upper echelons of the educated.

Friendship would only serve to make the structure less efficient, as the most promising of people would trivialize their time with discussions with people intellectually beneath them. The entire ideal of continual betterment through productive discussion would be in jeopardy. Thus, friendship must be eliminated in a truly logical society.

We do not live there, however.

If a person tries to live by these ideas (do not create lasting friendships as once you are done discussing things which benefit you with the person, they are no longer useful, and creating a friendship with them only means that you are emotionally attached and therefore have to stay with them after their usefulness has come to an end), they would most likely be rejected in our society.

Humans thrive on friendship. We create them even though they are riddled with problems. We need to know that out there, there is someone who cares for our emotional well-being, because our emotional well-being influences our productivity. If someone just formed trivial relationships based on the sole purpose of gaining information through them, then one person would feel like they were taken advantage of. It is rare to ever find a relationship of any kind dissolved by mutual consent.

Someone who does not care about your emotional state shows that they are uncompassionate towards you, and you become bitter towards them. We do not like people who do not value us, and we feel betrayed. However, there is no real betrayal, as it is their nature (I call Star Trek fans to the beautiful Scorpion monologue by Chakotay in Voyager’s Scorpion, Part I). Do we curse the wind when it blows in the middle of winter? Some of us might, but in the end we all realize that it will not change, and instead put on something warmer to protect our self.

Perhaps this is an instance where we must simply accept that some people do not wish to form lasting relationships with others. It is a shame though, as it means that while they will never feel the pain of being hurt by caring for someone and finding out that they do not care back, they will never be able to experience the elation when a friend helps them out.

And that is the true purpose of this blog: To say that we should appreciate our friends more. They put up with our faults, understand us, and even when we do something wrong, they still stick with us. For I may hurt you today, and you may hurt me tomorrow, but if we can not work through our differences, then we are not worth the breath of another. We all will stumble at one point or another, and what we need, most of all, is someone there, right beside us, offering a hand and saying “I forgive you for all the pain you have caused me.” That, is love. And truly, love is blind.

Use The Force Luke

Our parents do it all the time. They take us and force us to do things we'd rather not have. For example, there's my graduation a little while ago.

I didn't want to go. I’d have to dress up, only to have a gown cover up what I was wearing. (We all looked like we were from Hogwarts too!) It seemed ridiculous. Why dress up only to hide it? It made as much sense to me as having a stripper wear a wedding gown only to take it off two seconds later.

Then there was the idea of a celebration for graduating anyway. I would get my diploma regardless of going, so why go? I'd just have to sit there for an hour or two, listening to people talk about stuff I didn't care about. I didn't want to waste my Friday evening in such a meaningless way. I was hell-bent against the whole thing.

But I was forced to go.

Did I regret it? Not really. I got over the whole wearing a dress shirt and pants, and I did sweat. But the fun I had with people there was more than worth it. I got to see people who I hadn't seen in a while, as well as make some memories that'll, appropriately enough, last a lifetime.

Sure, I may have logically approached the situation, had the same information as my parents on the ceremony, etc., but I lacked the understanding. As explained previously, that lack of understand lead to different conclusions on the part of myself and my parents. Their conclusion was right.

Now, this being said, I have two things to show through this example: the idea of parents living through their kids is something we all do, just in different forms, and sometimes people need to be forced into situations they don't want to be, and they will thank you in the end.

The first is the most important. Most people, especially teens, condemn their parents for forcing them to do things they don't want to. It's formally known as living through your children, however, this is just the most obvious manifestation of the human need to live through others.

Why do we watch television? To escape. We imagine ourselves as another person in the same room as those actors. We pretend we're their friends, that our lives are similar to their own.

Why do we play video games? To experience that which we normally cannot. We dive into another world, and take over another person, becoming them. We become ruthless 007, ready to be thrust into another deadly situation.

We do it to our friends too. If someone you know is going to Egypt, you might suggest that they take their picture in front of the Sphinx, mainly because it's something that you'd like to do yourself but cannot. It may not be as enjoyable as going there yourself, but it's something.

Why do you think that people read romance novels? Because they wish to have the same things in those books occur to them, but cannot, so they experience them through the book.

Every single day we live through others. Since we cannot experience all the things we want to, we live through other people. The only reason why we condemn parents is because they have enough influence to make their children do what they want them to. We all live through people to some degree, it's just that parents can, and do, to a greater one.

Now, this brings me to my second point: Some times you need to force people to do things for their own good. Many times we lack the time to explain something to someone so that they will understand, or the ability to break through their emotional barrier to have them analyze the situation logically. In these cases, forcing people to do things is sometimes the best thing to do.

Humans are creatures of habit it has been said. We do what we're used to because it's the easiest and we are the most comfortable like that. If we step outside this comfort zone, we become scared. Humans are scared of the unknown.

This being said, how do we make people break out of their comfort zone? Well, we can either have it occur suddenly, or gradually. To do it suddenly, force must often be applied. To do it gradually though, the situation must be approached with caution, showing the other person that it's not as scary as they think. Patience and perseverance must be used in order to alleviate any remaining fear so that the person is ready to tackle the situation.

Most times though, people cannot be bothered to just sit idly by. Instead they force the other person into the situation. In these cases, there are usually two outcomes: either the person is thankful for the experience, or resentful.

If you truly know that they will be happy about the experience, and you turn out right, then they will thank you. However, if you're wrong, then they will probably resent you for doing it. (However, they may say that the thought counted as you did care enough to try to benefit their life, even if it didn't turn out that way.)

My conclusion? We all live through people, so stop saying that parents are the only people who do it. Secondly, if you think that forcing someone to see something is the only way that they can get the understanding they need, then make sure that you're ready for the outcome. Thirdly, sometimes force is needed in situations in order for them to learn and grow.

And Then, He Was Spirited Away

In a week, spare a day, Halloween will occur. I think that it is appropriate to look at some of the rumours involving this day, in order to see what it’s all about. Remember, knowing about our culture helps to understand some of our traditions and customs.

According to good ol’ Wikipedia, it is believed that the Celts began this tradition and called it Samhain (or End of Summer) in which they had a fire festival, and it was believed that the dead would revisit the mortal world. The bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits.

This festival was held on the last day of October, and then Pope Gregory the Fourth decides, “Hey, we should change the day, “All Saints Day”, to November 1st!” And the peasants rejoiced because now the day was no longer in April, but still wished to celebrated their other festival the night before. It’s name got corrupted though, into All Hallows Even’, or Hallowe’en. The apostrophe is often dropped for simplicity.

Now, there’s another little known fact about our calendar system, but we lost a series of days in the past. In Great Britain, it was a total of 13 days. Other countries varied, depending on when they switched to the new calendar system. (The switching was needed as leap days were added to the new calendar system to increase its accuracy).

In this day and age, we still hold the day on October 31st, even though the calendar changed, (actually, most days are held on the same days as before the change), and many people still believe this day is when the realms connect. Additionally, we still light fires, except now they’re candles inside pumpkins and in the form of Halloween lights.

What does this mean? Well, if Halloween is the date upon which spirits can communicate with the living realm, then we have to ask why it is every year. It must mean that the dimensions overlap with the greatest intensity every 365 days, if we assume that the original date was correct. If this is true, then people who say that they can “feel spirits” on Hallowe’en are delusional, because the date is now off by more than 15 days or so.

Conversely though, if we assume that our calendar is correct, and Halloween is now falling on the proper day, than those people who believed that they “felt spirits” on Halloween previously after leap years first were missed and today’s calendar started to become different than the calendars of old, must be delusional.

But, there is something more! Since both people believe the same thing, and they recite the same experiences, then something truly strange is going on. Either there is a changing pattern (which is an oxymoron), in which the date moved on one of the calendars, and then became stationary (which is highly improbable, and defies logic), or Halloween is a croc and it is not a day in which we can communicate with spirits.

Logically, we must conclude that Halloween is not a day in which we can communicate with spirits.

I will continue on with this idea of spirits and an afterlife in another blog in the future. Cheers!

High on Life

The speaker of the assembly was a recovered drug addict. I thought it was nice to be out of the high school class, but a waste of my time that this freedom should be stifled by a boring person talking about a subject which didn’t affect me directly. I never had done drugs, nor was I expecting to do them. I knew what they could do to you, and had seen the results of them everyday as I walked up to school and passed people hooked on tobacco in front of the school.

The speaker was a thin man, about 25. He had blond, short hair that made him look younger than he most likely was. He stood up, walked to the podium, and just gazed out at the student body. And then he began.

“Addiction. It’s something that we think wouldn’t happen to us, and when it does, we don’t recognize it. Take the example of my friend Glen and I. We’d smoke some weed on the weekend, just to relieve the stress that had accumulated over the week. It was relaxing to sit there, stoned, in a state of bliss.

“I never once thought I was addicted. I always thought, Yeah, this is fun. I can stop at any time I want, but why should I? It doesn’t hurt anyone. Although Glen never said it, I knew he agreed with me. We weren’t hurting anyone. It was just like we were inhaling a massage instead of having one done to us.

“Over the weeks it seemed like the relaxing effects of the weed was decreasing. At first, it wasn’t noticeable. But as time progressed, the change became more profound. I felt that the weekly dosage wasn’t enough, and needed more. I asked Glen to try to increase how much we got per week, but it didn’t work; the dealer could only get so much to us.

“I needed something to smoke, so I turned to cigarettes. They weren’t as good, but at least it was still something. It relaxed me, and fixed the problem temporally, but soon I increased the amount I had. At one point, I even started to smoke two at once, just to help take the edge off.

“I still didn’t think I was addicting. I rationalized what I was doing by saying that I was merely increasing my dosage in order to compensate for the decreasing quality of the product, as well as my increased resilience to its effects. I took it as a good sign too. If I had to smoke more in order to get the same calm that half of what I had before would have given me, then my body is set to help me resist the addictive effects of the substance, and it had already begun. I thought it’d be easy to quit whenever I wanted to.

“Then Glen informed me that the dealer had been caught, and wouldn’t be back for a few months. I panicked. How could I calm myself now? I needed that weed to survive. I went on a search to find another source, but it didn’t work. People looked at me strangely when I asked them if they any weed for sale.

“They looked at me as if I was useless. I knew differently though, that I was something. So I looked down on society. I thought myself better than them. They were just snubbing me because I was better than they were, and they were jealous of that fact.

“I became introverted. The only person I talked to for the longest time was Glen, but only then to see if he had found a new source. I started to become poor in my quest for relaxation. Then the worst thing that could have happened, did. Glen stopped.

“He didn’t explain why really. He just stopped because he had too much work to do he said. I laughed. Work? That didn’t matter. What really mattered was being relaxed and mellow. So I left my only friend like he left me. I moved on in life, a lone wolf.

“The change happened one day when I was walking down the street, going to the convenience store for another package of cigarettes. I saw an old man, homeless, banging on the door, demanding that they give him cigarettes. He yelled about how he had money, how they were killing him, and how they were horrible people at heart.

“I just walked away. I knew what I had become. Addicted. My whole life had begun revolving around reaching that mellow state to the point where I was stressing over it. Nothing was good enough. It wasn’t a sign that my body was resisting, but instead that it was so accepting, it became dependent.

“It took a while, but my mind was set. I had relapses, sudden urges to smoke, but I was determined; I would not become that old man. I came clean, and have stayed that way ever since.”

He paused, and this was the first time that my thoughts we allowed to come back to myself and the place I was in. Most students were busy laughing at the man who fooled himself, but I could not turn away. He was someone to be revered, his wisdom obtained at half the normal age. He resumed.

“But what does this mean to you? How does this tale affect you? What wisdom are you given by this story? Just a few things. Look at what you like to do. Do you play video games? Work out? Strive to be thin? Has this hobby become an obsession? Is it all that you think, eat, breath, do?

“You may think that it’s easy to break out of. You may think that it doesn’t adversely affect you, or those around you, but it may. The best pieces of advice I can leave you with are: 1. Find the person who has taken their hobby, the same one as yours, to the extreme. What happens if you get addicted to a television series to the point where it’s all you watch, and you memorize the lines? Ask yourself if that’s who you want to become. If it isn’t, then slow down a little.

“2. Do everything in moderation. Take a break from that which you divulge in, and reflect on your actions because of it. Is it good that you’re obsessed with that which you are? Would it better for you to do other things? Should you study and get your marks up?

“Your life is yours to live. I got lucky in the fact that I discovered my addiction quickly. Other people go on their whole life addicted to being in a romantic relationship, talking about a single joke, or other things. The worst part is that they don’t recognize their problem, or admit that they have one.

“So stand up. Be a big person and admit you have an addiction. Admit that you are weak. And then set out to deal with it. You can only solve your problem, once you identify it.”

He hovered on stage for a moment while the words sunk in, and then departed to the front row. I knew what I had to do, and that night I’d do it. I’d look at my life, and see if there were any addictions I had, and then analyze them. I knew now; those things worth my time, could wait until I was ready for them. I could overcome my addictions.

Just as soon as I found them.

Immortality, Conformity, and a Dash of Logic to Taste

Let's break it down, break it all down. If you break down people, interactions, and discussions, it's fairly simple to say that if we were given the same information and understanding, and then thought logically, we'd get the same answer.

If you have an apple and you're hungry, the logical thing to do is eat it. However, you'd need to be able to understand that when you're hungry you need to eat, that the apple is edible, etc. Without this knowledge and understanding, then you will not eat the apple. Anyone in the same situation with the same understanding and knowledge will, logically, reach the same conclusion you have.

So why doesn't this happen in the real world? Why do people act differently and believe different things? Why don't we all do the logical thing? This is because something is missing in most cases; either we lack knowledge, understanding, or logic. Someone may be hungry but not logically connect the food with their hunger, mainly because they're panicking about an upcoming test. Or they may not eat the apple because they don't understand that they're hungry and need food (even if they have the knowledge, they don't understand how it feels to be hungry, and therefore, they do not know they are hungry). Finally, they may just not know that the apple is food.

If you assume, however, that we are all logical people, then giving knowledge to someone and assuming they understand would result in the conclusion that they would come to the same conclusions you would have from said information. However, if they do not, you must assume that you yourself have broken one of these three rules; either you are not thinking logically, lack knowledge that they have, or do not fully comprehend the information.

If we had an infinite amount of time, in order to discuss a topic and make sure that we had the same level of knowledge and understanding, and then did discuss the topic in a logical manner, we would eventually come to the same conclusion (however, one person may just take longer). In this way, we would all end up following identical courses of action (the most logical, of course), and we would all act the same.

[Interesting fact: Gene Roddenberry already knew this and applied to a species of alien known as the Vulcan. They were purely logical (except during Pon Farr, although they were still highly logical at that time too, as depicted in the episode of Voyager, "Blood Fever".), and as a result, all agreed and followed the same course of action. They lacked dimension to their personality because of it, unfortunately.]

As a result of this, let us take our knowledge back to the real world where people are emotional, we don't know everything, and we can't comprehend it all. What does this idea offer us here? It means that if someone disagrees with you on an issue, look to see why that could be. Do you have a different amount of knowledge on the subject then they do? If so, talk to them in order to gain their knowledge, and give yours. Do they lack understanding in the matter, or could you? Ask for clarity and try to provide if this is so. Finally, are both of you thinking things through clearly? If not, calm down, dissociate yourself from your emotions (it's advised that you only do this temporally, as it can lead to future problems), and if all else fails, as a friend what they think. Sometimes, an outside source can shed new ideas on a situation, and help you think clearly.

[Disagree with the blog? Double check if you're thinking logically, and if you are, then question away!]

Funny thing because of this idea: Logical people saying that they’re non-conformists, yet they want everyone to think logically. Doubly contradictory.

War! Hup! Yeah! What is it good for?! Absolutely Nothin'! Say it again!

As promised, I will expand upon immortality and explain two things: 1. How we already inherently know that finding immortality is the meaning for life, and 2. The many ways that we attempt to accomplish that goal.

First things first (where they should be?), how can I say that we inherently know that finding immortality is the meaning of life? Well, we all have a survival instinct, which is why it's so hard for many suicidal people to actually kill themselves. We work out so that we're healthier, most of us wish to live until we're over 100, and we'd all like to be able to relax a bit more. One explanation for this set of behaviour is that we wish to live longer. We want to be healthy so that we increase the chances of living a long life. We want to live until we're over 100, because... well, I'll leave this connection to be made by the reader. We want to relax more because it will result in us being happier, and this in turn results in better health.

From birth we are pre-programmed to survive, and as such, we all want to naturally live long lives, and become immortal. But how do we do this? How do you, the reader, channel almost all of your actions into the goal of becoming immortal? There are many ways.

Some of us wish to create a work of art that will be marveled at forever. Others wish to be remembered by friends and family long after they're gone. Still others wish to leave an impact on society by being a doctor and saving lives, being a teacher and educating the masses, or just being a good member of society by helping your friends, doing what is asked of you, and caring for those around you. Most of what we do is designed to maximize our chances of immortality.

When do we feel safe? When we do exactly what we're comfortable with, which is primarily what we are used to. Why? Because not only are we good at what we do all the time, we also decrease the likelihood of being embarrassed, and embarrassment leads to sadness.

The majority of our actions fall into four categories: moral/logical actions, happiness actions, safety actions, and impulse actions. We do moral/logical actions because we believe they are the right thing to do, regardless of whether on not they give us happiness, such as making yourself late by helping someone else out, or denying yourself that extra brownie. These actions usually result in a better feeling about who we are, and a sense of pride in doing the right thing.

Happiness actions are those which result in happiness for the person doing them. These range from indulging in an extra brownie, to hanging out with friends when you should be doing an assignment. They may not always be the "right" decision, but they result in temporary happiness, whatever the cost.

Safety actions are actions we take to ensure our own survival. These include not running across a highway to not running with scissors. These aren't exactly moral/logical decisions since we may turn down a dangerous situation (such as helping someone who is suicidal) in order to maximize our own survival (by not taking to that person, we decrease the chance that their negative thoughts will translate to us).

The final category of actions is impulse actions. These are actions that you don't think through, and are most times accidental in nature. For example, you could insult your boss after he makes a comment about your performance. Not only does this action not make you happy, but it is also immoral/illogical and you'll regret it in the future. These actions usually lead to continued anger at your past self.

Without impulse actions, all our actions are designed to either make us happy, others happy or allow us to survive. In making others happy, we become happier ourselves and increase the chances we have of living an enjoyable life with friends. Making our self happy results in a higher quality of living , increased productivity, better health, etc., all of which result in a greater chance of long life. Finally, survival actions, obviously, maximize our ability to survive.

The neat thing about these categories is how much they overlap. In general, the right thing to do results in us being the happiest because we didn't have to compromise who we are in order to do what we wanted. We start to tailor what we want to do to follow that which is the right thing. It goes back to the idea that humans are, in general, good people.

Now, this all being said, I still need to deal with Man Eyes' point about there being life after death (even if that sounds paradoxical). That I will attempt in another blog, soon to be published (I hope).

Updates Continue

Adsense was added, and then search came too,
It seemed that his blog was becoming brand new.

A dash of change, a pinch of update,
And then he rambled on about fate.

It seemed that he was finally done,
When he gave the readers a gift for fun.

If you wish to see when new text is typed,
Reply to this blog for a feature, over-hyped.

Notified you'll be to comments and blogs,
And I lack something that rhymes with blogs.

The end.

A Loss of Marbles (The Fate Remix)

This small story is dedicated to all those who doubt fate. May you open your eyes.

I sat on the floor, playing with a marble and racecar track I got a few years ago. I always liked to set up the track to go from one room to another, and then watch the marble go down the track, faster than I could run. It would amuse me for hours as I tried to optimize the speed of the little ball of glass, and then I'd add in jumps and turns, just for excitement. It was on one of these days that my grandfather came over, only to find me fast at work building a new roller coaster for my spherical friend.

"I see you’re hard at work," he said from behind me. I heard him climb the stairs, and smiled upon hearing his voice. Most grownups didn't care about my fun, but he always did. I quickly ran and hugged him.

"Yep! Let me show you!" I grabbed his hand and lead him to a spot next to the track, and then insisted that he sit down to watch. He took his time, but did so happily, excited that he would see my newest creation. I obliged him by getting the marble and letting it go down the track once more.

He looked over to me, and said "Get another marble. I want you to try something."

I had always been used to only using the one marble on the track, but he sounded very enthusiastic about his plan, so I got another marble and sent it on its way. It ended up a few centimeters to the left of the previous one.

"Now Benjamin," (he always used my full name) "why didn't the two marbles end up in the same place?"

I thought about it for a moment, and remembered all that I had learnt about track building over the years. "Well," I replied, "do you see this chair here, under the track?" His eyesight wasn't the best, so I thought that I should ask if he saw it, just to make sure. He nodded. "It holds up the track so that after each run, the track doesn't move as much. It moves a little bit though."

"So, if there was a completely immovable track, and you put a marble down it, it would always end up in the same place?" he queried. He looked like he had just got started, so I decided that the answer had to be no, and worked on why it was that.

"No, I don't think so," I hesitantly answered, hoping that my guess was right.

"Why's that? What other things could be different from the first time, to the second?"

I practiced taking a marble and setting it on the track. I tried to figure out what could change exactly, and then I realized that there were a few things. "I could push the marble!" I happily said. "A-And I could put it down in a different place!"

"Those are both correct." He smiled at me, and I smiled back. "Now, let's imagine that we get rid of everything that can interfere. Then, would the marble always end up in the same place?"

I mulled the idea over. "That makes sense," I finally told him.

"Good, good. Now, when an experiment can be done many times with the same result, it's called repeatable. It's through these repeatable experiments that we gain scientific knowledge. We discover patterns." He looked at me patiently, as I took in the information.

"So," I started "if I send the marble from the top of the track, and then from lower heights, I can find out how far it will go from any height?" I was quite bright for a boy of twelve, partly because I had a good teacher in my grandfather.

"Exactly. You can find a pattern, and then use it to predict future events." He paused, and gazed at me with a twinkle in his eye. "But there's something even more amazing that I have to tell you." I looked back at him with curiosity, and a drive to learn that paralleled his own to teach. "We can use this idea to prove that fate exists."

I eyed him carefully, trying to tell if he was tricking me here, as he so often did. "If you ran enough tests, then you could predict the future for everything, right?"

He just smiled back at me. "You're still thinking inside the box, Benny-boy." The only time he ever called me Benny-boy was when he was very happy, and he was only very happy when he was teaching me something truly wondrous.

I was very excited now, but impatient all the same. "Then tell me!"

He teased me for a minute by just smiling at me some more, and then began saying "The experiment will come up the same if we have everything the same, correct?"

I nodded in response. "If the track doesn't move, the marble starts in the same place, and with the same speed, etc. then yes, the result will be the same."

"That," he slowly revealed, "is the cornerstone to this proof. If you repeat something under the same conditions, the result will always be the same."

"But how does that prove that fate it exists?" I really wanted him to get on with it, even if he was enjoying his teaching.

"Pick a number between 1 and 1000, and tell me what it is," he stated.

"672," I replied, wondering how this had anything to do with fate.

"Alright then. Let's say that we could somehow recreate the moment that you chose your number. Everything would be the same. The whole universe would be identical to when you just chose your number a moment ago." He was getting excited now. "The experiment would be duplicated perfectly! What number would you choose?"

"Six hundred and seventy two." I slowly let the words roll off my tongue, as my mind raced forward to what he'd say next. I started to see where his argument was progressing, and I liked it.

"Exactly! There was only ever one outcome, right?!"

"Yes!"

"Which means..." He was pulling at me to make the connection myself.

"Then you'd get a new universe in which another event will occur, and then a new universe in which even another event will occur, and it will keep progressing in a cycle of action begetting change, change begetting action, onward and onward..."

He smiled. "And all of it stemmed from one action. That's the essence of fate. The universe is like a giant billiard table. An initial action, the hitting of the cue ball, sets a series of events in motion. In the universe though, there are an almost infinite amount of these balls, and they never stop moving, creating action upon action."

And then I knew the final words. "But it all started from the one action. It was all predetermined."

He smiled at me once more while I sat there, grasping at the remaining shreds of the reality I knew only moments ago. "Now Benjamin, don't think about it too hard. It'll come to you in time." He got up, and started to leave. "For now, just be content with your marbles."

I looked up at him, sighed, and then continued playing, my mind working overdrive as it was destined to do.

The Meaning of Life: Redux

Amber raised a good point in her comment to my previous post (even if she did post it at 3 AM). What if there is no meaning to life? It is the only assumption I made in my argument, and so it is a valid question to ask; is there a meaning to life?

It makes sense that we would attribute a meaning to life as it is 100% of our experience. We experience only that which we live, and thus our life is very important to us. As such, we wish to know that our life has a meaning, and there has been a reason for our existence. Just as we wish to feel secure in knowing that all the time and energy we put into school will be worth something someday, we too wish to believe that our life will amount to something greater than just the sum of our days.

But what if it's all for naught? In the grand scheme of things, it's entirely possible that we will destroy ourselves, the sun will expand and consume the remains of the Earth, and there will be nothing left of us. The rest of the universe will progress, unaware of our existence. We will have had no grand impact.

Truly though, every single day, we strive to get meaning from our life. We all want what's best for ourselves, and the majority of us have realized that this goal requires us to do both what is best for ourselves, while still doing good for others. We give our lives meaning. And that, more than everything else, matters.

The Meaning Of Life

We all wonder what the meaning of life is. Why are we here? What's the meaning of it all? I think I know what it is. The meaning of life... is immortality.

That is our ultimate goal; to make sure no one dies. Most of us already know this. We try to be nice to people, avoid war at all costs, and attempt to stop people from killing others. We also try to make our life last as long as possible, by exercising, or by creating something great so others will remember us. Yet, we have not begun to truly become immortal.

Let me address why this is our purpose in life. If we assume there is a meaning of life, then it follows that life must have meaning. And if life is to have a meaning, then there needs to both be life, and a reason for it. Since death is the end of life, and life is needed for there to be a meaning to life, then the reason for life is to prevent death. Hence, the meaning of life is to find immortality.

Determining the benefits of immortality is left as an exercise for the reader, and will be touched upon in the next blog.

Schrödinger's Cat: Killed By Curiosity

Curiosity is defined as "a state in which you want to learn more about something". If that is true, then I question why you want to learn about that. There must, undoubtedly, be a reason for why you are curious about something; a cause for the effect and action of asking the question.

Simply giving the excuse of "I'm just curious" does not make sense. There is a reason why you're curious about that particular subject, whether you realize it or not. Most times the aforementioned phrased is used to hide the true reason, usually because the true reason is something that the questioner does not which to reveal.

If I ask you when your birthday is, it is most likely due to a few reasons, such as: I wish to celebrate your aging an additional year, I want to know if I'm older than you, or I may just wish to ask the question in order to tell you when mine is in order to exchange information and "bond". However, if I were asking you the question due to the last reason, then I would most definitely be less likely to explain that that is the actual reason, but instead try to nonchalantly pass it off as me just being curious, even though this is not the case.

Alternately, a person may say that they asked something because of a given reason, but they were "mainly curious". This is often times used to deflect focus away from the true reason they asked the question which they gave. They aren't actually lying to you in either case too; in both they are genuinely curious, but they just don't wish to share the actual reason for their curiosity with you.

Now, there is another aspect of curiosity to deal with: being too curious. There are many times when someone will ask you a plethora of question, continually quoting curiosity as the reason for their inquisitiveness. I've just dealt with the illogic of citing curiosity as the cause for your actions (it may be true, but does not accurately reflect the real reason why you ask the question) and I will now address the issue of the problems it causes.

Humans, for the most part, are curious creatures. We wish to know why things work the way they do, how things happen, who people are, what ifs, and an innumerable list of other things. Science has arisen and explained many mysteries of our universe due to our endeavor for answers, and while these are established facts, it can still be irritating to have a person grill you on a subject. Truly, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Someone who is overly curious can be consider nosy, and this is a reputation which can be disastrous to obtain. Few people wish to confide in someone considered nosy, for fear that they will be brutally dissected and be left with nothing more than what they started with, spare a filling of panic and unwanted openness. Consequently, most will stray from someone known to be nosy and only venture close when wishing to acquire information upon another person. The nosy person is then left without lasting friendships, except for the few other people who allow themselves to be associated with such a person (and they are usually of a similar nature). The main downside of this association is that you could be dissected at a moment's notice, and feel used.

Perhaps all that can be gained from this idea is both an understanding into why we say that we are just curious about a subject, and fair warning to those who are nosy or associate themselves with those who are. I think that we should all be able to admit why we ask a question, or at least be able to explain why if the questionee inquires.

It's better to let another know why they are being questioned than to just give the excuse that you're curious. It is far nicer to know that you wish to find out about their birthday so that you can do something nice for them upon that day than to just have the inquiry dismissed with "I'm just curious". Truly, honesty is paramount in so much.

Psst!

Why do we have secrets? What's the point? Why would I not want to tell you, the reader, something?

Well, it could be because I'm timid or embarrassed about the secret in question. I may be afraid that you'll make fun of me for my Pokemon playing. You could shun me, call me names, etc. But am I afraid because that is what will happen, or because it's what I believe will happen?

If there is no legitimacy to my claim, then I am being afraid over nothing. Conversely though, if it is a certainty that you will reject me as a friend for playing Pokemon, then I have to decide which I value more: honesty and openness, or your friendship.

Luckily, there may be some way to find out why you dislike Pokemon to the extent that you would end our friendship. If it is because you once had a traumatic experience involving someone who played Pokemon, then I could try to explain how I'm not like that other person. By gaining understanding, we can keep our friendship intact and not let it fall apart over such a little misunderstanding.

Personally, I feel that we should not have secrets. The only reason we keep secrets is due to insecurities, be it our own or others. I wouldn't tell you that I sleep with a teddy bear that my great-grandmother made me when I was very young if I was insecure about it. If I thought you would judge me and say that I was a child for doing that then I’d keep it a secret from you.

In the end though, if you're comfortable about who you are and what you do, why should others change that? If they don't accept you for who you are, then why should you conform to suit them? Unless you can be shown that your Pokemon addiction, style of dressing, or drinking of WD40-enriched water is a bad thing, then there's no reason for you to stop.

Someone told me recently that they keep some secrets so they can tell them to friends who they trust as a sign of that trust. Personally, I innately trust everyone unless they show me a reason why I shouldn't. However, when I get to know people more, then I'll give them "full access" as it were. Many times I'll even say "You can ask me anything you know."

The worst part though, is when people are insecure about the strangest things. As most people are getting e-mails about "enlarging their penis size", I think that we can conclude that the majority of males feel inadequate in that regard. But why? Unless you're a stripper, or just wish to have sex for fun, then it doesn't really matter. Would you want to marry someone who, after happily spending months with you in a relationship, suddenly thinks less of you because of your penis size? I personally wouldn't wish to marry someone so conceited.

Why can't we all just be a little bit more open and a tad more accepting? If all learn how to love each other for who they are a bit more, then there'd be less war, hatred, and violence. The world would become a better place. We wouldn't see gang violence nearly as much. So open up. Show people that you're no one to be afraid of, and in turn, they'll trust you.

This openness and trust will nurture acceptance, bringing love and a feeling of belonging to blossom. The world can become a better place, if you just tell your secrets. Just be warned: Most people don't want to know about your penis size. You can keep that to yourself.

A lack of much, a need for so much more

As we enter into the fall, so much changes. The colours of the leaves, the weather and the geese, as well as a myriad of other things. But there are a few things that are more subtle, yet striking, like the fact that this is all a slow segue to winter.

Winter is a time of joy for most students, as there are snow days, Christmas, and the annual favourite: two weeks off from school. Still, there is often times much to be desired from winter, as in most cases it lasts too long for its own good.

I have to say that this is similar to making or meeting a new friend. You know that you're going to meet this person for a while, and your excitement builds in anticipation. If you know about it for long enough, it can build rather slowly.

You notice the first bit of colour on the trees which is not green, and your friend tells you that you're getting together in a few months. You look forward in anticipation for both the coming of Christmas and that of your friend. Eventually, as time progresses, you start to cross of the days until you meet your friend, and in another room your sibling counts the days to Christmas through an advent calendar.

Finally, you meet your friend and show them all the presents you got for Christmas. Both of you are elated. However, now comes the hard part. With the initial meeting over, and you putting so much into it, what's left? There's nothing that can parallel your feelings up to the encounter, and surely you'll have to wait until the two of you meet again for such excitement to relapse.

Like in any story, you now have the denouement. The joy you first felt at meeting the person is somewhat seen through. Your presents lose their novelty, and just become stuff. Life, is once again, mundane.

Often times, when you make something to be bigger than it is, you're disappointed afterwards, and are left with a feeling of despair. How could I have been so stupid to make such a big deal out of it in the first place? Why did I look forward too it so much? Many times, this leads to the personal degrading of opinion of that which has disappointed you.

The friend who once you couldn't wait to have arrive is now nothing special. In fact, they betrayed you. They made his or her self look greater than he or she actually was. It wasn't your fault. Your friend let you down. Christmas let you down.

But it'll start again the next time. You'll get suckered in by the commercialism, the hype. Sure, deep down you know your expectations are false, that no one can be that good, no Christmas that perfect. But still, you hope. A year's past, and this time you vow it will all be different.

It's possible to change. It's possible to not be left angry at Christmas and your family, or the friend who turned out to not be as good as you thought. But it's hard. The first, as always, is understanding that is needed.

Once you understand why you were disappointed, and so do the other people involved, be it your family, friend, or friends, then you can work from there. Next, show that you understand why they're hurt by what you did. Finally, patch things up.

Sure, there will be difficulties. You're still disappointed, and they're still mad, but you get through that. Unless, unfortunately, the emotions are so strong that you can't. You may be so mad at them for being "deceived" or your friend/family may be so mad at you for the pain your disappointment and anger brought them that neither of you wants to talk to the other.

In these times, you'll cite "reasons" for why you're doing what you're doing. These reasons range from "They lied to me!", "I thought they were different!", and "They're not worth my time!" to "I hurt them.", "I talk to them when they've changed.", and "I'm not worth their time."

You have to look at these reasons to see if they are valid. Did they lie to you, or did you just expect more than they could give? If you thought they were different, was it that you were ignoring everything that told you otherwise? If it that they're not worth your time, or is it that you don't have the time to spare and the effort to put in to change your feelings about them?

Did you hurt them, or did was it his or her fault that he or she was hurt? How can you talk to them when they've changed if your not letting them talk to you? If you're not worth their time, then why did they spend it on you in the first place?

Hate, despair, and all the other emotions of that intensity can lead you to doing things, which, in hindsight, are wrong. While it is not possible to override intense emotions when they are going on, look back on the situation and assess if the emotions were warranted. Look at the reasons why you wanted to be friends with the person in the first place, and then at the reasons why you don't want to now. What if you're wrong? What if the negative reasons don't exist?

Ultimately, what if they're really how you saw them to begin with? Can you go on without being sure? Can you go on wondering if you truly know the person, or understand why they did what they did, or if they even did it?

Regret, guilt, and longing are some of the most lasting and powerful emotions that you feel. It only makes sense to reduce them. Go out there, and mend some fences. Or better yet, tear them down all together.

It's about time

I have not posted a blog in a while, and I think that this situation should be rectified. In an effort to do this, I will try to fix up this blog and other things in the future. Which brings me to today's post: Fate.

I had a very long winded and well thought out argument stating that fate existed. The unfortunate part was that this was not the best explained, and required a great leap of faith. It was not until yesterday that I came up with this very simple logic which does a lot more than my initial theory ever did.

The past is fixed. Today is just tomorrow's yesterday. If the past is fixed, and tomorrow we will remember today as yesterday, then today is the future's past, and is therefore set. And if the past and future are both set, then fate exists.

I rest my case.

Video Letter to Beth

(Comes with this cool text: "This video letter explains the complex art of how to write an e-mail. (Background story: You see, I asked my friend to write me an e-mail, and she "hasn't gotten around to it yet". So I made a video to show her how.) Sure, the video is crap and the audio is all over the place, volume wise, but it's the thought that counts.")

Anyway, this is more my revenge on her for not e-mailing me. And since I haven't done a blog recently, I thought I could toss this in.

Idea for tonight

I have to say that there is something I consistently hate about emotions. An item that you don't really want, when threated to be taken from you, makes part of you want to keep it, if, for no other reason, than just to be able to say you have it.

My mother was getting rid of a Jeopardy game which I had completely forgotten I had and had only played once or twice and not overly liked it, but when it was brought back into my mind, I wanted to keep it because, of course, it may be of use someday. Or I'll make an animation on the computer, then I'll hit a phase where I find it to be trivial and just taking up space, but then someone inquires if I had used a certain technique once, and lo and behold, I only did so on that one "trivial" animation.

Ultimately though, you need to move on in life. You only have so much room, and most times, things are trivial. That being said, I still want to set up something that records everything I do visually and audatorially so that I can replay parts of my life on cue.

I need a ham sandwich

I make this blog for two reasons, both of which I feel to be worthwhile. The first is that a friend asked my services in that I was supposed to reveal my knowledge on the subject of increasing efficiency when commencing activities which one desires. The other reason is that this not only gives me another blog (something which I feel I need), but it also helps to reinforce my own resolve on doing things which I deem important to myself. In any case, this blog is being made in my mind as I type, so I shall dispense with any more formalities, and simply begin.

1. In order to efficiently complete a goal which you set for yourself, you must first have a well-planned out goal. What do you wish to complete? Why? What do you hope to achieve by completing it? How long do you estimate it will take until its completion? Once you have your goal (I wish to write this blog), then all you have is a map with an X, without any landmarks or a path from where you are to the end.

2. Next, answer as many questions as you can about the goal, such as those listed previously. These will help you by making your goal more obtainable in the sense that you now have a definitive goal. You know what you want, why, etc. so now you can get it. Your goal is no longer a distant castle which you have only heard rumours about and is surrounded in fog, but now a vibrantly drawn castle which you can easily see.

3. Once you see the castle, you must quest there. A path must be created. Take your goal, and then figure out how you wish to get there. Start out simple (I wish to sit down and write the blog), and then add more detail (I will sit down on July 19th while watching the remaining bit of the first Star Trek movie and write my blog. The blog will be on procrastination.), until you feel that it is a plan that you can follow. In most cases, too little information leads to a motivational problem (because you don't know how you're going to complete your goal, you feel lost and then begin to think that you should not continue). That being said, often times it is better to lack a clear path to your goal as it makes the journey more exciting and allows for more creativity. Just be cautious.

4. Now, no doubt, there will be some problems. However, there are many ways that you can overcome these. Most of the problems you will have will be those of motivation. If you ready wish to do something, but at one point or another lose focus, you need help. Here are some suggestions:

• Look back at the questions you answered when figuring out your goal. What did you wish to accomplish by reaching your goal? Why are you doing it?
• Ask friends to help. If they wish you to do something too, then they'll be happy to bug you to do it.
• Set up rewards for yourself. Say that you can have a bowl of ice cream once you finish the goal.
• Separate the task into smaller parts. In writing this blog, I separated points. This both helped in communication of points, but also gave me a sense that I had completed so much of this already, and then there was only a little left to go. This action of separating your task into smaller parts could be incorporated into step 3 when you're making a path to your goal.
• Take breaks in between parts. If you relax between parts, then you'll be ready to tackle the next one.
• Keep going! When you're on a roll, go with it. Then you'll get more done, and when you're stuck, you won't feel so bad because you already did a lot.
• Focus on the positive. I cannot emphasise this enough. When you're at a stand still, don't think about how much further you have to go, think about how fun it will be to get there, and look back at how much you've done and how easy or interesting that was. You're getting there!

5. The best way to deal with motivational issues is remove them.

• Turn off instant messaging programs, or set your status to away or busy. Talking to people for no reason is a great way to waste time and not get things done.
• Remind yourself why you want to do your goal, so that you stay focused on the task.
• Don't get discouraged at setbacks, but see them as mini-goals. They are now new checkpoints and you'll complete them once you overcome them.
• Sometimes music can be a good thing while working as it helps relieve stress. However, be wary of songs which will make you want to do something else, unless you use them for breaks. For example, I can't listen to certain CDs while writing this blog, otherwise I start to think that I should make music videos for them (may be coming soon!)
• Plan your time well. If you want to do so much by a given date, notify friends of this as well, so they can make sure not to bug you during that time, or can help you with your goals.
• If you feel like you'd rather be doing something else, see if you can incorporate your goal into it. That's how this blog came to be. I wanted to blog, but I had no ideas, and then I got asked a question on procrastination, and voila!

6. One of the most important things, given all this, is to reassess your goal on occasion if you're really lacking motivation, or just in general. Is it really worth your time and effort? If so, then get back at it! If not, then that's alright. Set it aside and move on. One of the worst things I think I've ever done is taken something I've started on or finished, but gotten rid of it because I either was fed up with working on it and disliked it, or I had moved on in my life. Turns out that later on I wanted to show it off or just look back at it, but it was gone.

7. Once you've completed your task, great! But don't get lazy. Celebrate the victory, but then look to new endeavours. Just beyond the next problem, just beyond the next idea, there's something that's fantastic. Grab it, and go for it. Let your triumph hurl you to new heights, and onto new journeys.

8. Ultimately, have fun with it. You should find some way to make everything fun. Got a blog to write? Do it listening to some music that inspires you to write. Want to read a book in a day? Lunge at the goal, and suck every last word out from the pages until it's dry of knowledge.

I've completed my goal for today. Have you?

I leave you with this:

Often procrastination
Leads to current elation
But then its degradation
Only leaves exasperation

Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody.

Ok. To start at the start (press 1)...

I got sent a list to me by a friend, and it was of video game clichés (things that kept reoccurring in a certain genre of video games called RPGs (Role Playing Games (these are characterized primarily by a leveling system in which you kill monsters, gain experience, and then level up (Quadruple brackets, ftw!)))). On said list, there were a total of 192 items. (The list can be found here: The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Clichés)

Anyway... I looked them over and laughed a lot since I had seen many of them, as well as others. Being the person that I am, I decided that this list would have to be celebrated. So I thought of the idea to make a movie which would be RPG cliché filled. It would basically be and RPG made into a movie in which the characters would point out the clichés as they arose.

I've started to write a script, but I'll need some time to finish it, seeing as how I have a lot of ground to cover, and I also need to make it relatively long. But this is what I need from you fine people reading this: actors. Specifically, female actors. However, both genders are welcome, and I'm sure I could use you all!

In any case, I hope to have the majority of the script done by the 22nd of July, although that may just be a pipe dream. I also wish to get it tweaked by a friend and then go from there. So filming should start by the start of August, at the latest, and continue for the rest of the summer.

If you're interesting in being in the film, have any comments on the idea, have clichés not mentioned in the list that you'd like me to incorporate, or would like to participate in any other way (editing the script, providing audio, creating music, offering special effects knowledge, etc.) then either e-mail me, or just comment back here. Thanks for your help and support!

Lucky, or just strange?

I was thinking today while watching the morning news, an indulgence that I rarely take part in. There were two little, cute dogs, running back and forth between two trainers. While the dogs were interesting and all, and no doubt there were the focus of the piece, I could not help but absent-mindedly let my focus drift instead to the field upon which the dogs ran.

It was very plain; just grass with some clover interspersed amongst it, along with a few flowers. Yet it was the clover that caught my eye, although I can now not be completely certain whether it was actually clover. The field in it's entirety drifted me softly back to another field upon which I had lay just a few weeks prior, watching ants crawl on my body. The sky was blue, a light breeze in the air, and the temperature was just slightly above ideal, but in the shade it was beautiful.

On that day, my heart had been heavy with things that I needed to say. It turned out that saying the things was beneficial for myself, as it helped to get a burden off me, and also solved a few problems. Ultimately, it lead to my randomly diving into the clover present on the field and rapidly searching for a four-leaf clover.

That action, rash and strange as it were, spawned from another memory, one in which I was watching two younger children scouring the field before them for a four-leaf clover also. This was quite a few years back at a local which I had not been to for at least three years, so the random recollection of the memory was both unexpected and pleasing. But it lead to another idea while I watched the dogs.

I began to reflect on the idea of a four-leaf clover as something special, because it was a mutation. However, this raised the question in my mind: is there a five-leaf clover? I had never heard of any such discovery, but it was interesting to contemplate. I'd like to discover it.

Another idea that came to me was one of cloning. We prize four-leaf clovers for their rarity, but would it not be possible, relatively easily too, to clone one? If so, then they wouldn't be so rare. That idea ties in with that of supply and demand: If the demand is high and the supply is low, then the cost is high. If the supply suddenly increases, then the cost decreases.

Given this, a five-leaf clover would not only be highly prized, but also could be sold for quite a good amount. Ultimately, you could also start to clone them.

So, if anyone finds out about a five-leaf clover or finds one, you may have just stumbled onto a gold mine. Good luck. (And they're after me lucky charms!)

Perhaps a Return is in Order?

Dear My Peeps (In the Hood),

I am deeply sorry to those who have been feeling lost without my semi-frequent updates. I could blame it on many things: the weather, studying for exams, or the alignment of the planets. But if I did so, I would be lying.

No, the real reason I have not been updating is simple: I am not motivated. Well, towards this anyway. In my life, this is how many things work: Do something because it's fun/challenging, then the item becomes boring by losing its fun, its challenge, or its now too difficult. Then I abandon it. This is probably why: a) I haven't updated my blog, b) I left Amber's forums, c) I stop playing video games, d) I have four or so stories with only the first few pages written, e) I have numerous video ideas that I haven't begun, or only slightly, and f) this summer will most likely amount to very little (although I hope not!)

So, here's the idea: Tell me if you want me to do something! Currently I have a friend who is bugging me to write a movie with them (which I want to do, but will, at one point, become unmotivated). This has kept me more driven to finish it. And then I also get to the fun points, like planning out the CGI for it (CGI rocks!), which makes me wish to continue.

In conclusion, I'm sorry for not posting more often, but your reminders (Robyn and Amber) have made me realize that I should post more, and will now. Thank you.

Sincerely,
That Guy

Spiderman, Spiderman...

I recently pulled off a great prank. It was cheap to do, but time consuming. Luckily, I had accounted for both (well, I didn't need to account for the lack of cost; a little financial humour for all you accountants).

I like to make puzzles for people, and I also enjoy pranking people. That's why I set up a puzzle quest for a friend, thus giving me ample time to prank their bedroom. And what did I do?

"Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,..."

I made a web in their bedroom out of string. It took me about one and half hours (it becomes a pain to move in a room where there is string tied all over the place) to actually make the web. At this point in time, I went to check up on my prankee. Apparently, many people like to solve puzzles in private. So I returned to my work, passing a washroom on the way.

*maniacal laughter*

I decided that a good teepeeing was in order. After a half an hour, my prankee finally returned. Did I get hurt for spinning a web and then teepeeing it? Not at all. Just laughter and a comment on how it was the best prank they had pulled on them or that they had pulled. Another successfully completed prank for me!

"ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN"

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work
every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up
and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
[Source: "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum.]

Gasp!

Do you know what's fun?! *bounces* I mean really fun?! Super-dee duper-dee fun?!

Being hyper! *dances* Yes! Skipping places, Smiling faces, No more traces, Since I erases?

Anyway, it's awesome to be hyper! Here's some fun ways to show your hyperosity!

1. Skip places. If you're going with someone and they won't skip, then just wait for them, yelling back "Hurry up ya slowpoke!"
2. Wave to people you know. Really fast and excited.
3. Wave to people you don't know. And smile really large.
4. Smile a lot. No matter what you do, laugh about it and smile.
5. Jump up and down. Especially when someone else is talking to you.
6. Dance. To any music you can thinks of, as if no one else was there.
7. Overreact to the littlest things. If you see a butterfly, say "Oh! A butterfly!" and then begin to follow it.
8. Gasp for no reason. Did someone drop their pencil, have their shoelace come untied, or sneeze? Then gasp!
9. Be overdramatic. Be like a mime who talks.
10. Hug people who you know. Not romantically, but just hug them quickly and then run off to have more fun.
11. Be random. Jump from idea to idea, activity to activity.
12. Talk like the stereotypical teenage girl. Like, say like, and totally, like never, and then, but when, oh my!
13. Say words three or four times in a row for emphasis. "I saw a really, really, really, really cute dog yesterday!"
14. Say everything you can as fast as you can. And then fall over from not breathing.
15. Don't make sense. Just ramble on and on about stuff that doesn't make sense.
16. Add -ly, -s, -ous, -ish, etc. to the ending of words. Its make my word uckyish overously!
17. Say how boring others are. Especially if they're boring.
18. Do things that you wouldn't normally do, and others think is weird. (Just look at stuff I do: wear dandelions behind my ears, wear a cape, sing camp songs, etc.)
19. Most importantly: Always be active when you're hyper. Never sit down, unless it's to get someone else to join you in what you're doing.
20. Actually, this may be the most important: Don't do illegal stuff! Even if you're hyper, contain yourself somewhat.

If you have other things that I've missed, just comment!

Hobbit In A Hole

Wearing a blanket is fun. While getting kneed in the mouth hurts. It really does. Don't try it at home.

Anyway, I brought a blanket to school today. Why? Because Warren, a friend of mine, wanted to hide underneath his desk in Math. My teacher said that she liked our desks because we couldn't hide anything. So Warren wants to hide. We'll see what happens.

On the way up to school, I wore the blanket around me, like Frodo did in The Lord of The Rings! I was so hip. People kept looking at me strangely too. Bonuses, bonuses.

So Math class will be fun today. And no school for the next two days, plus a coding contest on Saturday (free pizza)! Oh, I co-discovered 200 pounds of paper. Life is good.

Something Random!

Writing e-mails is but. Below is a response I wrote to a friend when they said that they were sorry that they hadn't replied to my e-mail for a month, and were doing so now.

"Not to worry. I've been able to keep my cool as I slow waited in agonizing anticipation for your momentous reply. It was hardest for the first few days when I realized that I may be idly sitting by while my good friend is drowning somewhere. Or even worse, becoming normal. However, lacking a laser (because everyone needs a laser) I decided that the best option would be to patiently wait. But this didn't work due to one simple fact that I carelessly overlooked:

I don't wait well.

So, I was forced to quest for something which still eludes me (in both name and in actually acquiring the aforementioned "thing"). But that is immaterial to our discussion, and should most likely not have been mentioned. Yet, lest we forget it, for then we would have forgotten, and then be given the task to remember in the future. And since it is wise to not put off to tomorrow what you can do today, then it is best to remember all that I have said, as I'm sure it will help you in the future.

But! The future of the past (which was only seconds ago) is now here! Hence, use your knowledge now, or the time may never come again.

And thus ends my random speech. Good day."

Damn it Jim! I'm a Doctor, Not a Bricklayer!

Bless me father, for I have sinned. It has been 12 days since my last blog post.

Yes, for those few people who read my blogs, I apologize. I have committed a sin most high, and as such I have made this blog my paramount priority! As such, you may criticize, ridicule, and tear up this piece of art as if it was nothing but the sidewalk drawing of a girl of 7.

“Swounds, show me what thoult do!” (Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1, Line something)

Now that I have taken care of the situation, posthaste, I need to ensure that this tragedy is never repeated (and I'm not talking about Hamlet). "How to do this monumentous task?" you ask as I paid you five dollars to do so not a minute earlier. Simple! My Savior is Google Calendar (the true Jesus, not myself as some people like to believe).

Yes, Google has done it again! You can set up your life using multiple calendars (such as one for school, one for family events, one for birthdays, etc.) and then share specific ones with specific people if you wish! It's convenient, and allows people to know where you are as needed.

For example, I was up at my aunt's this weekend, and few people knew this. Thus, I had to explain to each person where I was, what I was doing, how long I would be up there, etc. Why can't you people just leave me in peace?!

No matter, because soon I should have a calendar which explains what I'm doing, so I no longer have people calling me at 10 PM on Saturday asking for a cup of sugar for your stupid brownies that I can't have since I didn't give you sugar in cubes last time because you wanted to make an idiotic life-size replica of the pyramids of Egypt! Well I'm sorry! I wanted to make a model of the CN Tower though! And I have the 3rd sword of the Queen of the Elves which is enchanted until the full moon of Honorificabilitudinitatibus!

Now I best be off before someone figures out that this whole blog was useless, and was made to see who actually reads what I write. Be looking for something of substance soon. And by soon, I mean before I stop writing these blogs.

Fee, Fi, Fo, Felony!

Confidence and courage are two things that are not easily gained.

This morning, I wanted to help a friend out by forcing him into a situation where he did something that he had to do in order to move on in his life. So we waited for half an hour in front of his locker, trying to make him gain up the courage to bite the bullet. Then the moment of truth comes and... he does nothing.

I kick him. As any good friend would when the guy they waste half an hour on blows their chance. Then I ditch him, and go do lighting for the play until lunch.

Upon leaving the tech booth 15 minutes into lunch, I see him again, and force him down the hallway of his fear. Thus, he tries to jerk away, and I grab his backpack. Our two forces cancel out, and we are stuck in a state of equilibrium. In slow motion, the seconds tick off, until he makes his move and removes his backpack.

Now I'm up blackmail potential, and a backpack. Life is good! I walk down to my usual spot for lunch (the computer room) and work there until the end of third period, with my friend not coming and claiming his bag. Luckily, I know where his fourth period class is, so I give him his bag back.

Oh no, here he comes with a deranged look on his face, wielding a... BIC pen?! My days are obviously numbered. It turns out that he had an assignment due in third. I leave the math room hastily, only to be informed that his English teacher had paged me in both my third and fourth classes, and that my "friend" had been severely torn. Not to mention the fact that my math teacher had been paging me as well.

Did I steal my friend's bag? And if so, how far gone is this whole thing? Will I be suspended?

All I know is that my math teacher is mad/confused, my Chemistry is confused, his English teacher is mad at me, and there is the potential for other people to question me soon enough.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition? Well, I do. And if I get skewered, then I may be lucky.

The moral? If you are going to make someone do the right thing, be wary of how you do it. I made my friend do the right thing, but now I have some explaining to do.

Silly, Random, Funny Blog

I was recently reminded that I haven't done a silly, random, or funny blog recently. My first thought is: This steak is good. Then I stop eating and think: Why am I eating a steak underwater? Then I come out my delusional world and think: Maybe a silly, random, funny blog is in order.

Quickly, I look at the list of shipments, and no, a silly, random, or funny blog is not in order, but out of order! I just asked for it yesterday, but it says that I asked for it ten years ago. I wasn't even typing sentences ten years ago. I didn't even had a computer that used the internet 10 years ago. However, I could beat my teacher in chess.

Ah, chess. It's so close to the word cheese. Ah, cheese. Cheese grated on a pizza, stuck between noodles in lasanga, melted on a plate after someone took my place full of grated cheese, put it in the microwave, and then set the timer for 3 minutes. Why must you be so cruel?! That cheese was just coming into the world, and you had to cruelly burn it!

I'll... I'll be fine. Really. Just need to wipe the tears from my eyes. Oh? Why are there tears in my eyes? Well, it's a long story but... Hey! They're after me lucky charms!

Chapter Something: Coding Contest (Part 1)

He arrives at the school after a silent and uneventful ride, involving much random conversation. Upon disembarking from his traveling container, resembling a boxcar only smaller, he grabs the bag filled with pop and candy from the back, emerging in the Resurrection parking lot, filled with hope. Quickly, he dons his sunglasses to create an air of superiority, and also hoping that he can intimidate the competition. However, this is rapidly destroyed when he encounters Susie, a good friend from UCEP, and hugs her.

"Come on" she encourages.
"I can't," he replies, looking behind him. "I've got to stay with them."
"Oh, ok."
He looks around, and inquires, "Where's Amber?"
"She's over there," Susie says, pointing inside the doors. "Didn't want to stand out in the cold."

Travis's mind sets upon the door and what he decided to do a few days ago. With many people watching his move, he broadly opens the door, approaches Amber, and utters those few words.

"Live long, and prosper."

Unfortunately, her response is less than satisfactory as she seems more shocked than anything else. A teacher behind him laughs uneasily at what he did, and the rest of the coding team enter the school together. Due to habit, he removes his sunglasses and hat, as a sign of respect. The two coding teams from St. David's enter together, discussing random things, ranging from how to be more intimidating to the uses of duct tape, while we are being escorted to the cafeteria of Resurrection.

His own cafeteria keeps being shown that it pales in comparison to all others. Their dining area is clean, with microwaves that are less than a decade old, and everything looking pristine, quite unlike the one back at the school he just departed less than a half hour previous. A quick glance reveals that their lighting system is also superior in some respects.

After the introduction between the room and Travis are made, he offers his assistance to bring in pop and refreshments for the other coders and himself. Food has been promised in a few minutes, and they all eagerly await its arrival. In the meantime, other teams enter the arena and strut their stuff, including the fashionable pencil-behind-the-ear look, and the ever-popular eat-pizza-and-glare-at-the-other-teams-because-we're-all-about-the-intimidation.