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Teach myself Math virtually for the first time.
January 15, 2013 10:05 AM   Subscribe

I'm a 21 year old college senior liberal arts major who has managed to slide by in school (and life) without ever really learning math beyond a middle school/very early high school level. For no reason in particular, I've decided that I want to get serious about bettering myself in the math department. How can I teach myself the academic math skills I missed out on?

Throughout my academic career, math has always been a serious hang up for me. Even at the times when I at least vaguely grasped the concepts, it was my worst subject. I was a straight A student through high school, with the exception of math, in which I maintained a C average with some difficulty.

For reasons that don't bear explanation, I have managed to pass (barely) mathematics and physics classes with virtually no comprehension beyond a middle school level. My most recent math class, for example, was my Freshman "Intro to Math" course for liberal arts majors. It is far and away the most simple math course my university offers. I passed with a D-, and thought it an absolute miracle.

When I think about all of the years I wasted doing so poorly, knowing I never made even the slightest effort to improve, it makes me sick at heart. I want to learn mathematics. How can I? Internet and book-learning are options. Tutoring is not. Assume that I will be learning about these concepts more or less for the first time.

Here's what I do know:

These are all clear as day, and I can solve any number problem put before me:

Very basic algebra

Here's what I don't know, but want to:
Fractions- Fractions were where the shit really started to hit the fan in my education. Maybe sixth grade?
Probability- Draw a card/pick balls and replace/don't replace
Combinations- If you have X number of condiments, Y kind of meats, and Z types of fries, how many different meals can you have. That sort of thing
Compound interest
General Economics math
Order of Operations

I don't want to just punch things into a calculator. I want to understand how they work. I basically need a ground up math education. With time and patience can I teach myself? If so, please help me with the how! Thank you for your attention. I appreciate your responses in advance!
posted by Krazor to Education (19 answers total) 58 users marked this as a favorite
I just read this article about a Cornell professor who's written a book, "The Joy of x", that might be right up your alley. (This prof wrote a series of columns on math for the New York Times, and this book compiles those as well as adding more.)
posted by wyzewoman at 10:18 AM on January 15, 2013

Try Coursera.Org.

There are a few courses you could try, namely Algebra and Pre-Calculus. The catalogue has a myriad other courses that may pique your interest as well.
posted by rozaine at 10:21 AM on January 15, 2013

check out the Khan Academy.
posted by KathrynT at 10:30 AM on January 15, 2013 [7 favorites]

I think it would be fun to teach a motivated older student. If your school has a college of education that prepares math teachers, it's possible you could get free tutoring by presenting it as "rehearsing your high school math lesson plans."
posted by Nomyte at 10:36 AM on January 15, 2013

Khan Academy offers free video lessons on all sorts of math topics. They look like some excellent teaching to me (I have a bachelor's degree in physics and am finishing up an engineering Ph.D, so I've both learned and taught these topics).

(Frustratingly, the site is down right this second as I post. As far as I know that's not a regular happening; hopefully it'll be back up by the time you check these responses!)
posted by snowmentality at 10:36 AM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

This is totally doable with some time, effort, and perhaps a bit of outside "human" help!

Many of those topics are on Betterexplained.

Intro level macro and micro classes typically are algebra based, while higher (undergrad) levels are more calculus based.

Math applets (ex) are your friend.

IMO a conceptual understanding at this level of math is very important, but so is a lot of practice with these types of problems.

Among other explanations, fractions are just another way to write division.

MEP math is a better elementary than middle/ secondary school resource. However, if you are missing the connections between division, fractions, and percents then it is possible you are not as fluent/ comfortable with number than you could be.

Memail me. I had a similar experience (re)learning math as an adult. I'd be happy to share my personal experience doing this and be someone to bounce ideas off of.
posted by oceano at 10:53 AM on January 15, 2013

The list of what you want to know is quite a mixture of stuff. I'd start off with fractions and percentages first, because these appear everywhere and you can't really do any sort of math without understanding them. Order of operations too, although that's a simple, mechanical thing.

Algebra and pre-calculus go together. Pre-calculus, from what I recall, is "Algebra 2.0 - This Time Pay Attention". Calculus is applied algebra. You don't fail calculus, you fail algebra while taking calculus. Compound interest can't really be understood without algebra, so that comes next.

I find an ability to estimate probabilities to be incredibly useful, as well as the ability to work with numbers and get back-of-the-envelope answers. Estimating sales tax without a calculator, for example. What is a marginal tax rate and what happens to me when it goes up?

Proofs, combinations, and permutations can be interesting, but I don't know what I'd do with them. Leave them until last.

Physics is an enormous subject. You are going to have to break that down a little.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:02 AM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Read the new book Measurement by Paul Lockhart, if you want to get a feel for proof-based mathematics. He does a lot of analytical geometry and calculus in there, so the topics are up your alley also.
posted by King Bee at 11:04 AM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

The Wiley math self-teaching guides are pretty solid. I have personally used and gotten value from "All the Math You'll Ever Need," "Practical Algebra," "Geometry and Trigonometry for Calculus," and "Quick Calculus."

They're clearly-written tutorials that will give you something of a math base to build from.
posted by zjacreman at 11:19 AM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

Definitely Khan Academy.
posted by Dansaman at 11:44 AM on January 15, 2013

Math is a lot of fun, but it's taught really poorly in most schools. Lockhart's Lament [pdf] is a really interesting musing on this subject. GH Hardy's A Mathematician's Lament is also good, and might help you start to see the why of math.

Some mathy logic puzzle books would probably help spark your interest and get your mind thinking in that proofy playful mode, too -- I'm a big fan of Raymond Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird (now out of print? dang) but virtually anything by Smullyan or Martin Gardner would work. Might also want to watch some of Vi Hart's videos.

It also might help to take a break from the algebra/calculus continuum (ha) and look at something else. I really liked this introduction to graph theory, and it's intended to be accessible to the "mathematically traumatized".

Proofs [...] can be interesting, but I don't know what I'd do with them. Leave them until last.

I strongly disagree. I didn't start understanding math until I started doing proofs. Everything before that felt like swimming in a disconnected sea of tricks and techniques.
posted by wayland at 11:45 AM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

You've received a bunch of good suggestions already. But let me suggest one thing to start you off: find The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume 1 - your nearest library can help [*] - and open it up to Chapter 22, "Algebra".

The Feynman lectures are famous in the community for reinventing physics from the ground up. In this chapter, Feynman does the same for algebra: he starts with definitions of integers, zero, and addition, and while taking 10 square roots of 10, he discovers (invents?) logarithms, irrational numbers, complex numbers...

The lecture ends with a formula that Feynman calls "an amazing jewel" - we write it as e^(i*pi)+1=0, a simple equation that connects 0, 1, e (2.71828182846...), pi (3.1415926...), and i (sqrt(-1)), linking algebra and geometry in a wonderfully, breathtakingly deep way.

I'm blathering - but seriously, if you've never done any math, try this chapter from the Lectures. At the very least, you'll have a better appreciation for the richness of the territory to be covered.

[*] If you google Feynman Lectures Algebra, there are several PDF matches too...
posted by RedOrGreen at 12:17 PM on January 15, 2013 [6 favorites]

Yay, Math! I'm so happy to see people making the effort to learn more about math. Good for you for doing this! Please feel free to MeMail me if you have any questions. I've taught & tutored math to children and adults.

General suggestions

1. Do as much math as you can. Once you've read about a topic, try it. Try all of the practice problems as you can and check your work.

2. Learn to speak mathematics as well as do it. Learning to read exercises aloud can be very helpful in understanding math and it is great for communicating about math.

3. Try to do more than "practice this skill" exercises. Do problems that require you to combine your skills and to look at ideas in new ways. Math brain teasers and things like the American Mathematics Competition questions are likely a good place to start.

Suggested ordering for what you've mentioned you'd like to learn. It's by no means an order than must be followed, but one that I would tend to teach:

Order of Operations - this will likely be relatively quick and there are plenty of games for practice on the internet. Write down each step every time.

Fractions/percentages(/decimals) - These are all related. Purple Math and Khan Academy will likely be a big help. I believe freerice.com has a section devoted to fraction practice.

Algebra/Functions/log - Very large topic. I'd start at PurpleMath.com to help you out.

Probability/Combinatorics - Once you understand fractions, I think you can explore these. Further math knowledge helps, but you can start delving into these once you get fractions.

Compound interest - Once you understand exponents, I think you can start getting into compound interest.

Proofs - I'd start with discrete mathematics, then once you've got some geometry, try geometric proofs. Geometric constructions (as done in HS geometry with a straight edge and compass) can be fantastic in both helping develop mathematical thinking and in drawing some wonderful images.

Geometry - You can certainly learn some of this before algebra, but some algebra helps. Once you get further knowledge, you can also double back to get into things like the math behind computer graphics (geometry, trig, matrix algebra) and computational geometry.

Trigonometry (incl sin/cos/tan) - Once you have some algebra and understand the Pythagorean theorem, you can jump into trig. Here's an interesting short course online: http://www.clarku.edu/~djoyce/trig/

Pre/Calculus - Review of algebra, going into calc

Physics - Once you have algebra, you can start basic physics. Some physics courses are split into algebra-based physic courses and calculus-based physics courses.

General Economics math - I believe that you can start with algebra knowledge, but haven't taken economics in a long time.

PurpleMath.com - practical algebra lessons
Math.com - Free lessons on a variety of topics
KhanAcademy - seems to be very good at teaching skills, but not always the reasoning behind skills (this may have changed, I'll have to check further)
The Art of Problem Solving - The free videos and the AMC 8/10 info are probably the most useful to you right now.
posted by wiskunde at 12:55 PM on January 15, 2013 [7 favorites]

A couple more ideas for you:

Pauk's Online Math Notes - These are probably a good supplement to something like Khan Academy. He starts with Algebra and goes through Calculus and Differential Equations. The notes have basic info and work through a few examples.

Once you have some algebra skills under your belt, I'd suggest taking a look at Polya's How to Solve It. I'd get it from the library, not purchase it, but it is excellent for structuring and thinking about problem solving.

Also, Common Errors in College Math - The Algebra Errors info might help. The page itself can be a bit much at once, but each section taken separately can be very helpful.
posted by wiskunde at 1:48 PM on January 15, 2013 [3 favorites]

nthing khanacademy.org
posted by michellenoel at 2:19 PM on January 15, 2013

This is me. I did this! You can too!

What made it all click for me was working through a GRE study guide. In the back it had a math summary/glossary type section of key terms and formulas. I memorized it, and it's been amazing. My GRE math score ended up not just being higher than my verbal (!), but objectively high. I got C's in honors math classes until I failed* Trig at community college one summer and just quit taking math altogether. Got a degree in fine art.

*I do mean fail. Not a C- or D, but an actual F. I was otherwise an "A" student...
Good luck!
posted by jrobin276 at 2:57 PM on January 15, 2013

Keith Devlin's Coursera Course, Introduction to Mathematical Thinking might be useful to you. He's got an explanatory video on the page for the course, and here are some interviews.
posted by at at 10:04 PM on January 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

... You are all honestly the best people. I really appreciate all of the help! I can't wait to get started, so I'm going to dive right in today! Thank you so, so much!
posted by Krazor at 11:08 AM on January 16, 2013

Err, I totally meant "GH Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology". Sorry for the confusions!
posted by wayland at 7:26 AM on January 27, 2013

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Bridging the traditional/social gap with WOM

There are many things that fascinate me about the communications space right now. Human behavior and social tools. The staying-power of great advertising. Yeah, there’s a list. And another line on there is the gap between the digital/social media kids and the “traditional” side of the house.

How many times have you heard the digital kids in your agency whine and moan about how the traditional PR/communications people “just don’t get” social. That they think it’s some plug-in tactics after everything is figured out. How the program would be so much better if social media had a seat at the table from the beginning. You know, when everything’s integrated.

But what I’ve found is that as much as that may be true, many of the social kids don’t really understand what “traditional” PR/communications people do. Like, at all. You’re probably nodding your head right now because you know it’s true. It’s not all press releases and pitching stories. It’s actually a WHOLE lot more than that. Just ask them.

So to be the Word of Mouth guy of the group has made me realize that WOM is the answer to bridging that gap between social and traditional. When my team and I talk about a word of mouth program or concept with the social kids, their eyes light up, because they can easily see the digital hooks. And when we have that same conversation with the traditional folks, they easily get it too, because it’s a natural extension of what they are already doing. (Yes, ideally everyone would be in the same room when that conversation happens, but one thing at a time.)

I’m not saying that WOM is always the magic bullet. But I AM saying that it can be the bridge. The word of mouth discipline has its feet firmly planted in both the online and offline worlds (this is the part where I remind you that 90% of word of mouth conversations still happen offline). Because, built the right way, WOM programs that engage people in remarkable experiences push people online. And the reverse is also true. It’s actually a cycle: online to offline and offline to online.

So when you’re starting to work on that new project or even when the word “integrated” comes up, remember that word of mouth can help bridge the gap between two worlds. It just may be the difference between just another campaign that falls flat and a powerful, successful engagement.

1 Comment

  • August 12, 2012

    hi spike: have you seen an ecosystem map of both sides of the spectrum and your WOM bridge?

    I am looking for an ecosystem that shows the ooodlles of tools people are using e.g. in QnA online communities i use Quora, but wondering what else is out there.

    Also given oodles of tools + increasing at rapid rate still in Aug 2012, sorta hoping for some segmentation of the tools from a “user experience” perspective

    For example: if we take online communities, they come in many different flavours and thus difference influence
    – professional communities
    – pure hang-out
    – QnA like Quora

    seen anything?

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Solar Eclipse Results

planets covered in iceMy brother got a major dose of the Solar Eclipse at 25 Capricorn 01’ on Friday, January 15th.

The Sun-Moon conjunction of the Eclipse (+ transiting Venus) in Capricorn:

  • Conjoined his natal Venus at 29 Capricorn 17’ in House 9
  • The eclipse happened a few days before his Venus Return (the day when transiting Venus returns to its natal position). Venus is his chart ruler, and Venus conjuncts his Midheaven.
  • Squared his natal Moon at 26 Aries 08’ in House 12
  • Squared his natal Pluto at 26 Libra 08’ in House 6
  • Trined his natal Mars at 26 Virgo 03’ in House 5
  • Trined his Ascendant at 26 Taurus 05’

He has four 26 degree placements.

The result? He beat out seventeen other applicants for a new job position and received a substantial raise.

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  • Anonymous

    I expected significant effects….. & am still waiting… It’s all been the usual around here. The eclipse was conjunct my sun at 23 capricorn AND my midheaven at 24 capricorn.

    • Huh. Maybe you will have to wait a little longer. Are you thinking about going into a new career?

      Thank you for reading my blog ichrak.


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Libra Law & Order

The Juror

balancing on chairsYesterday I spent ten hours at jury selection. My solar return ascendant for 2010-2011 is Libra and solar return Venus is in dignity in Taurus in the 7th house.

I can’t say too much about the cases because they are official now that the jury is selected. Briefly: they are both domestic battery cases. One involves a male defendant and the other involves a female defendant. I’m amazed at this opportunity to observe both sides of the domestic violence issue. This is turning into a very Libran year for me. Saturn, Venus and Mars will all be in Libra during the trials.

Impartial and Unbiased

I felt like I truly understood the meaning of the word “impartial” for the first time yesterday. Because of that new insight, I feel like I understand Libra like I never have before. The idea that you must set aside all of your biases, prejudices and petty likes and dislikes to render a judgment on another person, basing that judgment solely on the facts presented at the moment, is thoroughly intriguing. Even the concept of being “presumed innocent” is intriguing. No matter what you might have done in the past, those actions have no bearing on your present situation. Each and every time you are tried, you are presumed innocent until you are proven guilty. Every time you walk into a courtroom, you walk in with a clean slate. Unfortunately, this is also why people can have multiple DUIs and still be driving.

I feel lucky that my jury selection occurred in the same year that I have a Libra solar return ascendant (my progressed ascendant is also in Libra with progressed Venus also in Taurus, but in the 8th house). I’m excited to learn more about law procedures and to be an active participant in the process.

Law & Order

I learned more about jury selection yesterday than I have from any movie, television or news program. As I watched the attorneys in their conservative suits, I began to see clearly how Libra and Capricorn planets could go hand in hand and work beautifully together: upholding the law, having a fair and impartial viewpoint, maintaining order and harmony, abiding by the rules, respecting authority, finding beauty in regulation- and looking good in conservative clothing.

Going through the jury selection process also made it clear to me how the signs Libra and Scorpio differ: impartial judgment and passionate feelings don’t mix. Having intense feelings about something automatically makes you biased. I imagine that Scorpio might have the hardest time quelling inner beliefs to render a fair verdict- though Sagittarius might have trouble with that too.

Scorpio influences would probably make for a better attorney than Libra influences would. If someone with Scorpio planets felt passionately about your innocence or guilt, they’d do everything in their power to ensure your freedom, or your conviction.

Libra planets are not as concerned with motivation as Scorpio planets- it doesn’t matter to them why you did, or did not, do something. An interest in motivation and underlying causes works great for ferreting out secrets and discovering who committed a crime. Scorpio is equipped to handle the questioning, investigation and crime scene elements that occur before the actual trial. But, Libra has the ability to view that information later from an unemotional and disengaged standpoint. Libra’s gift is that it is not emotionally involved in its decisions; this is what allows Libra to be fair.

More Libra influence

Last night I had a dream that I was trying to balance on one leg. A man walked over to me. He seemed like a physical trainer. He pointed out how wobbly I was and told me that I need to practice more balance exercises.

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  • Good luck with your tarot work 😀

    I'm also into the tarot. I took a class about Crowley's Thoth deck for several month in fall 2009. I was attending bimonthly tarot meetings for about 6 months too. I still give myself readings several times a week (last week I gave myself a reading every day).

    Getting to know your chart a little better can help you understand why you are drawn to some of those experiences. If Scorpio has strong resonance for you, it might be enlightening for you to find out more about Scorpio in your chart.

  • Dove

    lol, no I was born waaay before 1983 — but most ppl think I'm at least 15 yrs younger than my chronological age. I just found in my email a thingee I did on a while ago. It shows that I have Neptune and Jupiter in Scorpio. I googled, and in reading a few interpretations, it's very on point — “psychics” and “sensitives.” That would be me 🙂 Gonna have to google, and read some more. Interesting stuff.

    My passion is the Tarot (and metaphysics in general), discovered it after first discovering “psychic” ability, which I know is a natural ability we all have to some degree, no different than writing or painting, which I also do 🙂 I offer psychic Tarot readings (done via email) at my website and incorporate the totems into them as well. The first thing I ever endeavored to write on the Tarot was published in the “Sedona Journal,” so I guess they could feel my fire on the topic.

    So those two planets in Scorpio, explains the scorpions love for me, yes? lol 😉 Oh, and it shows Pluto is in Virgo — haven't googled that one yet.

  • The solar return freezes the transits that are passing by at the time when your Sun reaches the exact degree it minute it was at the time of your birth. Freezing those transits and comparing them to your natal chart gives you clues about how the year is going to affect you personally. Regular transits affect everyone (to some degree), but the solar return chart focuses on you.

  • Cancer would have issues with separating personal feelings from a situation. Leo would probably have issues with wanting you to be on their side and they'd resent any cold logic.
    Even Aquarian planets could have issues with fairness because they often staunchly support the anti-establishment viewpoint regardless if that view is correct at that time.

    Sometimes people want you to take their side and they don't appreciate it if you bring opposing facts to their attention.

  • amoureuse

    how important it is to know the planetary alignments in a solar return chart? should we use this for reference?

  • firetiger

    libra sun/gemini moon/scorpio rising~ it's soo easy for me to see both sides of the story… even if the situation is involving someone i really care about and (for example) they are telling me about something 'done onto them' it is so easy for me to look at the whole picture and see the other person's perspective.. why did he/she do this? i think thats where the perception of events, search for motivation, unbiased analysis comes in… thats actually very natural for me… and as i meet more and more people i can say that being able to do that is very *Un*natural for a lot of others~ a lot of cancer energy that i know actually

  • Do you work in any particular tradition?

    If you were born after mid 1983 then you have Pluto in Scorpio- which is strong Scorpio placement. With Taurus rising Pluto in Scorpio could be in your 7th or 8th house: basically houses that deal with “others.” That could be why you attract Scorpions. Even if your Pluto is in Libra, it could be conjunct the descendant from the 6th house. 😀

  • Dove

    I have my chart somewhere, but its been lotsa yrs since it was done, and I haven't a clue what “aspect to Pluto” means 🙂 I keep meaning to read up on astrology — all that “house” stuff fascinates me, and it's intriguing how it invariably aligns with my intuitive stuff. What I do know is that my Sun is Libra, Moon is Gemini and I have a Taurus rising.

    I know my Scorpion energy through intuitive experiences. Very into Native American spirituality and totems. We all have at least 9 of them, they are part of our energy. I have a lot more than 9. If you endeavor to discover your own, you should see yourself in the animal, it characteristics/habits and such. Consequently they will gravitate to you, either in the physical or otherwise (or often both). They will see you as “family.” Since you are like them, you can learn so much from them — even how to heal health and other life issues. Anyway, I could talk about 'em for days, one of my passions 🙂

    I don't know how Scorpio falls in my astrological chart, I just know the Scorpion has “dropped into” my life an usual number of times — and it is that “unusual” aspect that is telling when speaking of how the Universe speaks to us. Live scorpions (not in a dream) have shown up in my life right before significant changes were about to happen in my life. The very first one (before I knew of totems) was, oddly enough, in an office environment. I was stung on my “baby” finger by a “baby” scorpion (after reaching into a box of paper). A painful “initiation,” but grateful it wasn't a full-grown one. In looking back, the “baby” thing was part of the message. I was truly about to be “reborn” into a very new life.

    I grew and changed much in the next 3 yrs, and then had yet another for-real scorpion encounter. The size of the scorpion had also grown 🙂 and the transformation (death/rebirth) it pointed to (happened within a week after encounter) was the most significant of my life, the beginning of what has been a very long journey. Note, I was only stung that first time.

    So yeah, me and the Scorpion go way back, ha… that energy is without question a part of me. But I'm not sure how it shows up in my astro chart. It is pretty cool though how all these different metaphysical areas tend to overlap and confirm each other.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Libra: Law & Order --

  • Is your Sun or Moon in aspect to Pluto? Do you have a strong Pluto?

  • Dove

    I'm a Libra, albeit, not your average one, lol 😉 I care about motivation — very much. In my mind, and speaking mucho passionately (with strong interest in the law), intention and motivation is everything when seeking justice. If someone ends the life of another out of greed, I say fry him. But if a woman kills a man who viciously molested her child, I say justice has been done — and to put her behind bars is beyond injustice, and borders insanity. In my view, that's about controlling the people, not protecting them, nor upholding justice.

    So I guess I'm a tad different that many Libra peeps–I do have a strong Leo influence and I know there's some Scorpio in there (chart) as well. Speaking in the realm of Native American spirituality, the Scorpion does see me as kin (per my experiences), so maybe that's why I feel that supposed misguided passion in that which I speak on law and justice. I very much resonate with Scorpion/Scorpio energy — and justice/truth married to freedom.

  • Something I didn't notice the first time I looked at my 2010 Solar Return is that the Cancer Midheaven is exactly conjunct my natal Saturn at 26 Cancer 10' (and also square natal Mercury at 26 Aries 48').


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Making Marks

Been a while since I got to do some sketching. It is good practice to try to do something every day, but that fell by the wayside a little as far as proper sketches went. It has been busy the last week and a bit, and my subway time has been during very busy times when there’s not enough space to get out pen and paper and sketch a person without becoming a spectacle… and during the moments where I might have caught something, I’ve actually been calculating – working out questions for the final exam in the General Relativity class, and (more recently) doing some computations for a paper I’ll tell you about shortly.

Anyway, when time is short, I sometimes like doing quick sketches with a thicker pen. Stops me from digging into the details too much. In fact, I’m really liking that as a sketch mode these days… You make your lines boldly and you’re stuck with your choices, and so it gets you thinking about what’s globally important carefully before jumping in.

It is great and satisfyingly distracting fun. Anyway, between this and that over the last day or two I did a few quick faces based on some photos I found in a book and a magazine to loosen up and it was quite enjoyable. I thought I’d share a montage of them with you (click for larger view)… The one on the bottom left is an example of what happens when I pick up a finer pen by mistake… too much detail and a less successful (per unit time) drawing overall…

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I thought about that for awhile and realized that creation is an illusion. Nothing is ever created. Things just change form. It's called the First Law of Thermodynamics; the conservation of energy. We really are made from stardust. The universe itself existed as pure energy, in a singularity, before exploding (expanding) into the immense cosmos that awes us at night. The universe transformed from energy to matter; Einstein's E=MC2.

I've always thought of the universe as the cosmos. But in fact, the cosmos is just one form of the universe. The universe also existed (and might again exist) as a singularity. In one form or another, the universe must always have existed -- if the First Law holds true in a singularity (which is something we don't know for sure).

We know the universe exists, so it must have always existed. It's truly eternal. But we don't know, in the same physical way, that God exists. If the universe is truly eternal, God (The Creator) never needed to exist: we already had a universe (singularity or cosmos). If we don't know God exists and the First Law suggests he never needed to exist, then why insist that he does?

When we watch TV, we know that man invented it as well as the videos it displays. We know no other animal invented any of it because the "creator" must be more complex and intelligent than the "created". If God created the universe, he would have to be more complex than the universe. As awesome and mysterious as the universe is, God would have to be even more so. What purpose does it serve to unnecessarily add this supernatural layer of complexity? Isn't trying to understand the natural universe enough?

The following essay summarizes my position on this topic.

Creation and the Conservation of Energy

Creation stories are universal among religions, through the ages. The ineffable mystery of life compelled us to explain our existence. In our primitive ignorance of the world, religion was the best we could do to provide the explanations we craved.

Thanks to science, we’re learning more about the universe and illuminating the dark corners of what was once our ignorance.

The word, "create", means: to bring into existence. Thus, if God created the universe, it had a beginning and can not be infinite in both directions of time: forward, yes; backward, no. But why can’t the universe simply be? Why can’t the universe be infinite in both directions of time: forward and backward? Why must it have a beginning? Why must it have been created by a supernatural God?

The first law of thermodynamics – the conservation of energy – makes it clear that nothing is ever created. Matter might change form but it never simply appears or disappears. For instance, we are nourished and grow by eating plants and other animals. Food is transformed into the energy that sustains us and the cells we are made of; including our DNA. Our parents didn’t create us, they transformed us.

Physics' mathematical models break down in a singularity. It is not known whether or not the first law holds in a singularity. If it does, the first law of thermodynamics strips bare the core question of creation and existence. Either the universe always existed . . . or . . . the universe was created by something outside the laws of physics (i.e. something supernatural). Either the universe is truly eternal or the eternal God created it. It boils down to the natural (physical universe) or the supernatural (God).

We've had plenty of confirmation of Einstein's famous equation: E=MC2. Energy and mass are equivalent. Before the Big Bang, the entire mass of the universe was contained (as energy) in a super singularity. Whether or not ours is the first and only Big Bang, Big Bangs come from singularities. I believe that, in one form or another (singularity or cosmos), the universe simply is and always was. Not only is there no need for creation or for God: the conservation of energy means there could never have been a time when the universe, in whatever form, did not exist. Something doesn't come from nothing without supernatural intervention.

Because nobody has ever seen anything physically created, the pervasive concept of creation must be a human construct in response to the unfathomable immensity of the eternal. The universe has always existed? What do you mean? Everything comes from somewhere, doesn't it? Perhaps. But nothing comes from nowhere.

The first law reduces the source of our existence to either the natural or the supernatural. The notion of a personal God is ridiculous to me. But a cosmic God? I can imagine an eternal energy – infinitely hot, infinitely massive – that created the universe in a single, spectacular, explosive expansion: an eternal energy that still permeates the entire universe. If you want to call that eternal energy -- that potential of our universe -- God, I won't refute you.

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. . . or . . . the universe was created by something outside the laws of physics (i.e. something supernatural).

... or it was created by something outside the known laws of present-day physics (i.e. something not necessarily supernatural) ?
Hi Jaume,

Yes, science is the question, NOT the answer. Unlike religion, it has never claimed to have all the answers. However, I can't wait for science to decide the question. I'm basing my essay on what we know now.
Hi Steve,

Yes, I was aware that the latest scientific consensus understands our universe to be expanding at an accelerating rate. The end-game is one of a cold, infinitely-dispersing, lifeless, universe.

That's the prognosis, at least, for now.

Who knows what's next from a fledgling science, only 500 years old? :-)

Seriously, the fact that the universe might end with a whimper instead of a roar has nothing to do with eternity. If the universe spends the rest of eternity spreading its ashes ever thinner, that's still an eternity.
Hi Larry,

Yes, that scenario would make time too nebulous to nail down. But I don't know of any such theory of time.
Hi Larry,

The best minds in the world have no idea what understandings we'll have in a hundred years or two. And there's nothing to say that those future understandings won't be supplanted by "higher" understandings. As I've remarked earlier, I'm simply going with what we know (or think we know) now.
This same topic has been posted to the member forum at I found the following reply, from Dafyyd Alwyn, to be very interesting.

I almost passed on commenting to this thread because I didn't think I had anything to add. Then I started thinking about the eternal.

Let us assume the universe is eternal in both directions of time and the universe expands and contracts forever.

It is my understanding that the duration of the expand-contract cycle of the universe is in the order of tens of billions years, certainly under 100 billion years at any rate [not that it matters]. I don't think it will ever be possible to know which cycle we are currently in. The first one? The tenth one? The millionth one?

Those were my thoughts when I remembered the eternal is infinite. If we somehow knew how many cycles has already occurred, we would in effect be identifying the beginning of the universe (it started X cycles ago). This is not possible with an eternal universe! The reason eternity makes no sense to us mortals is because it makes no sense mathematically and logically. We have no other means of understanding the eternal. The eternal is an article of faith whether you mean it to be the universe or God.

So when Exile says the universe is eternal, what does that really mean? Just because I can't understand it, I won't deny it. But I don't think anybody understands it!
Hi Larry,

The snake biting its own tail -- the circle -- is kind of an unsatisfying symbol for the eternal, don't you think? It's so . . . finite. Time isn't like a circle. Time doesn't loop. If you extend the 2-dimensional circle to a 3-dimensional sphere, you will still get an unsatisfactory model. In this case, time circling the sphere will frequently intersect itself: another impossible paradox. At least, that what I immediately think of.

Everything I've read from physicists on this topic supports a physical basis for the linear "direction of time". Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose, Michio Kaku, all seem to take it for granted.

I understand that the circle can simplify the concepts of eternity and infinity by illustrating "no beginning" and "no end" but I don't feel it helps much in understanding the eternal in context of the directional, linear, progression of time cited by the authors I mentioned above.
Make time an helix (looks like a circle when seen from its axis) and your disagreement will disappear. Isn't geometry fantabulous?
Hi Jaume,

Helix . . . as in spiral or spring shape? Are you joining the ends of the spiral? I'm not sure I get you.
Infinite spring, of course, therefore no ends, therefore no need to join them. Still looks like a closed circle when you look at it from the right angle. So you've got the best of your 'conflicting' views.

Infinite helix . . . infinite time . . . what's the difference? You lost me.
Never mind. It was a kind of joke. I was just trying to reconcile your view of a 'linear time' with Larry's 'circular time'. I sort of thought an 'helix time' would allow for both.

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Why Islam's prohibition of alcohol doesn't make sense.

Muslims usually don't drink alcohol. I say usually because I know quite a lot of Muslims that do drink some alcohol and do other stuff they shouldn't do. But never question their religion!!! Might get you into trouble.

Now the prohibition can be explained quite easily using the following verse in the Quran:
“O ye who believe! Intoxicants and Gambling, (Dedication of) stones, And (divination by) arrows, Are an Abomination – Of Satan’s handiwork; Eschew such (abomination), That ye may prosper.” [Al-Qur’an 5:90]
Intoxicants is a bit vague, but we have a nice little hadeeth that tells us specifically:

“Alcohol is the mother of all evils and it is the most shameful of evils.” from Ibn-I-Majah Volume 3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3371.
OK, we have set the stage for a wonderful session of apologetics. As some people might know (or don't) you will find alcohol in quite a lot of nutritious products. Bread, apple juice, kefir, grape juice all contain "some" alcohol (around 0.1% to 0.5%). Even your own body produces alcohol.

One would think that you can't possibly be a Muslim and eat and drink at the same time. Would make all Muslims dead corpses, wouldn't it? (read on)

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Comment by Tarentola Mauritanica on January 22, 2011 at 8:04am

@AtheistExile: I think you are wrong. Just apply your reasoning to the question whether you are allowed to eat a joghurt that contains pork gelatine.

Pork is forbidden. Joghurt contains pork but is not itself "pork".

Alcohol as you stated is an intoxicant in sufficient quantities. Bread/juice/kefir contain alcohol. That alcohol is just as intoxicant as any other alcohol. The question is not if "bread" is intoxicant but rather what quantities of bread you would need to have the same amount of intoxication due to the alcohol in it.

BUT, as i already mentioned before there is a rather black and white ruling on this. Anything that is intoxicant in large quantities is forbidden even in small.

I do not doubt, nor do i dispute that more than enough Muslims have by now argued like you. Actually i stated that they did and do.

I simply claim that the ruling itself is already flawed if you need to interpret and argue your way around the original statements in order to avoid the trouble of their inconsistency.

Comment by Atheist Exile on January 21, 2011 at 9:13pm
The comparison is ridiculous.  Alcohol, in sufficient quantity, is an intoxicant.  Bread is not.  Bread contains alcohol but is not intoxicating or an intoxicant.  Period.
Comment by John Camilli on January 20, 2011 at 1:01pm

The idea of temperance and excess as measures of good and evil makes me think of the story of the Siddartha Buddha (the most recently proclaimed reincarnation of Buddha). The reason you may have seen pictures or statues of both a fat and a skinny Buddha is because Siddartha was supposed to have vascilated greatly between such extremes of experience: he experienced gluttony, greed and embellishment, and he also experienced poverty and starvation, but he did not find enlightenment in either repose. In fact, as the story goes, he sought every method he could catch wind of to attain enlightenment, but always found that what other men had to offer was only right for them, not for him.

I see a danger in trying to profess that anything is always good, or always bad. I can think of many examples for which the opposite could be said of both temperence and excess. Is not exercise a form of excess that hardens the body by first breaking it down? It certainly is not necessary for survival that a person exercise as much as some do, but could this intemperance not also be said to be improving their condition and opportunities while they are alive? On the flip side, would it not be imprudent to practice moderation in defending one's self against an intemperate attack? I could not say yes or no, myself, though some will think they have the answer.

Furthermore, I would argue that, even if something seems beneficial on the surface, it may be quite harmful underneath. Look at the practice of celebacy in Catholicism. Superficially it makes a good argument to remove temptations from one's self for the sake of focusing on greater things. As a writer, I can certainly understand that getting away from excessive stimuli is sometimes necessary for making progress in one's goals, but has not that supression of sexual urges also led to some pretty bad results for a lot of children growing up around preists for quite a while?

Comment by Tarentola Mauritanica on January 20, 2011 at 6:18am
Well i don't know how such an argument would make any sense.
If one were to argue for temperance then one would also demand a law that calls for temperance, not one that calls for prohibition.

Prohibition of any alcoholic drink is hardly something i would call temperance and I also do not see a justification for it "only" because some people excessively drink.
Why shouldn't Muslims prohibit sex then, or work, or relaxation? All of those can cause trouble when done in excess. However in all those cases the argument is made that those acts must be controlled and steered.. not too much, not too little and allays in some social context (eg. marriage for sex).
The argument against alcohol could only be made this way if you argued that there is NOTHING good about it. Which of course is a contradiction to reality as we NOW know. 1400 years ago we might have thought differently.

The argument of loudness and shamelessness is also not really a good one either for a prohibition. By that argument they themselves would have to prohibit any demonstration of Muslims against the West or cartoons or religious jokes. Quite some shouting and the demands on the signs that some hold up are pretty shameless in my view ;)
Comment by Richard Healy on January 20, 2011 at 5:35am

This issue came up in a (would you believe) science class just before Christmas, we had the Muslim apologists in the room announcing how Islam was superior because UK towns are filled with drunks who commit crimes and injure themselves are are loud and shameless.

If you could ignore the godly context , it was basically an argument for temperance vs excess is how I heard it expressed.  Would anyone like to take in down on that basis.  I'm curious to see how it could be done.

Comment by John Camilli on January 20, 2011 at 3:44am
The quantity does not have to be sufficient to intoxicate in order for the substance to be called an intoxicant, it only has to have the capacity to kill a human by means of an oversaturation of the chemicals involved. Anything that can poison you has a measure of toxicity, which is why I say even water has to be included, but that is by scientific definition. The Qu'ran and its followers certainly have a different definition, just as American law has its own definition. The specific items the the US labels as intoxicant are here
Comment by Tarentola Mauritanica on January 20, 2011 at 3:19am

@Atheist Exile: As said I understand the "quantity" argument but it doesn't fit with the other hadeeth. Just go to an Imam and ask him whether it would be OK in Islam to drink only one glass of beer per day (lets say 0.2 litres). He will tell you that the prohibition is complete. And he will tell you the hadeeth that says that small doses are prohibited if large doses are intoxicating.

@Joseph: Well in Tunisia I can tell you that quite a lot of people drink alcohol. And they do not have a problem calling themselves Muslims when challenged.

Comment by Atheist Exile on January 19, 2011 at 7:20pm

I'm all for debunking religious claims -- especially Islamic claims -- but, by definition, the quantity of alcohol involved must be intoxicating before it can be an intoxicant.  So bread and other things with trace levels of alcohol would not qualify.  That seems pretty straightforward to me.

I once lived in Kuwait for 6 months (was setting up a Novell network for engineering company).  The day I arrived happened to be the first day of Ramadan.  The airport was packed with people leaving the country: they apparently preferred the decadence of Paris and other western destinations over the rigors of fasting for a month of Ramadan.

Alcohol is illegal in Kuwait.  There are no bars or taverns.  But alcohol is routinely smuggled in (this was before 9/11) through the airport and other means.  It was also produced in home stills.  I learned that most Muslims are like everybody else; they just want to live with as little stress as possible.  My real problem with Muslims is really with Islamists: those fundamentalists who advocate, endorse or practice political Islam (sharia and jihad).  There's some debate as to whether or not you can be a "true" Muslim without being an Islamists as well but my experience in Kuwait tells me that many (most?) Muslims can be devout without being militant.

Comment by Michigan Mike on January 19, 2011 at 4:53pm
Would "Intoxicant" also include things like caffeine, nicotine, or any other mind altering drug? How potent does the drug have to be to be bad? Who draws the line? I'm surprised about the hash thing that Joe Said mentioned. I figured Intoxicant would include weed. This brings up a new need to visit Egypt though :). My motto; "Do as you wish, but cause nobody unwanted harm".
Comment by John Camilli on January 19, 2011 at 1:54pm
I'm glad you included the supporting text in there. Much appreciated, because it allows for easy counter-argument. Since the passage says intoxicant, Arabs shall have to be careful not to take too deep a breath as well, since oxygen saturation can get you high and can eventually become toxic, in high enough saturation. Hash, like pot, can't really kill you from overdose, so they could argue that it isn't an intoxicant, but there are certainly lots of things that don't fit that bill. Water can be toxic if you drink way too much of it, so no more water for the Arabs. That's gonna make the whole living in the desert thing a bit tough but, hey, it's their God not mine.

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Everyday music videos & electronic music

KP Records Cypher 2016 (Big Dave, Kyle Wilkins, Kitty B) music video by Avene

Another music video for KP Records where I got to drive down to Canberra to shoot. I always enjoy the drive down there.

For this music video, Dave had a friend Derek who brought along his 2 drones. He had the DJi Inspire and the Phantom 4, which at the time he’d only had for less than a week or two. Officially the first video I’ve made with drone footage, and the footage looked great. The rest I shot on the RX100 IV, utilising a tele convertor for some shots. Which made the edges look slightly blurry, but it was fine. And the location was a futuristic office complex from the 70s that the locals call the Space ship.

Editing went well. Although the drone footage was a bit bit tricky to fit in, as it was a different frame rate at 30P (I work at 25P), and there was no flat film profile used for the footage, so it looked a lot more contrasty than the S-LOG 2 stuff I’d shot on the Sony. Thankfully I managed to match it up alright. And for the final look, I added a LUT from the GoPro Studio Premium software I also used to encode the MP4 file to upload.

That same day, I shot another video there for Kyle, which also featured his sister Maizyn on the chorus. That will be released soon.

About Avene
Sydney based artist specialising in creating music videos, cinematography, music production & beat making, digital art, sound design & photography.


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Monday, 29 July 2013

Rape Threats, Twitter, and Masculine Crisis

So, Caroline Criado-Perez, wages a successful campaign to get a famous woman onto the £10 note and a pledge that, in future, the Bank of England's designs will better reflect the actual look and shape of British society. A welcome happenstance for everyone who isn't white, male and posh. But not all. Unfortunately, the bigger story has been the rape and sexual assault threats she's been on the receiving end of. Caroline talks about some examples here. It goes without saying the volume of misogynistic abuse has generated a furious backlash, from folk bombarding key members of Twitter staff to a 30,000-strong online petition, as well as talk of a Twitter boycott on August 4th. And, for good measure, Caroline has rightly reported threats received to the police. This has led to one arrest, and I expect a few more shall receive an unwelcome knock on the door from the plod.

Unfortunately, Caroline is far from the first prominent woman to have been so targeted. Any woman, especially those who self-identify as feminists and socialists and are active in campaigns around progressive social causes, are no strangers to this sort of harassment. As social media moves from the margins of our lives to something more central to what we do and how we communicate, this kind of behaviour becomes more of a social problem and less something women on the internet have to sigh and resign themselves to. So yes, it is entirely proper perpetrators of abuse are punished, their accounts shut down, and legal/criminal consequences result.

However, ostracising and punishing men and boys who use the internet to abuse women is only part of dealing with the problem. To borrow an over-used cliche, prevention is better than cure. So where does all this rape crap come from, and what's driving it?

To revisit a much-abused concept, masculine crisis might have something to do with it. Look, I know it's a fraught idea seized upon the so-called Men's Movement but I do think it has some sociological utility. It is, after all, undeniable that the way we all perform our genders is different and more varied than was the case 40 or more years ago. That 'being a man' and 'being a woman' is arguably a more uncertain, anxiety-inducing experience than was formerly the case. While feminists do have a point that commentators on gender make a fuss of masculine crisis but tend not to speak about femininity in 'crisis' terms; that says more about the gendered biases so charmingly built into our society rather than using crisis as a frame to think through changes to masculinity. Also, so there is no confusion; when I talk about masculine crisis I'm not harking back to some bucolic ideal. When describing and analysing the complex business of social change it's too simplistic to talk about it in terms of 'good' and 'bad' - conservatives and the hard-of-thinking take note.

There are four interrelated ways to think through this issue sociologically, and help explain why some men tweet rape threats to belittle, traduce and attempt to silence women.

As I argued in this post on UKIP and masculinity, age, gender identity, flexible labour markets/in-work insecurity, and the pace of cultural change conspired to generate a constituency of middle-aged to elderly men who found the "common sense" right wing populism of UKIP attractive. A similar set of processes are at work among younger men, too.

The situation facing all young people when they emerge from the education system, be that at 16, 18 or 21, is greatly uncertain. This month, some 21% of 16-24 year olds - 959,000 people - are unemployed. Whereas perhaps their parents and certainly their grandparents knew full employment and the possibility of getting into work right from school, it's more of a lottery for young people now.

So we have uncertainty. But we also have a more level playing field when it comes to jobs. This isn't to say there is no gender divisions at work - it would be stupid to pretend men and women aren't treated differently. But increasingly, especially at entry level, workplaces are increasingly mixed and young men and young women have to compete for the same jobs. And yet hegemonic masculinity - that complex of ideologies, values and expectations inculcated by socialisation and reinforced through family, friendship and media networks - hasn't caught up. A real man has a well paid job, has disposable income enough to buy all the mod cons and fashions, might *have* (in the property sense) a woman, or, at the very least, has women hanging off his arm; and, of course, has the time and inclination to play or watch sports, and/or indulge in masculine-coded pursuits like video gaming, drinking, gadgetry, or fishing. Women are too well aware of the mismatch between how society expects them to dress, look and behave, and their individual lives. But now that mismatch is being felt more by men too.

With this chasm between expected experience and lived experience, Emile Durkheim's 'anomie' comes in useful. As a sociologist interested in social integration, Durkeim used anomie to describe situations of 'normlessness'. Despite the term, this does not denote an absence of norms but rather a lack of fit between the value systems embedded in processes of integration and those actually inculcated in groups and individuals. Hence the frequent occurrence of dysfunctional and problematic behaviours across numbers of people is not a mass manifestation of psychological deficiencies, but indicative of anomic social problems. Masculine crisis therefore is the anomie that pertains to discourses and ideologies of "maleness".

For men either born during or having grown up knowing nothing other than neoliberalism's tyranny of the economy, there is no worked-out way to cope with the continued ideological affirmation of male privilege while, materially, it is undermined by insecurity and increased competition with women for jobs. This is why there are so many more socially acceptable ways of 'being a man' now. But at the same time anomic mismatches can generate social pathologies and, in this case, a resentment that privileges promised from the off are being frustrated and denied.

This is one way of looking at the homophobic and misogynistic cultures that reign in that intersection of multiplayer video games and hundreds of internet forums. The one place you can be a man - even if you're but a boy - is by shooting the crap out of other people in first person shooters. The celebration of militarism the Call of Duty franchise indulges would take several books to do it justice. But it is quite clear from the "banter" that takes place in the battles raging across Activision's servers that accompanying play is a verbal performance of masculinity defined by violent sexism, racism and homophobia. This is not just a question of 'expression', it's also a policing of boundaries. This juvenilia tries to effect an exclusion zone around what many of its players consider to be an unambiguously masculine space. The frequent calling out of "fags", cries of "I just totally raped you!!" and tea-bagging the digital corpses of one's deceased opponents all combine and recombine with tedious - almost banal - regularity. Unfortunately, while these arenas of death are make-believe there is no wall preventing the performance of masculinity in these and similar settings from bleeding out into real life.

The above is one example of the online performance of a pathological masculinity. There are many such performative sites outside of multiplayer video gaming, such as Facebook groups, porn forums, sports pages, music sites, tech boards. Men and boys might actively participate in one or more, or have a tangential relationship with them. But for a small minority, how to be a man online can heavily influence how they are men in real life. Or rather, while the immediacy of the social world places limits and strictures on behaviour, few if any such barriers exist online. It is therefore easy for men who've acquired a chip on their shoulder to lash out at those they hold responsible for their emasculating frustrations. They do not have to face the subject of their ire, nor do they have to read rebuttals or comebacks. They know their threatening behaviour is wrong, but their anonymity means they don't have to consider it. The safety afforded by the mediation of the monitor is perceived as a shield that allows them to force their privilege on others. As readers know, prominent, politically left wing women are a favourite target.

When it comes to the specifics of this case, matters are not helped by the relationship between peer support and Twitter dynamics. Not many readers will remember Kenneth Tong, but his Twitter-fueled brief foray into the spotlight is a study in how the game is played. In his case, it was a series of over-the-top, outrageous and misogynistic tweets about women's bodies that attracted the attention of several A-list celebrities and drove notoriety and thousands upon thousands of followers his way. The man was a nobody who became a somebody - the more attention he got, the more outrageous he became. With the desperately sad cases harassing Caroline Criado-Perez it's similar, but different too. They threaten not just for notoriety but for the rise they get. Hidden behind anonymous accounts, they are competing with each other for the numbers of followers attracted, the amount of flak they get, direct replies from Caroline, and retweets of their abusive messages. In their closed emasculated masculine universe, the 'look at me' privilege they hunger for is reduced to 140 characters or less. They feel they have won because a woman has been forced to recognise them and respond to their threats. They are pathetically inadequate in other ways, but among their peers they have proved their stunted manliness and as such reap whatever kudos points that awards them.

Of course, violent, misogynist hate speech - which is what these rape threats are - are not new. But what is new is the platform on which they are made, and the public scrutiny they have attracted. I am sure many people - including many men - had no clue this kind of behaviour is part of the deal women writers, campaigners, and politicians have to endure as part of their prominence. But the problem has now been exposed. There are groups of men and boys who, out of a mixture of jealousy and fear, feel a gut hatred toward women for the reasons described. Ensuring the law deals with these men is only a short-term fix. The material relationships that condition this behaviour will take much longer to address. But in the mean time everyone with a decent bone in their body, regardless of their politics, should stand in solidarity with Caroline, Laurie Penny, Helen Lewis, Mary Beard and the thousands of other women who put up with this abuse, day-in, day-out.

Speedy said...

Agreed, although I think you should broaden the field somewhat - I know of women who have acted in ways that fulfill the criteria in your penultimate paragraph.

I read a comment by Mary Beard today about outing "bullies" and their "playground" behaviour - I think there is work to be done in understanding how within some people it appeals to the inner playground bully they have otherwise suppressed/ indeed would be horrified to have revealed to the "real world" as Ms Beard did.

Whenever I read about cases of abuse I come across the playground metaphor and (stick with me here) I think it reveals something about the nature of evil - what supposedly ordinary law-abiding people are actually capable of behind the mask of anonymity and without fear of the consequences.

You don't need to read Lord of the Flies to know what kids are actually like - we've all experienced bullying (and I think Margaret Atwood wrote the ultimate novel Cat's Eye about it).

I really don't think it is much of a leap that when you see this kind of behaviour you can understand how people came to denounce Jews during the Holocaust. Of course it was a minority - but it is a minority that now seeks to inflict pain on other people.

When we are young our personalities are not fully formed and we can lack empathy. Over time we come to empathise with others, but some perhaps do not develop fully and while they may learn to conceal their lack of empathy the anonymity of the internet brings out their true half-formed self. And without empathy, what you have is basically the potential for evil.

Of course the solution is getting them to develop fully but first they must recognise they have a problem - i suspect internet culture tends to reinforce rather than undermine this behaviour.

Phil said...

There is definitely something to what you say. In his study of the Holocaust, Zygmunt Bauman observes something very similar. The bureaucrats could go about the calm liquidation of millions of people because they were far removed from the business of killing. Also the perfection of the gas chambers was because the Nazis found, very rapidly, that even the most fanatical of SS men could not murder hundreds of people in cold blood. There's plenty of stories of them having to be drunk to do so, and of suicides and madness. Again, because they were up close and personal to their victims.

I haven't read a great deal of internet scholarship since the late 90s but even then some canny thinkers had picked up on social distance afforded by the monitor, and a propensity to behave in socially unacceptable ways.

Carol from Leeds said...

"It is, after all, undeniable that the way we all perform our genders is different and more varied than was the case 40 or more years ago. That 'being a man' and 'being a woman' is arguably a more uncertain, anxiety-inducing experience than was formerly the case."

In my experience, I am sure that 'being a woman'is far easier, more relaxed and less stressed than it was for my mother (a 1950's wife, with few educational or job choices) or my grandmother (eight children, three of whom died in infancy).

I have had far more choices and more control over my own body and life than they ever did.

What is true now is that women and men have less opportunity of secure, well-paid employment.


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Friday, 17 October 2014

Remembering Mark Bell

Some very sad news for dance fans I've only just picked up. Mark was an important influence on the wave of rave and electronica that conquered Britain in the early 90s. As such, and as one half of LFO there can be few better ways to remember him.

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—Expect to see high-level aftermarket responsibility shift to the U.S. government from industry as the government takes over some resource allocation. This move comes as the Defense Department faces major equipment maintenance because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but has less planned funding to provide for it. It also comes at a time when manufacturers rely on aftermarket revenue streams, which have been hit by the recession. A factor driving the responsibility shift is ...

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Steve May's entertainment technology joint

avzombie.com header image 2

In-car SACD makes belated appearance

July 31st, 2007 · 1 Comment

It’s all but been written off as a consumer format, killed by its conflict with DVD-Audio, but that hasn’t stopped Sony from finally introducing a Super Audio CD capable head-end for the in-car entertainment market.
At the American launch of its XAV-W1 DVD/ player, Sony’s mobile electronics marketing manager, Kengo Kurokawa, said the product addressed “a need on behalf of some of the audiophiles in the mobile segment for a different experience.”

Tags: Hi-fi · Trade

1 response so far ↓

  • 1 Grahame // Jul 31, 2007 at 11:14 am

    I remember the in Car DAT.

    Some goods news though, I do like SACD.

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Global Supply Chain

Global Supply Chain Visibility, Control & Collaboration;

Regulatory Necessity, Business Imperative

The globalization of Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Diagnostic and Biotechnology (Life Science) Products has created unique opportunities and demanding challenges for Industry and Regulators alike. To identify key initiatives Industry and Regulators are undertaking to address Life Science Global Supply Chains, Analyst and Strategic Advisory firm Axendia, Inc. conducted a research study.

The research team polled over 110 Industry Executives representing 75 companies from 12 countries around the globe. The Research Report detailing findings and recommendations is available now.

Why is this important?
In recent years supply chain issues such as Heparin, melamine and diethylene glycol contamination have brought the challenges of Life Science Global Supply Chains to the forefront. According to a recent FDA report, “The growth in imports during the last decade has been staggering.” Over the last five years, the import of Life Science Products has grown by nearly 50% and at last reported represented 81.5 Billion US Dollars according to US government sources.

What Did the Research Find?
This research identified key trends, requirements, and initiatives Life Science stakeholders should implement to transition to a new paradigm for operating in an increasingly Global and outsourced reality. To attain the sustained benefits of globalization, the researchers call for the Life Science Ecosystem to implement a new model to manage global supply chains. Life Science Stakeholders must implement strategies, which capitalize of the benefits of globalization, while proactively reduce and control risks.

The complete findings of this research study are available in a new report entitled, “Global Supply Chain Visibility, Control & Collaboration: Business Imperative, Regulatory Necessity”.

Read the Research Alert

This research study is co-sponsored by leading companies active in the Life Sciences sector, including (in alphabetical order): Camstar (,  IBM ( and PricewaterhouseCoopers ( These companies are working to increase the understanding of processes and systems that support global visibility and transparency across the Life Sciences value chain.


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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

The Smelly Connection to Elle

Elle online readers now selected SmellyBlog and articles by other Coutorture Network partners on the fashion homepage of Elle.com.

The links are located at the very bottom left corner.

My favourite Spirulina soap with honey, milk and cinnamon is a featured article de jour. So were my articles What To Wear on a Break Up and my most recent review of Narciso Rodriguez. There may have been more, but I can't remember!

My favourite soap article was also chosen as Coutorture's Must Read for today.

Thank you so much to Julie, Phil and Sarah from Coutorture Network for giving SmellyBlog this opportunity to be the centre of the stage sometimes, and for your excellent networking!

P.s. I have created a new category, so you can read all the SmellyBlog articles features on Elle, all at once.

Labels: , , ,

At May 15, 2007 2:41 PM, Blogger helg said...

CONGRATS!!!! You deserve the praise!

At May 15, 2007 3:35 PM, Blogger chayaruchama said...

How COOL is that ?
Good on you, baby .

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Eric Bell (left) and Mike Ciosek (right)

Colliers Promotes 2 To Vice President

Colliers International in Greater Phoenix announced that Eric Bell and Mike Ciosek have each been promoted to the position of vice president of industrial and office properties.

Bell and Ciosek specialize in the sale, lease and development of industrial and office properties, with expertise in landlord and tenant representation, investments, acquisitions, dispositions, build-to-suits and land.

They are experts on the Deer Valley and the I-17, Loop 101, Loop 303 and West I-10 corridors in Metro Phoenix. Their in-depth knowledge of these markets is invaluable in providing strategic real estate solutions to landlords, tenants, investors, sellers and buyers.

“Eric and Mike represent some of the best talent in our organization and we are pleased to recognize their achievements,” said Bob Mulhern, managing director of Colliers. “Their experience, knowledge and record of success in the office and industrial properties markets have earned them these well-deserved promotions to vice president.”

Bell and Ciosek each have more than 11 years of experience in the industry and have partnered since 2003. They are ranked in the Top 10 Producers year-to-date 2012.

Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from Brown University. Ciosek holds a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Western Michigan University. Both are active members of the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).Ciosek joined Colliers in 2001 and Bell joined in 2003.

For more information on Colliers, visit

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About AZRE

Pulling together the multiple facets of the commercial real estate industry in Arizona, AZRE: Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine reaches out to the largest local and national commercial real estate audience within the Grand Canyon State and beyond. AZRE covers up-to-date happenings within commercial development, brokerage, construction, investment, finance, architecture, property management, real estate law and more as it relates to Arizona. Additionally, AZRE is an active voice within the commercial industry, partnering with such organizations as NAIOP, ABA, ICSC AZ, AIA AZ and Valley Partnership.


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Author Archives: Yellow Sheet Report

Business is booming for bondsmen (access required)

The first issue in the upcoming battle between Tucson and the Attorney General over the city’s gun destruction policy could be whether the city is required to post a bond equal to the amount the city received in state sales ...

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Tucson, AG are headed for a court showdown (access required)

The Tucson City Council voted unanimously today to fight the Attorney General’s assertion that the city’s gun destruction policy “may” violate state law (YS, 11/15). To read more on this item plus all the stories in the Dec. 6 Yellow Sheet ...

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Ducey: Review first, fire later (access required)

The governor’s office has implemented a new step in the process of firing state workers, which it hopes will act as a safeguard against agency directors taking at-will employment to the extreme. To read more on this item plus all ...

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APS offers deal that still shrouds its 2014 spending

APS has made an offer to settle its ongoing dispute with Commissioner Burns: Drop your inquest into our 2014 political spending and we’ll support a commission rule to make sure election spending by any entity (both regulated and unregulated) with business before the commission is disclosed in the future.

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I confess that I've seen Pandora's Box more than a few times because it is so expressive and tragic. Brooks was real and vital, which is why she resonated to modern audiences when she was rediscovered and deified in the 50s. She cast off many of the Victorian Stage conventions that often translate into melodrama to current audiences. Her beauty subtle and powerful. She did so much with a glance. If you ever do get a chance to watch her two great works (the other was Diary of a Lost Girl), after she left Hollywood and found her great collaborator with George Wilhelm Pabst in the Weimer Republic. Sadly, she never repeated this success in Hollywood, turning down the brutal pre-code classic, Public Enemy, but her works in German remain as tantalizing reminders of her acting genius and her unmet potential. Her last film was in 1938 and she found religion, living quietly and in poverty until she was rediscovered in the 1950s by French film writers.

Brooks, to some extent, has icon status because she was free with her sexuality, having sexual relationships with both men and women, though she herself did not consider herself bisexual. But she was a modern woman, beautiful and not afraid of controversy. This is the book I read about her repeatedly and is a fascinating portrayal of this artist.


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Bahama Bob's Rumstyles

Monday, April 2, 2012

Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum

     There is a new addition to the Captain Morgan line of rums out there in the market place today.    This is a different rum from the other Captain Morgan Spiced Rum in that it's a full 94.6 proof and aged in double charred blackened oak.    This was a pleasant surprise to have another spiced rum that is good enough to sip.       The bottle has a white with black lettering label that really jumps off the shelf at you and says you need to try me.

     This has the spiced characteristics that Captain Morgan drinkers have become use to, but this rum has a completely different blend.    I pick up more clove flavor and a swagger that previous rums haven't expressed.     This new "Black" has a naval rum boldness and body that reminds me of the pot still naval rums of "Smith & Cross".      It takes on the "whiskey" flavor profiles, then spices it up giving you a very unique experience.     This is a complex flavor profile that I am have a hard time separating into the components, but I really do like what is happening on my palate,    I am surprised for the third time in the past year or so with the introduction of premium spiced rums.     You can enjoy this new "Captain" on the rocks, neat or in a cocktail.

     I did run a mini Rum Lab with the Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum, I tried a few cocktail ideas and found it very easy to work with.    It mixes well with all the usual suspects like coke, sprite, ginger ale, and ginger beer.     It also mixes well with several liqueurs and fruit juices as well.    Here is one that I found to be very enjoyable.

Captain's Joy
  • 1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum
  • 3/4 oz. Amaretto
  • 1 oz. Sprite
Place all ingredients except the sprite in a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.   Strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice and top up with sprite.    Garnish with Mint and a lime wheel.

     Take a bottle home with you and give it a try you won't be disappointed.   Try it the way you like whiskey, and experiment with it as a mixer, either way you will find it a good go to rum that is very versatile.   ;o)


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Abbot to hold vote on fate of school wing

By Diana Bowley, BDN Staff
Posted Aug. 17, 2009, at 10:24 p.m.

ABBOT, Maine — While recognizing that the former elementary school has sentimental value to some residents, a committee is recommending that the unoccupied wing of the school be demolished.

A special town meeting that was planned on the matter later this month has been postponed until 7 p.m. Sept. 14, in the municipal building. That move will allow town officials to include with the tax bills a memo about the town meeting.

The former school has two wings connected by a breezeway. One side of the wing is occupied by the U.S. Postal Service and the other side is vacant.

The committee, appointed by selectmen, was charged to investigate possible uses of the unoccupied wing, including use for town office functions.

Story continues below advertisement.

Walter Boomsoma, a committee member, said the committee enlisted the aid of University of Maine engineering students who conducted a study of the building. The students determined it would cost about $200,000 to convert the wing into town office space. In comparison, the students estimated that it would cost $100,000 for an addition to the municipal office, he said Monday.

There are issues with the snow loads on the roof over the school wing and it has other structural problems, according to Boomsoma.

Just to bring the wing up to code for lease would cost about $100,000, and the wing can’t be sold because it basically would be nonconforming, Boomsoma said.

Demolition of the building is estimated to cost $25,000. The costs would be cheaper if the building were burned by firefighters.

Residents at the special town meeting also will be asked to adopt changes in the shoreland zoning ordinance.

876-4579 printed on December 9, 2016


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Connecticut holds off San Diego State

Posted March 24, 2011, at 9:46 p.m.
Last modified March 25, 2011, at 12:02 a.m.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Kemba Walker sliced up San Diego State’s defense for 22 points on shots from all angles and distances in the second half of Connecticut’s West regional semifinal.

The Aztecs only kept him down once: A shoulder bump from Jamaal Franklin sent Walker crashing to the Honda Center floor, drawing a technical foul and two momentum-killing free throws.

Walker denied doing any acting on the play. He’s still the star of these resilient Huskies’ remarkable production.

Walker scored 36 points in yet another dynamic postseason performance, driving UConn down the stretch Thursday night to a 74-67 victory that put the Huskies on the brink of another Final Four.

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“I’m just trying to do the best I can do,” said Walker, who scored 12 straight points for UConn in the final minutes. “Whether it’s scoring, talking, getting their confidence up or giving an assist, I’m just trying to do whatever is possible to enhance this team.”

Freshman Jeremy Lamb added a season-high 24 points and hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:43 left for the third-seeded Huskies (29-9), who are headed to an NCAA regional final for the 10th time after beating the Aztecs and a building full of hostile fans just 90 minutes from San Diego.

“I’ve never been in an environment like this,” said Lamb, perfect on three 3-pointers. “Kemba hit some big shots, I hit some big shots, and we were able to pull it out. They had a lot of fans. I’ve never played in a game like it.”

The Huskies will meet the winner of Duke’s late game against Arizona on Saturday.

UConn has been streaking ever since its regular season ended with four losses in five games. Walker, their fearless playmaker from the Bronx who’s generously listed at 6-foot-1, drove them to the Big East tournament title with five wins in five days.

The Huskies then knocked off Bucknell and Cincinnati in the first two NCAA rounds to earn a trip into the backyard of the second-seeded Aztecs (34-3), who hadn’t lost to anybody but BYU during the best season in school history.

Walker and his teammates didn’t flinch.

“This run has been sensational, and I haven’t yet been able to put it in perspective,” said Huskies coach Jim Calhoun, who was cited by the NCAA last month for recruiting violations and failing to create an atmosphere of compliance. “I couldn’t have asked for a better gift than this team, and then we get this. I don’t remember anything quite like this. This is different. This team gen uinely believes in themselves and each other.

“I hate to say this, but this is an old-fashioned team.”

With a newfangled scoring star who doesn’t allow his size of his opponents’ defense to stop his feats.

Walker outdueled Aztecs point guard D.J. Gay, who scored 16 points and trimmed UConn’s second-half lead to 65-64 on a 3-pointer with 2:53 to play. Lamb replied with his 3, and his emphatic last-second dunk set off a celebration in the section of thoroughly outnumbered UConn fans.

“When your season comes to a screeching halt, like it will for every team with one exception, it hurts,” Aztecs coach Steve Fisher said. “It should hurt, regardless of when, where and how. For our team this year, for what they’ve accomplished, it hurts exponentially more. I could not be more proud of how we competed, how hard we played, and unfortunately we came up a bit short.”

Gay scored 16 points for the Aztecs. Kawhi Leonard had 12 points and nine rebounds but never dominated inside, while Billy White added 14 points.

“Both teams fed off each other,” Gay said. “When one team threw a punch, the other team threw a punch, back and forth. … Starting the second half, we were down, and there was a need for me to get more aggressive offensively. We tried to speed the tempo up, get more guys open shots, but it didn’t work out.”

Thousands of San Diego State fans who sold out every home game on campus this season turned Honda Center into Montezuma Mesa North, singing along to their favorite pep band songs and thoroughly drowning out UConn’s cross-country travelers.

But the West Coast vibe suits the Huskies, who also came out of this region during their runs to the 1999 and 2004 national titles, along with their trip to the 2009 Final Four.

Walker scored 14 points in the first half to stake UConn to a 36-27 lead during a 19-5 run. Walker’s layup put UConn up 40-32 early in the second half, but the Aztecs finally remembered they’re bigger and taller than the Huskies, repeatedly using their advantages to set up open shots while keeping Walker’s teammates from getting comfortable.

Back-to-back buckets put San Diego State up 53-49 with 9:19 to play — and that’s when Walker’s savvy stopped the rally cold.

After Franklin made a steal and fed White for a layup, Franklin and Walker exchanged a little trash talk. On the way back to their benches moments later, Franklin and Walker bumped shoulders —and Walker went crashing to the floor, drawing a technical foul and hitting both free throws.

“The contact was definitely enough to go down,” Walker said with a grin.

Florida 83, BYU 74 (OT)

NEW ORLEANS — BYU had the best scorer on the court. Florida had the best team.

Alex Tyus scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as Florida beat BYU 83-74 in overtime Thursday night, chasing Jimmer Fredette and the Cougars out of the NCAA tournament.

While Fredette was the star attraction, scoring 32 points on 11 for 29 shooting in the final game of his college career, Florida countered with balance.

Kenny Boynton added 17 points while Erving Walker and Chandler Parsons both scored 16. Boynton and Parsons each hit 3-pointers in overtime as Florida outscored BYU 15-6.

Fredette made just 3 of 15 from 3-point range and had to work for his points against Florida’s physical defense. By the end of the game, he had a bandage on his chin from a blow in the second half, but the baskets kept coming until he was held scoreless in overtime.

When the outcome became apparent with one minute remaining, BYU coach Dave Rose subbed out Fredette, bringing a standing ovation from the crowd.

Florida (29-7) eliminated BYU (32-5) and reached its first regional final since 2007.

The Gators led for much of the first half, but BYU rallied to tie the game at 36 by halftime.

Florida was almost unstoppable early, making 10 of its first 13 shots and leading by 10 points early. But the Gators cooled dramatically from that point, making just 4 of 13 from the field and 1 of 6 from the free-throw line in the first half.

Fredette, who came into the game as the nation’s leading scorer at 28.8 points per game, missed his first six shots from the field. But the Cougars were able to tread water thanks to Jackson Emery and Stephen Rogers, who combined to hit five 3-pointers in the first half.

Fredette was held scoreless for nearly 14 minutes before hitting a layup with 6:17 remaining in the first half. He made four of his next seven shots to finish the half with 10 points.

The Gators double-teamed Fredette occasionally, but usually guarded him one-on-one with Kenny Boynton or Scottie Wilbekin. Fredette was bumped several times while trying to finish layups, and two of his first three shots were blocked.

But fouls were hard to come by, despite Fredette’s occasional glares toward officials and the anger from the vastly pro-BYU crowd at New Orleans Arena.

By midway through the second half, Fredette’s chin was bleeding and he came out of a timeout sporting a white bandage. But it didn’t stop him.

He brought the crowd to its feet with 4:56 remaining, nailing a 3-pointer from 30 feet away to tie the game at 63.

But Florida wasn’t rattled, making several big shots. Tyus did the vast majority of his damage in the most cruical moments, with 12 points and 11 rebounds after halftime.

The Gators had the last shot in regulation, but Parsons missed a contested layup with one second remaining.

Compared to the tense final moments of the second half, overtime was anticlimatic. Tyus hit a layup and Boynton made a short jumper to give Florida a 72-68 lead and the Gators cruised from there as Fredette’s 3-pointers wouldn’t fall.

BYU beat Florida 99-92 in double overtime in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

BYU finished the season with the most wins in school history and made the round of 16 for the first time since 1981, when another famous Cougars guard, Danny Ainge, was the star.

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