War for the Overworld

War for the Overworld is a great game, a modern face-lift for the old Dungeon Keeper 2. I enjoy it immensely. It supports 1920 x 1080 resolution and works great on Windows 10. I believe they are taking it in new and interesting directions, while remaining true to the original spirit of DK2. It is well-worth the purchase price.

Preparatory Spell for Tarot

Friendly spirits, daughters of Light,
Show us what is just and right.

This one wants to learn and grow.
Show us what he needs to know.

Piyush

Today, just for fun and to resolve some outstanding technical problems, I installed a new solid state drive in my computer and tried installing Windows 10 fresh from a DVD. Windows 10 installed OK, but pitched a fit over the activation, which scratched a sore spot with me. There is a tawdry story involved here, and I might as well 'fess up.

You see, I did not purchase Windows 10 through proper channels. Ever the bargain-hunter, I snagged a product key for Windows 10 Professional off an Ebay seller, who later was banned from Ebay, probably for pushing shady licenses, because all she ever sold was Windows 10 licenses.

Nevertheless, I had paid her $80 for Win10 Pro, and it seemed quasi-legit. I had researched and found it to be a volume licensing for some kind of online academic institution. Microsoft indeed had gotten paid, although not quite as much as they would have preferred, no doubt. No way I was coughing up another $140 for a brand new license. Just no way.

I called Microsoft, and the first Indian I spoke with was a guy with a really smooth, mellow voice. He had me recite my product ID, a 30-digit number. I just loved listening to his voice, it was so clear and smooth. He could easily have been a jazz singer. I didn't really expect that from Indian tech support. In the end, however, he handed me bad news. I had to contact my seller and get the product key, which is different from the product ID. No other way forward, according to him.

I didn't tell him this, but the seller is out of the picture completely. She is gone, kaput, does not answer emails, so forget about that. But I know a thing or two. When I bought Windows 10 originally, the seller did send me a product key, or otherwise I never would have had a licensed Windows 10 in the first place. I printed it out back then and filed it. I found my hardcopy and, armed with that information, called Microsoft again, because Windows for some reason was not accepting that product key anymore.

This time I got an Indian dame, whose name remains Anonymous, because when she connected to my computer, the window indicated it was Piyush. But googling that name suggests that it is a masculine name, not a feminine one. I do not see any male Piyushes in Facebook. I think she was using the previous tech's, or her boyfriend's, log-in details in order to preserve the sanctity of her true identity. In truth, it is not a good idea for young female voices to be attached to actual names that can be researched and tracked down to a location. I would have done the same thing in her position and indeed I do it. The fact of the matter is, although one desires to be appreciated and admired on the Internet before an audience of one's peers, one is well-advised to treat one's identity the same as one's chastity. Many people do not seem to understand that. But Piyush, as I call her, understood.

She fixed everything for me. Windows 10 Pro was activated on my new solid state drive, and she was quick about it and rather nice, too. As for me, I was sunshine and butter on popcorn. I had all my ducks in a row. She did not have to do any extra work or waste any time explaining anything to me. I was always two steps ahead of her. I am not surprised things worked out so well for me in the end. If it is at all possible to get a positive result out of technical support, I can do it, because I am technical support, and I like people and get along quite well with them, whatever their age or gender or any other factor that other people seem to think is important. I am neutral and results-focused and results-oriented, but I also like to have fun and joke around, within the parameters of propriety. I had quite a bit of banter with Piyush.

Here is the strange thing that set me blogging with a title of the false name she used.

She liked me. I was the nicest person she spoke to all day or will speak to all week. I walked around in her mind a bit. There were echoes of unpleasant exchanges with abusive callers upset at Microsoft, and I hated that. People don't always understand how difficult computers can be. They don't know how much patience and work is required to get them to function at all. Most people in support have been abused by the ignorant, the impatient, the negligent and the frankly stupid. I am honored and grateful to the Goddess that I am not like that.

After we disconnected, I walked around the house, exuberant that I had fixed the problem and feeling a lingering pleasure from the strangely potent connection with this Piyush lady from India. Five minutes later, there was a phone call. The caller ID indicated a long distance number, but I just knew it was her.

I picked up, and there she was. She had dialed me by mistake, intending to reach her next customer. But really, are there mistakes? Is it so difficult to dial the correct number in a call center? Her subconscious preferred to talk to me again rather than play the fool's lottery on the next caller. I would have loved to talk with her for hours and learn all about her interesting life in India, but that is not such a good idea. I redirected her back to her work with firm pleasantries. I mark her existence only in this blog. Perhaps in another Universe, another reality, who knows? She was a lovely lady. She deserves to be loved. I have said it. The world must do it.

Love

I love to love and hate to hate. It is easy to dislike a group of people in the abstract--fanatic Muslims, say, although I'd love to see a liberal Muslim--or fascist right-wingers--or fascist left-wingers, for that matter, come to think of it--anyone fascist, either side. There is not much difference between a fascist left-winger and a fascist right-winger. But I love to love and that is how I flourish and reach full potential. To allow oneself to love is not an easy feat to achieve for most people. They imagine a thousand reasons they cannot love the others. In reality, the only obstacle is the selfish self. Be brave. Love everyone. When people don't want you to love them, love them anyway. There is no need to tell them. There is no need to do or say anything. The magic and the power generates within, a vast reward beyond comprehension, for love is a means to power, real power.

It is as simple as this.

In the doing, in the chaos of everyday, be aware that you witness the very soul of the other in their deeds and their words. Be aware of the moment. The other is here now, for a brief time, like thyself, never to be again, a flower that blooms and withers and dies so quickly, in the blink of the eye of the Buddha. You, even your humble self, are witness, and perhaps your entire purpose is to be so. We are all witnesses of each other. For that is the way that the world was made. We are witnesses to each other and to the whole world as it is.

Russia Not Cooperating with SETI

Russia isn't cooperating with SETI. Instead of informing the world community about findings, the scientists over in Russia inform the dictator first, then after a year or so, if the information is not deemed useful or conclusive by the Kremlin, they inform the rest of the world. Typical.

The Best Way to Help the Police

The best way that the world can help the respective police forces of every nation is to abandon the notion that human beings are suited to drive motor vehicles. We are not. Millions of accidents confirm this. Driverless vehicles are the way to go. There will be no need for law enforcement to squander time and resources on monitoring speeds or adherence to any other traffic laws if cars are computerized, networked (communicating with each other) and monitored by a central server. We need to stop driving cars yesterday. Humans are lousy drivers, because they want to drink, do drugs, play on their smart phones, change the radio station, talk with friends, brood over things at work, and argue with their spouses or children when they should be paying attention to the road.

Nothing Matters

To know that nothing matters is a liberation. To think that things matter betrays attachment to things. Non-attachment is the way. If one lives in a world of constant change, then a simple path presents itself, to embrace the change and flow with it.

We think things matter because it is a prerequisite of living as an animal. Breathing matters. Feeding matters. To think that these things matter is very useful to an animal. The habit of mind can become all-encompassing, leading one to believe that even little things matter, such as a parking space that one has grown accustomed to or a brand of candy carried by the grocery store. We forget the ultimate reality, which is that nothing matters.

On this planet, there are people now. They were not there in the past. They will not be there in the future. No record will be preserved of their existence. This is a simple concept, but difficult to accept. The Universe does not play favorites.

Afghanistan

Think upon the trillion dollars poured into Afghanistan. Was that a good use of taxpayer funds? Would it have been better spent here in the U.S.A.? Is a cure for cancer completely without value? Is there nothing to be gained from defeating AIDS?

Afghanistan is an unholy mess, the product of the stupidity of our leaders. Their leaders are even more corrupt than ours, and their entire purpose in life is to steal the maximum amount of money from the American taxpayer. They even steal the bullets we give them to defend them against the Taliban. I say let the Taliban take over. We should exact reparations from the land, mining valuable materials from the mountains, while napalming the populated Taliban-infested areas whenever they pose a threat to the transportation of material out of that blighted region. The Taliban is like roaches, they can be sprayed on a periodic basis to keep them in check. Who cares who governs the rest of that country? Abandon the untrustworthy people, and take back from the mountains all the money that was poured into that cesspool. At least that way, the American taxpayer will receive a certain percentage of his hard-earned money back. A check should be sent to each and every American taxpayer, once per year, for the next hundred years, to distribute the profits made by selling Afghan stones and minerals.

Why is the U.S. determined to be the perennial loser in every foreign conflict? Why is our tax money destined to be poured down the toilet and flushed away?

I Love Chess

I love chess because it is pure. No B.S., just mathematical truth. There is a queer beauty in it.

The alternative to chess, doing what many others do, which is to say, sitting around gossiping, seems pointless and rather debasing as well. At least with chess, one exercises the mind.

Trump

The grinning crocodile, Trump, made a none-too-subtle remark recently that gun owners might assassinate Hillary Clinton, merely because she favors modest and sensible additional controls over firearm sales, such as banning assault rifles and so on. The gun control lobby in the U.S. is completely insane. There is no need to explain. Just research for about half an hour, and it should be obvious.

Let us examine Trump's thinly veiled threat against Hillary in cold blood. Let us say Hillary is gone. Her replacement would also beat Trump and might actually prove a stronger candidate. That is why Hillary is perfectly safe. I do not fear any assassination attempt against her. The ones to fear for are the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave a better speech than any human being in living history. The evil-doers knew he was irreplaceable. That is why they murdered him. They will not touch a hair on Hillary's head, because she is replaceable, and what is more, the replacement might be better.

Cassandra

I thought this morning that I'm a Cassandra. It is my doom to see things and tell others what I see, but never to be believed. My Father disregarded all I told him to his detriment. I tried to protect him, but of course he would not listen to me. I do not have the additional power of persuasion. I've grown well-accustomed to not being listened to, but sometimes, I tell people things anyway, out of affection, loyalty, a sense of duty or perhaps just an old habit that was never quite completely broken. Sometimes it amuses me as inexorable Fate proves me right, but people never like to admit they were wrong. Cassandras are resented universally. Silence is best, in general.

The quest after Truth is like the serpentine dance of the dragon. When you think you have her, she has eluded you altogether. Nothing is easy. If someone thinks that the world is easy, they have missed about ninety-nine per cent of the equation.

Out-Christian the Christians

There are many who profess to be Christians and proclaim loudly their religiosity. I am amused by their designs to make others think they are good. They sometimes succeed through strenuous efforts at self-promotion and frequent, very public attestations of faith. They gain leverage among others of like mind in order to advance in their careers and in the world. That is their goal and their machinery is transparent to those who watch and listen.

When possible, I like to out-Christian the Christians, not in words but in deeds, and to operate, not necessarily seen or recognized, as a force for good in the world, by helping and assisting others who are good. I do not mind being anonymous. I like doing good just because. Not because I believe some invisible man is watching, a godling or some such, though perhaps that is so. My opinion is unsettled on that matter. How would I know other than how I feel? Feelings are not infallible. I could well be mistaken.

But if there were a god, she is rather a goddess, because I cannot conceive of a masculine god. The power of generation is feminine. The male can only subtract, not add. We subtract rather too often in my opinion. It is regrettable.

As for Tacita, she is not the primary goddess, but a relation. Distant, I think.

A Master's Degree in Marketing

This is the funniest IT story I've read in ages.

You know, the best way to drum up business is to design a good product and provide good service. Little tricks don't get you far.

U.S. Foreign Policy

The Syrian War is the result of Assad being the dictator. If he had been willing to negotiate and make concessions, then much death and destruction could have been avoided. He is the big loser, as is Syria, because that area will remain devastated for quite some time to come, unless the Western powers foolishly donate billions of taxpayer dollars to rebuild it.

Our leaders are misguided anytime they donate money to foreign powers. Such a decision should be left to the voters in a special referendum. I do not consent for $1 of my tax money to be used on Syria, either on bombs or on reconstruction, and certainly not on both. Why not spend that money on improving our country, if indeed money must be spent at all?

The U.S. seems a foolish country, because we fund both sides in foreign war that does not involve us. We fund both the bombing and the reconstruction and get taken advantage of throughout the entire process by corruption. Trillions of dollars are flushed down the toilet.

The anger I feel over this probably explains the popular support for Trump. But Trump is disingenuous. He would do and say whatever to benefit himself. I do not think he has much concern for either the country or for humanity at large. I have never trusted Trump. His record speaks for itself. There is no need to listen to Trump's opponents. Listen to Trump and look at his history. Hillary's history is certainly better than Trump's. She is a worker, she is dedicated, and she works for what she believes to be the good of the country. She does not cheat and she does not steal. The greatest criticism of her is that she was around when hard decisions had to be made, and she made hard decisions in difficult times. What has Trump done, other than line his own pockets? That is why, despite my disapproval of U.S. foreign policy, I will vote for Hillary.

Iran

I think the Obama Administration needs to send a letter to every citizen in the United States to let them know how much of their tax money has been sent to Iran. I can't imagine a more boneheaded enterprise than sending money to a nation that supports terrorism against American citizens and kidnaps American citizens. Now the kidnapping game is on in earnest, since everybody knows the U.S. will cough up $100 million for a single military person.

Opposing Change

Conservatives oppose change because their personality dictates it. They don't like to think about things much. They fear the unknown. They don't want to bother with studying anything, because that involves work. In short, they have a case of the La Zee Bonez, a disease that is rampant throughout the human race. Those who oppose change get awfully upset at the very idea that things might change, because then, they would have to exert a few seconds, maybe even a minute, of actual thinking. That is a huge thing to ask of them, when normally they do not think about anything at all.

Corruption and Waste

Corruption is rife in the world. In general, people do not listen to what is right, but what is best for them. Morality appears to be a new innovation in the human ape.

Government service is sometimes viewed as an opportunity to be idle and, sometimes, to steal.

Perhaps it is true that people get the government they deserve. If bad leaders are voted into office, then the people do actually get what they voted for, after all. Those regions that elect good people get better government out of the bargain. I wonder whether the U.S. deserves Trump? I certainly hope not.

Astral Stuff

I am not sure what to make of the concept of astral travel. I have read in Tyson's works that anything that happens in the astral plane happens in the mind alone and not outside of the mind. If so, what is the difference between astral travel and reading a good book? To me, it seems silly to imagine an unseen place without a good script, as found in a good book.

Also, what is the difference between astral travel, as defined by Tyson, and writing fiction?

Germany Bleeds

The news streaming in from Europe seems a never-ending stream of Muslim-manufactured atrocities. The politicians in Europe lack basic common sense. Germany is learning what should have been obvious to anyone with a functioning brain. When you invite a bunch of Muslims to the party, what you get is brain-splatter on the walls and blood all over the floors. Europe is a strange region. If you like them, believe in their culture and philosophy and want to contribute, you are unwanted. If you hate them, want to kill and rape them, then they will bend over backwards to let you in. Moreover, they will pay you not to work. This fits in with the general hypothesis that people, perhaps unknowingly, worship Thanatos, want to die and want to suffer. It is a basic impulse at conflict with happiness and progress. They want to bring the wolf to the table. Of course, the fanatical Muslims are only too happy to oblige.

Erdogan is Ugly

Erdogan, the dictator of Turkey, is just an ugly human being, sitting on the toilet and pretending to be a leader. When he dies, Turkey will be better off. That reptile won't ever give up power while a pulse still beats in his skin. There is going to be a lot of killings and a lot of imprisonment and torture while he lives.