Independent game designer and artist Edmund McMillen has released his life’s work on CD - and it only costs $10.  Guys, this is quality stuff.  If I could write that in blinking text, I would damn it!   If you don’t believe, just take a look at the trailer below:

This is a rare find, and if you dream of seeing a world full of inspired art, I suggest you order a copy and show your support.

I went to the polls yesterday, and marked my ballot for Obama.  It was a somewhat reluctant vote, but I considered him the better of the two by far.  I strongly believe that the Republican party has disgraced itself (to be cordial) over the past eight years, and could not see McCain as being much different.  While I’m not so excited about a number of points in Obama’s platform, I do see him as a very even, quick-minded individual that will probably be an excellent leader in the tough years ahead.

When McCain conceded and it was announced that Barak Obama was the President Elect, I think something very, very big happened.  It was like I heard a loud click last night, and the entire populace simultaneously came to the realization that things are going to be very different.  It was as if a necessary balance was restored; something that goes well beyond the past eight years.  There is a lot of garbage in the American psyche, and I believe that this election helped us reconcile some of that.  

With the election of Obama, the divisions of race have seen an enormous blow; possibly even a death knell, if I may go out on a limb.  Yeah, yeah, there will always be bigots about, but I have a great feeling that there will be far fewer of them.  Things are different.

I’m feeling at home again and that I look to the future with (cautious) optimism.

Temperance, Key XIV of the Waite-Smith Tarot Deck

The Tarot can be an amazing tool for self-realization.  On one hand, it is a deck of 78 cards, much like an expanded poker deck.  On the other, it is a set of detailed images that are capable of making changes within the observer.  

I’ve read plenty of articles and books, and the opinions differ as to why these images are so evocative.  Some authors make the claim that the cards should be considered as living things; the forces depicted on the cards are real in an external sense.  Others are convinced that these images are primal archetypes that anyone can relate to, much in line with Jungian psychology.  

For me, it really doesn’t matter.  In all likelihood, it is probably a mix between these two prominent ideas.  These images reflect parts of our inherited cultural mythology as well as the ordeals that we all must go through.

Most literature on the Tarot relates to fortune telling, which is an aspect that I am certainly not interested in.  Even if it is possible, it sounds like a fine way of learning how to abjugate personal responsibility.  Why strive for change if failure is in the cards, right?  Fortunately, there are a few finer books that speak on using the Tarot for cultivating inner wisdom.

Wanting to put some of these claims of transmutation to the test, I began an experiment about six months ago.  I decided that I would spend a few minutes per day with one of the cards of the major arcana (otherwise known as the Trumps or Keys), and contemplate the symbolism.  The pace was set for one card per week in order to let the ideas set in.  I kept a detailed journal, and took some time this weekend to review my notes.

While this so-called experiment is obviously subjective, I can say that I got results.  Each week of contemplation appeared to unlock something within my subconscious that allowed me to begin to witness the forces described in the card.  For example, the image of Key I, The Magician, made it clear that the self-conscious (me, my ego) has the ability to direct the subconscious.  Key II, The High Priestess, represents the virgin subconscious and its vastness when compared to the ego.  The imagery evoked a warning of sorts, making it clear that I should be careful with what I plant within, as it could easily get out of control.

Now, these ideas are fine to read about and rationalize, as I was doing before I began my experiment, but it is not the same thing as actually contemplating and meditating on them.  I highly encourage others to take this or something similar up for themselves.  Spend a few minutes a day by first quieting the mind, and then in contemplation.  Poetry would probably be a fine thing to work with, or any religious text of interest.  If you would like to work with the Tarot, I recommend starting with the famous Waite-Smith deck.  

These fifteen minutes a day of experiential work have done more good for me than any amount of reading.

Ever wonder how many lies are told in public speeches, or possibly even more important: how many facts are conveniently left out? After 9/11, we heard a lot about Islamic fundamentalism being taught in the schools of the Middle East. Now, I have no doubt that it was, but what I find shocking is this little tidbit that claims that we provided some of those textbooks to Afghanistan:

1984 - 1994: CIA Funds Militant Textbooks in Afghanistan

The US, through USAID and the University of Nebraska, spends millions of dollars developing and printing textbooks for Afghan schoolchildren. The textbooks are filled with violent images and militant Islamic teachings, part of covert attempts to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation. For instance, children are taught to count with illustrations showing tanks, missiles, and land mines. Lacking any alternative, millions of these textbooks are used long after 1994; the Taliban are still using them in 2001. In 2002, the US will start producing less violent versions of the same books, which President Bush says will have “respect for human dignity, instead of indoctrinating students with fanaticism and bigotry.” (He will fail to mention who created those earlier books). [Washington Post, 3/23/2002; Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 5/6/2002]

I can only conclude negligence, and that at the very least.

Hearing that billmon has returned, I was excited to see that one of his newest articles exemplifies an important idea that I have been trying to get down to paper:

Hersh explained that, during the meeting in Cheney’s office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as Iranians, put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them. This idea, intended to provoke an Iran war, was ultimately rejected:

HERSH: There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don’t we build — we in our shipyard — build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy Seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up.

Might cost some lives. And it was rejected because you can’t have Americans killing Americans. That’s the kind of — that’s the level of stuff we’re talking about. Provocation. But that was rejected.

Think Progress
July 31, 2008

You must always remember that there are many magicians that are weaving spells to influence your perception or model of the world. While discovering their true intentions may prove impossible, we each have a personal responsibility to recognize that such things are constantly happening to us and to develop the appropriate faculties to deal with them.

As always, we choose our reactions to all input.

The industrial world appears to be entering into hard times as we begin to face off with a lessening supply of easy-to-extract energy. Also, as more and more populations step up and demand that they have every right to live like Americans, it becomes much more difficult to maintain the status quo. Last year, the IEA took its usually starry-eyed gaze away from the horizon of endless growth and told us that an energy crunch is coming. Today the Dutch Clingendael Institute released a report stating that it’ll be here by 2010.

I played my first game of Dungeons and Dragons today in honor of the late Gary Gygax.  It was fascinating, and unlike any other game I had ever played.  Screw video games, guys - nothing can replace the imagination of an adept dungeon master.

I’ve been reading Bill Moyer’s new book, Moyers on Democracy, which once again prompted me to begin thinking about my own personal philosophy and values. I’ve put a lot of thought into it, but have never really tried to write it down in a coherent manner. I have always worried that doing so would pin myself to a specific ideology or creed, but perhaps I am mistaken and can benefit from the labor.

Before beginning, it should be understood that whatever I may write below is intended to apply only to myself. I have no interest in dictating how every other citizen of the world should think, nor do I think myself capable of producing a Utopian philosophy for everyone’s benefit. In fact, perhaps the only thing that I will get correct in this essay is that realization.

This leads to my first point: I am, and will always be a student. Mastery is not obtainable. Since I was a child, I have immersed myself in books of all variety and cannot imagine ever stopping. I love to listen and to be proven wrong, no matter how much it can sting. When someone approaches me and offers to teach me something, particularly something that I’m uncomfortable with, I cheer. This sort of thing happens every day - no matter how well I think I am doing, I always know that it can be better.

It is my job to keep learning, and to keep refining myself. No one else will ever do it for me, and I can never do this for anyone else. The responsibility is in my hands.

One of the best ways to learn is by doing. As an example, if one is curious about various political philosophies, don’t just read about them, but take up their banners. I’ve worn the clothes of conservatism, liberalism, and libertarianism, and have learned a great deal from each. There is no doubt that doing so has been difficult and uneven, mostly due to social pressure, but I’ve gotten better at it as time goes on.

Coinciding with the previous point is belief in personal responsibility. I own my actions and reactions. I own all all of these angers and fears that I project on to my poor friends, family, and colleagues. It is my responsibility to both evoke and banish whatever demons I have, and it is also my right to reject those of others.

I have a hard time believing that I could really do much good to my neighbors without a lot of introspection, and strongly think that one should temper themselves as a blacksmith does with his creations. Only through making a lot of mistakes could I have come to this conclusion.

Don’t get me wrong - this isn’t a cry for self-flagellation, but only for honest personal analysis. There is a lot of strangeness lurking in the background mind of Western Man, and it can only be realized and integrated through honest and willing effort.

Beyond the psychological responsibilities comes the necessity of local action. I think it is wisest to act within your sphere of influence, meaning that I need to make sure that I have my act together and am doing my best before I demand anything from anyone else. I used to spend a lot of time bitching about the President, Congress, etc, making statements such “Well, if they would only do this…”, “If we can put a man on the moon, we can surely…”, “If they didn’t have their heads so far up their asses…” - I think you get the point. Somehow I figured out to try and do better than that.

Being concerned with Peak Oil, for instance, I figured that I should make sure that I am in a position to weather an energy crunch. For starters, I had to figure out how to grow some veggies. What is involved there? How hard is it? How much do I need to supplement what I get from the current industrial food system? I have occasional problems with heartburn - is there something that I can grow that can take care of it? What about headaches?

All of this is certainly small scale stuff, but while government assistance or intervention could certainly help a lot, I think we are wasting our time waiting on that. I am of the opinion that the hackers will make the real innovation. Refine yourself, take action, and then begin influencing your neighbors.

The final point that I am going to jot down is one of fellowship or service. Considering the importance that I place on personal responsibility, and the relentless public shouting match of conservatism versus liberalism, it may seem contradictory. I consider it to be a necessity. I believe that equilibrium between individualism and community is just as important as the balance between mercy and strength. While I encourage private charity, I am also entirely supportive of public services such as health care, social security, and welfare.

It is easy to forget, especially when things are going good, that I owe a lot of people for where I am. So much of what I do is built upon the labor of others and of previous generations. In fact, as a sysadmin, most of the tools and services I use are provided by others. I just figure out how to make them work in our context and band-aid them when they break.

I believe that it is necessary to help those in need as we can. Things go bad for people, and there are an amazing amount of them that slip through the cracks. Seriously. Don’t forget about that, and don’t give me that bullshit about it all being their own fault. There are abusers, without a doubt, but there are those who are victims of circumstance. It could be you, and if things continue to degrade as they appear to be doing right now, it may very well be.

That is the end of the road for this essay, but probably the beginning of a new revision. Is it self-aggrandizing? It’s not meant to be, but later reading might show me otherwise. For now, I’d say it was worth writing if only for the sake of forcing me to collect me thoughts.

A customer of ours ran into some trouble when their Microsoft database server crashed and damaged their production database. All that they were able to recover from the wreckage was the original mdf and ldf files, and had to bring it up on another server. When trying to attach this database, the new server screamed claiming that the log file could not be replayed due to damage. Unfortunately, some critical changes had been put in place after their last backup, so restoring from tape was less than desirable.

Knowing that there was a fair chance at seeing data loss, we still figured we’d try and repair the database for them. I was up for the challenge, as it has been a while since I’ve had to do such a thing. I had to stumble around a bit, so I figured I’d post a simple guide for others. Again, this method is not guaranteed to restore your database with all data intact. You’ll need to run sanity checks against the data to make sure you’re not missing anything.

I’m a really lucky guy, and if you doubt it you may read why.