It is interesting to note that orthodox Hinduism believes that the language of the Vedas is eternal and revealed in its wording and word order. Evidence for this belief is found in the Vedas itself, where in the Upanishads they are described as the very “breath of God” (nihsvasitam brahma).
The Vedas are therefore considered “the language of reality”, so to speak, and are unauthored, even by God, the rishis or seers ascribed to them being merely individuals gifted with a special insight into reality with the power of perceiving these eternal sounds. At the beginning of every cycle of creation, God himself “remembers” the order of the Vedic words and propagates them through the rishis.
It may be interesting to note that Hinduism encourages the Vedic mantras to be interpreted as liberally and as philosophically as possible.
—A pull quote from the last culling of links
You’re a CN worker tasked with painting over graffiti on freight trains. What do you do when you start to appreciate the art your paid to remove?
You take pictures. That’s right, a show that opened last night at the Graffiti Gallery (109 Higgins Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba) showcases photographs of ephemeral freight graf taken by various CN workers and local graf artists. It’s worth the trip.
***
It’s Mozart’s birthday. The CBC held a Mozart ‘remix’ contest: everything from hiphop (the last entry), modernism-ish (second last), to happy-hardcord-ish (third entry). There are some piano and horn entries too.
***
The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five-dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way…
—Isaac Asimov thought that The Last Question was his best short story.
Tolkien recalls how he once saw the words Adeiladwyd 1887 cut on a stone-slab. It was a revelation of beauty. “It pierced my linguistic heart,” he recalls. “Most English-speaking people…will admit that cellar door is ‘beautiful’, especially if dissociated from its sense (and from its spelling). More beautiful than, say, sky, and far more beautiful than beautiful. Well then, in Welsh for me cellar doors are extraordinarily frequent, and moving to the higher dimension, the words in which there is pleasure in the contemplation of the association of form and sense are abundant.”
“Nobody believes me when I say that [Lord of the Rings] is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real”
—Tolkien’s Not-So-Secret Vice [Related: Woody and Tinny Words & Beautiful words in English]
Meditation consists of two aspects or components. The first, called shamatha in Sanskrit, is the step by step development of mental and physical calmness (stopping). The second, vipashyana, is the step by step heightening of awareness, sensitivity and observation (seeing).
Stopping is the wholesome resource that nurtures the mind. Seeing is the marvelous art which fosters intuitive understanding.
—How Meditation Works
***
Gezellig (Geh-ZEL-ick) - companionable, sociable, convivial, snug, cozy, social.
A gezellig environment is one that allows good times to happen. It’s almost like a vibe. And it’s contagious. A gezellig place is cozy and inviting and full of gezellig things that make it so gezellig.
via {f} {gi) {gv}
Currently, number six.
The Dutch explain through Wikipedia Nederlands: Gezelligheid translated using Bablefish.
The evolution of vibe.
Side note: The contents of these links will morph with time.
since feeling is first
since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world
my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry
the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids’ flutter which says
we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life’s not a paragraph
and death i think is no parenthesis
e.e. cummings
Congrats to my cousin Jody on his recent engagement to the lovely Karolina.
***
Let’s use GreaseMonkey to add direct download capabilities to the RadioBlogClub search results.
Now when you search for music on RadioBlogClub you’ll see a [d] link beside each of the search results. You can right-click this link to save any song, (change the file extension to .mp3 when you do so.)
GreaseMonkey’s client-side injection masks our true intentions, unlike an easily blocked server-side approach.
RadioBlogClub mp3s are encoded @ 64kbps/22050Hz.
I don’t see this script working for long.
Some recommended searches:
- bouga belsunce breakdown
- the books an animated description
- most serene republic proposition
- of montreal oslo
- le vie de reve 3eme oeil
- rj2d
Update (15 Jan 14:30):
As predicted, Radio.Blog.Club has switched up their search results. The script will no longer work. A new script is in the works.
Yesterday ChefQuix asked me for a link to a meditation tutorial. The online tutorials I found were overly complex, so I wrote him a simple tutorial myself.
I learnt to meditate near Cape Tribulation, Australia, in a small clearing in the Daintree rainforest. I’ve practiced meditation (on and off) for the past 5 years. Recently I’ve started meditating at work during my lunch hour.
In short, meditation is the practice of stilling the mind, the art of focusing on not-focusing.
Pre-Meditation:
I recommend stretching before hand. If you know yoga, start with 3 - 5 sun salutations, otherwise try the following:
Try to touch your toes. If you can’t reach them, grab as low as you can on your legs and hold on. When you breath in, (still tucked down), straighten your legs, when you breath out try to grasp further down your legs. Do this for 3 breaths and slowly stand back up.
Next, reach upwards, fingers wide apart, stretching your arms/hands towards the ceiling. Release after 2-3 breaths.
Repeat 3 or 5 times, starting with the toe touching.
Sitting Still:
It’s important to be comfortable. Wear compfy, loose clothes.
I don’t recommend trying to sit lotus. I sit cross legged. You can also sit in a chair with a straight back, (both you and the chair), with your feet flat on the ground. Sit on a small cushion if you want.
If you are uncomfortable while meditating, do something about it: scratch that itch, shift your legs, etc. Just don’t get obsessed with finding the perfect position.
Keep your spine straight. Not only will this improve your posture by strengthen your lower back, but it will also allow for the optimal air-flow to your lungs.
During meditation your hands will be on your lap, palms up, one over the other, with your thumbs touching.
Meditation (Focus on breath / counting):
This one is easiest for beginners.
Sit still, and clear your mind. Breath through your nose. Focus on the point where the air enters your body, and on the expanding / contracting of your lungs. Count your out-breaths. When you reach 10, return to 1. If you loose count or end up above 10, return to 1.
Meditation (White Light):
Sit still, and clear your mind. Breath through your nose. Focus on your third eye (centre upper forehead). Imagine a small white light centred there. On each out-breath expand this light until it fills your vision.
Learn to control the position of the light, move it around your body, bringing your awareness along for the ride.
Meditation (Emptiness):
Sit still, and clear your mind. Breath through your nose. You can begin by focusing on your breath (no need to count), and work towards a focus-free mindfulness.
Practice Breathing:
Sit still, and clear your mind. As slowly as possible, breath in through your nose while counting. Once your lungs are full, hold your breath for the same count. Then, breath out for the same count. With each breath you will try to increase the count. Your goal is 20 seconds, (this may take many sittings.) Do this for 2-5 minutes before meditating.
Final Thoughts:
When (not if) a thought drifts by, observe it, and release it. Do not control your breaths, observe them.
Start by trying to meditate for 5-10 minutes, and build from there. Your first few attempts may be write-offs, your mind alternating between stillness and racing thoughts.
I’ve started meditating with my eyes partially open, there’s two schools of thought on this. Play around.
Some links:
The first three shows at ZenCast are meditation timers in mp3 format. You play them to time your sessions. They work much better than an alarm clock because they signal the end-point with ambient music —less jaring than a: BEEP BEEP BEEP.
…you have to set yourself on fire.
Language
A few days ago I stumbled across An Experimental Study of the Emergence of Human Communication Systems [pdf] by Bruno Galantucci.
From the abstract:
Pairs of participants played video games requiring communication. Members of a pair were physically separated but exchanged graphic signals through a medium that prevented the use of standard symbols (e.g., letters). Communication systems emerged and developed rapidly during the games, integrating the use of explicit signs with information implicitly available to players and silent behavior-coordinating procedures.
Yesterday, serendipity lead me to discover the Nicaraguan Sign Language (NLS).
By 1983 there were over 400 deaf students enrolled in the two [Nicaraguan deaf] schools. […] The [language] program achieved little success, with most students failing to grasp the concept of words. However, while the children remained linguistically disconnected from their teachers, the playground […] provided fertile ground for them to communicate with each other, and by combining gestures and elements of their home-sign systems, […] they were creating their own language.
You can watch a 5 minute documentary on NLS over at PBS.
It’s interesting to note that NLS would not have developed if these children had been older than 7, when our language absorption(/creation) faculties begin to fade. If NLS is any indication, the bulk of our world’s 6300 languages was developed by young children.
Side note: That last sentence sounds funny with ‘was’ beside a plural, but I assure you that the verb is in agreement with ‘bulk’ not ‘languages’. ;)
Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:—
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.
And so begins As Man Thinketh [Also here], James Allen’s turn of the century take on the power of thought.
Further off topic: An atheist speaks with god.
Music
