Homework

This is a part of the homework feature of my blog, which is an ongoing conversation with my mate S.F.

Hey mate. Lovely to see you again, as always.

Per the Xbox technical specifications the Xbox CPU was a 32-bit 733 MHz, custom Intel Pentium III Coppermine-based processor using a 180 nm process.

A good essay from Umberto Eco’s Travels in Hyperreality is On the Crisis of the Crisis of Reason.

Is the ABC’s postmodern philosophy thing you mentioned this one: The Postmodern Grand Narrative?

There is a good article on the topic of acronyms and initialisms over here: Acronym vs. Initialism vs. Abbreviation With Examples:

  • Initialisms are when you abbreviate a word to its initials. Then, you say those initials as individual letters, like how “National Security Administration” becomes N-S-A. The United States becomes U-S.
  • Acronyms are abbreviations that also use initials, but those initials are pronounced as a word rather than saying the individual initials. For example, “National Aeronautical and Space Administration” becomes NASA and is pronounced “nah-sah.”

In logic begging the question is jargon for is an informal fallacy that occurs when an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion. This is often mistakenly used where “raises the question” is what is meant. Your best policy is never to use the phrase “begging the question” because it is not reliably understood. Say either “raises the question” or “assumes the conclusion” depending on what you mean to say.

In law mere puffery is when certain statements made by advertisers that are obviously not made in a serious manner can be exempt from usual rules relating to promises in open contracts.

A reminder to check out More, it’s brilliant.

There are some notes on Kraftwerk about the Moog and the Minimoog synths. You can listen to Kraftwerk on YouTube.

There is an article about the “roger beep” over here: Roger Beep – useful tool or annoying toy? As you know the roger beep is a small tone made automatically when the radio operator unkeys their microphone to let the receiver know they have finished speaking.

Heroin by The Velvet Underground was also covered by Billy Idol. The lead singer of The Velvet Underground was Lou Reed.

You mentioned the Song Exploder podcast. I will check it out.

If you can find some time to watch it I would definitely recommend Mr Inbetween.

You mentioned Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Annoyingly it doesn’t seem to be available in ebook format.

The opposite of “hyperbole” is “understatement”.

After some ruckus of being canceled Scott Adams seems to have dilbert.com back online with some explanations about what happened here: https://dilbert.com/faq. His new thing is Dilbert Reborn which is subscription only and nsfw.

You mentioned Everything is a Remix which is available on YouTube.

User: define nebulous

ChatGPT:

The term “nebulous” is an adjective that describes something that is vague, unclear, or ill-defined. It often refers to ideas, situations, or objects that lack sharp boundaries or are difficult to describe precisely. The word can also evoke the image of a cloud or haze, suggesting something that is misty, indistinct, or without a concrete form.

The latest Mission Impossible movie is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. It is good fun!

Metropolis a scifi film from 1927. It is also available on YouTube.

Technological determinism is “a reductionist theory that assumes that a society’s technology progresses by following its own internal logic of efficiency, while determining the development of the social structure and cultural values.”

There is a good intro to some of Kant’s thought over here: Kant’s Theory of Judgment.

User: what are synthetic a priori judgements?

ChatGPT:

Synthetic a priori judgments are a central concept in epistemology, particularly in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. They refer to statements that are both synthetic and a priori. Let’s break down these terms:

  1. Synthetic: A synthetic statement is one where the predicate (the part of the sentence that describes the subject or assigns it a property) adds information that is not already contained in the concept of the subject. In other words, the truth of a synthetic statement is not determined just by the meanings of the words it contains; it requires additional information about the world.
  2. A priori: An a priori statement is one that can be known to be true independently of any specific experience. Instead, its truth can be determined through reason alone.

Combining these, a synthetic a priori judgment is a statement that is known to be true independently of experience (a priori) and whose predicate is not contained within the subject, thus adding new information (synthetic). Kant argued that such judgments are essential for the possibility of certain kinds of knowledge, particularly in mathematics and natural science. For example, the statement “7 + 5 = 12” is synthetic because the concept of “12” is not contained in the concepts of “7” and “5”, and it is a priori because it can be known through reason without needing empirical verification.

Kant’s introduction of synthetic a priori judgments was revolutionary because it suggested that humans have innate knowledge structures that enable them to understand the world in a certain way, which in turn makes empirical science possible.

User: define kitsch

ChatGPT:

“Kitsch” refers to art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way. The term is often used to describe art that is overly commercial, cliche, or banal. It can also connote a certain cultural appeal linked to nostalgia or popular aesthetics that are considered tacky or lowbrow by mainstream standards.

Jailbreaking is discussed in iOS jailbreaking. Basically it allows a user to run unsanctioned programs on their device.

Stop Punching Me In The Head. It’s about the idea okay!

I’m a little bit involved.

When I was in Melbourne I bummed a ciggie of Geoffrey Rush. He smokes Benson & Hedges Ultimate.

This is Head Like A Hole and Sin by Nine Inch Nails.

I know fucking heaps and that makes me feel like I know nothing.

Mulholland Drive is a 2001 surrealist mystery film written and directed by David Lynch.

Also from 2001 is Donnie Darko an American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and produced by Flower Films.

You recommended Succession which is an American satirical black comedy-drama television series created by Jesse Armstrong that aired for four seasons on HBO from June 3, 2018, to May 28, 2023.

We listened to A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” by De La Soul and The Distance by Cake.

I feel happy when:

  • I am in my lab thinking
  • I am home alone by myself
  • I am enjoying a cup of coffee
  • I am soaking in a warm bath
  • I am talking with my Dad in his study
  • I am hanging out with my mate on the veranda at his house
  • I get to see my mate’s dog, Ruben
  • my friends take me out for lunch or dinner at the Lappo
  • I complete a project
  • I work on a project and make progress
  • I let go of things which aren’t a priority for me
  • I let go of things which I have no control over
  • I write down a list of things that make me happy and that I can be grateful for
  • I eat less than 8,409 kilojoules in a day
  • I imagine how much better the future might be than the present
  • I do some maths homework
  • I learn and understand new things
  • my network backups are up to date
  • I am

Homework

This is a part of the homework feature of my blog, which is an ongoing conversation with my mate S.F.

Hey mate. Sorry for the long delay in getting this one to you, I’ve been busy!

The book I mentioned was Overprescribing Madness: What’s driving Australia’s mental health epidemic by Dr Martin Whitely. I haven’t read the whole thing yet but I think it asks important questions.

Begging the question (also known as “assuming the conclusion”) is a logical fallacy that occurs when an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion. Unfortunately this is widely misunderstood and usually when people say something “begs the question” what they really mean is that something “raises the question”, which is different altogether.

We discussed Philip K. Dick, a prolific science fiction author. At least I think we did. My notes actually say “Philip L. Dick”, but my search engine has never heard of him.

When they filmed the Landspeeder in the first Star Wars movie they put Vaseline on the camera lens. Apparently the Vaseline smear was nicknamed “the force field” during editing.

Existential dread (also known as existential crisis) is some negative emotional reactions many people who think too hard about the nature of life and reality often experience when they first come to realize they are living a brief life in an absurd world. It’s a real phenomenon. Actually happens to people.

I have a note here that some people pronounce UTS as “uterus”. Uncultured swine! :)

I’m listening, how can I help?

We discussed neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which is a fun idea, but probably bunk. I dunno. I do believe that what we say to ourselves (our inner dialog) and others does affect our reality though.

GAF = Gay As Fuck. (Let that start affecting your reality.)

I have a note here that “that’s where modernity fails, and postmodernity triumphs”, but what that was in respect to is now lost to time (unless you remember).

How many dead friends? Easily seven good friends lost to suicide.

The Northern Lights are amazing and beautiful. I suspect I will never see them live.