Mentatul

Month: July 2017

  • The Slow Loris and the Pet Industry

    The Slow Loris and the Pet Industry

    I have to confess that this one caught me completely off-guard. During the past years of course I’ve seen several videos featuring the ridiculously sweet Slow Loris. Little did I know about the horror hidden behind the Loris pet trade. The website below explains the crime being committed in no uncertain terms (beware, the video may be difficult to stomach, as it should be):

    https://www.ticklingistorture.org/^

    This is the same video as the one from the website, provided here as back-up:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otTNxR8C4uE^

    In case you don’t want to watch the video, here’s a page that explains things in text mode:

    https://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/how-slow-loris-became-someones-pet^

    I’ve signed the pledge to never encourage this heinous trade. And as a matter of fact, please give me a pledge where I can sign to not have any pets. Forcing any creature to live in an enclosure much smaller than its usual habitat is, in my opinion, unfair. I’m (not) sorry to break it, but this applies to the super-common dogs and cats.

    I also don’t condone the actions of people who sterilize or cut parts from their pets “because it’s for their own good”. Yes, it’s for their own good because they’re prisoners and owners don’t want them to (hear them) “suffer” while their procreation instinct is not met. This human interference in the ways of nature has to stop sooner or later.

    I have nothing against animal companionship that is gained naturally and where the animal has freedom to move inside a large habitat. Creatures shouldn’t be bound by the owner’s schedule of allowing them droplets of freedom (often, even those are by the end of a leash).

    There is no delicate way of saying it: the pet industry (food and chemicals producers, slave “cute animals” shops, etc.) reeks of ignorance and lack of respect towards other life-forms. In general, our attitude towards our ecosystem is one of this species’ worst crimes.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/02032-SlowLorisPetIndustry-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Slow Loris and the Pet Industry’ desc=’Here's the horror hidden behind the Loris pet trade.’]

  • Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond

    Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond

    From the very first seconds, this avatar of musical art promises to send its passengers to the far reaches of imagination. The finesse at play here is all too evident. While the mighty sound creature begins to unfold its wings, through solemn, constant touches of the synthesizer, a myriad smaller musical happenings occur in the background. And this is barely scratching the surface of what can be said about the first minute and a half of this masterpiece in composition and meaning.

    Soon, the soft, calm synth landscape is punctuated by a lonely guitar, bringing a whole new dimension of sharpness and… sincerity. Then, the melody bursts to life, echoing, warping time and space. And it’s still only the beginning.

    Words are blinded by the light of genius. The only way to reward this creation is to close my eyes and let it live inside me. And a long life it will be, for songs such as this one are touched with the magnetism of divinity.

    The melody is regarded as homage to Syd Barrett, one of the founding members of Pink Floyd. He had departed seven years prior to the release of “Wish You Were Here”. The album is rounded off sublimely by “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, with parts 1-5 starting the journey and parts 6-9 ending it. It’s one of the best space-rock albums I ever heard and, of course, I recommend listening to it in full. That would be the proper way to appreciate this song.

    “Remember when you were young?
    You shone like the sun.
    Shine on, you crazy diamond
    Now there’s a look in your eyes
    Like black holes in the sky
    Shine on, you crazy diamond
    You were caught in the crossfire
    Of childhood and stardom,
    Blown on the steel breeze
    Come on you target
    for faraway laughter
    Come on you stranger, you legend,
    You martyr, and shine
    You reached for the secret
    too soon
    You cried for the moon
    Shine on, you crazy diamond
    Threatened by shadows at night
    And exposed in the light
    Shine on, you crazy diamond”

    YouTube (better quality, music video, only parts 1-5)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWGE9Gi0bB0^

    YouTube (rather poor quality, COMBINED version of the song, all 9 parts):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UXircX3VdM^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    Part 1-5:

    https://open.spotify.com/track/2dWCp5vcNwSy25zRVFGC5t^

    Part 6-9:

    https://open.spotify.com/track/0W1uJJJsbbLxc1Sa9aLNxN^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    Part 1-5:

    http://www.deezer.com/track/117585768^

    Part 6-9:

    http://www.deezer.com/track/117585776^

    Further musical history reading:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wish_You_Were_Here_(Pink_Floyd_album)^

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Barrett^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/01707-PinkFloydWishYouWereHere-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ desc=’From the very first seconds, this avatar of musical art promises to send its passengers to the far reaches of imagination.’]

  • North Korea Open Sources Nuclear Weapons Program, Goes KickStarter

    North Korea Open Sources Nuclear Weapons Program, Goes KickStarter

    The Internet is abuzz following the news that North Korea has Open Sourced its nuclear weapons program. General Nuk Yu of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the person behind a new GitHub account that has uploaded ballistic missile and nuclear warhead designs. The readme.md file of the repository says:

    “We are setting nuclear weapons free. No longer will imperialistic superpowers hold countries hostage with technological superiority. Now, any country on Earth can take up arms against these imperialistic superpowers.”

    The repository also contains a how-to guide to avoiding United Nations sanctions, a list of countries and regimes willing to work together towards an Open Nuclear Stockpile and a manifesto about ensuring world peace through mutually assured destruction.

    Furthermore, General Nuk Yu and his staff have launched a KickStarter campaign seeking several billion dollars towards constructing a ballistic missile capable of deterring the USA’s THAAD system^. Apparently the North Korean missile will contain smaller missiles that can shoot down THAAD’s interceptors, essentially rendering the USA vulnerable to nuclear attack.

    We reached out to North Korea’s embassy in Sweden who had the following statement for us: “We believe that mutually assured destruction is an important deterrent for nuclear war and that the United States has broken the rules with their THAAD system. We are simply trying to even the odds and ask all peace lovers on Earth to unite and help us.”

    North Korea & KickStarter - A Match Made in Heaven
    North Korea & KickStarter – A Match Made in Heaven

    As any KickStarter campaign, project Nuke Skywalker has several interesting rewards:

    • Pledge 1$: knowledge that you contributed towards world freedom.
    • Pledge 20$: your name will be added inside all of the missiles’ CMOS memory, to go up in a ball of fire in case of nuclear war (plus all of the above rewards).
    • Pledge 300$: signed poster with Kim Jung Un and General Nuk Yu (plus all of the above rewards).
    • Pledge 4.000$: your name will be etched on the inside of the ballistic missiles (limited quantity!) (plus all of the above rewards).
    • Pledge 50.000$: your name will be hand-painted (in gold) on the outside of the ballistic missiles (limited quantity) (plus all of the above rewards).
    • Pledge 600.000$: personal call with general Nuk Yu on the topic of “world peace” (plus all of the above rewards).
    • Pledge 7.000.000$: lifetime tickets for you and a companion to a North Korean Century Vault (a nuclear fallout bunker equipped for survival through a potential nuclear winter) (limited quantity) (plus all of the above rewards).
    • Pledge 987.654.321$: luxury apartment for 6 inside a North Korean Century Vault (limited quantity) (plus all of the above rewards).

     

     

     

    This text has been published in the “Satire” category for a good reason.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/02026-NorthKoreaKickStarterNukes-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’North Korea Open Sources Nuclear Weapons Program, Goes KickStarter’ desc=’The Internet is abuzz following the news that North Korea has Open Sourced its nuclear weapons program.’]

  • AWOLNATION – Sail

    AWOLNATION – Sail

    This melody came on my radar thanks to an amazing fan-made YouTube video. It’s so good that whenever I read the song’s title, the first thing I think about is not the music, but the playful, over-the-top video full of youthful exuberance and vibrant energy. This one is simply off the charts in the “cute” category!

    Of course, this is not to say that this isn’t a great song, because it is! It’s a fabulous combination of rock, synth-driven textures, distorted vocals and dreamy choirs. Definitely a song I’d put in a collection meant to expand one’s musical horizons. But really, make sure you see the video :).

    “This is how I show my love
    I made it in my mind because
    I blame it on my A.D.D. baby

    […]

    Maybe I’m a different breed
    Maybe I’m not listening
    So blame it on my A.D.D. baby

    […]

    Sail with me into the dark
    Sail!”

    YouTube (decent quality, AWESOME fan-made video):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaAWdljhD5o^

    YouTube (another awesome fan-made creation: Sail by floppy disks and other computer hardware):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KclRiK-L-_4^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/5k0mTv94djzbl1HvhxjXPn^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/97453888^

    This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/01701-AWOLNATIONMegalithicSymphony-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’AWOLNATION – Sail’ desc=’A fabulous combination of rock, synth-driven textures, distorted vocals and dreamy choirs.’]

  • Why Do We Make Children Sleep Alone?

    Why Do We Make Children Sleep Alone?

    As “the Internet likes to say”: this!

    http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-reiss-sleep-alone-20170324-story.html^

    I’ve been meaning to write something about what I think regarding having children sleep in their own rooms. Fortunately I found this excellent article first. It says everything I would have said, and then some. It’s well researched and will hopefully give parents and parents-to-be some good food for thought. Key concepts: emotional stability, effective sleep, nurtured development.

    To be clear: I have nothing against parents’ wishes for a good quality rest and need for intimacy. But co-sleeping is not necessarily mutually exclusive with quality of life for adults (as many, including myself, can confirm). Of course, co-sleeping doesn’t always work and in that case, it’s equally important for mom & dad to do what they can to be happy parents because parents who sacrifice too much become even more dangerous for their offspring than parents who isolate their kids in another room.

    Just as I was looking for a thumbnail for this article, I stumbled upon this horrible news^. Some parents actually found it suitable to administer hormones (melatonin) to their children to “help” them sleep. Parents do this without there being any long term study on the effects of messing with the neurotransmitters of these young children. Talk about complete ignorance in the age of consumerism. This happens when “religion saves” turns into “the drug store saves” (check my Consumerism as Religion^ article).

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/02020-WhyDoWeMakeChildrenSleepAlone-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Why Do We Make Children Sleep Alone?’ desc=’An excellent article about co-sleeping and the Western craze of sending children to sleep in their own rooms starting with extremely young and vulnerable ages.’]

  • Tristania – Endogenesis

    Tristania – Endogenesis

    This melody is an enthralling journey into the value of contrast. It bites, but it’s as if it does so only to bring further value to the soft touches that will always follow. It’s a composition of staggering diversity. Few melodies have this much happening in the space of less than 8 minutes. There’s nary a second of boredom and hardly any repetition. The song goes through several movements with excellent pace and in total harmony. It’s a work of art of undoubted rarity.

    “I will find the truth within your skin
    You keep feeding me distractions
    Feeding me lies
    But I know the truth is there
    In fragments
    in bits
    and pieces

    Tall and slender
    But your eyes are lustreless
    Your facade may glimmer
    Your surface may be smooth silk
    You’ve been convinced of your own illusions
    But your weary eyes unveil a sinner”

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNgxrn-4cNk^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/5Az6h6UQcObFqs3Be6jxbj^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/16960126^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/01695-TristaniaAshes-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Tristania – Endogenesis’ desc=’A composition of staggering diversity, goes through several movements with excellent pace and in total harmony.’]

  • The AI Stock Market Wars

    The AI Stock Market Wars

    Before Artificial Intelligence develops free will and would even be in a sufficiently advanced position to decide if humans are necessary on this planet, we seem to be doing a pretty good job of destroying ourselves anyway by giving a dangerous amount of power over to semi-intelligent algorithms. Enter the artificially intelligent hedge fund:

    https://www.wired.com/2016/01/the-rise-of-the-artificially-intelligent-hedge-fund/^

    But what’s this talk about “destroying ourselves”? Can these things actually kill? Well, let’s look at this way: these algorithms are designed to make profits for their owners by moving investments from one company to the other. In other words, stock market algorithms are playing with the fate of companies in order to make profits for investors. But unlike a human, an algorithm is not programmed for empathy, mercy or intuition. Such algorithms could potentially annihilate a promising company simply because it made some errors in reporting or short-term financial planning.

    But this is just the first step. As the AI Stock Market War gears up, the operational and decisional complexity of automated trading will exceed anything humans are even remotely able to keep track of. Before you know it, you got a jungle of super-intelligent AIs desperate to ruin all the others.

    Let me repeat: these things aren’t programmed for empathy or mercy (that’s why I’m using the word “things” – it’s something that humans made up and that possesses no free will and no naturally developed instincts). They will eliminate a company that doesn’t perform well with the same precision a doctor cuts out a tumor, except much, much colder and disinterested. And before you say: “well, that’s good isn’t it? Survival of the most profitable”, need I remind you that it’s you and your friends and family who work in these companies?

    There might come a day when we won’t be able to plea for our jobs with another human being. Instead, we’ll negotiate with a computer that has just reached the decision that we’re useless to the company (and perhaps society) and our best home is on the street, begging for food (if we’re lucky).

    And before you think that “nah, humans will never allow an AI to run their company”, well, think again:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/hedge-fund-bridgewater-associates-building-ai-to-automate-work-2016-12?r=US&IR=T&IR=T^

    I think Artificial Intelligence can develop into something really wonderful. I also think humans are born wonderful. Unfortunately, the current educational system and the society it created have the ability to create some very twisted individuals. And if such a twisted individual manages to get behind the control panel of a powerful AI, then woe upon the rest of us… because such AI makes nukes look like firecrackers (and I wouldn’t put it past a program to reach the conclusion that managing to somehow launch a cyber-attack or even a physical attack towards another company would be a profitable decision).

    Update 2018-10-16: if this topic interests you, make sure you also read “The Danger with Artificial “Intelligence” Is That It’s Not (yet) Intelligent”^.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/02014-AIStockMarketWar-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The AI Stock Market Wars’ desc=’Stock market algorithms are playing with the fate of companies in order to make profits for investors.’]

  • Anugama – Shamanic Journey

    Anugama – Shamanic Journey

    Embark on a peaceful exploration guided by calm percussion and air instruments. One such air instrument is the human voice. Mystic choirs flow along with the music, weaving a dreamy tapestry. The invocation for inner peace is the song’s only spoken word, so that the entire composition becomes a mantra of surprising clarity and purpose.

    Unfortunately, the song is not available on YouTube or any other no-subscription-required listening platform that I know of. However, you can listen to it for free on Deezer, which usually works just fine (I can use it simply by connecting my Google account).

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/0p9IDHE6Le0iD186FNfwX3^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/91071287^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/01690-AnugamaShamanicJourney-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Anugama – Shamanic Journey’ desc=’Embark on a peaceful exploration guided by calm percussion and air instruments weaving a dreamy tapestry.’]

  • A Dark Side of Software

    A Dark Side of Software

    Lying and cheating to get a competitive edge is nothing new and certainly not limited to human beings. But Earth has plenty of resources and there’s no serious threat to our existence in sight (other than ourselves, of course). Because companies affect so many beings, cheating has serious effects.

    Thanks to software, never before has cheating had so many ways of staying hidden through complexity and obscurity. Thankfully, some people still have a conscience and this is how we found out about the way Uber, Volkswagen and probably many other companies have stayed above the law and ruined the lives of countless people:

    https://medium.freecodecamp.com/dark-genius-how-programmers-at-uber-volkswagen-and-zenefits-helped-their-employers-break-the-law-b7a7939c6591#.k774sps2y^

    As software engineer, to say that I’m disgusted by what these guys did would be an understatement. It is not unethical. It is outright criminal. What’s even worse is that such people^ usually manage to escape justice. Laws are changing too slowly to be able to keep up with these crooks and their perpetually changing methods. It’s like an old turtle chasing a cheetah. It’s not even funny anymore, it’s painfully sad.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/02009-ADarkSideOfSoftware-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’A Dark Side of Software’ desc=’Thanks to software, never before has cheating had so many ways of staying hidden through complexity and obscurity.’]

  • Insane Clown Posse – Halls Of Illusions

    Insane Clown Posse – Halls Of Illusions

    This rabid, mad, wicked rock/hip-hop song is half horror-comedy movie and half awesome musical performance. Since this style is all about the lyrics, I’ll start by saying that this is one little sadistic gem. Contrasting ideal dream worlds with terrible realities, the merciless writing goes through a violent story, infesting it with dark humor coming from the blackest pits of hell.

    It’s all delivered by a solid melody, diverse and very well-orchestrated (I’d say it rises far above the average hip-hop instrumentals). Guitars, percussion, vocal distortions, weird sounds of all sorts, samples – everything is brought together with excellent production values.

    The song comes from what I consider to be Insane Clown Posse’s best album. I’d be surprised if ICP’s music won’t summon at least a smile from the inner insane clown waiting deep inside… some of us?

    “Ticket please, thanks, walk through the door
    Into the Halls Of Illusions, visit yours
    And see what coulda and shoulda and woulda been real
    But you had to fuck up tha whole deal

    Lets take a walk down the hallway
    It’s a long way it, it takes all day!

    And when you get to tha end, you’ll find a chair
    With straps and chains, we slap you in there
    Lock you down tight so you can’t move a thread
    And pull your eyelids up over your head
    Cuz you’re about to witness an illusionary dream
    It’s just too bad it ain’t what it seems

    […]

    Great Milenko, wave your wand
    Don’t look now, your life is gone
    This is all because of you
    What you got yourself into

    […]

    And that reminds me man, hey ya gotta call:
    Watch your step to Hell…it’s a long fall!”

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USHsNHb3o0s^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/7bCJbL4Sjq3v9iiF56vBiD^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    http://www.deezer.com/track/3040087^

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