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| -rw-r--r-- | src/content/blog/2024/01/29/euhwc_toast_to_the_lasses_2024.md | 261 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | src/content/blog/2024/03/30/easter.md | 98 | ||||
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diff --git a/src/content/blog/2024/01/14/sapiens_on_religion.md b/src/content/blog/2024/01/14/sapiens_on_religion.md deleted file mode 100644 index b484557..0000000 --- a/src/content/blog/2024/01/14/sapiens_on_religion.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,77 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Harari’s Sapiens on Religion -description: >- - In which I discuss why I think Harari’s characterisation of religion - is inadequate because it’s too materialistic. -pubDate: - year: 2024 - month: 01 - day: 14 ---- - -I’ve been slowly re-reading Yuval Noah Harari’s 2014 classic, -<a href="https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2">Sapiens</a>, -which apart from being ridiculously over-scoped and hilariously -under-evidenced, is proving delightfully entertaining. - -I’ve just finished chapter 12, covering the world history of all -religion in thirty pages. Of course, at that level of brevity, -there will be many deficiencies. But here’s some thoughts - not -terribly well organised - which stand out to me. - -Hurari generally assumes a materialist metaphysic (a problem which -blights the book more generally). Nothing exists except physical stuff. -This gives him severe tunnel vision. As a consequence of this -restricting metaphysic, he is forced to adopt limiting accounts of what -the role of religion is in world history, and therefore what religion is. - -> The crucial historical role of religion has been to give superhuman -> legitimacy to [all social orders and hierarchies]. -> Religion can thus be defined as <em>a system of human norms and -> values that is founded on a belief in a superhuman order</em>. -> <footer>p. 234</footer> - -It might seem a little unfair to criticise Harari for giving a -materialist account of religion. <i>Sapiens</i> is, after all, a -materialist world history. - -But this account is just one extreme example of how that project, to -give a materialist account of world history, will inevitably lack the -metaphysical resources to really understand the human story. - -On Harari’s view, any human enterprise which attempts to understand -that which transcends direct human experience is at best an effort in -imaginative story-telling. All scientific theory, theology, ethics and -metaphysics either contorted out of all recognition into a pragmatic -fiction or is cast to the flames. - -In particular, it’s a view which is incapable of taking seriously some -of the most important questions human beings have grappled with in the -course of their history. Those who know me won’t be surprised at which -ones I’m going to pick out: who was the being which made their covenant -with Abraham? How is that promise being fulfilled? And who the heck was -Jesus of Nazareth? - -If Harari’s characterisation of religion is adequate - and the Abrahamic -faiths come under that banner - then those questions are reduced to -nothing more profound than Doctor Who fans arguing over ‘canon’. The -question of who God is becomes a mere tool for the organisation of -society, rather than a substantial and important question on a matter -of fact. - -This is a shortcoming for its own sake: a materialist account of -religion cannot adequately account for the phenomenon of religion -itself. - -But it is also a shortcoming even by its own lights. Without giving -serious consideration to the substantial matter of what Harari calls -‘religion’ (which, to his mind, includes the Abrahamic faiths, -Hinduism, paganism, animism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism, -capitalism, communism and Nazism), even the material facts are -inexplicable. Why would, as Harari is keen to point out, out, people -fight and die over and over again for a fiction? - -The material facts themselves prove that ‘religion’ as he construes it -is not window dressing to the real story of history. It cannot merely -serve as a mechanism in the churning of material history. It is itself -the centre of the story. diff --git a/src/content/blog/2024/01/29/euhwc_toast_to_the_lasses_2024.md b/src/content/blog/2024/01/29/euhwc_toast_to_the_lasses_2024.md deleted file mode 100644 index 8641a5d..0000000 --- a/src/content/blog/2024/01/29/euhwc_toast_to_the_lasses_2024.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,261 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: EUHWC Toast to the Lassies 2024 -description: >- - At the <a href="https://www.euhwc.co.uk">EUHWC</a> Burns meet in - Ullapool last weekend, I had the last privilege of giving the Toast to - the Lassies. Particularly for the benefit of those who weren’t there, - here it is in full! -pubDate: - year: 2024 - month: 01 - day: 29 ---- - -Had Burns, instead of his sweet bonnie Jean,<br> -his skills poetical for to mature<br> -had any one of our club’s lassies seen<br> -he would forever have remained obscure.<br> -If he had nothing but this box of worms<br> -Scotia would have been poorer, that I’m sure.<br> -Now none of us can claim to be a Burns,<br> -I’m no poetic master, still, I’ll have a punt,<br> -though let’s be clear, I’ll do it on my terms.<br> -I’ve everywhere avoided being blunt -<br> -politeness matters more than any schema -<br> -but it is hard when Isla’s such a cunt.<br> -It was a challenge to produce a terza rima<br> -I could recite withouten snoring;<br> -you’ve been so stiff I thought youse had oedema.<br> -The bother is this year is you’ll all been boring:<br> -no drugs, no sex, no gossiping or lies,<br> -no rock and roll, and hardly any whoring.<br> -But hey well, rules is rules, I’ve had to try!<br> -At least it can’t be worse than the reply.<br> - -I’ll start with Audrey, the club’s senior member,<br> -for if there’s something that I say which disconcerts her,<br> -it’s fine: the poor old girl, she won’t remember.<br> -She likes to let us think she’s a hard worker<br> -but we’re electing a third social sec…<br> -it’s pretty clear she’s just another shirker.<br> -This lady, half American, half Czech,<br> -for study, moved to Scotland for to do<br> -American history – really, what the heck?<br> -The club is so much louder thanks to you:<br> -impressive vocals for just five foot two.<br> - -That woman, Willow, reggles is bespeckled<br> -with her sickle and her fishing tackle<br> -shackled by the shins while she is heckled;<br> -the way that Willow waddles maks me cackle<br> -like a speckled jackal getting tickles,<br> -worth a shekel in the tabernacle;<br> -I chuckle muckle at her love of pickles<br> -which she wiggles when she has the heart<br> -while work for the Committee’s fickle trickles.<br> -Her modus operandi: <em>you can’t rush art.</em><br> -Her reimbursements programme’s going great;<br> -any day now, she’ll maybe even start.<br> -She cannot walk without Audrey, her mate:<br> -I wonder when they’re going to consummate.<br> - -Although they make them pretty tough in Peebles,<br> -the thought of actually going up a peak<br> -fills Shona Lewis with the heeble-jeebles.<br> -New car? We miss your beautiful antique!<br> -How long before this one’s also up a creek?<br> - -Once there was a lass called Hannah Collier<br> -whom even hell below regarded nasty,<br> -deeply despised by all that dwells there.<br> -Dating’s proceeding slowly for our lassie;<br> -not far from giving up til she beguiles<br> -a hot Italian in Southsider: classy!<br> -At first, Michaelo seems to be all smiles<br> -till it transpires he’s one of Dante’s demons…<br> -I guess it’s back to posters of Harry Styles.<br> -One day you’ll get a decent boy, keep dreamin;<br> -somewhere there waits a handsome Mr Collier.<br> -Hopefully when she meets him she’ll no be steamin.<br> -Hannah, I’m not sure why you chose to maul your<br> -poor skeleton at Subway (she’s still tetchy)<br> -and then abandon what remains of all your<br> -dignity at Ryvoan with a Frenchie!<br> -I think he wishes that he never met ye.<br> - -And has a quiet Felicia e’er been seen?<br> -The energy she has is frankly wild.<br> -I’ve never seen a hillwalker so keen!<br> -<i lang="de">Ssie ischt raschtlos und nie gelangweilt</i>.<br> -She eats raw oats with soggy protein powder:<br> -a camping pot has ne’er been worse defiled.<br> -She uses what her Maker has endowed her<br> -with: her recorder skills are off the charts;<br> -youse think I’m joking, but I wouldn’t doubt her!<br> -This lass of the land of the Rot-Gold-Schwarz<br> -will soon depart, though long we might beseech ya<br> -to stay. Of course, you’ll break all of our hearts,<br> -but mine most of all. Any time, Felicia,<br> -Creag Meagaidh calls, I know routes up the rear<br> -dark and under-explored that I can teach you!<br> -I won’t deny I think it’s rather queer<br> -the things you do with chickpeas, but no matter.<br> -You’re keen, you’re quick, you’re cool, that much is clear.<br> -In fact, I think you’d make a damn good faffer:<br> -swoop down on distilleries like the Luftwaffe.<br> - -And now we come to our girl Emily Topness!<br> -You’re keen for social sec. You’d suit the role<br> -because… I’m not quite sure, it’s embdy’s guess.<br> -We met your sister, and she was just as dull.<br> -No, please drone on about Icelandic soil!<br> -Poor Joe here down the front’s bored out his skull.<br> -And since I mentioned Joe – I hate to spoil<br> -it for you – but you’ve got the inferior Joe,<br> -by Jove, no joke, it’s Jock here’s got the style!<br> -Nah, write the boy a sonnet, get in the flow,<br> -Whatever you produce’ll beat by thrice<br> -your Masters thesis. What’d you got to show<br> -for months of hunting for the butterflies?<br> -‘There weren’t any.’ Oh, and have some sense,<br> -cos I’ve heard rumours – I assume they’re lies –<br> -you’ve called yourself the ‘poet in residence.’<br> -You know you can’t compete, drop the pretence.<br> - -Tereza was our gear sec for last year.<br> -She helped herself to stuff: that’s factual.<br> -Now when she asks to loan a bit club gear<br> -we have to ask her to provide collateral.<br> -She picked up tin whistle pretty sharp!<br> -Which is to say, she’s not a natural.<br> -She’s nowhere happier than under tarp<br> -gazing up at the moon and stars alone<br> -somewhere distant and remote like Glen Tarff.<br> -Now what to say about Lucy Ma-the-soooon....<br> -she likes… to faff… mm hmmm… well, moving on!<br> - -And now we come to Emilie the French.<br> -She seems to be nice on the trips we see her<br> -but my distrust of frogs will ne’er be quenched.<br> -Claims she’s a ‘pharmacist’? So she’s a dealer.<br> -Need some pills in a pinch? You call, she’s there<br> -at your door in her rally-approved four-wheeler.<br> -One question we have is, why are you here?<br> -Most folk are in uni, you’ve no refutin<br> -you were kicked out after second year!<br> -Now the Engineering grad, Sophia Newton.<br> -Your namesake, Isaac, was a man convicted,<br> -constructed calculus; but no computin,<br> -not even Isaac’s, could’ve e’er predicted<br> -you’d drop the Eng for creative writing!<br> -now that’s what I would call a self-inflicted<br> -inflection point! It must be quite enlightening,<br> -but that doesn’t excuse when you give us an earful.<br> -The blood boils in our veins, the rage heightening,<br> -and you’re an American, that makes me fearful.<br> -What’s your secret? You have us knackered!<br> -What are you on to always be so cheerful?<br> -Now we approach the topic of Merzbacher.<br> -Wait, she’s not here? Abandoned ship?<br> -She says she’s informatics: so she’s a hacker?<br> -She has strong views, she lets her anger rip.<br> -Poor George got an earful, full of future advice,<br> -but why hasn’t she been on another club trip?<br> -We’re cruel to focus on this list of vice;<br> -the fact remains: she’s headstrong and nice.<br> - -On Skye, a lady gave her poles to Sasha,<br> -which was really nice - I mean just the best -<br> -but Sasha really didn’t have to flash her.<br> -Quick history lesson: way back, RBS<br> -led the banking system to self-destruct<br> -and left taxpayers to pick up the mess.<br> -Since then, the name’s so irredeemably fucked<br> -they’ve had to ditch the brand once and for all.<br> -There’s one lassie who I need not instruct<br> -What, these days, the Royal Bank is called<br> -cos NatWest’s nasty history of scandal<br> -didn’t stop Booth from working there at all.<br> -Nothing motivates her more than to trample<br> -upon the working class. They set her free.<br> -She sank the pound quicker than the Belgrano,<br> -because ‘there is no such thing as society,’<br> -that’s how it is, is it? All right, I see.<br> - -Now, coming all the way from Glenmore Lodge,<br> -it’s Ellie’s turn! We have done what we can,<br> -although I’m scared what she’ll put in my squash.<br> -She wasn’t into Benji, but listen man,<br> -you’re lucky that you dodged her drunken benders.<br> -You’ll wake up in a tent in Kyrgystan,<br> -as for how you got there, no-one remembers,<br> -and if you’d known you’d be sleeping next to Ellie,<br> -you would’ve brought some fucking ear defenders.<br> -She’ll wrap you in bubblewrap, from your ears to your belly,<br> -cotton clothes for none, and no complaining,<br> -applying safety to the max, spare socks in your wellies.<br> -She’s always at her Mountain Leader training,<br> -practicing her night nav in the locale,<br> -pursuing QMDs - unless it’s raining.<br> -But some water should not scare our gal!<br> -She’s had much experience with the wet as of late:<br> -after all, she got on well with our navy pal.<br> -What was the age of that particular first mate?<br> -Older than your ex - always part of the plan?<br> -Ah, of course! He was a spry twenty-eight!<br> -Youth’s for the losers, let’s get you a real man,<br> -mature and rugged, but kind and astute?<br> -Just make sure he’s not as old as your gran.<br> -One request we all have is you ditch the uke:<br> -never have strings been pluckèd quite so shitely;<br> -we would all much rather be hit by a nuke.<br> -And please shut up about your nice society.<br> -We are all glad you had a fun summer,<br> -but bringing it up throws us right back to sobriety.<br> -To lose you of course would be a bummer:<br> -that is, for your carefully groomed newcomers.<br> - -Now time for the main woman, El Presidente!<br> -To here, it’s been like getting stones to bleed,<br> -but in Isla Burslem’s case we’ve material aplenty!<br> -As Holy Scripture says, ‘let those who lead<br> -well be worthy of double honour,’ so<br> -your bit is double length – it’s quite the screed!<br> -I’ll start off with her brilliant boyfriend – oh!<br> -Not boyfriend! Friend? To me this rather smacks<br> -of low commitment, but what do I know?<br> -So far, he’s disappointing, but on track.<br> -What’s he up to Isla: seven minutes? neat!<br> -Despite that, he is never holding back<br> -your blossoming romance with Dr Peat.<br> -Don’t deny it, that launch was pretty hard!<br> -It’s fifth base next: that’s photos of his feet.<br> -It’s fair to say her reputation’s marred.<br> -We all regret that we did once anoint<br> -her President: her premiership’s ill-starred.<br> -Hey - you’re meant to be in charge of this joint!<br> -You’re seldom seen cos of the mountaineering<br> -meets that you’re always on. You’d made your point<br> -before you chose to go off disappearing<br> -to <em>New Zealand</em>… we get the message! Plus<br> -we’ve had enough of all your domineering:<br> -maybe it’s time we put you on a bus!<br> -Nah, I’m just joking. All I’ve said’s refutable.<br> -But the boys, we mean this next bit, all of us,<br> -so stop me Isla if this isn’t suitable<br> -but honestly we think your mum is beautiful.<br> - -Alas, I have to bring an end to this rhyme.<br> -I know it wasn’t much, in our defence,<br> -the fact you used ChatGPT’s a crime.<br> -I hope I’ve not caused over much offence<br> -don’t worry, that is it, I’ve said my bit,<br> -so I’ll turn from the ladies to the gents.<br> -Yeah, don’t look away now, we wrote this shit!<br> -I see you looking at your laces, Chris!<br> -Wit without real goodwill is not legit,<br> -so boys, don’t send sincerity to piss!<br> -Why did God say he’d take our hearts of stone<br> -and give us hearts of flesh? For this, for this!<br> -Here is flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone;<br> -love, and love nothing more but God alone.<br> diff --git a/src/content/blog/2024/03/30/easter.md b/src/content/blog/2024/03/30/easter.md deleted file mode 100644 index 9735220..0000000 --- a/src/content/blog/2024/03/30/easter.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,98 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Why Easter is the best week of the year -description: >- - Based on a talk given to my colleagues at - <a href="https://www.scottlogic.co.uk">Scott Logic</a> for Maundy - Thursday, 2024. -pubDate: - year: 2024 - month: 03 - day: 30 ---- - -As you might have noticed, it is Easter this week! So I'd like to take five or -five minutes of your time to share why I – and about two billion other humans -going about the place just now – think Easter is the best week of the year. And -it's got something to do with a special Christian ritual called Communion. - -Communion, at its heart, is about as simple a ritual as you can get. You get -together with a bunch of other people. You share some bread, and you share some -wine. - -And it’s because of this ritual that so many people regard Easter as the best -week of the year. I want to explain to you why that is, and more than that, I -want to convince you that Easter is the best week of the year for you, too! - -If you’ve passed by _The Hub_ at the top of Johnstone Terrace here in -Edinburgh recently, you might have notice the banner which is draped over -the railings just now – reading, ‘RITUALS THAT UNITE US.’ - -Now, that might seem like an odd idea. But wouldn’t that be great, if we -actually had a ritual which could unite us? Because the world could surely do -with a bit more unity right now. The world seems so divided, and sometimes it -seems like there’s no hope for real unity. - -We can see that in our politics. We’re divided about foreign policy, about -taxation policy, about trade policy, about environmental policy. - -And the conflicts that we have in this country seem pretty trivial when we -remember the conflicts that are playing out in other parts of the world right -now. In Israel and Gaza. In Sudan. In Russia and Ukraine. - -And there’s plenty of conflict happening on the small scale, too. Often it’s the -smallest-scale conflicts which hurt us the most deeply. Your landlord pushes you -around. That friend you trusted like no-one else in the world lets you down. The -partner or spouse you loved like no-one else in the world – you end up fighting. - -It’s possible that you’re going to be reading this right now with a heavy heart -because of a broken relationship in their life. And doesn’t that hurt more than -anything else we know? - -When the world is groaning so heavily under the weight of conflict, and some -banner on _The Hub_ tells us a ritual can unite us, that seems so out of -proportion to the scale of the problem, doesn’t it? What can a ritual do? A bit -of old superstition? An excuse to divide people, maybe – what can a ritual do -to unite us? - -Well, two thousand years ago, a man had a meal with his friends. Together, they -shared a meal of bread and wine – which, in that time and place, was the most -ordinary meal imaginable. - -And yet, in that most ordinary event imaginable, something was happening which -was totally unimaginable. As this man, Jesus, shared the elements of this meal, -he made some extraordinary statements about what he was doing: ‘take, eat, this -is my body’ – ‘drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant.’ -(The word ‘covenant’ means a promise.) - -He told them he wasn’t just giving them bread and wine, he was giving his body -and his blood, and a promise. - -Before Jesus ate another meal, he was flogged and nailed to a cross. His blood -was spilt and his body broken, even to death. - -And yet, that wasn’t the end of the Easter story. Because three days later, -mourners turned up at Jesus’ tomb to pay their respects, and found the tomb -empty, the stone rolled away. Then they became the first of crowds of -incredulous eyewitnesses to see Jesus, the same Jesus who was killed on a cross, -alive. - -Some magic trick, right? But this matters a hell of a lot more than just some -magic trick. Because Jesus became the first person in history to prove that you -really can both have your cake and eat it. He gave his life, and lived! As a -result, we can have his life and our own. We can join with Jesus through the -ritual of Communion which he established, and thereby, through Jesus’ body, join -together with everyone else who takes part in that ritual, as one body. Then we -can start living our brand-new, full-fat, original-recipe life overflowing with -generosity where we too can both give our life to others and enjoy it ourselves. -Indeed, Jesus taught us and showed us that it’s precisely by giving our lives to -others that we get to truly live ourselves. - -This is why, in spite of all the division which persists in the world today, two -billion people regard this week as the best week of the year. Two billion -people, from every nation on Earth, speaking thousands of languages, of every -age and culture and gender and race, who defy the divisions of this world to -insist on joining together as one body in Jesus. - -Because Jesus’ new covenant, his promise to all of us, is that in an apparently -hopelessly divided world, there exists real hope for unity. And that’s why -Easter is the best week of the year. diff --git a/src/content/blog/2024/04/10/tracking_pixels.md b/src/content/blog/2024/04/10/tracking_pixels.md deleted file mode 100644 index 15ccc55..0000000 --- a/src/content/blog/2024/04/10/tracking_pixels.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,35 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Tracking pixels -description: Concerning a notice in the privacy policy of an HR app -pubDate: - year: 2024 - month: 04 - day: 10 ---- - -I recently made the mistake of reading the privacy policy of the HR app my -employer uses. Take this choice excerpt: - -> **Tracking Pixels** -> -> We may place tracking pixels in our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). These -> pixels are used for analytics purposes, including to track statistical -> information around when an email sent to you is opened. - -Translation: - -> We reserve the right to know whether you have read our emails, how long you -> spent reading them, at what time and in what physical location you read them, -> and any other information we can get our hands on. We reserve the right to do -> this as soon as you open an email, without asking for your permission first, -> and ask for your forgiveness later. That is, if you ever find out: which you -> won't, because we also reserve the right to hide this information in a Privacy -> Policy which we know you won't read, and we design our data-harvesting monster -> to be completely undetectable to anyone except determined experts, on purpose. -> We reserve the right to leave this data lying unused in a data warehouse where -> someone might steal it, and we also reserve the right to use it, if we can -> think of something satisfactorily dastardly to do with it. On the bright side, -> we probably won't, so having your data leaked to hackers and fraudsters is -> probably the worst you have to worry about. Unless we sell your data to -> advertisers, or a ~black hole of stolen data~ Large Language Model. Oh yeah, -> we probably reserve the right to do that, too. We doubt anyone will ever check. diff --git a/src/content/config.ts b/src/content/config.ts deleted file mode 100644 index 58dbc00..0000000 --- a/src/content/config.ts +++ /dev/null @@ -1,19 +0,0 @@ -import { defineCollection, z } from 'astro:content'; - -const dateSchema = z.object({ - year: z.number(), - month: z.number(), - day: z.number(), -}); - -const blog = defineCollection({ - type: 'content', - schema: z.object({ - title: z.string(), - description: z.string(), - pubDate: dateSchema, - updatedDate: z.optional(dateSchema), - }), -}); - -export const collections = { blog }; |