Technology and the End User

Posted on December 17, 2020 by JC

The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste by Rose George
Portobello Books, September 16th, 2008

I don’t know precisely what got me thinking about how much I appreciate flush toilets over the last few years as I’ve rarely been deprived of one. I also appreciate the various occupations that design, install and maintain them and rate these men far above those in my own overrated vocation. This is mainly to do with the comfort they provide though I do certainly appreciate the health benefits that come from modern sanitation. I have even stated that if I had to choose but one of the many modern comforts I enjoy, it would be modern plumbing and water sanitation. I’d happily give up electric lighting, mass transit, commercial flight, my car and a lot more still to hold on to what Rose George rightly calls “The Big Necessity”.

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Filling in the ice tray

Posted on December 8, 2020 by JC

I have a problem every summer in my house when I go to get ice and find trays completely empty because nobody has bothered to refill it. I have a set habit of refilling the trays every time I use ice and I get as much satisfaction from seeing them full and ready as I do when my bins are emptied. This is not a problem for every household anymore as many have those automatic systems built in to newer refrigerators but I don’t have the space, the capital or real need for one and I won’t be able to justify such a purchase for many years.

Having ice cubes to cool beverages is a relatively recent luxury and not one most of humanity could boast today and for most of human history. This is a minor annoyance I have to deal with and what used to be called a “first world problem”. It is one of the least of my worries but it does serve as an example of how more significant problems become problems in the first place.

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The Allegory of the Bottle

Posted on November 23, 2020 by JC

I don’t know whether this will be seen as poorly thought out, absurd or just silly but I want to attempt to write it down anyway. 

Imagine that Christianity or more specifically the Body of Christ is a bottle — one with a cork. For a long time the bottle was complete and although the cork came off now and again, it always came back on again. The Great Schism of 1054 took the cork off and it has stayed off since. 

Though it was always possible to replace the cork and there were times when it could have been, this has not happened. The reasons for this are complex and deserve serious consideration whatever side you fall but it should be agreed that a united Body of Christ is preferable but that it must be united in his Truth. 

The Protestant Heresy of 1517 did more than remove a cork — it broke the neck of the bottle. Since this heresy began, the neck has continued to shatter and splinter into smaller pieces; some which are hard to recognise as part of the bottle. More importantly, this made it impossible for the cork to be replaced. 

If we were really just talking about a bottle, the bottle would be done for and would be best thrown away. A new bottle would be needed. However, all things are possible with Christ. 

To heal the Body of Christ, the neck would need to be reformed and this can only be done by Divine Intervention. This is perhaps what is in store for Christians one day, whether in our lifetime or another. The neck of the bottle will truly be reformed and the cork would return to it’s place.

New wine could then fill the bottle. 

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Turn Off and Unsubscribe

Posted on November 16, 2020 by JC

It was not uncommon to hear from my elders growing up that television could rot your brain and you shouldn’t watch it too much. Quite a bit has changed since then but they weren’t wrong then and the sentiment if anything, has only become more accurate.

The problem of course is that these same people (primarily Boomers), are totally under the spell of the media they warned me about. Even then, the cartoons and video games they were warning me about in hindsight, are far less dangerous to perceptions of reality than are the news programs they were viewing every day of the week.

I was never in doubt when watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or playing Sonic the Hedgehog about what was and was not reality. There was basically zero danger of confusion when consuming such media. The danger was mostly to do with the unproductive nature of the activity in general. If I was allowed too much time in front of the screen, it would certainly sap my creative and productive energies and to some extent, this came true.

What about the nightly news broadcast though?

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The Results of the Election

Posted on November 10, 2020 by JC

As I write there are questions surrounding the outcome of the election which could go on for many weeks if not into next year. I was going to hold off writing because of this but I did say this:

Speaking of which. If I am wrong, I will admit I was wrong in the very next post I make on this blog. I will not try to rationalise my incorrect prediction in any way. As of writing, the only thing that I believe could make me wrong is widespread electoral fraud but I will not use this as an excuse if Trump loses. Even if it is blatant to the point where the mainstream media actually acknowledge it, I will still state that I was wrong.

So in the spirit of honesty that we certainly don’t see from mainstream journalists, pundits, commentators, pollsters and politicians, I will admit where I was wrong assuming the results as of writing are completely accurate and fair.

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The Trumpslide Cometh – I know, I even bought the t-shirt!

Posted on November 2, 2020 by JC

As I write, the mainstream polls seem to be “tightening” or adjusting to reality and I want to make it clear before election day that I think the polls were always wrong. Trump is going to win a massive and clear victory on election day and I will go so far as to say he will take the popular vote too. Even if he doesn’t get the popular vote, the electoral college results will be unassailable.

There will be riots. There will be wailing. There will be gnashing of teeth.

But Trump will win.

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Civilians aren’t Combatants

Posted on October 24, 2020 by JC

Edward Feser had written a response to a recent article by George Weigel trying to justify the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in the Catholic Herald. It is well worth reading though you could take or leave the article he is responding to. I certainly didn’t bother to read it.

I wrote last year in my review of Peter Hitchens’ The Phony War that I shared that authors utter disgust with the strategy of deliberately targeting civilians in aerial bombing. It was completely immoral and was of limited strategic usefulness at best. My sympathies aren’t limited to European population centers either and my disgust remains even into the most recent wars. It also applies to Sherman’s attacks on civilians during the American Civil War and every time a village or town was sacked in medieval times too. Though in any war, civilians can never be completely immune to attack, deliberate attacks on civilians are always immoral.

I believe Feser did a perfectly good job of laying out why it was wrong, so this post will be more my observations than further argument.

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Out for Puritan Justice

Posted on October 18, 2020 by JC

Following on from my recent reading of the Conan series, I just finished reading through Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane stories as well. I also watched the film adaptation from 2009 and this video by Raz0rfist gives a great (though expletive ridden), introduction to the character.

What follows will be some general thoughts on the character and stories.

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I’m still with Trump

Posted on October 11, 2020 by JC

It has been three years since I have dedicated a post to the subject of Donald Trump and with the election fast approaching, it is time I discussed the man again.

The news of late is that both he and his lovely wife have contracted a cold and had a speedy recovery that angered his detractors who no doubt hoped for his death. This was not long after the first debate against both his opponent, Joe Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace.

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Health and Skin in the Game

Posted on September 27, 2020 by JC

At the time of writing this I have no serious medical or psychological conditions. Apart from attention deficit disorder in primary school, I have never been diagnosed with or suspected of having a mental condition. I take no medication regularly and have no serious or chronic conditions. I have never been hospitalised and medical check-ups have repeatedly shown the I am in excellent physical health. I don’t smoke or use illicit substances and though I do drink alcohol, I take fairly regular breaks from drinking, including for the entirety of 2018.

Why do I start a post by mentioning my medical history? Because at the moment I am compelled to take advice from many people who can not make the same claims.

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