Umm. A blog.

I’ve always been a positive kind of guy. I like to seek out the good in people, including myself, and i generally sport a cheerful and hopeful outlook on life. And yet i tend to think and speak about matters in rather negative terms. When tasked with solving a problem i instinctively focus on what i don’t understand. When offered an idea i immediately identify its shortcomings. When presented with an argument i instantly call out its failings. It’s only after i’ve addressed the areas of weakness that i search for the positives and the possibilities.

Holly, my pet schnauzer, guards the house with a steady eye. Always reliable and always alert. Except for the 23.5 hours each day she spends sleeping in her couch.

I attended a brand launch yesterday. I won’t name the company. It’s suffice to say that this was a big deal. After many years in the market place, the company board decided the brand needed more than just a bit of spit and polish. The following is a paraphrased excerpt from a speech by the CEO:

It’s fair to say that today the capabilities of our company exceed our brand. Well, that’s going to change. In the course of the next few years, our brand will come to proudly represent our actual value. And one day, if we work hard enough, our brand may even grow to the point where it far exceeds what we are actually capable of delivering.

Wow. That, my friend, is a company i would love to work for.

I’ve been listening to the The Virginia EP by The National on repeat since i grabbed a copy earlier in the day. It’s not exactly jammed full of new material: there are a couple of live tracks, a stack of b-sides, and some covers, and as you’d expect with a compilation disc, it lacks the cohesiveness of a typical studio album. But honestly, i can’t complain. There are some absolutely stunning moments on this 12 track EP. Favourites include an early demo of “Slow Show”, “You’ve Done It Again, Virginia” (featuring Sufjan Stevens), a cover of the Springsteen classic, “Mansion on the Hill”, and the incredibly compelling live version of “Fake Empire”, which i now present for your listening pleasure.

Those of you living in Australia will undoubtedly be familiar with the story of Bill Henson; however, if you’ve managed to avoid the media hype, here is a quick summary: Bill Henson is an Australian photographic artist. In the course of his 25 year career his work has been exhibited in myriad notable locations including the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. He is a critically acclaimed artist with a global reputation. Last week an exhibition of his work scheduled at the Roslyn Oxley9 gallery in Paddington, Sydney, was cancelled, and the art work, which included a number of photographs depicting child nudity, were seized by police. Henson and the gallery are expected to be charged.

I recently finished reading The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller, the minister at the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York. The book is split into two parts. The first, titled the “Leap of Doubt”, seeks to tackle common objections to christianity. The seven chapters in this section address accusations such as “How can a loving God send people to hell?”, and “How could a good God allow suffering?”. The second half of the book, titled “The Reasons for Faith”, aims to build a case for the christian God by identifying the sign posts that point to his existence and sovereignty.

The Only One is the first single from the upcoming album by The Cure. It was released yesterday. As you would expect for a lead single, the track is a rather typical pop song for The Cure: dreamy vocals, melodic guitars, and driving rhythms. It doesn’t cut new ground, but it isn’t lazy either; although lacking the intensity and moodiness of their main stay work, the instrumentation is surprisingly dense. An energetic and enjoyable new release. I can’t wait for what is to follow. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

I’ve noticed that people from “out in the country”, from rural areas, and tiny towns, particularly the older generations, often use the expression “it’s different” when they encounter something they don’t like. You take an elderly uncle to the cinema to see a foreign film, or your grandmother to an exhibition of modern art, and you ask, “so what did you think”, to which they frequently reply, “it’s different”. In other words: i don’t like it.

I find it fascinating, but also highly frustrating, that change is used as a synonym for disapproval. It is sad that the mere recognition of difference is all that is necessary to draw pronouncements of dissatisfaction. How did we get to a position where the process of evaluation focuses not on the item at question, but rather on how it relates to the fabric of it’s past? How did we get to the point where we lose sight of what something is for the sake of seeing what it used to be?

According to NME, The Cure are set to release a single on the 13th of each month for the next 4 months, until the release of their new album on September 13. The first single will be available on May 13. We should all be very excited.

The other night Megan and i watched Lars and the Real Girl. The film tells the story of Lars, a reclusive and seemingly troubled young man, who develops a relationship with a Realdoll. What’s that you ask? Well, a Realdoll is a solid silicone doll that basically looks just like a human (typically a female). They have a proper skeleton that can be freely and flexibly adjusted into a potentially infinite number of natural positions. They have silicone skin that (apparently) feels remarkably life-like. They have real hair (even pubic hair if you request that option), lips, teeth, a removable tongue, and a proper set of private bits (labia and serviceable orifices). You can customize your model as your heart desires over at the Realdoll web site (you can choose from 17 faces and 10 bodies). My personal favourite (shown below) is Celine. And yes ladies, there is a male option named Charlie.

This is the seventh and final installment of a multi-part series. You can also read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6.

I booked the flights for our upcoming European holiday today. It was harder than i thought. We planned on flying from Canberra to London via Sydney, and then after a 4 week jaunt through England, France and Italy, we intended to fly home to Canberra from Rome.

Got to love the Google office in Zurich.

I stumbled across christianity.net.au yesterday. According to the About page, the web site is a production of Anglican Media Sydney. At first glance, it looked like a place worth exploring.

Located in the bottom right corner of the Home page was a section titled “Recent Questions”. A particular question in the list caught my eye: Why is God’s punishment for eternity? I was particularly interested in the question as i’d recently written on the subject in a post on this web site. In the post i argued that eternal torment in hell was an unjust punishment for a lifetime of sin; infinite suffering for finite rebellion is certainly not justice.

This is the sixth part of a multi-part series. You can also read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Part 4 and Part 5.

The world is groaning under the weight of incomprehensible suffering. The extent of this suffering is not always obvious. It is easy to grow comfortable; to consider our present state of existence, however luxuriant, as normal, even necessary; to define suffering as the degradation of the quality of life that we have come to expect, however inconsequential the loss. A person forced to downsize to a one-bedroom flat may cry poor; another, offered a roof and a pillow after years of living rough, may cry for joy. Our perceptions of sufficiency, of necessity, are significantly shaped by our expectations of what we deserve, which in turn is shaped by the experiences we have known. And yet, not all suffering is relative. If we dare to look beyond our own immediate circumstance we will only too quickly confront the realities of objective and universal suffering.