Today I am channeling-------Mr Curmudgeon

curmudgeon

kəːˈmʌdʒ(ə)n/

noun

noun: curmudgeon; plural noun: curmudgeons

a bad-tempered or surly person.

 

 

After my galactic revelations yesterday I am back to my lovely self. Well actually  I have gone the other way. I shall explain. Phil Towers is located in an area of (To use the delightful euphemism.) Affordable social  housing, Someone who grew up when and where I did will know it better as a Caaaaaannnnncil estate. Younger readers my know it better as a housing association property. Basically it is rented accommodation for those who cannot afford to buy. There are good estates and there are the ones which were used in the 1970's. to re house people displaced in the slum clearances of the time. Other groups were also placed in them. Now they tend to be Family homes but also single parent dwellings. Single men or women and older couples live in flats in these areas. There are a high proportion of people who are on benefits.

 

 

Now I am not one to automatically assume that all who are in receipt of benefits are automatically anti-social. There are a lot of people who have genuine problems, or in this Austere climate cannot find a job. Many are victims of the Labour policy of rewarding people who produce children, thus causing an epidemic of babies with parents who cannot afford to keep them. There are hundreds of genuine people for every benefit cheat.

I like to judge everyone on their merits. However it is not of benefits I wish to speak. There is no doubt that the type of people who are on benefits tend to exhibit the kind of behaviour I am about to discuss but it is by no means restricted to them.

There is no doubt in my mind that many bought up in the 90's and Noughties has been given to understand that selfish behaviour and rudeness are quite acceptable in themselves but not in others. They are not effectively disciplined by doting parents. This may seem harsh but I have plenty of evidence and cases to study on this estate.

Example 1. There are many enclosed 'Courts' which are paved and have large green areas for children to play in. Yet many of the teenage boys who claim to be poor can afford motorcycles with no tax or M.O.T. (Yes I do know this for a fact, they openly boast of it.), and they wear no helmets or protective gear. They use these courts, which are blocked off with bollards, as shortcuts despite the danger of hitting children and pollute the air with these elderly machines. The noise is incredible and all summer you smell the oily stench of two stroke engines.

Example 2 There is a young man nearby who seems to think I like his choice of music so much that I want to hear it every day in the summer. Recently he had the music, which had heavy bass content, blasting through a boom box in the back of his car for 3 hours. It was drowning out my T.V. to such an extent that (To my shame!) I shouted from my window to turn the F*****g music down. Next I had an irate young man threatening me, waving a finger in my face, swearing and screaming that he could do what he liked. He did, among all this, say that I could have just have asked him calmly. To my way of thinking it was his behaviour which was the catalyst and he must have known that it was. However if I want to be known as a tolerant person he was right, I could have asked. I still feel that the mental torture of non stop loud music was a good excuse for my outburst but I went out and discussed it calmly. He accepted that and turned it down. Since then things have been better with him but there are many who play such loud music, day and night.

Example 3 and the reason for this rant. All our houses are, by their nature, tightly crowded together. It is possible to see that, on a day such as today, washing is out in nearly every garden. And yet one of our neighbours has decided to have a bonfire, putting out thick dark smoke. Of course this means all our washing will now smell of smoke. If we wished to have a fire where I grew up you always made attempts to let people know.

I know that the code we observed with our neighbours regarding potential nuisances when I was young are impossible now but there are things you can do. A fire can be lit at a time when washing is unlikely to be out. If you are doing something noisy such as DIY, a word to the neighbours helps. Sunday being a day of rest is long gone. I have heard people hammering on Christmas day before. A little consideration goes a long way.

This rant will achieve nothing. I have to accept that the code of behaviour I grew up with no longer applies. People do exactly what they want, when they want. Even if you remonstrate peaceably the discussion often turns ugly. Until parents once again discipline their children as I was disciplined things will not improve. Still we can always drug them till they are old enough to begin the whole cycle again.
 

Inspiration from space.

My fellow sapient carbon based life forms, I know that life is sometimes not exactly as we would like it. We all know it. I know about depression and worries. I know that it is difficult to find your happy place when things go badly.

Maybe I can help. I was perambulating gently around what is optimistically named the Riverside Country park this fine autumn morning. I happened to look up just as the Sun cut through a cloud and it nearly blinded me. You can imagine I wasn't amused but it began a random chain of thought. It has to do with the futility of complaining about the Sun doing whatever it damn well pleases but also about miracles.(You should be aware I am in a more facetious mood than is usual for me.)

Out there is a bloody great Universe, you have no hope of learning much about it without a few million lifetimes or Warp Drive.¹

So somewhat smaller then. The Galaxy. Same applies. Maybe a few less lifetimes. Or a sublight spaceship and committing a fair few of your descendants to a lifetime in space.²

Ok now we're cooking. The Solar system. Our neighbourhood. We have already visited another planet like thing viz the moon. Mars is coming within our reach. At it's centre is the Sun which is about 94.5 million miles away. This body provides gravity  which holds 8 planets and hundreds of minor moons and asteroids in orbit around it. For my purposes the most important is Earth.³

Now this wonderful sun radiates heat across these millions of miles. It reaches Earth with enough energy to cause us to complain how hot it is. Yet without it the Earth would be totally lifeless, plus you and the rest of humankind (Past and Present) would never have existed. It is the basis of our industry and agriculture, our lives are regulated by it's presence or lack of presence in the sky. All life depends on it.

Next then the Earth. it's down there beneath your feet, look down and there it is. Not much is it? But hang on. It revolves very fast generating gravity. You don't even feel the rotation but it's happening.  Gravity. Stops you from flying of into space. Then there's Electricity. Properly harnessed it provides more heat and light when that pesky Sun goes. Properly chopped into little pieces it powers our beloved machines. Chop it up a little smaller and it provides communication between those machines.

Then we dig minerals, gases and metals to make more machines, specially those wheeled devices which we use to go 100 yards to the shop or do the school run. The oil removed from the Earth and grown by energy from the Sun provide them with their power. Gas provides cheaper heating.
The atmosphere protects us (Despite our best efforts!) against radiation and stray asteroids. We are reasonably assured of that protection until our bodies eventually wear out. Maybe one day we will make new ones.

Not very inspiring so far? Well try to imagine all the energy and effort that the universe goes to in order to maintain the Galaxy. The galaxy does the same for the Solar system. The solar system looks after the Earth and the Earth looks after you. How can you think you are not loved or that no-one cares when all that energy has ben expended to ensure that you can live your life. It's bloody miraculous?

1. It would be nice, if ever Warp drive or Matter transporters are invented, that those responsible give credit to Gene Roddenberry for the concept.
2. I like star Trek, Deal with it.
3. I've been there, it's rubbish.

The galaxy song By Eric Idle, explains all this faster and with much more wit than me. Still Meh!

How does the internet affect our daily lives and is there a darker side?

We all think of the internet as Man's crowning achievement as far as communication is concerned. We can do anything online. Shopping, easy, Banking, No problems. Anything that can be sorted out by two Computer systems and a Wi-Fi connection. Social media means families can talk without all that tedious visiting lark. We can play games on computers and games machines all over the world in real time. Even the Government are now cottoning on as to how much cheaper it is to get your computer to arrange Car Tax, Taxes and so on with their computer. So much cheaper than all those nasty, expensive civil servants. Banks, too, know that they can keep taking a monthly fee for day to day transactions which have no need of an expensive clerk. Convenient for all but once again removing the human from the equation. It is also underlining the huge amounts of money being paid by us with no real effort or customer service on behalf of the organisation or business.

But let's leave aside the greed involved, Greed is the defining vice of this particular time in history though we embrace most of the seven deadly sins with enthusiasm.

So it's a good thing, right, this internet thing. No need to go out to arrange everything. Just switch on your computer and everything's great. But what of exercise? It's no coincidence that we are the most obese generation ever with all the health issues that go with it. Everything you need is probably available a few miles from home and you never walk.


O.K. So that's a bit of a drawback but that's the only downside isn't it? Well there is the idea that every webpage must have targeted advertising. How many times have you waited for a page to load all the advertising bots simply to read a paragraph of text? On a slow computer or connection it becomes almost impossible. Webpages have to pay their way and we have to be advertised at if we are to buy faster computers to cope with it all. That is without all the nasty adware that downloads to your 'Pooter on the back of software you actually asked for. On my P.C. it takes 5 minutes to load some pages. All to sell more stuff we don't need. Greed again.

Then there are those nasty but oh so clever crooks who have worked out how to make money with criminal hacking of systems. They can take your cash, your identity and buy stuff on your cards. It's a constant battle against this new breed of criminals. With computerised devices getting smaller they'll even nick the computer too, given the chance. Hey and it's greed again.

'But..' You may be screaming at this point. 'Social media is good isn't it? We talk all the time." Here are some negative things about social media......

Your real friends probably account for about 1% of your contacts.

There are all sorts of ways of making you see advertising on Facebook and Twitter.

You are not socialising, you are sitting staring at a screen.

Kids particularly are not learning social skills they are effectively hiding behind a screen.

Kids who were being bullied used to be able to get away from it at home. Social networking takes this small protection away.

Swearing, explicit images, adult videos and all sorts of other nasty stuff regularly creep into your timelines.

Are you really sure that all the stuff you store on Cloud storage is secure? Those nutty conspiracy theories about Facebook etc. may be silly but you are trusting personal information, images. telephone numbers to a computer which can be hacked. It's information can be fraudulently shared. Do you read ALL those terms and conditions?

I do love the freedom of the internet but I am a hardened nethead. I understand the drawbacks and how to guard against them and it doesn't rule me. This morning I went for a walk, came home and did a bit of housework. I am writing this and then may read or watch a T.V. murder mystery.

If I go on social media I apply the same rules as if I were face to face! I am honest but polite, if I have a point to make I will make it respectfully. I know what I can share or not share. On top of this I am also a people fan. I love talking to people, sometimes total strangers when I am out and about.

I am all for the wealth of information available, the things I can do with my computer and social media with the freedom it brings BUT I also treat it with respect. It is like a dog who seems friendly but is likely to bite you if given the chance. Modern security software helps but you are responsible for being aware of the dangers. the Internet is a great thing but there is definitely a Dark side.

Ghosts and Idiots ruining serious paranormal research.

As if the search for life after death is not wide open to fraud by people with knowledge of picture editing and competent in it, there are now Apps appearing on mobile phones which make it simple. Normally some knowledge of Photoshop or similar is necessary to make a good fake Ghost and it at least required some effort. Even so these pictures are usually easy to spot. Unless you have a very steady hand, cutting out the Ghost which is to be superimposed is not easy. The edges are noticeable and a human figure normally has bits missing. No picture of a human contains all the body and often fingers or toes, even the occasional leg or arm go missing.

As well as all this people always get the balance of believability versus detail wrong. Any serious student of the subject would tell you that full body apparitions are rare and that the reality of Ghosts is likely to be misshapen blobs of energy or E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomenon.) So any clearly recognisable human apparition always awakens my scepticism. I do not believe in Ghosts but I would like to be proved wrong. I do know how to Photoshop though and I know the signs of a fake.

Now we have these Phone apps. There is an example of the above (Clearly not to be taken as real and an example of what can be achieved.) and a screenshot of one such app. These Apps quite openly state that they are designed to fool on social media, one even admits that they won't fool for long.

Now I hate users of social media whose aim is to get Likes, Shares or favourites by any means possible. Some claim that you are an idiot if you cannot do an ambiguous maths problem, some claim you are heartless because you do not share an emotive picture (Again often faked or with a story which cannot be proved. That child molester that hangs around schools is probably just a picture lifted from the net or someone who the poster has a grudge against.), and some just threaten ridiculous events befalling you if you do not send the post to all your Friends. All are designed to make idiots feel superior and generate attention.

Now these idiots can, with five minutes work, create a reasonably credible Ghost image and put it on a ghost picture group. The sceptical will feel obliged to point out that it is fake, the credible will instantly assume that the Ghost is real and is haunting any place you can take a picture of. Those who are not sure will say that it could be pareidolia but it is compelling.

Either way the attention whores on Social media sit back and have a chuckle at the way they have  made idiots of their so called friends. Bear in mind my previous comments about believability though, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Just when you thought this paranormal stuff was rubbish.

The Video above is of a very obscure, long forgotten animated T.V. Series. I watched it as a child but didn't particularly enjoy it.

Two nights ago I dreamed very vividly about it. I also heard the theme music from 'White horses,' another forgotten series, in the dream.

I haven't heard anything about the second one but on a Facebook thread about 1970's T.V., and after having forgotten about it for decades, someone posted about Belle and Sebastian. How spooky is that? What do you mean coincidence? Yeah right!

I await a post on 'White Horses' Whoever is doing this please stop.

Jack the Ripper

This is not going to be an exhaustive history of this case, there is just too much information out there to encapsulate in a blog post. I offer two links, the Wikipedia entry about the case and THE definitive website, the Casebook of Jack the Ripper. I also recommend a comprehensive A-Z book of the case.

Here I just wish to confess myself a confirmed Ripperologist and to try to explain why. What is the fascination? The murders were gruesome but not excessively so by today's standards. The Ripper was a serial killer in the autumn of 1888 but not a prolific one. There were 11 suspected killings of women who were all prostitutes, only 5 of which are considered canonical and even one of those has been questioned as a Ripper victim. There are letters supposedly from the killer which are now considered hoaxes.

The fascination for me is the fact that, after 127 years we still don't know who committed these crimes. The Ripper's hunting grounds were the most poverty stricken areas of Victorian London. It is also his seeming ability to kill, mutilate and disappear within minutes that fascinates. At least twice he must have been nearby when his victims were discovered. There was talk of his being linked to that great British bogeyman, Spring heeled Jack. Some even suspect a demonic Ripper. The mutilations were nasty by Victorian standards.

The conspiracies associated with the case are well documented and the Casebook website will tell you all about them but I don't think we are looking at a famous Ripper. He is just an ordinary man driven mad by syphilis or his poverty stricken surroundings. Try one of the links, you may get hooked on this Victorian mystery. Or maybe you will solve this ultimate cold case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper

http://www.casebook.org/

Turing-Hero and Victim

     A post originally published on my Wordpress Blog

 

             

Alan Turing 1912-1954

 

As you will know I am totally immersed in Computing devices and the Internet. It is no exaggeration to say that without Alan Turing these devices would not exist. He conceived a universal computing machine, based around binary language, the description of which is the basis of all modern computing machines. His Ghost is probably looking over your shoulder now.

 

 His work in cracking the Enigma codes in World War 2 and the effect on the war in the north Atlantic are well documented. Unfortunately, the idea that Turing designed Colossus with Tommy Flowers is erroneous but he did design the Bombe, a mechanical device to work out the Enigma settings. His work in Crypto-analysis was central to Bletchley Park’s wartime success and his cracking of the German Naval codes helped Britain to stop the destruction of supply convoys. This undoubtedly shortened the war. Unfortunately this work and the Colossus machines were deemed top-secret and Britain handed the lead in this field to others. It is possible that we may all be using Colossi had it been developed commercially.

 

After the war Turing worked on the design of another computer system the ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) at the National Physical Laboratory.  In 1949 he became Deputy Director of the Computing Laboratory in the university of Manchester Mathematics department, working on software for one of the earliest stored program computers—the Manchester MK1. At this time he developed the Turing test, The idea that a machine imitating a human in a conversation, if it could convince a third-party that it was human, must be deemed intelligent

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In the 1950’s he turned to Mathematical Biology and the occurrence of Fibonacci sequences in flowers. He attempted, long before the discovery of D.N.A., to work out why cells separated in different ways to become different structures. He also wondered why certain animals of similar kinds developed different colouring and patterns. He posited  mathematical rules behind these changes, and of course he was right.

 

However he was doomed by his sexuality. Homosexuality was illegal in the U.K. in the 1950’s. He was burgled by a friend of one of his sexual partners, who got his address from the young man. A watch was taken that had been given to Turing by his father and naturally he wanted it back. In a totally Naïve move he called the police. He openly confessed to sex with the young man when questioned about the burglary and the police must have thought it was Christmas. A high-profile war hero and professor admitting to homosexuality. The burglary was quietly forgotten.

What happened next should stand as one of the most shameful events in British History. This war hero and one of the greatest minds of his age was given a choice, prison or chemical Castration. This involved the injection of female hormones, thus destroying the testosterone in the body, and stopping the sexual urges. It also involved shrinking of the testicles and growth of breasts. I can only imagine the shock to the system this would involve but it also impacted on his intellect. I wonder if he would still be alive if he had chosen prison. He once said he might have enjoyed it given his attraction to men.

 

At this time there was a paranoia about Gay men, who were seen as a security risk and much of his work with the government was taken from him. He travelled abroad to Greece and Norway, both places popular with homosexuals, no doubt enjoying the more relaxed attitude there. He must have felt that he was trapped in a nightmare but he bore the treatments without complaint. He cannot have failed to see the irony that his war work was against a country which practiced castration of Jews as well as persecution of Homosexuals and the insane. Now he faced the same persecution he fought against with his towering intellect. I also wonder if the treatments mad him fear madness. For whatever reason on 8 June 1954 was found dead of Cyanide poisoning. There was a half eaten apple (How ironic is that?) by his bed though it wasn’t tested for cyanide. The verdict was suicide with the apple being assumed as the means of ingestion.

 

There have been doubts. This is what Wikipedia says about it:

Philosophy professor Jack Copeland has questioned various aspects of the coroner’s historical verdict, suggesting the alternative explanation of the accidental inhalation of cyanide fumes from an apparatus for gold electroplating spoons, using potassium cyanide to dissolve the gold, which Turing had set up in his tiny spare room. Copeland notes that the autopsy findings were more consistent with inhalation than with ingestion of the poison. Turing also habitually ate an apple before bed, and it was not unusual for it to be discarded half-eaten. In addition, Turing had reportedly borne his legal setbacks and hormone treatment (which had been discontinued a year previously) “with good humour” and had shown no sign of despondency prior to his death, setting down, in fact, a list of tasks he intended to complete upon return to his office after the holiday weekend At the time, Turing’s mother believed that the ingestion was accidental, resulting from her son’s careless storage of laboratory chemicals.  Biographer Andrew Hodges suggests that Turing may have arranged the cyanide experiment deliberately, to give his mother some plausible deniability.
 

Andrew Hodges, and another biographer, David Leavitt, have both suggested that Turing was re-enacting a scene from the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), his favourite fairy tale, both noting that (in Leavitt’s words) he took “an especially keen pleasure in the scene where the Wicked Queen immerses her apple in the poisonous brew.

 

The British Government apologised for his treatment in 2013 but it is poor compensation  given that Turing should have been a hero and been decorated by  the U.K., not persecuted by it.