Babbling Idiot Alert!

So I was starting at a piece of pumpkin flavored cheesecake earlier and contemplating the nature of temptation.

If you don't want something, it doesn't tempt you.

Temptation is wanting something, but knowing that there are reasons why having it is wrong.

Consider Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13, and (briefly mentioned) Mark 1:12-13.

Satan challenges Christ to prove his divinty by turning stones to bread. Now, Christ has been fasting for 40 days and nights. I think the possibilty would already have occured to him. Plus, he just survived over a month with no food or water (no masturbation either, if you want to be pedantic) so it's pretty clear that he is more than human. No mention is made whether or not he is actually hungry. So this may have been some temptation, but it can only be attributed to Satan if Christ is a moron.

Satan challenges Christ to put his divinity to the test by jumping off a cliff. Again, not temptation. Christ has just been bapitzed by John the Baptist, has received proof in the form of a dove, and is confident in his divinity. He has nothing to prove. Especially not to Satan.

Finally,Satan offers Christ the world. Still not temptation. Christ is at the beginning of his carrer and full of the "Spirit." At that point, his mind is filled by his "mission" and it is very unlikely that he is interested. Also, Christ knows this is Satan. If someone you know (who isn't rich) offers you a million dollars to do something vaguely unpleasant, does it even cross your mind that the offer is serious? Does the offer tempt you? No, of course not.

If you want to talk temptation, right around Matthew 26:36-56, when Christ was asking God if he really had to go through with it, Satan should have shown up and said, "Hey, kid, I can get you out of this."

That would have been temptation.

Anyway, back to the cheesecake. It was delicious.

Later,

Gormenghast

I just finished watching the BBC production of "Gormenghast." It was cheezy in that special way that only the BBC can manage. Still, it was pretty good, just the same.

It didn't live up to Mervyn Peake's books, but it would have had to have been many tmes longer to do so (the production was around four hours anyway).

It only covered Peake's first two books, "Gormenghast" and "Titus Groan." I didn't read "Titus Alone" anyway, so that's okay.

The BBC did a pretty good job with the huge, run down castle itself. And you may even recognize some of the actors: Jonathan Rhys-Myers, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee (yes that Christopher Lee), Fiona Shaw, and a few other not-quite-complete unknowns.

All in all, I really did like it.

Later,

Neat!

I picked up a video game yesterday with, get this, an Epilepsy Warning!

Epilepsy Warning

Please read before playing

A very small percentage of individuals may experience epileptic seizures when exposed to certain light patterns or flashig lights. Exposure to certain patterns or backgrounds on a computer screen, or while playing video games, may induce an epileptic seizure in these individuals. Certain conditions may induce previously undetected epileptic symptoms even in persons who have no history of prior seizure or epilepsy.

If you experience any of the following symptoms while playing: dizziness, altered vison, eye or muscle twitches, loss of awareness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or convuslions - immediately discontinue playing and consult your physician.equipment for your ship.

I assume that "eqipment for your ship" thing is a mistake in printing.

Anyway, I've never had a seizure. It might be fun.

Later,

Dies the Fire

I picked up a book called "Dies the Fire" by S.M. Sterling.

I'm not very far into it, but it's well written and interesting.

The book starts with "the Change." All of a sudden, modern technology stops working. Explosives don't explode, electrical conductors don't conduct, that sort of thing.

Don't overthink it. I did. I still am.

As a plot device, the Change serves to reduce people to their most basic natures. What would you do if civilization effectively vanished, and you had to find a way to survive? Start a farming community? Become a warlord?

The author seems to think that many people would revert to medieval attitudes, if not even more primitive ones. Seems like a pretty low opinion of humanity. I kind of agree.

But I am still stuck on the Change.

Is there still lightning? If so, then static charge and discharge still happens. Time to repeat the experiments of Franklin, Ohm, Faraday, etc. and work out the new laws of electricity. Biological electrochemical process still work just fine (otherwise there'd be no story). Electricity can't be gone, the rules have just changed.

The same goes for explosives. Nitroglycerin, nitrocellulose (smokeless powder) and presumably other nitric acid based explosives don't explode. They still combust, just at a much slower rate. Black powder hasn't been mentioned, but I suspect that it will also turn out to burn more slowly. I see experiment potential here. The ratio of carbon to sullfur to potassium nitrate determines black powder's efficiency as an explosive. So start by varying the ratio. Again, biological processes still work. So the rules of chemistry can't have changed too much.

Like I said: overthinking the story.

Later,

MirrorMask

Okay, I'm not quite sure how "MirrorMask" got on my Netflix queue. I don't remember putting it there, and when the DVD arrived, I was terribly confused.

That said, this is one of the coolest movies I have ever seen. The screenplay was written by Neil Gaiman, and Jim Henson was involved somehow, too. (No muppets, though)

It's strange, it's surreal, it's awesome.

The main character is a juggler in her parents' circus. Then things start to get weird.

I can't describe it. It just has to be seen.

Later,

Update: obviously Jim Henson himself couldn't have been involved, as the movie was made in 2005. Jim Henson Studios did the special effects. Still, no muppets.

Later,

"The Prestige"

I saw the movie "The Prestige" today. It was okay. It was directed by Chistopher Nolan ("Batman Begins") and Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale starred. Michael Caine played a supporting role. And Scarlett Johansson, never forget Scarlett Johansson. The acting was really good. The drama was gripping and tense. There wasn't really much action, but the movie was still never boring. The plot was excellent. I really hate movies where huge, fancy effects attempt to make up for a crappy plot (or a total lack of one).

I had one real problem with this movie.

In a movie about stage magicians, where everything is done with illusion and misdirection, the trick at the end is real. Why?

The thing I liked best about the movie was the rival magicians' obsession with figuring out the other's tricks. Throwing in real magic at the end was extremely disappointing.

Later,

I am no longer going insane, I have arrived.

I just did something completely weird, even for me.

I was walking past my desk, and for no apparent reason, picked up a pen, and did an impression of Burgess Merideth as 'the Penguin.'

How bizarre.

Later,