"Dude, just have one beer..."

"Yeah I agree, don't be a pussy, man."

On the Fate of Man

I assume that alien life absolutely exists.

Humans know for sure about the existence of at least 100 billion galaxies, although this number is probably far greater in reality. That number is just what we can SEE in the observable universe. A single galaxy can contain up to a trillion suns (10¹⁴) and many more planets. These numbers are beyond the understanding of a human mind, and the distances involved are still more incomprehensible. This is the known universe as science has explained it to us, and the vision which we draw from it is quite clear. Statistically, we are presented with an image of the cosmos as teeming with unknown alien life across uncountable strange worlds.

100,000,000,000 of these...

The real question is how common life could actually be. I personally think that our planet is likely nothing special. Although intelligent life may be relatively rare, it may be that life is virtually everywhere. What does life really need? I often hear people musing about how it is the sun that gave the world life, which is a pretty true statement. A truer statement however, would be to say that the sun sustains the life on this world. Assuming that there is no god, life must have arisen spontaneously from natural circumstances (the validity of which we aren't arguing right now). All that is required for an organism to survive is something from which to draw energy. An example of this would be the anaerobic bacteria which break down natural substances and reduce them to something with less energy. Alien life in the sense that we traditionally mean it, would require an 'open' system into which a constant flow of solar energy can trickle into. The harnessing of this energy, as on our planet, can allow for the 'resetting' of these natural substances (carbon dioxide returning to oxygen in photosynthesis) and the propagation of life. By a broader definition however, almost any planet would likely develop some form of life given enough time. This life would very quickly destroy itself however, as all available resources are used up and like a candle in a closed jar, it extinguishes itself.

Earlier today i was watching a chain of ants carrying food from a rubbish bag to their colony. I fucking hate ants, but always admire how well they exploit their single survival strategy. "The plan is, collect as much shit as possible and then when we have too much, that just means we can expand out further. Long live the colony!" It struck me that this was a fantastic microcosm of the essential mentality of capitalist human society, we just live on a very different timescale from the ants. Where they live for about 90 days, we are lucky enough to have 90 years sometimes. Taking this little analogy a little further, i then noted that this same strategy is also exactly the same as that of the mold which you see eating a sandwich. Again, this is another timescale entirely, and we can observe them consuming until nothing is left and the whole bacterial colony dies.

After thinking about this for some time, i came to the conclusion that this was very likely the ultimate fate of humanity, at least as long as we remain on our current path. In the same way that the people believed in a flat earth because the curvature of the Earth is so slight, the slow destruction of the earth at our hands is quite invisible to our eyes.

LA, Looking like some nasty grey shit on a petri dish

Although life is very likely everywhere throughout space, it is probably also very temporary. Billions of dim embers fading slowly into existence across the cosmos before being snuffed out just as quickly. The majority of them never even given a chance to ignite into consciousness, yet we were. We very well may end up simply destroying ourselves like other civilizations have doubtless done before us, but then i suppose we could choose not to. To close this ramble, two quotes from Carl Sagan.

“We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers.”

“Here we face a critical branch point in history, what we do with our world, right now, will propagate down through the centuries and powerfully affect the destiny of our descendants.”

Nothing is certain.

I fear that I may die someday. Still deeds to do, still words to say.
I fear I'll never find that girl, with eyes pale blue, hair golden curls.
A heart to feel mine, just as hers. To know my soul, these thoughts unfurl.

Oh Fuckin' Ae!

Nice Guys Finish Last

She says "I'm not good enough for you." I say I care about her. She say's I'm too perfect for her and she doesn't want to fall in love. I say "It was the flower wasn't it... too much." She says "No! it was amazing..."

I say "Exactly."

Girls don't want the nice guy. They want the guy who is willing to cheat if the opportunity arises, who would get mad and lash out, or who will neglect them emotionally. All I want is someone to fall in love with really.

Now, I'm alone for almost 3 weeks and already I don't know what I'm going to do.

Motherfuckers.

Two news stories, zero fucking hope for humanity. So if anyone doesn't know already, I'm an atheist and a skeptic with the occasional nihilistic tenancy. I'd also consider myself an optimist however, although all this crap going on really does get to me some times.

The first article is about the Tar Sands, which Canada wants to exploit now. (What happened to you Canada? You used to be cool...) This will certainly fuck shit up big time with our environment. In a time when all humanity depends upon some logical thinking and forethought, the second story is particularly depressing.

I try never to intentionally insult somebody else's creed (Except conservative Christian fundamentalists, but can you really hold that against me??), but these guys must be functionally retarded. They can hold onto their expired culture and archaic beliefs all they like, whatever spins your wheels I guess, as long as they don't hurt others they can go hard. But when they are living in the middle of New York city and trying to resist all Western influence, its already off to a bad start. These people think that sexual abuse should be ignored to save some fucking face for their community? I would say they need a reality check, but these days i think that maybe its me who needs one. Call me an idealist, I hope too much that one day people will just start making some goddamn sense.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html?src=me&ref=general

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/nyregion/ultra-orthodox-jews-shun-their-own-for-reporting-child-sexual-abuse.html?src=me&ref=general

Anyway, here are the stories. Feel free to peruse them 'til your heart's content.

Love, Sam.

Snapshot: Listening, Watching, Reading, Wearing, Wanting

Listening:      Kyuss - Demon Cleaner. Smooth and yet still gritty as fuck, this music still smells like pot to me. In the early 90's while grunge bands were covering the world with a thick haze of slime which seeped forward from Seattle, these boys were out in the desert making a more psychedelic tinged stoner rock. Totally non-conformant (in a non-hipster way) and some of the grooviest heavy metal out there, I can't fault Kyuss. Plus, they will never reform as the lead singer has stated that he wouldn't ever want to cheapen the music by "rubbing [his] dick on it."

Watching:      Game of thrones online. So fuckin' cool man. ;)

Reading:        Actually, re-reading 'The Black Tulip' by Alexandre Dumas. Part historical fantasty, part romance, part suspense thriller and part fucking awesome! Dumas is a master of narrative, and regularly interacts with his audience in a way which never breaks the mood.

Wearing:        My old jeans, which 'the girl' (as she has requested she be referred to) made just a wee bit custom for me. Of course, the knees are still ripped to shit though...

Wanting:        It fucking ALL! Give me the world.

Poetry my Ass

Being a total bastard prick on the inside, one of my favouritest things in life is taking the piss of what people perceive as being their truest innermost selves. Nothing presents this opportunity more often than amateur poetry, and for that I salute it.

Take for example a guy I used to know who is now posting regular poetry on facebook from the blog he made for it. I could point out so many humorous aspects in this as it really cracks me up. Everything from his commitment to fundamentalist Christianity (his dad happens to be a preacher) to the fact that he reverts to speaking as if he's in the 18th century as soon as he starts writing.

"Time bestows upon me a warning"

But my personal favorite is still the rhyming...       It.      Is.       EXTREME!

Yet finally I define; To give to you the meaning mine

For this term I have in mind, take that which I have refined

For if you are inclined to read my final line.

 

 

So yeah, i'm a bad person.

Love, Sam.

The Inkspots

If I didn't care, would I still feel this way?
If it isn't love, can my heart still feel betrayed?

Nothing is that simple.
What may appear black & white is often made up from shades of grey.

Nothing is as pure as I'd like.
Nobody is that innocent and they always have their motives.

Nothing that's worth it is easy.
Push yourself forward, because nobody else is losing out when you fail.

Its never as good as you remember.
Nostalgia is a filter through which we see what we need to.


Or, in the words of Mr. H. L. Mencken:
For every complex problem, there is a solution which is simple, neat, and wrong.

Endless oceans and soundscapes of the mind.

Wild Montana Skies

Oh Montana, give this child a home
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies

A Fresh Set

I've been thinking so much in the last few days. Despite the fact that My friends are nowhere near me, I feel they are little further away than we already were. Where before, physical distance meant we were together, where does that put us now? I have met a few people here who seem to be on the same level with me. But my introspective nature makes it difficult, not to talk to people, but to want to bother. I genuinely hope I can find another soul like mine. But where the fuck to look??

I was asleep, now I am awake.

This is a visual representation of our society...

The double down has arrived in NZ. Praise the gods! I feel its really to our society's credit that after everything we've acheived. Democracy, stable economies even a man on the fucking moon that this is what is dominating the news today... Our local paper just had a picture of this on the front page today. My friends all ate them on two seperate occasions today. And then I get home and mum is excited to go to KFC for tea. This bastard meat-wich could be a perfect metaphor for our sick fucking society.

Bin Ladin is Dead

America is celebrating, and rightly so. This is a big step for the war in the Middle East and deserves celebration, but I'm also scared of what will happen now. This changes everything, for the last 10 years Al Qaeda has been relatively quiet and the constant presence of the war is all I've known since I was 8. After this they will want revenge, they will make him a martyr and the rules of the whole situation have changed. I am really happy and believe it is a step foward but I can't help think it won't be without cost.

Dark, Darker, Darko

"What if you could go back in time, and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better?"

I wish...

?

Recently I can't stop thinking about life, specifically the point of it. When I'm dead and gone what will I leave to the memory of the world? Its like they say. Everybody on this planet dies twice. Once when your heart stops beating and then again, a little later, when someone says your name for the last time.

What will I be remembered for? What do I mean to humanity? George Harrison said "Life goes on within you and without you" and for the vast majority of people this is completely true. They waste their lives working in some office or behind a desk and leave nothing to mark their place on this world. Plus half of them are depressed by it, but too scared to take the risks and do what they really want. And after all, what do they get? Crippling illness and financial hardship for most, as they are forced into retirement homes by the strangers they raised. Then there are others, the Che Guevara's and Barack Obama's. The movers and the shakers who shape our planet and sweep the winds of change over our peoples.

What i'm talking about is ambition. I want to do something worthy of being remembered.