RKNet Blog... Thing

It’s a two for one special! Come for the paraphrasing of a pretty funny BBC article, and stay for the hook up on ancient cannabis usage!

I happened to pop my head into the ectochat and what to my wondering eyes did appear but a BBC article link!

Upon following it I discovered that this story was indeed lol-worthy as had been indicated.

A rather dedicated but less-than-thorough customs official at Japan’s Narita airport hid a 142 gram baggie of weed into the side pocket of a traveller’s suitcase. The goal was to test the sniffer dogs in a real-life training exercise.

The dogs, however, failed their exercise by not detecting the baggie at all. To make matters worse, the official who hid the 142 gram (that’s 5 ounces for those not familiar with metric) bag couldn’t remember in which suitcase he’d hidden the weed!

That’s right, some lucky schmuck walked out of Narita airport with 5 ounces of free marijuana! Awesome right? Not really, when you consider Japan has rather strict laws against possession which could net this traveller a prison sentence. Officials admitted their mistake and are encouraging the person who got the baggie to come forward in order to avoid unnecessary legal troubles.

In my search for more specifics about the laws, I came across a really interesting history of cannabis, beginning with its place in the ancient world. Which is admittedly far more entertaining than the original BBC story I mentioned. After discussing the knowledge - or lack thereof - by the Greeks, and the ancient Japanese and Indians, it moves on to an entire passage on the history of cannabis in the Arab world.

One of the most fascinating ways to explore the ancient world, I think, is to track a substance or supply through the ages. It brings to light ancient trade routes, how information was shared, which cultures were accepting of new things and which closed themselves off. Following marijuana in such a way is a two fold path. On the one hand you get to see which cultures adapted the plant for use as hemp fibers, and how as a valuable supply the plant travelled the world. You also get to track its history when grown and used as a psychoactive substance, and the attitudes of the cultures which were aware of those properties.

All of that and much, much more at druglibrary.org. If you’re someone who visits Erowid frequently for reference on drug-related matters, I might suggest adding this to your repertoire also.

Behold the philosophical wonders that unfold when you find everything to do but update!

G: you know what’s a funny word? “crunk”
kittymcgee: agreed
why was it invented?
G: as a descriptive term for being various kinds of loaded, instead of just drunk, is my assumption
kittymcgee: true….but what does the c stand for?
cocaine drunk?
kittymcgee: aha!
G: I always assumed it was “crazy drunk”

And in a slightly more “philosophical” vein….

me: The two rules for success are:
1. Never tell them everything you know.
pick007: yay!
uhm,
yay!
me: http://web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/selfref.html
pick007: before i open this, is it a link to the second rule, or is it a lnading page of icons that make fun of me etc…
me: tsk tsk
would I make fun of you?
pick007: ok, hold on
yes!
i am your underling,
me: well that doesn’t mean I have to make fun of you
pick007: well it doesnt mean you wont either!
me: we’re getting into a bit of a loop here
pick007: maybe im just drawing on harsh experiences, and I SHOULD BE PRAYING AND GIVIING THANKS THAT I HAVE A NEW AND MORE UNDERSTANDING (goddamn caps lock) nurturing cult leader
me: Yes I’m much more forgiving and kindly than your average brainwashing group alpha
pick007: yes! you must be punished! now drink that keg cup! and no sipping, take it down!
me: At least until the proper initiation starts, but the best way to break free of previous imprints to make room for new imprints and ways of thoughts is through shock, and sometimes that means violence and debasement
pick007: see thats what i was expecting, harsh debasement, and otherwise initiation
me: I’m experimental. The traditionalist ways of fear, mystery, and sometimes bloodshed WORK, but I question their necessity
pick007: …and the only way to know for sure is to practice them, and take in the effects
me: Consider the zen roshi, who beats the pupil on the head with his staff, sometimes for no reason at all. it works, but is there another way?
pick007: no.
me: Destruction of the ego results in rebirth into a fresher mindstate, but there’s got to be a safer way
pick007: i suppose one could ask: if there were another way, how would one still valiate their roshidity
me: well the pupil eventually becomes the master, and despite the paradigm-breaking nature of their learning, they may still take on some prorgramming and mannerisms of those who guided them
pick007: yes. for paradigm breaking itself is a structured paradigm, which is even desirable for human purposes, I mean, purposes
but without stick whacking, would they still be roshi?
or are they roshi because they whack stick?
on a related note: would investiagtion of Godel’s theorem provide more insight into how to define a self reference joke? for a minute, I would have said “i get it” but upon further reading, I question it now, as there seem to be jokes which, uhm, well, for lack of a better term, “dont reference themselves”. or the people telling them.
would possibly either of the words: ironic, or oxymoronic appear in its definition? or for that matter, any of the “…ronic” words?
me: chronic?
pick007: exactly
me: I would say the most amusing, directly self-referential “joke” in there is the Recursive loop statement
pick007: i like that one
i like them all, and i think theyre all funny.
it was just the name i questioned mostly for examples like: anyone who sees apsychiatrist…
me: mm
yes
pick007: yes you agree? or yes is the answer? like 42?
me: yes I agree
on a somewhat side, but still related note, theoretical math is downright sexy
pick007: oh my god yes!
that goes without…
me: :3
I wonder if anybody’s done a shirt that says I <3 Quantum Mechanics
maybe Quantum Theory would be better
pick007: yea, or, ” I 2x= y,z <{3.1} quantum theory
?
you should do it
but i want 3% royalties for giving you the encouragement and support to live your dreams
so, I cam up with 3 self reference jokes, and i want you to tell me what you think, which one's your favorite, and if any of them fits the theme better. ready? a) bob sagat
b) bob sagat is.
c) bob sagat is not.
me: ahahaha
wtf
pick007: dammit. i was afraid youd say that.
ok, what about, d) Bob Sagat is funny.
me: well that’s just all lies