tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.comments2014-08-06T04:05:56.920-07:00About Death, a Singularity or NothingStefan Kiryazovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-36481251204359490732014-08-06T04:05:56.920-07:002014-08-06T04:05:56.920-07:00cool blog!cool blog!littlepinkpebblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16759552508893204536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-3484957793557909582013-02-15T09:36:23.310-08:002013-02-15T09:36:23.310-08:00Dear commenters, please accept my apologies for re...Dear commenters, please accept my apologies for replying so late (I'll see how to get automated notifications in order to be more prompt in the future)!<br /><br />@Stilgar - get out of my head, I was just thinking about this yesterday, and incidentally told it to Nickolette! The love/hate relationship between the west and the Mujahideen goes even deeper. The US boycotted the 1980 Olympics, held in Moscow, because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Fast forward 20 years, the US started a similar war with the same "brave people of Afghanistan", now armed with the weapons the US themselves supplied to them 20 years ago :-)<br /><br />@Sheik Oil - I'll give you a little bit of troll food - would you care to explain why am I a prejudiced little fuck? Or was this about Stilgar? Stefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-16209224938607524112013-01-15T09:42:11.019-08:002013-01-15T09:42:11.019-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.xDExhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02145738789315475792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-72195522097085139282013-01-14T07:55:41.614-08:002013-01-14T07:55:41.614-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Stefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-89793346954512691202013-01-08T14:21:35.830-08:002013-01-08T14:21:35.830-08:00This comment has been hidden from the blog.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02866031182771275836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-52925085257712872392012-10-10T13:59:54.541-07:002012-10-10T13:59:54.541-07:00Fuck, they found the Higgs Boson - the reference i...Fuck, they found the Higgs Boson - the reference is not valid any more :-(Stefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-38745897228787122112012-06-01T15:02:59.640-07:002012-06-01T15:02:59.640-07:00Thanks for voicing your feedback Wendy, it's a...Thanks for voicing your feedback Wendy, it's always a good thing to engage in an informed discussion with the opposing camp, and a difficult one as is often the case :-) <br /><br />In my view that's also kind arbitrary - you choose to not harm animals because they are similar to you and declare plants and mushrooms worthy of eating. Indeed, the division between kingdoms is much sharper than the one between species in the animal kingdom but it is still self-centered - you decide that it's OK to kill organisms sufficiently different from you in order to survive. <br />You just have to put a line somewhere, and it's up to personal choice exactly where.<br />Or do you?<br /><br />Following this logic, if you don't want to harm any living being you should only consume artificially produced food, which nowadays is becoming possible. That's something like an extreme form of veganism, one step further than frutarianism, and to the best of my knowledge it hasn't even been named yet. If that's indeed the case then maybe I should have the honour to coin the term for this trend?<br /><br />Let's call it nonaturalism!Stefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-83454874000337245182012-06-01T11:39:20.911-07:002012-06-01T11:39:20.911-07:00truth is they were all very gay people - http://ww...truth is they were all very gay people - http://www.whokilledbambi.co.uk/2012/05/scott-scheidly/nickolettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10433648755655444059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-37088537499892352062012-05-09T01:17:39.098-07:002012-05-09T01:17:39.098-07:00The problems you have in drawing an “arbitrary” li...The problems you have in drawing an “arbitrary” line bewteen animals humans can kill and those they cannot illustrates beautfiully the vegan view that there _is_ no line. All animals are of equal worth regardless of intelligence/cuteness/smell and none should be killed or abused by Homo sapiens.Wendy A.M. Prosserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17089690967649152875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-39585993206625896352012-05-04T08:02:57.467-07:002012-05-04T08:02:57.467-07:00Unless the child is younger then 9 years old it is...Unless the child is younger then 9 years old it is not child porn. If you don't believe me ask the prophet Muhammad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-89644281182996810832012-03-17T02:37:59.120-07:002012-03-17T02:37:59.120-07:00What a prejudiced little fuck you are!What a prejudiced little fuck you are!Sheik Oilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00955570893003221883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-29498217537866018332012-02-26T13:30:48.223-08:002012-02-26T13:30:48.223-08:00Yes, 3D has some annoyances - also the edges of th...Yes, 3D has some annoyances - also the edges of the screen are not that clear, it's mostly the center that you can focus properly. It's still quite a rewarding experience, and I'm pretty sure it will only improve with time, as the technology matures and the Kubricks and Hitchcocks of the future figure out how best to put it to work. <br /><br />And by the way, I just realized that Hugo's got 11 nominations and The Artist just 4, which caught me by surprise as everybody's talking about The Artist and I literally heard about Hugo for the first time a few days ago. I guess Hugo is the biggest hit then and I'm playing Captain Obvious.<br /><br />P.S. The [citation needed] tag is collective intellectual property of Wikipedia and all the people who've mocked the wikipedos through the years, starting with Randal Munroe - http://xkcd.com/285/Stefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-70329026249261660392012-02-26T12:46:27.608-08:002012-02-26T12:46:27.608-08:00I haven't seen The Artist but from what I hear...I haven't seen The Artist but from what I hear you'd better lower your expectations.<br /><br />I personally love 3D but my eyes need like 10 minutes to adapt in the beginning of the film. I love 3D so much that I go to see the most stupid films just because they are 3D. Have you seen that movie where a giant robot colored with the same colors as the American flag defeats the bad giant robots who want tyranny because he fights for freedom? I did simply because it was 3D.<br /><br />P.S. I am stealing this [citation needed] thing and there is nothing you can do about itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-7235546106731294422011-10-23T14:54:30.477-07:002011-10-23T14:54:30.477-07:00Hah when I read the intro I immediatelly thought o...Hah when I read the intro I immediatelly thought of Che and was wondering if you are going to include him. BTW he was not shy from killing people who did not agree with him. There are people who really don't like him because he ordered his men to kill their whole families.<br /><br />Fun fact: The movie Rambo 3 is officially dedicated to the Mujahideen "the brave people of Afghanistan". Now the very same people (well at least the evolution known as Taliban) are the bad guys. Of course at the time they were fighting the Soviets so they were the good guys:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-66675326450203972272011-01-31T04:54:32.805-08:002011-01-31T04:54:32.805-08:00Well, there is a difference between dry scientific...Well, there is a difference between dry scientific explanations and practical life experience :) After all, without practical appliance, the scientific studies are all in the plane of pure speculation.Peyu Solakovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01283112918786696042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-90861904497407126862011-01-31T04:35:10.871-08:002011-01-31T04:35:10.871-08:00Oh yeah, I've seen this one, it's definite...Oh yeah, I've seen this one, it's definitely interesting although I expected it to be more scientific - it's a bit too descriptive and emotionalStefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-91027398552711371452011-01-31T03:40:38.762-08:002011-01-31T03:40:38.762-08:00Also, check out this in-depth analysis on a simila...Also, check out this in-depth analysis on a similar subject, by Jill Taylor: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/bul/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.htmlPeyu Solakovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01283112918786696042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-41932906167048994502011-01-29T07:20:37.250-08:002011-01-29T07:20:37.250-08:00Vilayanur Ramachandran also has something to say o...Vilayanur Ramachandran also has something to say on the subject, and does so magnificently on his 2007 TED talk - http://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind.htmlStefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-74065428405031208962010-06-05T10:43:54.271-07:002010-06-05T10:43:54.271-07:00;-) Indeed we're setting the example for futur...;-) Indeed we're setting the example for future generations and we need remind ourselves from time to time that the world we're creating will be described in the history books pretty soon and one day this will be all that's left from our existance. <br /><br />But I kind of understand how people lose perspective in the meaning of their lives. I have done it myself, at least to a certain degree - when one has pressing day-to-day needs, the concept of the legacy that we build up for the future generations seems vague and abstract. You can't expect people, who's primary concern is how to feed their family to grasp abstract concepts and patterns in society and to play a productive role in building a better world. In this situation it's usually easier to assume that politicians are selfish liars and cheats and they are to blame for all your troubles - no matter if it's true, as is usually the case, or it's just because you're a lazy prick.<br /><br />You touched a two other major topics in the comment - about moral and corporate "greed", both of which I'll explore in detail in later posts. Just this week I was reading about definitions of moral and it appears to be a very loose term. I need get to know some more viewpoints to get a better perspective and maybe feel comfortable to write about it.<br /><br />I'm much better prepared to defend the corporate "greed" and this theme will quite often surface in my posts. IMO, one of the issues with modern society is the wide spread of leftist ideas that overload the term profit with negative connotations, without actually understanding that the strive for profit (the so called "greed") is the one force that brings about efficiency in society's doings, and it's the only thing that makes possible the life that the lefties want to live, but without having to work competitively. Indeed, this is milited to material well being, but this iincludes food, health, education - all the things that left ideologists think we should take for granted and have an innate "right" to have them.<br /><br />But this is simpy not possible! There must be someone to provide those goods and services, and if society is to develop and grow sustainably, they should be provided efficiently! And the only force that keeps and improves efficiency is competition - any other system will tend to decay if the threat from elimination if efficiency is lost is not there.<br /><br />A natural implication is that by competition we can't have equality but true equality can never be achieved anyway, for people are not all equally capable and nature always finds its ways - the more capable (in a certain way) individual will always find ways to get more food, mating partners, social appreciation, money or what ever it is striving for.<br /><br />Given that situation, the best we can do is not try to develop a system that attempts to distribute goods equally (as this is anyway impossible) but rather have a system which favours the more "capable" in some meaningful, positive way i.e. the brightest, the most creative, the most supportive etc. rather than the most corrupt and the most violentStefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-14512318560066503812010-05-26T04:03:42.461-07:002010-05-26T04:03:42.461-07:00It's a huge subject and I guess we could reall...It's a huge subject and I guess we could really get down to it на маса, and there are so many more complications to it. Business for one - nowadays corporations are more powerful than governments and the greed for profit outshines those basic human values I mentioned above and common sense for sure). Also, you know that religion still dictates much of the decisions made on top levels...and there will always be people with agendas we don't know anything about.<br /><br />However, I strongly support discourses about politics among young people, because the simple fact is (forgive the cliche, again it is true) that out children, raised and educated by us, will be the future leaders of this world. <br /><br />And what we can keep on doing meanwhile is to voice our concerns, to be alert and open minded, and to not stop questioning the ways of life.<br /><br />Also, reduce, reuse, recycle!Bobby Pfeifferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08400993170581752735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-44426534066299032062010-05-26T04:03:20.443-07:002010-05-26T04:03:20.443-07:00A good one.
You know, I believe that the world mo...A good one.<br /><br />You know, I believe that the world moves forward precisely because people keep questioning the status quo, and use their brains to search for answers. One should be never content fully with the answers readily provided, because (this is quite philosophical yet true) life changes all the time and a good governing is one that manages to change with it. <br /><br />It's a process - we never really reach a place where we could say "Yes, that's it, we discovered the perfect way to deal with things." Even in relatively well organized, peaceful and rich countries there are social problems and undermined tensions.<br /><br />I am not a political or economic analyst, and I have to admit I often consciously avoid the news as they just throw me off...call it an artistic hyper sensitivity. Yet I refuse to be ignorant and I try to follow the essence of what's going on. I don't like what I see. It's hard because of my personal situation - I've been away from Bulgaria for 3 years now and I lost connection to the political climate there, but England in just a temporary home for me too, as I am moving to the States this September. I didn't find it wise to invest interest in the local politics...and not watching TV helps a lot! :) At the same time I know even less about America's current political state, and California, where I am moving to, is practically a separate country all together, with its own issues and economy.<br /><br />Another thing kept me away from being in the know in the last few years - I've been working hard to keep my personal life on track. Getting higher education, getting married, working on my writing career...things that I didn't even think were possible while I was living in Bulgaria. And although I have the opportunity to read the Times/Guardian/Economist and to inform myself about politics, I chose to read Steinbeck, Woolf and Hughes instead. You see, it was natural for me to take care of my own personal needs before I tried to "save the world"<br /><br />Now, don't get me wrong. I didn't choose to be ignorant, I just chose to know selectively. However, knowing myself (my talents AND my limits), I do something else instead - I use my passion and love for nature and people in order to contribute to the dialogue about important social problems such as environment, humanity welfare and culture.<br /><br />I figured that while I am not going to become a political journalist or a reporting photographer, I could creatively give my share to the greater good. I write about things that might make difference in the way people think as expanding one's horizons is the straightest way to enlightenment. And enlightened people are more prone to condemn violence and injustice. <br /><br />I am an ideological person. I don't know which political system will be the best one, but that doesn't mean that I am not thinking about it. And when people really start to think and ask themselves not only what will be truly good for them, but what will be fundamentally good for most people and the future, then they might start "voting for the one they like most". <br /><br />There will always be people who disagree with authority and are unhappy with the state. Still, I believe that power comes from within. I don't know what will be "fundamentally good" for most people(the concept of what's right and what's wrong is always so subjective) but common sense, historical heritage and the basic human values suggest that fundamentally good politics will be such that observes peace, order, equality and justice, and maintains proper conditions of life, movement and trade. <br />I would call this social democracy in its pure form.Bobby Pfeifferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08400993170581752735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6899884213177913692.post-87643478686864340632010-04-21T11:03:28.751-07:002010-04-21T11:03:28.751-07:00Curious, just the next day BBC started from where ...Curious, just the next day BBC started from where I left:<br /><br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8634204.stm<br /><br />So the options about attacking Iran are on the table, the big question is if such an approach is pursued, what will Russia and China do about it.Stefan Kiryazovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737755259551216058noreply@blogger.com