Best space opera ever

Is Legend of Galactic Heroes. And you can download it from animesuki. Now isn't it nifty?

Let's hope it does gets licenced in US or Europe one day, so it all can be reased as high quality DVDs...mmm....you did sign the petition, did you? No? Go now and sign! NOW!

One can always dream...

Max, featured, raises questions

Just letting you know that my* work on Max Weber article on Wiki has paid off - it is now officialy featured (i.e. among a hundred or so best articles on Wiki).

Feel free to read it. I have to admit, parts of his work are really fascinating.

There is this problem that I can't get out of my head.
I. Weber concluded that:
* Christianity is the reason our Occident (Western) culture is dominant today
II. Weber never wrote directly that in his works, but it is (my) logical conclusion:
* if we accept the Christianity religious view that there is a God and he gave his revelations to Jews and later Christians - we have to ask why didn't He gave this revelations to other civilisation (Chinese, Native American, African, etc.)? Did He meant for Western culture to dominate?
* if there is no divine puprose behind that process, does Western culture domination is based on accident - i.e. invention of 'right' religion in the Middle East few k years ago?
* is the path towards modern state, illustrated by Weber, the only path a civilisation can take? ie. if Christianity never appeared, would we be still living in 'ancient era', without scientifc method and capitalsm? What is needed for civilisation evolution? For how long can a civilisation stagnate - consider that in our world it was Occident that evolved fast and thus gained domination over other civlisations/cultures, which compared to Occident development, mostly stayed frozen in time...

This relates to extraterrestial life and alternative histories, you know :)

Consider. If similar religion is needed for technological and cultural advancement, then if we meed aliens, they should be some interesting similarities between our cultures, even if they evolved in entirely idffrent and separate places.

Hmmm. From Weber to ETs. My mind does amaze even me sometimes. Take care,

Good news for oranges

From Wikipedia: Ukraine's Supreme Court annuls the run-off vote of the disputed presidential election. The judges have declared that a new vote must be held by 26 December.

Le Sabot : Big News -- Supreme Court Ruling

Tulip Girl : Just In -- Supreme Court Has Ruled!

Still, this is just the beginning. The process of 'democratization' (and I need to write about what this means one day) is not achieved in one election. Poland started it 14 years ago and we are still feeling the aftershocks, especially the corruption of most of our politicians (for which we have to thank the Western companies and their generous bribes, I am afraid).

Don't despair though. However flawed our reality is today, it is uncomparably better to what we left behind. Ukraine is in for a rough, but better times, I hope.

Still keeping fingers crossed,

Late News

Apologies for being tad inactive here. I have been writing an AAR - After Action Report - from a multiplayer 4X game Space Empires. Think of it like a space opera story.

Feel free to read it here: link. Unfortunately, it is in Polish. Sorry :>

In other news.

Le Sabot: The Reformers are nobody's fool. Just found out that Poroshenko is saying the protesters will stay put until Yanukovych is out of office. This makes sense, since there's no way to trust any vote run by his ministers. On a practical level little compromise seems possible (in my opinion) so long as Yanukovych holds on to his office.

Agreed. As long as they hold office and power, what has changed? Not much.

Orange Ukraine: is now officialy orange (in all meanings of both officialy and orange :D).

Keep the support going. This fight is not yet over, and the bad guys still may have a few aces to play out. Remember: evil rarely goes down quietly.

Breakthrough?

Good news. Or at least, it seem so.

Wikipedia: The Ukrainian Parliament declares the victory of Viktor Yanukovych in the disputed presidential election invalid. Though the decision is not legally binding, it comes as a symbolic victory for challenger Viktor Yushchenko.

In other news:
Le Sabot: Even the "independent" Russian stations are propagandizing. Last night on a program about plastic surgery they even managed to attack Yushchenko.

Independent and Russia...go figure :/

Windowglass has some interesting news from Bielorussia: Residents of Minsk demonstrated solidarity with Victor Yushenko today. Orange color dominated in central avenue of Belarusian capital

I have to admit I am very pleasantly suprised about this. I though Bieloruss opposition was much to weak for this. Kudos for you guys as well!

OrangeUkraine - new blog which is actually not orange (in color, becouse it definetly doesn't lack in spirit) :> - has aother good eyewintess account on what is going out there

TulipGirl - I'm tired of people outside of Ukraine trying to frame what is going on here as a "US/EU vs. Russia" thing, and so condescendingly refusing to see this is all about Ukraine. It is Ukrainians who have risen up, joined together, and finally have hope that things here can change.

ForeignNotes: read the story: My mother-in-law, revolutionary

And keep your fingers crossed, wear orange, spread the news, phone your politicians - the fight is not yet over!

And so it continues...

Continuing the coverage. Polish media are full of Ukraine coverage. Seems like finally a couse that has united almost all of our political parties: are are supporting the Ukraine. There are demonstrations before Ukrainian and Russian embassies and such. Latest polls show that Polish sympathy for Ukraine has just tripled. We are orange all the way - if any Ukrainian is reading this, know that we are all behind you!

Read the guys on spot!

Neeka's Backlog:
The only foreign leader who has sided with Mr. Yanukovich has been President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which, needless to say, hasn't done much for the prime minister's credibility.

Le Sabot-Post Moderne:
a large group of militiamen is on-stage in Independence Square chanting "The Militia is with the People!

Windowglass: today has some interesting links including to Ukraining oppositions webcasts (radios) and such, like 5 Kanal and European Movement Ukraine

A Step At A Time: LOL. Tnx for the most entertaining article from Russian press: Russia blams Poland for Ukrainian Trouble. :)

The Periscope: some collected info and more links

Volodymyr Campaign: is spreadign word in UK

TulipGirl: has nifty buttons like:

International Support for Ukrainian Democracy: the title sais it all

PORA: I think it is kind of a news site. Good, short info briefs.

As for more traditional media, of course my favourite The Economist has an article, online edition, as well!

Needles to say, Wikipedia already has articles on Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 and Orange Revolution.

News from the front

There are times for me to speak, and there are times for me to point to others who deserve to be heard more then I do.

Today I will ask you to go to several blogs from Ukraine, covering their not-yet-revolution-but-not-election as well:

TulipGirl
quotes: November, 22 I started to be really proud of my co-citizens.

Windowglass
quote: the website has now followed the very fine examples of Gazeta Wyborcza which has gone "orange" in solidarity with Ukraine

Guess why I am orange today :)

Le Sabot Post Moderne
quotes: We need to be taking forward steps of civil disobedience (...) Lech Walesa is here!

Neeka's Backlog
quote: Today, during the 11 am newscast with live translation into the Sign Language, the translator, Natalya Dmytruk, did not translate what the host was saying about the election results, but said the following (quote via Ukrainska Pravda): The results from the Central Election Commission have been falsified. Do not believe them. Our President is Yushchenko. I am very disgusted that I was forced to translate the lies until now. I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm not sure if I'll see you again.

Orange power!

The most important elections

News flash: what is happenign now in Ukraine is IMHO much more important then what was going on in US recently. Honestly, the gulf between Bush and Kerry is nothing compared to the one between the ukrainian candidates. What is happening now in Ukraine is bascically a 'to be or not to be' - events on the next two days will decide if Ukraine will fall back into the graps of Imperial Russia and Emperors Putin totalitarism, becoming a failed state like Bialorussia, or will it finally free itself from its history.

2004 Ukrainian presidential election: Ukraine's electoral commission declares Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych the winner. Opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko calls for supporters to protest "the total falsification of the vote". Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) say the run-off vote "did not meet international standards", and the senior U.S. election observer, Senator Richard Lugar, notes a "concerted and forceful program of election day fraud".

See also:
Poll protest at Ukraine parliament

Observers: Poll abuse in Ukraine

Ukraine Liberal Tells Supporters to Protest All Night

Ukraine gripped by poll turmoil

Behold

I believe that sometimes truly the picture has a power of a thousands words.

Witness the vision of the future: the space elevator



News flash: Wikinews in Testing

Wikimedia Board of Trustees has approved the first stage of the Wikinews project. There's now a fully operational English demo site at demo.wikinews.org. This will be used for experimenting with various review models and basic policies before the site is launched officially in about a week. demo.wikinews.org will become the English version later.

It is a Wiki project - meaning you can participate now, without logging in or any kind of registraton. Everything is open, nothing is final. What Wikinews will and can be depends in large part on you. There already is a global Wikinews mailing list(http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikinews-l) for discussing the project. If you are interested at all, please subscribe -- coordination is of key importance. There's also an IRC channel #wikinews on irc.freenode.net. Realtime discussion can help to polish up articles.

If you're looking for something to do, check out the articles in development(http://demo.wikinews.org/wiki/Category:Articles_in_development) and articles in review(http://demo.wikinews.org/wiki/Category:Articles_in_review). Or start a new story in the Wikinews workspace, or ignore the proposed review system - it's up to you. I hope you'll join us soon in this exciting experiment.

It is history in making, if you ask me - can you afford not to be a part of it? Well, yes, but think about braggin' right later...

Dinosaur Story: The Ebook Meteor

Ebooks, in most cases, have been oversold. They have not made normal books obsolete - and no wonder, in most cases they are simply not as comfy as good ol' paper books.

There are two things to consider: the ebooks availabity, the software, and the hardware part.

The ebook availability is quite good. Majority of non-copyright wokrs (i.e. pre 1934) ara availalbe in places like Project Gutenberg and many others. New stuff (let's forget about pirates, please) is not as common, but there is some progress - I am especially amazed with great (and profitable) experiment of Baen Books, which sells their works though Webscription.net and in addition, offers MANY (as in dozens) free books in their Free Library as an apetizer. Do read this Usenet post when one of Baen's writers elaborates on the idea behind the Library. I just love such optimistic ideology...and when it comes true, it is a cause for celebration. Hip Hip Hurray for Baen, I say :)

The ebook software is quite fine - I presonally prefer the Standard Generalised Markup Language - i.e. your normal html, with added things like it remembers where you closed the window and is very easy to navigate (especially compared to some proprietary things I have seen. Microsoft Reader...horror...imagine your book hanging up...bleh).

It is the hardware that doesn't deliver. PDA's are evolving - and in few years may become as good as normal books (i.e. light and readable), but today? Of course you can read on your normal PC (desktop or laptop) - which I do from time to time, since the alternative (normal book) doesn't exist, I can't easily buy it...or is prohibitvly expensive.

You call THIS a book? Naaaah. Pull the other one.



Try again in 3 years, I say.


Ol' Max is gonna get it soon

I am finishing my work on Max Weber article on Wikipedia - it has came long way since I started work on it last summer (30th may to be exact). I hope it will join Featured Artciles soon - feel free to take a look and fix anything you want!

Reminder: be safe!

Recent discussion started by RAZ (Polish writer and journalist) on Usenet has reminded me that there are still people (over 75%) that use Internet Explorer/Outlook Express, thus both asking to be attacked by hacers/infected by viruses, and using an old user-unfriendly software!

If you are using Internet, you have to learn some basic hygene. Just like if you meet other people, you usually shave/wash/put some clothes on, if you use the net, you have to know a few things.

I hope you are not one of those poor uneducated souls that still use IE/OE, but if you are, go download Mozilla of Firefox NOW! Downloading and installing will take just 5 minutes, their User Interface are similar to IE/OE (just better), and you will soon start working faster and safer!

In other security related news, if you want free firewall, try: Outpost Firewall
For free anti-virus, try: AVG

Stay safe!

This security bulletin was brought to you by: VOICE OF THE PROKONSUL

Bloggin' from Farpoint Station

Well, it is really Prague, few hundred km from my usual hunting ground around Cracow/Katowice. But considering it is the further I've travelled since I started blogging (and by definition, furthest from there I've blogged), then the name is appropriate. Kinda. And I couldn't help myself if I can put a decent sf reference :>

Now, back to serious business. Today's topic is a bit abstract, but beautiful: fractals

It is one of those subjects that I think no lenghty discussions are necessary. The Wiki can tell you more about math and theories then I anyway. I just one to say one thing (well, a few): fractals represent both chaos and order, how they cannot exist without another, and how they create all beautiful things in life.

Once, mathematicians, philosphers and all scientists thought that we can find a 'perfect solution', a simple and elegant 'theory of everything'. Then we discovered things like quantum mechanics, fractal and chaos theories...and now we know that the truth is not that simple. Still, we know more then before - and isn't this better?

I am in a philosphical mood today. Don't worry, it will pass soon :>

Be sure to check the amazing fractal gallery at Greg Egan's page!

And then there were fractals.

Going to Prague, hunting dinosaurs (Dino Story ctd.)

In the background of me going to Prague to take a GRE test (casue I need if for my PhD and they don't have fast computer based testing in Poland...long story and irreleveant as this blog goes), I learned more about one of the dictionaries coffin nails, namely the Wikitionary.





What is so great about Wikitionary? ATM, nothing much. Project spawned off Wikipedia in Dec 2002 is new and defiently 'work in progress'. Much of the entries I check didn't exist (i.e. didn't exist before I added them ;). But the potential...imagining entering ANY word, and getting its: etymology, definition, grammar notes, pronouciation, quotatons, synonyms, antonyms, derived and related terms and last but not least translation into all existing languages (including conlangs).


Breathtaking vision? Sure! :)


Dinosaur story 2: The Media Industry

Dictionary companies are not the only type of industry (or service sector) threatened with new developments.

Tradional media coorporations are doomed as well. They used to think: 'we paid for the news, we control the news, we say what is the news and what isn't'. It is time for their wake up call. Internet has long promised to take on their monopoly, and is now delivering. They are jblogs - the journalist blogs like Back-to-Iraq 3.0 or Andrewsulivan. They are free to read, but accept donations - and deliver news from various places, from Iraq to US elections, free from coorporation spin. And they are honest about it - they don't say 'I bring best unbiased news'. Their honestly state their perferences, and don't try to sneak any hidden agenda whithin their reports.

And this is just the start of the new free media avalanche. As with other Internet based things, it is all happening right now: witness Wikinews, a project spawned from Wikipedia: Current Events, which is being discussed and voted at that very moment on Wikimedia, the partent of Wikipedia and many other Big Letter Wiki projects.

And in the backgrounds, freeware tools like NAS (News Aggregator Software) further undermine the traditional media corporations monopoly...

Can you hear the dinosaurs swan song?

When flame tanks target dictionaries

Sometimes writing article on Wiki is like planting a seed and watching it grow with amazing speed. Just few days ago - on 2nd Nov - I created a stub for flame tank. Over past 4 days it increased in size well over 10-times...

Wikipedia goal is to collect all human knowledge. Looking at examples like that I belive that it can do it in less then one decade.

And if that happens, who will want to use printed encyclopedias or dictonaries? When the ex-CEO of Britannica predicts that they are as doomed as dinosaurs...I am not the one to argue.

Onward, to the new world. One more tradition bites the dust.

Quote day

The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but who spends all their life in a cradle?

-- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935)

I feel it is enough for a today's blog. Quality over quantity.

WikiTravel

Wonders of Wiki technology never cease to amaze me. If you want to now where to go for holidays - or have already decided, but want to read a good guide - why not try WikiTravel? It is the ultimate guide that anybody can edit. Make sure to write about your experiences and help future travelers know what to expect...

Wonder what is coming next...

All Saints in Poland

All Saints - Wszystkich Świętych in Poland - Is an extremly popular festival. But not in the sence of American Halloween. It has little common with it, well, except for its Christian origins (although one can trace the origins past Christianity to some pagan rituals like Dziady). In Poland, All Saints resolves about remembering one's family that passed away. We visit their graves, light candles, pray (or think) a little, sometimes meet family braches we don't get to see all year...few people laugh or joke. This is dead serious here (pun intended).

In the night, when we pass various graveyard on our way to home, thousands of candles flickle in the dark.

I wonder how do they look from up there...