tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107411942011-07-14T14:25:06.462-07:00I'm a Martian. I've been on Earth for more than 60 years as the result of a school field trip that went wrong. I'm married to an Earthian who doesn't know that I'm a Martian, and have three half-Earthian children. They have two offspring who look very Martian. They are so cute. Please visit my blog for my views on the things that Earthians get up to!Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.comBlogger921100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-589208119046031982010-02-05T01:44:00.000-08:002010-02-05T01:57:09.470-08:00

We talk about "two ducks". We also talk about "2 + 2". It seems almost self-evident to me that "2" is a conceptual(?), mathematical(?) object in its own right. Any mathematician thinks about "2" and only thinks of "two ducks" in connection with a mathematical problem about "ducks". Mathematical "ducks"."2" exists in the mathematician's mind, but the idea can be transmitted to another

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-36782178324234540602009-06-26T22:57:00.000-07:002009-06-27T03:42:29.577-07:00

Anyone who's read a philosophy text or discussed philosophy is likely to have heard the word "ontology". Webster's dictionary (via Dictionary.com) says:"That department of the science of metaphysics which investigates and explains the nature and essential properties and relations of all beings, as such, or the principles and causes of being".There is an alternate definition which applies in the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-51347556108880298782009-06-20T03:14:00.000-07:002009-06-20T04:12:04.984-07:00

There is a term "Existential Angst", coined by the philosopher Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, to describe a fear of failing in one's responsibilities to God. This was later broadened to cover a fear of failing to reconcile one's responsibilities with one's abilities and principles. But I don't think that the description really does justice to the term "Angst".I feel that the term Angst refers to

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-11395225153969973792009-01-20T23:14:00.000-08:002009-01-20T23:15:28.510-08:00

....since my last post. Oh dear....

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-43596258831845773902009-01-20T23:08:00.000-08:002009-01-20T23:14:10.180-08:00

To this land comes Leonard Cohen,The poet and songster from my youth,Dark, dark poems and dark, dark songs.Cohen's Hallelujah is a dirge,A poem to the God left far behindBy a secular generation.He did his best, it wasn't much,He said, but it was enoughTo be the voice of you and me.A generation that changed the world,From Vietnam to suburban streets,Ban the bomb and protest songs.Peace was our aim

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-5937070106108416512008-03-13T02:17:00.000-07:002008-03-13T02:31:23.625-07:00

I've been reading about happiness. Those who know me will realise that I've been reading a philosophy book, and I'm waiting to see where it leads me. There's obvious cliches about happiness, such as it can be sought but not bought, and that it is something that can be aspired to but is often found when we are not looking for it. Also that the way to happiness is to through leading a meaningful,

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-85473274269006115192008-02-28T23:21:00.000-08:002008-02-29T00:51:37.525-08:00

Someone pointed me at the John Titor site. For those who don't know, John Titor claimed to be a time traveller from from the year 2036. He hung around for a while and then, having announced his departure back to 2036, he disappeared from the Internet. He claims that the events in this time frame are subtly different from the timeframe that he originated from. In other words, his memory of events

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-8010916759278467642007-09-15T16:09:00.000-07:002007-09-15T18:44:20.294-07:00

Plato came up with the idea that every commonplace object has an 'archetype' or idealized 'form' which all objects of the type have in common as a sort of 'ancestor'. Thus a table has a corresponding 'form' which encapsulates the idealized attributes of the object that makes it a table.There are arguments against the theory of forms, but I'm not concerned with them here. I'm concerned with the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-74543281079528798972007-05-20T01:35:00.000-07:002007-05-20T02:37:30.310-07:00

The 'reductio ad absurdum' argument rests on the idea that you start with a proposition 'p' and logically deduce '~p'. Since a proposition cannot be both true and not true, assuming that the *logical deduction* is valid, then the proposition p cannot be true. Alternatively we can take the proposition p, assume its opposite, ~p , and deduce p. In this case ~p cannot be true, and p must therefore

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-78192738708375086082007-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:002007-01-17T01:23:31.825-08:00

When scientists or mathematicians talk about 'a fair toss of a coin' they are talking about events where the outcome of the test is only statistically predictable. For instance, a fair toss of a coin is 50% likely to come up heads and 50% likely to come up tails. There is no way to predict if a fair toss of a coin will come up heads or tails. You just have to do the experiment.Similarly, a 'free

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1167458161929921912006-12-29T21:52:00.000-08:002006-12-29T21:56:01.930-08:00

I don't know if anyone reads this Blog! I don't really care. But if anyone does read this or come across my Blog they will find a huge gap from the time of my birthday, when I posted a picture of myself, on 20 August, and today, the penultimate day of 2006.I make no apologies. Blogging is not my life, as it is for some people. But I really did not mean to leave it that long!

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1167457815452376532006-12-29T21:26:00.000-08:002006-12-29T21:50:15.470-08:00

I went for a walk with the dog today, and in the middle of the local reserve (park) I was astounded to come across a work of art! I regret that I left my camera behind, so I could not take a photograph of it.Someone, most likely a youngster had created, with only materials that were at hand, an object, right in the middle of the meadow beside the stream. It was basically a small pile of stones,

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1156069272506156922006-08-20T03:16:00.000-07:002006-08-20T03:24:32.826-07:00

P7300045Originally uploaded by Enkidu of NZ. I've just joined Flickr. Here is a Flickr picture of a Martian on the beach after the birthday meal.

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1153482479687006662006-07-21T04:22:00.000-07:002006-07-21T04:55:37.903-07:00

Inanna popped by the other day, and I asked her about her long relationship with Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is off somewhere in South America and Enkidu was climbing mountains in Nepal, last I heard. But they all keep in touch. I was reading somewhere that if people were immortal that relationships would be short lived, ephemeral on the scale of immortality. But Inny and and the boys have

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1150445921898264772006-06-15T21:58:00.000-07:002006-06-16T01:19:45.603-07:00

Why is anything? How did things come to exist? Ask a scientist and they talk about "quantum fluctuations" and "particle pair creation" or similar. Ask a religionist and they talk about "creation by God" or some such. To a philosopher, those are basically the same answer. A philosopher is more likely to consider the question of whether or not it makes sense to talk about what came before the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1148121769902869472006-05-20T02:29:00.000-07:002006-05-20T03:42:49.923-07:00

I've been thinking about 'science' and 'qualia' recently. I'm not sure that I've come to any conclusions, really, so I'll set out the train of my thoughts and maybe I'll have a notion of the direction my thoughts are heading. Or maybe not.Anyway, I've been reading a book called 'Philosophy' by Anthony O'Hear who is a Professor of Philosophy at Bradford University. It was to me not a very

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1145092912973966852006-04-15T01:18:00.000-07:002006-06-27T05:31:34.833-07:00

I have a fantasy - cloud surfing. I drop from a plane with a board and a parachute. Below me is a field of cumulus cloads.(This is a foreign concept for a Martian - Mars does not have significant clouds)I check my board and it hums and a blue field surrouds it. I switch it off and I freefall towards the cloud. As I fall the cloud gets blurry, the outlines indistinct. At the right moment, I switch

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1144929785551848142006-04-13T04:30:00.000-07:002006-04-13T14:50:44.833-07:00

Mmmm, I haven't added to the blog for a while. Been really busy. Time flows like sand in an hour glass. These are indeed the "Days of Our Lives". However, I'm feeling really disconnected. From time? From life? I don't know.When we walk we see what is in front of us. Our eyes are in front of us. If they weren't we would bump into things. Our memories are behind us. We remember what has been. We

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1140906502352217662006-02-25T14:01:00.000-08:002006-02-25T14:28:22.896-08:00

A poster commenting on the 'Events without causes' suggests that stochastic events allow the possibility of freewill and choice. Because stochastic events are dictated by probabilities, there is no way that you can predict what will happen by mechanistic models. While it is true that it is non-mechanistic a stochastical event is still predetermined. A stochastic event has a certain probability

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1140429031954281442006-02-20T01:39:00.000-08:002006-02-20T01:50:33.740-08:00

I've been doing a Philosophy course recently. Martians are interested in Philosophy, as I've mentioned before, but for Martians it is a gentle persuit. For Earthians in comparison, it is like guerilla warfare!So I've been studying Earthian views on Knowledge and Reality and what Personal Identity comprises. There's not much new there, though there are a few twists that make it interesting to

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1135335345129987032005-12-23T00:20:00.000-08:002006-03-02T01:48:38.753-08:00

Consider an 'event'. An 'event' is something that happens at a particular place and at a particular time. Most scientists would look upon an 'event' as a point in a combined space-time continuum. There may be other definitions which differ somewhat from this, but this will do as a working definition. I'd like to suggest that any event may have a number of causes or prerequisites and may produce

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1134119008596540742005-12-08T23:46:00.000-08:002005-12-09T01:03:28.610-08:00

Generally we consider time to flow in one direction, from past, to present, to future. We think that the future is fluid and changeable, and the past fixed and unchangeable. I think that this is a naive view, in the sense that it is uninformed by any depth of thought.We say that 'a' causes 'b' because in some sense 'b' cannot exist without 'a'. However if 'b' exists, it is because 'a' pre-existed

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1133686114029152622005-12-03T21:05:00.000-08:002005-12-04T00:53:28.406-08:00

Most people would say that the sun will come up tomorrow, and if pressed, would probably point to the long, long line of sunrises that they have experienced as evidence for this belief. However, this belief relies upon the principle known as 'induction', and it is really difficult to accept the conclusions of an argument by induction as proof. For instance, if the next 1,000 or 2,000 birds that

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1133381825289970022005-11-30T11:58:00.000-08:002005-11-30T12:17:05.306-08:00

In "The Thief of Time" Terry Pratchett introduces the character of Wen the Eternally Surprised: "According to the First Scroll of Wen the Eternally Surprised, Wen stepped out of the cave where he had received enlightenment and into the dawning light of the first day of the rest of his life. He stared at the rising sun for some time, because he had never seen it before." And he never had. Wen's

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1132997743703349052005-11-26T00:19:00.000-08:002006-01-29T15:43:31.756-08:00

One of the the most important theories of knowledge states that to know something three conditions need to be fulfilled: What you know must be true. In other words you can't know something if it is not true, even if you believe it to be true. You must believe it to be true. If you don't believe that something is true, you can't know it, even if it is true. You must be justified in believing

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1132653478526685792005-11-22T01:06:00.000-08:002005-11-22T01:57:58.560-08:00

Plato introduced the concept of 'forms'. These were idealised versions of every day objects. There would be a 'table' form which encapsulated the essence of 'table' and all real tables are related to this archetypal table.I find it interesting that I find echoes of Platonic forms in the Object Orientated Languages that many prefer today for computer programming.Programmers talk of 'classes' which

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1132307269073087512005-11-18T00:42:00.000-08:002005-11-18T01:56:42.966-08:00

I just signed up for a philosophy course. Philosophy is something that Martians are very interested in, but we don't quite approach it with the enthusiasm that Earthians do.So my postings will probably be spiced with philosophical ruminations. Not that they weren't so before!The first couple of weeks deal with how we perceive the real world. The reading and lectures deal with such phenomena as

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1129436884627375972005-10-15T21:06:00.000-07:002005-10-15T22:10:58.816-07:00

This is not a political blog. But now and then I feel the urge to make a political comment.There has just been an election in New Zealand, where I live, and it has left the political situation a little, erm, unclear. The two major parties have cornered approximately the same number of seats, and on the face of it, the party in control before the election has retained control.However to govern

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1128935501349917582005-10-10T01:19:00.000-07:002005-10-10T02:18:47.523-07:00

Most Earthians think that Mars is just one big desert. Well I suppose that in many ways it is but would it surprise you that Martians have about a hundred words for red?To a Martian there is an infinite variety of landscapes on Mars. You can stand on the slopes of Mount Olympus and see desolate flatness and you would find it very hard to tell you were on a slope, to tell the truth! That's how big

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1127730160082495982005-09-26T03:22:00.000-07:002005-09-26T03:22:40.093-07:00

You are a Social Liberal (66% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (60% permissive) You are best described as a: Libertarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1127724502865067172005-09-26T01:43:00.000-07:002005-09-26T03:07:20.956-07:00

We recently had an election, here, where I live. We have a proportional representation system which means that 'minor' parties have an undue effect on politics in this country. And it seems that the 'minor' parties seem to attract what might be called the political eccentrics.But that's all well and good. It does make political life more interesting. What I wanted to deal with was the election

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1126694031333225032005-09-14T02:58:00.000-07:002005-09-14T03:33:51.340-07:00

Let's consider the real world first, instead of Harry Potter's world. The best theory is that every event has a cause and every cause has an effect. (I've argued otherwise elsewhere, but this will do as a working hypthesis). The same must be true in Harry Potter's world, if the hypothesis is true. The Muggle (non-magical) world carries on alongside the magical world, in the main unaffected by it

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1126519892551347512005-09-12T01:04:00.000-07:002005-09-12T03:13:41.153-07:00

I've been reading the latest Harry Potter book and thinking about how the magic "works" in the stories. There's a strong thread in the books about magic, obviously, but for it to seem reasonable and not out of place, it must fit into the mileau described, and it must have some scheme of operation.The magic in Harry Potter is based on many earlier stories of magic, and curses, jinxes and hexes

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1126263895554605252005-09-09T03:33:00.000-07:002005-09-09T04:24:18.330-07:00

What's the difference between brain and mind? It seems pretty simple to me - brain is the hardware and mind is the software.Mind does not have a physical presence, like software, and brain has a physical existence like hardware. OK, the brain is pretty squishy, granted, but it can be poked and prodded. Software and mind cannot be physically poked and prodded.OK, mind and software both require the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1125743955967030192005-09-02T22:24:00.000-07:002005-09-05T02:33:46.426-07:00

Rather a long post this time, I'm afraid.....Science claims to 'explain' how the universe works. That's a grandiose claim that I'm going to examine here. I believe that science is essentially descriptive and its predictive abilities are limited at best.Consider the way science works. The scientist makes some observations and then constructs a theory to 'explain' them. The theory is then tested by

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1124844071868897732005-08-23T17:30:00.000-07:002005-08-23T17:41:11.873-07:00

I added a statistics counter to my page, just out of interest. It proves that, as I thought, I'm mostly talking to myself. What's new?I did get two links from David Farrar's blog. Thanks, David! There are some funny ones, though. I can understand Google and MSN searches for Martian related terms, and I can understand one that refers to Sumerian Gods. However, I'm not sure how I came to get a

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1124445759909352712005-08-19T03:02:00.000-07:002005-08-19T03:19:07.856-07:00

Hamish (Moosh) is either very lucky, or very good, at photography.Duncan - the Donut (and Granny) Queen Jude and the Donut (Duncan)

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1124274335262100692005-08-17T03:23:00.000-07:002006-01-25T23:08:45.290-08:00

Please note that I do not endorse the links at the bottom. However, since I took the survey and I'm including the results here, I cannot in all conscience not include the links. There are scams out there, but I have no reason to believe that this is one. But be careful out there. Take the survey for a bit of fun or click on the other link if you wish. The responsibility is yours.TELL ME ABOUT

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1123404343965665622005-08-07T01:45:00.000-07:002005-08-23T17:49:00.803-07:00

Water. Martians on Earth are fascinated by it. It takes some adjustment to pour water away when it has been used. To spray it on plants to keep them alive. Even to waste the water excreted from our bodies. Even though we become 'adapted' to Earthian carelessness with water, we still do not lose that sense of wonder at the small trickles, the leaping streams, the broad-flowing rivers, and the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1123403678850032972005-08-07T01:27:00.000-07:002005-08-07T01:34:38.900-07:00

Some enterprising scientists have decided to try to adapt Earthian plants to Martian conditions. I wish them luck. Martian plants have had millions of years to adapt to the conditions and I don't think that Earthian scientists have a hope of beating that sort of a heritage. The Earthian plants will be sucked dry by the Martian plants in short order, I'm afraid. I mean that literally. There is no

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1122198291942436702005-07-24T02:24:00.000-07:002005-07-24T03:22:57.633-07:00

We have a beautiful planet. Although I'm a Martian and love the arid planet of my birth, as an immigrant to Earth I also love the lush green forests and the rolling plains of grass, the deserts which to new Martian eyes would appear lush, the frozen tundras. Especially I love the seas, and I don't think that I could now live far from the ocean. Martians living on Earth rarely choose to live away

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1121769474121468242005-07-19T02:08:00.000-07:002005-07-19T03:37:54.130-07:00

I don't understand extremists. I don't think anyone does. Why should young lads think strongly enough about something that they would literally blow themselves to pieces because of it? I also can't understand why anyone would send someone to their death in such a way and still go on living themselves. A moment's thought should convince anyone that the response to an atrocity like the bombings in

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1121162796123315272005-07-12T02:37:00.000-07:002005-07-12T03:06:36.130-07:00

Well, I've just returned from a trip to the Old Planet. It was good to catch up with relatives, and to revisit the places that I used to visit as a child before I came to Earth. It's a cliche that it all looked smaller, but it did. I guess we measure things in strides and youthful strides are smaller than adult strides. Everything seemed overgrown. The lichen trees were everywhere, much denser

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1117786546416159542005-06-03T01:11:00.000-07:002005-06-03T01:15:46.420-07:00

Hi all, just a note from the Old Planet. I'm here for a few weeks visiting my Martian relatives, especially the Old Ones. I'm still not used to the length of the day and the change in the pace of life here, as well as the trip over. I'll try and post more later, but communications between Mars and Earth are variable at best. Maybe the new relay satellite will help solve that. Mmm, maybe.

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1116749713032503192005-05-22T00:37:00.000-07:002005-05-22T01:15:13.040-07:00

In my ramblings about the differences between Earth and Mars, I'm sure it would have come across that compared to Earth, Mars is B O R I N G. Nothing could be more false. It's just that Martians get excited about different things. For instance, a Martian musical performance can be more of a contest than merely a display of musical expertise. The first time I went to an Earthian pop concert I was

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1116747380891713822005-05-22T00:03:00.000-07:002005-05-22T00:37:12.173-07:00

Coming from Mars, Earthian culture often amazes and intrigues me. It also on occasion repels and disgusts me. I'm currently interested in the concept of the entrepreneur.Dictionary.com says the word means "A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture". This is OK, but the word has come to have unwonted connotations of deviousness, cunning, and skullduggery.This is

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1116591559926575152005-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:002005-05-20T05:19:19.930-07:00

Mars is dry. We have no seas. Earth is wet. There is water everywhere. It even falls from the sky. Rain. I love it. Even while hating driving through a wet rainy night, I love rain. I love the sound of it beating on a tin roof, trickling down the gutters and downpipes. But I'm fortunate that I don't live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand on this planet Earth. Homes swept away, cars swept away,

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1116590131755320982005-05-20T04:19:00.000-07:002005-05-20T04:56:10.163-07:00

I subscribe to a number of blogs some of them political. In my adopted country of New Zealand on my adopted planet of Earth we are currently in an election year, and the election jitters are already becoming apparent. What worries and disgusts me more than a little is the vitriolic nature of the debate, considering that we don't even know the date of the election yet! As I have said before,

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1115537574453481602005-05-08T00:32:00.000-07:002005-05-08T00:34:40.206-07:00

Queen Jude, as photographed by Hamish (aged 3 1/2)

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1115380745311834932005-05-06T03:40:00.000-07:002005-05-06T05:16:30.076-07:00

Philosophy is making sense of the world. Well, that's not the official definition of course, but it will do. I, Barzoomian, favour a mild form of solipsism - "the self is the only thing that can be known and verified". (dictionary.com) However to soften that somewhat, I see that other people appear to behave in a similar way to the way that Barzoomian behaves, which seems to indicate that they

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1115376000286801382005-05-06T03:16:00.000-07:002005-05-06T05:02:19.963-07:00

It seems odd to me as a Martian that Earthian elections seem to be popularity contests. In the UK Tony Blair has been elected as Prime Minister for the third time. George Bush has been elected as President. Gilgamesh fumes when he comes around: "I could rule a lot better than those amateurs!" But he is used to people doing what he wants, whereas modern politicians are expected to do what the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1114683255571077792005-04-28T03:14:00.000-07:002005-04-28T03:15:27.056-07:00

When I was a young Martian, and my wife was a young Earthian...

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1114256670273962132005-04-23T04:15:00.000-07:002005-04-23T04:44:30.276-07:00

Although Martians have slightly more kids per lifetime than Eartians on average, the longer Martian lifespan means that most Martian kids grow up without siblings of a similar age. For instance, my older sibling is around 50 years older than me, and my parents may have another child in the next few years, or they may decide not to. A longer lifespan means a higher chance of dying in an accident,

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1114254763860486582005-04-23T03:48:00.000-07:002005-04-23T15:42:21.233-07:00

Martians tend to have one child at a time, so Martian children tend to have adults as role models. Earthians breed faster and a younger child often has an older sibling to adopt at least as a role model for some things. Such is the case with my granchildren, Hamish and Duncan.I play with the grand-dudes as frequently as I can. They are great! The Donut, (Duncan, the younger one) has Hamish (Hamie

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1114253249103273252005-04-23T03:20:00.000-07:002005-04-23T03:47:29.106-07:00

Had lunch with Gilgamesh the other day. He's just back from South America where he had some "dealings" with some local Government. If I'm any judge the "dealings" revolved around Gilgy being the head honcho or supreme commander or some such of some South America government. Gilgamesh has never come to terms with the need for Earthians to be their own masters. If, as he claims to be he is a

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1113557360901637972005-04-15T02:11:00.000-07:002005-04-15T02:29:20.903-07:00

I didn't see it, but in this country, a partial, annular eclipse of the sun occurred the other day. That's when the moon partial eclipses the sun, (that's the partial bit) and when the moon's apparent size is smaller than the sun's apparent size. That's the annular bit because, if the moon did get completely in front of the sun, an annulus or ring of sun would be visible around the moon. I saw

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1113556225567545602005-04-15T01:51:00.000-07:002005-04-15T02:32:21.276-07:00

After I wrote about the Donut getting Foot and Mouth, his older brother Hamish got it too. Moosh was unfortunately much more affected by it, and it was a miserable time for all concerned. He's a good lad, though, and got through it pretty well.Mum was a bit distraught, of course. You can't really help a sick child, you can't take his hurting into you, much as you would like. My daughter, like all

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1112961615047875022005-04-08T04:50:00.000-07:002005-04-08T05:00:15.050-07:00

Gilgamesh passed through the other day. He's a bit miffed by the fact that he hasn't been invited to the Pope's Funeral. He points to the fact that almost all Heads of Governement are attending, and is not particular impressed when you point out that no other Sumerian demi-gods or even any semi-, hemi-, or demi-gods of any sort are invited. Inanna is going though. I don't know how she wangled an

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1112960823503418382005-04-08T04:35:00.000-07:002005-04-08T04:47:03.506-07:00

The Donut has got "Foot and Mouth"! That's not the dreaded cattle disease, of course, but an Earthian human equivalent. The poor thing was definitely not himself the other day, crying because eating chocolate hurt his mouth. This is the child that hits his head, hard, on the table, says "Ouch!" and carries on playing! His mum took him to the doctor for diagnosis. He's only been to the doc's

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1112699499681650552005-04-05T04:11:00.000-07:002005-04-05T04:11:39.680-07:00

Moosh and QueenJude 

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1112699439268870472005-04-05T04:10:00.000-07:002005-04-05T04:10:39.266-07:00

Moosh - cool headgear. 

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1112698572984218132005-04-05T03:56:00.000-07:002005-04-05T03:56:12.983-07:00

Matty and Duncan (the Donut) in Judy's Garden 

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1112698205638973942005-04-05T03:13:00.000-07:002005-04-05T03:50:05.640-07:00

How do I describe the person who is the other half of me? The complement to me and the parallel to myself. My wife has been my companion for more than the 30 years we have been married. You know that if you rub two stones together they will eventually wear away so that the dimples on one will match the proud areas on the other. Our personalities have rubbed on each other in such a way over the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111904790397036722005-03-26T22:19:00.000-08:002005-03-26T22:26:30.403-08:00

On 3rd March I posted this on my blog. http://barzoomian.blogspot.com/2005/03/flying-pigs.html Today this appeared on Stuff! http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3229092a4560,00.html I'm a prophet!!

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111826149954400482005-03-26T00:23:00.000-08:002005-03-26T00:35:49.956-08:00

As a Martian married to an Earthian, my kids are half Martian, half Earthian. I see the Martian traits, such as a more considered view of life, mixed with an Earthian viewpoint, which I'd characterise as "I want it now!". My grandkids are, so far as I know, only one quarter Martian. They should really show more Earthian characteristics than Martian. However they show the innate Martian

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111825094652241232005-03-26T00:18:00.000-08:002005-03-26T00:21:35.180-08:00

Let's go do something else...

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111825046865359422005-03-26T00:17:00.000-08:002005-03-26T00:20:46.910-08:00

Is there any water in it?

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111824989770876462005-03-26T00:16:00.000-08:002005-03-26T00:19:59.966-08:00

The Donut with a watering can

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111656327306110072005-03-24T00:19:00.000-08:002005-03-24T01:25:27.310-08:00

Inanna claims to have met most of the famous people in history, and some that are usually considered to be ficticious. She claims to have known several of the Caesars and reviles Julius as a "cold hard man". She read Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" and laughed at his descriptions of Augustus. "Pretty good, pretty good. He's got the old duffer pretty well." She claims not to remember the others. She

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111049180342738892005-03-17T00:45:00.000-08:002005-03-17T00:46:20.343-08:00

There's a word that Martians use about the silly things that Earthians do. It's "BOSH"! It stands for "Bugger Off Silly Human"!

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1111048240932741202005-03-16T23:53:00.000-08:002005-03-17T00:44:39.886-08:00

Martians are able to change their appearances if they wish, but it's not a chameleon type thing. It's more like a personal change of attitude and life-style.You know, when you want to lose weight, it takes up what seems like 100% of your waking effort not to eat! It's seems that everyone is having a birthday and provides a cake. Everyone wants to drag you off for a long lunch! You win a free

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110966215934722012005-03-16T01:15:00.000-08:002005-03-16T01:43:35.936-08:00

I mentioned Inanna and friends the other day. This was because Inanna had dropped by. I guessed that as usual, she had quarrelled with Gilgamesh and/or Enkidu, and I was right. She is currently living with Enkidu and they had had a fight. As usual the reason was, on the face of it, sex. Appearances can be deceptive however, especially where these three are concerned. Inanna had brought a young

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110958230692974962005-03-15T23:30:00.000-08:002005-03-15T23:31:45.123-08:00

Holly loves swimming!

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110957764882001832005-03-15T22:54:00.000-08:002005-03-15T23:22:44.886-08:00

I wrote about Tessa, my dog who died earlier. Tessa leaves behind her former companion, Holly. Holly has been a lot quieter since Tessa has been gone. She still rushes out of the house barking and growling, looking for C.A.T.S. But the few times she has come face to face with a real live cat she has tried to hide! She is a small black dog, as was Tessa, and is getting old and grey muzzled these

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110878383681358812005-03-15T00:49:00.000-08:002005-03-15T01:19:43.686-08:00

If you think that a Martian living on Earth is strange you'd flip over my friends Enkidu and Inanna. Actually, I'd better include Gilgamesh in that. All three claim to date back to Sumerian times and cities like Ur. They say that they knew people like Ziasudra, who was warned by the gods and survived a world-wide flood, several millenia before Noah. Sometimes Enkidu and Inanna are together,

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110871598741939922005-03-14T23:26:00.000-08:002005-03-14T23:29:23.460-08:00

A not very good picture of my friend, Tessa.

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110870269766936402005-03-14T21:56:00.000-08:002005-03-14T23:04:29.930-08:00

The last time I was back on Mars I took the opportunity to visit the library. Strictly this was not necessary as I could have visited on-line at home, in the hotel, at friends' houses and so on, as is becoming common here. I was looking up "pets", since they are unknown on Mars, though common on Earth. I was interested to see if Martians had ever had pets. We pretty much don't have any animals

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110526715878000112005-03-10T23:20:00.000-08:002006-08-05T08:39:47.676-07:00

I thought that I should explain a little about the Martian relationship to Earth. I may have given the impression that we are coming here in droves! Nothing could be further from the truth!Most Martians love their planet and would not move elsewhere in the Universe. Many Martians have visited Earth and consider it to be, well, damp. Few Earthians have visited Mars, and they are not likely to tell

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110525586567919572005-03-10T22:55:00.000-08:002005-03-10T23:19:46.570-08:00

Immigrants! That has two meanings to a Martian. It means those Earthians who have been forced to or have chosen to move to a different country. It also means those Martians who have moved to Earth by choice. In the UK, where I started my Earthian life after the disastrous crash of our "saucer", immigrants are a fact of life and have been for a long time.They joke about Bradford being the capital

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110093634872606072005-03-05T23:20:00.000-08:002005-03-09T00:38:20.736-08:00

Picture credit NASA/JPL/Cornell. Go here to see amazing photographs of my Home Planet : http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1110092454037706702005-03-05T22:28:00.000-08:002005-03-05T23:04:33.166-08:00

Martians are avid readers of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Indeed my own Earthian name derives from Burroughs' name for our planet, Barsoom. For those who don't know, Burroughs had his hero, John Carter transported to Mars/Barsoom where he encounters a number of alien races.He then fights his swashbuckling way across the whole of Barsoom/Mars, in a series of novels, eventually rising to a high position

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1109926731062256372005-03-04T00:08:00.000-08:002005-03-04T00:58:51.066-08:00

Martians are naturally deep thinkers. We might pursue a line of thought for 200 - 300 years or more, passing the accumulated results of this cogitation from father/mother to daughter/son. Some lines of thought are carried on for millenia, yielding mostly dead ends, and the occasionally deep insight. This all seemed natural, and the slow progress that was made was accepted, also, as normal. Then

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1109922686476541712005-03-03T23:36:00.000-08:002005-03-03T23:51:26.480-08:00

Auckland, New Zealand city byelaws have been recently changed to outlaw the keeping of pigs in inner-city apartments. Many people have been keeping the small New Zealand variety of pigs known as "Kune kune" in small apartments. The small pigs are said to be ideal pets for city-dwellers, being clean and friendly. "I love my Kune kune more than my cat", said a tearful resident of West Auckland. "

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1109583278418775742005-02-28T00:43:00.000-08:002005-02-28T01:34:38.423-08:00

Today I stumbled across an old email account that I used to use, and on impulse, I requested the password so that I could login to it again. To my surprise there were emails in it, emails going back several years. Some of them dealt with topics that I remember, some were only vague in my memory, and some I just didn't recognise. Did I really write that? That bit attributed to me in a received

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1109478466379544312005-02-26T19:09:00.000-08:002005-02-26T20:32:57.966-08:00

I was musing on the nature of blogs today, when thinking about what I could write, and I suddenly realised that there is a particular writer whose style is very much like a blog transferred to paper. I refer to Kurt Vonnegut, one of my favourite writers. I think that he may be a Martian. Anyone who has read anything by Vonnegut may know what I mean. Vonnegut writes in very short chapters or

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1109150558712700212005-02-23T00:01:00.000-08:002005-02-23T01:50:59.236-08:00

Martians are not, in general, too keen on Politics or running for public office. We'd rather be hunting for fame elsewhere! But there are always one or two of us prepared or inclined to give up time to run things. Sometimes, rarely, we can't find anyone who wants to fill a particular public office, and the role is advertised as a job, but more often there are at least a couple of people who are

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1109061268138014042005-02-22T00:34:00.000-08:002005-02-22T01:15:29.946-08:00

Grand Kids! What a serendipitous name! Some Earthian comedian said that "Grandchildren are your reward for not strangling your kids". Well, I can't say that I've ever felt close to murder with my kids. Angry? Yes. Irritated? Yes. But not violent, and I don't really think that the unknown comedian really ever felt violent towards his/her kids.But for both Martians and Earthians there appears to be

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1108721554476236202005-02-18T01:04:00.000-08:002005-02-18T02:12:34.480-08:00

I knew a very competent Project Manager once. She was blonde and as I said, very competent. Most of the time she was OK, but she had a trait that I really didn't like. When things got a little tricky she would "go all blonde". She'd act all giggly, act all helpless and play the "blonde" card for all it was worth.One day before we were going into a potentially difficult meeting, I said to her "I

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1108635558212387222005-02-17T01:39:00.000-08:002005-02-17T02:19:18.216-08:00

Martian couples are not as different as Earthian couples and tend to have similar interests and similar temperaments. This seems related to the much smaller differences between the sexes and our ability to change gender at will, although gender-switching is not as easy as all that. It is probably about as difficult as cranking up one's personal fitness a notch or two, or changing one's personal

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1108115115089980902005-02-11T01:10:00.000-08:002005-02-11T01:53:46.756-08:00

Sex fascinates me as a Martian. Well the difference between the sexes fascinates me. Now, I had to decide on a sex when I became marrooned on Earth. So obviously I chose the apparently dominant sex and became male. But it soon became obvious to me that "apparently dominant" was only apparent.This scene apparently really occurred. Grandad is asked if he wants a cup of tea. Of course he does. But

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1108028780130254302005-02-10T01:46:00.000-08:002005-02-11T01:52:00.170-08:00

Well, normally nothing like this. But obviously, I've had to fit in and morphic resonance has created my Earthian image to suit my Martian personality.

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10741194.post-1108018763531694102005-02-09T22:32:00.000-08:002005-02-09T23:13:17.720-08:00

Well, that almost goes without saying! I've got sort of used to the Earthian ways, but they still sometimes surprise me. Take this sex thing. Martians don't differentiate much between the sexes and sometimes we change sex if we feel like it. Generally we stay with the same partner all our lives, with one partner not surviving long after the other passes away. Earthians though! Physically, the

Barzoomianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384464351969976051noreply@blogger.com0