http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com ::though.technology.and.terror.today.and.tomorrow. Sat, 23 May 2009 08:40:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en the story of Zen founder Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu. The emperor was a benevolent Buddhist who built many temples and monasteries throughout China. When the great teacher Bodhidharma came to visit, Emperor Wu asked “What merit is there in all my good works?” Bodhidharma replied, “None whatsoever.” Puzzled, the Emperor ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/05/23/blank-words-and-the-fourth-dimension-of-language/ The following is attributed to Zen master Ch’ing yuan Wei-hsin of the T’ang Dynasty: “Thirty years ago, before I started studying Zen, I said ‘Mountains are mountains, waters are waters.’ After I found insight as to the truth of Zen, I said ‘Mountains are not mountains, waters are not waters.’ ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/05/23/transcending-duality-in-language/ This Monday, February 23, the senate passed the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act in a vote 22-16 with two abstentions. This bill is supposed to aid patients with debilitating diseases (e.g. cancer, glaucoma, AIDS) and other disorders that cause “wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, seizures and severe ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/27/nj-senate-approves-medical-merijuana/ A new study in Psychological Science explores the relationship between religion and support of extreme forms of parochial altruism, such as suicide attacks. The researchers have found that support for such activities is related less to what religion one practices, and more how often one participates in collective religious rituals. ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/20/religious-ritual-drives-suicide-bombers-not-devotion-prayer/ Man Enough: An Interdisciplinary New York University Graduate Student Colloquium on Masculinity, presents: Institution, Work and the Masculine Self. On Thursday, 19 February 2009, 5-7 pm, in the Great Room, 1st Floor, 19 University Place, New York City Free and open to the public What role do ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/19/man-up-free-nyu-colloquium-on-masculinity/ JABBERWOCKY by Lewis Carroll, 1872 (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There) `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves            Did gyre and gimble in ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/18/jabberwocky-decrypted/ This is a "death van" used in China as an alternative to the traditional method of execution by firing squad. Manufactured by Jinguan Auto, a maker of ambulances, the van has a sliding stretcher that comes out the back, so as to avoid the brutal scene of dragging the condemned ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/17/chinas-lethal-injection-bus/ Social scientist and engineer Noshir Contractor of Northwestern University conducted a curious study on the social dynamics of virtual reality using the popular game EverQuest II. Using 60 terabytes of game data and a survey of 7,000 players, Contractor found several “structural signatures”, particular kinds of social network configurations: Many ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/17/virtual-worlds-not-far-from-home/ Intellectual Love, by me http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/13/keep-in-mind-vd-tomorrow/ A new psychological study suggests that it is the experience of making certain purchases (like movie tickets, meals in restaurants) that bring us happiness, by satisfying higher order needs for social acceptance and vitality, rather than the actual products involved. "These findings support an extension of basic need theory, where ... http://dreadfuldreams.blogsome.com/2009/02/09/buy-experiences-not-things/