Fanhood

Rape your heroes otherwise they wouldn't make sex with you.

Edward Gorey

Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that’s what makes it so boring.

Ownership

More often Money has the people than people have the money.

O que não mata engorda / What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger

Cabeça partida, lição aprendida. / A cracked head is a lesson learned.

On peace

Peace is a small period between wars. Peace of mind is a tiny instant during normal life.

George S. Patton

No poor bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making other bastards die for their country.

Dadaist devices™

Always pioneering, we present the foresight of the analogue technology comeback. Here are the first sketches of the non-digital skeleton. Surely, there are still some rough edges that need polishing, but the final product will probably not differ much from this prototype:

Comments are of course welcome, especially if they will not contribute much to substantially alter the design of the device.

Second-hand thrills

It sucks to live in these times. There's nothing new left for you to discover or experience. Everything already has a name.

On originality

Originality is when you have an idea that few other people have also had before.

Curious facts that can be used in your populist speech

Democracy is almost an anagram of mediocracy.

The other real life (V)

Life has many twists and turns and not always right ones.

The zeroth dimension

Inside your mind reality begins.

J. G. Ballard

In a sense, pornography is the most political form of fiction, dealing with how we use and exploit each other, in the most urgent and ruthless way.

Conditional delusions of grandeur

I will have a great future ... if I survive to the end of the week.

Get mad, don't get even!

If you bump onto a wall, and you blame the wall for it, and you feel the furious urge to retaliate, consider that the wall may be stronger than you, and you may end up hurting yourself even more.

Fado

Fado is a portuguese word that means literally fate or destiny. It is also the name of a portuguese music genre.
The origins of this style are still a matter of much debate today and no definite conclusions have yet been reached. Well, I will escape being trapped in such controversial matters.
This music is commonly regarded as being gloomy and melancholic. After all it is a form of cultural expression of a people who sees itself as pessimistic (as in: "I have a miserable life, such bad luck, all worst things happen to me ...") and fatalist ("... and there's nothing I can do about it!"). However, not all Fado is, in fact, sad and tinted with despair. There are Fado songs on the most varied subjects and for all sorts of moods.
In this post I'm sharing two albums of Fado. The first one, "The Story of Fado", is a collection of some of the better known Fado songs, sang by some of the best Fado performers. Some of these songs are in fact quite cheerful and festive, which will prove to you that not all Fado is sad.

Here's the tracklist:


01 - A Casa da Mariquinhas
02 - Não Venhas Tarde
03 - Tia Macheta
04 - A Tendinha
05 - A Rosinha dos Limões
06 - Rosa Enjeitada
07 - Partir É Morrer Um Pouco
08 - Foi na Travessa da Palha
09 - Foi Deus
10 - Lisboa à Noite
11 - Aquela Janela Virada Pró Mar
12 - Fado das Caldas
13 - Belos Tempos
14 - Colchetes de Oiro
15 - Fadista Louco
16 - Saudade Vai-te Embora
17 - Embuçado
18 - Amar
19 - Saudade Mal do Fado
20 - Arraial
21 - Até Que a Voz Me Doa
22 - Cavalo Ruço


Link:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2N9E29TM


The second one is an album by world-renowned Fado singer Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999). She has a very distinctive style of singing, which is probably responsible (at least in part) for Fado's reputation of gloominess. This album is the recording of a live performance at L'Olympia, Paris in 1957.

Here's the tracklist:

01 - Uma Casa Portuguesa
02 - Nem Às Paredes Confesso
03 - Ai Mouraria
04 - Perseguição
05 - Tudo Isto É Fado
06 - Fado Corrido
07 - Barco Negro
08 - Coimbra
09 - Sabe-se Lá
10 - Tendinha
11 - Lá Vai Lisboa
12 - Que Deus Me Perdoe
13 - Lisboa Antiga
14 - Amália


Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?icajr8sdkrsr2si


I hope you enjoy this, cyber330!

Useful aforism template

By filling in the blanks below you may create your own customized version of a clever aforism which you may use as a witty remark in numerous conversations.

Inside of every _____ there is a _____ struggling to get out.

William James

Many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.

Nature vs. Humanity

Reason is futile.
You cannot control your fate.
You will die!

Dos and Don'ts

Assume nothing. Prepare for everything. Trust no one. Babble about anything.

Ambrose "Bitter" Bierce

FAITH, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.

RELIGION, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.

HOPE, n. Desire and expectation rolled into one.

LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay. We live in daily apprehension of its loss; yet when lost it is not missed. The question, "Is life worth living?" has been much discussed; particularly by those who think it is not, many of whom have written at great length in support of their view and by careful observance of the laws of health enjoyed for long terms of years the honors of successful controversy.

EXTINCTION, n. The raw material out of which theology created the future state.

(From The Devil's Dictionary, 1906)

The other real life (IV)

We need to live twice: in the first life we learn how to do things and in the second we do them right.

Healthy relationships

Keep your expectations low. It may come as a surprise to you, but not all people will appreciate how clever, insightful and funny you are. If you find anyone who does, then stalk that person in a pathological way. You two were made for each other.

Carl Sagan

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Blogger's note: this is especially true when referring to the results of investigations and prosecution of corrupt  politicians.

The fish metaphor

Keep your head off water. Unless you are a fish.

Explanation of the metaphor: if you have scales, try to figure out which is the best way to survive. It may not be obvious. If you don't have any scales, despite the differences the same principle applies.

Grace Murray Hopper (Say, who? Check Wikipedia!)

When in doubt, do it.  It's much easier to apologize than to get permission.

On the protophysical ecstasy (not the pills!)

The messier, the merrier.

The other real life (III)

Everybody is out there living their exciting lives, while I'm here stuck with my dull one. I want to be out there as well, living other people's lives.

William S. Burroughs

I don't claim that my methods are one hundred percent humane, but I do say, if we can't think of anything quieter, and tidier than that...

The other real life (II)

In the Internet you can be whoever you want to be. Even yourself!

The Ogre

(From ogres.wikia.com)

The other real life (I)

Real people are beautiful too.

Here's a suggestion for scoring real-people-beauty items:

• cute little asymmetric eyes (different sizes, different colors, a squinting eye, etc.) - 25 pts.

• charming little scar - 10 pts.

• broken nose with character - 10 pts.

• itsy-bitsy moles/freckles - 30 pts.

• conspicuously big ears - 10 pts.

• not quite perfectly aligned teeth - 15 pts.

• nicely weird (exquisite) natural hair color or hair style - 50 pts.

• a sensual overweight - 45 pts.

• classical protuding round belly - 30 pts.

• generously wide waist/large hips/big bottom - 35 pts.

• statuesque big feet - 20 pts.

• cute stubbornly unshaved body hair - 100 pts.

• bonus if more than two of the above qualities are there - 30 pts.

• bonus if all of the above qualities are there - well, I don't know, that's more reality than I can handle!

Use your happiness, quickly!

Money can buy happiness, but its expiration date is awfully short.

Politics for dummies / Politics for the masses

POLITICIANS ARE NOT GODS! Politicians can only promise miracles, it's not their job to actually perform them!

You are unique!

Everybody is special in some way, which means that being special is normal.

Space Oddity

This musical video clip is to most modern musical video clips as "2001" is to most modern Sci-Fi movies (well, the comparison may be a bit exaggerated!). It looks a bit rudimentary and dated but enchanting in such a way. The delicious original (1969) "Space Oddity" video of a remarkable Bowie song:

Edgard Varèse

Contrary to general belief an artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs.

Speculation on immortality

Achieving immortality (in the strict physical sense of not dying at all) may be just a matter of waiting to be born after a certain period in time. I proceed to try to convincing you of that. Consider these facts:

• life expectancy has been increasing throughout history - from 30-40 years during the Paleolithic/Neolithic, 40-50 in the Middle Ages, to 70-80 currently (early 21st century);
• increase of life expectancy is correlated with development and technology advances;
• technology is evolving faster and faster nowadays.

It is not far fetched to make the prediction that there may come a period in history when those people born after that time will have a life expectancy such that, when the time arrives for them to die as expected, technology will have evolved to a point where life expectancy will have increased a few more years. Then, after living those extra years, technology will again have evolved a little further to increase life expectancy a little further. Then, after living those extra years, technology will again have evolved a little further to increase life expectancy a little further. Then, after living those extra years, technology will again have evolved a little further to increase life expectancy a little further.
You get the picture. Life goes on and on and on, with life expectancy increasing unboundedly.
Ergo, immortality has been achieved. It is an idea which borrows quite obviously from the Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the tortoise, with Achilles corresponding to Death and the tortoise being what we may call the Technology-Driven Life Expectancy Extension.

(From http://www.beyondpluto.net/)

Now comes the speculative part: from extensive and complex calculations I have made, I can say that the date of 8th July 2037 at 01:24h AM (GMT) may be the point at which people born after that date will on average be immortal, while those born earlier will have to die sooner or later. So, if you are reading this and plan to have children around that date, that's one aspect to consider in your planning.

John Maynard Keynes

In the long run we are all dead.

The eclectic soup

Eclecticism is not an end in itself, it is just that the alternative is too boring!

Good judgement

Assuming people will use common sense, that's a terrible assumption to make.

Aforisms are better taken with a grain of ...

a) distrust.
b) disgust.
c) contempt.
d) all of the above.
e) pepper.

I originally thought of including also the option "hell!!! don't waste my time!!!", but anyone with that attitude wouldn't get past option e) ... so I didn't bother ... (but felt the need to explain it all very thoroughly anyway ...)

On geniality

Now that I can recognize geniality in others, I am ripe for becoming a genius myself.

Wireless Tzara, always online

This is how Tristan Tzara might have looked like in the 1910s if only wireless communications technology had been invented by then (which it did, only the Internet hadn't! Typical case of technology not ahead of the times!) After all, Dadaism is not caused by electromagnetic interference. But it could have been, if only ...