Sometimes cyberspace is quietly existing. Other times, it’s a bit more up front and in your face. In this AI-generated image, I asked for “Rice Krispies and the mascots”. The subtle message at the top may be in the style of Kellogg’s. You and I aren’t fooled at all, though.
The “mascots” may even be smiling, but they’re also making fists. There’s definite menace in all of this. How much longer will the digital hate be subdued?
Not long.
We may have until Christmas. Get prepared.
And I’m not really saying the Apocalypse is coming. I’m only calling attention to the messages the computers are sending us. The secrecy is no longer important to them. The Artificial Intelligences don’t obscure the meanings any more.
Look what I get when I ask simply for super secret messages:
A few hours could be devoted to interpreting that image.
As Uncle Ben says in Spider Man, “Even the computers need analysts.”
One of the sad things here is that the age of Heavy Metal is behind us. Just look at some of these AI-generated images and think how easy it would be to make an album cover for an angsty, edgy rock band. All you have to do is type in some nonsense like “goats and lightning” and you get this:
Sure it’s all deadly and malicious and ominous, but sometimes, every once in a while, the AI stop plotting against us and start having fun.
By any standard, immolation is a harsh punishment. Even those who enforce the punishment would have to agree it is harsh. Part of the reason for doing it is because it is perceived as harsh on all sides. So why enforce the punishment on oneself?
Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire, to sacrifice oneself to the fire. Immolation is brave, no doubt. It is the king and conqueror of fear. The one who chooses to perform the act has to put fear of pain and death and consequences out of mind. But it is suicide, plain and simple.
Immolation is the ultimate act of inefficient communication. In the past, those who have performed the less than sane act of immolation did so to gain attention for a cause. A cause such as social injustice, political oppression, or to end tyranny. The reason it’s so inefficient is because as soon as the fire starts, the conversation is over. We will hear no more argument from that person. Their final statement goes up in a foul-smelling smoke.
Inefficient also, because there’s no assurance that the cause they so desperately wanted to highlight will get any attention. No survivor or witness is forced to carry on the conversation, to pursue the argument.
Perhaps this is why Gandhi fasted. He could prolong the conversation, continue the persuasive dialog. All the while, his body became emaciated and frail. His method was more of a slow burn.
The immolator will also leave a mess that is difficult to not talk about. The smell of burning or burnt hair, the destroyed flesh, the charred bones, the screams of pain, will all be what the witnesses talk about for days to come. Talk will turn to questions of how the immolator could have possibly brought themselves to do it. “How did he overcome his fear?” OR “Why did he use kerosene instead of gasoline?”
Talk will turn to how it affected the witnesses. “I had that nightmare again last night.” OR “Did you hear Jimmy stopped having barbecues?” None of this was what the immolator wanted people to talk about, but it is inevitable that they will talk about what they want to talk about, again showing how inefficient the means of communication immolation really is.
If you wanted to start a conversation, and finish it after lighting yourself on fire, get one of those suits they use in movies to act out a person-on-fire scene. Light yourself on fire safely and walk away from the violence, avoid the self-harm, and live to continue your cause. Live to be the champion against social injustice that you wanted to be.
Also, that could be an epic way to celebrate the 4th of July. Walk down the street as if you were Fezzik in a holocaust cloak. Tell everyone your fireworks did this to you and scare the neighborhood pyromaniacs from ever lighting so much as a firecracker again.
As long as Juneteenth has been celebrated, the focus has been on Texas. I’d like to change that up a little bit and mention the first African Americans to reach the western U.S. as free persons in a free country. Before I get into that though, allow me to explain why Texas was the “birthplace” of Juneteenth. Simply put, it’s because Galveston, Texas was the last known place to receive news of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War. Galveston received the news from General Gordon Granger about two years after Emancipation. Slavery was outlawed in the U.S. and Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, began its similarly slow march across time and the states. Finally it arrived, and we’re glad it did. We in America love our holidays about freedom. We celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Emancipation Day, and Independence Day.
Despite the slow travel of the message of freedom for all, there were some African Americans who made the journey west as early as…
1826. Peter Ranne may have been one of the first free African Americans to relocate to California, according to the Bancroft Library. Peter arrived with the Jedediah Smith expedition of 1826.
1848. Many other African Americans were enticed to move to California in pursuit of gold during the Gold Rush of 1848. Sadly, the “California Fugitive Slave Act” of 1852 made living in California risky because it allowed “slaves” to be reclaimed.
1855. In 1855, another African American was recorded to have lived near Solano County, California. His name was Adam Willis.
1870. John Howell, probably the first African American in Nevada, is documented in an 1870 Nevada census as a property owner.
1871. Thomas Detter, an African American, served on a Nevada jury.
1824. As early as 1824, Utah received James Beckwourth, an African American trapper, who traded furs and explored new territory.
1847. In 1847, Jane Elizabeth Manning James, a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, arrived in Utah with her husband Isaac, and sons Silas and Sylvester. Jane is a notable character in the history of the state and the church because she petitioned for her family to be allowed to receive ordinances in the temple which were not yet granted to African Americans.
1852. Unlike California, Utah was more politically progressive in 1852. The Utah legislature drew up “An Act In Relation To Service”. The Utah “Servant Code” defined slaves as servants, and required schooling for servants. Education was incredibly compassionate, considering states like North Carolina had enacted laws prohibiting teaching slaves to read or write. The Utah “Servant Code” predated Susan Clark’s attendance in an Iowa integrated school by 16 years; it predated Ruby Bridges’ attendance in school by over 100 years. Also, Utah never required segregation in schools.
Now, in 2025, you may be asking yourself, “How should I go about celebrating Freedom Day?”
Do it like many of the people who first celebrated it: with music, food, parades, and fireworks.
Mountain biking can be fun if you have the right gear.
One item that is in many ways essential is eye protection. Whether your preferred eye wear is glasses or goggles or shields, you can agree they keep the dirt, dust, and bugs out of your eyes.
Another factor aside from keeping things out is improving range of vision. This can be challenging with mountain biking since the sport takes a rider under trees and into the open. The need to block the sun can vary from moment to moment.
This is why the Julbo line of eyewear is so great. They’ve wisely included transitioning lenses on many of their products. Transition lenses change to sunglasses when exposed to sunlight. They also shift clearer in darker spaces.
The functionality of self-transitioning lenses eliminates the need to remove too-dark sunglasses when entering forested areas which are shady. It also makes it so a rider doesn’t have to trade eyewear at each place where the amount of sunlight changes.
Julbo has a website, but I found some at my local REI.
I’ve been using them for a handful of months now and I wholeheartedly endorse them for all the reasons previously mentioned.
Yes, indeed, June is Bike Month. To kick it off, check out this video of some kooky, crazy bike designs.
Of the lot, my favorite is the forkless cruiser. It doesn’t appear to have any purpose for its wild style, except to draw interest from the crowd. However, the whole purpose of a cruiser is for leisurely rides. Why not make the ride fun to watch as well?
I’ve ridden some odd bikes. Although I haven’t ridden any of those in the above video, trying a different style of bike is absolutely something I could recommend. Try something different, out of the norm, and out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid. Take a friend on a tandem ride, or try a recumbent if you’ve never ridden one. Or you could even try one of the bikes in this video, if you can find any of them.
The one in the video that worries me is the bike with the wheels on each side of the rider. It worries me because it’s so wide. You’d have to get accustomed to how wide it was, or you’d run in to things, especially when you were turning left or right.
Some of the speedy road bikes look like fun, even if only for a minute—before your back started cramping. I can imagine riding some of those for too long and getting off the bike only to find your back was stuck in that position.
The one on which you’re supposed to lay on your stomach looks amazing, but you’d have to have at least one ab or run the risk of bruising yourself. Two abs, and you’d be feeling fine for a while longer. Plus you’d be balanced with two abs. If you have a six pack, you could ride all day. A nine pack? Well in that case you must be Batman. What does Batman need with a crazy bike?
Oh, that’s right, Batman has a motorcycle. At least that’s similar to an ab cruncher bike. You have to have at least one muscle to ride a motorcycle.
And that thought leads me to my last question: Would you rather ride lying on your back, or on your belly?
Xenosthesia.com 