The Princess Bride: What can we learn from The Duel of Wits?

Greetings,

When most people think of "The Princess Bride" (1987), they think of the duel on the cliffs, especially if you are of the "swordy" nature; in the same vein they think of "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die." the relentless revenge of a boy trying to avenge the death of his father. They think of the reputation of the Dread Pirate Roberts, or of true love and how it will never separate Buttercup and Westley. 

<SPOILER WARNING> (for anyone silly enough not to have watched this movie which has so many lessons hidden within it)

There is another scene I would like to discuss a scene that happens after the duel on the cliffs; it happens after Westley (currently the Man in Black) wrestles with Fezzik and brings the mountain of a man down. It is the meeting of Vizzini and the Man in Black the duel of wits. 

Vizzini holds the Princess with a knife to her throat, there is a little banter between the two of them, and then the following is said:

Vizzini: I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains.

Man in Black: You're that smart?

Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?

Man in Black: Yes.

Vizzini: Morons. (Source)

They then decide to have a "duel of wits," between them. Two cups of wine are poured. The Man in Black produces a container of poison, which he has Vizzini smell, it is odourless, tasteless and dissolves instantly in water "iocane poison" it is named. It will be placed in one of the cups, they will drink and find out "which one is right, and which one is dead." The Man in Black takes the cups and places the poison then places them back on the rock. Vizzini then uses logic to figure out which cup has the poison. He distracts the Man in Black and switches the cups. They both drink, and after a little gloating about how he switched glasses, Vizzini falls dead. Both cups were poisoned. The Man in Black had spent time developing a resistance to "iocane poison."

The first question: Could Vizzini have survived the encounter with the Man in Black? 

An argument could be made that as the poison is odourless and tasteless, Vizzini ingested the poison as soon as the Man in black offered it to him to smell, particles of the poison could have been ingested at this early stage and Vizzini was a dead man already. This is more a "Kennedy assassination/magic bullet" sort of approach to the situation. So, we will leave this one alone and focus on the duel of wits.

If a person follows Vizzini's logic through his argument, it is a rambling statement of facts and theories, where he starts with some sound theories, but ends up going completely off-track. The same process could have been used. In the movie, Vizzini was going to die, it was a plot point that was required, so the Man in Black could plan for the castle assault in the final part of the story. Even if the wine had been spilt, thus Vizzini not choosing either cup, duel would have started again, just with a different game. In the end Vizzini was going to die.

Next question: What can we learn from the duel of wits?

Do you want to see all the answers? Join me Patreon page for more discussions along with many others.

Monetisation: A Question of Requirement

 Greetings,

I have previously discussed the question of what my time is worth, and also a post about whether or not my time at university was a waste of time. I have been happy cruising along with my payments from Services Australia, under the auspices of the Department of Social Services. Yes, regardless of their re-branding, change of logo, or whatever, they are still the Department of Social Services, or DSS in Australia. However, more recently, there have been comments about what advantages I have, what privileges I have, and quite frankly with the way that the government has been managing the country, I have been feeling the squeeze on the more social/comfort parts of my life.

The result of all of this consideration? 

There needs to be a little background before I get to that. I write four blogs at the moment, this one, "A Fencer's Ramblings" my fencing blog where I discuss fencing and training in fencing, and all of the details that go along with that pursuit; "A Life with Fibromyalgia" where I discuss some of my medical history, and how I deal with my chronic illnesses, primarily fibromyalgia; and "Olde Wordes: An Examination of Elizabethan English" which began as a foundation for writing the Elizabethan portion of one of my books, which I published, His Practice in Modern and Elizabethan English. This was the second book that I have published, the first one was a book version of a series of my fencing blog articles, plus some extras added in, entitled Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings.

I write a lot most of my writing does not see the light of day, unless I find that the articles are of particular interest to a particular group. You can find a profile of me on academia.edu with more of my articles; these are more of a scholarly bend to them, though at least one of them is a bit of fun. The point here being that I have written a lot and seen very little in the way of financial recompense for the hours of work and the thousands and thousands of words I have written.

I have begun a profile on Patreon. I will be putting my more considered and researched articles on this site where people can pay me for the effort that has gone into producing the articles. I will not be removing articles from sites where they are already held, unless I do updates or improvements. In this case the newer versions will appear on the Patreon site for access to those people willing to pay me for my time and expertise.

I have no doubt that there will be some who will scoff at these efforts and who will make comment about the monetisation of my writing. To these people, I will say that I am simply expecting to be paid for the work that I am putting in, for the information that I am supplying, for the expertise that I am supplying in the process. If that is not sufficient explanation, then they can simply go elsewhere, as they are not my concern.

I will still put articles on my various blogs, but they will not be of the same size or quality that they used to be, they will be shorter, and likely pointing to more significant articles on the Patreon site. If you want someone to blame for all of this, you can blame the government; all the rich individuals who don't want to pay their taxes; and all those who still believe that people with disabilities choose not to work, and choose to allow their disabilities to impact their lives so much that the government keeps disability payments low, so low that they are under the taxable threshold, while the prices of basic food and accommodation rises.

Cheers,

Henry.

Symbols of Hate: What is a Symbol?

Greetings,

I have been thinking about this post for a while. It is about a sensitive topic, and likely to get me hounded from some quarters, but such is the nature of being a person willing to put their thoughts to print. This should be noted, I am just putting my thoughts to print, nothing more.

There are certain symbols which have been recognised as "symbols of hate" due to certain crimes which have been perpetrated in association with them. In some instances, these have been crimes against humanity. This discussion does not deny any of these crimes, nor does it deny that they were crimes. This is an examination of the symbols which have become associated with them.

The government of Queensland, Australia decided, along with several other governments in Australia, that symbols of hate should not be tolerated, and thus they proposed a ban on hate symbols, so the media tells us. Now, one should always be careful about what the media tells us, and what exactly the media is telling us. The purpose of this ban is to strengthen the government's stand against hate crimes, "Queensland’s attorney general has confirmed the Nazi salute will be captured under proposed laws that ban hate symbols and strengthen the state’s response to vilification." 

Now, of importance about this proposal, is that it is not to ban images or symbols of Nazism, as has been interpreted by some, it is a ban on the "public display of hate symbols" which is a much broader area, and allows for much broader interpretation. One should really read the ministerial statement a little more closely to realise what is actually going on.

A symbol on its own means nothing. It is just a character, a pictogram, an image. When that same symbol is carried by a group of individuals, then it comes to have meaning. National flags are symbols not because of the images themselves, but because of their association with the nations to which they belong.

The Eureka flag, for example, is now associated with trade unionists, and it is now banned from being flown. It's original association was for gold miners on the Ballarat gold fields who revolted against the British administration and their taxation of the miners, culminating in the Eureka Stockade. 

We should all carefully consider what the symbols mean, and what they are associated with. In every situation, context is of great importance. The question that should be asked, is whose interpretation of "hate symbol" is going to be used when a symbol is banned in Queensland and other places that adopt such legislation? Will the Eureka flag fall under such jurisdiction? Will this be simply another method to curb our "freedom of expression"? Hopefully, the government finally use a tool correctly, as it was designed to be used and use it to reduce hate crimes.

Just for a thought process: Consider what the Palestinians think of the Star of David, painted over the tanks of the Israeli Army which come through their streets, marked on the members of the military who  kill members of their families, and force them into refugee camps. In reverse, consider what the Israelis think of the Crescent and Star, or the white Arabic script on a black background, as a terrorist group celebrates another attack on an Israeli target. Are these symbols of hate? Certainly not to those who carry them.

The individual's interpretation of a symbol, the society's interpretation of the symbol, the use of the symbol and what it is associated with give the symbol meaning. A symbol gives everyone something to rally around; sometimes the symbol is an individual, sometimes it is an icon. It gives power through the strength of those who rally around it. Consider the symbols of Star Wars or Star Trek, and what would happen if the people who rally around these symbols were motivated? Then again, who says they are not.

Cheers,

Henry.

AI and Writing

Greetings,

AI is a hot topic currently, people are playing with AI and art, throwing interesting topics at it to see what it can produce. Some are throwing topics at its chat engines to see what it can produce in the way of written articles and so forth, to see how they compare in comparison to those written by human beings. There is also discussion about whether AI is a threat to people's jobs, whether we will be able to tell whether someone has simply asked an AI to write an article, or has written it themselves. I have some things to say about this topic, and those associated.

In my opinion what is being presented as "AI" is not true AI at all. AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. In my mind, this would imply some sort of sentience on the part of the creation, some sort of autonomy, these current creations do not have this, for which I am most grateful. Thus, I would refer to them as MI, or Machine Intelligence. There is a certain amount of autonomous thought, but it requires prompting from an outside source to work. Then again, I am not qualified in the area, so this is (very much) a layperson's opinion.

If you're worried about this AI taking over your job, because it can produce information, write articles and so forth by collecting information the first thing that you need to do is to stop feeding it. Every time a person asks it a question, asks it to write something, tells it how to improve, it gets better at what it does, it improves. You are arming the weapon that is pointed at you, it is like the rabbit telling the hunter where they will be eating, or its path so the hunter can make an easier shot.

This goes for people who are using it to write things and also those who are using it for AI Art. By using it to learn about art and how we think you are also teaching it to think in alternative ways. Stop feeding it.

Next, for all those who have or are considering producing articles of writing of any kind through AI, as an author, I would like to say something, screw you. You are cheapening what I do. You are cheapening what every author on the planet does. You are giving an "out" to people, legitimising it by using it more often, allowing people to be lazy about writing. You are devaluing writing and the value of writers. You are stealing the jobs of researchers, writers, and editors. You are devaluing human products.

Consider that in a piece of writing, especially one that goes to print on a public medium, published in a book, newspaper, or magazine, consider:

• time spent researching the article; 
• time spent writing the article;
• time spent editing the article;
• time spent re-writing the article;
• time spent formatting the article for publication.

By using AI chat-bots or AI writers to produce articles or so forth you are cheapening the human efforts that go into this process. You put in a subject, the AI researches and writes the article for you. It is lazy, you have learned nothing from the process, except how to operate the AI, you are a button-pusher, not an author.

When the AI comes along and takes your jobs because it has learned too much and you can be replaced by someone who can type the same subjects into an AI and produce sanitised articles, appropriate to what an organisation wants. Yes, it is a program, the censorship can be programmed in to it. When people forget how to write, how to research, and our population turns into sheep, following whatever they are fed, remember you were warned. Remember there was a voice that said, "No."

You have been warned.

Henry.

It Can Happen to Anyone...

Let me tell you a story...

"They were introduced by a mutual acquaintance, the pair of them. They hit it off for a while, found a friendship through the mutual acquaintance and a familiar love of music, books, and feelings about different issues. They shared company, going out together for a social occasion here and there, having a drink and a meal occasionally, with the mutual friend, and sometimes just together.

Due to the connections between them, one of the acquaintances introduced them to a social group that was of of particular interest, took "the new friend" along to some of their events, showed them around, introduced them to some new people. This was all good and fine, except the person's friends had an ill-feeling about "the new friend," so they preferred to stay away. The friends made their concerns known, but they were ignored, lost in the bliss of a new friendship, something that had not happened in a while, the other reacted not realising their friends were trying to protect them.

The meetings between the pair became more intimate. They shared one another's bodies and enjoyed the time that they did, the one thought it was nice, nothing serious, just a bit of fun. They continued to go out for mutual outings going to the social groups. But more time was beginning to be spent alone, behind closed doors, together in intimate circumstances; "the new friend's" choice, they didn't want to share anymore; the individual ignored this possessiveness, lost in the human connection. "The new friend" used their intimate connection as a weapon, knowing that the intimacy between them was something they both craved. 

The one would go to their friend's place alone when "the new friend" was away. Their friend's began noticing changes in the person. There were changes in the way they held themselves, they were somehow smaller; the way they reacted to normal situations, flinching at a touch; defensive to normal questions; there was something going on. The friends asked about "the new friend" and were told everything was "fine," it was still casual, there was nothing to worry about... 

They returned home to find "the new friend" waiting for them on their front doorstep, asking where they had been. At their friends, an innocent reply, and the truth. "The new friend" had been waiting there for ages; "the new friend" never had said anything about coming over previously. Still there was implied guilt. They both go inside. 

"The new friend" talks about plans for the weekend, the other one already had plans; there are accusations of neglect, and disregard, with no consideration that they had not made plans together. "The new friend" forgives them, and says they will just come along; new plans will have to be made. They decide that it is time for dinner, "the new friend" says they will cook as they have brought something over. "The new friend" cooks, something which they like, but the person does not; they eat it to avoid an argument. 

The person has a meeting in the morning, so mentions they need to go to bed, "the new friend" begins to get undressed to join them. They go to bed, in the middle of the night, the person is woken up by "the new friend" molesting them so they can be intimate; the person reminds "the new friend" about the meeting, with little response. The person wakes late the next morning, can't shower alone, ends up late for the meeting, unlike ever before.

They come home and find that "the new friend" is not on the front doorstep. There is a note on the door, explaining how selfish the person has been, "the new friend" will not be back for a while; there is a sense of relief. The person slides back into their old routine for a while. "The new friend" does not make an appearance, does not contact them for a period; they think, "Maybe they are gone." with relief.

Two weeks go by, everything has gotten back to normal. "The new friend" has not been seen at the social group, it would seem that they have made some statements and not impressed some people with their actions. Finally, things are returning to normal... 

Then "the new friend" appears again...

"The new friend" is there at another social group, a sister group of the same. They have made friends with other members of the group. They wave from the other side of the room. The individual gets up and leaves, trying to find a way to escape. They move outside, "the new friend" follows with their new friends in tow, people who the individual knows. The person is cornered, questions are asked, impossible questions to answer without seeming like a selfish individual, or so it would seem. Finally there is an escape back to a group of friends.

No safety in your social group...

"The new friend" is on the street, "happening" to be at the same location at the same time. Of course they would know the places the person would go, they went together to those places when they went out. "The new friend" seems to appear at places more consistently than they should. The person goes to talk to the mutual friend about "the new friend," they will see what they can do; it makes things worse. 

No safety out in public...

"The new friend" is knocking on the door, they want to talk about what happened previously and come to some agreement about what they did wrong. They want to make sure that their friendship was something that they can remember, and make sure that it was not a regret. The person knows what will happen if they let "the new friend" back in their life; it will start all over again.

No safety at home...

The door remains closed. The person thinks and thinks hard about the situation. What is there to do? What can a person do in this situation? "The new friend" is at the front door waiting for them, so there is no way to avoid them that way. They will only turn whatever you say back on you. They will only use whatever you say to worm their way back into your life. The brain freezes from anxiety. How can a person not be safe in their own home from another person?... 

The back door. The stereo is set, and will play until the CDs run out, which will be hours. A light is always left on in the lounge. Pick up keys, put down keys, change clothes, put on shoes, pick up keys, and other personal effects. Go to the back door, open it quietly. Close it quietly. Over the fence through the neighbour's yard. Heart is pounding in their ears... Walk swiftly to a friend's house to seek help."

The sad thing today is that stalking happens. Sometime people get it into their heads that others are more interested in them than they actually are. The problem is that sometimes that other person is too nice to tell them to go away, or maybe they have mental issues of their own which prevents them from doing so. Sometimes the person can take a hint and will leave the person alone, the problem happens when they can't and don't. Stalking results when one person ends up following the other around, trying to encourage them to be interested in them by invading their life. 

Now, read this story again, with the protagonist as a male... because this is my story...

Men get stalked too. Regardless of the situation, the injury or the activity. It occurs to all. Colouring or gendering such things does not help. Statistics will show one picture or another, it all depends on who wants to show what, hence there are no statistics to show, women stalking men, or men stalking women, or even men stalking men, or women stalking women. There will be evidence for all of them present. Statistics can be twisted this way and that to suit whoever finds them. Stalking happens to all types of people, regardless of their gender. 

Think before you make statements. There is always another story that you have not heard, a battle that another has fought, or is fighting. For once it would be nice if we could treat everyone with the same kindness and respect that we all expect.

Cheers,

Henry.

Health or Life

 Greetings,

Yet another medication has fallen under the hammer of the government, removed from the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme. In this case it is Deptran its generic form being Doxepin. It is nominally an antidepressant. In my case it is used to assist with the cluster headaches which happen as a result of the issues with my neck. So the result is that I will be going along to the doctor with my wife to find a replacement, some other drug that will have the same effects, that won't upset the balance with all my other medications...

Why is this article here and not on my fibromyalgia blog? The reason is that I am going to get a little philosophical and likely a little political with my post. 

Our government changed from a Liberal (conservative) government to a Labor (less-conservative) government last election. Some haled it as a change for the better, things would be better for lower-income earners and pensioners, like me. Yeah, better, I think there has been a $40 increase in my pension... wow. So thrilled... not. Prescriptions have increased again. Prices and inflation are still going up and as previously stated things are just being made more difficult for people on lower incomes.

If a person were of a conspiratorial mind one could almost think that it was a project of eugenics. You simply make life so expensive that the poor cannot afford to live and they die off. The problem is that then the rich people would have no one to do all their menial labour, and they will feel the bite, if they ever "fall." Then again, I have already spoken about "the rich" and perspectives on who is rich and who isn't.

I have multiple conditions which is the reason that I am on a disability pension. I am on a low income due to the disability pension. To afford all of the things that would assist me to become as healthy as I could be would result in me not having a life... and likely result in me losing the house that I have bought. So, in effect I have the choice of being "healthy" or having a life. In an expression that one of my friends likes or liked to use, "I'm here for a good time, not a long time." I prefer quality of life over quantity of life. The result is that I will have a life rather than health, or at least just enough health to survive and do what I like to do. I will make the best of my situation.

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
- Hunter S. Thompson

I like the quote from Thompson above. I tend to go through "boom and bust" situations. I go as hard as I can and then happily pay for the consequences of my actions later on. This may not be the healthiest way to approach things, but I sure get my enjoyment out of things. I probably should put money away and save to go to the physiotherapist and other allied health, but I would rather spend it on having a life, living life to my best capacity. I will find ways and means with what I have, this is what I have so this is what I will work with. In the choice between health or life, give me life.

Cheers,

Henry.

Rich and Poor: It's a Matter of Perspective

 Greetings,

There is a divide in our societies between "the rich" and "the poor" and this divide is only getting wider. The access to services from either side of this divide is also only getting more and more divided as well as those who end up in government are those from "the rich" rather than the poor as the system is bent in their direction. This will be an examination of the concept of "the rich" and "the poor" and how it is most often a matter of perspective.

When most people think of "the rich" they think of people like the now notorious Elon Musk, possibly Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and other such wealth individuals who influence life in society, or at least attempt to in various ways. These people can more easily be classified as the "ultra-rich". They could stop working and simply wait for their income to roll on in with little effort on their part, still making multi-million dollars from their assets. This is a perspective of those who are reasonably well-off.

Consider politicians. According to public government records, a retiring Australian politician is paid a minimum of $185,000 per annum, with an additional percentage of their annual pay indexed by their years of service, paid for life. This payment is made by legislation, i.e., can be increased by a vote of the same politicians. Their basic salary is $211,250, again adjusted by different service, and adjusted by different methods, and voted by the same politicians who are getting paid the salary. This does not include the various perks they claim, including travel, food and accommodation.

If we then compare this to the average salary in Australia, which is $1,250 per week, or $65,000 per annum (calculated at 52 weeks), it shows a stark contrast between the "average Australian" that these politicians are supposed to represent and the amount they earn. Is it any surprise that politicians in Australia are out of touch with the people they are supposed to represent? 

If we then make a further comparison between the most "vulnerable" in Australian society there is an even starker contrast between the politicians and the people they are supposed to represent. The Age Pension, maximum basic rate, $936.80 per fortnight, or $24,356.80 per annum. The Disability Support Pension, i.e., those who have been declared unable to work, is the same at its maximum rate, in both cases if you are partnered, the rate drops for both of you, resulting in about the same amount. For a single person looking for work, i.e., unemployed, the basic rate is $668.40 per fortnight, or $17,378.4 per annum. With these numbers is it any wonder that politicians have no clue about the situation of people looking for work, or maybe the reason they have little motivation to do so? Most of the people on these payments are too busy worrying about how they are going to survive.

Now, all of these numbers can be found on government websites, as you will find if you click on any of the links. I have not pulled them from social media, or other forms of media, they are not hype or anything, they are the cold, hard facts. 

If we examine the numbers that are presented, a person on the maximum rate, consider that the maximum rate for either the Age or Disability Support pension is getting less than half the average salary of the average Australian. In one case the individual has already worked their entire life, in the other case they have been deemed unable to hold a standard occupation, unable to hold full-time employment. 

Moving entirely away from figures and comparisons between them...

A person may be sitting on a pension of some kind, and be quite happy. Having completed a their work for their career, they may have paid their house off, planned their retirement and be sitting happy with their pension. They could be entirely unconcerned about such things as the gap between how much they are getting as compared to someone else.

In contrast...

A person working at a job may be sitting at some relatively comfortable salary above the average and still not be happy. They could be concerned about how to get their next promotion; once they do that then they can afford the house that they think that they are entitled to; move out of the apartment which is draining a part of their income. They are concerned about all of these things yet could be earning well above the pensioner described above.

Happiness, in my opinion, has nothing to do with how much money you earn. The young working person may be more fiscally-wealthy but I would say that the pensioner has a richer life.

We make comparisons between ourselves on the basis of our fiscal worth, which in many cases are arbitrary, and based on elements of fortune and social statuses. Are there not values which we hold more dear more important? Can we not value each other more on the basis of our worth to society, what we give or gave to society?

The comparison between "rich" and "poor" is a matter of perspective. A person who is of a much lower socio-economic position may find a person who is of a middle-level of socio-economic standing quite wealthy in comparison to themselves, even though the person who is at this middle-level may not consider themselves to be wealthy, especially in comparison to those who are above them. When questions about who is "rich" and who is "poor" eventuate, it is a matter of comparison, a simple matter of perspective. 

Our society is run by those who are at the top, who we call "the rich" I would say that these individuals are more qualified as the "ultra-rich" in reality, well beyond the "average" individual's capacity, if there is such a thing as an "average" individual. If we examine our politicians and where they stand, while they are not quite in this "ultra-rich" position, they surely aspire to join them, and thus approve measures which assist those in such positions, along with themselves to improve their fiscal position. These are the individuals who we need to take a hard, long, look at and decide whether or not they, or the systems which they promote, are truly in the interest of the people they purport to serve.

Cheers,

Henry