Quick Thinks (Quick thought)

Where there is no suffering, there is no evil.

Now, as long as we don't get into a debate on the definition of 'evil', we have a good, solid quote to use! Alternatively,

Where there is no suffering, evil isn't necessary.

Or indeed,

Where would we be without suffering?

Not very well off, if you ask me.  ¶ 1:19 pm  

  Guestbook Down (Site update)

The guestbook that I had up has been taken down, partly because no-one was signing it, but also because I realise that blogs aren't the kind of thing you sign a guestbook for; unlike an actual website, there's little individual effort put up in the site template, so no-one has anything to comment on liking or disliking about the site as a whole.

I'd prefer it if you wrote actual comments below the posts I make instead. You'll be happy to know that I've installed a link between the comments you make and my email address, so all comments reach me instantly (to do this involved some degree of mouse-clicking. Check the 'settings' tab and 'comments' on your blog-editor to find this option).

That's all there is to say for this one. I was thinking of changing the background colour to a light brown (rather than greyish-white), but I won't make any changes that aren't appreciated. Please give us some feedback on this one.  ¶ 12:03 pm  

  I Am On A Secret Mission (Link)

What is the mission? I don't know. But, what I do know is I'm going to learn about programming with my special books/CDs.

In the meantime, here's a website I've just noticed recently:

Walton Dell's homepage (completely untouched for 3 years)

I don't know, but I admire the pleasantness of Walton's site. No big tough pretenses, no sarcastic/witty personalities; just a genuinely wholesame website by a guy who comes across to me as the ultimate friendly person.

It's an old website (birth circa 1997), and one thing I've noticed about these old websites is that they have many things in common: one, a generally simple layout/display format; two, a lot of word-art; three, background midis; and four, a simple, playful, peaceful appeal. Just go to Walton's webpage and see if you don't agree.  ¶ 7:44 pm  

  Fantastic Four (Essay)

Everyone seems to be jabbering away about the 'Fantastic Four' movie that's come out recently in Britain. I don't know much about them, or any other super-hero, but approximately a year ago I was besotted with their early-90s cartoon series. There's something insanely funny about the show that has to be seen to be understood.

Nonetheless, I remember talking about Batman here, where I mentioned how weird it was that all the villains lived in Gotham, and people were happy to live there. Well, the Fantastic Four is even stranger.

Calling on my knowledge of the cartoon, a scientist and his friend, wife, and acquaintance (a young person) decide to go to space for some reason. Unfortunately, they get stuck in an asteroid storm or something and each get special super powers. So, naturally, they decide to fight crime. And what a coincidence! Just as this happens, BANG! A plethora of stylised, cliched, super-powered villains decide to destroy/rule/eat the earth.

Thinking on it now, the funniest thing is that if these villains didn't 'just appear' when our heroes got their un-attributable powers, can someone explain to me how Earth survived beforehand? Did everyone just accept the neverending monster attacks, that person who's always taking over, or the big person who feels like consuming the solar system?

I don't think Stan Lee really thought these comics of his through, do you?  ¶ 5:20 pm  

  Return of Brins (Brins Returns/School Essay)

Holidays are now over, so there's no excuse for getting back to work (assuming there is any, which there doesn't need to be). I am now going to deal with those old post titles of mine, and perhaps fix the Guide to Higher English essay later.

It occurred to me that a number of you might be wondering why it is that I've always written about school - things to be careful of/watch out for, and so on - despite having been near the end and now having left.

Well, the truth is, having approached (and now reached) the end of my whole school life, I've felt rather betrayed, or at least unsettled, at how quickly everyone seems to be happy to brush school aside as something for younger people, and that we're off to higher things. Before you say it, I fully understand that we don't have any reason to associate with school anymore; it's best not to dwell in the past, and the future/present is always the brightest place to be. The issue I have is how many people seem to have lost all empathy with younger children.

You see, when my friends and I were younger, we all knew of the banes and tortures of school; something which always saddened me then was the lack of appreciation we children received from adults for our plight. 'Surely they understand... they were us once!' I thought. To this day, and especially now, I am still upset at how few adults give children any credit for the difficulties they face and are forced to go through. I think the ethos is that 'it's over for us, so let them deal with it'.
I just can't let it go like this, however; it pains me to know that children all over are going through the things I did alone and confused, having no respect for doing so, and not realising how much the teachers say is fact and fiction...

...speaking of which, that's the second big reason I've written about school - having lived through school, I am shocked at the guiltless duplicity of (some of) the teachers in higher places: I say this in relation to secondary school particularly, where the of lies and exaggerations we were fed in assemblies were seriously uncalled for, some potentially traumatising to those concerned for their schooling and future (like I was). This could be justified with the excuse of 'keeping pupils on their toes' - giving them a light scare so the less-conscientious workers might get in gear. This probably works to some degree, but they could do it a lot more subtly, and giving students pet-fears for the rest of their school lives. The sinister tale we were told 5 years ago of the straight-A student who never got into university because - and I quote - 'he wasn't interesting enough' disconcerted me right up until I got my place offers.

So, I still write about school for school-pupils so that they might learn of problems, disappointments, and events awaiting them, so they won't be shaken or caught unaware by them (which does happen, believe me); it's also so they can defend themselves from scaremongering teachers. I know that my reader-base is very small, and perhaps only one or two people would benefit from the things I've written on before, but I want to do my bit for the children, if only out of respect for them.

Now that you know why I like to write regarding school, I encourage you to read up on those essays of mine (over on the right) - it's all my scope on school, using events from my school life as the basis.  ¶ 4:29 pm  

  Well, Friends (Leave of Brins)

I'm not going to make comments on this issue - there are many in deep grief and shock from it, so I won't write lightly about it. I'll just say that Google has a link mentioning a phone number which you can call for information if you fear for family members potentially caught in the London bombing.

I'll be on holiday from this Saturday to the next, so don't expect anything to happen here until after then.  ¶ 6:59 pm  

  Continents (Stevenson)

"And so, all the continents of the world were brought together with the infamed 'Water Breaker', a feat never before conceived, and one which would prosper under Garret's Enclosure system. The world could move from the artificial to the natural.
The moon was embraced for launching; now referred officially to as 'Apollo', all the trams were ready for launch.

There had been a recent, subtle revival of New Complete on the scientific field, largely delegated to small, insignificant groups of young, upstart sociologists, in their elitist desires to delegate all the world to a fish-bowl. It was a thing which the larger portion of the public would obviously be uninterested in, while the chief scientific community really had more important matters to be nibbling at. With those who were aware, there was some concern as to the supremely-diabolical, genocidically-volatile, apocolyptic form of the idea, but it wasn't a big deal.

Dr. Capsid got on the tram."

Find out who wrote it. Go on!...? No, there is no reason to. Still, the hall of fame awaits...  ¶ 6:15 pm