PKD

Another Stillborn Project

I was set to begin my new project: to write a screenplay based on the life of Philip K. Dick, layering ideas from his paranoid schizoid visions with his fictional writings.

My second day of research revealed the following:

http://www.philipkdick.com/media_pr-060808.html

Fuck!

Next...

6 AM Eternal

they fly through the dark of my space
their shadows swoop down upon me

instead of sleep
I've settled on madness

Apex

Intelligence, language, organization, tool use, and even the use of other animals in hunting make humans the most effective of all predators despite being slow and clumsy.

Solaris (1972)

The introduction to Solaris is calm and slowly paced, with little of the drama later appearing in the film. Some people feel the car traffic sequence filmed in Japan to be too long, being placed so early on in the film that it alienates some viewers. On direct question from the Soviet censor overseeing the production, Tarkovsky said he intentionally made this sequence boring: "so that the idiots leave before the actual movie starts"

Why Is There Something Instead Of Nothing?

The Universe, as a whole, has a nonzero baryon number density —
that is, matter exists.

It's Not Easy Being Green

I found this poster taped to my front window yesterday morning. My house is a commercial building. It looks like a vacant storefront but I live behind that facade. The heading reads "PUBLIC NOTICE - POSSIBLE NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE FACILITY" It is huge, about 3 feet by 5 feet.

For a few seconds I thought my building had been condemned without my knowledge. When one reads down to the fine print one realizes that it is a poster encouraging people to vote for green policies in the by-election that was conducted yesterday in my riding. I'm troubled by this campaign strategy which I discovered to be hatched and paid for by WWF, Greenpeace, Pembina Institute, Sierra Club, Ontario Clean Air Alliance and the David Suzuki Foundation.

I'm a strong proponent of green initiatives. Over the last several elections I have encouraged many people to consider voting for the Green Party. I've convinced friends of mine who may be considered to be mainstream capitalist voters to actually vote for the Green Party. I think I have been successful largely because of the strengths of my arguments. I also feel that the message is more likely to be effective if it is coming from someone to whom the voter can relate. Aside from my predilection for black clothing I appear to fit in quite easily with the so-called mainstream. This allows me to sneak up and change the minds of accountants and lawyers who would otherwise just walk away from someone espousing green policies.

Much of the environmentalist strategy to win votes is woefully inadequate. It is often a premier example of preaching to the choir. A case in point would be the poster I found on my window. Who do they hope to sway with this tactic? Thousands of people walked or drove by before I took down the poster. Ninety-five percent of them didn't read past the headline. How many of them years later will drive by and think "wasn't there some nuclear contamination in that building?" When the building and the neighbourhood is tainted property owners become resentful.

The only people who will stop and read it and then say "yeah, that's right, I support that" will be people who already support that. Others will be angry at the scare tactics employed. Haven't we had enough of scare tactics to win votes over these last several years?

Trench Coat Mafia

It was reported by eyewitnesses that the shooter in the Dawson College rampage in Montreal was wearing a black trench coat. Then someone found the shooter's page on vampirefreaks.com. There we have it. Everything has been neatly and roundly explained. He was a goth! That explains everything.

He was a loser, he was bullied, he was a goth, that's why he went on a shooting rampage. Surely, there must be more nuanced ways to understand aberrant behaviour. A goth is probably statistically as likely to go on a shooting rampage as anyone else in the general population. Son of Sam wore clothes from JC Penny: Does this mean that we should be suspicious of people who wear white shirts matched with sensible polyester pants?.... Well probably yes, but for other reasons.

The Persistence of Memory

Everything in the past continues to exist.

Remembered things exist more so than not-remembered things, so you will be more real if you leave behind progeny or memes.

Dead Einstein is probably more real than living I.

Wait, does that mean that famous people are more real?

Where are all the time-travellers?

Time travel will be developed in the future.

But you will only be able to travel as far back as the first running of that machine.

That's why we don't have any visitors from the future.

Bigfoot Revisited

I met a man in BC who claimed to know Bigfoot. The discussions I had with him were astonishing and will become, when I reveal their contents, the final word on Sasquatch.

I recorded my conversations with this man who claims that Bigfoot is actually his great-great uncle from Seattle. I will be reviewing the recordings over the next few weeks to try to come to grips with them. I may post some clips. Stay tuned.

Late Night Advice From a Friend

so your life is in a pickle or is pickled

the same issues preserved in brine over time

someone should eat the fucking pickle and pour the brine down the sink

Ministry of Plenty

I went today to the Ministry of Plenty aka Ikea Store. It was double plus good. My furniture rations were increased by ten percent so I decided to get another desk and chair for my home office. I had to return something from my previous visit so I took a number and waited with my comrades for my turn to come up. Everyone was pleased that the average wait time has been reduced for the seventh consecutive quarter. It took me only twenty-five minutes to see someone who then gave me my credits so that I could spend it upstairs.

Of course I had to wait in line for someone to print out my desk requisition. They were out of stock - something about a storeship from Eastasia having sunk on its journey across the sea. With paper in hand, I proceeded to another line where my chair requisition could be printed. I was only goodthinkful as I walked about a kilometre to the warehouse where I dutifully sought out and secured my disassembled bookshelves and then proceeded to the register lines which, I swear my brother were only about twenty deep. A mere thirty-five minutes later I was able to pay with my ration credits and proceed to the prolefeed section aka the cinnamon bun line where I was able to replenish my strength for what was yet to come. Super plus tasty!

Another half kilometre and I was positioned in the final queue. I saw only happy faces amongst my comrades and was able to avoid all thoughtcrime during the last twenty minutes before my chair arrived. I swam through the crowds to find my vehicle and was able to load and drive away without incident.

I sit on my new chair as I write this, my desk on its way from Eastasia, and my bookshelves on the floor in their boxes because they didn't include the screws needed to mount them to the wall. Still, my brother I am thankful for the Ikea Ministry of Plenty for in what other way could we ever imagine buying furniture.