May
27
“To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.” –Henri Poincare
Puntabulous
good. dorky. fun.
Tweet: Is it bad if I buy a coffee table book for the coffee table I don't own in the house I don't have? 1 day ago
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May 27th, 2009 at 7:40 am
At first I thought you saw Henri which would be pretty freaky. Good quote.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:17 am
The Starship Puntabulous to a quote from some old bearded guy. Craiggers, you turn this blog in different directions so fast, it makes my head spin!
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Don’t you love those “Quotes in Motion” posters? I really think they are great.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:54 am
This quote is absolutely true. Especially in the laziness that defines American mental culture. This is so often evident in the thought that what another person believes is true is true for them and what I believe is true is true for me. The abdication of both falsehood and truth. And, ultimately, the abdication of real, reflective thought. No sense in really thinking through my beliefs or contemplating someone else’s. After all, isn’t everyone right? Or is it that everyone’s wrong?
Poincare’s totally correct. It’s not so much the contemplation of what’s true, it’s the superficial contemplation of what’s convenient.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Whoa. I got all philosophical there.
Quick someone post a penis joke!
May 27th, 2009 at 9:03 am
I’ll post a quote. This is one Kris uses on her blog which I adore (Kris, her blog and the quote):
“Life is too short to waste time on books that end badly.”
Grace Renquist in Jayne Ann Krentz’s Running Hot.
I refuse to read book that leaves me needing therapy after to deal with the depression. Doesn’t have to be rainbows and cotton candy but I do need some sort of a satisfactory ending for me. I’ll leave Oprah to read the “deep” stuff.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Darn right Tam. I’d go even further. Entertainment in general (movies, books, what-have-you) need some combination of violence, sex and laughs.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Dave: OK; So this penis walks into a bar…….
I started it you’ll have to finish it yourself. Good Night. (morning)
May 27th, 2009 at 9:23 am
But Henri… if you believe everything, then you’ll believe that “you should doubt everything”, which is obviously a contradiction. And if you doubt everything, then you’ll doubt that “you shouldn’t believe everything”, which leads you to believe everything, another contradiction. So…
I believe I need more coffee, and I doubt it will help.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Wow, Dave and TwoPi can lead the philosophical debates today. I’m with David, I just want some violence, sex and laughs in my entertainment. Think you guys can work those into this debate?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:45 am
How long must it have taken the person to scrawl that on a bench?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I remember him from my work with chaos.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Ryan: Did you ever capture Maxwell Smart?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I gather that the unemployed philosophers have taken to graffiti as a creative outlet. What’s next? “This wall intentionally left blank.”?
May 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am
OK Dave, I’ll bite [so to speak]…do you really think that laziness defines American mental culture? I don’t see that so much: the argument you gave is one I’ve heard before, but it’s more in relation to religion (where it doesn’t necessarily do a lot of harm).
May 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am
So this penis walks into a bar…….
…wearing a tuxedo…
(okay, who’s next to add to it…?)
May 27th, 2009 at 10:06 am
and complains to the bartender… what do i need to do to get a-head in life?.
-uneasy frowns all around-.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Well done David. LOL
May 27th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Xi_Heather: Absolutely. Americans tend to gravitate to a belief structure that they already have a predilection toward. Rarely do you find an individual or group that’s truly open to a completely different paradigm. Some would consider it a closed-mindedness, but I truly believe that it’s a laziness. An unwillingness to challenge either oneself or anothers way of thinking or belief structure. Rocking the boat isn’t what Americans like to do with one another. And it definitely goes beyond religion. Beliefs about sex, politics, money — and, yes, God — are all things that require deep thought, reflection, and engagement. But so often people are unwilling to break outside of the box of their current thinking and the superficial aspects of their circumstances to truly consider something that’s totally new.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Tam: Only his shoes.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am
David fB: Well played.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:25 am
David from Brazil: BWAHAHAH!!! Great ending.
Dave S. and TwoPi: Philosophy? On Puntabulous? Seriously? A good friend of mine is all into philosophy, and to me, it’s all just navel gazing. I mean, I don’t really care why I’m here, I just want to have fun while I AM here. If I worry too much about the whys and they wherefores, I’ll miss all the fun!
To be is to do. – some philosopher
To do is to be. – some other philosopher
Do be do be doo. – frank Sinatra
That batch of quotes explains my thoughts on philosophy.
Although if two guys wanna sit around and discuss the meaning of the human condition, that’s none of my business. Hell, if one of them’s really cute, I might even sit and listen…or more specifically watch.
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Dave S: I’m not sure I’m willing believe that: it’s a totally new idea to me. But seriously, you put this as American mental culture — why do you think it’s American (whether you mean US or the western hemisphere) in particular? Or do you?
(And I’m asking that in all seriousness — I’m not sure I agree with you, but I do want to understand what you’re saying.)
May 27th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Ryan: I’d love a shoe phone. Have to be careful with stilletos though, could so some serious ear damage if you’re not careful.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Is that a phone, or are you clearing out earwax?
May 27th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I think the laziness may be more of a function of the times than of geography. Consider the paradox that the Internet age has brought. Near-infinite information at the tip of your hands, near-infinite possibility of intelligent exchanges with other human beings. And yet, what do people choose? Ignorance, celebrities, gossip and meaningless tiny message texts. Isn’t that sad? That when you offer people access to the world, most prefer to build tiny villages (knowledge, beliefs) around their heads.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Craiggers, concerning your Twitter, what was the question?
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 10:44 am
I don’t think shallowness and laziness are anything new.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Maybe not Ryan, but the scale is unprecedented. Unlimited information, unlimited shallowness. THe more people are confronted with how little they know, the more they retreat in their tiny shells (with exceptions, thank goodness).
May 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Anyway, this is gettin too serious. Here is an awesome comic strip to keep you entertained:
http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=1
And for those of you who heard about RPGs (like Polt), here’s another awesome comic strip:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html
Both have made my life happier, so here’s hoping you’ll enjoy too.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I haven’t even finished reading all the comments yet, but I had to post about how AWESOME! Tam’s Maxwell Smart comment was! I totally laughed out loud and got a stare from one of the guys in the office.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:38 am
David: Kamikaze Goose by Fabio made me laugh. I like Sinfest. Yet another procrastination tool.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:39 am
john: I thought that was pretty damn funny too!
May 27th, 2009 at 11:43 am
DavidfB: Loved the last comic….see that why I hate ‘new’ versions. they take veriosn 3.0 and change a few pictures in the book, and correct a few mistakes from version 2.5 and add another piece of armor or weapon or what have you, and BAM they call it version 3.5! Then they do the same thing to 3.5 and suddenly you have 4.0! It’s like changing the left back tire on a car and BAM, you’ve got a whole new one! Crazy.
oop…I guess my RPG Geek came out of the shadows, eh?
HUGS….
May 27th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Xi_Heather: It’s definitely prominent in Western culture, but it’s certainly not limited to it. The difference between Western and non-western cultures in this regard is the laziness factor. Many Asian cultures, for example, have similar surface outcomes, but their thought process through it is very different.
Ryan: I completely agree. I despise going to CNN.com and seeing the most popular stories are ones about sensationalized murders, celebrities, and sports gods.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Glad you liked it, Polt, I thought order of the stick was right up your alley -snicker-
Also, if you’re changing the tires of your car and someth goes BAM, it’s not the car you need to be worrying about.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Do you still use paper and dice?
May 27th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Dave S.: I think you missed a great opportunity for a blog post on Spike 300.
David from Brazil: Excellent comics! I love Order of the Stick.
I think the salient examples of the American society definitely give credence to Dave S.’s statements, but I’m not sure the salient examples reflect the whole story. I also agree that many Americans do adopt a believe structure that can be very difficult to change. Personally, I like to work with ideas rather than beliefs. I feel ideas can be shaped more easily than beliefs.
With that said, I will get off the soap box and leave you with three of my favorite quotes:
“Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.”
“The original point-and-click interface was a Smith & Wesson.”
“A closed mouth gathers no feet.”
May 27th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
What’s Spike300? Oh right, Dave’s blog that he never updates. Silly me.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Yeah, what’s up with that?
May 27th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
David from Brazil: Thanks for the funnies! My RPG geek is very neglected these days, I haven’t picked up a d20 in ten years! One of these days I hope to pull the old DMG out of storage and play a game or two, but finding people for a party is hard out here.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Welcome
I love order of the stick. My only complaint is that it updates “approx” 3 times a week, randomly. So I just keep checkin every day. But there’s a LOT of accumulated strips already, and they are big. Fun times for a looot of hours if you’re catching up.
Truth be told, I’m in a similar situation, I didn’t get to actually play for the past few years. Moved to a new city and haven’t really met new people here who play. But I hope I get to indulge some day. Computer games are not quite the same.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Craig: Re: Tweet, but what was the question?
May 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I believe everything. Well, in regards to ghosts, aliens, etc. It’s all true, really.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
David from Brazil: I use the RSS feed. That way, I don’t have to keep checking.
Unfortunately, it appears that a lot of other people do that as well, so the site tends to be very slow immediately after a comic is posted.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I’m updating Spike300 tonight! Sheesh…
And I have another chapter of Puntabulous: The Novel done, so that’ll go up in the next couple of days.
Unfortunately, lately I’ve only been accumulating blog posts that can’t ever be posted… Or at least shouldn’t be.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Nothing serious. Was just waiting for a response from a friend, but I think a nonresponse is a no.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Dave S: Aww… come on, share!
Craig: glad it’s not serious, but I HATE nonresponses. I would be going nuts were I in your place.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Well according to Nickelback the answer is always yes, well, that’s if the question is sex. Other questions I’m not so sure. *shrug*
May 27th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
GoKitty: Paper and dice are the ONLY way to go. Old school. And I just recently, in the last few months, have started playing again. It’s a guy I work with and two of his friends. They’re all complete novices with only one having played a bit before. And I’ve been playing longer than some of them have been alive….*SIGH*…is there anything to not make me feel old anymore.
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
M. Nico: Email me your address via Spike300 and I’ll give you the high points of my recent shenanigans. It’s not pretty…
May 27th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Non responses are pretty lame, but a necessary evil sometimes.
Tam: I’ll try to forget that you relied on Nickelback for anything, especially entertainment. Besides, around here I thought the most appropriate musical response was “More, More More”
I haven’t played an RPG in forever. I taught my nephew to play (he is now 30) and he plays with his friends fairly often still. We keep trying to get me to attend a session, but our schedules never match up.
Dave S.: Oh don’t be cagey, post about your shenanigans.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Shenanigans? Oh! I’ll go get my broom!
May 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Dave S.: Post! Post! Post! Post!
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
john: you oughta try to play. I find playing the game with young’uns (and all the other guys in MY group are under 30) keeps me young myself.
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
All I’m saying right now is that it may or may not have something to do with my music post from a couple weeks ago…
May 27th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
M. Nico: (kermit) YAAAAAAAAAAYYY! I’ll get my broom too!!!
Polt: Did you just call me old?
Kidding. We’ve been trying to get together. He still plays with the three guys I taught how to play some 15-20 years ago. I’m so out of touch with all the rules, but am willing to learn. It all comes down to time. He also just bought a house, so he has no time right now.
The last game I really got into was Magic The Gathering. I still have all my cards.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Dave S.: Teasing is fine on the stage, in posts, not so much….
May 27th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Well the modern MMOs dont emphasize RP the way paper and dice games do. With online games, its more about min/maxing and collecting loot. In jr high, I did play D&D and Marvel’s Super Heroes. Oh, and I think I played BattleTech once.
Anyway, everytime I think of D&D I’m reminded of MST3K episode “Dark Dungeons”
http://www.humpin.org/mst3kdd/
May 27th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
“I find playing with young’uns keeps me young myself.”.Huhum. I see. Interesting theory, wicked witch from the north!.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
GoKitty: I lost interest about after the third panel of the comic strip. Sorry. I think I have toy poodle flu. Can’t concentrate today. Or I’m just freaking tired. That works. I like vampires. (See? Completely random. sigh)
May 27th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
David: You have a dirty mind. I like you.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Go Kitty, that was awesome! I worked with a woman who handed out Jack Chick pamphlets to kids when we had a Halloween trick or treat even in our office.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Ty, Tam. And don’t give up early on sinfest, his drawings get better over the 8+ years of the strip. The later Sunday big strips are gorgeous. ,
Well, I have to make up for what is the straightest life you ever saw a gay man have. Short uneventful sex life before a 10+ year monogomous relationship (I’m 29). I need to try to organize some orgies to shake things up
John: I played Magic too! You know there’s a slightly buggy online version of the game goin on for some years now, I still play now and then. Heck, I even made some decent money out of it trading, but I stopped as it was consuming way too much time.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
GoKitty: That reminded me of this:
http://rubbersuitstudios.com/ptcct.htm
May 27th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Ohnoes, The Call of Cthulu! Thats one game I’ve never played but I do know that everyone dies or goes insane. I remember reading the Necronomicon as a college freshmen.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
David: No I liked Sinfest a lot. It was GoKitty’s RP D&D XYZ LMNOP strip that lost me. I work for the government, we love our acronyms, MINT GUC BPE FTAG HEA but they lost me. Good luck on that orgy thing. Take pics for me huh?
May 27th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Oh and the Cthulhu Chick Tract? I got lost in the digestive tract of that one. Too much text on each panel, not enough color, bad fashion choices.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Cupcake: Hee hee hee, “Cthulhu fhtagn” always makes me laugh.
David from Brazil: I didn’t know there was an online version of Magic? I may have to do some searching. I still have all of my cards and man do I have a ton of them.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Jesus, I’m just like cartoon critic of the world today aren’t I? Sorry. Blame it on lack of sleep. Or maybe I’m just a bitch. As Craig would say “whatever”.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
GoKitty: I remember this sort of stuff from Jr. high, especially after that movie came out, I don’t remember the title but it was similar to that comic.
Ryan with the Cupcake: Oh no! I will have to go and burn my avatar right now!
David from Brazil and John: I played Magic: the Gathering back in college, I still have a bunch of cards somewhere, but I think my brother sold all the good ones
I will have to check out this online game you speak of, can’t have too much Satanic worship through imaginary role play!
May 27th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Ryan with the Cupcake: that reminded me of this t-shirt
May 27th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
M. Nico: I thought your avatar was the C-man.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
John: sorry, you lost me. Who is the C-man? My avatar is Cthulhu, I am currently reading the works of H.P. Lovecraft so I figured it was approriate.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Wait… Cthulhu, C-man, duh… sorry, it’s getting close to the end of the day and my brain just shifted into .
May 27th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
neutral
May 27th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Okay – I’ve never played any of these games. I topped out at Parcheesi.
As for the quote, I’m not sure if I agree or disagree. I’ll have to think about it.
It reminds me of the quote, ” The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates.
Now, “Shove me in the shallow water before I get too deep.” – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
May 27th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Daves, thanks for the clarification way back this morning. I haven’t had the same experience (or haven’t seen it the same way), possibly because I spent most of my real-life time with college students and parents, most of whom have had at least some beliefs recently challenged. [And I haven't seen the difference with the Asian culture, but there my experience is much more limited.]
But we moved on to games in the meantime. Yeah, I don’t know anything about Magic. Or Parcheesi. But I can play Spit (the card game) and Backgammon!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Spit and Backgammon are me and Robin’s two favorite games ever!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Never got into Magic The Gathering, but I have played a version of Cthlulu and let me tell you, that shit freaked even ME out.
Tam:”I got lost in the digestive tract of that one.” I think that is the most awesome thing I have heard ALL day!
And leave it up to Michelle M. to give us, I believe, our first Edie Brickell quotation.
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Craig, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone outside my family playing Spit!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
It’s only the best card game ever invented! Do you use one hand or two? Slap at the end? Or first out gets their choice?
We do one hand and slapping.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Craig – that sounds dirty.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
One hand and I can’t remember about the slap at the end. [I haven't actually played it in a while, but it was THE game to play growing up.]
May 27th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
What a great post! I enjoy the occasional philosophical musing. I think the Poincare quote is a bit of an over simplification of what it means to doubt. For me doubt is about having questions. Before I can conceive the questions I have to ponder what I am doubting. Questions also naturally seek answers. If I have a question, I have an urge to discover the answer in an effort to further my understanding and perhaps even disarm my doubt. I believe that the purest faith is honest reasonable doubt. It constantly challenges me to better understand my world.
I don’t think Western Civilization has a monopoly on ignorance or intellectual laziness. I think the cultural dominance of Traditional Mass Media in our society tends to project and amplify the lowest common denominators of thought in an effort to seek broad appeal to various oversimplified core groups of the population. I suspect that we may see a shift as the New Mass Media (electronic self publishing) takes over dominance in the coming years.
I developed a simple illustration of the value of objective critical thinking about ideas different from our own, using an analogy with visual perspective. I want to write a story about it, and maybe even make a short video one day.
http://perspectologist.com/blog/point-of-perspective/
May 27th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Chris that is very interesting and also makes my head hurt.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Spittin’ and slappin’? Suddenly visions of “Hee Haw” come to mind…
May 27th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I was out running errands this afternoon, and listening to AM radio in the car. Scanning around, getting the usual talk radio stuff… a host who introduces a topic, then gets random calls from listeners with their own axes to grind…. Kept scanning… scanning… and realized I was trying to hook into the daily Puntabulous comment thread.
Now, I’ve never heard Craig’s voice. Is it a radio voice? Could that be his next career?
May 27th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
TwoPi: http://www.youtube.com/user/Puntabulous
May 27th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Definitely a good radio voice.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Ryan and Tam: Yes indeed, a fine voice.
I had forgotten all about this post, which was my introduction to Craig’s voice. I’ll blame whatever sleep-deprivation-induced-psychosis has been causing me to surf the web on AM radio during the daytime.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
TwoPi: His “Jess a lil bit TIPsy” voice is quick entertaining. Had me laughing the whole conversation, i must admit. Not sure how well it would be on the radio, though.
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Getting toasted on-air is probably an FCC no-no.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I’m compelled to push this thread to 100.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Two-Pi: That would be cool if Puntabulous was on the radio. Everyone’s voices speaking their posts. The future of the internet.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Chris: Interesting post. Its easy to forget to look at the other perspectives sometimes but good to be reminded. You don’t always have to agree with it, but understanding it can’t hurt.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I’m kid-free for 3 more days. She’s in Toronto Polt but I doubt they are going to Zelda’s. LOL Dragging 65 teenagers to a kitchy gay bar/restaurant may not work. Today was the zoo and the mall and a traffic jam. A real Toronto experience.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Baby spinach, feta cheese, raspberries, walnuts, and raspberry walnut vinaigrette make a delicious salad.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
99
May 27th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
One Hundred! Tam, I hope this helps with the compulsion.
M. Nico: I just finished the Dunwich Horror. Creeeeepy.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Oh gosh – I watched the Dunwich Horror movie (starring Sandra Dee) a while ago. It was absolutely horrible. I hear it only borrows from the story, though.
Does anyone know what the record for comments on Puntabulous is?
May 27th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
416
http://puntabulous.com/2008/10/10/first-argyle-of-the-season/
Nearly double that of the Starship Puntabulous post.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Oh right!
May 27th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Craig: But I think for Starship Puntabulous we “mostly” stayed on topic for 200. I’m sure in the other one we were all over the freaking map just to run up the numbers. Yesterday must have been a record for not be total jibber jabber and getting that many posts.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Tam: I’ve never been to the Toronto zoo, nor been in a traffic jam there (well, we did hit some traffic jams on the QEW before, but most those were before Mississuaga, so I don’t count those). So I don’t know if that’s a real Toronto experience. I’d say, in my experience, a real Toronto experience invovles the mall, Asians, a lot of sweating, and more Asians. Minust the mall. Oh and did I mentioned Asians?
Hope she’s having a fun time, though.
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Holy cramoly, Craiggers! I think the maximum i EVER got on comments was around 26! 26 comments, would that even COUNT as a Puntabulous post?
HUGS…
May 27th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Reading that post and the comments again makes me think that Puntabulous needs more disco!
May 27th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Everything is better with more disco added to it, so I second john’s comment!
HUGS…
May 28th, 2009 at 2:13 am
I third it. And add a Fifth of Beethoven.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Oh Michelle M., if the feelings I have for you are wrong, I don’t ever want to be right.