An Exercise In Futility - Written late at night, unedited and disorganized

For the past few weeks, I've spent a lot of time on the computer.  I've made progress in my homework, organized Waffle Day at USP, and played a bunch of games.  Computers are good.  However, I tend to overuse them.  When I'm working, I use my laptop.  When I'm taking a break, I play computer games.  If a new song or comic strip comes out, I look it up online.  I even use my computer to communicate with friends.  For some reason, I'm dissatisfied.

Goat Simulator: A game where you run around as a goat, wrecking as much havoc as possible.  If you cause the right kind of destruction, you get bonus abilities, that usually help you cause more mayhem.

The Stanley Parable: Mostly about a man who pushes buttons repeatedly, and his adventures in an abandoned office, with a confused narrator, a mind control facility, a broom closet, a blue door, and a game with a baby.  After you make a bunch of choices, the game spits out the predetermined "ending," and restarts itself from the beginning.  Definitely a game best played without watching a walk through beforehand.

Both of these games are incredibly pointless.  The "objective" is to walk around until stuff happens, then enjoy the stuff.  It's great, but terribly painful and boring after a few hours.  If you want to play these games, please don't spend hours without long breaks.  I don't want to hear or see anything related to these games for at least 1 week. 

Anyway, futility.  Computers are amazing.  You can make so much out of them.  There's almost endless (interesting) content stored online.  Yet, I'm fed up with computers, for the moment.  I don't really understand why, but I'm missing something when I'm focusing on a screen for a long period of time.  I always leave the screen bleary-eyed, wishing to go to bed, and hike a mountain, all at once.  Maybe I'll 3d-print one in a few years, and go climb that.  Goodnight.

*Side-note, both games have a bit of cursing and such mature-ish content, for those who are like me and google something just because a friend referenced it.

A Step Back

There's not many feelings better than taking a step back from work.

After snow-shoveling, lying down in a pile of snow.  You're warm, but the snow cools you down.  Fluffy snow is the best cushion in the world.

After homework on the computer, sitting on top of the roof, seeing the lights go out in other houses.  It's high enough to be exciting, but not enough to be frightening.

After a weekend of wilderness survival training, lying down in a hammock.  Swinging gently between two trees, with a sleeping bag acting as a blanket.

After running around camp in rain and thunder, making sure everyone's tent is set up properly for the storm, lying down on a bench in the dining hall.

After an intense game of tag at night, lying down in the grass, watching the fireflies.

Rest is amplified when it follows hard work.  I want to be envisioned by these moments, and strive for more opportunities for genuine rest.

Public Service Announcements

1. Finances are important.  Do them good.

2. I love taking notes about economics.  For some reason, it's the easiest topic for me to come up with applicable cartoons/graphs/doodles.

3. For those who want to take nores, use less words, and more pictures.   Have fun when you're taking notes, so that you can keep yourself amused when studying.

4. Figure owt where your money goes.  That's important.

5. Always take notes in pen.  It makes them look fancier, plus you remember when you make a mistake (at least, I do).  For example, I won't easily forget the struggle to fix the 'w' in out, so I won't forget to figure out where my money goes.  Note-taking is all about connecting new facts to preexisting notions/experiences.

6. Sheeeeep

7. I have mixed feelings about making money into a stick figure.

8. Save early should be a button on the keyboard.  The closest thing we have right now is Control/Command Z.

9. "Get money right now" can be taken two ways.  Both of them are important.

10. I continued the list from 6-10 just to ensure I made it to 11.

11. Alevon.

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice. 

This post was created with a flame paintbrush and a poem by Robert Frost.

I'd like to thank the man/woman who invented stick-figures, the man who wrote Fire and Ice, and the inventor of the Boogie Board, for making this drawing possible.

Do not consume this post between midnight and 5AM.  Side effects may include drowsiness, bleary eyes, a firm belief that you've reached enlightenment, and a box of unopened Mike and Ikes appearing on your desk.  If you experience any of these symptoms (but especially the Mike and Ikes one) call me immediately, to investigate further.  Under no circumstances should you open said box.

Don't believe the time-stamp

It's currently 12:17AM as I'm beginning this post.  I am quite certain that this means failure, but on the off-hand chance the rules of competition allow for last-minute entries, I'm moving forward.

Ultimately, I know that I will not complete everything exactly as I would like to.  The end result of my work will pale in comparison to what I could have done.

However,  my hope is is something greater than human ability.

Condemnation can destroy what good we can find in conviction.  Rather than putting too much merit in posting every single day before midnight, I'll do my best to continue creating content.  The goal of this challenge is to produce, rather than exclusively consume, content.  I'm sticking with that goal, so that minor setbacks don't destroy my drive for excellence.   I goofed.  I plan to continue,  regardless.

Perspective

Flatland is a pretty cool short film about dimensions.  Essentially, it's about a square, living in a two-dimensional world, discovering three dimensions.  In reality, the square could only catch glimpses of three dimensional objects, as they passed through his plane (growing larger or smaller based on their shape). 

Experience is a very interesting concept.  As humans, we have a wide range of experience, being able to feel joy and pain, analyze complex images in milliseconds, and experiment with abstract ideas/concepts.  Most animals can access similar thoughts, emotions, and abilities, but a termite, for example, does not even come close to a human in regard to what it can think/feel.

Living in a three-dimensional (or more, depending on who you ask) world, we understand a lot about three-dimensional space.  Quite a radical though, I know.  However, there is so much more that we could understand.  We barely understand how time works, or what it would be like to jump in/out of it.  We barely understand how our emotions function, and we are quite often stuck in our present mood. 

Recently talking with Stevie, we were amazed at how limited we are, as creatures.  If we can understand three-dimensions, and have complex experiences, imagine what it the creator experiences.  God has created man in His own image; naturally, man would have some understanding of "greater reality."  But we're so much simpler than the God of the universe.  We might enjoy building skyscrapers and planes; imagine what God felt when He created humanity.  If we feel pain when someone rejects us, what must He feel when we desert Him. 

What kind of love would rescue us despite our depravity?

I can't imagine His joy when His children repent of their sins, running back into His arms.

11:39

I am currently celebrating various festivities.

Judgement is not welcome, but it is deserve.