Vexen Crabtree's Live Journal

10 books!

Sat, 03 May 2008 17:34:15 GMT

I just searched for myself on "Google Books" and found about half a dozen books that I'm mentioned in, and didn't know about!

Fri, 02 May 2008 11:49:37 GMT

I hope you all enjoy your 4-day weekend.

I'll be working hard, as usual.

Losers!!

To the bone!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:08:47 GMT

Two days ago I cut my finger (to the bone!) with a pair of scissors, of all things. I cleaned and plastered it, and later taped it... but was told to go to the hospital today (by Mrs Crabtree, else she not send me any more chocolate!), and they've gone and covered most my finger in a huge bandage!

Economies of Scale of an International Military Force

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:04:19 GMT

I have expanded the comment on the economies of scale of an international military force, which is part of "Uniforce: An International Military Force" by Vexen Crabtree (2007):

"Once an international military force is established, there will be less need overall for the massive offensive armies retained by today's powers. Much of the surplus can be changed into a defensive, mostly part-time home guard. A study for the European Parliament in 2006 highlighted the fact that NATO-Europe maintains several different models of tank and 11 types of frigate (whereas American only maintains one type of each), and sixteen types of armoured vehicle against 3 in America. All these varieties require factories, contracts, research costs, warehouses, maintenance schedules and supply chains. If ten countries contribute to the costs of a single model of tank, then, it is as if research costs have become a tenth of what they were when those ten countries researched their own unilateral models. When such economies of scale apply across the full range of military equipment and training, the savings are staggering."

News!

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:49:54 GMT

Yay! Mrs Crabtree has lovingly sent out 2 months-worth of Economists, meaning, I can finally catch up on last months news! As always I try to read them in order, gradually building up to understanding the world as it is now!

And an issue of Skeptical Inquirer, too.

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:25:01 GMT

I want my life back!

More!

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 22:39:52 GMT

I want more life!

More time to write, more affection, more hours in the day, more time to read, more intelligent conversation (only one person at my work can maintain intelligent commentary on whatever topic we hit upon).

I have to sleep less, work faster, type faster, think clearer... and find a way past my present location's complete FTP-ban (and ftp proxy ban) in order to upload texts.

I have to make a greater name, make a bigger difference, teach more people, be harder, overcome my own weaknesses and failures, and get more out of everything I do.

Because, like, I've lived a third of my life, and I haven't done a third of what I wanted to have done.

Update to my science page: The Ionians

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:51:02 GMT

I have been very busy and mostly offline due to work, but I have been doing some offline stuff. I uploaded some today. Here is a new section on my Science page (excuse the stray footnotes, they exist only on the full version online): The Scientific Method: The Ionians

“2,500 years ago, there was a glorious awakening in Ionia: on Samos and the other nearby Greek colonies that grew up among the islands and inlets of the busy eastern Aegean Sea. Suddenly there were people who believed that everything was made of atoms; that human beings and other animals had sprung from simpler forms; that diseases were not caused by demons or the gods; that the Earth was only a planet going around the Sun. And that the stars were very far away. [...]
In the 6th century B.C., in Ionia, a new concept developed, one of the great ideas of the human species. The universe is knowable, the ancient Ionians argued, because it exhibits an internal order: there are regularities in Nature that permit its secrets to be uncovered. [...] This ordered and admirable character of the universe was called Cosmos. [...]
Between 600 and 400 B.C., this great revolution in human thought began. [...] The leading figures in this revolution were men with Greek names, largely unfamiliar to us today, the truest pioneers in the development of our civilization and our humanity.”
"Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (1995)₁₈

The city of Alexandria was the greatest in the ancient world. Its famous Library of Alexandria was constructed in the third century BCE by the Greek Kings, the Ptolemys. It became a scientific research centre and publishing capital of the world. Ionians forged ahead in many arenas of knowledge. "Eratosthenes accurately calculated the size of the Earth [...], Hipparchus anticipated that the stars come into being, slowly move during the course of centuries, and eventually perish, it was he who first catalogued the positions and magnitudes of the stars to detect such changes. Euclid produced a textbook on geometry from which humans learned for twenty-three centuries" [Sagan (1995)₁₉]. Such astounding wisdom backed up by studious thinking and experimentation could have launched the world into the modern era. But it didn't.

Rising superstition, the taking of slaves and the growth of monotheistic religion led to the demise of scientific enterprise. The culture changed. The last great scientist of Alexandria, Hypatia, was born in 370CE at a time when the "growing Christian Church was consolidating its power and attempting to eradicate pagan influence and culture". Cyril, the Archbishop of Alexandria, considered Hypatia to be a symbol of the learning and science which he considered to be pagan. "In the year 415, on her way to work she was set upon by a fanatical mob of Cyril's parishioners. They dragged her from her chariot, tore off her clothes, and, armed with abalone shells, flayed her flesh from her bones. Her remains were burned, her works obliterated, her name forgotten. Cyril was made a saint"₁₉.

The last remains of the Alexandrian Library were destroyed not long after Hypatia's death. Nearly all the books and documents were completely destroyed. The Western Dark Ages had begun, and all knowledge and science was forgotten in the West for over a thousand years.

Waaaaaa

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:37:57 GMT

I am incredibly offline at the moment. My only access to the Internet is via satellite links that are difficult to maintain.

In my new location at work, I am administering a network of over 100 laptops, 3 stacks of servers (DC, exchange, backup storage units and routers) plus spares, and a system of about 10 radio stacks that form the long-distance parts of the network. I've got fibres, cat5s, coax, switches, converters and radio links hiding in every crevice for kilometers around, and I am pretty much on my own in keeping it all together.

I'm in the desert, by the way... so sandstorms, freezing cold and melting heat all conspire to continually knock parts of the network offline. Also, 600 non-IT users play their part too.

I'm slowly getting settled and forcing the network into a state that makes me happier than it does now.

I have merely two guys; they serve as helpers rather than administrators, but they are pretty loyal and one of them has good IT senses. The other hates IT and isn't interested in doing anything at all, I have to manage him all the time, it's a pain.

I live in a tent with ten other people. The company is good, but the noise, smell, and space constraints *aren't*!

At least we've got hot running water, heating conduits for the freezing nights, and a stable power supply! We are so far from the nearest villages that none of us have ever been to them - not that there's anything there we'd possibly want!

Please be patient with me; I can hardly check emails, let alone continue discussions on places like LiveJournal.

Love you all!

Offline from Sunday

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:46:42 GMT

As of late evening Saturday, I will be offline until futher notice. Apologies for the half-completed debates and unanswered emails.

I may be back online regularly within a week, or, I could end up with only intermittent access for the next few months.

I should probably put this on my profile too...

DHL Parcel collection

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:55:27 GMT

We went to a DHL parcel collection building with the bit of paper they sent in the post, and saw outside their building a load of metal boxes in a wall, with a terminal. It was easy to work out, and we opened the correct box by showing the computer the bar code on the bit of paper. Voila! One Amazon delivery!

A 24-hr automated collection facility, we were suitably impressed... though I bet they're common and we're just all innocent and stuff.

Life's BIG questions...

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:46:32 GMT

Do any of you know:

1. What are some estimates as to the size of the universe?

2. What are some estimates about how many planets & moons are habitable by people?

3. What is the radius of the Earth?

4. To what depth in metres, and to what height, do humans live? I.e., we live from 20m below sea level in some places, to 3km above sea level in others? What's the range?

Annual dentists' inspection

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:19:31 GMT

A very quick appointment. The Dr said that he had looked at my notes and didn't expect anything to be wrong and that I have a good history. During and after the inspection he said I have perfect teeth, and that “if everyone was like you, [Mr] Crabtree, we’d be out of a job!”. He also took an xray of my teeth, and said that normally they do this every two years (my last one was 2005), but in my case I am low-risk so they do it less often.

Another hire car...

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:23:28 GMT

This week I've been driving a Chrysler Voyager, 2.8 automatic, complete with heated seats, very clever windscreen wipers, and some serious amount of all-round cushioning. It was like driving a futuristic space-ship made of sponge.

First time I'd driven automatic. My biggest problem was the inertia: when I take my foot off the accelerator, I prefer to slow down not to magically slide along the road.

Animal Sacrifice in Traditional World Religions and Satanism

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:51:31 GMT

I have rewritten my page on animal sacrifice and Satanism (originally 2001). The new introduction to "Animal Sacrifice and Blood Rituals in Traditional World Religions and Satanism" by Vexen Crabtree (2008) reads:

World religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism all embody a traditional and sometimes bizarre set of animal sacrifice rituals in their holy texts. These practices, despite being borderline barbaric, not in keeping with animal welfare, and downright strange; are still in use today by religious leaders all over the world, in all countries including the most modern. Although it might seem reasonable in the West to allow butchers to sell halal food, for example, at the core of this familiar label is weird ritualistic behaviour that belongs in the ignorant dark ages, not in today's age. The ideals of pluralism have blinded us to the stark reality that some religious practices are simply unacceptable. Animal rights campaigners have joined forces with moral activists to try and curb religious ritual slaughter of animals. The general public associate blood rituals involving animals with Satanism, not realizing that they were all invented and are still practiced by mainstream religions - and that Satanism does not involve animal sacrifice. We will compare scriptures below and look at some of the gory and shocking rituals that God directly asks people to do in the Jewish Scriptures / Old Testament. As modern governments continue to legislate against cruelty to animals, we will find that it is the world's mainstream religions' adherents who retreat to shady basements and hidden locations to perform secret rituals to kill animals, not Satanists or modern Pagans.

Animal Sacrifice in World Religions (Judaism, Christianity, Mithraism, Paganism and Animism)
Halal Ritual Slaughter Controversies
Satanism
Appendix A: Animal Sacrifice in the Jewish Scriptures & Christian Old Testament

Someone cares!

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:38:16 GMT

Soon, I am going off, on work, to a faraway foreign land for about six months (again - same place as last). It is a place famous for freezing desert colds and searing desert heats. Anyway, I picked up the box of personal kit that my work are giving to everyone going this year. In 2006, I was pretty impressed with some of the stuff: Expensive anti-sun, anti-radiation sunglasses, strong bags and all sorts (beside uniforms).

This year... as I will be there when it is much colder... I have "extreme cold weather" socks and boots... wristlets (long socks for the arms!), and a pair of inner/outer mittens that are so big they would look good with a spacesuit.

Even tough sandals (which I am unlikely to wear, given the fearsome and aggressive insects out there).

It made me blurt out to Mrs Crabtree that "someone cares!".

I don't often have such a feeling when it comes to work!

2008

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:09:08 GMT

I think 2008 is going to another year of continuance... there is a possibility that I will move back to the UK but I'm electing to stay in Germany for longer.

I'm off, again, to a hot and sandy country to do IT infrastructure stuff for a few months which will make the year pass as fast as 2007 did.

Apart from that, I foresee no changes in momentum, style, methodology or personality!

Annual LJ Comments

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 14:10:08 GMT

2007: 2270

2006: 3663 (had multiple weeks of a full maibox, so some were lost)

2005: 4066

2004: 2109

2003: 3200

2002: 1350

2001: 0047 (doesn't include 1st 4 months)

Date created: 2001 Jul 31 05:22:47
Journal entries: 1,237
Comments Posted: 5,662
Comments Received: 15,911

I have deleted thousands of comments in total, so my email record will not match exactly with the LJ count.

Souls do not Exist

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:05:57 GMT

"Souls do not Exist: Evidence from Science & Philosophy Against Mind-Body Dualism" by Vexen Crabtree (2007, rewritten from my 1998 original).

Our 'minds', 'souls', 'spirit' and consciousness are all physical in nature. Thousands of years of research has shown that our brains comprise and produce our true selves. Souls and spirits do not exist. Our bodies run themselves. We know from cases of brain damage and the effects of psychoactive drugs, that our experiences are caused by physical chemistry acting on our physical neurones in our brains. Our innermost selves is our biochemical selves.

Travian

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:05:41 GMT

Travian is an Iron Age wargame where you (slowly) build up a village, train an army, and found new villages... I've been on UK server 1 for nearly a year, but, a new UK Server 4 has just opened, it's been running two weeks. A game runs for at least a year (I don't know how long, really). So now is the perfect time to join! I want you all to join so that I have more allies in the game!

Join Travian Server 4, and it will ask you where in the map you prefer to be (it's a big place). I am in the North-east... so if we all join NE, then, we'll be closer, otherwise it'll take hours to get reinforcements and resources between us.

It's a slow game... log on every few hours and tell your villagers to get on doing something.

Er, and if you join and get your village to 75 population (mine is 111 at the moment) then I get 20 gold :-)

Foreign workers statistics [edited]

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:07:53 GMT

400 000 jobs (of 2.7 million new jobs) have been lost to foreigners instead of Brits since 1997. That is more like 15% than the 80% cited in some papers.

There is a lot of ridiculous hype in the newspapers about the numbers of foreigners taking up jobs in the UK. The Guardian presents some of the figures: In short (subtracting already the number of UK nationals born abroad who work back in the UK):

Since 1997, 65% of new jobs in the UK for under-65s, have gone to foreign nationals.

Some papers state 80%, but, that figure includes UK nationals who were born abroad, but who now work back here. For example: British children of UK citizens who live and work in Europe who grow up and return to the UK to live and work. The real number of 'foreigners' taking up new jobs is 65%: more than half.

There is something else that needs to be taken into account: The large numbers of British citizens who have taken jobs abroad since 1997 should be subtracted from the number of foreigners taking jobs here over the same period, giving us net data. In total, 6 million Brits live or work abroad (10% of us), and the number of British emigrants is increasing (it doubled from 2001, to 107000 people leaving in 2006).

The Guardian says 1.1 million new workers are foreign nationals. Some quick calculations (assuming that every year up to 2006 we have taken progressively less jobs abroad) reveals we could have taken 732 000 jobs abroad since 1997, meaning the net number is 400 000 jobs 'lost' to foreigners.

Yet it is not simply a case of foreigners 'taking' jobs because the economy is more complicated than that. Many jobs are created because of immigration and because of increased economic strength due to immigration. Those countries that have opened their borders fullest to new members of the EU (Britain, Sweden and Eire) have benefited overall, and the government says that such foreigners and their families pay more in tax than they receive in aid.

References:

The Guardian "Higher figures for foreign workers undermine ministers' claims", http://www.guardian.co.uk/immigration/story/0,,2225600,00.html.
"UK Immigration, Economics and Pensions" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

BBC News 2006 Dec 11: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6210358.stm

Satanism and the Environment

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:02:38 GMT

New page: "Satanism and Environmentalism" by Vexen Crabtree

The conclusion reads:

The tenets of Satanism are geared naturally towards environmentalism, although whether or not individual Satanists draw these conclusions or act on them is entirely a personal matter, the religion or philosophy of Satanism has an implicit direction towards environmental protectionism. Short-term energy usage at the expense of long-term planetary health is irresponsible, it harms our children and it is stupid. These run against the 6th Satanic Statement (responsibility to the responsible), the 11th Satanic Rule of the Earth (do not harm children), and the cardinal Satanic Sin (stupidity). It is Satan's personified will that we remain powerful and intelligent (the Prometheus mentality) and we simply can't do that on a crippled planet.

Bored...

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:07:43 GMT

Evening here are like one big struggle to find things to do... with only a laptop and an uncomfortable desk, I'm spending hours online 'doing' ... nothing.

Especially now LJ is becoming underlooked! Where is everyone? What chat apps and IMs does everyone use?

Next two weeks in Dorset, UK

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:41:00 GMT

For the next two weeks I'm staying in Dorset, UK... an hours' bus journey from Salisbury. My accomodation is quite poor; no mobile phone reception within a km, an internet cafe that never seems to be open, etc... and the shower has no temperature control... this morning, I turned all the hot-water taps on to full, put all the showers on and it didn't make the shower I wanted come down to a less-than-scolding temperature. Ridiculous.

I expect temporary accomodation to have dribbling lukewarm showers that I can at least try to wash under... not high-powered, scalding water that I can't bear!

Anyway, I'm not very mobile so don't think I'll be able to meet anyone apart from a few work colleagues who are in the area.

A loyal cat!

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:20:56 GMT

Recently I've been admiring how loyal our cat, Missy, is. She does the normal pet thing of following us around the house all the time; she sits in the bathroom with us as we get ready in the morning, goes to sleep in whichever room we're in, follows us around casually from room to room as we do housework, and meows at us from inside the house as we return from work. And none of that is counting her extra-affections at feeding times or when she wants to go out.

Anyway... just one example from earlier today, she was out, but I wanted to go out to drive to a nearby town, so I wanted her in. I went to the back door, shouted "Miseeeeeey" once, not very loud, and she immediately came running from one of her resting places in a nearby hedge... jumped into our garden, and trotted quickly straight into the house.

Admittedly, we have taught her pavlov-style, so, I did of course give her some cat biscuits. But she really did deserve them, because she's loyal and almost obedient!