StumbleUpon | Zalmoxsis's blog posts http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/ Zalmoxsis's recent blog posts on StumbleUpon en-us Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:56:50 -0800 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:42:56 -0800 StumbleUpon | Zalmoxsis's blog posts http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/ http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/logo_su_36x36.png Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:54:27 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/36238035/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/36238035/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/36238035/

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/36238035/ Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:45:02 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/34434080/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/34434080/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/34434080/ To tell you the truth, I don't think I'm really all that possessive of my stuff; but like anybody else, I want what's mine.

So, in the interest of quelling the rising tide of supposed plagiarism on the Internet -- but especially on SU -- I am making a list of those of my works, or parts thereof, that it would be best for you not to touch, or I'll sue you for copyright infringement.

          1. 'Once upon a time ...'
          Yup, that's one of mine. This is from the single mix.

          2. The Wicked Stepmother.
          Again, I confess, one of my creations. Or rather, I would say, it
          was just that my mother acted like she was my very own
          wicked stepmother. (But God rest her soul, as they say.)
          Yeah, I definitely invented this character.

          3. 'Happily ever after'.
          Yes, this comes from my 2007 remake, with RunDMZ and
          Snoop Dogg. The bass line was lifted from Count Basie, who
          himself stole it from Jelly Roll Morton. I slowed it down, so that it
          was in a different key, and ran it through an echo machine.

          4. A Dragon (or other monster); usually, to be slain by the Hero.
          (This is a previously unreleased 'live' version, with Curtis
          Mayfield singing harmonies.)

          5. The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
          Yes, I developed this character out of my own life experiences.
          (From my Greatest Hits album. And by the way, that Joseph
          Campbell is a hack writer. You can't trust those feckin New
          York Micks.)

          6. Transformations.
          From one body to another, or one personality to another, from
          one place to another, from human to animal or animal to
          human, and so on. Usually regarded as a symbol of either
          possessing magical powers, or of being bewitched. (Yes,
          another of my ideas. Apuleius still owes me royalties for
          this one.)

          6. Secret powers.
          Basic to the arsenal of any hero in folk tales,
          fairy tales, mythology, or action-adventure movie. (I first used
          this in the Bond movies, for which I also wrote music for
          all the soundtracks.)

          7. Understanding the language of the birds, or animals.
          (I got this as a result of killing the Dragon. (All the same
          personnel Number 4 above, except with the addition of Joe
          Pass on guitar.)

          8. Sudden knowledge of all subjects, acquired without study.
          (Right, I've had this feeling since I was about age 6. It comes to
          me through direct insight; but I really don't like to burden others
          with my problems.)

          9. Miracles.
          Turning lead into gold, walking on water, raising the dead, and
          other wondrous events. (Right, all this stuff was invented by
          me. From my early EPs, released only in the U.K and Europe.)
          The Catholic Church disputes my ability to make water into
          wine; but as I point out, for years now I have done the reverse.
          (Out of wine I have often made water.)

          10. True Love.
          I haven't actually finished this idea yet, although I have already
          applied for a copyright. Basically, it depends on Numbers1-9.)

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/34434080/ Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:09:45 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/35033215/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/35033215/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/35033215/
This is an IP checker;
I put it here for convenience, mine and yours.



Now I can't see your system myself; only my own information --
which, in fact, is only my proxy server's IP and location.
Not even my operating system or browser are identified.

So ... if you don't like what you find, then check out my previous posts
on tech stuff: privacy issues (1 and 2),
search tips, censorship, Internet security,
proxy servers, and (of course) Linux (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).


]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/35033215/ Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:49:07 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31615125/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31615125/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31615125/ ... And Many Stumblers Imitate Having a Real Life and Genuine Relationships.

I visit SU so rarely these days that it is a wonder I just happened to notice this review from Xineann's pages http://xineann.stumbleupon.com/), referring me to this link:

http://proximal2u.blogspot.com/

All of this seemed very familiar to me -- in more ways than one -- so I decided to repost some old material of my own, from back on 18 July 2008. (Funny, I could have sworn it was around the 4th of July ... but no matter.)

The only thing I might wish to change is the name to whom I originally addressed it; so if you like, fill in your own name, or that of a friend, enemy, or any other carbon-based life-form of your acquaintance.

And by the way, a good thief hides his or her tracks, and doesn't get caught.

If anybody wonders just where I stole my ideas, I would remind them that, as the Devil, I am not obliged to tell them anything at all. If readers are really so curious, though, I would direct them to these very fine resources:

http://tinyurl.com/cezvf7
http://tinyurl.com/dlejzc
http://tinyurl.com/caufr3


                  'Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.'
                      ~T.S. Eliot

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31615125/ Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:26:32 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613645/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613645/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613645/ http://savage-unpretty.stumbleupon.com/

Dear Fiona,

It's pretty bad when the Devil himself has to be
your knight in shining armour ... but here goes
nothing!

Into the scene I come riding, not on a white horse, but
rather on a monstrous, scaly, slimy, stinking dragon --
and a very old dragon at that, with white whiskers
all over the place, and those ugly tufts of hair
like old people get behind their ears. My dragon
also has barely a tooth in his humongous head, and
nobody can ever remember him breathing fire --
though he does smoke a lot. Oh yeah, he drinks, too
-- pretty much like a fish -- Guinness mostly, though
he does like a nice dry, full-bodied red wine on
occasion, and sometimes, rarely, he has been known to
sip Scotch whisky, which he takes neat. However, he
drinks this is only because he can almost never find his
favourite food: namely, the fresh blood of young virgins.
But I digress ...

The reason I took it upon myself to put pen to paper
is that, having crawled out of my dark hole for a few
minutes last night, I was shocked to find that some
sort of terrible battle was being fought; and no doubt
still goes on, though, frankly, I don't know, as I
haven't bothered to check in on the latest gossip.

If I understand what everybody has been talking about,
this battle is being fought for very high stakes --
nothing less than the future of that failed experiment,
humanity.

Sometimes I wonder if I should not have allowed the
Almighty to continue with His plan to exterminate this
petty, jealous, spiteful, selfish, cruel, arrogant, stupid
creature. You see, it was I who talked Him out of that plan.
This fact is not generally acknowledged, but it is a matter
of simple economics. Who loses most if humanity is
exterminated? Why, the Devil, of course! If humanity did
not exist, then I would have no work at all. What would I
do with my time? Besides, God could always just create
some other creature to amuse Himself. It is the Devil who,
when you think of it, stands most to benefit by humanity's
continued stupid existence. Moreover, human beings bear
such a striking resemblance to the Prince of Darkness! But
again, I have drifted away from my subject. I do apologize.

With all these thoughts suddenly brewing round in my mind,
I started wondering just why it is that we have such silly
human traditions as war, famine, murder, white-collar crime
and cheating at cards.

Then I was inspired to write something that would illustrate
my thoughts on this subject, as it was obvious to me that I had
just discovered a wonderful new philosophy -- very elevated, yet
also deep -- complicated, yet simple -- clear, yet subtle --
well, you get the picture.

I call it ... A FAIRYTALE OF STUMBLE LAND!

[To be continued on my StumbleUpon pages....]

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613645/ Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:23:20 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31614485/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31614485/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31614485/
A FAIRYTALE OF STUMBLE LAND


          Once upon a time there was a magic kingdom called Stumble Land.
          You could not find this place on any map, nor could you take a
          journey and, either by design or by luck, arrive in this place.
          The reason is that Stumble Land is not a real place, but exists
          only in the minds of those people who pretend to live there.

          Now in Stumble Land, everybody pretended to be somebody that they
          were not. For this reason, just about everybody showed other
          people pictures that were supposed to be genuine likenesses of
          themselves; but the truth is, those pictures were usually of
          movie stars, or famous paintings, or other more or less creative
          caricatures, which a psychologist might suppose were intended to
          represent that person's inner essence. More probable is that
          those pictures really conveyed only secret, unfulfilled desires,
          fantasies, or a sort of mirror image -- what that person would
          liked to be, but obviously wasn't.

          In Stumble Land, too, people often gave out imaginary places as
          their homes, and sometimes described themselves in pretty
          exaggerated terms. It has even happened, on occasion, that men
          have pretended to be women, and women pretended to be men. Some
          fancy themselves great musicians, though they cannot play a note.
          Others dream of being great writers, but nobody has ever read a
          single word they have written outside the magic kingdom itself.

          And so life went on blissfully for a very very long time -- so
          many ages, in fact, that few can remember a time before Stumble
          Land. Some very literal-minded scholars have stated, based on
          their research, that the kingdom of Stumble Land was created by
          a group of nerds, sometime around the year 2002 or 2003. These
          scholars buttress their arguments with footnotes and bibliographies,
          and their studies in this field take up an entire wing of a library
          somewhere or other. Soon, those giant tomes will smell all musty
          and the pages will get brittle, because nobody has ever read them,
          and nobody really cares. Stumble Land -- like all magic kingdoms
          everywhere, since the beginning ... well, since the beginning of
          the beginning -- is eternal, ageless, not bound by the laws of
          time and space or common sense.

          On one exceptionally dull day, though, some of those who lived in
          Stumble Land noticed that one among them was better at pretending
          than the rest of them. Now, it was not that they were not all
          pretending: in fact, many people in Stumble Land pretended to be
          two or three other people besides their primary character. And the
          reason that this was so, many have asked, and nobody quite knows.
          In general, though, those who are not very good at pretending tend
          to resent those who pretend better than they do.

          To pretend better than another person means, in any reality,
          including the magic kingdom of Stumble Land, that other people
          believe what one writes, and they so desperately want it to be
          absolutely true and real in a three-dimensional, beginning-to-end
          way, that they feel offended when they find out that it was only
          make-believe.

          This same thing often happens to people in real life, like, for
          example, rock stars. (Well, okay, so maybe this isn't the best
          example of 'real life' ... but to return to my subject.) Novelists
          and poets often have this problem with their readers, too, who
          expect them to be as romantic, bold or handsome, as the characters
          they create.

          Some people have a hard time distinguishing between works of fiction
          and real life, and they don't understand when others are merely
          play-acting. Then they get upset, and suppose that the artist has
          psychological problems, or that fiction is a 'lie'.

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31614485/ Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:41:55 -0700 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613422/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613422/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613422/ Well, fiction is another creation of the Devil; this is why I am
used to being named the bad guy in most accounts. In fact, all the
arts are diabolically inspired to a greater or lesser degree. God
is a good fellow, everybody likes to say, but let's face it: He's
more of a plodding craftsman -- solid and reliable, yes -- but doesn't
have much imagination. To account for that spark of genius, then, you
must bring the Devil -- the Father of Lies -- into the matter.

In fact, the better one plays any game, the more likely one is to
be charged with breaking some sort of rule or other. Nowhere is this
more true than in Stumble Land; for there are some in Stumble Land
who assert that the magic kingdom must remain eternally magical.
And by 'magical', they mean that it makes them feel good about
themselves. It is obvious, by this way of thinking, that anybody who
makes them feel bad must themselves be a bad person. Bad people make
others feel inferior; and are for that very reason called 'bad'. To
be bad, then, means to be different, or difficult to appreciate. And
though these 'bad people' may never have tried to scam another person
for money, nor have they have spammed other people in the magic kingdom
with hyperlinks to their commercial websites, yet some have felt that
the magic of Stumble Land was somehow sullied by an intruder or alien.
Again, if one feels bad about oneself, then it must be another's fault.

This is how wars are started. I, Lucifer, the Devil, have had many aeons
to observe how people treat each other, and in my considered opinion,
seven-tenths of the people in the world never mature beyond the lessons
they learned in the sandbox, when they still needed their mothers to
wipe their noses. Another two out of every ten mature to about the level
of high school, and remain there the rest of their lives. Of the remaining
ten per cent, only two per cent are capable of thinking of other people's
needs, or can identify with another's feelings.

The moral of this story is: Most people never grow up.

To that moral, however, the Devil, after thinking it over, has added this
commentary: Some people never grow up, it is true, but it's up in a good
way, like poets, artists and musicians. Other people also never grow up,
but it is in a bad way, because they blame others for their feelings of
inadequacy. Also, those people just can't write, and they hate anybody who can.

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/31613422/ Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:05:40 -0800 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/29766518/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/29766518/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/29766518/
Yes, I'm back! And here's why:

http://user.adme.in/

Hey, my pages are finally starting to look somewhat like I imagine.

http://user.adme.in/blog/browse/u/Zalmoxsis

Even if SU doesn't hear us, at least somebody out there hears,
and has enough free time to create an alternative.

My heartfelt congratulations!

If you want to find me, that's where I'll be.
I may even feel like posting again.

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/29766518/ Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:01:12 -0800 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355278/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355278/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355278/ For those with too much time on their hands: you can brush up on your Latin.

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355278/ Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:07:09 -0800 <![CDATA[http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355285/]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355285/ http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355285/ p. 1
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901743,00.html

p. 2
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901743-2,00.html



The original review, from Time magazine (U.S.), of Alexander Lenard's book, The Valley of the Latin Bear.

]]> http://Zalmoxsis.stumbleupon.com/review/28355285/