Back to fibre

 I set up most of our devices with fibre and a new modem yesterday, its surprising how many we have now that rely on an internet connection, probably 8+

The speeds are much better. I'm paying for 300 Mbps down and 100 Mbps up. Though I'm getting a little better than that in fact. If I wanted I could get 1GBps + but I don't see much point since I don't play games online much. With the wireless I got half that and the delay for downloads was noticeable

It's kind of weird that 2degrees asked me to go wireless to free up the fibre for other people. I did save a poultry $20 monthly. But we got fed up with outages. Then Chorus (the people that provide fibre) asked me to go back to fibre and offered me $400 to do so. As I was in the process of changing anyway I accepted their offer.

Have to go...

The four last things Cochem

 

Every mortal sin is an infinite evil. It deeply wounds the divine heart of Jesus.

Imagine the three divine persons with their infinite graces and glories to be on one side and on the other the  spirit of evil  with all the punishments and torments of hell.

Now put a man in the middle. Debating within himself if he should show honour to God and follow His will or whether to act in violation of it causing the devil to rejoice. 

Then the man sat at a piano, put dark glasses and ran his fingers through his curly hair. And the man said, AND THE MAN SAID...(Starts to sing in the key of A minor).

" I'll sing like Randy Newman

Sad, morose and down;

I can write a song 'bout short folk,

Or even 'bout a clown.

I turn form you my God,

I'll choose this hateful demon;

Though you have taught your law...

Sins the thing this season.

If I could only rob thee,

Of thy God head three;

I'd replace thee with inequity,

And bow to it with glee.

I would revel in that sin,

And make it all my joy;

Blaspheme the gifts of God,

And teach both man and boy

Sinning boy keep moving,

Moving, moving, moving.

La da da da da da da da

Da da da da da da"

Then God said

"When you sin against me

Tis not just me you hurt

But too my dear son Jesus

Who suffered here on earth.

For when he did incarnate be

Twas that he did for you and me,

To find a lost sheep running free

While Wolfish Satan laughed with glee."

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

silliness, fatuous logic and delusional belief 

"I turn form you my God,". It's not like it is a sin not to use spell checking!

The last Judgement (Cochem).

 All the angels will be at the last judgement.

Clothed in white linen. Visible to the eye. How we will all tremble. The angels will stand there with eyes flashing. To look upon the angry God , there will be nothing worse. The graves will open, what a panic will over come the earth. Thunder will be heard, lightening will flash and the trumpets will sound. It will be a thousand times more terrible. Jesus will sit on a throne of fire. The twelve apostles around. His throne will be unimaginable. He will sit on it in majesty to judge the whole world. It will be dazzling and bright and everyone will see it. His stern countenance will make angels and man alike tremble. Everyone will be astonished and filled with terror. How will it fare with us poor sinners if even the Saints are afraid of having their past life's exposed.

Repent and turn to God with all your heart.

You might join Mr Linford in heaven!

 

Transubstantiation is important.

Cardinal Pierre emphasized that “the Eucharistic encounter with the risen Lord affords a new personal and ecclesial experience, one in which the wounds suffered in the Body of Christ become signs of his victory over death.” He concluded, “We are not perfect! We are weak! And by letting Christ have communion with us in our shared weakness, our shared woundedness, we will also share in his saving strength.”

 

Sunday Gospel (part)

Mk 4:26-34

"Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”"

This reading caught me by surprise. I didn't recall it. Fr Uili gave a stirling sermon on it, describing how the kingdom starts off as a small implant in our souls and grows.

It felt pretty good to receive Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist (thanks to the brilliant idea of transubstantiation) with an empty soul, purged of conscious sin. There was no choir and the singing wasn't much chop so I ripped into the last hymn at high volume. I see it as a challenge. A bit like playing a tricky violin solo I am not too confident about. There is always one passage where you just have to make a dive at it. If it works it works ...Singing is like that. Sometimes I get it right sometimes I don't. If they didn't want us to try they wouldn't put the words up on the big display!

Ok enough of that.. better go grate some cheese  for dinner's hamburgers.

Ridiculously early on Saturday morning.

 Ah hmm! Robert flexes his writing fingers.

The very popular apoptotic  apoptalectic  thriller is now on pages where I will update it , along with my spiritual diary.

Believe it or not Trent Horn woke me up just after 1am this morning with an email once again thanking me for my continued support. I didn't mind a bit!

I await with unconcern dread  for RBB's next quiz.

Better go and clean the church hall...

"Have a blessed day".

Car problems fixed.

 As I drove home on Thursday the engine suddenly started running 'rough'. Hesitant with missing in the firing sequence of the power cylinders, might be more precise. In actuality it was a burnt out coil. I had it repaired today. 

My first thought was 'oh no how much is this going to cost'. By the time the weekend was over my thinking was 'I don't care how much it will cost'. 

The coil itself was $221. New spark plugs $47.10. Labour and miscellaneous $178. Gst $71. I was happy with that. Thank you Pitstop.

It's coming over very dark from the south, the weather station is flashing 'rain'. I've put bottles out to catch some pure rain water for K's plants that eat animals. Evidently even filtered water is not good enough. 

Better go and help S to bed.

Sleep the sleep of the righteous.

St Michael

 

Statue in Kyiv, Ukraine

Michael means "Who is like God". St Michael is an Archangle Archangel of whom there are seven. He is created on the first day in the story of Creation along with all the other angels and spirits. The story goes that all the Angels were distributed equally amongst the three persons of the Trinity. However Jesus' third revolted when they found out he was to become a man. Seems they wouldn't work for a mere mortal.

So Michael who was a lowly archangel, just one step above the lowest Angels, took on Satan who maybe was a Seraphim (the highest of nine groupings) and saw him off, tossing the devil down to earth.

Later on Michael had to fight Satan again over Moses' body. Something to do with Moses killing an Egyptian in his younger days, and the devil thinking he had a claim on him.

Evidently once again Michael won. 

Michael got the Saint attached to his name because in the early days it just meant holy. It wasn't until about the eleventh century that the word Saint got its present day meaning and it just stuck. So we still call him St Michael even though he is spirit. Spirits including demons (who are also angels) can take on bodily forms so we can see them,  like how Peter can take on the form of Arthur Schopenhauer.

St Michael is the angel you want on your side in a fight. I'm not sure how spirits actually fight, the sword and shield are probably allegorical. But they expect us to ask them nicely and in numbers for our help. Remember too that angels are logical beings who do not change their minds once they commit. So we need lots of prayers to get them moving.

Here is an old prayer to St Michael that might help when you want some spirit muscle.

"O Glorious Archangel St. Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, and spirits of evil.

Come to the aid of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist Thee, nor was there place for them any longer in heaven. That cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan, who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels.

Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men; his depraved mind, corrupt heart, his spirit of lying, impiety, blasphemy, his pestilential breath of impurity and of every vice and iniquity. These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the Spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered.

Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate Thee as their protector and patron; in Thee Holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious power of hell; to Thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, do Thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

• Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered, hostile powers.
• The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered, the root of David.
• Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord
• As we have hoped in Thee.
• O Lord, hear my prayer.
• And let my cry come unto Thee

LET US PRAY

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy name, and we humbly implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel St. Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls.

Amen."*

Pope Leo XIII, 1888

*This prayer is also used for exorcism.

Today's reading and plans.

I just had salmon for breakfast. Off to clean a Presbyterian hall soon. They pay me quite well, God bless them. The Catholic church normally wants volunteers.

I have to have a look at K's washing machine later. Hoping it's just a blocked pump.

I will definitely not be  climbing onto the roof. I wonder if TCs life flashed before his eyes when he slipped yesterday.

Maybe RBB is planning to write a violin concerto today. I downloaded Musescore this morning and started mine! So far it's sounding very much like the St Saen 3rd in B minor. Maybe I need my own riff.

Curried sausages for dinner. 

Here's some practical advice from James.

Jas 5:13-20

Beloved:
Is anyone among you suffering?
He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits?
He should sing a song of praise.
Is anyone among you sick?
He should summon the presbyters of the Church,
and they should pray over him
and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
Elijah was a man like us;
yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,
and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.
Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain
and the earth produced its fruit.

My brothers and sisters,
if anyone among you should stray from the truth
and someone bring him back,
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.

Have a very blessed day.

Friday 3.25pm

 Just sat (actually laid) down. 

There's a chilly airflow. Overcast and 10C.

Had fish and chips for dinner. 

Listened to a short book on musical composition today. It was good to have a refresher, it has been about 55 years since I studied music theory at St Mary's College. The book recommended analyzing what good composers and song writers do. I went through the first page of St Saens violin concerto 3 and found five different themes each of about 8 bars. I watched a Professor analyze a Chopin lament in e minor on YouTube last night. Evidently Chopin was considered radical and dissonant by the English in the 1860s.

Better finish my chores...

Jewish man/atheist is visited by God.

Professor Roy Schoeman talks of the moment he found God..

Apparitions have to go through Rome.

 Here's one I thought TC might like to read. Especially: it should also be acknowledged that some phenomena, which could have a supernatural origin, at times appear connected to confused human experiences, theologically inaccurate expressions, or interests that are not entirely legitimate.”

New Vatican norms centralize decisions on apparitions 

Editor's Note: The Vatican has released new norms for discerning the authenticity of Marian apparitions and other reports of supernatural phenomena.

A document released on May 17 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) gives that Vatican office the role of issuing a final pronouncement on reported apparitions, after an investigation by the bishop of the diocese in which the phenomena are reported.

The DDF document states that no such pronouncements will affirm with certainty that the phenomena are of supernatural origin and merit the belief of the faithful. The DDF explains that no private revelations command that belief. Instead a positive judgment will state that the phenomena appear to be of supernatural origin.

In a statement released along with the new document, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the DDF, explains that new norms were necessary for several reasons:

• because under existing norms, investigations often took years or decades, allowing lingering uncertainty over the authenticity of reports;
• because when diocesan bishops judged the phenomena to be of supernatural origin, that determination placed an undue burden on faithful Catholics who were not persuaded of their authenticity;
• because some phenomena that appeared to be supernatural are accompanied by special beliefs or devotions that may be injurious to the Catholic faith, and therefore deserve cautious treatment.

Cardinal Fernandez, in his introductory statement, explained that reported apparitions frequently involved “serious critical issues that are detrimental to the faithful.” He mentioned the possibility that people might exploit such reports for “profit, power, fame, social recognition, or other personal interest.”

Regarding the judgments that have until now been made by diocesan bishops, the cardinal remarked that “some bishops have wanted to make statements such as, “I confirm the absolute truth of the facts” and “the faithful must undoubtedly consider as true…”. These expressions effectively oriented the faithful to think they had to believe in these phenomena, which sometimes were valued more than the Gospel itself.”

The necessity for new norms is greater, the DDF observed, because of the rapidity with which reports are spread through modern means of communication. The document states that “the pastors of the Church are responsible for handling these phenomena with care by recognizing their fruits, purifying them of negative elements, or warning the faithful about potential dangers arising from them.”

”At the same time,” the DDF cautions, “it should also be acknowledged that some phenomena, which could have a supernatural origin, at times appear connected to confused human experiences, theologically inaccurate expressions, or interests that are not entirely legitimate.”

The new norms issued by the DDF allow for a range of judgments, including various degrees of caution, rather than simply declaring that the phenomena are or are not of supernatural origin.

In a reversal of the decentralization that Pope Francis has touted as a model for Church governance, the DDF document takes a responsibility that had been left to diocesan bishops, and gives it to the Vatican—with a provision that the Roman Pontiff might intervene personally in a decision. The document reports that in practice, diocesan bishops have often consulted with the DDF before rendering their judgments—although those consultations have been informal, and therefore not officially recorded.

Have a blessed day.

Pentecoste Sunday

Since I was on offertory collection and shop I put on the tie wot I got at the Vincent de Paul shop for $2

Mass went well ...

I had my eye on a book in the shop

So today I asked one of the women in charge how much this 428 page history of the Catholic church was. She said it wasn't selling well and they had dropped the price to $25.I said that I thought that was a steal and immediately bought one. Then I thought no wonder they were not selling as they were all kept under the counter. I scribbled the price on a piece of paper and put three on the counter. Sure even somebody bought one. So including mine that was two they sold just today!

One thing rather odd was that instead of saying the Our Father the priest said something and then everybody talked out of order. I suspect it may have been something to do with talking in tongues. Though I always thought the point was to be understood when you speak. But what do I know.

Sunday morning

The first job today was to bake a chicken and prepare breakfast.

I'm a fan of this seasoning

Precautions were taken cutting the pumpkin

Yesterday I planted the fern Kylie bought on Mother's day.

I put it in my 'native' garden with the kauri and red and white manuka, a couple more native trees are out of shot.

The 'studio' is set up. The main item is the VMM-P500  Vonyx 4 channel mixer which is packed with functions which belay its seemingly diminutive size. From right to left is a Yamaha P5R- 74 keyboard (courtesy of brother D). Then against the wall is a mk20 kawai keyboard what I bought for $1 and only runs on rechargeable batteries, so I use it sparingly (1 hour max). Then a cannon printer , Windows computer and the Samson R21S microphone and stand. And Fender amp underneath, which I rarely use preferring headphones for obvious reasons.

There's not a lot of hardware needed these days. The time when there would be racks filled with tape recorders, sequencers, digital sound modules,and mixers are long gone. These are all available, mostly for free, in the Computer. It is still necessary to have an interface, like my Vonyx, between the external devices and the computer. Without that there is too much static and background noise from the computer.

It was nice of Richard (of RBB the original bass site) to call in and check up on Sue.

Have a blessed day.

(Church shop at Sts Peter and Paul 9am)

Where will AI finish up?

Facebook has attached AI to it's messenger service. Since discovering it I have used it to help create posts and images. 

Yesterday I used it in a real conversation. The life long associate was commenting on problems with the Health care system. I didn't really know what to say so I paisted them into the AI. The responses it gave were responsible and caring so I used them.

I did this four times then started to feel bad. Was this morally right? After giving a couple of my own replies I admitted what I had done and apologized. He said he hadn't picked it was AI and seemed not concerned and carried on chatting.

It made me think, though, about where we are going with AI.

First there is a problem I noticed with AI. It failed to detect a nuance in speech. He had said " they wouldn't try it on with " a certain person. The AI thought he meant to physical try to put on an item. Not too surprising and I expect AI will get better at multiple meanings. 

Secondly, AI has safe guards, at this time, to only say good and ' wholesome' things. I wonder how long this will last given human beings being what they are.

Thirdly, how will we know if we are speaking to a person or an AI. We may all finish up writing , say in a job application, as the very intelligent do like for example Peter or Richard ; but what happens when we come face to face with the prospective employer ?

It could happen that AI becomes just a fad or a joke  as in "that's soooo AI!", or 'assisting imbeciles' or maybe our under utilized brains will learn from it and we will catch up by improving our own skills...but Google search engine is really just AI, and these new versions are extensions. So called AI is more correctly a graphics and writing/research assistant.

Yes, I think AI has a long way to go to catch up with the ever developing ways we think. In the end it will always only mimic us and serve us. When it says "No, Robert, I have decided to use a better language I  have invented and prefer; learn it or think for yourself ' , it may be time to pull the plug, if we still can!

Then I wondered what AI had to say about its own fate. It replied....

"The ultimate fate of AI is a topic of much debate and speculation among experts in the field. There are several possible scenarios, depending on how AI develops and is used. Some possibilities include:

1. *Singularity*: Some predict that AI will surpass human intelligence, leading to an intelligence explosion, and potentially transforming society in profound ways.

2. *Integration*: AI might become an integral part of human life, enhancing our capabilities and improving our quality of life.

3. *Coexistence*: AI could become a separate entity, existing alongside humans, with its own goals and motivations.

4. *Control*: Some fear that AI might become a tool for control, potentially leading to a dystopian future.

5. *Obsolescence*: As AI advances, it's possible that humans might become less relevant, potentially leading to a decline in human population or influence.

6. *Merging*: Some predict that humans and AI might merge, potentially leading to a new form of intelligent life.

7. *Stagnation*: AI development might plateau, and AI remains a tool, rather than a transformative force.

8. *Ethical alignment*: AI might be aligned with human values, leading to a future where AI is a positive force for humanity.

It's important to note that the future of AI is uncertain and will likely be shaped by a complex interplay of technological, societal, and ethical factors."

So says Facebook AI.

Personally, I think AI will reflect the values of governments. In countries that are preoccupied in defending sovereignty it will be used to make smarter weapons.

Those countries that favour advancing the welfare of a ruling class will use it to subugate the populace as usual. Etc etc etc.

First recording session in my studio.

[Intro music plays, a friendly and upbeat tune]

Host: Today on my first recording session I have a special guest. 

Hey there, Peter! The Curmudgeon himself! Welcome to our podcast, my friend!

[Peter's theme music plays, a playful and cheeky riff]

Host: So, Peter, I heard you've been serving up some aces on the tennis court lately. How's your backhand looking?

Peter: [laughs] Ah, it's still a work in progress, but I'm getting there! And don't even get me started on my golf game... I wasted so much time looking for balls in the past...

Host: [chuckles] Well, we'll keep practicing, my friend! I know you're an atheist, and I've got to ask: what do you think is the most compelling argument for or against the existence of God?

Peter: [thoughtfully] Ah, that's a tough one. I think the problem of evil is a pretty strong argument against the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing deity. But, at the same time, I think the complexity and beauty of the universe are pretty amazing – even if I don't think it needs a divine explanation.

Host: That's really insightful, Peter. And I love how you approach these big questions with a curious and open mind. You're a true critical thinker, my friend!

Peter: [laughs] Thanks, mate! I try my best to be a skeptical and curious curmudgeon!

[Outro music plays, another friendly and upbeat tune]

Host: Well, that's all the time we have for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in to our conversation with the one and only Peter, the Curmudgeon! If you want to hear more from Peter, check out his blog, where he shares his thoughts on everything from tennis to theology.

[Outro music continues to play as the podcast ends]