Redge's Trek through the Web

Flickr

2009-09-26T00:19:00.001+02:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

New blog

2009-09-24T00:58:00.003+02:00

Well, after having posted a bit randomly for years now, I've finally found myself something to actually blog about: environmentalism and climate change. When I saw "An Inconvenient Truth" I was shocked. After that I kept myself in the loop and the things I've seen since then have shocked me even more. Therefor I'm going to start a new blog at the url where this blog was once located: http://blog.redgeonline.net I'll keep this old blog online for odds and ends and archiving, at http://trek.redgeonline.net

I'm going to check out Wordpress as an alternatative to Blogger, so it may be a little while before the new blog is up and running.

Living in the cloud

2009-07-23T01:24:00.003+02:00

Well, it's my first macro-blog in a while. Ironically enough, it's microblogging that brought on this post.

You see, I, like many others, have recently discovered that microblogging, like Twitter, is about more than just letting the world know where you are and what you are doing from moment to moment (which seemed to me kind of dull and pointless, which is why I waited this long to try Twitter out). Of course, once I actually tried Twitter I found it has far more interesting uses, like posting some of those interesting facts or thoughts I sometimes have but which are to short for a full blog post.
But alas, it wasn't long before I was also introduced to the fail whale. This is what got me looking for alternatives to Twitter, preferably open source. This led me naturally to identi.ca. I tried posting here a few times, but in the end no-one I knew used identi.ca or would consider using it: if identi.ca hadn't offered to cross-post my updates to Twitter, no one would have read them. As for people to follow on identi.ca myself, I found that my tollerance for uninteresting dents decreased dramatically for people I didn't know.

So, I tried installing the laconi.ca microblogging service directly on my new VPS host: redgeonline.net. This went well, though it was a major pain that although I could create CSS for my custom skin (with the bamboo background, the one that integrates with the rest of my site: I've been thinking about moving this blog to that skin but I like the current one too much), I couldn't alter the output HTML. Tip to laconi.ca: no templating system is a major feature gap, fill it!
Well, here the trouble really started: what I wanted, and what didn't seem like a big deal what with all that talk of API's and open protocols, was a simple list with the updates of me and all my friends, no matter where they came from: Twitter or a laconi.ca host or something else. I wanted this list on my own server, not via yet another 3rd party service. Unfortunately, though laconi.ca allows you to automatically cross-post to Twitter via the Twitter API and to retrieve my friends so that I can automatically subscribe to them should they get an account on my server (which I doubt, and even then I'd be aware of it anyway), it's impossible to pull in friends' status updates. Why is this, I wonder? The API is there, is laconi.ca simply to proud to use it?

Normally I love the cloud: I've been using Google Apps ever since each of them came out. The driving factor: reliability and access. I can access my data from everywhere, and I can rest assured that it will not be lost overnight. Google reader makes sure that what I mark as read stays read across computers. Google calendar, which now even syncs with my Windows mobile phone, has my calendar items going back years: I've never lost anything because of faulty syncing, device malfunction, etc. (unlike the calendar I used to keep using Outlook). And Gmail: it just keeps getting better and better.

But on the other hand, since I've started investing more and more time into setting things up on my own server, I've been getting more and more sympathetic to the autonomo.us philosophy: let users stay in charge of their own data. On the one hand this would counter the reliability factor which I just pointed out, but on the other hand there's nothing like being in complete control of your own online presence (I must have profiles on more sites than I dare to count, and I maintain and update none of them).

The drawback, I'm finding, is that the cloud is not yet as accessible as advertised, and that if you want to connect to people, you're still forced to use 3rd party apps. Staying in charge of your own data, though idealistic, for now comes down to a lot of added effort and an end-result that is still miles behind the leading edge of 3rd party apps. So for now, I'm content to be another Google fanboy and to leave outdated breadcrumbs of my presence all over the web. The day that these traces are all drawn together will come in the end.

On the microblogging bandwagon

2009-05-30T13:20:00.003+02:00

Untill now I've always declared microbloggers (Twitter,Identi.ca) to be silly, informing the world when they leave the house or take a dump. It turns out that I had the wrong idea about microblogging. I'm happy to report that I have repented, and am now happily microblogging along with the rest of you.

I've tried Twitter and Identi.ca. The latter seems to have more options, is more stable, and it automatically double posts on Twitter for me anyway, so why bother with Twitter at all? You'll find me at http://identi.ca/redge I've also embedded a widget in this blog.

In any case, if Google Wave becomes all they promise it to be, it will be a mute question anyway as I'll be handling all my communications with the world from there anyway...

Untill then, happy (micro)blogging: hope to hear from you.

Off GIT, after only a few days

2009-05-17T01:36:00.003+02:00

After losing the entire revision history on one of my projects for no good reason earlier this evening, I've decided to stop using GIT. I'll allways remember it as the revision control system that showed me the many advantages to a distributed system (I'd been using subversion).

But truth be told, I was getting less and less enthused anyway: GIT really isn't that powerful a system, and there weren't many tools that could manage it, forcing me to the command line (I don't mind the command line, but using it constantly is a waste of time IMHO). I work with Eclipse a lot, and a tool for GIT of the same level as subclipse doesn't exist yet (there is a plugin with some integration, but it's not very easy to use and breaks a lot).

Now I'm on the hunt again, looking for the new best thing. Right now I'm giving Bazaar a try, and so far I like what I see. There's decent Eclipse integration and I'm told there are even packages to integrate it with Nautilus, although I haven't tried it yet. It also seems to be more widely supported, and it comes with nifty stuff like Trac and Launchpad.

As it is now, bzr looks like a keeper. But I don't want to sell anyone short: if someone can suggest an even better revision control system, my door is always open.

Smarty dereferencing/complex object calls

2009-05-17T00:09:00.002+02:00

Note to self: next time I have trouble calling nested methods on an object in Smarty, use this:

http://code.google.com/p/smarty-php/issues/detail?id=3

Example:
{$object->methodReturningObject()->nestedMethod('with','complex',$arguments)}

GIT upload script

2009-05-09T19:49:00.004+02:00

Since I'm on a shared host (Hostmonster), I don't exactly have full freedom. Not being able to serve a GIT repo is one consequence. Fortunately, GIT is resourcefull enough that even without the GIT daemon running, uploading the files is enough for people to pull them from the server, or explore them through git-web.

So for people in a similar situation, here is a script that will upload your GIT repo's to your shared host:


#!/bin/bash

# A script to create a bare clone of a GIT repo and upload it to a server for
# archiving or public distribution.
#
# Author: Romke van der Meulen 
# License: CreativeCommons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0

# Check arguments
if [ $# -lt 1 ] || [ $# -gt 2 ]; then
   echo "Usage: git-upload (SourceDir) [TargetName]"
   exit 1
fi

# Define remote directory
HOST=user@host.com
REMOTEDIR=public_html/repo

# If no second argument given, the name of the uploaded repo is
# equal to the repo being copied
if [ $# -gt 1 ]; then
   NAME=$2
else
   NAME=$1
fi

# If the temp files already exist, remove them
rm -rf $NAME.tar.gz $NAME.git

# Begin procedure

   # Create the bare clone
   echo "Creating bare clone"                    && \
   echo -n "  "                            && \
   git clone --bare $1 $NAME.git                    && \
   # Tar and zip
   echo "Zipping"                            && \
   tar -czf $NAME.git.tar.gz $NAME.git                && \
   # Upload to target dir
   echo "Uploading"                        && \
   scp $NAME.git.tar.gz $HOST:$REMOTEDIR/                && \
   # Unzip at target dir
   echo "Unzipping"                        && \
   ssh $HOST tar -xzf $REMOTEDIR/$NAME.git.tar.gz -C $REMOTEDIR/    && \
   # Remove generated files
   echo "Cleaning up"                        && \
   ssh $HOST rm -f $REMOTEDIR/$NAME.git.tar.gz             && \
   rm -rf $NAME.git.tar.gz $NAME.git                   && \
   # Done
   echo "Succesfull"                    && exit 0

# Error encountered
echo "Unsuccesfull" && exit 2

Install it somewhere where you can get at it and change the remote config to reflect your own. Also, unless you like giving your password three times, I suggest you also upload your public key for automatic login. Once you've done this, all you need type is:

git-upload (repo dir) [remote repo name (optional)]

and you're all set.

Any questions, you know where to find me.

Google Reader

2009-03-29T03:25:00.002+02:00

As you can see I'm not one to blog regularly. One thing I do update regularly though (because it's so easy to do so) is my shared items feed in Google Reader. Try it some time...

Linux fixes for iMac 24" aluminum

2008-10-14T00:52:00.011+02:00

Download iMacUbuntuHardyFixes-1.0.tar.gz

After several hours spent crawling through community forums, faqs and manuals, I've managed to get Ubuntu Hardy working on a 24" aluminum iMac to a degree that I'm willing to switch over from OSX.

This last time installing all the fixes, I've gathered them and created installer scripts. They should work on a fresh Ubuntu install on iMac aluminum. They'll fix:

Audio
Wireless
Keyboard behavior
Display

Note: If you don't have a cabled internet connection, you'll have to copy this to a storage medium in OSX before installing, as you won't get wireless in Ubuntu out of the box.

I've also enclosed install instructions for imwheel with a 5 button mouse, placing copy and paste actions on the extra two buttons.

My gratitude to the people who created these fixes, and to those that took time out of their lives to write tutorials easy enough for me to follow on how to install them.

The fixes can be downloaded and installed. Just remember that I just gathered these fixes together: I didn't develop them. I will not take responsibility for what happens if things turn out wrong. Remember: back up your files before doing major work on your computer.

I'd be glad to help with any problems and welcome suggestions.

\EDIT 2008-10-14: Added a pointer to Envy to get the video drivers, which work better than the drivers Ubuntu installed for me. Also added a windows app that works on wine and will control your display brightness, gamma and contrast.

\EDIT 2008-10-15: Broke down again. Reinstalled Ubuntu, so this time I got to test the installation. Made some adjustments, everything should run smoothly now. Updated README with more tips and tricks.

\EDIT 2008-11-3: Upgraded to Intrepid Ibex - some stuff broke down again, but was easily fixed. I won't be uploading an Intrepid compatible version of the fixes unless someone actually asks me for it.

The three OS'es

2008-09-25T18:30:00.006+02:00

After trying out Mac OS X for some weeks, I think I've finally figured out the three major OS'es: Windows, Mac OS X and Linux (sorry to Solaris/BSD/etc. enthousiasts: your userbase is just too small).

With Linux you'll get exactly what you want. But unless you know exactly what is you want and how to get it, you won't find it.

With Windows, you'll get a taste of what you want, and you have to pay $200 to keep using it.

With Mac OS X you'll get exactly what Apple says it is you want.

The downside of Tao

2008-05-07T02:33:00.002+02:00

And now one for you English speaking folk out there. A little something inspired by Tao philosophy.

Expectations

People find what they expect:
so it is declared.
Expect nothing and you'll be amazed,
but always unprepared.

Krijtstreep

2008-05-07T02:27:00.003+02:00

In Dutch, to bad for you English readers...

Gedicht dat ik schreef in een zomer na een regenbui terwijl ik op de bus stond te wachten. Niet in een goed metrum, maar het rijmt tenminste.

Krijtstreep

Een korte witte krijtstreep,
Op onderliggend blauw,
Verbreedt, vervaagt, valt uiteen,
In regendrup en dauw.

Daarboven, gloeiend in het licht,
Van Phoebus' laatste ademtocht,
Drijven grauwe wolken in een vrede
Die menig mens reeds voor hen zocht.

Nog verder liggen zwarte vlekken:
Vleugels vliegen door de dag.
Duif of zeemeeuw: onherkenbaar
Voor wie hen van zo ver bezag.

Maar boven alles weven rimpels
Hun patronen in de plas.
De hemels begrenzend lijkt de straatzij
Minder op asfalt, meer op glas.

Tot een bus het beeld verstoort:
Ik klim met natte broek aan boord.

The Christ Conspiracy (yet again)

2008-03-24T21:38:00.003+01:00

In response to Matt's challenge, I've prepared the following. I've tried to encorporate a number of common conspiracy themes, including spelling errors.

Please note that this is a work of fiction, and I don't believe a word of it. Please don't flame me.

The Christ Conspiracy

They say that Christ was ahead of his time. They didn't know how right they were...

Whenever I read about Christ, I get a felling about him. This feeling was best paraphrased by one of my classmates once: "Jesus was just a hippy." That started me thinking: a great deal of his message is remenicint of the sixties. Why should this be? I submit that the truth is that Jesus was a hippy!!!

Why, you ask? How? I will tell you the awesome truth that has revealed itself to me. Jesus Christ was really a hippy, from the sixties. You might ask yourself how a man from 1960 AD finds himself in 30 AD. I believe this to be the work of timetravelers, possibly Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise. It makes sense: we already know for a fact that Kirk has visited Earth in the past. What was to stop him from using the same process to bring forth the messiah by transporting him from the sixties? I can only guess at his motives. Possibly he did it to prevent a major war between the Jews and the Romans that would have posponed the technology revolution by centuries.

There is, however, still some unknown: how could it be that an ordenary man could perform the miracles that were attributed to Jesus. This is of course impossible and no rational person would accept it. I believe the truth of the matter to be simple: the Enterprise projected Jesus as a hologram!!

This is not the first time this has happened: did not Patric Stewart encounter a similar deception envolving the devil? Then why not the saviour himself? The technology was available. Let's look at the facts:

Fact: the Enterprise could navigate through time.
Fact: mobile hologram projectors are available in the 29th century.
Fact: it is possible, even simple, to make a holographic recording of a person.

None of these facts are in dispute. When they are put together, that produce an inescapable conclusion.

Kirk made a holographic recording of a hippy in the sixties, reprogrammed it and used a 29th century mobile hologram projector to artificially create Jesus Christ.
I'm sure that by now you will be convinced of the validity of this statement. If this is true, how then could it not be public knowledge, given that even I could deduce it from basic facts? Again, the answer is simple and self-evident: the truth has been kept from us by the church. We all know for a fact that certain gospels were banned at the secred covenant of Nicea. I submit that one of the documents outlawed there was the one preaching the truth, the gospel according to Spock!

Our duty now is clear: we must spread the word of the real truth and overcome the power of the church. It is in your power to spread the truth and save people from perpetual ignorance. I have started a foundation to counteract the mechaniations of the church and spread the real divine word. You can help by donating. Contact me for the details.

Together we can overcome the church lies and propaganda and open people's eyes to the truth! Join now!

Low post count

2008-03-03T20:49:00.003+01:00

Notice how my post count has dropped dramatically. I'd care, but I doubt anyone actually reads all this... Not that I can blame them, it sucks big time.

Now I know how Fred Gallagher must feel all the time ;) (just kidding Fred, love the work: keep it up).

EMO_MODE := false;
Hate when I forget that.

Something to make it up and give cudos where cudos are due: I've added a shared items widget from Google reader (Google still rocks by the way: some things never change...) to the sidebar.

Enlightenment: a neural interpretation

2007-08-10T20:16:00.000+02:00

Let's assume we have a bunch of neurons (or is it a 'cluster'?) that each have been associated with a particular thing. Now we think of every instance of a door we have ever seen: a number of neurons fires simultaneously. One new neuron forms connections to these particular neurons. This new neuron now represents the concept 'door', and when it fires, we activate all instances of doors we have ever seen. This then is a category, and a fairly direct one. The concept of 'door' can still be defined.

But let's take it to the next level. When all kinds of neurons, representing both things, memories of events, but also concepts of varying degrees of abstraction are combined into one category, one concept and one neuron, we arrive at more vague concepts such as 'justice' and 'good'. We have arrived at new insights. However, as the new concepts grow more distant from immediate observations, it becomes harder to describe in a language that was designed to describe the world as we perceive it directly. The more abstracted the concept, the harder it is to describe. This is why so many philosophies and religions claim that the heart of their teachings can not be expressed in words: they revolve around abstracted concepts.

If we follow this line, we end up in the end with an abstraction at the top of a pyramid, as it were. It combines abstracted concepts, which in turn combine less abstracted concepts, on to the basic perceptions. When all other neurons can be linked in the end to one concept, which is long since impossible to describe, we have what some describe as 'enlightenment'. An understanding of all, a sudden flash of light: in a manner that is beyond description we have linked everything from apple to zeal together and comprehended their common nature.

It might be interesting, if I was a neurology student, to compare brainscans from people concentrating on concepts of increasing abstraction, like 'truth' or 'God'. I also imagine the result would very much depending on culture: the abstract concepts we use are often handed to us through literature and parable.

Note: The neuron as described by me here is simplified considerably, though as a description or metaphor for what will in reality probably be a complex brain-function, suffices to express my theory.

A thought on magic

2007-07-19T23:25:00.000+02:00

A plant, if concious in some form, would consider magic the ability to manipulate her surroundings in some form, like arms. We have arms, and we consider magic the ability to manipulate our surroundings without them...

The mind can be a funny thing

2007-06-20T16:28:00.000+02:00

Imagine this: I was thinking about Dungeons and Dragons, and I was trying to remember the title of a book with suplement rules I once read. I just couldn't think of the name. As I usually do in these situations, I tried to think of a way I could google for it. So I remembered the name of one of the suplement rules it contained "Character Flaw". On my way to the computer I imagined entering it as a search term and the kind of result I wanted to get, the kind of result that would provide me with the title of the book. So imagined some site or forum saying "Character Flaws are a feature discussed in Unearthed Arcana..." and there I had the title.

Memory and the mind can do strange things sometimes. It was my study of Artificial Intelligence that made me think about how the mind works, and it might be interesting to find a hypothesis why I suddenly found the information I wanted. If I find out, I'll be sure to let you know.

Mootools: easy DHTML

2007-05-09T15:42:00.000+02:00

Mootools v1.1 has just been released. I have no idea how good that is, but I do know I like mootools and the stuff you can use it for.

Mootools is a javascript framework that you can use to easily and cross-browser friendly do stuff like DHTML effects, ajax, cookies, etc.. I'm still looking in to using all but the basic effect functions, but every new feature I find is useful in some way or other.

But it's the mootools based plugin scripts I like most of all. I've already implemented a lightbox into my website, and I'm looking for icons to make a Mac like fisheye menu at the top of pages. Most of these scripts are as easy as include, start and call - done.

I've learned PHP and SQL and CSS enough for basic site design, now it may be time to focus on the client side of the equation...

Ages I like

2007-04-15T02:40:00.000+02:00

I've decided I'm going to spend some time this period studying Ages: what's been written so far, and how the cosmology works. In the mean time, these are the four most powerful Ages I've visited so far:

The Age of Ardu - From Tolkien's works. Middle Earth is not an exclusive name, and not all of the story unfolds there. After all, Tolkien's works show the Age since before its inception. This was the first powerful Age I ever visited, the first to show me some of the powers of our own Age. The Age itself is rich, versatile, and Tolkien's Links show them extensively. Its Stories teach many things, hope being one of the greatest among them.

The Age of Revelstone - From The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Covenant's birthplace is a different Age from the Land to which he is taken. Since "The Land" is a bit undescriptive, I designate the Age by its only remaining constant after three visits: Revelstone. What I like most about this Age is the beautiful scenery and countryside, where health is so much present it can be scene with the naked eye. The Story of this Age tells much about defying despair.

The Age of Dune - From Dune. Since Dune is the native Fremen name for the planet where most of the Story of this Age unfolds, it seems an appropriate name, both for the Link and the Age. The Age itself is barren, and its people cold and calculating. Its Story, however, teaches much about fate and the future, religion and people.

The Age of Avalon - From the books of Avalon. This is the most beautiful Age I ever visited, not so much in landscape as in the pure and simple faith of its people. The Story has a nobility to it, and shows much about reincarnation among other things.

These works may not be very obscure, perhaps with the exception of Covenant, but it just goes to show that the most powerful Ages are the most frequently visited.

Flue spell

2007-04-08T00:05:00.000+02:00

I thought of this spell to help me fight the flue. I'll update this post when I know whether it helped.

Power of Earth, rise up through my bones, grant me strength, dispel this disease.
Power of Fire, flare up from within, grant me power, fight this disease.
Power of Air, stream in through my mouth, grant me incisiveness, cut out this disease.
Power of Water, flow past from without, grant me purity, absorb this disease.

The idea is to first raise Earth power through the bones to make the disease let go from the body. Then Fire comes up from your own (heated) body to fight the disease, as is nature's way. Air lets you cut out the disease and pass it outside your body, then Water absorbs the disease into itself and takes it with it back to the earth. Particularly useful when in the tub or the shower.

Update: Well, it's had some effect. Nothing spectacular though. Important tip: when working with water, follow the doctor's orders. Drink plenty of it.

Cosmology of Ages

2007-04-02T04:28:00.001+02:00

Lately I've been working on a new cosmology. Though I got the names and some of the concepts of this cosmology while I was playing Myst, the central concept -separate worlds that we can travel to by books- was something I've instinctively felt for a long time. I knew reading and writing were sacred acts, now I'm beginning to see why. The following story doesn't cover the cosmology completely, but it does bring it interestingly and it is an example in itself.

-----------------------------------

"You've played Myst?", Jared asked. He answered he had.
"Good.", Jared said. "That will make it easier to explain."

"Listen: those guys knew the truth. Ages exist. We're in one!"
He looked at Jared sceptically.
"It shouldn't be to hard to grasp.", Jared continued. "Our entire universe is one Age. When we write a book, we create a link to a new Age. When we read those books, we're transported to those Ages. Not physically, like in Myst, although I wouldn't be surprised if a people actually exists who know how to travel physically to other Ages, but mentally. You've read books, you
must have experienced it. Tell me, have you ever been to Sherwood?"
At this, he nodded slowly, uncompromisingly.
"And Neverland, and Avalon. Have you seen Nemo, Ishmael, Huckleberry Fin? You have. You now what I mean. Well, just as you have visited those Ages, others will visit ours. Someone wrote this Age for others to visit."

He asked: "Are those visitors here, now? Are they listening to us talk?"
Jared replied: "They may well be. Who knows? Ages are vast, not only in space but in time. The writer of this Age may show his public something far from here, far from now. Ages continue once they have been created. A writer may revisit his Ages, and see what has become. And there also visitors with the power to visit Ages without a book to guide them. If I ask you to see the Age of Robin Hood, after King Richard has returned and Robin and Marion are married, could you? Not just imagine it, but see the Age before your eyes and let it unroll by itself, without your influence guiding it."
He thought about this.

"But the stories we read, the stories we write, they spring from our imagination.", he said. "They don't exist of themselves. If I took the story of The Three Musketeers, and changed it so that D'Artagnan never came to Paris, that doesn't mean I've altered an entire world."
Jared replied: "But you cannot alter Ages like that. If you do, the result is no more than a lie. And somewhere, the real Age of The Three Musketeers would live on. Imagination and Ages are different things, just as crafting an Age and making up a story are different. Imagination is unilateral: you write down what you will to be there. Crafting an Age is different. If you've ever created one, you would know. Sometimes, when writing Links -this is what we call books that
bring you to real Ages- you will find the evolution of events out of your control. Preconceived notions of how the story will go will be abruptly pushed aside as the Age you have created gains a life of it's own and it's own momentum. Had D'Artagnan not been so that he came to Paris of his own will, there would be no Age. It is part of him, just as he is part of it. And so it is for us."

"What happens to Ages then, when nobody visits them, if they are discarded after being written?"
Jared answered: "It matters not. To visit an Age is not to influence it. People can visit an Age en masse, or not at all. One Link provides a person with one glimpse at a part of an Age, in one place at once, for some determined timespan. You've reread books: you know we can visit Ages again and again if we wish. Were we to look outward from this Age at the people looking in, we might see no faces at all, or many. We might see one person once, or many times. The Age continues regardless."

"But we are stuck in one Age, aren't we? We can only look at other Ages through Links, never leaving our own Age."
Jared said: "Leaving your own Age is hard, but not impossible. We do it every night: we dream. In our sleep, we go to the place between the Ages and travel physically to other Ages, strange Ages that we had not hitherto imagined. And there are other ways: meditation, magic... Many people have learned how to travel the Ages: yogi's, shamans."

"Then what is the purpose of this? Why are the Ages here, and why are we in the Ages? If the two of us are part of a construction by someone in another Age, far from here, why do we exist?"
Jared responded: "To live, to learn. We see in other Ages what we see in our own. Just as we are created by someone in another Age, so have we created people in our own Ages. Perhaps there is One who was first, the author of the first Ages. It matters not. We are here, and as we learn from other Ages, we learn about ourselves."

UPDATE: I'm still working on this. Perhaps I'll write a book about it...

Also, see this.

Dao

2007-02-16T01:58:00.000+01:00

The more I'm reading about this, the more sense it makes. I started looking into daoism when I noticed that my perception of the spiritual world kept coming in contrasting two's: polarities as it were.

Of course, I've known the taiji symbol for years, but looking again at it in this light... It made so much sense. Two forces, opposed yet intertwined, separate yet always merging and changing in to each other, neither ever completely free of the other. One light element, male, above, reason. One heavy element, dark, feminine, absorbing, emotion. It was like the truth I had been seeing in the world for some time now had been given a face, and was staring right in mine.

I knew some of the more conspicuous elements of daoism philosophy, and they agreed quite well with my own nature: not going against the flow, 'don't worry - be happy' kind of thinking. There's some self-relativation in there too, and I'm big on self-relativation. Further familiarising myself with the dao only increased my enthousiasm (though I've only worked through the relevant wikipedia entries up 'till now: I'm a busy man). In the Netherlands we say "Wat je van ver haalt, is lekker." Run that through babelfish and tell me it doesn't make sense ;)

I guess one of this days I should really get around to reading the dao de jing...

It even integrates well with what existing paradigm I had (mostly stolen from Wicca: either you're an Eclectic, or you're not): a God and Goddess, all god-images ever conceived being manifestations of them. There's some primitive seasons stuff in there, but nothing I care to elaborate on... It needs work.

If this sounds like I'm constructing a religion as if I was writing a story, taking nice elements out of other religions and fitting them in as I see fit... that's exactly what I'm doing. All the religion stuff is just for my own amusement, something to hold on to, something that appeals to my curious (scientifically trained) nature. Besides, I like writing. Anyway, I find the faith stuff sorts itself out, no matter what name you slap on the entity on the other end.

And so my shameless rampage of burrowing (where I really mean stealling :) left and right continues. Don't worry, I'll try to keep all this self-deprevating humor in check.

Quote

2007-02-11T14:47:00.000+01:00

"Behold, we know not anything;
I can but trust that good shall fall
At last — far off — at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring.
So runs my dream; but what am I?
An infant crying in the night;
An infant crying for the light,
And with no language but a cry."
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

When I encounter interesting quotes, I copy them to my Google notebook.

New Blogger has ways to go

2007-02-08T02:49:00.000+01:00

I don't know what to think about the new and improv3d Blogger. After I switched my template, forgetting to back the old one up like the fool I am, I find that all the fancy titles, which weren't in some beautiful font, it turns out, but were images, are gone. I really liked the feel of that old template. I suppose this new template system, which lets me both drag and drop and go in to the source code, is better than the old. But editing code without a WYSIWYG is second nature to me, and you get more control. These layout types Google has set aren't too flexible.

Of course, if I was really the nerd I proclaim to be I would have designed this blog myself. But I'm too lazy. Besides, why re-invent the wheel, even if this new-fangled Google system means I occasionally get a flat tire? It's not like I'm not busy with a lot of other important things... (see the homepage)

P.S.: Midterms are over! Grades are coming in, and they're not good...

Riddle

2007-02-05T11:37:00.000+01:00

In merely two directions flowing,
my only goal is to divide.
Though well marked by the knowing,
from the ignorant I hide.
Eternal source of war and strife.
Not dead, nor lifeless, nor alive.

The Elder and the Younger

2007-02-02T21:29:00.000+01:00

This is the eternal fate of the firstborn: to suffer, to grow, to protect
This is the eternal fate of the lastborn: to be privileged, to stay the same, to stay sheltered

I was reflecting on a commonality that runs throughout mythology worldwide: the two races. One race always comes first, one last. These races can be Gods, they can be mortal, or the elder is immortal, the younger mortal.

In Greek mythology, the Olympian deities, such as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades (all siblings by the way) were preceded by a race of deities more indicative of primordial concepts: Cronus (Time), Oceanus (Sea), Themis (Justice). In Norsh mythology, the Aesir and Vanir were less crearly cut: perhaps the remnants of two mythologies merged.

A pattern that occurs often with the two races, is that though the elder race is better than the younger -tougher, longer living, more highly moral- it is the younger race that is most privileged.

An example from Christian mythology would be Angels and Men. The dilemma of the elder can be seen in plays that look at the fallen angels from the angels' perspective. Joost van den Vondel's play "Lucifer" for example, starts out by Lucifer discussing with other angels the race of men that God had just created. Even though these beings were far more flawed, more imperfect than the first born angels, they were given far more privileges and held in far higher regard in God's plan. It doesn't seem fair. "Dogma" fans will recognize this particular rant. It was cited in the movie. (An online version of the play in original old Dutch can be found here)

An even more stunning example, I think, is Tolkien's mythology as gathered in the Silmarillion. See here the first race, elves, immortal, fair, strong, in tune with Erda. Then comes a young race of mortal men, naive, brutish, and yet graced by Illuvatar with a strange yet beautiful gift: death, to live only for a short time gives that time more sweetness.

As an eldest son of two eldest children, I've encountered this dilemma. The pressure to set an example, make something of yourself, while the youngest sister gets away with behaviour that would have gotten me trotten out to the hallway when I was young, and told to stay there until I was ready to come back in and finish my plate, can be daunting. (Of course, everything is always better in 'the old days'...) On the other hand, these expectations can be a drive to perform, and the stricter upbringing have taught me some manners I'm glad to have now. I have often seen spoiled behaviour in some of my younger cousins that had me thinking "Glad that's not me."

It is true that younger siblings often leed a more sheltered live than the elder. The people around have gained experience, and patience. But in the end this is not something that bothers me, even if I am a little envious of it.

In the end, if the elder is so wise as his greater experience has led him to be, he should be happy for the younger and feel a responsibility to protect them.

Travelling prayer

2007-01-29T17:47:00.000+01:00

I travel back and forth between Groningen and Aldtsjerk (in different provinces) a lot: I spend weekdays studying and weekends at home with the family. Today, during the 1,5 hour journey, I composed this quartet in dactylic hexameter:

Knowing my gods these verses are all that needs to be said, so
I, with their comforting company, head for the journey ahead.
Travelling over the road unfolding beneath my two feet, I
look at the endless horizon. I go for my future to meet.

Happy new year

2007-01-09T00:31:00.000+01:00

A blessed 2007 to everyone out there who's listening.

Work is progressing nicely on both my personal site and the BrainStorm website.

Will check in again when I have something to report.

Redge

Spam reaches highpoint

2006-12-20T16:28:00.000+01:00

Well, it's finally come to this. My gmail currently holds 1037 spam mails. And gmail throws the stuff out after 30 days! That's more than 35 spam mails a day!

Thank gods for Gmail's excellent spam filter: I never have to worry about the stuff. I haven't missed a mail to the filter yet, and I haven't had to deal with spam since I started using it.

What is the world coming to? Or the internet? And the sad part is: I've heard spam pays of too. There are actually people who reply to mails titled "All the viagra you want". If I hadn't lost faith in your average citizen long ago, I'd be appalled.

As it stands, I simply accept it as part of the world. A sad part, yes, but one that I fortunately don't have to worry about. Alas, there are many sad parts I do have to worry about.

On the other hand, there is Google, wikipedia, flickr and blogger. There's hope yet...

BrainStorm website

2006-12-15T13:26:00.000+01:00

Well, all you English speakers will not find usefull, I think, and neither will Dutch speakers who are not students in the same fraternity as I am. But those who are will find it hillarious.

Anyway: this site is where I have been spending most of my time on, and will be for some time to come, I expect.

New homepage

2006-12-13T22:49:00.000+01:00

The prodical blogger returns: I suddenly remembered I had a blog here, so I might as well inform anyone who's willing to listen that I'm working on a new homepage. It's up and running, and the design is more or less as I want it. All that remains is to actually add content, but that may take a while.

Een zomerse lach

2006-07-19T16:57:00.000+02:00

I knew I had a blog around here somewhere...

A Dutch poem that welled up in me, inspired by a somer day at home with my parrents.

Wie stil zit en kijkt op een zomerse dag,
ziet om zich heen een uitbundig gelach,
proeft een knuffel in de wind,
hoort blijdschap in kleur,
voelt creatie's perfectie,
in elk wezen en fleur.
Want wie stil zit en kijkt,
vergeet soms de tijd,
alles staat stil, beweegt, heelt, verblijdt.

Worlds

2006-01-31T20:10:00.000+01:00

One of the things I hold most holy is reading and writing fiction. I'm a big fan of both. I like to think of books as our own private portals to different world, that are created when the author first visits the world, and then consequently visited by every reader. Perhaps I got this idea when I first read "The never ending story", but it was not the first world I visited that I can remember.

The first world I can remember visiting is a land called Nangijala, where people in two different canyons struggle. But I suppose not to many people will have read Astrid Lindgren's 'Bröderna Lejonhjärta' (Brothers Lionheart). I can't even say I've read it myself, but my mother used to read me and my sister the Dutch translation. It's one of the first worlds that left an impression on me.

The second world to leave an impression on me, while I was in the in the 6th grade of Dutch junior school (age 10) was medieval France, where a boy named d'Artagnan (I hate the way you Americans pronounce that French name) follows his father's footsteps as a musketeer. I was with him as he was engaged in three duels, and the three opponents to be became his friends in stead. I hated him for being ensnared by the beautifull Lady the Winter, and celebrated with him when he achieved victory in the end. Around that same age I went aboard the Nautilus, and followed Phillias Fogg on his perilous journey.

It was in the first grade of secondary school, age 12, with a whole new library of worlds at my disposal, that I went with Bastian Balthazar Bux to the attic of his school, and followed him as he entered the world of Fantasia. I wept as Atreyu lost his horse and I feared when Atreyu was bitten by the giant spider. I had raised hopes when Bastian first came to Fantasia and planted the great forrest and found comeradery in the desert and was sad when I saw him decline into nepotism. When Bastian worked in the mines to refind his lost memories, the world seemed dark around me. One of the most vivid memories I have of the other worlds is when Fantasias Queen asks the keeper of the Neverending Story to read her the book, so that the cycle would repeat indefinately.

Since that time I have visited some amazing worlds. After I saw Jackson's movie, I travelled with Frodo to mount Doom and even saw the Elves fight over the Silmarils, and was present at the battle in which Morgoth was taken, and there when the isle of Numenor sank, all before Jackson's next installment came out. But also worlds of the future I have seen, and other planets. I have felt the loyalty and comeradery that Paul found among the Fremen of Arrakis. I have seen Terminus struggle to stay a stabling force as the rest of the universe declined around them. I've seen the physics defying Ringworld, and the laws of reason defying universe into which Arthur Dent was sent against his will. Even more incredible worlds I have seen, such as Discworld, the flat world held up by four elephants on top of a turtle, floating through space.

If you were to ask me, however, which world I remember best: it is the Land, the world that may or may not be an imagination in the mind of the leper Thomas Covenant. Beautiful Andelain I will never forget, nor the mysterious crafts of the Earthpower. One of the most magical moments I have ever witnessed was when the Ranihyn staggered for Thomas.

The other worlds can be engaging, even addictive. This last week, when I knew I should have been rehearsing for my math test, or keeping up my Japanese studies, I have dwelt in stead on Avalon, and seen the travails of the womenfolk there throughout the ages. And now that I've been to the library, and picked up a new portal, I will be spending the next few days back on discworld, finding out about the fifth elephant. But in truth, I cannot feel bad about it. For spending time in the other worlds enriches the soul, and crossing between them is a sacred act.

Why chaos scares me

2005-10-27T23:24:00.000+02:00

Today, as I traveled home from Groningen (about 2 hours public transportation - twice a day. I'll be happy when I get a room in Groningen) I was thinking about the Oh My Gods comic I finished reading up a couple of days ago. Life as a paganist seems so attractive to me, and yet I don't start celebrating my new found faith and in stead study it as if it was an interesting scientific subject. I'm more like the Gardnerians the comic makes fun off: move the wrong way during a ritual and you scream murder. While I wondered why that was, I figured it came down to order and chaos. I'm not a control-freak and I can't say that I'm even closely to well organised, so you'd think I've grown to like chaos, wouldn't you? Wrong! You see, during my highschool years it happened frequently that I got in trouble for forgetting or not even hearing about dates in the first place. It has happened on accoasion that I asked blankly why everyone was moving the benches in a calss to find out we were having an important test scheduled months ago. So I've allways had to rely on routine: writing stuff down immediately before I forget - making nicely formatted to do lists (and I'd still miss dates, even though they were in my calendar, and I never finsihed even 10% on any to-do list). And so now I have an urge to know exactly what I'm suposed to do, where, when and how, before I get started, as to make sure I don't forget anything. I feel I can't be too well prepared before I take even the slightest step forward. And this keeps me from making any step forward.

Now I find myself with a new goal: to clear out my inhibitions and learn once again to be spontaneous. To forget to plan, and just make it up as I go along.

My hometown

2005-10-19T22:22:00.000+02:00

My Home town of Aldtsjerk

I'm trying out Picasa's BlogThis feature, and so far it seems a good feature to me. The image to your left, also available on my homepage and various wiki's, is the Frisian township of Aldtsjerk, my birthplace and current adres. The image was released to public non-commercial use by the owner: (Trynwalden online). Trynwalden is a handfull of towns. Legend has it a woman named Tryntsje had seven (or five, I can't remember) sons, who each started a farm that later grew into a village. Our town was supposedly founded by Âlde (Old one). You see that wide stretch of water? That is the Aldtsjerkster mar, an important feature in the Elfstedentocht, one of Friesland's best known ice skating events. The highway surrounding half our town connects Leeuwarden to Dokkum, two of the largest Frisian cities. This picture was taken several years ago.

Google as the propelling force of internet in our time

2005-10-02T13:35:00.000+02:00

Every day I visit a handfull of sites, some forums, email, etc.. Among these is my personalised Google homepage that lists a number of feeds, along with the content listing of my Gmail inbox, and the Google search field. Some other feeds that don't update so regularly are watched by my Google desktop search sidebar, along with my system performance, again my email, the latest news and somthing Google calls: what's hot (as I understand it, they check which news stories are most frequently visited and discussed). The sidebar also has a small pane for my Gtalk agent, but I haven't added any other users yet, so it's isn't really active. Almost every day, I type the character g into my Opera adress bar followed by some search terms and 9 out of 10 times I find what I need immediately on Google search. At least once a week, I check in to Google Labs to see what they've come with now. As you can see, I've made ample use of Google's enormous amounts of offered services.

But it seems I'm not alone in taking such an active interest in Google. It seems to me that every day when I check the Tech news feed on my Google homepage, Google itself is mentioned. Building a research park for NASA, providing San Francisco with free Wi-Fi internet, trying to scan books and upload them, an so on and so forth. A sutdent journalist could easily write his thesis on how Google has developed over the past few years.

So what is it that makes Google so special? I'll just come out and say what I think is the unmentioned, underground reason they've accumulated users in such enormous ammounts: they're free (hold in mind I'm Dutch). They don't distort their pages with huge ammounts of advertising (they're very discreet with their adverts) and yet they never charge anything. Frnkly I'm stumped how they can afford to provide SF with free internet access and build a research park for NASA and provide millions of users with their services without having to charge anyone anytime. And the other thing is: they work. Most free stuff you get on the web is mediocre at best. Google Earth for example could easily be sold at $50 a copy, but they don't. Most of all, they're centralised. Once you know where to look (Google's own site could use some more accesabillity) you can see Google's dozens of services in one or two pages.

But there is also a more idillic side to Google. Their mission statement "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" is well known to those that watch the news. Could anyone for example tell me if Yahoo or Microsoft have a similar statement? And Google seems to live up to their promise. I for me think their search engine is now almost indespensible to keep the internet halfway organised. When I worked for Wikinews, my standard approach to each story I worked on was to first of all search it on Google news, which allways yielded results. As I said earlier, Google has become part of my daily internet routine.

But whenever I hear that statement, it reminds me of another statement: "The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an international non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge." Here are two compatible goals, those of Google and of the Wikipedia. I'm not the only one who has noticed. I know for a fact there have been plans for collaborations between Google and wikimedia, including Google providing them with server bandwith, of which there is a chronical shortage in the rapidly growing wikimedia projects. Any other plans of collaboration may be unclear, but would not be surprising to many people.

Some reference to the strugle between Microsoft and Google almost as a strugle between good and evil (evil of course being the monopolist evil emprie Microsoft). The classic epic facedown of the two great rivals promises to be an interesting battle. What I find interesting when comparing the two, is the similarities in how the companies were founded: Windows (even DOS at first) and the Google search engine: great innovative ideas that had massive potential and appeals to millions, probably even billions of users worldwide. The difference is what happened next. While Google framed it's new found power in a idealistic goal, Bill Gates went corporal. It's difficult not seeing the world's richest man, in charge of a company that has the monopoly and isn't afraid to use it, to milk it for every cent it's got, as the classic evil villain, sitting in his mansion laughing and saying: "Soon the world shall belong to me!". And then comes Google: concepted, developed and run by intelligent but uncharismatic nerds. In a feat of unexpected growth, these underdogs rise to the challenge of defeating the megalomaniac. If only the reality were such a simple, black and white world.

Google is one of the greatest things to have happened to the internet since its inception. It has inspired by its efforts discussion, innovation and growth. Therefor I see it as one of the greatest sources of forward motion on the net today. It gives corporates, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, a run for their money, forcing them to be better, faster, cheaper. No matter who might win in the end, if any, the race will have been enough to give internet a decent launch in to the 21st century.

7 reasons I like Opera

2005-10-01T00:49:00.000+02:00

Here's some reasons why I like the Opera browser. Some may say I'm advertising, but let them talk. Those of us who have experienced this browser know better.

1 Fast - And I really mean fast. When they say it's Earth's fastest browser, I believe them. Beating IE is nothing, beating Netscape is something. Beating Firefox et alii is an amazing feat.
2 Mouse gestures - I don't know how many other browsers incorporate them. It's simple. You hold down your right mouse button (provided you're right handed) and make gestures to tell the browser what to do. Go left: Go back one page. Right: go forward. Down and right: close this page. Hold right and use scroll button: quickly alternate between windows (Opera uses tabbed browsing). This probably saves me 10 seconds out of every minute in clicking, alternating and looking up bookmarks.
3 Voice - I don't use it for pages I visit every day (I use mouse gestures for those), but once you have it all programmed in it's very simple not having to go through bookmarks or trying to remember an URL but simply saying: Hotmail, and have the thing take you to the inbox (I use Gmail now, so I don't check hotmail by hand much anymore).
4 Searching - Want something of download.com? Simply type w followed by your search terms. Wanna google? Add g in front of the terms. It's really safes me a major head-ache, since I tend to use Google a lot.
5 RSS and Mail - Though I don't use Opera for my Mail, but I could if I wanted to. And the built-in RSS helps keep track of websites and Blogs. Maybe it's pretty standard for a browser nowadays, but I still think it's neet.
6 Sidebar - I keep forgetting proper CSS syntax for borders, padding and the like. I simply hit F4 and up pops this little screen from the left hand of my browsers, displaying all kinds of handy tools including a CSS testing tool.
7 Auto-resume - Not only downloads (which is probably standard unless you use IE), but also my sessions can be auto restored. Pretty handy when I'm in the middle of something and I accidentally close the window or it crashes. Next time I open it I'm right back where I left off.

Those of you who have chosen the way of some other browser and those of you who follow the renown gaining Firefox cult: if you think your browser can do better than this, let me know. Otherwise come to terms with the error of your ways. Those of you still using IE: in time you'll understand why you can't go on like this. It's slow, unsecure, messy and just not as usefull as other browsers.

Scary Glares

2005-09-26T10:53:00.000+02:00

The Gorgons, the Basilisk, the little girl from Ring, they all have one thing in common: look in to their eyes and you're dead or petrified or both. Why is this so scary? What makes petrifying stares suitable material for a recurrent motive?

The Wikipedia defines these creatures thus:

In Greek mythology, the Gorgons ("terrible" or, according to some, "loud-roaring") were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes.

They are sometimes depicted as having wings of gold, brazen claws, and the tusks of boars. According to the myths, seeing the face of a Gorgon turned the viewer to stone. Homer speaks of only one Gorgon, whose head is represented in the Iliad as fixed in the centre of the aegis of Zeus. In the Odyssey, she is a monster of the underworld. Hesiod increases the number of Gorgons to three -- Stheno (the mighty), Euryale (the far-springer) and Medusa (the queen), and makes them the daughters of the sea-god Phorcys and of Keto. Their home is on the farthest side of the western ocean; according to later authorities, in Libya. The Attic tradition, reproduced in Euripides, regarded the Gorgon as a monster, produced by Gaia to aid her sons the giants against the gods and slain by Athena. Of the three Gorgons, only Medusa is mortal.

In Greek and European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk (from the Greek basileus, a king) is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power of causing death by a single glance. According to the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk is a small snake that is so poisonous that it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal.

It is called "king" because it is reputed to have on its head a mitre-shaped crest. Stories of the basilisk place it in the same general family as the cockatrice. The basilisk is fabulously alleged to be hatched by a serpent or reptile from a cock's egg (in some legends specifically an egg laid by a seven-year-old cock during a full moon, or under various other astrological portents). In Medieval Europe, the description of the creature began taking on features from cockerels. Geoffrey Chaucer featured a basilicok (as he called it) in his Canterbury Tales.

Ring (リング, Ringu) is a 1998 Japanese horror mystery film from director Hideo Nakata, adapted from a novel by Koji Suzuki of the same name. The film was later remade in Korea as The Ring Virus (1999), and in the United States as The Ring (2002).

A few thoughts:

Sight is probably the most important sense to human beings. The thought of it being used as a weapon is nothing new (not counting petrifying glares, we have X-ray vision and laser beams coming from eyes in most comic book super hero's). We humans derive a large part of our power from sight. Therefor, the thought of eyes as a weapon is the thought of a powerfull weapon.

Moreover, what is the one defence we have against these glares: close our eyes or look the other way. And by doing this, we surrender our only defense. We are left at the mercy of those with the glare. If they have other weapons to use besides their glare, they will have no problems getting past our meager defenses. And of course if we were to fight back, or even try to escape, there is allways the chance of accidentally or involentarily opening our eyes. Closing our eyes with the thought that when we might open them and see something horible and then die instantly, is probably one of the strongest and most primal fears our species caries.

Furthermore, petrifying glares are incorporeal. There is no sword or bullet speeding towards us, something we can understand and avoid, but instead a sort of intangible laser beam-security system like invisible field, and when caught in this field, we die. It is not something we can avoid or defend against.

Also, the manner of death dealt is something frightening. One is dead *poof* just like that. When mortally wwounded one has time to be rescued or at best, take his or her leave of the world, perhaps say a prayer. When killed (be this by turning to stone or literally scaring to death) by a glare, one is dead before one has a chance to do anything, think anything. We leave this world with unresolved business. This also is a frightening thought, especially in these modern times where we busy ourselfs with so many affairs that would go unresolved if we were instantly killed.

But most of all, I think what strikes us most about glares, is their inevidabillity. The combination of our defenselessness, the incorporeal and powerfull nature of a glare, is one of an almost fate-like weapon, one that cannot be avoided. In this manner one could compare it to death, or the bacteriae that finally get the martians in War of the Worlds. There is nothing you can do about it, no matter how much you want to. You've been pre-ordained to die, and to die in fright, and nothing you can do or say will change that.

Let us therefor take consolation in the fact that the above subjects are purely fictional. There are things of a similar inevidable nature that are not.

Aurora

2005-09-23T14:26:00.000+02:00

Today I got Noteworthy working on my computer, and I used it to get down this song I composed some time ago, called 'Aurora'. It's intended for keyboard/piano, though certainly suitable for other instruments. It can be played slowly and solemnly, or in a higher, more joyfull tempo.

Homepage

2005-09-23T10:48:00.000+02:00

Okay, after much trying of different hosts I've finally setled down and www.redge.nl is now online. It will take me some time to fill the place up with interesting stuff, but since my studies aren't to demanding at the moment I'll have ample time for filling it.

Syncretism, Eclecticism and contextualism

2005-07-26T15:08:00.000+02:00

Just read the entries to wikipedia Syncretism and Eclecticism. Those among us fortunate enough to have discovered the ways of contextualism will certainly be familiar with these concepts. The former implies you merge two opposing concepts to create a new concept that suits you, and the latter means you simply use either concept when appropriate, or both, or neither. Both are IMHO very healthy ways to view the world and unite such mutually exclusive concepts such as science and religion, to tailor a world view to your needs. Is it not true that you cannot judge a priest on scientific terms, or a physisist on religious terms? Of course not! One must apply the approriate field and views to get any applicable answers. At least that's how I see it.

Aldtsjerk

2005-06-12T16:22:00.000+02:00

Do you want to know how small and quiet my hometown is? The other day I saw a sigarette bud on the streets and another one a few feet further. I wandered why this was and realised the annual 3 day celebrations had started again.

If you're wondering what I'm up to...

2005-05-11T23:37:00.000+02:00

..I'm currently jugling WikiNews, Pleonasm and some private matters, as well as trying to prepare for my finals which should be coming up starting May 23rd.

I'm using Pleonasm for my website now. redge.tk will leed you there.

Waiting for less bussy times.

Redge

Online Status

2005-04-01T13:05:00.000+02:00

i created a simple page to let people know when I'm going to be online a lot and when they can expect me to be gone for some time. It's really quite simple. I've placed a link to it here, on my blog.

My thoughts on the Wikimedia projects

2005-03-21T18:32:00.000+01:00

The way they put it: "The goals of the foundation are to maintain and develop free-content, wiki-based projects and to provide the full contents of those projects to the public free of charge."

I see Wikimedia as an effort to break away from the commercialisation. The short hand: if we don't to end up like Jennifer Government, we'll have to realise sooner or later that information is not one of those material things we can own and sell. If a person wants to know something, I believe he/she has the fundamental right to be able to find out. In that point, the advent of internet has done much, but not enough. What Wikimedia does, is nothing short of the encyclopedia galactica from Asimov's Foundation series. I am proud to be a contributor (although I'm showing signs of addiction). Also, I'm glad to be a contributor to Wikinews. The fun thing about new wiki's is that you're not one annonimous user amongst many. That's why I lost interest in Memory Alpha: it was getting to big. In Wikinews, an article you create is prominently featured on the Main page. Which means it gets a lot of attention, which means your work gets checked by a lot of people, also a good factor. Anyhow: I recommend Wikimedia to the world and see it as the intellectual's obligation to be a member on at least one of these wiki's and contribute all the knowledge he/she posseses!

Wikinews

2005-03-13T19:56:00.000+01:00

Well, I've found a new project to keep myself busy. Wikinews, a sisterproject of Wikipedia, is a Public Domain news source, and in the wiki philosophy, open for editing and adding for everyone. Now I just need to find some news to report...

Contact Disrupted

2005-03-08T21:17:00.000+01:00

The other day I was walking down the street, when I saw a car parked halfway across the pavement. An elderly couple was approaching from the other side, so i stopped and let them pass first. Then the man says: "Bedankt, gij zijt een heer.", which is slightly old-fashioned Dutch for "Thank you, you're a gentleman." I went back to school smiling the whole way. So I wandered: how come nobody really pays compliments anymore. I so very seldomly hear someone compliment someone else, escpecially strangers. Here's my theory why this is: paying someone a compliment because of something he does either puts you in a possition where you owe him something (when he or she lets you pass first, for instance), or it makes him or her temporarely superior to yourself, as you haven't done anything worthy of praise. But most of all, you don't have reason to expect the other to respond in kind. And after all, in this individualistic, post-modern age we all function on the do-ut-des principle. The only sollution I can think of, is a rather silly one, but it may just be silly enough to work: when someone pays a compliment to someone else, this is an action worthy of praise. in other words: when someone compliments you, you compliment him or her for complimenting you. (This goes up once, or we'd be stuck in a visicious circle.) How's that?

New Project

2005-02-23T20:03:00.000+01:00

Well, I've found something new to do with my time. For the past months, I've been reading up about Wicca, considering this might just be the religion for me. Now I figured I needed a place to write down my ideas, interpretations, what I learned. So I have opened WikiPagan, a Wiki for all Pagan religions. Anyone out there who knows a thing or two about Paganism is welcome there to share his or her knowledge with the world. Thanks.

Redge

Double-think

2004-12-22T09:42:00.000+01:00

I read a very interesting concept in Orwell's 1984: Doublethink. It involves having two completely opposite thoughts in mind, and absolutely believing both. That got me thinking: why should that be fiction. It is very Intriguing. Imagine doing this with worldviews. Why believe only science, OR only in God, when you can do both at the same time? Just think the existence of God is completely imposible, and lame talk, and at the same time think that same God is self-evident and indispensable. And believe it with all your heart.

I have done the same. I have combined my two competing worldviews in this manner: that of cold science, and that of superstition and religion. Why construct a diffcult syntheses of science combined with faith? Faith is superstition, absolutely unnecessary, opposing your growth in this world, it is everything, everywhere, and all-important.

Metaphysics

2004-12-22T09:37:00.000+01:00

"Last night I dreamt I was a butterfly. Now: Am I Zhuang Zi, who has dreamt he was a butterfly, or am I a butterfly, who has just started dreaming he was Zhuang Zi?"
- Zhuang Zi, Chinese Taoist

from: De Levende Tarot, Jan Ton, Tilburg, 2000

The Other People

2004-12-15T13:58:00.000+01:00

Well, I've been investigating Esoteric and Pagan practices, particularly Wicca, and I can tell you one thing: the amount of info out there is enormous! In this faguely defined world, where everyone has a different oppinion and source, and is filled with cliches and archetypes, most of the info you find is crap. To find out the truth about Wicca, you need to be able to dig deep, and not believe anything you read unless it is proven.

Anyway, while reading up on an interesting site I found this. You should read it. It's a very healthy explanation why not all u non-Christians are destined to burn in Hell. And a very amusing story also. I'm not very good with Hebrew, so I can't verify whether what this man claims it thruth, but it's interesting nonetheless.

On a same note, I came across this quote a few days ago (translated from Dutch):

"I am a jealous God, and there is no other God besides me. But by saying this he proved to the angels that were with him, that there was another God! Because, if there wasn't, then who would he be jealous of?" (Secret Book of John)

Something to think about...

Right or Wrong

2004-11-08T13:32:00.000+01:00

Bear in mind a simple statement, be it either right or wrong, it really doesn't matter, and ten people.

If 1 person believes it, he is either a visionairy, or a nutjob.

If 2 persons believe it, one of them is very persuasive.

If 3 persons believe it, one of them is very persuasive, and so is the statement.

If 4 persons beleive it, one of them is very persuasive, and so is the statement, and so are it's followers.

If 5 people believe it, they will fight the other 5 over the question who's right.

If 6 people believe it, they know how to lobby.

If 7 people believe it, they are being oppressed by the other 3.

If 8 people believe it, it is a common misconception.

If 9 people believe it, the last person is either a lonely fighter for the truth, or he is just afraid to let go.

If 10 people believe it, the statement is absolutely not true.

Discussion Board

2004-10-01T13:05:00.000+02:00

I've created a discussion board with Proboards. Anyone who feels he has anything to discuss with me can post there. The link is http://redgetalk.proboards32.com.

Redge

CounterStrike II

2004-09-25T13:06:00.000+02:00

I don't get it, but somehow I'm very popular in CounterStrike.

As I wrote, me and half a dozen fellow students play CounterStrike on the schools LAN on occasion. I allways choose Redge as my nickname. I'm still what is referred to as a NOOB, a newbie, but somehow people seem to enjoy it when I'm playing. The other day I had one lesson at the second of three periods. I played for a period, went to class, and came back the third period. One guy remarked they had missed Redge.

That may seem not so signifacnt to most people, but being popular isn't exactly something I'm familiar with. Since first grade (that's 9th grade if you include primary school), I've been picked at more than most classmates. Things started to clear up after a few years, around the 3rd or 4th grade, especially because of a little paper I put out about ten times a year with some of my classmates. But still, I never made it to being just 'one of the guys'. in my 5th year I failed, and got placed in my current clase. There was a world of difference. While my old class had consisted of jocks, bullies and overall very pberal people, my new class was relaxed, hung-back. I already had a reputation in the school, so most of them already new me. Since then I've made some new friendships. Now all of the sudden I'm mister Popular.

I can't figure out why either. I'm still pretty bad at CS, and get shot a lot. I'm not the worst player of the group anymore, but I'm still at the bottom of the list. Regardless of this, every time I manage to make an exceptional kill (and since they are so infrequent, most of my kills are), people will be cheering Redge on. Maybe it's an unorthodox style of playing, or something to do with my school reputation. I really don't get it. But I don't have to. i think I'm just gonna enjoy being, for the first time in my live, popular...

Later,

Redge

Homework

2004-09-21T10:16:00.000+02:00

My school has never, with the single exception of Math, been mentally challenging. This comes to show in the way I do my homework. Usualy I don't even bother, but read an interesting book or magazine in class instead.

The other day however, my Physics teacher kept telling me to do some excersises. It was really quite anoying. So, I did all the excersises for the entire semester in the weekend. You should have seen the look on my teachers face when he asked once again how far I was with my excersises, and I cassualy informed him I was done for the next few weeks.

CounterStrike

2004-09-21T10:12:00.000+02:00

Lately I've been spending way too much time on school playing CounterStrike with my fellow students. We play it through our school LAN. I'm not exactly what you'd call "good" at it, but it's fun anyway. On the upside, whenever I make a kill, people will be cheering me on, since it happens so infrequentely. I'd play it at home, but I don't have a working registration code. And besides, it's way more fun if you only play it part of the time.

Runes (Futhark)

2004-09-16T13:47:00.000+02:00

I've been reading up on the subject of Ancient Runes. It's Alfabet is called Futhark, after the first letters, like the word alfabet is named after alfa and beta. In order these letters are Fehu Uruz Thurisaz Ansuz Raido and Kenaz.

The Norsh considered the Rune writing to be holy, a knowledge givven to man by Odin, the chief god, who had to offer himself to the world tree of Yggdrasil to get them.

I think I'll make my own set of runes, and try some half-baked prediction of the future. The book said the best time to make new runes would be at the end of winter, so I'll wait with making them for a while... I'll report back when I make them.

New Assignement on A Call to Duty

2004-09-16T13:43:00.000+02:00

Well, I've been reassigned to the position of EO (that's Engineering Officer) on the U.S.S. Broadsword in the Star trek RPG A Call to Duty. Feel free to look in or drop by. If you're in A Call to Duty too, or know someone who is, feel free to drop a note here.

Games

2004-09-13T16:00:00.000+02:00

This Saturday, had you called, you'd have found me busy. I spend the afternoon playing a game of Diplomacy with some friends and classmates.

If you don't know Diplomacy (that'd be a shame), see here.

I played as Austria, and early on I allied with Russia, played by a first-timer. We picked on Turkey together, with the support of the rest of the board. Even though it was his fifth time playing Turkey, he never made it past Bulgaria before we pushed him back. In 1905 we had taken Turkey, and he was down to one fleet by holding one supply center in Russia (Russia was a beginner, as I said).

England got Skandinavia, and even made it to St. Petersburg. Together with France and some help from England, we completely destroyed Germany. France made a crucial mistake, and the retreating German forces took France. In the end it was us against England. Then Russia backstabbed me and allied with England. They won in the same (fall)turn.

After that we played a few other games, such as poker and some weird game where you make up the rules yourself. We started at 13:00 and the last ones left at 22:00. We agreed to get together some time next week for a game of D&D.

This was the first time my classmates came to my home. My mom and sister commented that bfore that they thought me the only nerd, but now they saw, as I had told them all along, that Nerds are everywhere!

Later,

Redge.

Bussiness Card

2004-09-10T13:31:00.000+02:00

I figured out a new trick: in stead of ordering the card I designed at Vistaprint, which would cost me money, I simply saved the image. now I can place it at the bottom of my e-mails, forums, sites, etc.. And here it is:

School play - Opening scene

2004-09-07T10:06:00.000+02:00

I'm writing a play for a schoolfestival in January. It's going to be a comedy, about a murder on our school, and two students having to solve it, like a Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes mystery. I had thought about throwing in as many stereotypes and clichés as I can: "Music and Archetypes" as title. Here's the first scene I had imagined, let me know what you think.

--------------------

We've seen a black and white movie of the killing taking place, but we didn't see the murederer. The light goes on on the podium and reveals the body lying in the center, with it's head to the audience. Music: The opening of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, but in stead of the announcer announcing Emerson and Co. it tells the names of the detectives.

The detectives stroll on the stage, dressed up like the Blues Brothers, with dark sunglasses on. One is slightly tall, the other slightly short. They come up on the body. The tall one stands by while the small one comes up on the body's behind. He (seemingly) reaches in the body's ass and pulls out all kinds of things: rope, an umbrella, whatever. Each time, the tall detective shakes his head. The music works up to a climax, the small detective pulls out a piece of paper, hands it to the tall one. He takes a look, the music drops, and the tall detective says: "That's it!" The music ends with a big final chord of the brass section, the lights go out, end scene.

-------------------------

Any suggestions, comments?

Sharing a Bathroom

2004-09-06T21:33:00.000+02:00

My sister, Anna, and I, share a floor of our home, on the other side of the house from the rest of my family. On the floow is a storage space, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Or rather a toilet with a sink and a mirror.

Now the thing about my sister (aside from a million other things), is that she isn't the most hygenic person. Cleaning the toilet is mostly my chore, since she'll never do it. That isn't the worst however. She has a nack for using all the toiletpaper, and not get another roll from downstairs. We only have two toilets at home, and the other is on the other side from the house.

Besides that, she isn't a very good roommate either. She's always burrowing things from my room without asking. I'm sure you know the idea.

So anyone in Holland who wants to get a rommate: beware of Anna van der Meulen!

Enough trahing on my family. Later!

Redge

Cancer, aids, war and famine

2004-09-06T17:09:00.000+02:00

I kno this is gonna sound harsh, and it is, but it is being realistic. People have a nack for sticking their necks in the sand when they ecounter problems they can't solve or even fathom. "Live and let live." people say. People who say that live in a romanticised dreamworld, naief of the harsh world that is nature and evolution.

Today I saw an add from Netherlands' cancer foundation. It encourages people to donate money, promising to find a cure for cancer. I saw that and thought: even if you could find a cure, why should you use it? Think about it: the Earth is overpopulated as it is, their isn't enough room, food, resources, etc.. If we were to take cancer, and it's colleges war, aids and famine away, imagine what would happen! A month or two ago, I heard a medical professor proclaim that in a century, we'll all be living to be 200. There is no way in hell we can cope with that if thousands of people din't die every day.

If at this point you want to comment on this post and tell me what an inhuman bastard I am, save yourself the trouble. If you want to debate this point of view, go ahead and sound out.

Later,

Redge

Winnie the Pooh

2004-09-06T16:58:00.000+02:00

Today it hit me: Winnie the Pooh is a metafoor for how a child sees adults and the world. (Since I only know the Dutch names, I'll add a short desciption.)

Ioor (the donkey)
This constantly depressed animal is a very prominent part of how children see adults. Adults are boring, they don't know how to have fun. Ironically, this view isn't so far off these days. Far to many people are depressed...

Konijn (the rabit)
Stuborn, self-centered. He seems to make up the rules as he goes along. Which fits perfectly. How many times as a kid have you asked your parents: "Why is this?" or "Why is that?" or "Why can't I..." and the answer was: "Because." parents don't have good reasons for their petty rules, they just make them up to get you down.

Uil (owl)
He pretends to himself and the others to be very wise, which in fact he isn't. Keeping up appearances, and pretending to know everything. Typical!

Graver (the gofer)
Ambitious, hasty, always busy. A view that didn't come up untill the nineties, but today's parents are always busy, always working, working on their carreer. They don't have time to spare to live, and enjoy the good things in life.

Winnie and Knorretje (piglet)
These guys, best friends, repressend children. You have your two types of children, represented by these animals. Children see a whole new, big, wide world out there and they approach it in two ways: innocent, in wonder, optimistic (Winnie) or timid (piglet).

Riddle I

2004-09-05T20:51:00.000+02:00

When I'm in an English class (in Netherlands), and once again I've already finished the work and get bored, I write riddles. I'll post them here, and anyone who knows the answer, can let the rest of the world know by posting it with the comments.

Okay, y'all ready? Here's number one:

My center moves and hits my rim,
my body shakes from low to high,
to send a signal, clear or dim.
So tell me: what am I?

Soldat

2004-09-05T19:52:00.000+02:00

This is such a kickass game! If you're in to light, old platform games, this platform shooter is for you! It has a multiplayer option, so anyone who wants to measure his Soldat skills against mine can give me a call. So far I've played it with Jolle and Boudewijn, who are both better at it than me.

I'll let you in on a little secret: I have absolutely no reflexes. I make up for this character flaw by the fact that in tense situation and emergencies, when everyone else flips, I stay cool.

Memory Alpha

2004-09-05T16:25:00.000+02:00

This is where I spend most of my time. Go ahead, take a look. Even if you aren't a Star Trek fan (then what are you doing here?), it's still very impressive. The notion first arose with Wikipedia, and now I have my own wiki, running on the same software: Mediawiki.

I don't know what alures me so much about this site, but I think it is because it is one of the few subjects I know just about everything about, and the concept and my work there makes me feel needed. After all, if I wasnt there to help them, Memory Alpha would probably collapse! ;)

Don't be surprised if I am going to be posting a lot about my work on this site, since it is my main concern. Of the aprox. 5 hours a day I spend on the net, at least 4 are on this site.

Not that my in depth knowledge of Star Trek is so extensive. There are people there who spend hours, pouring over wide CG shots and listing the ships present in it. people wo will study every minute detail, and can call up info on every episode ever made. My work is far more modest. I help out with correcting style, spelling and the workings of the wiki itself. The Deletion Archive, for example, was first conceived by a sysop. But since then, I have been the only user to create, use, edit, maintain, etc. this page. I guess archiving is in my nature.

Overall, I like this site and what I can do here. I like it so much, that I'm still spending time here now wen I should be doing my homework! Egads!

Later,

Redge

Welcome, Wilkom, Welkom, Wolkom, Bienvenue

2004-09-05T15:35:00.000+02:00

Welcome to my blog! Allow me to introduce myself.

I am Redge, trekkie, nerd and philosopher exraordinair. I'm from Holland, known throughout the world for it's windmills, water, dikes, legal drugs and gay marriage. I live in the province of Friesland, which is the equivalent of Kansas, but smaller. For more info on me and what I do, check my homepage at .

If you are here, chances are you know me. I actively, regularly participate in these communities:

Memory Alpha
I often refer to this site as my 'work'. It's a wikiwiki, which means that every registered or unregistered user can edit the contents. It is a Star Trek wiki, and Star Trek happens to be one of my areas of expertise.

Federation Forum (Dutch)
It's a Dutch Star Trek forum, with a nice community behind it. I often discuss not only Star Trek, but also Philosophy, Politics, etc. here. We've had a few mishaps, and so far the board has been reset a few times, so a lot of older posts are gone forever.

A Call to Duty
This is a Star Trek RPG. I'm in the newsfleet () which uses discussionboards as communication. Other sections include PBeM and chat. For my status in this RPG, see my continued posts.

PANtheon (Dutch)
A site (also a wiki) me and some classmates are building for a Dutch competition named ThinkQuest. It's about Mythology. We are still working on a Dutch version, but if it should prove succesfull, we'll add an English version.

YoYo forum (Dutch)
A message board where I chat with said classmates. It's also used as a board for Magic the Gathering and Mafia.

Well, that's all she wrote for now. Off course I'll be adding more, interesting comments later. I humbly suggest you track this feed, because, after all, I AM interesting.