Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Tyger's LiveJournal:

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Monday, April 30th, 2012
7:05 pm	Random Thought of the Second Is there any single trait which is demonstrably unique to the human species? I can't think of one. (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
6:39 pm	Random Quote of the Day Secretary: I'd offer you some of my Administrative Professionals' Day cake, but we don't have any cutlery in the office. Me: That sounds like a job for an administrative professional. (Comment on this)
Monday, April 16th, 2012
10:06 pm	Random Quote of the Day Is there a God of Forgiveness? Not quite. I mean, there is a God, but she's more of a representative than a true Power. Forgiveness is a Power beyond the Gods. Forgiveness? Forgiveness is the strongest force in the universe. It has the power to resolve conflict, and conflict is what the universe is predicated on. In fact, forgiveness is the only thing that can truly end conflict. It can change the very nature of the universe. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
4:14 pm	Two quotes from Joseph Campbell: "The psychological dangers through which earlier generations were guided by the symbols and spiritual exercises of their mythological and religious inheritance, we today (in so far as we are unbelievers, or, if believers, in so far as our inherited beliefs fail to represent the real problems of contemporary life) must face alone, or, at best, with only tentative, impromptu, and not often very effective guidance. This is our problem as modern, "enlightened" individuals, for whom all gods and devils have been rationalized out of existence." "Woman, in the picture language of mythology, represents the totality of what can be known. The hero is the one who comes to know. As he progresses in the slow initiation which is life, the form of the goddess undergoes for him a series of transfigurations: she can never be greater than himself, though she can always promise more than he is yet capable of comprehending. She lures, she guides, she bids him burst his fetters. And if he can match her import, the two, the knower and the known, will be released from every limitation. Woman is the guide to the sublime acme of sensuous adventure. By deficient eyes she is reduced to inferior states; by the evil eye of ignorance she is spellbound to banality and ugliness. But she is redeemed by the eyes of understanding. The hero who can take her as she is, without undue commotion but with the kindness and assurance she requires, is potentially the king, the incarnate god, of her created world." -- The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Comment on this)
Friday, January 27th, 2012
5:17 pm	Random Thought of the Second Why is everyone convinced that there's a major difference between men and women? In identical circumstances, they almost always do the same things. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
6:58 pm	On Magic, Science and Terminology I just read this article on magic systems by Brandon Sanderson. To sum up, Brandon states that settings in which a magic system is clearly defined can use magic as a solution to plot and a storytelling tool, because it's well understood by the audience how things are happening; whereas, those where magic is loosely defined should refrain from using magic in such a capacity, because the audience will feel cheated by what seems to be a deus ex machina. To further this point, he outlines a continuum of "hard" and "soft" magic which these two possibilities inhabit, along with a wide middle ground. In reading this, I was struck by what seemed to me a terminological inconsistency. For me, magic is by definition not understood. Once it becomes clearly described, it's no longer truly magic. I know that such a definition is highly subjective, but it seems counterintuitive to me that a magic system be rigid, complex or wholly understood. There is also a continuum of hardness for science fiction, and this is a term that is also very vaguely defined. Science fiction used to mean literature which took a scientific principle or theory as its precept and extrapolated its story from this. Now it refers to any setting which is futuristic, regardless of the level of science present. After consideration, I have decided that Sanderson's scale and the SF scale are one and the same, under different nomenclatures. On the 'hard' end, you have pure science fiction, which, true to its original concept, relies wholly on known scientific principles yet speculates on the future (or alternate timeline) ramifications of these principles. Just a little softer than that, you have the addition of new rules which are self-consistent but not as yet proven to real-life science. Whether these rules are couched in a scientific or fantastical manner, and even if they are called magic, or channeling, or psionics, they are speculative, and serve the same purpose. And they are like scientific laws in that they present rules about what can and can't be done, acting as both enablers and limits to the options of the characters. In this way, they facilitate the plot. And at the softer end, you have pure fantasy, in which literally anything is possible and the author throws in whatever they feel necessary to accomplish the plot's intent. Thus, science fiction and fantasy are indeed opposites on a single spectrum of speculative fiction, and can coexist, though one can also be entirely separate from the other. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
9:24 pm	Random Thought of the Second Situations have abounded in a recent period which serve to deliver to me the lesson that I should not spurn opportunity or wait until what I deem to be a more appropriate moment. I am doing my best to act on this information. (Comment on this)
Friday, December 9th, 2011
12:59 pm	Apocalyptic dreams Okay, to start with, there were zombies. I found myself in a shopping mall (isn't it always) where some humans had sought refuge. However, not all of the zombies were enemies. It seemed there was a small chance that a victim of zombification would retain their awareness, and these people coexisted with the living, although they kept their distance as they were contagious. The enemy dead, left alone for a time, would go into a sort of trance, although they could be wakened by loud noise or other obvious sign of human activity, so people lived nervous but reasonably healthy lives within the complex.( Read more... ) (Comment on this)
Monday, November 21st, 2011
6:43 pm	Random Thought of the Second I have begun playing Skyward Sword. I've been keeping my eyes peeled for references to the other games, and so far I've found myself thinking "my, that's familiar" every five minutes or so. The game developers clearly had that in mind, because there are references to every other game that I know, including, it seems, the use of every tool that Link has ever had. I'm having a problem with muscle memory though. My first instinct when a bokoblin comes rushing at me is to swing wildly with the remote, and that just doesn't work in this game. My second instinct is to hide behind the shield, but that doesn't work either because they can damage it. I still have yet to get the hang of combat, but my guess is the best way to fight a new enemy is to circle them carefully and observe their pattern. I'm trying to avoid using a guide this time. Since traditionally there aren't any unmissables in these games, it's not a huge worry, but I get the feeling I'll want to find any heart pieces as soon as possible in this one. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
11:40 am	Excerpt: Hero's Task Hero opened his eyes. The fit of vertigo having passed, he now felt exactly as before. "Did it work," he asked. "Oh yes," the wizard replied. "Perfectly. Which I will now prove. Unfortunately, this will require me to kill you. Sorry." And with that the man threw a blazing fireball at him. Hero was consumed by pain and light, which each independently grew to unfathomable heights before suddenly vanishing. He opened his eyes. He felt slightly tired, but otherwise healthy. The wizard eyed him coolly. "Feeling all right, boy?" he asked. "You just killed me," Hero accused. "Did I already? Thank goodness. I wasn't looking forward to that." (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
1:28 pm	Random Thought of the Second Why do they say 'use as directed'? If you aren't going to follow the directions, why would you follow directions to follow the directions? (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
4:33 am	Random Thought of the Second When I draw something, the image of it disappears from my mind. It does this whether I've drawn it correctly or not. This is somewhat irritating. Also, it's nice to wake up to a beautiful face. Too bad it's not still there when I open my eyes. (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 30th, 2011
8:25 am	Random Thought of the Second It occurs to me that humans may be the only species in which the female makes a concerted effort to attract males. They also do so utterly without necessity, as men are hopelessly attracted to them regardless. (Comment on this)
Monday, October 10th, 2011
10:07 pm	Musings on Human Nature Forgive me while I briefly state the obvious: Simultaneously the greatest strength and weakness of humankind is that we are able to be radically different in our fundamental understanding of the world. When it comes to unknowns such as the existence of the afterlife, the prevalence of fate, or the persistence of justice, each person takes a unique stance on such issues. Without definitive or empirical evidence regarding the truths of such concepts, any position is equally valid, but rather than collectively assume a particular stance, every possible ideology is practiced by someone. (Maybe. It could be that there are philosophies that our brains are just not equipped to understand. It may even be that the "true" nature of the universe is simply beyond our capacity. If this is the case, it's unlikely that we would ever be able to deduce even that we lack understanding, let alone to attain the understanding itself) Each person is then drawn to a religion or philosophical system which supports their ideology (or interprets a widespread and flexible system to meet their own ends). This allows us to explore the ramifications of the various combinations of ideas to the fullest extent, and gives us the greatest possible chance of eventually discovering what truths may ultimately become accessible. The downside, of course, is that we disagree over the basic tenets of the world and our lives, leading to great strife and conflict. I don't know what causes a given individual to pick a particular philosophical position. It appears to be largely social (nurture), because in a given cultural region a bare handful of religions tend to dominate, while others make up a small minority, even though they hold great influence in some other part of the world. On the other hand, in a sufficiently large sample, from any region, any possible ideological stance will be found, so it seems that social pressure is not wholly responsible for a person's leanings. It may then be a result of the physical formation of the brain (nature), or caused by some underlying influence we cannot as yet detect (i.e. the presence of a particular soul). (Comment on this)
Friday, October 7th, 2011
10:47 am	The worst thing is feeling like I should do something, yet knowing there is nothing to do. (Comment on this)
Monday, September 26th, 2011
9:09 pm	Past and Future Today I went through my LJ history. Assuming the archive is complete, it's now been just over five years since I first started posting. I noticed that several of my posts were redundant, indicating I have a tendency to forget when I've written and think a remembered idea is new. No wonder I get Deja Vu so often. But that's not the most important thing I noticed. Just under five years ago, it seems, I first became aware of Her. I've spent much of that time working on this drawing. This is very close to the image I see when I close my eyes, that is never far from my mind, and that I'm always seeking in the corner of my vision wherever I go. The image now is so close to perfect that looking at it hurts my eyes. It's like looking into the face of God. When I first saw this dream, I never dared to believe that five years later, I would have made no progress in searching for Her. At the least, I expected to have the means to search more thoroughly. I assumed that, soon enough, I would have new dreams with concrete information, that She would whisper in my ear again, that I would have some clues as to where to look. I don't. I've tried. I went to freaking Ireland on a hint. I routinely delve futile internet searches. I drag myself to public events because, what the hell, She might be there. I'm left without clues, torn. I want to travel the world searching, yet at the same time I fear She might come looking for me. Ultimately, I feel like I've made little progress. My journal is full of the same ideas couched in different ways. I've done a little writing, but I haven't published any of it. And I still have no idea what I mean to do, or where to go. (Comment on this)
Saturday, September 24th, 2011
12:10 pm	Random Quote of the Day "...pinking shears." "I'm already pink. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
8:03 pm	Sometimes I have to admit that it's easier than writing stories to just write about stories. Case in point... (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
4:32 pm	Random Quote of the Day If you can't see the Invisible it can't affect you. It changes things by being seen. Because seeing changes both the observed and the observer. (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
12:31 pm	Random Quote of the Day "Is there a God of Doubt?" "I'm not sure..." (Comment on this)