rattus rattus' blog » Nonsense

The end, or so she thought

rattus — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:47:47 +0000

A friend once tried to provoke with the following wonderful quote about what ends are:

The temporal structure of the end is determined by a twofold negation: The end is standing in the apex of not yet and not anymore. This marks a twofold verge which again is the function of an intentionality articulating itself as a negation. Only this intentionality brings out the otherwise indifferent moment. — Karlheinz Stierle: The return of the end; On the anthropology of perception. (1996, humbly translated by yours truly)

What a gem! Here is the original German quote:

Die Zeitstruktur des Endes bestimmt sich durch eine zweifache Negation: Das Ende steht im Scheitelpunkt von noch nicht und nicht mehr. Die so markierte zweifache Schwelle ist selbst Funktion einer als Negation sich artikulierenden Intentionalit�t, die erst den f�r sich indifferenten Moment zum herausgehobenen macht. — Karlheinz Stierle: Die Wiederkehr des Endes. Zur Anthropologie der Anschauungsformen. (1996)

An articulating intentionality qua negation distinguishes the differences of moments … uhm, this is me, isn’t it? Stierle was writing about ratTus rattUs, the twofold negation, the recurring end.

Anyway, let’s put an end to this.

Or maybe not

Oberserving myself . . .

rattus — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:05:47 +0000

I am observing.

I am observing myself.

I am observing myself observing myself.

I am observing myself observing myself observing myself.

. . . and so on and so forth . . .

I am observing myself observing myself … being lazy.

I am observing myself observing myself … being lazy observing myself.

. . .

[X]

Liars are telling the truth

rattus — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:59:31 +0000

> > Liars are telling the truth. > Liar! See? I told you!

Who knows

rattus — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:21:16 +0000

History of history

rattus — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:15:39 +0000

The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history.

(This quote and variations of it can be found easily.) Considering the fact that each and everyone seems to stumble over this insight sooner or later it could well be based on a wee bit of eternal truth. However, if it is, it is hiding it very well. Indeed, what it shows is that history of history is unknown. Speaking of learning, it is not taught either.

[w]

Under the surface

rattus — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:20:05 +0000

Cartoon by Hugh Macleod

under the
surface
is more surface . . .

[T]

i c u as u c me

rattus — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:46:43 +0000

i c u + not how u c u + how i c u counts 4 me + not how u c u + what counts 4 me counts 4 u

Almost unique

rattus — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:43:02 +0000

She: I discovered that we are almost unique.
He: Define almost!
She: The problem is not the almost, the problem is the unique.
Though, of course, it is not the unique problem, but almost!

[X]

Accurate cynicism

rattus — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:54:42 +0000

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

— George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)

Debugging

rattus — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:41:25 +0000

Linus Torvalds, recently wrote about debugging hell in his private blog. What I read is a wonderful variation of Paul Watzlawick’s story of a man who is looking for his keys where the lantern shines instead of where he lost them:

Torvalds was desperately looking for the solution of a serious problem which seemed to occur only spontaneously and at a time where it could not be observed, analyzed or tracked. Later, a method was found which allowed to trigger the problem but it apparently had “nothing what-so-ever to do with the actual failure itself”. Eventually, colleagues found “the real clue” by looking at one incident where the problem did not occur.