Jean Meslier
When we complain about the violence and evils which generally religion causes upon earth, we are answered at once, that these excesses are not due to religion, but that they are the sad effect of men’s passions. I would ask, however, what unchained these passions? It is evidently religion; it is a zeal which renders inhuman, and which serves to cover the greatest infamy.
I recently posted a bit about voice editing and voice fakery – my immediate reaction was “uh oh” but I’ve got some personal perspective on the topic. I’ve been a photographer since about 1992 (when I started getting serious about it) and a photoshop user since version 1. Fakery? It’s all fake.
Content warning: War, Death, Violent imagery.
The other day I posted about the Iraqi army advance on Mosul, and observed that one of the vehicles in the picture appeared to be a US-made M-1 Abrams main battle tank.
I didn’t think that, at $5 million apiece, and still being fairly high-tech, the US would let gear like that out into the wild. TL;DR: I hadn’t realized how badly the warmongers in Washington have been screwing up.
Voltaire by Houdon
A serious geometrician once spoke to us thus: Is there nothing in literature mode dangerous than sophist rheotoricians?
This time when I renewed my vehicle registration for one of my trucks, I didn’t get the registration sticker.
SAS named one of their fleet after a favorite of mine!
Humans depend on speech a great deal: to authenticate, to communicate, to give orders. And, of course, the police state relies heavily on converting voice to data for analysis. Video below the fold:
Transitive trust is when A trusts B, and B trusts C, A trusts C and probably doesn’t realize it.
The power station at Shawville looks like a relic of the late industrial age. I’ve seen the overall shape and outline before: big metal box full of stuff and fire.
We’re all familiar with the “notpology” – “I am sorry you were offended.” Or perhaps, “I am sorry you feel that way.” The essence of a good apology is that: