SoylentNews

It strikes me that many Soylentils are completely ignorant of the finer details of Theology. That is "theology": the study of the nature of god (theos, θεός). So let's delve, as they say.

Does god exist? To me, this is a rather silly question. Mostly because when someone asks it, they really have no idea what they are saying. What is a "god"? I like to think that god is an old Greek guy with a white beard, but that is only because I am an old Greek guy with a beard. No one obeys my commandments though.

Metaphysically, god is the source of existence, the "creator" (although that implies intention, which may not be appropriate), the origin, the causa sui or self-caused being. This is all Aristotle's fault, mostly since he could not abide the idea of an infinite regress of causes. Those of us who can, think he was just silly. Does existence have to have a source? Does there have to be a "first post"? Oh, sorry, a "first cause"?

  God as a telos. In Greek, τέλος. And end, the Omega at the end of the Greek alphabet, the final purpose and reason of it all. This is the one that has always puzzled me, and it is related to Aristotle's phobia about infinite series: if there is not ultimate value, no one end and purpose to the universe, then we might as well just throw in the towel and the Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic Thumb, because we might as well all be godless atheists. In fact, maybe we are. But the idea that there can be no morality with out an ultimate principal of good, this always seemed wrong to me, since most of the believers in god that I have know I would not trust enough to turn my back on them.

  God as Capitalist! Yes? God owns everything, since he (or, she?) created it all. That means that god is Lord God, to you, you miserable creature and peon! You can only get to Heaven if you suck up enough to the boss man so that he will Grace you with a ticket to paradise. I have to admit, this one is even more confusing to me. Why would a perfect being, an omniscient, omnipotent, omni-benevolent being, want me, one of his lowly creations, to kiss his ass? Is God a Donald? This is why I think there is no god, and if there is actually a god, I tell him to go and Donald himself (again, why is it a "him"? Red Pillars are welcome to interject [no ejaculation!!] here). Seems that god is often a parental substitute, for people who still have issues.

OK, time for some "real" God! Maybe it exists, maybe not; maybe this existence matters, probably not. The Egyptians built a rather large sculpture, know as the Sphinx. Head of a man, body of a lion, tail of a serpent. Alright, we get it. That is what god looks like. Not. The point of symbolism is to present a symbol (sum: "with"; bolos, "thrown") that stands for something that it is not. So the Sphinx stands for the Egyptian god, but what it really is saying is "Our god looks like nothing you have ever seen before, kind of like this!" Of course, the point religions always mistake, is that god does not look anything like the symbol.

So, Jesus! God looks like a man? Seriously? Well maybe, in some sort of metaphorical sense. Maybe god looks like a criminal executed by the Romans, if we are really to be literal. But there is something to be said for this. God is the most powerful, perfect being in the universe, and he has the audacity to incarnate as a puny human who gets himself executed for speaking up? What are we to make of the power and glory of that?

The point of this whole journal, however, it to poke Libertarians in their cocatarix theologis. You are going to have to serve someone. It may be the devil, it may be the lord, but you are going to have to serve someone. That's Bob Dylan right there, peeps! I, on the other hand, as a dyed in the wool atheist SJW, am free as a bird to warrior on for social justice. I do not do this because god tells me, since there is no god and I have no master, I am a free individual who pursues justice because, well, it is just the right thing to do, god or no god.

And to the alt-right, the worshipers of Eris, of Keke, of Pepe; your god does not only not exist, your god is a mirror representation of your own twisted values, or, lack of values. Or, most certainly, lack of values that would not destroy themselves immediately. If God is perfect, good, and immortal, god cannot hate. If your god hates, it might not be god. Just saying!

GOLDEN SHOWER? (NSFW)

Quick version and PDF link to the meat.

Previously, Senator Harry Reid alleged that there were ties between the Russians and the Trump campaign:

In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government — a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity. The public has a right to know this information. I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public. There is no danger to American interests from releasing it. And yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information.

That letter went beyond previous remarks by Reid.

Now, multiple sources are reporting that President Obama and President-elect Trump have been briefed on unsubstantiated allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, and that the Russians have damaging information about Trump:

Two U.S. officials with direct knowledge told NBC News on Tuesday that briefing materials prepared for President-elect Donald Trump included information that initially circulated among Trump opponents and was passed to U.S. intelligence agencies making damaging allegations about his dealings with Russians.

Neither of the officials said the FBI was actively investigating the information, which has not been verified by U.S. agencies.

Politico:

On Tuesday evening, multiple reports attributed to anonymous sources contended that the nation’s four top intelligence chiefs informed President Barack Obama and Trump of allegations that Russia had collected compromising and tawdry personal information about the president-elect. A two-page synopsis also included allegations of a running exchange of information during the campaign between Trump allies and Russian government intermediaries.

After the first report surfaced, BuzzFeed published the longer, unverified document that formed the basis of the two-page synopsis to the official report, which had been classified, that details the kompromat in graphic terms. Sean Spicer, who will serve as Trump's White House press secretary, called BuzzFeed "pathetic" in a tweet Tuesday night, part of a coordinated pushback from allies inside and outside Trump Tower.

Buzzfeed article, and the document (direct PDF link) they published that other media outlets seem reluctant to touch:

Russian regime has been cultivating, supporting and assisting at least 5 years. Aim, endorsed by PUTIN, has been to encourage splits and divisions in western alliance

So far TRUMP has declined various sweetener real estate business deals offered him in Russia in order to further the Kremlin's cultivation of him. However he and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals

Former top Russian intelligence officer claims FSB has compromised TRUMP through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him. According to several knowledgeable sources, his conduct in Moscow has included perverted sexual acts which have been arranged/ monitored by the FSB

A dossier of compromising material on Hillary CLINTON has been collated by the Russian Intelligence Services over many years and mainly comprises bugged conversations she had on various visits to Russia and intercepted phone calls rather than any embarrassing conduct. The dossier is controlled by Kremlin spokesman, PESKOV, directly on PUTIN's orders. However it has not as yet been distributed abroad, including to TRUMP. Russian intentions for its deployment still unclear

[...] However, there were other aspects to TRUMP's engagement with the Russian authorities. One which had borne fruit for them was to exploit TRUMP's personal obsesslons and sexual perversion in order to obtain suitable 'kompromat' [compromising material] on him. According to Source D, where s/he had been present, TRUMP's (perverted) conduct in Moscow included hiring the presidential suite of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where he knew President and Mrs OBAMA {whom he hated] had stayed on one of their official trips to Russia, and defiling the bed where they had slept by employing a number of prostitutes to perform a 'golden showers' (urination) show in front of him. The hotel was known to be under FSB control with microphones and concealed cameras in all the main rooms to record anything they wanted to.

[...] PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: FURTHER INDICATIONS OF EXTENSIVE CONSPIRACY BETWEEN CAMPAIGN TEAM AND THE KREMLIN

Summary

- Further evidence of extensive conspiracy between campaign team and Kremlin, sanctioned at highest levels and involving Russian diplomatic staffbased in the US

- TRUMP associate admits Kremlin behind recent appearance of DNC e- mails on WikiLeaks, as means of maintaining plausible deniability

- Agreed exchange of information established in both directions. team using moles within DNC and hackers in the US as well as outside in Russia. PUTIN motivated by fear and hatred of Hillary CLINTON. Russians receiving intel from team on Russian oligarchs and their families in US

- Mechanism for transmitting this intelligence involves ?pension? disbursements to Russian emigres living in US as cover, using consular officials in New York, DC and Miami

- Suggestion from source close to TRUMP and MANAFORT that Republican campaign team happy to have Russia as media bogeyman to mask more extensive corrupt business ties to China and other emerging countries

[...] In terms of the intelligence ?ow from the TRUMP team to Russia, Source reported that much of this concerned the activities of business oligarchs and their families? activities and assets in the US, with which PUTIN and the Kremlin seemed preoccupied.

Trump tweeted: "FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!", presumably in response to the Russia news.

The Trump team is starting to criticize Russia more:

The Trump transition team circulated Tillerson's opening statement to be delivered during his Senate confirmation hearing. In them, he will explain to some extent why Trump has been in favor of a warmer relationship with Moscow, saying Washington needs an open and frank dialogue with Russia on its ambition in order for the United States to chart its own course.

But his rhetoric expressing concern about Russia goes beyond Trump's own frequent expressions of the need for better ties with Russia after what he feels was a bungling of the relationship by outgoing President Barack Obama. "Our NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia," Tillerson will say. "But it was in the absence of American leadership that this door was left open and unintended signals were sent."

Found a story about my... well not my home town but the town you have to go to from my home town for anything besides gas, beer, or religion. Turns out Nick Cage's rental car broke down there and he had a thing or two to say about the place. See, that's what I mean when I say to folks who only see what my views on politics and other big shat are, you don't know me at all.

This kind of shit is just another day in a red state. If someone comes up and says you owe them something that you don't, you laugh and punch them in the face but if you see someone in actual need, you help your fellow man because it's the right thing to do and because you might need a hand too some time. In a place where most everybody grows up poor and having to work their ass off to get by, you help each other because it's just what you do. Nick could have broke down a half mile from where he did over by the meth dealers and he still would have gotten the same reception.

A CES story worth a damn, but not because it can be confused with journalism:

I Dropped Acid and Saw Into the Future: My Surreal First Time At CES

The ‘Hillary for mayor’ story proves that we learn nothing

A fun story in WaPo.

Hipsters Broke My Gaydar

Millennials ruin everything!

SoylentNews hack explores the seedy underworld of "flavor tripping". See this thread.

Before I started, I used a tongue scraper to clean my tongue. There was some anecdotal talk somewhere of that helping absorption. Probably a good idea anyway.

The effect didn't last very long... about 15 minutes, which is on the short end of the expected 15 minute to 2 hours duration. However there seemed to be a bit of a residual aftereffect where the lemon would still taste a little sweeter... just sour as well. It's hard to tell, and that's a good thing!

• Lemon: Right off the bat, it tastes like lemonade.
• Lime: Distinct limeade taste, as expected.
• Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar: Absolutely tolerable taste, very interesting. I thought of throwing several kinds of vinegar in my mouth but chickened out and settled on just Bragg. I like consuming lots of sour vinegar to begin with but mberry makes it easy.
• Low-calorie/Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail: Whatever edge it had was gone. Not too great of a taste. I decided to get this instead of lemonade/limeade or other juices since I had the actual fruits on hand.
• Sriracha sauce: Tastes a bit like Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce (basically the same as Frank's RedHot Sweet Chili sauce or other brands), but not quite as sweet. As if I needed an excuse to squirt sriracha sauce in my mouth.
• CVS Sour Jacks Watermelon candy: Tasted sweet and unremarkable. Since I've never tried this candy before, I'll have to have some in a couple of hours to judge how sour it really is.
• Dr. Pepper: Interesting results. It was opened yesterday so I didn't know how well the carbonation was maintained. It seemed to sweeten up and mute the flavors. Then when I tried it a few minutes later, I felt the acidity of the phosphoric acid and the carbonated taste much more clearly.
• Navel orange: Very subtle change if any at all, but it was one of the last things I tried.
• Strawberry popsicle: Tried it too late to judge any change. Also, if you're rushing to try things, a popsicle isn't the best thing to have (sherbet/sorbet would have been better).

Unfortunately, I forgot I had homemade lemon curd and lime curd in the fridge. That would have been perfect to try slathered on a ginger snap.

For roughly $1.50 per attempt per person, I'd say flavor tripping is well worth it.

Neat Trick!

Former Atheist Mark Zuckerberg Gets Religion

I guess having an enslaved robotic Morgan Freeman softly whispering into your ear can cause you to question things.

Updated... see below.

I was at a concert a while ago and recorded, what I found out later, was a debut performance of a song. As I am friends with the lead singer, I'd like to send her a copy, but there are a couple of "issues".

Part 1: Editing

So, I've got a couple video files that I want to "process". I have no experience with video and only very limited experience with audio file manipulation.

Here is the pertinent data from ffprobe on the 25.6 MB introduction:

Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'intro.mp4':
  Duration: 00:00:18.54, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 11342 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (Constrained Baseline) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1280x720, 11378 kb/s, SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9, 24.08 fps, 24.17 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc (default)
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 96 kb/s (default)

Here is the pertinent data from ffprobe on the 1099.8 MB song itself:

Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'song.mp4':
  Duration: 00:10:39.32, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 14092 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (Constrained Baseline) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1280x720, 14000 kb/s, SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc (default)
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 95 kb/s (default)

(1) At the outset I had accidentally activated the wrong camera on my mobile phone. I'd like to keep the audio of the singer introducing the song.

(2) The video of the song actually contains TWO songs. I'm only interested in extracting the first song (the first 4m40s) from this video.

(3) Optional, but would be really nice, I'd like to make a "title" with the name of the group, name of the song, date, and location with the intro audio playing in the background.

(4) Ideally, I'd like to catenate the intro from (3) to the video from (2) and create a single file.

I'm running Windows 7 Professional. Have you ever done something like this? What free tools would you recommend?

Part 2: Shipping

I expect the final file to be about 500 MB, give or take. How would you recommend getting the file to her? It is rather large to send as an e-mail attachment. I do not have drop-box or one-cloud or any of the other file-sharing services. I'd like to keep the file private. I can't be the first who wants to do this. What options do I have?

Update(s):

Update 1: 20170101a - Happy New Year!

I've completed step (1) and extracted the audio for the intro to a separate file, intro.mp3, using:

   ffmpeg -i intro.mp4 -ab 96k  intro.mp3

Yeah, I know. 96kbps is not the greatest, but it's what was captured in the video, so I'm stuck with it.

Now to extract just the first 4m40s video of the song to a separate file. Looks like this could be done with ffmpeg?

Update 2: 20170101b

With many thanks to fn0rd666, got the "magic" incantation for ffmpeg:

fmpeg -ss 00:00:00.0 -i infile.mp4 -t 285 -codec copy outfile.mp4

Which means: start at the very beginning of the source, read from the file infile.mp4, copy 285 seconds, copy input straight to output (no transcoding), and send the output to the file: outfile.mp4!

Sixteen: The Final Chapter

It's that time of year again. The time of year when everyone and their dog waxes nostalgic about all the shit nobody cares about from the year past, and stupidly predicts the next year in the grim knowledge that when the next New Year comes along nobody will remember
that the dumbass predicted a bunch of foolish shit that turned out to be complete and utter balderdash. I might as well, too. Just like I did last year (yes, a lot of this was pasted from last year's final chapter).

Some of these links go to /., S/N, mcgrewbooks.com, or mcgrew.info. Stories and articles meant to ultimately be published in a printed book have smart quotes, and slashdot isn't smart enough for smart quotes.

As usual, first: the yearly index:
Journals:
Random Scribblings
the Paxil Diaries
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

Articles:
Useful Dead Technologies Redux
The Old Sayings Are Wrong
How to digitize all of your film slides for less than ten dollars
GIMPy Text
The 2016 Hugo convention

Song
My Generation 21st Century
Santa Killed My Dog!

Book reviews
Stephen King, On Writing
Vachel Lindsay, The Golden Book of Springfield
J. D. Lakey, Black Bead

Scince Fiction:
Wierd Planet
The Muse
Cornodium
Dewey's War
The Naked Truth
The Exhibit
Agoraphobia
Trouble on Ceres

Last years' stupid predictions (and more):

Last year I said I wasn't going to predict publication of Voyage to Earth and Other Stories, and I was right, it's nearly done. So this year I do predict that Voyage to Earth and Other Stories will be published. I'm waiting for Sentience to come back from Motherboard, who's been hanging on to it since last February. I may have to e-mail them and cancel the submission if it isn't back by this February.

I'll also hang on to last year's predictions:

Someone will die. Not necessarily anybody I know...
SETI will find no sign of intelligent life. Not even on Earth.
The Pirate Party won't make inroads in the US. I hope I'm wrong about that one.
US politicians will continue to be wholly owned by the corporations.
I'll still be a nerd.
You'll still be a nerd.
Technophobic fashionista jocks will troll slashdot (but not S/N).
Slashdot will be rife with dupes.
Many Slashdot FPs will be poorly edited.
Slashdot still won't have fixed its patented text mangler.
Microsoft will continue sucking.
And a new one: DONALD TRUMP WILL (gasp) BE PRESIDENT IF THE US!!! God help us all! (He can't possibly be worse than George H. Bush or James Buchanan, can he?)

Happy New Year! Ready for another trip around the sun?