Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2010 February 3
P/2010 A2: Unusual Asteroid Tail Implies Powerful Collision
Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt (UCLA)
Explanation: What is this strange object? First discovered on ground based LINEAR images on January 6, the object appeared unusual enough to investigate further with the Hubble Space Telescope last week. Pictured above, what Hubble saw indicates that P/2010 A2 is unlike any object ever seen before. At first glance, the object appears to have the tail of a comet. Close inspection, however, shows a 140-meter nucleus offset from the tail center, very unusual structure near the nucleus, and no discernable gas in the tail. Knowing that the object orbits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, a preliminary hypothesis that appears to explain all of the known clues is that P/2010 A2 is the debris left over from a recent collision between two small asteroids. If true, the collision likely occurred at over 15,000 kilometers per hour -- five times the speed of a rifle bullet -- and liberated energy in excess of a nuclear bomb. Pressure from sunlight would then spread out the debris into a trailing tail. Future study of P/2010 A2 may better indicate the nature of the progenitor collision and may help humanity better understand the early years of our Solar System, when many similar collisions occurred.
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2010 February 3
P/2010 A2: Unusual Asteroid Tail Implies Powerful Collision
Credit: NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt (UCLA)
Explanation: What is this strange object? First discovered on ground based LINEAR images on January 6, the object appeared unusual enough to investigate further with the Hubble Space Telescope last week. Pictured above, what Hubble saw indicates that P/2010 A2 is unlike any object ever seen before. At first glance, the object appears to have the tail of a comet. Close inspection, however, shows a 140-meter nucleus offset from the tail center, very unusual structure near the nucleus, and no discernable gas in the tail. Knowing that the object orbits in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, a preliminary hypothesis that appears to explain all of the known clues is that P/2010 A2 is the debris left over from a recent collision between two small asteroids. If true, the collision likely occurred at over 15,000 kilometers per hour -- five times the speed of a rifle bullet -- and liberated energy in excess of a nuclear bomb. Pressure from sunlight would then spread out the debris into a trailing tail. Future study of P/2010 A2 may better indicate the nature of the progenitor collision and may help humanity better understand the early years of our Solar System, when many similar collisions occurred.
The big picture
We think our destiny is to journey to Mars and beyond. Yet as we build our spacecraft, we're about to be broadsided - from a different direction - by the most explosive event in history.
Sometime in the future science will be able to create realities that we can't even begin to imagine. As we evolve, we'll be able to construct other information systems that correspond to other realities, universes based on logic completely different from ours and not based on space and time.
Immanuel Kant declared in 1781 that space and time were real, but only indeed as properties of the mind. These algorithms are not only the key to consciousness, but why space and time − indeed the properties of matter itself - are relative to the observer. But a new theory called biocentrism suggests that space and time may not be the only tools that can be used to construct reality. At present, our destiny is to live and die in the everyday world of up and down. But what if, for example, we changed the algorithms so that instead of time being linear, it was 3-dimensional like space? Consciousness would move through the multiverse. We'd be able to walk through time just like we walk through space. And after creeping along for 4 billion years, life would finally figure out how to escape from its corporeal cage. Our destiny would lie in realities that exist outside of the known physical universe.
Even science fiction is struggling with the implications. In "Avatar," human consciousness is infused into blue aliens that inhabit a wondrous world. However, according to biocentrism, replicating human intelligence or consciousness will require the same kind of algorithms for employing time and space that we enjoy. Everything we experience is a whirl of information occurring in our heads. Time is simply the summation of spatial states - much like the frames in a film - occurring inside the mind. It's just our way of making sense of things. There's also a peculiar intangibility to space. We can't pick it up and bring it to the laboratory. Like time, space isn't an external object. It's part of the mental software that molds information into multidimensional objects.
We take for granted how our mind puts everything together. When I woke up this morning, I was in the middle of a dream that seemed as real as everyday life. I remember looking out over a crowded port with people in the foreground. Further out, there were ships engaged in battle. And still further out to sea was a battleship with radar antenna going around. My mind had somehow created this spatio-temporal experience out of electrochemical information. I could even feel the pebbles under my feet, merging this 3D world with my 'inner' sensations. Life as we know it is defined by this spatial-temporal logic, which traps us in the universe with which we're familiar. Like my dream, the experimental results of quantum theory confirm that the properties of particles in the 'real' world are also observer-determined.
Loren Eiseley once wrote: "While I was sitting one night with a poet friend watching a great opera performed in a tent under arc lights, the poet took my arm and pointed silently. Far up, blundering out of the night, a huge Cecropia moth swept past from light to light over the posturings of the actors. 'He doesn't know,' my friend whispered excitedly. 'He's passing through an alien universe brightly lit but invisible to him. He's in another play; he doesn't see us. He doesn't know. Maybe it's happening right now to us.'"
Like the moth, we can't see beyond the footlights. The universe is just life's launching-pad. But it won't be rockets that take us the next step. The long-sought Theory of Everything was merely missing a component that was too close for us to have noticed. Some of the thrill that came with the announcement that the human genome had been mapped or the idea that we're close to understanding the Big Bang rests in our innate human desire for completeness and totality. But most of these comprehensive theories fail to take into account one crucial factor: We're creating them. It's the biological creature that fashions the stories, that makes the observations, and that gives names to things. And therein lies the great expanse of our oversight, that until now, science hasn't confronted the one thing that's at once most familiar and most mysterious - consciousness.
Reality is simply an information system that involves our consciousness. Until we understand ourselves, we will continue to blunder from light to light, unable to discern the great play that blazes under the opera tent.
Robert Lanza, MD is author of "Biocentrism," a new book that lays out his theory of everything.
Sometime in the future science will be able to create realities that we can't even begin to imagine. As we evolve, we'll be able to construct other information systems that correspond to other realities, universes based on logic completely different from ours and not based on space and time.
Immanuel Kant declared in 1781 that space and time were real, but only indeed as properties of the mind. These algorithms are not only the key to consciousness, but why space and time − indeed the properties of matter itself - are relative to the observer. But a new theory called biocentrism suggests that space and time may not be the only tools that can be used to construct reality. At present, our destiny is to live and die in the everyday world of up and down. But what if, for example, we changed the algorithms so that instead of time being linear, it was 3-dimensional like space? Consciousness would move through the multiverse. We'd be able to walk through time just like we walk through space. And after creeping along for 4 billion years, life would finally figure out how to escape from its corporeal cage. Our destiny would lie in realities that exist outside of the known physical universe.
Even science fiction is struggling with the implications. In "Avatar," human consciousness is infused into blue aliens that inhabit a wondrous world. However, according to biocentrism, replicating human intelligence or consciousness will require the same kind of algorithms for employing time and space that we enjoy. Everything we experience is a whirl of information occurring in our heads. Time is simply the summation of spatial states - much like the frames in a film - occurring inside the mind. It's just our way of making sense of things. There's also a peculiar intangibility to space. We can't pick it up and bring it to the laboratory. Like time, space isn't an external object. It's part of the mental software that molds information into multidimensional objects.
We take for granted how our mind puts everything together. When I woke up this morning, I was in the middle of a dream that seemed as real as everyday life. I remember looking out over a crowded port with people in the foreground. Further out, there were ships engaged in battle. And still further out to sea was a battleship with radar antenna going around. My mind had somehow created this spatio-temporal experience out of electrochemical information. I could even feel the pebbles under my feet, merging this 3D world with my 'inner' sensations. Life as we know it is defined by this spatial-temporal logic, which traps us in the universe with which we're familiar. Like my dream, the experimental results of quantum theory confirm that the properties of particles in the 'real' world are also observer-determined.
Loren Eiseley once wrote: "While I was sitting one night with a poet friend watching a great opera performed in a tent under arc lights, the poet took my arm and pointed silently. Far up, blundering out of the night, a huge Cecropia moth swept past from light to light over the posturings of the actors. 'He doesn't know,' my friend whispered excitedly. 'He's passing through an alien universe brightly lit but invisible to him. He's in another play; he doesn't see us. He doesn't know. Maybe it's happening right now to us.'"
Like the moth, we can't see beyond the footlights. The universe is just life's launching-pad. But it won't be rockets that take us the next step. The long-sought Theory of Everything was merely missing a component that was too close for us to have noticed. Some of the thrill that came with the announcement that the human genome had been mapped or the idea that we're close to understanding the Big Bang rests in our innate human desire for completeness and totality. But most of these comprehensive theories fail to take into account one crucial factor: We're creating them. It's the biological creature that fashions the stories, that makes the observations, and that gives names to things. And therein lies the great expanse of our oversight, that until now, science hasn't confronted the one thing that's at once most familiar and most mysterious - consciousness.
Reality is simply an information system that involves our consciousness. Until we understand ourselves, we will continue to blunder from light to light, unable to discern the great play that blazes under the opera tent.
Robert Lanza, MD is author of "Biocentrism," a new book that lays out his theory of everything.
They want you dead
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Rich White "So Called" Ultra Elite Rockefellers, Rothchilds, Clintons, Queen of England, Zionist Jews, Bush Family, Bankers, & Wall Street WANT YOU DEAD!!! WAKE THE FUCK UP !!! THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY AND WILL NOT STOP!!!
http://www.threeworldwars.com/new-world-order.htm
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=...d7ab29d0c8bbb9
STOP THE DENIAL AND THE FAKE BULLSHIT THIS IS REAL !!!!
YOU ARE BEING ATTACKED JUST LIKE AIDS & HEROINE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. WELL IT's GOTTEN BIGGER !!!!
LEARN !!!!
__________________
The World can be a Better Place...
http://www.threeworldwars.com/new-world-order.htm
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=...d7ab29d0c8bbb9
STOP THE DENIAL AND THE FAKE BULLSHIT THIS IS REAL !!!!
YOU ARE BEING ATTACKED JUST LIKE AIDS & HEROINE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. WELL IT's GOTTEN BIGGER !!!!
LEARN !!!!
__________________
The World can be a Better Place...
This kind of treatment
Quote:
Originally Posted by kefta
...what have black folk, as a collective group, ever done to white folk that they (Black folk) deserve this kind of mistreatment?
i asked my grandfather this question once and his answer to me?
"We got free." when we were yassa boss-ing, we were all hunky dorie, toby was a 'part of the family'. the second we didn't wanna be pets anymore, they wanted us gone. and by any means necessary.
they have no collective sense of honor. some would say 'you can't say that about all of them...' which is kinda true except when was the last time you saw any of 'the good ones' actually stand up and speak out against white privilege in a way that mattered? it's gonna take more than tim wise. the ref is calling the game for them and collectively reaping the benefits trumps any kind of moral or ethical rules they have as a community.
they cheated scammed and murdered their way to the 'top' and they will continue to do so until they are forcibly removed from that position.
the logic in it isn't hard to understand. it's just fucked up.
what i have a hard time understanding is how they can profess to be christians and follow the word of christ and still do the shit they do. they (especially the focks news types) go hard for that jesus shit and turn around and basically go against everything they claim to have built this and other cac nations on. i find this so perplexing that i'm almost convinced that they have another religion they practice in secret and only with each other that is somethin totally different. otherwise, these mf's walk around each other all day every day and sit in church w/ each other every sunday basically allowing/helpin each other live a silent lie. the psycholgy of it is at once fascinating and terribly disturbing. maybe it's because most of them see us as sub-human, we don't count. but it's kinda wild to imagine that they can see a majority of the earths population (all brown people basically) as sub human, especially when our (blacks in particular) well documented academic and cultural accomplishments are the basis for every society they've ever built. don't even get me started on their quest to wipe the truth out of the history books and act like they did all that shit dolo.
they're wrong. they know they're wrong. and they just don't give a fuck. period. they are by & large a morally and ethically bankrupt people. it's true that the black community is not w/o it's own issues, but we have centuries of oppression and a thousands of kinds of fucked up psychological warfare to deal with. what is their excuse for bein so fucked up in the head?
Originally Posted by kefta
...what have black folk, as a collective group, ever done to white folk that they (Black folk) deserve this kind of mistreatment?
i asked my grandfather this question once and his answer to me?
"We got free." when we were yassa boss-ing, we were all hunky dorie, toby was a 'part of the family'. the second we didn't wanna be pets anymore, they wanted us gone. and by any means necessary.
they have no collective sense of honor. some would say 'you can't say that about all of them...' which is kinda true except when was the last time you saw any of 'the good ones' actually stand up and speak out against white privilege in a way that mattered? it's gonna take more than tim wise. the ref is calling the game for them and collectively reaping the benefits trumps any kind of moral or ethical rules they have as a community.
they cheated scammed and murdered their way to the 'top' and they will continue to do so until they are forcibly removed from that position.
the logic in it isn't hard to understand. it's just fucked up.
what i have a hard time understanding is how they can profess to be christians and follow the word of christ and still do the shit they do. they (especially the focks news types) go hard for that jesus shit and turn around and basically go against everything they claim to have built this and other cac nations on. i find this so perplexing that i'm almost convinced that they have another religion they practice in secret and only with each other that is somethin totally different. otherwise, these mf's walk around each other all day every day and sit in church w/ each other every sunday basically allowing/helpin each other live a silent lie. the psycholgy of it is at once fascinating and terribly disturbing. maybe it's because most of them see us as sub-human, we don't count. but it's kinda wild to imagine that they can see a majority of the earths population (all brown people basically) as sub human, especially when our (blacks in particular) well documented academic and cultural accomplishments are the basis for every society they've ever built. don't even get me started on their quest to wipe the truth out of the history books and act like they did all that shit dolo.
they're wrong. they know they're wrong. and they just don't give a fuck. period. they are by & large a morally and ethically bankrupt people. it's true that the black community is not w/o it's own issues, but we have centuries of oppression and a thousands of kinds of fucked up psychological warfare to deal with. what is their excuse for bein so fucked up in the head?
10 reasons why people are fat
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
10 The Bacone
A bacon cone filled with scrambled eggs and country gravy topped with a biscuit.
#9 White Castle Casserole
Six White Castle burgers topped with gravy and American cheese baked in a casserole dish.
#8 Potachos
Thick potato chips covered with chedder, bacon, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, chives and sour cream.
#7 Monte Cristo
Deep fried ham, turkey american and swiss cheese sandwich with rasberry preserves and topped with powdered sugar
#6 Bacon Crust Pizza With Bacon
#5 Cheeseburger Waffles
#4 Candied Bacon Ice Cream
#3 Bacon Cinnamon Roll
#2 Bacon Donut
Served at The Nickel Diner. (5cdiner.com)
#1 Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburgers
A bacon cone filled with scrambled eggs and country gravy topped with a biscuit.
#9 White Castle Casserole
Six White Castle burgers topped with gravy and American cheese baked in a casserole dish.
#8 Potachos
Thick potato chips covered with chedder, bacon, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, chives and sour cream.
#7 Monte Cristo
Deep fried ham, turkey american and swiss cheese sandwich with rasberry preserves and topped with powdered sugar
#6 Bacon Crust Pizza With Bacon
#5 Cheeseburger Waffles
#4 Candied Bacon Ice Cream
#3 Bacon Cinnamon Roll
#2 Bacon Donut
Served at The Nickel Diner. (5cdiner.com)
#1 Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburgers
THE MATRIX
Monday, February 1, 2010
Standard disclaimer is that I did not write this series and I received this from a friend of mine quite sometime ago.
Shyam
The Matrix Revolutions
When Neo awakens in the Mobile Ave subway station of the Trainman he meets the programs Rama Kandra, his wife Kamala and their daughter Sati. Rama and his wife aren't just programs like the Merovingian and Persephone, but machines from the real world plugged into the Matrix. Machines can jack in. This was touched upon in Peter Chung's wonderful Animatrix short "Matriculated." They often plug in and take the guise of humans to insure the operation of the system. From their studies of humans and the previous Reloads of the system many machine have grown to love. Together Rama and Kamala created offspring, a program in the form of their daughter. But Sati serves no purpose and if they don't send her away she will be deleted by the machines. So they made a deal with the Merovingian for Sati to live with the Oracle. This act touches Neo who realizes that the machines are not evil but as capable of love as humans are.
Neo doesn't have his powers because he's not in the Matrix and his software cannot interact with this form of limbo. The Merovingian hoped this would happen because he too knew that Neo would walk out on the Architect. He knew of Neo's attachment to Trinity because his wife Persephone told him. The Merovingian himself is an interesting character, representing Hades, God of
the Underworld "a trafficker of information." You see the machines have allowed the Merovingian's secret society to exist because he is harmless and can be called upon for all the dirty little secrets and information they need, ultimately helping the system work. It's possible he may be a previous One or was one of the first malfunctioning rogue programs. Think of it as the FBI calling on the help of organized crime once in a while. He's allowed to have his safe haven for rogue programs such as the Trainman and the Twins and control of many programmer access points (back doors) so long as he doesn't threaten the system. The machines must definitely share a
relationship with him otherwise he would not have encountered Neo's predecessors or survived a Matrix Reload.
It also appears that Seraph may have worked for the Merovingian but I suspect their previous encounter was due to the fact that Seraph was the previous One. When Neo fights him in the Teahouse they match each other's every move to a standstill. Seraph does this to be sure Neo is the One. Also notice how when Seraph first shows up at Club Hel in "Revolutions" one of the bouncers says "Look, it's Wingless." or something like that. He's referring to the fact that Seraph is now an Angel with no wings having given up his power to Reload the Matrix just as Neo was supposed to.
Let's talk about the relationship between Neo and Agent Smith. The Oracle tells Neo that Smith has become his opposite, his negative. A result of the equation trying to balance itself out. Why did Neo jump into Smith to destroy him at the end of the original film? Neo probably doesn't know why himself, but I suspect that he was drawn to him like a magnet. As soon as Neo discovered his powers he did this act. It appears that Smith was supposed to be Neo's opposite all along. When Smith interrogated Morpheus in the original film he confessed that he "wanted out of this zoo." He was already growing too human and was on the path to becoming Neo's negative. He wanted to be disconnected from the system as evident when he takes out his earpiece during the interrogation. Smith's fellow agents are surprised to see his ear piece removed (Agent Brown: "What are you doing?") and if they suspected Smith's true feelings they may have sent him back to the source for deletion from the system since he was malfunctioning. Neo was drawn to jumping into Smith because the equation was trying to balance itself. The replicating program from the cookie may have copied on to him as well.
Now that Smith is reborn like Neo with some of his code written on to him he doesn't want to just be deleted from the system but shut down the system and everything else. His hatred for mankind is now equaled by his hatred for his machine creators. If Neo is the positive side of the equation then Smith is the negative with the desire to destroy everything. "I want what you want
Mr. Anderson. I want everything." When Neo is blinded by Agent Smith in Bane's body he gets a grip of how connected to the machines he really is and can see them for what they really are.
Neo knows that Smith has grown out of control and the machines can't delete him from the system. Having assimilated everyone in the Matrix, including the Oracle, Smith threatens the system, the minds plugged in and the machine world itself. The machines will lose their crops or powers source and eventually the virus that is Smith will infect them as well. To prove to the machines that peace can be reached with their creators, the human race, Neo makes a deal that if he can defeat Smith, a compromise will be reached. He needs their help to jack in because he still hasn't mastered the ability to do it alone. Only after battling it out with Smith does Neo realizes that the solution is simple. Smith tells Neo during the final moments "What a minute, I've seen this before. You were laying right there and I was standing here. And I say, everything that has a beginning has an end Neo. Wait, what did I say?" The answer is it isn't Smith who's saying this but the Oracle who Smith assimilated. When Smith assimilated the Oracle in her kitchen he laughed hysterically because he saw her vision of him defeating Neo. He would finally accomplish what he couldn't for so long and had made him so bitter: the destruction of the One. Smith has treated Neo with much disdain and never actually called him Neo. Smith is puzzled and scared because someone is speaking through him. The Oracle spoke this phrase to Neo before and what she was referring to was the war. It would end whether both sided survived or not. If Neo is +1 the positive side of the equation and Smith is -1 the negative side then when they are added together the sum is zero, which is what Neo does when he allows Smith to assimilate him. By
doing so he has effectively opened a backdoor for the machines to delete Smith from the system through him. The machines are affected by Neo's sacrifice and decide to recall their attacking army from Zion, ending the war and carrying out the Oracle's plan.
A truce has been made but as the Architect indicates to the Oracle it may be a temporary one. Mankind has a habit of sh**ting where they eat and the Oracle will have to become a mediator between man and machine to ensure that they work together to rebuild the Earth, un-scorch the skies and live in peace. How long will it last? "As long as it can," the Oracle says. The
first step has been made, the rest is up to man and machine. Even though the Oracle can predict the outcome of variables or events she didn't see all of this happening as she tells Seraph. But thanks to Neo and his dedication, "I believed." "For what it's worth, you've made a believer out of me."
Posted by K.Shyam at 2:43 PM 3 comments
10 Years of Matrix Movie - The Matrix Reloaded explained
This is the second part of three part series that aims to explain the all time classic movie - Matrix.
Standard disclaimer is that I did not write this series and I received this from a friend of mine quite sometime ago.
Shyam
The Matrix Reloaded
In part two of the story the machines have found Zion and are seeking it out for destruction. The human threat has grown too large and the cycle must end so that it may begin again. The Architect (whose been watching Neo on his TV screens from day one) knows that the Oracle is guiding Neo to the source and that the prime program will be temporarily re-inserted again to reload the matrix for a sixth time. What they don't know is that the Oracle has a plan for Neo to choose differently. When the Oracle meets with Neo again she offers him candy. Perhaps another upgrade to his program. She also knows that Trinity will end up in danger and Neo will choose her over Reloading the Matrix. She's also aware that Neo's interaction with the Architect will upgrade his implants and his program enabling him to stop those sentinels at the film's conclusion and temporarily touch the power of the source. He's not ready yet and for the meantime will discover that he's gained the ability to separate his mind from his body and jack himself in on his own.
Posted by K.Shyam at 2:41 PM 0 comments
10 Years of Matrix Movie - The Matrix explained
This is a first part of three part series that aims to explain the all time classic movie - Matrix.
Standard disclaimer is that I did not write this series and I received this from a friend of mine quite sometime ago.
Shyam
To understand "The Matrix Revolutions" we're gonna have to go all the way back to the beginning. A time that was shown in the superior Animatrix shorts "The Second Renaissance Parts I & II. In the beginning there was man. Then man created machines. Designed in man's likeness the machines served man well, but man's jealous nature ruined that relationship. When a worker robot killed one of its own abusive masters it was placed on trial for murder and sentenced for destruction. This incident was the spark that ignited a fuse that would burn for centuries. Humans began rioting and destroying many machines. The machines were eventually allowed to create a nation of their own, separate from areas inhabited by humans. That nation was created as a machine city known as 01 or Zero-One. Despite the aggression of their former masters and creators towards them the machines still wished to do commerce with man and began production of the many tools and devices that man needed. But the machines proved to be more efficient than their creators and their own economy began to flourish better than mankind's. Seeking a better relationship with man and hoping to be accepted as an independent nation the machines petitioned to join the United Nations but were ultimately refused and found themselves under attack. A war had begun.
As the war progressed, man realized that they might ultimately lose to their superior creations. To end the threat the military devised "Operation Nightfall", the "scorching" of the skies, eliminating the machines' power source, the sun. Ironically man also used machine technology to do this and engaged in warfare on the battlefield. The machines had studied the fragile nature of the human body and were able to come up with biological weapons of their own. Ultimately man and machine had destroyed the world they lived in and barely survived. No longer dependent on the sun as a power source, the machines came to the conclusion that they would have to begin a symbiotic
relationship with their enemy. "Hand over your flesh and a new world awaits you. We demand it," an insect-like representative tells the United Nations just before self-destructing and wiping out New York with a nuclear blast. The machines could survive off of human generated power and in return mankind would no longer have to suffer in a ravaged world but a computer generated dream. The Matrix was created.
The Matrix
As the Architect told Neo in Reloaded when he first designed the Matrix it was "...quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art, flawless, sublime." It was destined to fail because as Agent Smith said to Morpheus "...human beings defined their reality through misery and suffering." Human minds could not accept the program and therefore "...entire crops were lost." The Architect was then forced to redesign the Matrix "...based on your history to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature." But failure soon frustrated the Architect because the new equation of the Matrix was unbalanced and the answer that eluded him "...required a lesser mind perhaps less bound by the parameters of perfection." That lesser mind was an intuitive program: The Oracle. She came to the conclusion that 99.9% of all test subjects accepted the program as long as they were given a choice, even if they were aware of it at an unconscious level. It was an answer that functioned, but was ultimately flawed creating a systemic anomaly. The Architect discovered that the 0.1% of subjects that refused the program (the
human resistance) would threaten the system if left unchecked so the Oracle helped devise a form of control: the One. Just as the Matrix was a form of control for people plugged into pods, the One would be a form of control for the resistance in the real world.
Since the machines were able to grow humans for use as batteries it was decided that a special human would be designed to carry the anomalous code. This human would be designed physically and mentally to interface with the Matrix differently than the average human would. It would enable him or her to have special powers within the Matrix and gain the support of the human resistance. The plan was for the Oracle to guide those that resisted the program to the One and accept him as their savior, a person who could save and free the human race from slavery. Through her ability to predict the future (which is really her analyzing of equations to an outcome) the Oracle would guide the One to the source and the One would be given a choice to save Zion from its eventual destruction and temporarily reinsert the prime program it carried back into the Matrix. The Matrix would be Reloaded and a new version would start. At the same time the machines would gain better insight into the nature of man through the experiences of the One to build a better Matrix. Even though Zion would be destroyed the One would be allowed to choose 23 individuals from the Matrix to rebuild it. That 0.1% of individuals that rejected the program would not be allowed to get any bigger. Five times this occurred. In fact many feel that the Oracle's
bodyguard Seraph was the previous One before Neo and that even though his physical body is no more, his consciousness was copied into the Matrix and is now used by the Oracle for protection. Seraph to Neo: I protect that which matters most." The future.
Unlike the Architect the Oracle grew tired of this endless cycle and finally decided to set out and end the war between man and machine. "I'm interested in one thing Neo, the future. And the only way to get there is together." She would again do her part in guiding the human resistance (in this case Morpheus) to the One and then guiding the One to the source. But the line would not be as straight this time. To complete the One's journey to re-insert the prime program into the Matrix the machines and the human race would have to depend on each other for help.
The One was designed to develop an attachment to the human race so that when he was presented with the choice to save it by the Architect he would always choose the "door to the right." However the Oracle knew that if the One developed an attachment to a specific person he may choose differently. Before Morpheus found Neo she guided him to Trinity, a hacker who shared many human qualities that Neo did. Before she even met him the Oracle told Trinity she would fall in love with the One. This was suggestion by the Oracle that set Trinity on the path to falling in love with Neo. Morpheus found Neo before they even met and since he believed Neo was the one Trinity began to study him. Cypher to Trinity: "You like him, you like watching him don't you." Since she was told she would fall in love with him she eventually did. All of this was oblivious to Neo who didn't even know who Trinity was or how she felt when they first met.
After Neo was freed from the Matrix, Morpheus brought him to see the Oracle. She could have just told him flat out that he was the One, but knew it was something he'd have to work for. Do you tell a child he doesn't have to study or work a day in its life because it will inherit a fortune anyway? (Unless your last name is Hilton. Just kidding) The Oracle knows that Morpheus would eventually wind up in danger and that Neo would have to save him, setting up the bond between the three of them. But to start him down the right path she tells him Morpheus' fate and gives him a cookie. "I promise you that by the time you're done eating it you'll feel right as rain." But, this isn't no ordinary cookie, it's an upgrade to his program. Remember how in Reloaded the Merovingian was able to put "Spanish Fly" in a pastry? Well the Oracle did something similar to Neo. She may have even placed the replicating program for Agent Smith in the cookie. When Neo is killed by Agent Smith he is reborn by the love of Trinity who is now convinced who Neo is and what he means to her.
Posted by K.Shyam at 2:25 PM 2 comments
10 years of Matrix Movie
As I read this article that talks about 10 years of Matrix, I cannot help but thinking just one thing.
There is no point in saying that the second and third movies were bad or downright crap. If you understand the real essence of the movie (Hinduism, everything in this world is an illusion) and watch it carefully, you will then understand that the second and third are logical culminations of a chain of events there were set into motion with the first movie.
Sad. Pretty sad.
As the line in the movie goes "Do not try to bend the spoon, instead it is you that you must try to bend".
Shyam
Shyam
The Matrix Revolutions
When Neo awakens in the Mobile Ave subway station of the Trainman he meets the programs Rama Kandra, his wife Kamala and their daughter Sati. Rama and his wife aren't just programs like the Merovingian and Persephone, but machines from the real world plugged into the Matrix. Machines can jack in. This was touched upon in Peter Chung's wonderful Animatrix short "Matriculated." They often plug in and take the guise of humans to insure the operation of the system. From their studies of humans and the previous Reloads of the system many machine have grown to love. Together Rama and Kamala created offspring, a program in the form of their daughter. But Sati serves no purpose and if they don't send her away she will be deleted by the machines. So they made a deal with the Merovingian for Sati to live with the Oracle. This act touches Neo who realizes that the machines are not evil but as capable of love as humans are.
Neo doesn't have his powers because he's not in the Matrix and his software cannot interact with this form of limbo. The Merovingian hoped this would happen because he too knew that Neo would walk out on the Architect. He knew of Neo's attachment to Trinity because his wife Persephone told him. The Merovingian himself is an interesting character, representing Hades, God of
the Underworld "a trafficker of information." You see the machines have allowed the Merovingian's secret society to exist because he is harmless and can be called upon for all the dirty little secrets and information they need, ultimately helping the system work. It's possible he may be a previous One or was one of the first malfunctioning rogue programs. Think of it as the FBI calling on the help of organized crime once in a while. He's allowed to have his safe haven for rogue programs such as the Trainman and the Twins and control of many programmer access points (back doors) so long as he doesn't threaten the system. The machines must definitely share a
relationship with him otherwise he would not have encountered Neo's predecessors or survived a Matrix Reload.
It also appears that Seraph may have worked for the Merovingian but I suspect their previous encounter was due to the fact that Seraph was the previous One. When Neo fights him in the Teahouse they match each other's every move to a standstill. Seraph does this to be sure Neo is the One. Also notice how when Seraph first shows up at Club Hel in "Revolutions" one of the bouncers says "Look, it's Wingless." or something like that. He's referring to the fact that Seraph is now an Angel with no wings having given up his power to Reload the Matrix just as Neo was supposed to.
Let's talk about the relationship between Neo and Agent Smith. The Oracle tells Neo that Smith has become his opposite, his negative. A result of the equation trying to balance itself out. Why did Neo jump into Smith to destroy him at the end of the original film? Neo probably doesn't know why himself, but I suspect that he was drawn to him like a magnet. As soon as Neo discovered his powers he did this act. It appears that Smith was supposed to be Neo's opposite all along. When Smith interrogated Morpheus in the original film he confessed that he "wanted out of this zoo." He was already growing too human and was on the path to becoming Neo's negative. He wanted to be disconnected from the system as evident when he takes out his earpiece during the interrogation. Smith's fellow agents are surprised to see his ear piece removed (Agent Brown: "What are you doing?") and if they suspected Smith's true feelings they may have sent him back to the source for deletion from the system since he was malfunctioning. Neo was drawn to jumping into Smith because the equation was trying to balance itself. The replicating program from the cookie may have copied on to him as well.
Now that Smith is reborn like Neo with some of his code written on to him he doesn't want to just be deleted from the system but shut down the system and everything else. His hatred for mankind is now equaled by his hatred for his machine creators. If Neo is the positive side of the equation then Smith is the negative with the desire to destroy everything. "I want what you want
Mr. Anderson. I want everything." When Neo is blinded by Agent Smith in Bane's body he gets a grip of how connected to the machines he really is and can see them for what they really are.
Neo knows that Smith has grown out of control and the machines can't delete him from the system. Having assimilated everyone in the Matrix, including the Oracle, Smith threatens the system, the minds plugged in and the machine world itself. The machines will lose their crops or powers source and eventually the virus that is Smith will infect them as well. To prove to the machines that peace can be reached with their creators, the human race, Neo makes a deal that if he can defeat Smith, a compromise will be reached. He needs their help to jack in because he still hasn't mastered the ability to do it alone. Only after battling it out with Smith does Neo realizes that the solution is simple. Smith tells Neo during the final moments "What a minute, I've seen this before. You were laying right there and I was standing here. And I say, everything that has a beginning has an end Neo. Wait, what did I say?" The answer is it isn't Smith who's saying this but the Oracle who Smith assimilated. When Smith assimilated the Oracle in her kitchen he laughed hysterically because he saw her vision of him defeating Neo. He would finally accomplish what he couldn't for so long and had made him so bitter: the destruction of the One. Smith has treated Neo with much disdain and never actually called him Neo. Smith is puzzled and scared because someone is speaking through him. The Oracle spoke this phrase to Neo before and what she was referring to was the war. It would end whether both sided survived or not. If Neo is +1 the positive side of the equation and Smith is -1 the negative side then when they are added together the sum is zero, which is what Neo does when he allows Smith to assimilate him. By
doing so he has effectively opened a backdoor for the machines to delete Smith from the system through him. The machines are affected by Neo's sacrifice and decide to recall their attacking army from Zion, ending the war and carrying out the Oracle's plan.
A truce has been made but as the Architect indicates to the Oracle it may be a temporary one. Mankind has a habit of sh**ting where they eat and the Oracle will have to become a mediator between man and machine to ensure that they work together to rebuild the Earth, un-scorch the skies and live in peace. How long will it last? "As long as it can," the Oracle says. The
first step has been made, the rest is up to man and machine. Even though the Oracle can predict the outcome of variables or events she didn't see all of this happening as she tells Seraph. But thanks to Neo and his dedication, "I believed." "For what it's worth, you've made a believer out of me."
Posted by K.Shyam at 2:43 PM 3 comments
10 Years of Matrix Movie - The Matrix Reloaded explained
This is the second part of three part series that aims to explain the all time classic movie - Matrix.
Standard disclaimer is that I did not write this series and I received this from a friend of mine quite sometime ago.
Shyam
The Matrix Reloaded
In part two of the story the machines have found Zion and are seeking it out for destruction. The human threat has grown too large and the cycle must end so that it may begin again. The Architect (whose been watching Neo on his TV screens from day one) knows that the Oracle is guiding Neo to the source and that the prime program will be temporarily re-inserted again to reload the matrix for a sixth time. What they don't know is that the Oracle has a plan for Neo to choose differently. When the Oracle meets with Neo again she offers him candy. Perhaps another upgrade to his program. She also knows that Trinity will end up in danger and Neo will choose her over Reloading the Matrix. She's also aware that Neo's interaction with the Architect will upgrade his implants and his program enabling him to stop those sentinels at the film's conclusion and temporarily touch the power of the source. He's not ready yet and for the meantime will discover that he's gained the ability to separate his mind from his body and jack himself in on his own.
Posted by K.Shyam at 2:41 PM 0 comments
10 Years of Matrix Movie - The Matrix explained
This is a first part of three part series that aims to explain the all time classic movie - Matrix.
Standard disclaimer is that I did not write this series and I received this from a friend of mine quite sometime ago.
Shyam
To understand "The Matrix Revolutions" we're gonna have to go all the way back to the beginning. A time that was shown in the superior Animatrix shorts "The Second Renaissance Parts I & II. In the beginning there was man. Then man created machines. Designed in man's likeness the machines served man well, but man's jealous nature ruined that relationship. When a worker robot killed one of its own abusive masters it was placed on trial for murder and sentenced for destruction. This incident was the spark that ignited a fuse that would burn for centuries. Humans began rioting and destroying many machines. The machines were eventually allowed to create a nation of their own, separate from areas inhabited by humans. That nation was created as a machine city known as 01 or Zero-One. Despite the aggression of their former masters and creators towards them the machines still wished to do commerce with man and began production of the many tools and devices that man needed. But the machines proved to be more efficient than their creators and their own economy began to flourish better than mankind's. Seeking a better relationship with man and hoping to be accepted as an independent nation the machines petitioned to join the United Nations but were ultimately refused and found themselves under attack. A war had begun.
As the war progressed, man realized that they might ultimately lose to their superior creations. To end the threat the military devised "Operation Nightfall", the "scorching" of the skies, eliminating the machines' power source, the sun. Ironically man also used machine technology to do this and engaged in warfare on the battlefield. The machines had studied the fragile nature of the human body and were able to come up with biological weapons of their own. Ultimately man and machine had destroyed the world they lived in and barely survived. No longer dependent on the sun as a power source, the machines came to the conclusion that they would have to begin a symbiotic
relationship with their enemy. "Hand over your flesh and a new world awaits you. We demand it," an insect-like representative tells the United Nations just before self-destructing and wiping out New York with a nuclear blast. The machines could survive off of human generated power and in return mankind would no longer have to suffer in a ravaged world but a computer generated dream. The Matrix was created.
The Matrix
As the Architect told Neo in Reloaded when he first designed the Matrix it was "...quite naturally perfect, it was a work of art, flawless, sublime." It was destined to fail because as Agent Smith said to Morpheus "...human beings defined their reality through misery and suffering." Human minds could not accept the program and therefore "...entire crops were lost." The Architect was then forced to redesign the Matrix "...based on your history to more accurately reflect the varying grotesqueries of your nature." But failure soon frustrated the Architect because the new equation of the Matrix was unbalanced and the answer that eluded him "...required a lesser mind perhaps less bound by the parameters of perfection." That lesser mind was an intuitive program: The Oracle. She came to the conclusion that 99.9% of all test subjects accepted the program as long as they were given a choice, even if they were aware of it at an unconscious level. It was an answer that functioned, but was ultimately flawed creating a systemic anomaly. The Architect discovered that the 0.1% of subjects that refused the program (the
human resistance) would threaten the system if left unchecked so the Oracle helped devise a form of control: the One. Just as the Matrix was a form of control for people plugged into pods, the One would be a form of control for the resistance in the real world.
Since the machines were able to grow humans for use as batteries it was decided that a special human would be designed to carry the anomalous code. This human would be designed physically and mentally to interface with the Matrix differently than the average human would. It would enable him or her to have special powers within the Matrix and gain the support of the human resistance. The plan was for the Oracle to guide those that resisted the program to the One and accept him as their savior, a person who could save and free the human race from slavery. Through her ability to predict the future (which is really her analyzing of equations to an outcome) the Oracle would guide the One to the source and the One would be given a choice to save Zion from its eventual destruction and temporarily reinsert the prime program it carried back into the Matrix. The Matrix would be Reloaded and a new version would start. At the same time the machines would gain better insight into the nature of man through the experiences of the One to build a better Matrix. Even though Zion would be destroyed the One would be allowed to choose 23 individuals from the Matrix to rebuild it. That 0.1% of individuals that rejected the program would not be allowed to get any bigger. Five times this occurred. In fact many feel that the Oracle's
bodyguard Seraph was the previous One before Neo and that even though his physical body is no more, his consciousness was copied into the Matrix and is now used by the Oracle for protection. Seraph to Neo: I protect that which matters most." The future.
Unlike the Architect the Oracle grew tired of this endless cycle and finally decided to set out and end the war between man and machine. "I'm interested in one thing Neo, the future. And the only way to get there is together." She would again do her part in guiding the human resistance (in this case Morpheus) to the One and then guiding the One to the source. But the line would not be as straight this time. To complete the One's journey to re-insert the prime program into the Matrix the machines and the human race would have to depend on each other for help.
The One was designed to develop an attachment to the human race so that when he was presented with the choice to save it by the Architect he would always choose the "door to the right." However the Oracle knew that if the One developed an attachment to a specific person he may choose differently. Before Morpheus found Neo she guided him to Trinity, a hacker who shared many human qualities that Neo did. Before she even met him the Oracle told Trinity she would fall in love with the One. This was suggestion by the Oracle that set Trinity on the path to falling in love with Neo. Morpheus found Neo before they even met and since he believed Neo was the one Trinity began to study him. Cypher to Trinity: "You like him, you like watching him don't you." Since she was told she would fall in love with him she eventually did. All of this was oblivious to Neo who didn't even know who Trinity was or how she felt when they first met.
After Neo was freed from the Matrix, Morpheus brought him to see the Oracle. She could have just told him flat out that he was the One, but knew it was something he'd have to work for. Do you tell a child he doesn't have to study or work a day in its life because it will inherit a fortune anyway? (Unless your last name is Hilton. Just kidding) The Oracle knows that Morpheus would eventually wind up in danger and that Neo would have to save him, setting up the bond between the three of them. But to start him down the right path she tells him Morpheus' fate and gives him a cookie. "I promise you that by the time you're done eating it you'll feel right as rain." But, this isn't no ordinary cookie, it's an upgrade to his program. Remember how in Reloaded the Merovingian was able to put "Spanish Fly" in a pastry? Well the Oracle did something similar to Neo. She may have even placed the replicating program for Agent Smith in the cookie. When Neo is killed by Agent Smith he is reborn by the love of Trinity who is now convinced who Neo is and what he means to her.
Posted by K.Shyam at 2:25 PM 2 comments
10 years of Matrix Movie
As I read this article that talks about 10 years of Matrix, I cannot help but thinking just one thing.
There is no point in saying that the second and third movies were bad or downright crap. If you understand the real essence of the movie (Hinduism, everything in this world is an illusion) and watch it carefully, you will then understand that the second and third are logical culminations of a chain of events there were set into motion with the first movie.
Sad. Pretty sad.
As the line in the movie goes "Do not try to bend the spoon, instead it is you that you must try to bend".
Shyam
voodoo
Sunday, January 31, 2010
If you read this, you may learn something and get a laugh at the same time. I found it to be amusing, entertaining and just plain interesting......
FORTY years ago, in the Southern States, superstition, held an exalted place with, all classes, but more especially with the blacks and uneducated, or poor, whites. This was shown more clearly in their belief in witchcraft in general, and the devil in particular. To both of these classes, the devil was a real being, sporting a club-foot, horns, tail, and a hump on his back.
The influence of the devil was far greater than that of the Lord. If one of these votaries had stolen a pig, and the fear of the Lord came over him, he would most likely ask the Lord to forgive him, but still cling to the pig. But if the fear of the devil came upon him, in all probability he would drop the pig and take to his heels.
In those days the city of St. Louis had a large number who had implicit faith in Voudooism. I once attended one of their midnight meetings. In the pale rays of the moon the dark outlines of a large assemblage was visible, gathered about a small fire, conversing in different tongues. They were negroes of all ages,--women, children, and men. Finally, the noise was hushed, and the assembled group assumed an attitude of respect. They made way for their queen, and a short, black, old negress came upon the scene, followed by two assistants, one of whom bore a cauldron, and the other, a box.
The cauldron was placed over the dying embers, the queen drew forth, from the folds of her gown, a magic wand, and the crowd formed a ring around her. Her first act was to throw some substance on the fire, the flames shot up with a lurid glare-- now it writhed in serpent coils, now it darted upward in forked tongues, and then it gradually transformed itself into a veil of dusky vapors. At this stage, after a certain amount of gibberish and wild gesticulation from the queen, the box was opened, and frogs, lizards, snakes, dog liver, and beef hearts drawn forth and thrown into the cauldron. Then followed more gibberish and gesticulation, when the congregation joined hands, and began the wildest dance imaginable, keeping it up until the men and women sank to the ground from mere exhaustion.
In the ignorant days of slavery, there was a general belief that a horse-shoe hung over the door would insure good luck. I have seen negroes, otherwise comparatively intelligent, refuse to pick up a pin, needle, or other such object, dropped by a negro, because, as they alleged, if the person who dropped the articles had a spite against them, to touch anything they dropped would voudou them, and make them seriously ill.
Nearly every large plantation, with any considerable number of negroes, had at least one, who laid claim to be a fortune-teller, and who was regarded with more than common respect by his fellow-slaves. Dinkie, a full-blooded African, large in frame, coarse featured, and claiming to be a descendant of a king in his native land, was the oracle on the "Poplar Farm." At the time of which I write, Dinkie was about fifty years of age, and had lost an eye, and was, to say the least, a very ugly-looking man.
No one in that section was considered so deeply immersed in voudooism, goopherism, and fortune-telling, as he. Although he had been many years in the Gaines family, no one could remember the time when Dinkie was called upon to perform manual labor. He was not sick, yet he never worked. No one interfered with him. If he felt like feeding the chickens, pigs, or cattle, he did so. Dinkie hunted, slept, was at the table at meal time, roamed through the woods, went to the city, and returned when he pleased, with no one to object, or to ask a question. Everybody treated him with respect. The whites, throughout the neighborhood, tipped their hats to the old one-eyed negro, while the policemen, or patrollers, permitted him to pass without a challenge. The negroes, everywhere, stood in mortal fear of "Uncle Dinkie." The blacks who saw him every day, were always thrown upon their good behavior, when in his presence. I once asked a negro why they appeared to be afraid of Dinkie. He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, smiled, shook his head and said,--
"I ain't afraid of de debble, but I ain't ready to go to him jess yet." He then took a look around and behind, as if he feared some one would hear what he was saying, and then continued: "Dinkie's got de power, ser; he knows things seen and unseen, an' dat's what makes him his own massa."
It was literally true, this man was his own master. He wore a snake's skin around his neck, carried a petrified frog in one pocket, and a dried lizard in the other.
A slave speculator once came along and offered to purchase Dinkie. Dr. Gaines, no doubt, thought it a good opportunity to get the elephant off his hands, and accepted the money. A day later, the trader returned the old negro, with a threat of a suit at law for damages.
A new overseer was employed, by Dr. Gaines, to take charge of "Poplar Farm." His name was Grove Cook, and he was widely known as a man of ability in managing plantations, and in raising a large quantity of produce from a given number of hands. Cook was called a "hard overseer." The negroes dreaded his coming, and, for weeks before his arrival, the overseer's name was on every slave's tongue.
Cook came, he called the negroes up, men and women; counted them, looked them over as a purchaser would a drove of cattle that he intended to buy. As he was about to dismiss them he saw Dinkie come out of his cabin. The sharp eye of the overseer was at once on him.
"Who is that nigger?" inquired Cook.
"That is Dinkie," replied Dr. Gaines.
"What is his place?" continued the overseer.
"Oh, Dinkie is a gentleman at large!" was the response.
"Have you any objection to his working?"
"None, whatever."
"Well, sir," said Cook, "I'll put him to work to-morrow morning."
Dinkie was called up and counted in.
At the roll call, the following morning, all answered except the conjurer; he was not there.
The overseer inquired for Dinkie, and was informed that he was still asleep.
"I will bring him out of his bed in a hurry," said Cook, as he started towards the negro's cabin. Dinkie appeared at his door, just as the overseer was approaching.
"Follow me to the barn," said the impatient driver to the negro. "I make it a point always to whip a nigger, the first day that I take charge of a farm, so as to let the hands know who I am. And, now, Mr. Dinkie, they tell me that you have not had your back tanned for many years; and, that being the case, I shall give you a flogging that you will never forget. Follow me to the barn." Cook started for the barn, but turned and went into his house to get his whip.
At this juncture, Dinkie gave a knowing look to the other slaves, who were standing by, and said, "Ef he lays the weight ob his finger on me, you'll see de top of dat barn come off."
The reappearance of the overseer, with the large negro whip in one hand, and a club in the other, with the significant demand of "follow me," caused a deep feeling in the breast of every negro present.
Dr. Gaines, expecting a difficulty between his new driver and the conjurer, had arisen early, and was standing at his bedroom window looking on.
The news that Dinkie was to be whipped, spread far and near over the place, and had called forth men, women, and children. Even Uncle Ned, the old negro of ninety years, had crawled out of his straw, and was at his cabin door. As the barn doors closed behind the overseer and Dinkie, a death-like silence pervaded the entire group, who, instead of going to their labor, as ordered by the driver, were standing as if paralyzed, gazing intently at the barn, expecting every moment to see the roof lifted.
Not a word was spoken by anyone, except Uncle Ned, who smiled, shook his head, put on a knowing countenance, and said, "My word fer it, de oberseer ain't agwine to whip Dinkie."
Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes passed, and the usual sound of "Oh, pray, massa! Oh, pray, massa!" heard on the occasion of a slave being punished, had not yet proceeded from the barn.
Many of the older negroes gathered around Uncle Ned, for he and Dinkie occupied the same cabin, and the old, superannuated slave knew more about the affairs of the conjurer, than anyone else. Ned told of how, on the previous night, Dinkie had slept but little, had closely inspected the snake's skin around his neck, the petrified frog and dried lizard, in his pockets, and had rubbed himself all over with goopher; and when he had finished, he knelt, and exclaimed,--
"Now, good and lovely devil, for more than twenty years, I have served you faithfully. Before I got into your service, de white folks bought an' sold me an' my old wife an' chillen, an' whip me, and half starve me. Dey did treat me mighty bad, dat you knows. Den I use to pray to de Lord, but dat did no good, kase de white folks don't fear de Lord. But dey fears you, an' ever since I got into your service, I is able to do as I please. No white dares to la his hand on me; and dis is all owing to de power dat you give me. Oh, good and lovely devil! please to continer dat power. A new oberseer is to come here to-morrow, an' he wants to get me in his hands. But, dear devil, I axe you to stand by me in dis my trial hour, an' I will neber desert you as long as I live. Continer dis power; make me strong in your cause, make me to be more faithful to you, an' let me still be able to conquer my enemies, an' I will give 'you all de glory, and will try to deserve a seat at your right hand."
With bated breath, everyone listened to Uncle Ned. All had the utmost confidence in Dinkie's "power." None believed that he would be punished, while a large number expected to see the roof of the barn burst off at any moment. At last the suspence was broken. The barn door flew open; the overseer and the conjurer came out together, walking side by side, and separated when half-way up the walk. As they parted, Cook went to the field, and Dinkie to his cabin.
The slaves all shook their heads significantly. The fact that the old negro had received no punishment, was evidence of his victory over the slave driver. But how the feat had been accomplished, was a mystery. No one dared to ask Dinkie, for he was always silent, except when he had something to communicate. Everyone was afraid to inquire of the overseer.
There was, however, one faint chance of getting an inkling of what had occurred in the barn, and that was through Uncle Ned. This fact made the old, superannuated slave the hero and centre of attraction, for several days. Many were the applications made to Ned for information, but the old man did not know, or wished to exaggerate the importance of what he had learned.
"I tell you," said Dolly, "Dinkie is a power."
"He's nobody's fool," responded Hannah.
"I would not make him mad wid me, fer dis whole world," ejaculated Jim.
Just then, Nancy, the cook, came in brim full of news. She had given Uncle Ned some "cracklin bread," which had pleased the old man so much that he had opened his bosom, and told her all that he got from Dinkie. This piece of information flew quickly from cabin to cabin, and brought the slaves hastily into the kitchen.
It was night. Nancy sat down, looked around, and told Billy to shut the door. This heightened the interest, so that the fall of a pin could have been heard. All eyes were upon Nancy, and she felt keenly the importance of her position. Her voice was generally loud, with a sharp ring, which could be heard for a long distance, especially in the stillness of the night. But now, Nancy spoke in a whisper, occasionally putting her finger to her mouth, indicating a desire for silence, even when the breathing of those present could be distinctly heard.
"When dey got in de barn, de oberseer said to Dinkie, 'Strip yourself; I don't want to tear your clothes with my whip. I'm going to tear your black skin.'
"Den, you see, Dinkie tole de oberseer to look in de east corner ob de barn. He looked, an' he saw hell, wid all de torments, an' de debble, 'wid his cloven foot, a-struttin' about dar, jes as ef he was cock ob de walk. An' Dinkie tole Cook, dat ef he lay his his finger on him, he'd call de debble up to take him away."
"An' what did Cook say to dat?" asked Jim.
"Let me 'lone; I didn't tell you all," said Nancy. "Den you see de oberseer turn pale in de face, an' he say to Dinkie, 'Let me go dis time, an' I'll nebber trouble you any more.' "
This concluded Nancy's story, as related to her by old Ned, and religiously believed by all present.
Whatever caused the overseer to change his mind regard to the flogging of Dinkie, it was certain that he was most thoroughly satisfied to let the old negro off without the threatened punishment and, although he remained at "Poplar Farm," as overseer, for five years, he never interfered with the conjurer again.
From My Southern Home: or, The South and It's People
By William Wells Brown
__________________
-------------------------
FORTY years ago, in the Southern States, superstition, held an exalted place with, all classes, but more especially with the blacks and uneducated, or poor, whites. This was shown more clearly in their belief in witchcraft in general, and the devil in particular. To both of these classes, the devil was a real being, sporting a club-foot, horns, tail, and a hump on his back.
The influence of the devil was far greater than that of the Lord. If one of these votaries had stolen a pig, and the fear of the Lord came over him, he would most likely ask the Lord to forgive him, but still cling to the pig. But if the fear of the devil came upon him, in all probability he would drop the pig and take to his heels.
In those days the city of St. Louis had a large number who had implicit faith in Voudooism. I once attended one of their midnight meetings. In the pale rays of the moon the dark outlines of a large assemblage was visible, gathered about a small fire, conversing in different tongues. They were negroes of all ages,--women, children, and men. Finally, the noise was hushed, and the assembled group assumed an attitude of respect. They made way for their queen, and a short, black, old negress came upon the scene, followed by two assistants, one of whom bore a cauldron, and the other, a box.
The cauldron was placed over the dying embers, the queen drew forth, from the folds of her gown, a magic wand, and the crowd formed a ring around her. Her first act was to throw some substance on the fire, the flames shot up with a lurid glare-- now it writhed in serpent coils, now it darted upward in forked tongues, and then it gradually transformed itself into a veil of dusky vapors. At this stage, after a certain amount of gibberish and wild gesticulation from the queen, the box was opened, and frogs, lizards, snakes, dog liver, and beef hearts drawn forth and thrown into the cauldron. Then followed more gibberish and gesticulation, when the congregation joined hands, and began the wildest dance imaginable, keeping it up until the men and women sank to the ground from mere exhaustion.
In the ignorant days of slavery, there was a general belief that a horse-shoe hung over the door would insure good luck. I have seen negroes, otherwise comparatively intelligent, refuse to pick up a pin, needle, or other such object, dropped by a negro, because, as they alleged, if the person who dropped the articles had a spite against them, to touch anything they dropped would voudou them, and make them seriously ill.
Nearly every large plantation, with any considerable number of negroes, had at least one, who laid claim to be a fortune-teller, and who was regarded with more than common respect by his fellow-slaves. Dinkie, a full-blooded African, large in frame, coarse featured, and claiming to be a descendant of a king in his native land, was the oracle on the "Poplar Farm." At the time of which I write, Dinkie was about fifty years of age, and had lost an eye, and was, to say the least, a very ugly-looking man.
No one in that section was considered so deeply immersed in voudooism, goopherism, and fortune-telling, as he. Although he had been many years in the Gaines family, no one could remember the time when Dinkie was called upon to perform manual labor. He was not sick, yet he never worked. No one interfered with him. If he felt like feeding the chickens, pigs, or cattle, he did so. Dinkie hunted, slept, was at the table at meal time, roamed through the woods, went to the city, and returned when he pleased, with no one to object, or to ask a question. Everybody treated him with respect. The whites, throughout the neighborhood, tipped their hats to the old one-eyed negro, while the policemen, or patrollers, permitted him to pass without a challenge. The negroes, everywhere, stood in mortal fear of "Uncle Dinkie." The blacks who saw him every day, were always thrown upon their good behavior, when in his presence. I once asked a negro why they appeared to be afraid of Dinkie. He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, smiled, shook his head and said,--
"I ain't afraid of de debble, but I ain't ready to go to him jess yet." He then took a look around and behind, as if he feared some one would hear what he was saying, and then continued: "Dinkie's got de power, ser; he knows things seen and unseen, an' dat's what makes him his own massa."
It was literally true, this man was his own master. He wore a snake's skin around his neck, carried a petrified frog in one pocket, and a dried lizard in the other.
A slave speculator once came along and offered to purchase Dinkie. Dr. Gaines, no doubt, thought it a good opportunity to get the elephant off his hands, and accepted the money. A day later, the trader returned the old negro, with a threat of a suit at law for damages.
A new overseer was employed, by Dr. Gaines, to take charge of "Poplar Farm." His name was Grove Cook, and he was widely known as a man of ability in managing plantations, and in raising a large quantity of produce from a given number of hands. Cook was called a "hard overseer." The negroes dreaded his coming, and, for weeks before his arrival, the overseer's name was on every slave's tongue.
Cook came, he called the negroes up, men and women; counted them, looked them over as a purchaser would a drove of cattle that he intended to buy. As he was about to dismiss them he saw Dinkie come out of his cabin. The sharp eye of the overseer was at once on him.
"Who is that nigger?" inquired Cook.
"That is Dinkie," replied Dr. Gaines.
"What is his place?" continued the overseer.
"Oh, Dinkie is a gentleman at large!" was the response.
"Have you any objection to his working?"
"None, whatever."
"Well, sir," said Cook, "I'll put him to work to-morrow morning."
Dinkie was called up and counted in.
At the roll call, the following morning, all answered except the conjurer; he was not there.
The overseer inquired for Dinkie, and was informed that he was still asleep.
"I will bring him out of his bed in a hurry," said Cook, as he started towards the negro's cabin. Dinkie appeared at his door, just as the overseer was approaching.
"Follow me to the barn," said the impatient driver to the negro. "I make it a point always to whip a nigger, the first day that I take charge of a farm, so as to let the hands know who I am. And, now, Mr. Dinkie, they tell me that you have not had your back tanned for many years; and, that being the case, I shall give you a flogging that you will never forget. Follow me to the barn." Cook started for the barn, but turned and went into his house to get his whip.
At this juncture, Dinkie gave a knowing look to the other slaves, who were standing by, and said, "Ef he lays the weight ob his finger on me, you'll see de top of dat barn come off."
The reappearance of the overseer, with the large negro whip in one hand, and a club in the other, with the significant demand of "follow me," caused a deep feeling in the breast of every negro present.
Dr. Gaines, expecting a difficulty between his new driver and the conjurer, had arisen early, and was standing at his bedroom window looking on.
The news that Dinkie was to be whipped, spread far and near over the place, and had called forth men, women, and children. Even Uncle Ned, the old negro of ninety years, had crawled out of his straw, and was at his cabin door. As the barn doors closed behind the overseer and Dinkie, a death-like silence pervaded the entire group, who, instead of going to their labor, as ordered by the driver, were standing as if paralyzed, gazing intently at the barn, expecting every moment to see the roof lifted.
Not a word was spoken by anyone, except Uncle Ned, who smiled, shook his head, put on a knowing countenance, and said, "My word fer it, de oberseer ain't agwine to whip Dinkie."
Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes passed, and the usual sound of "Oh, pray, massa! Oh, pray, massa!" heard on the occasion of a slave being punished, had not yet proceeded from the barn.
Many of the older negroes gathered around Uncle Ned, for he and Dinkie occupied the same cabin, and the old, superannuated slave knew more about the affairs of the conjurer, than anyone else. Ned told of how, on the previous night, Dinkie had slept but little, had closely inspected the snake's skin around his neck, the petrified frog and dried lizard, in his pockets, and had rubbed himself all over with goopher; and when he had finished, he knelt, and exclaimed,--
"Now, good and lovely devil, for more than twenty years, I have served you faithfully. Before I got into your service, de white folks bought an' sold me an' my old wife an' chillen, an' whip me, and half starve me. Dey did treat me mighty bad, dat you knows. Den I use to pray to de Lord, but dat did no good, kase de white folks don't fear de Lord. But dey fears you, an' ever since I got into your service, I is able to do as I please. No white dares to la his hand on me; and dis is all owing to de power dat you give me. Oh, good and lovely devil! please to continer dat power. A new oberseer is to come here to-morrow, an' he wants to get me in his hands. But, dear devil, I axe you to stand by me in dis my trial hour, an' I will neber desert you as long as I live. Continer dis power; make me strong in your cause, make me to be more faithful to you, an' let me still be able to conquer my enemies, an' I will give 'you all de glory, and will try to deserve a seat at your right hand."
With bated breath, everyone listened to Uncle Ned. All had the utmost confidence in Dinkie's "power." None believed that he would be punished, while a large number expected to see the roof of the barn burst off at any moment. At last the suspence was broken. The barn door flew open; the overseer and the conjurer came out together, walking side by side, and separated when half-way up the walk. As they parted, Cook went to the field, and Dinkie to his cabin.
The slaves all shook their heads significantly. The fact that the old negro had received no punishment, was evidence of his victory over the slave driver. But how the feat had been accomplished, was a mystery. No one dared to ask Dinkie, for he was always silent, except when he had something to communicate. Everyone was afraid to inquire of the overseer.
There was, however, one faint chance of getting an inkling of what had occurred in the barn, and that was through Uncle Ned. This fact made the old, superannuated slave the hero and centre of attraction, for several days. Many were the applications made to Ned for information, but the old man did not know, or wished to exaggerate the importance of what he had learned.
"I tell you," said Dolly, "Dinkie is a power."
"He's nobody's fool," responded Hannah.
"I would not make him mad wid me, fer dis whole world," ejaculated Jim.
Just then, Nancy, the cook, came in brim full of news. She had given Uncle Ned some "cracklin bread," which had pleased the old man so much that he had opened his bosom, and told her all that he got from Dinkie. This piece of information flew quickly from cabin to cabin, and brought the slaves hastily into the kitchen.
It was night. Nancy sat down, looked around, and told Billy to shut the door. This heightened the interest, so that the fall of a pin could have been heard. All eyes were upon Nancy, and she felt keenly the importance of her position. Her voice was generally loud, with a sharp ring, which could be heard for a long distance, especially in the stillness of the night. But now, Nancy spoke in a whisper, occasionally putting her finger to her mouth, indicating a desire for silence, even when the breathing of those present could be distinctly heard.
"When dey got in de barn, de oberseer said to Dinkie, 'Strip yourself; I don't want to tear your clothes with my whip. I'm going to tear your black skin.'
"Den, you see, Dinkie tole de oberseer to look in de east corner ob de barn. He looked, an' he saw hell, wid all de torments, an' de debble, 'wid his cloven foot, a-struttin' about dar, jes as ef he was cock ob de walk. An' Dinkie tole Cook, dat ef he lay his his finger on him, he'd call de debble up to take him away."
"An' what did Cook say to dat?" asked Jim.
"Let me 'lone; I didn't tell you all," said Nancy. "Den you see de oberseer turn pale in de face, an' he say to Dinkie, 'Let me go dis time, an' I'll nebber trouble you any more.' "
This concluded Nancy's story, as related to her by old Ned, and religiously believed by all present.
Whatever caused the overseer to change his mind regard to the flogging of Dinkie, it was certain that he was most thoroughly satisfied to let the old negro off without the threatened punishment and, although he remained at "Poplar Farm," as overseer, for five years, he never interfered with the conjurer again.
From My Southern Home: or, The South and It's People
By William Wells Brown
__________________
-------------------------
The Simpsons
Thursday, January 28, 2010
1. Every Simpson family member’s middle name begins with “J”
2. On the opening of every episode Maggie is listed to cost $847.63 at the cash register. It’s the same amount that raising a baby costs in a year in the US.
3. It takes 6 – 8 months to make each episode.
4. Even the Simpsons have email, apparently. Lisa has said her email address is “smartgirl63_\@yahoo.com”, and Homer’s is “chunkylover53@aol.com”.
5. There are 121 Springfields in the US. – Matt Groening picked the name for the city because it was so common and well-known.
6. The “couch gag” sequence is frequently used to help show staff make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself. Most couch gags last only about five seconds, but the longest one on record lasted 46 seconds.
7. The aliens, Kang and Kodos, are named after characters from Star Trek. Kodos was a mass murderer, similar to Adolf Hitler, and Kang was a Klingon.
8. Comic Book Guy’s Real name is Jeff Albertson, Bumblebee guy’s real name is Pedro.
9. Lisa has celebrated her 8th birthday on two separate episodes.
10. 764-84377 is the phone number for Moe’s Tavern. It spells out SMITHERS.
2. On the opening of every episode Maggie is listed to cost $847.63 at the cash register. It’s the same amount that raising a baby costs in a year in the US.
3. It takes 6 – 8 months to make each episode.
4. Even the Simpsons have email, apparently. Lisa has said her email address is “smartgirl63_\@yahoo.com”, and Homer’s is “chunkylover53@aol.com”.
5. There are 121 Springfields in the US. – Matt Groening picked the name for the city because it was so common and well-known.
6. The “couch gag” sequence is frequently used to help show staff make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself. Most couch gags last only about five seconds, but the longest one on record lasted 46 seconds.
7. The aliens, Kang and Kodos, are named after characters from Star Trek. Kodos was a mass murderer, similar to Adolf Hitler, and Kang was a Klingon.
8. Comic Book Guy’s Real name is Jeff Albertson, Bumblebee guy’s real name is Pedro.
9. Lisa has celebrated her 8th birthday on two separate episodes.
10. 764-84377 is the phone number for Moe’s Tavern. It spells out SMITHERS.
don't fuck with the spider
Sunday, January 24, 2010
http://www.collegeslackers.com/video/ceiling_spider
Mirrors
Can you tell when you are in a hotel room, restroom, motel etc. with a mirror whether it is in fact a mirror or 2-way glass?
Here's how:
I thought it was quite interesting! And I know in about 30 seconds you're going to do what I did and find the nearest mirror.... Do you know how to determine if a mirror is 2-way or not? This is not to scare you, but to make you aware. A policewoman who travels all over the U.S. and gives seminars and techniques for businesswomen passed this on. When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms, etc., how many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror (I.e.., they can see you, but you can't see them)? There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors in female changing rooms. It is very difficult to positively identify the surface by just looking at it.
So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type of mirror we are looking at? Just conduct this simple test: Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is a GENUINE mirror. However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE, FOR IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR!
"No Space, Leave the Place" So remember, every time you see a Mirror, do the "fingernail test." It doesn't cost you anything.
Remember: "No Space, Leave the Place"
Ladies: Share this with your girlfriends, sisters, daughters, etc.
Men: Share this with your wives, daughters, daughters-in- law, mothers, girlfriends and friends.
Here's how:
I thought it was quite interesting! And I know in about 30 seconds you're going to do what I did and find the nearest mirror.... Do you know how to determine if a mirror is 2-way or not? This is not to scare you, but to make you aware. A policewoman who travels all over the U.S. and gives seminars and techniques for businesswomen passed this on. When we visit toilets, bathrooms, hotel rooms, changing rooms, etc., how many of you know for sure that the seemingly ordinary mirror hanging on the wall is a real mirror, or actually a 2-way mirror (I.e.., they can see you, but you can't see them)? There have been many cases of people installing 2-way mirrors in female changing rooms. It is very difficult to positively identify the surface by just looking at it.
So, how do we determine with any amount of certainty what type of mirror we are looking at? Just conduct this simple test: Place the tip of your fingernail against the reflective surface and if there is a GAP between your fingernail and the image of the nail, then it is a GENUINE mirror. However, if your fingernail DIRECTLY TOUCHES the image of your nail, then BEWARE, FOR IT IS A 2-WAY MIRROR!
"No Space, Leave the Place" So remember, every time you see a Mirror, do the "fingernail test." It doesn't cost you anything.
Remember: "No Space, Leave the Place"
Ladies: Share this with your girlfriends, sisters, daughters, etc.
Men: Share this with your wives, daughters, daughters-in- law, mothers, girlfriends and friends.
A man Broke into a home and fried chicken
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Police: Easton, Pennsylvania man broke into city home, showered, cut hair and cooked chicken
By Michael Buck
January 19, 2010, 12:25PM
An Easton man broke into a West Ward home on Sunday, cut his hair, took a shower, cooked fried chicken then refused to leave when the homeowner found him watching television, court records say.
According to court records:
Jose N. DeGracia, of the first block of North Fourth Street, broke into the home in the first block of South 15th Street by smashing the front door window with a large rock.
Grace Kraus, who lives at the home, told police she came back to find DeGracia sitting in her television room. She told police she did not know the man and he refused to leave.
Police said it appeared as though DeGracia had visited every room in the house. Kraus' family photos were turned face down and several photos were taken off the walls. Dressers and closets had been rummaged through. DeGracia had also allegedly taken a shower and cut his hair in the kitchen, where he was also preparing fried chicken.
DeGracia was arrested and charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail.
By Michael Buck
January 19, 2010, 12:25PM
An Easton man broke into a West Ward home on Sunday, cut his hair, took a shower, cooked fried chicken then refused to leave when the homeowner found him watching television, court records say.
According to court records:
Jose N. DeGracia, of the first block of North Fourth Street, broke into the home in the first block of South 15th Street by smashing the front door window with a large rock.
Grace Kraus, who lives at the home, told police she came back to find DeGracia sitting in her television room. She told police she did not know the man and he refused to leave.
Police said it appeared as though DeGracia had visited every room in the house. Kraus' family photos were turned face down and several photos were taken off the walls. Dressers and closets had been rummaged through. DeGracia had also allegedly taken a shower and cut his hair in the kitchen, where he was also preparing fried chicken.
DeGracia was arrested and charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail.
Aaron went crazy
Friday, January 15, 2010
Man accused of returning to house despite court order
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Lisa Coryell
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
TRENTON -- A city man accused of stealing from his landlady has been arrested for returning to the woman's home after a judge ordered him to stay away from her, prosecutors said Thursday.
Aaron Martin, 42, was arrested Tuesday, said Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the Mercer County prosecutor's office. He was arrested in the Ingham Avenue home he shares with Annie May Hoagland, 87.
Martin's presence in Hoagland's home violated a no-contact order he was under following his November arrest for allegedly stealing $9,250 from her, DeBlasio said.
"He was released on his own recognizance with a condition that he have no contact with the victim," DeBlasio said yesterday.
Martin is charged with theft for allegedly writing 20 checks to himself from Hoagland's bank account, DeBlasio said.
He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Monday for a bail review.
Last month, neighbors of Hoagland held a community meeting and accused Martin of tormenting them during the year he had been renting from her.
They accused him of walking naked on the roof, detonating firecrackers in the mailbox and urinating on the front porch of Hoagland's home and the homes of neighbors.
In May, Martin was charged with simple assault for allegedly spraying mace in the face of a neighbor who brought a plate of food to Hoagland, according to neighbors and police reports.
At the neighborhood meeting, neighbors demanded that city officials intervene in the situation.
Since the meeting, which was chronicled in a story in The Times, a caseworker with the Mercer County Board of Social Services has been assigned to check on Hoagland, DeBlasio said.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Lisa Coryell
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
TRENTON -- A city man accused of stealing from his landlady has been arrested for returning to the woman's home after a judge ordered him to stay away from her, prosecutors said Thursday.
Aaron Martin, 42, was arrested Tuesday, said Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the Mercer County prosecutor's office. He was arrested in the Ingham Avenue home he shares with Annie May Hoagland, 87.
Martin's presence in Hoagland's home violated a no-contact order he was under following his November arrest for allegedly stealing $9,250 from her, DeBlasio said.
"He was released on his own recognizance with a condition that he have no contact with the victim," DeBlasio said yesterday.
Martin is charged with theft for allegedly writing 20 checks to himself from Hoagland's bank account, DeBlasio said.
He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Monday for a bail review.
Last month, neighbors of Hoagland held a community meeting and accused Martin of tormenting them during the year he had been renting from her.
They accused him of walking naked on the roof, detonating firecrackers in the mailbox and urinating on the front porch of Hoagland's home and the homes of neighbors.
In May, Martin was charged with simple assault for allegedly spraying mace in the face of a neighbor who brought a plate of food to Hoagland, according to neighbors and police reports.
At the neighborhood meeting, neighbors demanded that city officials intervene in the situation.
Since the meeting, which was chronicled in a story in The Times, a caseworker with the Mercer County Board of Social Services has been assigned to check on Hoagland, DeBlasio said.
quote of the day found on bgol
Sunday, January 3, 2010
" Good women usually find husbands, Bad women usually
find baby daddies "
find baby daddies "
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