MP Bites; Computer Game

Hi,

Finally a blog about a computer game! it's about time :-)

GTA IV has been out for a day and its causing ripples already.

GTA is a sandbox of a game, which allows players to act as part of the US criminal working as part of the dark side of American society.

I played the first GTA and found it to be too open ended to be fun. I've not picked up any of the successors - though now I'm going to have to...

An NZ MP has pushed out the old and dusty bandwagon of games causing a drop in our society's moral values.

This from the MP who brought us the abortive Christian Party (they couldn't agree on who was in charge) and who resigned from his political party because of an anti-smacking bill but then forgot to vote against it.

I just love these people. Art reflects life and vice versa. So censorship can change society.

But does ignoring a part of society make it go away?

Just remember folks - guns don't shoot people, kids who play computer games shoot people.

NP out

Belief in Medicine

Hi,

Just a quickie today.

In our increasingly fundamentalist times belief and science are locking horns on a regular basis.

A news story I read today reinforced this battle. With parents who practice faith healing being prosecuted for their actions contributing in a major way to the death or their daughter.

Faith healing has been shown to work in some cases, and has definately helped people gain the will to recover from major illnesses. However there is no clear, and repeatable, evidence of this kind of healing working with a high percentage of success.

Whereas medical diabetes treatments are working all the time, every day, for millions of people worldwide.

So are these people short sighted and blind in their faith? Or is society to blame for not allowing people to treat their own families illnesses in their own way?

All I know is that one girl would probably be alive today if they had room in their belief structure for Doctors.

As a parent I'm going to give them a score of 0 out of 10 for parenting and leave it at that.

NP out

Genetic Fate - Better Than The Old Fate

Hi,

In the headlines at the moment are articles covering the use of DNA testing to identify anti-social behaviour.

This seems like a good thing until lawyers start to use genetic flags like this to show that their clients are acting under the influence.

What piques my interest is that the people using this defence are effectively stating that they have no free will.

In a world where people can blame their mental and physical state for their own mis behaviour we now can add another item to this list - Genetic Destiny

Now I am not saying that these are bad, or invalid, defences. What I am saying is that free will, and the ability to make our own decisions, is one of the corner-stones of my personal philosophy.

To me free will and fate are the same thing.

Went there - or - Put there.

Without another frame of reference you cannot tell the difference between the two. Can they now, and is that a good thing?

I think not.

NP out

Top 5 Religions

Hi,

As a polytheist I will believe in anything given half a chance. Here is a list of my current Top 5 religions that I find it hard not to respect.

1. Santo Daime

• Doctrine 4
  
• Complexity 7
  
• Growth 9
• X-Factor 9

That's a total score of 29 for this Brazilian based wonder.

A relatively simple doctrine that has a wide heritage taken from Christianity, south American shamanism and African animism.

It gets a massive 9 x-factor score because of the use of shamanistic drugs in its sacrament. I fully endorse the use of psychedelics as aid to spiritual growth, and they have helped me alot in the past.

In Santo Daime you're experiences are guided and interpreted by spiritual leaders. It all adds up to an inward experience that is better than a dozen trips to your shrink.

Of course many Santo Daime worshipers in the Western world have had problems practicing their religion - their sacramental tea contains a type A drug. Their religion is underground in Western Europe because of this but their following is growing at a huge rate.

2. Santeria

• Doctrine 7
  
• Complexity 6
  
• Growth 6
  
• X-Factor 8

Santeria has to be the most fascinating and alive religion existing. It comes in at a close second place with a score of 27.

Strictly speaking it is a blend of the African Yoruba faith and the worship of Christian saints and mythological figures. But this doesn't even scratch the surface.

Calling it Voodoo really doesn't cover it either.

Imagine gods who are not only alive, but willing to pop around your house for tea and communicate with you through your elderly grandmother.

My patron from this pantheon is Baron Zaraguin.

This religion is so popular, and believed, in the southern US and Cuba that special Catholic churches have risen up in which people volunteer to be possessed by the Loa so that they can be exorcised by priests.

That's the front line of a religious battle that has been going on for quite some time.

3. Catholicism

• Doctrine 7
  
• Complexity 8
  
• Growth 3
  
• X-Factor 3

That's a respectable 21 for this aged Goliath.

Catholicism is on the rise. Shades of tolerance on the home front are causing lapsed Catholics to return to their faith, and that old time religion is being pushed hard by missionaries in the developing world.

With a doctrine that is a pick and mix of different beliefs and laws it still manages to put out a united front and do good work helping people.

It gets respect from me because it introduced structured polytheism to many countries and kick started a number of other religions (not least 1 and 2 above).

"Hey - don't you mean mono-theism?" I hear you cry.... Well no.

Hands up if you're wearing a St Christopher rather than a Cross.

4. Mahikari

• Doctrine 5
  
• Complexity 3
  
• Growth 4
  
• X-Factor 6

What happens when you practice ancestor worship and then have your most worshiped living god forced to renounce his divinity (and that of his ancestors) at the end of world war 2?

Well you get Mahikari, which comes in with a score of 18.

Imagine a Japanese version of the Illuminati, that plots to extend their influence and reinstate their most holy blood line to its previous eminence.

A ground force of ordinary people looking for happiness are the basis for the religion, with upper echelons being taken by big businessmen, politicians etc.

Sounds like a top 100 book doesn't it? Well there are enough personal accounts, and legal cases, out there to show that this group is alive and well.

It's largest growth area is in the USA funnily enough.

5. Pastafarianism

• Doctrine 3
  
• Complexity 3
  
• Growth 5
  
• X-Factor 6

Kicked into last place with a score of 17 is the Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster.

Its a brilliant creation of internet culture that sets itself in direct competition with American creationist Christian doctrine.

Having a good poke at statistics and its role in US politics is the icing on the cake.

Theologians have greeted the new net religion with applause in some cases, because it brings back some much needed humour into religious debates.

Or are the Pastafarians just providing ammunition for other religions to fight with?

NP out

P.S. For 10 cool points name a famous Grant Morrison character who has Baron Zaraguin as a patron.

Tattooed Beat Messiah

Hi,

As an English bloke tattoos are part of my culture and a permanent part of my wardrobe. They are a way of self expression in the UK and many other countries that just never dies out (no pun intended).

The science and evolution of tattoos never stops either. Not just in the art design of the pieces but also in the way the pieces are applied and augmented.

One the right you can see a pretty wild augmentation. The owner of this leg tattoo had small silicone inserts placed under their skin to get that all important busty effect.

All went well until the implants started leaking and causing some major health issues. But that's another story.

There have also been recent moves to widen the appeal of tattoos so that anyone can be cool.

New technology means that the same approach used to give a busty effect above can also be used to provide braille tattoos.

An example can be seen on the right. Entire outline pictures and textures can be produced with this technique, not just the letters of the braille alphabet.

Plans are being made for cyber aware tattoos, which are something right out of popular science fiction. These tattoos would identify the owner and act as a secure method of identification

Of course tattooing and modern technology have a long and not so illustrious history.

The IBM punched card system used to manage the workload and population of German concentration camps allocated inmates unique numbers as well.

No prizes for guessing where these numbers ended up on the inmates.

In a way all tattoos act as identifiers for the people who wear them. I know it would be very easy to identify me from my ink-work even if I had been in a horrific accident.

So maybe the act of individuality that is wearing a tattoo goes too far. Wearing tattoos makes you 100% unique and ruins any chance you have at being anonymous in the modern world.

NP Out

P.S. 10 cool points for anyone who can name the lead singer and band related to the title of this post

The Real Cost of a Virgin Bride

Hi,

Dowries are still the norm in Asia and the Far east for high class weddings between important families.

I actually think dowries are a good thing. Attaching money to a wedding is a kind of insurance policy, and in countries where women are an underclass it has to be good for a lady to point at her price tag and know her worth.

In the news today was the first negative dowry I have ever seen. Simply put the wedding was drawn up on paper, the couple decided not to wait, and then his parents walked away from the ceremony.

So the bride's family are suing for over AUD 1 million because of her loss of virginity.

This is obviously not about the loss of status, or the cost of a repair job. It is about the loss of an expensive commodity.

Let's face it this kind of commodity has retailed at a premium for all of recorded history. In western Europe it is probably too rare to price, with recent stats showing on 4% of 24 year olds are virgins.

So should we be putting price tags on abstinence and clean behaviour?

If these items were traded I know for sure that their value would vary widely depending on where they were sold.

So I foresee an international market in these commodities with healthy, virginal, sane, men and women fetching a high price.

Whether anyone would qualify for the "sane" category is another matter entirely.

NP out

Gin and Tonic at Work...

Hi,

I'm blogging mid way through a work-place experiment.

I am using software simulated alcohol, which is currently bubbling its way through my headphones as sound waves while I am writing.

Apparently it is the equivalent to 3 gin and tonics.

You can get a demo hit of alcohol yourself here.

These first 2 hits are free...

Going into a bit more detail, these doses comprise of various sound waves that are generated by a small media player.

These waves are supposed to affect your brain waves and generate a particular feeling, or substance experience.

I'm currently 1/3 of the way through my demo alcohol dose and I have noticed the following symptoms:

• My palms have gone cold and tickly
• My eyes are going glassy
• I do genuinely have a feeling of relaxation
• My spelling is awful...

All that is missing is some relaxing red visuals and I would swear I was undergoing a session of Ganzfeld treatment.

Ganzfeld is an ESP receptive state caused by lying someone down, playing white noise through headphones, and making them wear goggles which display a low level of red light.

I tried it out a few times in my twenties to see if there would be any change in my perceptions - and post treatment there was. like a low level version of a ketamine come-down.

This shot of virtual alcohol is different from Ganzfeld audio, because it much more controlled and does vary over time.

So right now I'm going to give this treatment a thumbs up. Its not real alcohol and I know it, however it does have a marginally similar effect and can be used anywhere.

At 65% of my does I have just realised that sound frequencies like this are also used to prime people who are brainwashed.

Ah well - I guess this is self administered.

NP out