Philip K. Dick describes how his sensitivity to a "mainifold of partially-actualized realities" yields clues for sociological prognostication

Stay tuned for related highbrow commentary...

Chairman Mao "Zhongshan Suit"

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Kurosawa's MD-90s

In the mid-1990s filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was commissioned to produce seven designs for Japan Air System's new Mcdonnell Douglas MD-90 aircraft.  The common design element was the colors, suggesting a rainbow and applied in various distinctive flowing patterns  After JAS was merged into Japan Airlines in the early 2000s, the Kurosawa designs were painted over with JAL’s livery.  Here are those seven aircraft:

Editorial Perspicuity in Theory and Practice: Drawing Distinctions Among Subtle Affects and Inward Dispositions

Hiryu burning

"The Old New World"

Reading Submissions for Emanations 6...

Vintage Photos: Inside NORAD

A holiday of sorts, and definitely worth a look.  Please click HERE.

Political Rally

Coming soon...

Coming soon from International Authors:  Radiant Snow, a collection of poems by Horace Jeffery Hodges.

Please click HERE to visit Professor Hodges' blog.

Horace Jeffery Hodges

Kashmir: Towards Demilitarisation by Brigadier Pramathesh Raina

A review of Kashmir: Towards Demilitarisation is available on the Daily Excelsior website.  Please click HERE to read the review.

...if the recurring cycle of violent agitations and unrest is allowed to perpetuate ‘the leadership of the armed struggle (in Kashmir) would fall into the next generation which is more hard-line in their observance of radical Islam and less enamoured by Kashmiriyat; (in that case) we can then expect the insurgency to continue with renewed vigour for another ten to fifteen years’. Alas, that situation seems to have already arrived.

To view the Amazon sales page and purchase the book, please click HERE.

Ancient of Days with Tessa B. Dick

Tessa B.s Dick's streaming radio program Ancient of Days has returned to the internet.  Tune in to hear Tessa Sundays 6 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Eastern. Please click HERE to listen.

Tessa B. Dick is the widow of legendary novelist Philip K. Dick.  Among her many books is the memoir Philip K. Dick: Remembering Firebright.   Please click HERE to view the Amazon description.
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Imaginary Antecedents

The combination of boundless oceans and crude scientific methodologies produces graphic speculations that are not only aesthetically stimulating, but are of anthropological interest as well.   Please click HERE for more images.

Technical Ecstasy

Memorabilia

It was a lovey Labor Day weekend, though a little warm for my taste. Friday was particularly fine. Saturday morning, I shared these impressions with a friend:

Good weather today, sunshine, bit of a breeze.  No clouds, though. Yesterday the fluffy cumulus was putting on quite a show--tall ships rolling off into the horizon in every direction.  Then at sunset a kind of cirrus-stratus was making amazing patterns.  It was quite high so stayed illuminated until the sky was very dark, then quickly winked out into dark gray patches as the sun continued sinking, now very far below the horizon.

Brain Bugs

Today a short article published on the CNN website features comments from entrepreneur Jack Ma, who cautions that people expressing concerns about globalization could lead us into war.  Evidently very troubled by such irresponsible utterances, Mr. Ma is quick to point out "Globalization is good... when trade stops, war comes." If I follow Mr. Ma's logic correctly, the phenomenon of people questioning globalization or trade treaties will lead to stopping trade outright, which in turn will lead to war. I am reminded of the recent tactics of the former British Prime Minster David Cameron, who, before the Brexit vote, threatened that Britain leaving the EU would usher in the same extremist nationalistic impulses that led to the world wars of the 20th Century.

I know very little about Mr. Ma's background, but from what I can gather of his success, his evident intelligence, his manner, and his wealth, I feel very confident when I suggest that he is not only a leading highbrow on the terrestrial level, but is moreover fully worthy of being considered among that rare group of earthlings who are also highbrows of "Galactic Proportions."

Jack Ma/Ma Yun (马云) Founder and Chairman of Alibaba Group

Brain Bug from the planet Klendathu, seen here greeting Earthlings

Live Streams from Exploration Vessel Nautilus

According to Wikipedia:

Exploration Vessel (E/V) Nautilus is a 64-meter research vessel currently based in Victoria, British Columbia. As FS A. v. Humboldt she was in service until 2004 for the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW).   Nautilus is on a global mission of exploration, so it has no true home port. The ship is operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust under the direction of Dr. Robert Ballard, the man who is known for finding the wreck of the Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck. Nautilus is equipped with team of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) Hercules, and Argus, a multibeam mapping system, and mapping tools Diana and Echo. All of these tools help the Ocean Exploration Trust conduct deep sea exploration of unknown parts of the ocean to a depth of 4000 meters.

Nautilus also has a SeaTel satellite communication system to facilitate live streaming telepresence-enabled outreach and scientific collaboration. Video and data streams are managed through the Inner Space Center (ISC) at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography.  Around the world, various museums, science centers, after-school programs and schools participate in exploration through live ship-to-shore broadcasts. Audiences online or live at a partner venue can submit questions to the team of explorers, the Corps of Exploration, to learn more about the mission and excitement of exploration. Educational opportunities exist to bring scientists, students, educators and interns onto the ship to learn with the Corps of Exploration every exploration season.

Click HERE to view live streams from Nautilus as she explores the oceans, and to chat with the scientists.

The Persistence of History

International Authors Website Update

The International Authors website has been updated to reflect the publication of the new translation of Torquato Tasso's Creation of the World.  Please click HERE.

Studying Philosophy... and Philosophical Grammar

Recently the article "Teaching Kids Philosophy Makes them smarter in Math and English" came across my desk. It describes an Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) study (pdf) of the effects of teaching philosophy to young people.  The study concluded

Nine- and 10-year-old children in England who participated in a philosophy class once a week over the course of a year significantly boosted their math and literacy skills, with disadvantaged students showing the most significant gains...

Although I am willing to glance at them occasionally, I am not very interested in such studies. The article, however, does prompt me to report some related observations concerning pedagogy and the nature of philosophy.

I have found teaching the fundamentals of grammar in remedial college composition courses has not only clarified my own philosophical understanding, but--when combined with enforcing a strictly formal approach to rhetorical organization in writing essays--has also done much to get students focused and "on the step" for tackling their other academic chores.

Preliminaries aside, we next have the consideration of the nature of "Philosophy" itself--both as an activity and as a discipline. As an activity, I begin with a consideration of Logic, where I lean towards believing the field is little more than the parsimonious and candid study of grammar--but, even more precisely, Logic is the practice and the use of grammar. From here it then seems reasonable to call the field of Philosophy "thinking about thinking"--but I am not altogether satisfied with this, as the most practical way to do this (thinking about thinking) is to consider the discipline as something along the lines of "gossiping about what the school teachers are saying and doing." Of course "schoolmen" is the more traditional phrase (or, adjusted for inclusive language, "schoolwomen" or schoolpersons") but the slight condescension implicit in "school teachers" makes a useful and important point, and places students (and philosophers) in a strong position for formulating accurate and appropriate descriptions of the discussions that animate--and confuse--the field.