At the end, you know all machines are feminine: the whole bloody lot. The names that they are given are irrelevant, they are all girls. I used to touch the deck things on the RV Sergey Vavivlov but I still thought of her as my girl. No different from bells. Emmanuel, the heaviest full circle ringing bell in the world may well be named after Christ but she is still a girl. All bells are girls. When you start to ring bells, you start with the lightest and you say (to tell the others to be prepared), ‘Treble’s going, she’s gone,’ for that is the moment of commitment.
Look at the launch of a ship. The champagne bottle crashes into the bows and the words come out, ‘May God bless her and all who sail in her,’ etc etc.
Why? I simply do not know. One reason may be that we trust machinery to help and protect us as we would with our mothers. Another may be that we know they are capricious and awkward at times.
They all fit. I love machinery and I love women.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Monday, 18 January 2010
David
This is my name, the Christian name my parents gave to me. I don’t know when but it was probably soon after I was born so I have carried it almost all of my life. I like it. Somewhere I once read that it was Hebrew and meant ‘lullaby’ or ‘darling.’ I don’t think either description fits with me but I am OK with it.
Somewhere in the marketing text books, it was said that your Christian name was the sweetest sound you could ever hear. I’ll buy that. Likewise, I did read once that your name to a degree conditioned your personality. There seems no logic in that but I do agree to a certain extent. I won’t be nasty here but I do recognise traits in personalities and names. Xxxxxn’s are generally boring while Xxxxx’s are usually robust characters. I could go on and on.
Then you get to the diminutive – Dave. Hate it. One of my own brothers uses it. Dave’s are not David’s. Dave’s are altogether shallower people. David’s are strong. Dave did not kill Goliath: David did. The interesting thing here is that some people seem instinctively to call me ‘David’ whilst others do the same with ‘Dave.’ That in itself tells me something, ‘They don’t all bloody watch me.’
I am a David; I always have been and I always will be.
Somewhere in the marketing text books, it was said that your Christian name was the sweetest sound you could ever hear. I’ll buy that. Likewise, I did read once that your name to a degree conditioned your personality. There seems no logic in that but I do agree to a certain extent. I won’t be nasty here but I do recognise traits in personalities and names. Xxxxxn’s are generally boring while Xxxxx’s are usually robust characters. I could go on and on.
Then you get to the diminutive – Dave. Hate it. One of my own brothers uses it. Dave’s are not David’s. Dave’s are altogether shallower people. David’s are strong. Dave did not kill Goliath: David did. The interesting thing here is that some people seem instinctively to call me ‘David’ whilst others do the same with ‘Dave.’ That in itself tells me something, ‘They don’t all bloody watch me.’
I am a David; I always have been and I always will be.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Herald of Free Enterprise
This was a car ferry that sank in 1987 killing 193 people as it left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. I have used it on that crossing with no mishap. However on the fateful night, they left the sea doors open apparently to clear exhaust fumes from the vehicle deck. Water came in, the ship listed and unchained vehicles slid about and aggravated the list. So it sank.
I was nowhere near all this, sitting in the comfort of my home but it changed my life. At the time and at the insistence of my daughter, I was learning to swim. So the following week, our swimming instructor told us to bring everyday clothes to the lesson. And there he taught us how to undress underwater and get to the surface.
It's like the 'know your escape route' about which I wrote earlier. You have to think about survival. It is not all about luck.
I was nowhere near all this, sitting in the comfort of my home but it changed my life. At the time and at the insistence of my daughter, I was learning to swim. So the following week, our swimming instructor told us to bring everyday clothes to the lesson. And there he taught us how to undress underwater and get to the surface.
It's like the 'know your escape route' about which I wrote earlier. You have to think about survival. It is not all about luck.
Animal intelligence
The Sunday Times today publishes an article on animal intelligence. Here is the link if you wish to read it:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/biology_evolution/article6991028.ece
The conclusion is that there is no digital divide between the intelligence of humans and the rest of the animal world. Am I surprised? No. You only have to watch your fellow men to see that a spectrum of intelligence already exists there so why not carry this on to the animals?
Many, many years ago, late 60's I think, I got the usual knock on the door from the Jehovah's Witnesses. They gave me a book about creation. Read it and marked it up but they never came back so I could not argue with them. One picture I remember well showed human beings on a cliff top and across the canyon, the rest of the animal world. It was meant to portray that we were uniquely created by God and that the animals were our servants. Thought it was bollocks then and think it more so today.
As I have grown older, I have travelled more and watched animals more and that has lead me to believe that intelligence is a continuum. Who knows what dolphins could do if they had hands?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/biology_evolution/article6991028.ece
The conclusion is that there is no digital divide between the intelligence of humans and the rest of the animal world. Am I surprised? No. You only have to watch your fellow men to see that a spectrum of intelligence already exists there so why not carry this on to the animals?
Many, many years ago, late 60's I think, I got the usual knock on the door from the Jehovah's Witnesses. They gave me a book about creation. Read it and marked it up but they never came back so I could not argue with them. One picture I remember well showed human beings on a cliff top and across the canyon, the rest of the animal world. It was meant to portray that we were uniquely created by God and that the animals were our servants. Thought it was bollocks then and think it more so today.
As I have grown older, I have travelled more and watched animals more and that has lead me to believe that intelligence is a continuum. Who knows what dolphins could do if they had hands?
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Ultimate success
Do what you wish in this world unless it is harmful. Go for anything you wish and feel good when you have achieved it. The magnitude of your desires is irrelevant in the eyes of others; it's the magnitude in your own eyes which counts.
But if you wish for ultimate success, something that exceeds every hope and desire you ever had, then look at your children. For if they succeed then you have success beyond compare. Nothing you have ever done will beat that.
But if you wish for ultimate success, something that exceeds every hope and desire you ever had, then look at your children. For if they succeed then you have success beyond compare. Nothing you have ever done will beat that.
Chinese horoscopes
We all know that the chinese classify year of birth by animal names - tiger, rat, monkey etc. Fewer people know that the animal of your year of birth is classified by one of five elements - metal, water, wood, fire and earth. So with a cycle of 12 years and 5 elements, the specific type only comes up every 60 years.
Being born in 1944, I am a wood monkey. This is what they say about them:
Wood Monkeys are sharp, witty individuals. They are practical and sharp and possess a general knowledge of how things work. They have a knack for communicating with others and excel in languages and information technology. These Monkeys can deal with all types of people with ease and grace. They work hard and apply their practicality to their work.
And then again:
A real dynamo, this one! The Wood Monkey wants to do things and never likes to sit around doing nothing. No video watching, instead this one will climb the highest mountains, go on the grand safari, and have one adventure after another, with great creativity and imagination. Whew! Often pioneers in new undertakings, they are sharp and ambitious and make big deals happen. These Gentle Giants can be in charge of all the details and no one ever thinks them bossy or pushy. They are good communicators and give direction without ruffling feathers. Workaholics all the way, they really need to learn to relax a little so their family life does not suffer. When they do take time out to breathe, they are so sympathetic and caring, never leaving their friends and family in the lurch. Love life can be a roller coaster of ups and downs, ranging from a conservative holding back to the unleashing of wild passion.
Famous Monkey people: Elizabeth Taylor, Charles Dickens, Lyndon Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Rockefeller, Leonardo da Vinci, Simone de Beauvoir, Isaac Stern, George Lucas
So you have been really lucky to have known me.
Being born in 1944, I am a wood monkey. This is what they say about them:
Wood Monkeys are sharp, witty individuals. They are practical and sharp and possess a general knowledge of how things work. They have a knack for communicating with others and excel in languages and information technology. These Monkeys can deal with all types of people with ease and grace. They work hard and apply their practicality to their work.
And then again:
A real dynamo, this one! The Wood Monkey wants to do things and never likes to sit around doing nothing. No video watching, instead this one will climb the highest mountains, go on the grand safari, and have one adventure after another, with great creativity and imagination. Whew! Often pioneers in new undertakings, they are sharp and ambitious and make big deals happen. These Gentle Giants can be in charge of all the details and no one ever thinks them bossy or pushy. They are good communicators and give direction without ruffling feathers. Workaholics all the way, they really need to learn to relax a little so their family life does not suffer. When they do take time out to breathe, they are so sympathetic and caring, never leaving their friends and family in the lurch. Love life can be a roller coaster of ups and downs, ranging from a conservative holding back to the unleashing of wild passion.
Famous Monkey people: Elizabeth Taylor, Charles Dickens, Lyndon Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Rockefeller, Leonardo da Vinci, Simone de Beauvoir, Isaac Stern, George Lucas
So you have been really lucky to have known me.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Shit - usage of the word
A simple little word simultaneously offensive and versatile. Think of me as you will but I do use it a lot. I was asked many years ago to write down all the examples of the word's usage. Never got around to it until yesterday. So for better or for worse, try this:
Shit – faeces or excrement – the basic meaning of the word
Piece of shit – referring to a person – uncomplimentary comment. But when referring to something written or spoken, it means rubbish or nonsense. Can also be applied to a task or problem when it means easy.
Bullshit – as above when referring to something written or spoken
Bull shitting – subtly different – speaking something which is not true, possibly in a flamboyant way and with a purpose to impress or persuade. Or may just refer who has no knowledge of the subject on which they are speaking but talking on the subject regardless and trying to sound knowledgeable.
Shit! – as an exclamation – Damn!
It’s a penny to a piece of shit – the odds of something happening – pretty certain in this case
Shithead/shitface – term of abuse
Couldn’t give a shit – don’t care
Up shit creek without a paddle – in trouble and no way out
In the shit – in trouble
Deep shit – in serious trouble
Shit street – a place where you are in trouble
Pile of shit – referring to a person – term of abuse. But adaptable – could refer to an unreliable product, a meal, a report, pretty much anything you see as bad, worthless etc
Tastes like shit – refers to poor food or drink
Go eat shit – go away and do something really unpleasant for you
The shit has hit the fan – big trouble for everyone
Jack Shit – nothing – as in ‘You know Jack Shit,’ or ‘I don’t care Jack Shit.’
Little shit – term of abuse, the word ‘little’ just adds emphasis. Usually means worthless but could be applied to someone who has betrayed you in some way or even just embarrassed you.
No shit? – a question to the talker meaning something like ‘Really, you are not kidding (jesting) with me?’
Holy shit! – an expletive about an event or happening, usually not bad.
Full of shit – refers to a person whom you think is constantly talking bullshit (see above)
Flyshit/Chicken shit – something of no significance whatsoever
Shit happens – a dismissive response when someone tells you of a misfortune and you don’t really care. In person you might just shrug your shoulders as you say it.
No shit, Sherlock? – Americanism which I don’t use. A response to being told some very obvious. The addition of Sherlock only adds to the sarcasm being a reference to Sherlock Holmes so it tells the speaker that his observation is really clever which it isn’t.
Shit – faeces or excrement – the basic meaning of the word
Piece of shit – referring to a person – uncomplimentary comment. But when referring to something written or spoken, it means rubbish or nonsense. Can also be applied to a task or problem when it means easy.
Bullshit – as above when referring to something written or spoken
Bull shitting – subtly different – speaking something which is not true, possibly in a flamboyant way and with a purpose to impress or persuade. Or may just refer who has no knowledge of the subject on which they are speaking but talking on the subject regardless and trying to sound knowledgeable.
Shit! – as an exclamation – Damn!
It’s a penny to a piece of shit – the odds of something happening – pretty certain in this case
Shithead/shitface – term of abuse
Couldn’t give a shit – don’t care
Up shit creek without a paddle – in trouble and no way out
In the shit – in trouble
Deep shit – in serious trouble
Shit street – a place where you are in trouble
Pile of shit – referring to a person – term of abuse. But adaptable – could refer to an unreliable product, a meal, a report, pretty much anything you see as bad, worthless etc
Tastes like shit – refers to poor food or drink
Go eat shit – go away and do something really unpleasant for you
The shit has hit the fan – big trouble for everyone
Jack Shit – nothing – as in ‘You know Jack Shit,’ or ‘I don’t care Jack Shit.’
Little shit – term of abuse, the word ‘little’ just adds emphasis. Usually means worthless but could be applied to someone who has betrayed you in some way or even just embarrassed you.
No shit? – a question to the talker meaning something like ‘Really, you are not kidding (jesting) with me?’
Holy shit! – an expletive about an event or happening, usually not bad.
Full of shit – refers to a person whom you think is constantly talking bullshit (see above)
Flyshit/Chicken shit – something of no significance whatsoever
Shit happens – a dismissive response when someone tells you of a misfortune and you don’t really care. In person you might just shrug your shoulders as you say it.
No shit, Sherlock? – Americanism which I don’t use. A response to being told some very obvious. The addition of Sherlock only adds to the sarcasm being a reference to Sherlock Holmes so it tells the speaker that his observation is really clever which it isn’t.
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