John

I think I need to do more research on both before I compare them. I'm going to see if I can run mysql on my linux computer.

I just started reading the Romantic Manifesto and I just read something that I want to post. I wouldn't put a choreographer in the same group as a director because the choreographer has to create a whole new work of art although it is dependent on the music. A stage director only translates another person’s idea into a concrete. A choreographer doesn't only translate the idea but creates a new concrete expression of it. If a director adds to the idea then it would be out of his role as a director as you said. This is the way I would classify them. The primary artist is the person who created the play. Performing artists are secondary but they depend on the director to coordinate them. This means that he is the bridge between them. Because he directs the performer’s actions he him self must understand what it means to be a performing artists in order to tell them how to perform. At times he may even have to perform for the performers so they understand what he wants. In other words he has to be a performance artist. The dependence makes him the primary performing artist. The people who depend on him to act are secondary to him. This is the way I think of it.

I don't know that much about MySql but there is one thing I know it doesn't have that is very important to multi-user databases. I've experienced this on very large message boards and I'm pretty sure it's because of the database. Another thing that I don't think MySql supports is transactions (although it might). Transactions are important in making sure sequential keys are unique which is why I really like postgresql sequences (its an object that automatically uses transactions to generate unique ordered numbers). They also make sure multiple insert statements are executed before committing them to the database. I'm using postgresql because I've used it in school, I use it for my website, and redhat has a lot of documentation for it. I haven't installed many blogging programs so I'm going to look into it more. Do you know of any that already work with the postnuke database?

Hey Rinku, nice to meet you.

Wow! collectrix.com looks like a great idea. I've been looking into database services myself. I've set up a posgresql database server on my linux computer and now I'm trying to figure out how to set up users and such. I think a hosting service is a great idea. Anyway I would like to help with the site but I'm not sure that many people would want a blog on it because of what you said. It doesn't have to be for a personal blog though. It could be just to make announcements like when meetings will be and what a person has been doing professionally. I could set it up and test it though. I could even do it on my own web space just to make sure I know how to do it before setting it up here.

You are leaving out the part where one can observe things (entities or an entity) which is what started the argument in the first place. The question is what do you call the things you are conscious of. I said existents or entities. I still believe both are valid.

oh man...

Is there a better way to say it? I couldn't think of one.

Is there a way to integrate the users of the forum and the users of the site? Thats one thing I can think of that would be nice. Also is there any features that allow members to have their own blogs? I saw this in tikiwiki and thought it was awesome.

Yes I think having a central place to find articles and information is a good thing. I would like to contribute but I'm not very experienced at writing (except for proposals in computer programming). Maybe I could help with the site in some other way though.

Someone imagined the entity "car" before it was an existent. Is the imagination not part of consciousness? Isn't the imagination an observation of what something should be? For instance a motor should be put in use for travel which means it must have wheels, some seats, a frame, some connection between the motor and wheels, and a way to control it’s speed and direction. These all can be observed without actually making the existent car but it is still a concept of a new entity.

I don't think there is a problem with pointing at something and saying "that entity." I also don't think there is a problem with saying "an entity with this attribute will act in a certain way." Saying both depends on the fact that I am observing existence. An entity is the concept of a set of existents. The question was about 'what one is conscious of.' Can a person be conscious of a new entity that does not exist. Yes, but in order for it to exists he has to find the existents that will be combined to make it an existent. A person can also be conscious of entities that don't exists like god, gosts, and the matrix.

Does anybody use the main website http://ObjectivismOnline.com. I think this would be a great place to submit articles and promote objectivism. Does anybody plan on using this site?

The word would be entity or existent. Everything that you observe will be just that a thing an entity. There are many words for it but thats the concept.

I’ve been reevaluating the music that I listen to since I started learning more about objectivism. There has always been one thing that I look for in the music that I listen to and that is drums. I’ve been playing drums since high school and I’m always looking for music that has good rhythm and solos. My problem right now is that some of the music I listen to has terrible lyrics. A lot of it tries to describe a gray and ugly world even though the drums are so amazing. The main bands I used to listen to are Modest Mouse, Aloha, and Built to Spill. I still value some of their songs but not many of them. Right now I’m teaching myself how to play a song called Truckers Atlas by Modest Mouse. It has one of the most complex rhythms I have ever tried to play and it’s been my goal to learn it since I first heard the song. As far as composing goes I once wrote all the possible rhythms in 4/4 up to 16th notes. Then started writing 2 beat phrases for the drum set in 4/4. These phrases can be combined to make complex drum rhythms that can be used in most rock songs. This has helped me a lot when I just sit down and start playing drums (improvisation). I would like to be in a band sometime in the near future and use the theory I have already written to make music. It would be even better though to make a computer program that would write all possible rhythms for me. Maybe I could do this as a web site… Oh yeah does anyone listen to Jazz? Do you know any good Jazz bands?

I thought abstract thoughts are created by observing the world around us? Don't they have to start with concretes in order to be valid? I think you have this backwards. The abstract ideas learned in academics do not validate the concretes that you may find in vocation. The concretes of vocation validate the abstract ideas in academics. It is important to learn some concretes before going on to academic ideas or abstract thought.

GreedyCapitalist, How does blogshares work? Do I have to add any code to my website or does it just count the number of links I have to others and others have to me? I'm going to try it out.

Ok I plan on posting something about your website soon I just have to find the posts that I am interested in. I liked the one that said the reason for war with Iraq didn't matter if Iraq had weapons or not but the fact that it is a dictatorship and an immoral government. There are a lot of other ones that I would like to point out too. I also want to know if you have anything posted about rational egoism. I think being a rational egoist is confused with a guy who just thinks he's right all the time no matter what. It's important to know the difference.

RationalEgoistSG (Steve right?): I'm going to put a link to your site on mine. If you want to put mine on yours just make it John Mercier since the site is http://www.johnmercier.net. I don't only want to link to your sites I want to be able to post quotes from them and say what I think about them. I have learned a lot from them so I wanted to ask you first.

Ok. I've got my webpage working. All of the features I have so far work. I was wondering if it is ok to just link to anyones web pages. RationalEgoistSG you have a lot of good posts that I would like other people to see. And so do you GreedyCapitalist. It won't cost you anything and I may get some people to go to your sites. If at any time you want me to stop I will. So is it ok?

Here is what I would do to find the answer. Look up what makes the right to life possible. Is it that fact that you are human or that you are a conscious being. If it is because you are conscious you will have to prove that unborn humans are conscious. Which I don't think they are since they have not fully developed the organs needed to perceive the world around them let alone form concepts. In that case the mother would have the right to choose because she is conscious and the unborn baby is not. If I'm wrong or if there is a better way to find the answer someone else might be able to do it.

Ok, I've started reading the section on virtues.

I'm so glad I'm in a technical school and don't have to put up with many classes like this but it still bothers me. The first thing we learned about was self-esteem and how we get it: Shouldn't self esteem come from the self. Why would other people make a difference. Now we are learning about motivation and how as leaders we have to "wear a pathway" to motivate people to do what we want them to do. We can do this through fear or acting nice. This is what I think. Self-esteem is developed by knowing you are alive and you do everything to stay that way. Not only that but everything to achieve happiness. It has something to with being consistent about it too. The only way I can think of motivating someone is through inspiration but I'm not sure it will motivate someone unless he/she lets it. By showing some one that a goal can be reached they may be inspired by it and be motivated to do something. Am I missing anything? How can I explain it better? Anyway thanks for reading.

Thanks I like the webring idea. I will try it once I get everything working. I uploaded the site today at My Webpage. Tell me what you think. There are a few bugs that I have to fix but I'm glad I at least got it to connect to the database and display something. I'm going to try to get a lot of it fixed tomorrow. I read you blog. I will try to get into webrings later though.

I've noticed that a few of you have bloggers. I've made my own blogger but there are some things that I have to fix/improve before I can install it on the site. What are some good features that I should have? Also after you get your blog running how do you get people to go to it (besides making good posts)?