You know that movie Paycheck?
Yes you do, it's awesome. (Fuck you, Jeremy.)
Ben "Phantoms" Affleck is a reverse engineer who does his work then gets his mind erased. They know how far back to go because they place a sort of chemical bookmark in his brain. Trapping a moment in time and setting the place he will leave off mentally though a year (or some such) has gone by.
I found my chemical bookmark while looking through an old post. I wrote it about a month into starting my job at 2K. Stumbling onto it by accident, I was shocked at how impactful what I had written would be to me, today. It's as if, unknowingly, I had left myself a message in the past, meant for the me of the future.
Sometimes we forget how we stepped on the path we travel.
Reading the words, it instantly returned me to my mind at the moment I wrote it: What I was feeling... my dreams and my hope for the future. My confidence in my career change and choice.
I've learned a lot since then. I've experienced so much in just over a year. To think of who I was back then, it's like thinking of a different person. I've grown and changed a lot.
And... sometimes you get lost. You lose focus. Your mind clouds and you forget how and why you got to this place.
And sometimes, you just need a reminder. A fresh kick in the tuchus (if you get my meaning here). A moment of self reflection and life-check. Making sure we're doing what we want to do and are working toward the right goals. It's reassuring to look that in the eye and nod with confidence.
It's refreshing and invigorating. Breaths new life into the soul. Makes me rather happy.
It's alright,
It's quite alright with me.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Writing Exercise - Whatever the Cost
Blood dripped onto the cold, stone floor.
Returning the ritual dagger to his belt, Adam closed his eyes, drew upon his power and whispered a name. Kneeling before a steel ring embedded onto the floor, he ran his bloodied hand over it, echoing the name again. Intoning the name a third time he empowered the circle with an effort of his will and a faint, blue glow rose around it like a barrier.
He rose as smoke billowed from within the circle, the smell of sulfur making his eyes water and burn. As it cleared, he saw a figure standing within: humanoid in shape, it had dark red skin and small horns growing from its forehead. It was dressed in fine, black robes and was resting a thick, black tome in the crook of its arm. Its eyes darted around, attempting to absorb every inch of the dark chamber.
Its voice was calm, deep and precisely articulated. It reminded Adam of his old mentor. He drew forth his power again and pointed at the creature with his bloodied hand.
The demon rolled its eyes and waved its hand in an impatient gesture.
The demon grinned hard, canine teeth flashing with the blue glow of the barrier.
Adam lowered his arm, blood running down his palm and gently splattering on the floor.
The demon’s grin grew wider.
The demon raised an eyebrow.
The demon chuckled softly to itself. Adam’s face grew red with anger.
“Does my suffering amuse you, Demon?”
Adam pointed to a small vial on the floor within the circle, next to the demon’s blackened hoof. The demon knelt down, careful not to let any part of its body touch the blue glowing barrier. It lifted the glass vial and inspected it. “Yes,” it said to itself as it unsealed the container. The demon poured the blood into its mouth, groaning softly while its split tongue hungrily licked the inside of the vial clean. Kaz closed its eyes and sighed with satisfaction.
Adam could see the demon’s eyes - pressed against its closed eyelids - rapidly darting left and right as it stood in silence. Finally, Kaz opened its eyes, canine grin returning to its face.
“Mind rot, a fantastically terrible affliction. Tell me, Wizard, how is it your wife came under this disease?”
The demon tapped its clawed finger against its teeth, pondering. “Hmm, yes, well you seem to be in luck. As it so happens, the cost for this little bargain is one and the same with the key component needed for the ritual. Return it to me and you shall have your wife.”
Adam inhaled sharply as his eyes shot wide. “Brom,” he whispered.
Thoughts flashed in Adam’s mind. Images of days gone by… a pair of young boys running through the spring fields; youthful men, close as brothers, practicing the sword and their lessons; one, seated on the Throne; the other, by his side with words of Wizened counsel.
The demon stared intently at Adam.
Adam’s eyes refocused on Kaz, grim in intent.
Adam stood in silence, reflecting.
The demon sighed, its face serious, eyes glowing. Kaz spoke with a practiced calm.
Tears began to stream down Adam’s face.
Kaz pointed at Adam, its gaze piercing. “You spilled your own blood and summoned me here. You beseeched me for a cure and you have found it. It is within your power, Wizard! You looked into your wife’s eyes and promised her you will do anything it takes, whatever the cost, to cure her. Will you be called Oathbreaker and let her die?”
Adam’s bloodshot eyes stared hard into the demon’s glowing orbs, spittle dribbling down his lips.
“Then do what must be done! Fulfill your duty! Say the words!”
His uncut hand reached for the ritual dagger, gripping it tightly. Drawing it forth before him, Adam slid his palm across the glowing barrier, smearing blood in front of the Demon’s eyes.
Adam closed his eyes and chanted slowly, “…Ei-hu, Adam Kad-amon, sharrat, Kaz’rallah Hesh-barashamon…”
Kaz began to growl, deep and otherworldly; it raised its head high as the chamber filled with the hum of power and Adam’s haunting chant. Brushing its hand against the blood-coated barrier, the Demon’s eyes flared with hellish light, predator grin on its face.
The demon opened the book it clutched to a page covered in Infernal script; a thick, plumed feather appearing in its open hand...
----------------------------------------------------
The door opened.
Adam entered the room, leaving behind him an empty chamber with a simple steel circle embedded at its center.
Closing the door behind him, he approached the sleeping form of his beloved, Leah. Gently kissing her on the forehead, he caressed her smooth cheek - his blood matting her hair and dripping onto her lips.
Turning slowly, Adam walked away from his slowly dying wife; blood gently dripping on the cold, stone floor.
Truth and the Mind
For all the many ways we are each a unique snowflake;
We are also very much the same.
If we are in some manner the same, that means that to understand the self is to understand others.
If we know what makes us do what we do;
If we know what makes us feel what we feel;
If we can predict our own behavior...
We can predict the behavior of others.
If we can predict the behavior of others, we can begin to ask questions.
Questions that form hypothesis;
Hypothesis that form the basis for experiment.
Through experiment, we can begin to unlock the secrets of our very nature.
We begin to understand the various aspects of our humanity.
We can peel away the animal brain... the instinct and biological drive that whispers from the subconscious;
We can explain how we respond to each other and to the world.
We have learned so much about the mind... so much about why - and how - we are...
But, if we can delve deeper;
Search beyond what we can analyze, catalogue and empirically define...
What will we find?
Perhaps, the soul?
We are also very much the same.
If we are in some manner the same, that means that to understand the self is to understand others.
If we know what makes us do what we do;
If we know what makes us feel what we feel;
If we can predict our own behavior...
We can predict the behavior of others.
If we can predict the behavior of others, we can begin to ask questions.
Questions that form hypothesis;
Hypothesis that form the basis for experiment.
Through experiment, we can begin to unlock the secrets of our very nature.
We begin to understand the various aspects of our humanity.
We can peel away the animal brain... the instinct and biological drive that whispers from the subconscious;
We can explain how we respond to each other and to the world.
We have learned so much about the mind... so much about why - and how - we are...
But, if we can delve deeper;
Search beyond what we can analyze, catalogue and empirically define...
What will we find?
Perhaps, the soul?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Be the Change You Want To See In The World: Memoirs of an Ex-Pirate
I was there, at Napster.
Actually, I was there in IRC and AOL warez, mm and <>< chat rooms.
Back then, people thought of it differently. I remember when I was talking to some guys, talking about how they have over 72 GB of music (this is back in the late 90's mind you) and just being completely amazed and awed. To think these guys had been able to accumulate such a horde of music and software... it was incredible. Free versions of retail software that I otherwise couldn't ever possibly dream of affording. Tons and tons of music, more music than I had ever known existed at the time. Games... oh man, the games... I wanted some of that.
I remember friends telling me how they leave for school in the morning and set a whole bunch of stuff to download so its going all day... and do the same at night before going to bed. I remember people starting to get CD burners and for the cost of a blank disc you could get practically anything you wish. Someone had it.
And I searched for it. I sought it out. I amassed vast collections and shared them with others. I used the size of my cache to get me into exclusive IRC channels and networks that had minimum GB/TB share sizes. It was a fascinating world... one where people, just like you and me, dealt with incredible values in software and digital media. Like black market cartel tycoons, trading in vast amounts of illicit goods.
And it's not like we didn't know this was wrong. We understood that this was dealing in stolen merchandise, stuff that we didn't pay for but are benefiting from. Free riding on the work and money of others. But honestly, I don't think it really mattered to anyone. It was a subtle acknowledgment. At some point, everyone looked at themselves and said (in one way or another), "What you are doing is wrong." And we looked back and said, "Yeah, but I'm okay with it." Filed it away and moved on.
As time went on and the needs/desires of the pirate community grew, so did the technology. Gone were the days of FTP transfers and multi-part zip files. Things became a lot easier and with it, people who normally wouldn't be pirates due to non-tech-saviness, now they could easily take part in the action.
I remember when I first heard about bittorent. There was a website that posted scan translated copies of japanese manga by a certain artist. When the issue came out in Japan, it was scanned and translated to english by the site owners (or fans) and posted on the site. You downloaded a zip file and looked at jpegs to your hearts content. None of the manga was licensed in America, so it was legit on this side of the pacific. And one day they announced that they wouldn't be posting zip files anymore on the website. It took up too much bandwidth and instead they are going to use this thing called bittorent.
The day the manga was to be posted on the site, they got some people to seed the files and everyone, using the software off bittorent.com, was able to get it really quickly and easily. As long as people seeded we were able to download it whenever we wanted and, hey, be cool and seed for a while whydoncha. Sure, why not. It worked and everyone was happy. Most people still didn't really know about it.
But then people wised up and realized, hey, you can send ANYTHING via bittornet! Things exploded from there... bittorent sites were created and well, you know what happened then.
I was still on board onto this point. It became so easy to get anything you wanted that I grew beyond the need for a collection. If there was something I wanted, I torrented it. When I was done, I deleted it. If I needed it again, no sweat, rinse and repeat. I even considered myself tame in comparison to some friends of mine... hell, everyone! Torrenting had just become a part of life, something you did as easily as check e-mail and post on facebook. It's then that some things changed for me.
All through college, I was simultaneously working on internship stuff for the CCG (and hobby gaming) industry. Ran playtest groups, worked conventions, did demos, ran tournaments, forums, etc. etc. etc. I knew that no matter what, I wanted to work in games. That is my passion, that is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. And with that, meant I had chosen a life in the entertainment industry.
I started to learn things... once I graduated and switched gears I decided to start working in the Video Game Industry. I started to learn how things really worked, I started to become a part of the community and I sort of crossed the curtain and got backstage. Like any career, there exists a social circle and community associated with fellow people who work in the same field/industry. The Video Game Community, while successful and prevalent, is still relatively small and news gets around. And you begin to become a bit more interested in the news regarding piracy.
We all grow and mature as we age. We begin to concrete and solidify the beliefs and morals we had struggled to form during our adolescence. As such, my views, thoughts and feelings toward piracy had changed as well. Being raised how I was and given my experiences growing up in Los Angeles, I began to understand just how important piracy is and how much of an impact it really does have.
I get into arguments with people all the time and I could debate this topic all day, but this isn't what I had intended for this post. The point is, everyone is entitled to their position and thoughts on piracy. I look at it, and I just can't believe in it anymore. Where once I wouldn't hesitate to download a game or movie or even a ROM, now, I find it difficult to justify it to myself. I know in my heart, that its wrong. It has a significant impact on the entire entertainment industry and is a serious problem that I believe needs to be resolved some how.
We as a species understand the need for entertainment, escape and joyful fun. We devote a significant portion of our lives, money and time toward ensuring we have some measure of it. It is important for our development as individuals and for the preservation of the cultural heritage of our species. In all walks of life, people like to play games, listen to stories and have fun. It is in our best interest to continue to nurture it and let it grow, so that it advances with us into the future.
I know a lot of people who like to blame the industry and put it on them to fix the problem. "What are they going to do to combat piracy? Piracy is a real problem, I wonder how they're going to deal with it." There is a general sense that piracy is a permanent part of human existence (in its current state of ease and prevalence) and that the only thing the industry can do is find a way around it or just succumb to its power. I don't like the answers the industry is coming up with... DRM, copy protection, install limits, etc. All pretty much bummer stuff that is no fun for the consumer or the people who are forced to implement them.
It also doesn't mean that Piracy is some mystical unstoppable force. It is not a materialized entity, whose form fears not of mortal efforts. Piracy is people. It is people who have access to an easy, low-risk, anonymous form of theft. Circumstances are pretty prime for this sort of crime; especially by people who would otherwise not engage in such activity had it be something that was difficult to execute, carry with it high risk or require them to be openly exposed.
A certain amount of "shrinkage", theft or hacking/cracking is something any business has to deal with. Not too long ago, all you had to worry about was employee theft, the rare break-in/robbery, the skilled hacker, etc. Things that were an expected loss and you compensated in some form.
Today, well, you can't compensate for what's going on. To that end, I've decided that a solution, at least for me, is to live by the old saying: Be the change you want to see in the world. In order for piracy to stop, people just need to stop taking things that they didn't pay for. Realize that while it may be free to you, its costing all the people who made it - something (not necessarily money.) That it's wrong and all of us who knew then, still know now... that it isn't okay and only we can stop it.
That's how I feel, that's what I decided. I just wasn't going to pirate anymore. If it's something that I really do want, well, I'll just have to pay for it. And I'll be happy to know that the money went toward the people who made the thing that made me so happy and entertained. I hope to be so lucky.
That's been the idea, ever since I made that decision. It's been a little while and, well, it's a rather interesting experience (from a psychological/scientific perspective.) It's been rather miserable at times, to be honest. It's sort of like weening yourself of any sort of addiction. It was a part of my life for so long and I had engaged in it so easily and thoughtlessly... it's a tough habit to break.
I'm not a saint, nor am I perfect. I am in pursuit of a form of perfection... an emotional and moral pedestal that I make my way toward. A concept, mindset and ideal that I know in my heart to be good and right. To live a life, free of any form of piracy.
I've had my moments of weakness... you're at a buddies house, he asks if you want to watch a movie... you're in a mood, you agree to the film... he torrents it quickly and you watch it. My xbox classic is still hacked, with emulators full of roms... (though I haven't used it since I made the decision.) I watched a wrestling thing on JustinTV...
I know those things were wrong. I strive toward not doing anything like that. I've made changes and I feel better for them. As I said, I'm not perfect. I don't think that makes me a hypocrite, I think it makes me human.
Something rather ironic happened recently that's in line with what I'm talking about here so I wanted to share that as well. I've decided to unhack my PSP and go legit on it. But because of the hack, I can't overwrite the hacked System Software. So I had to go online and order a hacking kit (with Pandora Battery) so that I could hack the PSP and put the official software on it and erase the mods. So strange but appropriate, I think.
A rather fitting metaphor.
Goodnight.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On occasion, just as I am getting into bed - and my mind begins to wander - I start to think of things. Things I feel I should write down. But I'm tired and sleepy... the very reasons I got into bed in the first place. I tell myself, "You'll write it down in the morning... or sometime tomorrow. You'll totally remember." *cough* Yeah, so I lose a lot of really cool shit (at least I think so.) And I made a promise to myself that I'd try to get my ass out of bed when this happens and write it down.
So this was the first time doing it. I lost about 45 minutes of sleep doing it, but I'm glad I did it. Feels good to follow through on that. I'll be sure to read this tomorrow and see what I wrote... the problem with writing while falling into sleep is that the words sort of appear, make their way to the screen and then vanish. Here's hoping it made sense.
Signing out.
Actually, I was there in IRC and AOL warez, mm and <>< chat rooms.
Back then, people thought of it differently. I remember when I was talking to some guys, talking about how they have over 72 GB of music (this is back in the late 90's mind you) and just being completely amazed and awed. To think these guys had been able to accumulate such a horde of music and software... it was incredible. Free versions of retail software that I otherwise couldn't ever possibly dream of affording. Tons and tons of music, more music than I had ever known existed at the time. Games... oh man, the games... I wanted some of that.
I remember friends telling me how they leave for school in the morning and set a whole bunch of stuff to download so its going all day... and do the same at night before going to bed. I remember people starting to get CD burners and for the cost of a blank disc you could get practically anything you wish. Someone had it.
And I searched for it. I sought it out. I amassed vast collections and shared them with others. I used the size of my cache to get me into exclusive IRC channels and networks that had minimum GB/TB share sizes. It was a fascinating world... one where people, just like you and me, dealt with incredible values in software and digital media. Like black market cartel tycoons, trading in vast amounts of illicit goods.
And it's not like we didn't know this was wrong. We understood that this was dealing in stolen merchandise, stuff that we didn't pay for but are benefiting from. Free riding on the work and money of others. But honestly, I don't think it really mattered to anyone. It was a subtle acknowledgment. At some point, everyone looked at themselves and said (in one way or another), "What you are doing is wrong." And we looked back and said, "Yeah, but I'm okay with it." Filed it away and moved on.
As time went on and the needs/desires of the pirate community grew, so did the technology. Gone were the days of FTP transfers and multi-part zip files. Things became a lot easier and with it, people who normally wouldn't be pirates due to non-tech-saviness, now they could easily take part in the action.
I remember when I first heard about bittorent. There was a website that posted scan translated copies of japanese manga by a certain artist. When the issue came out in Japan, it was scanned and translated to english by the site owners (or fans) and posted on the site. You downloaded a zip file and looked at jpegs to your hearts content. None of the manga was licensed in America, so it was legit on this side of the pacific. And one day they announced that they wouldn't be posting zip files anymore on the website. It took up too much bandwidth and instead they are going to use this thing called bittorent.
The day the manga was to be posted on the site, they got some people to seed the files and everyone, using the software off bittorent.com, was able to get it really quickly and easily. As long as people seeded we were able to download it whenever we wanted and, hey, be cool and seed for a while whydoncha. Sure, why not. It worked and everyone was happy. Most people still didn't really know about it.
But then people wised up and realized, hey, you can send ANYTHING via bittornet! Things exploded from there... bittorent sites were created and well, you know what happened then.
I was still on board onto this point. It became so easy to get anything you wanted that I grew beyond the need for a collection. If there was something I wanted, I torrented it. When I was done, I deleted it. If I needed it again, no sweat, rinse and repeat. I even considered myself tame in comparison to some friends of mine... hell, everyone! Torrenting had just become a part of life, something you did as easily as check e-mail and post on facebook. It's then that some things changed for me.
All through college, I was simultaneously working on internship stuff for the CCG (and hobby gaming) industry. Ran playtest groups, worked conventions, did demos, ran tournaments, forums, etc. etc. etc. I knew that no matter what, I wanted to work in games. That is my passion, that is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. And with that, meant I had chosen a life in the entertainment industry.
I started to learn things... once I graduated and switched gears I decided to start working in the Video Game Industry. I started to learn how things really worked, I started to become a part of the community and I sort of crossed the curtain and got backstage. Like any career, there exists a social circle and community associated with fellow people who work in the same field/industry. The Video Game Community, while successful and prevalent, is still relatively small and news gets around. And you begin to become a bit more interested in the news regarding piracy.
We all grow and mature as we age. We begin to concrete and solidify the beliefs and morals we had struggled to form during our adolescence. As such, my views, thoughts and feelings toward piracy had changed as well. Being raised how I was and given my experiences growing up in Los Angeles, I began to understand just how important piracy is and how much of an impact it really does have.
I get into arguments with people all the time and I could debate this topic all day, but this isn't what I had intended for this post. The point is, everyone is entitled to their position and thoughts on piracy. I look at it, and I just can't believe in it anymore. Where once I wouldn't hesitate to download a game or movie or even a ROM, now, I find it difficult to justify it to myself. I know in my heart, that its wrong. It has a significant impact on the entire entertainment industry and is a serious problem that I believe needs to be resolved some how.
We as a species understand the need for entertainment, escape and joyful fun. We devote a significant portion of our lives, money and time toward ensuring we have some measure of it. It is important for our development as individuals and for the preservation of the cultural heritage of our species. In all walks of life, people like to play games, listen to stories and have fun. It is in our best interest to continue to nurture it and let it grow, so that it advances with us into the future.
I know a lot of people who like to blame the industry and put it on them to fix the problem. "What are they going to do to combat piracy? Piracy is a real problem, I wonder how they're going to deal with it." There is a general sense that piracy is a permanent part of human existence (in its current state of ease and prevalence) and that the only thing the industry can do is find a way around it or just succumb to its power. I don't like the answers the industry is coming up with... DRM, copy protection, install limits, etc. All pretty much bummer stuff that is no fun for the consumer or the people who are forced to implement them.
It also doesn't mean that Piracy is some mystical unstoppable force. It is not a materialized entity, whose form fears not of mortal efforts. Piracy is people. It is people who have access to an easy, low-risk, anonymous form of theft. Circumstances are pretty prime for this sort of crime; especially by people who would otherwise not engage in such activity had it be something that was difficult to execute, carry with it high risk or require them to be openly exposed.
A certain amount of "shrinkage", theft or hacking/cracking is something any business has to deal with. Not too long ago, all you had to worry about was employee theft, the rare break-in/robbery, the skilled hacker, etc. Things that were an expected loss and you compensated in some form.
Today, well, you can't compensate for what's going on. To that end, I've decided that a solution, at least for me, is to live by the old saying: Be the change you want to see in the world. In order for piracy to stop, people just need to stop taking things that they didn't pay for. Realize that while it may be free to you, its costing all the people who made it - something (not necessarily money.) That it's wrong and all of us who knew then, still know now... that it isn't okay and only we can stop it.
That's how I feel, that's what I decided. I just wasn't going to pirate anymore. If it's something that I really do want, well, I'll just have to pay for it. And I'll be happy to know that the money went toward the people who made the thing that made me so happy and entertained. I hope to be so lucky.
That's been the idea, ever since I made that decision. It's been a little while and, well, it's a rather interesting experience (from a psychological/scientific perspective.) It's been rather miserable at times, to be honest. It's sort of like weening yourself of any sort of addiction. It was a part of my life for so long and I had engaged in it so easily and thoughtlessly... it's a tough habit to break.
I'm not a saint, nor am I perfect. I am in pursuit of a form of perfection... an emotional and moral pedestal that I make my way toward. A concept, mindset and ideal that I know in my heart to be good and right. To live a life, free of any form of piracy.
I've had my moments of weakness... you're at a buddies house, he asks if you want to watch a movie... you're in a mood, you agree to the film... he torrents it quickly and you watch it. My xbox classic is still hacked, with emulators full of roms... (though I haven't used it since I made the decision.) I watched a wrestling thing on JustinTV...
I know those things were wrong. I strive toward not doing anything like that. I've made changes and I feel better for them. As I said, I'm not perfect. I don't think that makes me a hypocrite, I think it makes me human.
Something rather ironic happened recently that's in line with what I'm talking about here so I wanted to share that as well. I've decided to unhack my PSP and go legit on it. But because of the hack, I can't overwrite the hacked System Software. So I had to go online and order a hacking kit (with Pandora Battery) so that I could hack the PSP and put the official software on it and erase the mods. So strange but appropriate, I think.
A rather fitting metaphor.
Goodnight.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On occasion, just as I am getting into bed - and my mind begins to wander - I start to think of things. Things I feel I should write down. But I'm tired and sleepy... the very reasons I got into bed in the first place. I tell myself, "You'll write it down in the morning... or sometime tomorrow. You'll totally remember." *cough* Yeah, so I lose a lot of really cool shit (at least I think so.) And I made a promise to myself that I'd try to get my ass out of bed when this happens and write it down.
So this was the first time doing it. I lost about 45 minutes of sleep doing it, but I'm glad I did it. Feels good to follow through on that. I'll be sure to read this tomorrow and see what I wrote... the problem with writing while falling into sleep is that the words sort of appear, make their way to the screen and then vanish. Here's hoping it made sense.
Signing out.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
It's quite alright
It's been an interesting few weeks; and an especially busy week.
Each and every day I find myself getting more and more comfortable with my job. I'm learning quickly and working hard. My efforts are being recognized, which is a new experience for me. I work with a lot of really cool people and I'm making new friends. Suffice to say, it's probably the best "job" I've ever had. The pay isn't the best, but it's about moving up, so I don't feel so bad about it.
Speaking of which, I met an Egyptian vampire at work. She worships Anubis, Nepthys and Seker (Gods of Death)... yeah... She seems nice enough, but she cannot possibly be up to any good. I'm not sure what her plan is yet, but I'm going to find out. One day, I will most likely have to kill her... or she'll kill me, either way, it will end.
Karl got a job at 2k. He starts training on Monday. It will be interesting to work with him, as I've never actually been in a professional working environment with him. I mean, I've known the man over 10 years, but I can honestly say this will be a new and interesting experience. It'd be cool if he were on my project.
My work schedule gets me up early and in bed early. I have weird part of the day free, which means that I could possibly hang out with people if I wanted. But, in an effort to save money, I'm kind of forcing myself to be a bit anti-social and just stay in. It's doing some funky things to my head though, I'm finding myself losing touch with people and time moving very quickly. It's... disconserting... I need to make sure to remind myself to stay connected with people, lest I be left without friends.
That being said my life seems to be finally moving at the pace I was planning for. There were some serious bumps on the road, but now I am progressing into my plans with confidance. I look forward to seeing where life takes me and have a generally positive attitude about the whole damn thing. Truth be told, I was feeling a bit bummed recently, some kind of weird general depression; but for the most part, life is keeping me pretty happy.
It’s alright,
It’s quite alright with me.
Each and every day I find myself getting more and more comfortable with my job. I'm learning quickly and working hard. My efforts are being recognized, which is a new experience for me. I work with a lot of really cool people and I'm making new friends. Suffice to say, it's probably the best "job" I've ever had. The pay isn't the best, but it's about moving up, so I don't feel so bad about it.
Speaking of which, I met an Egyptian vampire at work. She worships Anubis, Nepthys and Seker (Gods of Death)... yeah... She seems nice enough, but she cannot possibly be up to any good. I'm not sure what her plan is yet, but I'm going to find out. One day, I will most likely have to kill her... or she'll kill me, either way, it will end.
Karl got a job at 2k. He starts training on Monday. It will be interesting to work with him, as I've never actually been in a professional working environment with him. I mean, I've known the man over 10 years, but I can honestly say this will be a new and interesting experience. It'd be cool if he were on my project.
My work schedule gets me up early and in bed early. I have weird part of the day free, which means that I could possibly hang out with people if I wanted. But, in an effort to save money, I'm kind of forcing myself to be a bit anti-social and just stay in. It's doing some funky things to my head though, I'm finding myself losing touch with people and time moving very quickly. It's... disconserting... I need to make sure to remind myself to stay connected with people, lest I be left without friends.
That being said my life seems to be finally moving at the pace I was planning for. There were some serious bumps on the road, but now I am progressing into my plans with confidance. I look forward to seeing where life takes me and have a generally positive attitude about the whole damn thing. Truth be told, I was feeling a bit bummed recently, some kind of weird general depression; but for the most part, life is keeping me pretty happy.
It’s alright,
It’s quite alright with me.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Ophir in the Bible
OPHIR
o'-fer, o'-fir ('owphiyr (Gen 10:29), 'owphir (1 Ki 10:11), 'ophir):
1. Scriptural References:
The 11th in order of the sons of Joktan (Gen 10:29 = 1 Ch 1:23). There is a clear reference also to a tribe Ophir (Gen 10:30). Ophir is the name of a land or city somewhere to the South or Southeast of Palestine for which Solomon's ships along with Phoenician vessels set out from Ezion-geber at the head of the Gulf of Aqabah, returning with great stores of gold, precious stones and "almug"-wood (1 Ki 9:28; 10:11; 2 Ch 9:10; 1 Ki 22:48; 2 Ch 8:18). We get a fuller list of the wares and also the time taken by the voyage if we assume that the same vessels are referred to in 1 Ki 10:22, "Once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." The other products may not have been native to the land of Ophir, but it is certain that the gold at least was produced there. This gold was proverbial for its purity, as is witnessed by many references in the Old Testament (Ps 45:9; Job 28:16; Isa 13:12; 1 Ch 29:4), and, in Job 22:24, Ophir is used for fine gold itself. In addition to these notices of Ophir, it is urged that the name. occurs also in two passages under the form "Uphaz" (Jer 10:9; Dan 10:5).
2. Geographical Position:
At all times the geographical position of Ophir has been a subject of dispute, the claims of three different regions being principally advanced, namely (1) India and the Far East, (2) Africa, (3) Arabia.
(1) India and the Far East.
All the wares mentioned are more or less appropriate to India, even including the fuller list of 1 Ki 10:22. "Almug"-wood is conjectured to be the Indian sandal-wood. Another argument is based on the resemblance between the Septuagint form of the word (Sophera) and the Coptic name for India (Sophir). A closer identification is sought with Abhira, a people dwelling at the mouths of the Indus. Supara, an ancient city on the west coast of India near the modern Goa, is also suggested. Again, according to Wildman, the name denotes a vague extension eastward, perhaps as far as China.
(2) Africa.
This country is the greatest gold-producing region of the three. Sofala, a seaport near Mozambique on the east coast of Africa, has been advanced as the site of Ophir, both on linguistic grounds and from the nature of its products, for there all the articles of 1 Ki 10:22 could be procured. But Gesenius shows that Sofala is merely the Arabic form of the Hebrew shephelah. Interest in this region as the land of Ophir was renewed, however, by Mauch's discovery at Zimbabye of great ruins and signs of old Phoenician civilization and worked-out gold mines. According to Bruce (I, 440), a voyage from Sofala to Ezion-geber would have occupied quite three years owing to the monsoons.
(3) Arabia.
The claim of Southeastern Arabia as the land of Ophir has on the whole more to support it than that of India or of Africa. The Ophir of Gen 10:29 beyond doubt belonged to this region, and the search for Ophir in more distant lands can be made only on the precarious assumption that the Ophir of Ki is not the same as the Ophir of Gen. Of the various products mentioned, the only one which from the Old Testament notices can be regarded as clearly native to Ophir is the gold, and according to Pliny and Strabo the region of Southeastern Arabia bordering on the Persian Gulf was a famous gold-producing country. The other wares were not necessarily produced in Ophir, but were probably brought there from more distant lands, and thence conveyed by Solomon's merchantmen to Ezion-geber. If the duration of the voyage (3 years) be used as evidence, it favors this location of Ophir as much as that on the east coast of Africa. It seems therefore the least assailable view that Ophir was a district on the Persian Gulf in Southeastern Arabia and served in old time as an emporium of trade between the East and West.
A. S. Fulton
Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Definition for 'OPHIR'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". bible-history.com - ISBE; 1915.
o'-fer, o'-fir ('owphiyr (Gen 10:29), 'owphir (1 Ki 10:11), 'ophir):
1. Scriptural References:
The 11th in order of the sons of Joktan (Gen 10:29 = 1 Ch 1:23). There is a clear reference also to a tribe Ophir (Gen 10:30). Ophir is the name of a land or city somewhere to the South or Southeast of Palestine for which Solomon's ships along with Phoenician vessels set out from Ezion-geber at the head of the Gulf of Aqabah, returning with great stores of gold, precious stones and "almug"-wood (1 Ki 9:28; 10:11; 2 Ch 9:10; 1 Ki 22:48; 2 Ch 8:18). We get a fuller list of the wares and also the time taken by the voyage if we assume that the same vessels are referred to in 1 Ki 10:22, "Once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." The other products may not have been native to the land of Ophir, but it is certain that the gold at least was produced there. This gold was proverbial for its purity, as is witnessed by many references in the Old Testament (Ps 45:9; Job 28:16; Isa 13:12; 1 Ch 29:4), and, in Job 22:24, Ophir is used for fine gold itself. In addition to these notices of Ophir, it is urged that the name. occurs also in two passages under the form "Uphaz" (Jer 10:9; Dan 10:5).
2. Geographical Position:
At all times the geographical position of Ophir has been a subject of dispute, the claims of three different regions being principally advanced, namely (1) India and the Far East, (2) Africa, (3) Arabia.
(1) India and the Far East.
All the wares mentioned are more or less appropriate to India, even including the fuller list of 1 Ki 10:22. "Almug"-wood is conjectured to be the Indian sandal-wood. Another argument is based on the resemblance between the Septuagint form of the word (Sophera) and the Coptic name for India (Sophir). A closer identification is sought with Abhira, a people dwelling at the mouths of the Indus. Supara, an ancient city on the west coast of India near the modern Goa, is also suggested. Again, according to Wildman, the name denotes a vague extension eastward, perhaps as far as China.
(2) Africa.
This country is the greatest gold-producing region of the three. Sofala, a seaport near Mozambique on the east coast of Africa, has been advanced as the site of Ophir, both on linguistic grounds and from the nature of its products, for there all the articles of 1 Ki 10:22 could be procured. But Gesenius shows that Sofala is merely the Arabic form of the Hebrew shephelah. Interest in this region as the land of Ophir was renewed, however, by Mauch's discovery at Zimbabye of great ruins and signs of old Phoenician civilization and worked-out gold mines. According to Bruce (I, 440), a voyage from Sofala to Ezion-geber would have occupied quite three years owing to the monsoons.
(3) Arabia.
The claim of Southeastern Arabia as the land of Ophir has on the whole more to support it than that of India or of Africa. The Ophir of Gen 10:29 beyond doubt belonged to this region, and the search for Ophir in more distant lands can be made only on the precarious assumption that the Ophir of Ki is not the same as the Ophir of Gen. Of the various products mentioned, the only one which from the Old Testament notices can be regarded as clearly native to Ophir is the gold, and according to Pliny and Strabo the region of Southeastern Arabia bordering on the Persian Gulf was a famous gold-producing country. The other wares were not necessarily produced in Ophir, but were probably brought there from more distant lands, and thence conveyed by Solomon's merchantmen to Ezion-geber. If the duration of the voyage (3 years) be used as evidence, it favors this location of Ophir as much as that on the east coast of Africa. It seems therefore the least assailable view that Ophir was a district on the Persian Gulf in Southeastern Arabia and served in old time as an emporium of trade between the East and West.
A. S. Fulton
Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Definition for 'OPHIR'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". bible-history.com - ISBE; 1915.
1 Kings 10:11-13 (The Queen of Sheba exchanges gifts with King Solomon)
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir. And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day. Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
(Thank you Orry, this pleases me greatly.)
(Thank you Orry, this pleases me greatly.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
