Strangely Perfect

What Does That Title Mean! A. Those who practice Buddhism do so without any expectation of grace or favour.  They do it for two reasons: To Improve their own life and continuing existence To improve other’s lives and future existences You don’t have to believe that they do this – after all, it could all [...]

The Hell of Incessant Suffering and the Land of Tranquil Light Note: This was originally published here http://buddhastate.co.uk/blog/?p=30 on Sunday, September 24th, 2006 at 4:28 pm and filed under Buddhism..  The link has been dead for quite some time, looks unlikely to re-appear,  so I’m showing the words here as they are so wonderful because [...]

It’s Just Like Bladerunner, And Not Just the Weather! Tears in Rain Bladerunner, the movie, based on an old Philip K Dick science-fiction story, was made by Ridley Scott from North-East England, someone I’m distantly related to.  Made in 1982, it presents a very grey, wet, bleak future, heavily referencing Scott’s (and my own!) upbringing [...]

Coroner and Law I’m often struck when reading the papers or news, to see the coroner’s verdict on someone’s death as: Ending his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed Well they have to say something, it’s their job, but the phrase is very peculiar. Take this couple, the Milners, who were [...]

Our existence in this world can be likened to a dream. The issue of the greatest importance and eternal relevance is how we face death, the inescapable destiny of all living beings. For in the face of death, external factors such as social status or position in the organization count for naught.  Everything depends on [...]

Each one of the fuzzy white bits in the photo above is a galaxy containing billions of stars and thus many, many life-forms, all at various stages of evolution.  This statement is derived from the work of thousands of intellectuals using the powers of observation and deduction available to us all. Tonight there was a [...]

Introduction & History Recently, Microsoft has reworked it’s search engine (MSN Live Search) and renamed it Bing.  This was followed even more recently, with a joint venture between itself and former search king Yahoo! into a hazily explained search and advertising combination. Microsoft is well known for wheeling out the lawyers as backup to it’s [...]

Introduction Professor Noel Sharkey from Sheffield, better known as one of the judges on the BBCTV show “Robot Wars” knows a thing or two about robots and artificial intelligence.  He’s made a plea for more debate about the use of robot planes in warfare. (see link) He’s said, “An international debate is needed on the [...]

New Jaguar XJ In common with most cars like this, it’s a lovely looking machine – a style marvel; sleek and vapid, mercurial. It’s also a waste of space and a waste of effort. It’s two tonnes of mass for a 400kg payload is pants.  An ecological disaster zone. Money for Old Rope Not only [...]

Tests raise life extension hopes – see news here Possibly, this stuff, rapamycin, could be the next big internet scam.  Acai berries are nearly done, same as Green Tea and Wheat Grass. Rapamycin It’s an anti-biotic, found in 1970 on the bleak Pacific island called Easter Island.  I’ve mentioned this place previously as a comparative [...]

I saw some news today that apparently gives some creedence to the idea that music is what makes us human.  It’s here: ‘Oldest musical instrument’ found The academic in charge, Nicholas Conard, said that the development of music probably helped social cohesion in our ancestors, making their survival and our own existence, possible!  This is [...]

….. you had better cut short your sleep by night and curtail your leisure by day, and ponder this! You must not spend your lives in vain and regret it for ten thousand years to come. Yay Nichiren! This quote is taken from The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume One, page 622 Says it all [...]

G20 Protest (riot?) My Riot Point. The picture above I first saw in a montage at the BBC website on a ‘as -it-happens’ sort of new item earlier today at work.  It’s very instructive, but to me it doesn’t look like a riot -  but more like 30 people taking pictures of someone breaking a [...]

Data, and Trust in Science The Burden of Proof is on Science but ’twas ever thus…. The arguments from climate change sceptics ultimately hinge around the general perception of aloofness and intangibility that hang round science and scientists.  The trouble is that some people are basically innumerate and no amount of trying will make them [...]