Archive for May, 2009

Creation

May 30th, 2009

Bear with me. There’s this kind of marsupial rat (called the yellow-footed antechinus) that lives in Australia. The female, like most marsupials, carries around her offspring in a pouch, and can have up to six in a litter, and has youngs twice a year. These numbers might well be needed. Why? the male arrives to maturity about one year. The mating is violent, and takes about 5 hours, after which the male dies from shock and hormonal imbalance. Let me stress this: the male, after living one year, gets laid – exactly once – under unpleasant circumstances, and then game over (heard on France Culture).

This is but one example. If God had created the world as is, out of the box, and evolution is all a lie, then we must imagine an all-powerful god that is cruel and perversely imaginative. He probably spent some time imagining such colourful little scenarios while grinning in his beard. Not that reassuring, is it ? I think i prefer to hold randomness and natural selection responsible for that one.

So creationists, i know you’re not amenable to logic or scientific evidence, but maybe this more emotional argument will get through.

Bill Hick’s take on this (similar, and much funnier):

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Quality media

May 26th, 2009

the New YorkerExcellent traditional media, I’ve come to know and love, and which represent for me the concept of ‘quality media’:

Belgian media is remarkable by its absence from this list. Where’s the quality media in Belgium ?

Without wanting to sound elitist or whiny, I like programming where people don’t shun words with more than two syllables. Where journalists question the status quo, and where experts who shine in their field share insights. Where entertainment is actually witty.

Why not in Belgium ? Small country, small minds ? I don’t think so. But here’s my explanation, for what it’s worth:

  • that sort of programming is considered fit for a niche market. Since the belgian market is not all that large to start with, the niche of ‘more-than-two-syllables’ people seems too small to cater for.
  • corrolary of the previous point: even public broadcasters now have a commercial approach, and rate their programs by the number of viewers. While public service should per definition offer a service that cannot be found on, say, VTM or TF1. ROI should not be a priority.
  • lack of an intellectual tradition, prestigious institutions, a culture of nurturing the brilliant
  • self-deprecation is baked into the national consciousness. We’re afraid of being seen as taking ourselves seriously, and sounding intelligent is dangerously close.

A little ambition, people ! Let’s stand up and dare be more and better. I’m convinced we have our gems, let’s let them shine.

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Posted in Belgium, media

Over the edge

May 13th, 2009

This ad video is just wrong on so many levels:

If you have time to kill, the scaryideas site collects weird, dodgy, perverse or thoroughly cynical ads. What’s actually scary is the fact that there are so many. But then shock may be the only way to make anything stick, in these days of information overload.

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Hupskadee gets silver !

May 12th, 2009

For the sequel of the Hupskadee adventure, see my professional blog. Whee !

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Posted in RoR, developer, web2.0

Sold

May 1st, 2009

iDA – Job (FR) from iDA on Vimeo.

When the lama contacted me about spreading the word on a campaign, I was cautious. Not to want to sound contrary, but I’m not going to put advertising in the content of my blog.

Well, I’m willing to sell out on this one: it’s a campaign to highlights the effects of too much alcohol – a subject i feel strongly about.

I’m not completely against drinking: i like good beer, good wine with a meal, i can enjoy a cocktail. It’s a social drug, if used with measure. But there’s the catch. Not everyone can keep it in check.

Turns out I have had a few casualties of drink in the family. So I’ve seen the effects of a lifetime of hard drinking up close. Not pretty.

Then I’ve spent a few years in Scotland. Where it’s a sign of manhood to get rats-arsed (their term) at least once a week. And don’t get me wrong, women have to prove they’re real men too, we are now equal, after all.

In Belgium, there’s still some stigma attached to being extremely drunk in public – which is clearly what this campaign is counting on, the feelings of shame. In Scotland, not so much.

I’ve seen intelligent, grown men talk with the voice of a 10-year old, leaning against a wall because they couldn’t stand up. Or lying in a pool of vomit. Or fighting. Heard many stories about waking up in some random person’s bed.

And you know what ? They don’t remember. Their warped brain rationalizes anything they do remember (“i just had a drink with some friends”, “we just had a little fun”, “you should let your hair down sometimes”). They don’t get hurt as much as the people who care for them.

Because when you see someone in that state, it’s heartbreaking. It’s hard to retain any form of respect. And of course, the next day, there’s promises. Yes, i went overboard. Won’t happen again.

And then, next time, bam. It takes only a nudge, if that, to get the ball rolling. The hours go by, and you can only guess when you’ll see them again, or in what state.

So fuck binge drinkers (pardon my french). They’re wrecking their nervous systems, by 35 their hands have a tremor, their speech is not what it used to be, their faces are red. But they’re not paying the price, at least not until it’s too late.

You can support the campaign by using their videos in your blog or becoming fan of the Facebook group.

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Posted in life