Ah, memory..

Socrates believed that writing was an evil thing, because it would remove the need for men to store things in their mind. Memory is a funny thing, sometimes out of no where it produces some useful tidbit of information or some helpful idea, other times, no matter how much you press it, it simply refuses to hand over something you know it has. Ever been talking to a person you know and simply cannot remember their name?

Some people have great memory and memorization, we've all heard of "Photographic Memory" and of highly trained spies being able to glance at something and then recreate it from memory much later.

So, memory, like the body, is a muscle that can be trained and strengthened.

In an attempt to improve my memory, I have decided to being memorizing various things as they strike my interest. For example, my first.

You must intoxicate yourself, if you are a modern man, in order to forget the oppressive burden of time.

I didn't see it as important to remember who originally said that, but I believe it came out of the Industrial revolution. How much more true now?

Next, my second:
The wise man should seek to sever himself, through long training, from all dependence on human society or material goods, until he has risen to a level of independence comparable to the god's themselves.

When I read that, it very well verbalized something I feel very deeply, especially more recently. It relates to the effects of urbanism, dehumanization, isolation, and urbanization, and some other things that I will write more on later, I think.

And now, one of my favorite pictures.

And now for something completely different.

And now, a haiku!

The days slide on by,
living quietly alone,
death without protest.

And one from my brother:

A black tsunami
pale foam flashing in the dark
milk in my coffee

I think his is much better than mine, and much a much truer representation of the original haiku form.

Why is poetry so lost in our culture? Or is it really lost, or has it just changed forms? Where once we had stanza's and sonnets, we now have youtube videos and pop songs.

Legality of Assault Rifles

The second amendment to the constitution of the United States states that:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

I am skeptical whether this allows for civilians legally possessing assault rifles.

First of all, the right to keep and bear arms is in the context of a State Militia, which civilians are not a part of. However, I also have no problem with the possession of firearms for self defense. As citizens, we have the right to own private property, and with that, comes the right and the duty to defend it. However, do we really need an assault rifle to do this? I believe every household ought to have a weapon. But honestly, unless you live in Mexico (read:drug cartels), do you really need anything more than a glock?

What scares me is simply the power contained by these assault rifles. It's too much. Too much for the common man.

A 30 round clip of 7.62mm is an unbelievable amount of power.

A 7.62x39mm bullet travels at about 2,600 feet per second, and with about 2,500 Joules of energy. It can kill you even without hitting a vital organ.

Even in the absence of yaw and a large temporary cavity, a hit to the shoulder can produce significant lung hemorrhaging attributed to stress wave transmission.

Keep in mind: that's best case scenario, throw in some yaw and you're really in bad shape.

And you have 30 of these. Deadly up to a mile away. And ridiculously easy to use. Especially given the optical technology widely available today. Even a person with zero weapons training can pick it up and go. 

Holographic Sight - $600 However, Red Dot sights can be found under $50. How much easier could it be? Step 1: Pick up the gun.
Step 2: Put the red dot on the target.
Step 3: Kill.

The potential for devastation by these weapons is hard to comprehend. They are vastly overpowered for personal or home defense. Your bullets aren't just going through your attacker, they're going through your wall. And your neighbor's wall. And your neighbor. And his neighbor's wall. And his neighbor. You see where I'm going with this? It's too easy to just keep squeezing the trigger with no regard for the penetration capability of these weapons.

So, make no mistake. Assault rifles are weapons of war. Beautifully engineered, and packing a deadly punch.
I'm all for our police officers being armed. In fact, I think we should increase the amount of firepower they have, and reduce the restrictions on when they are allowed to utilize it. We need to put 'the fear of the law' back into society. People are too aware of the protection they have from those whose jobs it is to protect them. They are just waiting for the opportunity to open a lawsuit for police brutality or unnecessary roughness. But how bout this? You do what they say when they say it and you won't get beat. They're supposed to the the LAW. The AUTHORITY.

Just a few rambling thoughts. Feel free to disagree.

Just, before you come out yelling, watch the Kyle Dinkheller video, and then tell me that civilians need that kind of firepower.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment.

This, my first post.

I feel like I should offer some type of 'statement of intent' or 'mission statement' in this post, given that it is the first. However, this blog has no particular purpose except to serve as a medium of information exchange, a channel of communication, and an output for my ramblings and thoughts.

You may be curious about my name, and the name of this blog. I've decided that all of my best thinking occurs between 2 and 5 in the morning. It's strange. The night brings a sense of clarity otherwise unattainable.
I've attached this handy graph for your viewing pleasure.