Sunday, September 6, 2020

My Thoughts on Religious Terrorist Bombings

I have been wanting to write an article on this subject but it is only now that it can be accomplished – the draft has unfortunately languished in its depository for one reason or another. This issue is real in the face of humanity, hence deserving to be discussed and pondered about.


At first blush, religious terrorist bombings seem mind-bendingly counter-intuitive. How could a human take out another human being (and even themselves) and feel that it is the right thing to do? October 11, 2002 is an impossible day to forget for some people. It was the day when the first Bali bombings unfolded, tragically claiming not only 1, but 202 lives on the beautiful Indonesian island. The planner, Imam Samudra, confessed to being religiously motivated in that appalling attack, and the execution of him and two other perpetrators caused their supporters to rise up, many of them lauding the convicts as martyrs and heroes. Yes, you read it correctly: this horrendous act was shockingly justified from the point of view of a certain group of fellow humans.

So what is it that can explain the justification of and even reverence for an action committed by a human (or a group of humans) that is aimed at vanquishing others of their kind? Here is my analysis which attempts to answer this seemingly puzzling question.

My opinion is that this comes down to our selfish genes. Naturally, we try our best to survive on this planet for as long as we can; that's why we consume food and drinks, take a rest when necessary, cross streets with caution, and so on and so forth. We would like to preserve our genetic materials and pass them on to our offspring (the fact that the population of our species is continuously growing speaks volumes for this). Death, by nature, is of course an unpleasant experience, marking the end of a human's existence. We are making as much effort as we can to keep this macabre line at bay, hoping not to step over the life-death threshold anytime soon.

The bad news is death is certain to happen. But what if I told you that you can still live happily after you die? What if I told you that your genes can still rejoice after your bodily form has even completely decomposed? Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing?

This is what I think deeply clings inside the mind of religiously impelled terrorists. In one way or another, they believe that a perfect gene-preserving/"propagating" place or such is reserved for those who exterminate others matching particular criteria. Their selfishness kicks in and these horrible events happen. In other words, in my scenario, the same kind of survival motivation is what underlies the condemnable deeds of these people.

So, what measures do we need to take to prevent such deplorable acts from happening again? I think the first step is to recognize that this social phenomenon is real and not to dismiss it. Next, we need to pin down the real cause of such dreadful acts and preempt any potential actions by any effective means. It is important that there be no wall of resistance that precludes thoughtful discussion on this issue simply because it is religion-related. Lastly, scientific and critical thinking has to be fostered, promoted, and instilled in anyone since it provides us with trustworthy paths to walk into a bright future.

References:
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By at September 06, 2020 0 comment(s)

Friday, July 31, 2020

The Amazing World of Dinosaurs – Book Review


The Amazing World of Dinosaurs
by James Kuether

Needless to say, the world of dinosaurs is amazing. These unique creatures have ceaselessly captivated and intrigued the human race and prevail in the mind of numerous children all around the world. However, what we really encounter at present are their lifeless remnants in the form of fossils. By means of science, paleontologists attempt to work out the veritable reality of their world, but we need a kind of tool for "reviving" these remarkable animals in our mind, enabling us to visualize what the dinosaurs would have been like when they were alive. Paleoartists are people who fulfill this noble & crucial role, and it is a blessing that James Kuether, a member of this profession, brought to us The Amazing World of Dinosaurs, a dinosaur book that he wrote himself and filled with his own beautiful illustrations.

The Amazing World of Dinosaurs is a great summary that gracefully guides readers through the Mesozoic history of the non-avian dinosaurs. The author uses elegant language which is couched in conversational style, guaranteed to entertain the readers and keep them hooked on the subject throughout. His lifelike illustrations are absolutely stunning and they are certainly delights for those who appreciate these incredible creatures. To my mind, these are two things that stand out in this book.

This 176-page volume starts with a concise discussion on the history of dinosaurology, paleoart, and the importance of imagination in science as well in reconstructing these breathtaking animals. Then, the readers will be guided through the dawn of the dinosaurs in the Triassic Period up to the demise of the non-bird kind at the end of the Cretaceous Period around 66 million years ago. I am heartily glad that this book includes information about new discoveries such as Medusaceratops and Dakotaraptor, which I was not very familiar with. What is more, The Amazing World of Dinosaurs contains a pronunciation guide (which would help with the often daunting act of saying the names of prehistoric animals and plants correctly) as well as a glossary (which would greatly assist readers in understanding unfamiliar paleontological terminology used in this book). Overall, The Amazing World of Dinosaurs is well worth reading & collecting and it will be a nice addition to your dinosaur book pile.

This book is complemented by a deck of cards which is offered separately. Click here to purchase the cards.

Have you read The Amazing World of Dinosaurs? What do you think about this book? Share your opinion in the comment section below!
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Monday, July 20, 2020

The Ends of the World – Book Review


The Ends of the World
by Peter Brannen

If you are a reader who has traversed my blog and (hopefully) enjoyed my posts for quite some time, you must be aware of my unmistakable infatuation with the iconic fauna of the ancient past: dinosaurs. Devoting an enormous share of my life to learning about these fascinating creatures has inevitably led me (as I believe it would do to anyone else) to a more global picture of the veritable nature of life itself. Dinosaurs are part of the wondrous tapestry of life forms that have taken up residence on our planet and, thus, they, we, and all other organisms share the same, single story of occupancy on this celestial body. With that in mind, exploring the wonderful world of dinosaurs often means to take a further step to understanding more geological & paleontological facets, which can include the ultra-tragic events that have shaped the Earth into its current state. That's where The Ends of the World by Peter Brannen comes into play.

The Ends of the World is a glorious volume that explores and details the apocalypses that our planet has undergone in its history of complex life (this is the first book focusing on the subject I've ever read). Gaia is never steady and there have been five (5) mass extinctions pummeling our beloved planetary home and exterminating the majority of life at particular moments in time. These are known as the Big Five mass extinctions and include the (in)famous end-Cretaceous die-off, which wiped out our non-avian-dinosaur relatives, and the unimaginably grim & horrendous end-Permian massive annihilation, which nearly zapped all life on Earth to total extinction. An award-winning science journalist, Brannen hops from one spot to another to examine the reality of these planetary-scale mass deaths. In this book, you'll encounter many experts giving their takes on the horrific mega-events, which do not necessarily present agreeing views. The author has a brilliant knack of engaging readers with his deft use of words (and a modicum of humor), and his writing will teleport you to a realm where you can seamlessly marvel at the grandeur of the natural history of our planet, albeit it involves the macabre quality of global massacres.

Nevertheless, Brannen does not stop at that; his discourse also touches on other issues, such as whether or not we are currently experiencing a legitimate sixth mass extinction. Not only does The Ends of the World cover the past and present, but it also comments on the future fate of our planet, with the last chapter dealing with the ultimate extinction that will befall the Earth eons from now. There are certainly many things that people can learn from this book – two that I found intriguing are the fact that we actually live in an interglacial (i.e. a brief warm period sandwiched by ice ages) and the effect of agriculture on the explosion of the world's population. However, the most relevant one to our current situation undoubtedly has to do with the way we humans treat our sole home in the universe: whether we stick to the present careless & environmentally-damaging behavior or switch to more prudent attitude towards the Earth will determine its course for many, many years to come. Grab The Ends of the World and learn something new about our planet today.

Special thanks to Steve Brusatte (who is also featured in the mass extinction volume) for recommending this book! If you haven't, you must also check out his magnificent book on the history of the dinosaurian dynasty The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs (to read my review, click here).

Have you read The Ends of the World? What are your thoughts on this book? Share what you think in the comment section below!
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Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Stoicism

Philosophy is not much of a big appeal in my life. As most of you are probably aware, aside from the English language, it is the field of paleontology (and particularly dinosaurology) which entrances me the most and takes up a great portion of my life – even though gaining knowledge about this subject has inevitably philosophical consequences, as evident in the grand dinosaurian volume Why Dinosaurs Matter by Kenneth Lacovara. However, recently (and possibly even before that) I discovered an amazing TED-Ed video explaining a school of philosophy called Stoicism, and I honestly was awestruck by the brilliance of this framework of thinking.


My dearest online dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary defines "stoic" as "someone who accepts things without complaining". While this covers part of the philosophy, Stoicism is actually more than that. As you can learn from the animated video, the stoics hold four (4) cardinal values: wisdom, temperance, justice, and courage. Nevertheless, it is true that the most striking point, at least to me, is the practice of endurance and resilience, which is attained by a genuine understanding of how the universe works. The narrative goes like this: We live in a super complex world system and, regardless of our wishes and hopes, there are events that go as we want and those that run off the course, which naturally would give people displeasure and disappointment. While we do have control over some events in our life, there are certainly others that happen entirely independently of our own actions. And it is these controllable events that have to be our focus and deserve our attention – otherwise, our life will be overwhelmed by negativity, shattering emotions, and toxic experiences that drag us backwards and even fell us into abysmal gloom. This tenet is in alignment with what the philosopher Epictetus wrote: "We suffer not from the events in our lives, but from our judgement about them!"

One excellent example comes from another TED video by Massimo Pigliucci, the same philosopher who gives us the lesson in the short, but insightful animation. Pigliucci takes an instance from a major element in most humans' lives: romantic relationships. The success of a relationship is determined by both the parties involved in it. A man can love his girlfriend in the most sincere and kindest way, but no matter how magnificent his love is, he literally cannot make her respond in kind since her very reactions are not under his control – they are up to his girlfriend. Stoicism teaches us to focus on being the best version of ourselves, i.e. the most lovable person for our partner, because it is what is actually under our control.

This principle can extend to and be applied in many aspects of our life: participation in competitions, job promotions (also mentioned in the TEDx video), raising children, and so on and so forth. Stoicism is a very relatable philosophy indeed and I love the fact that being a stoic means to perceive the world as it is, without sugarcoating the reality or distorting views of what really happens.

So, what do you think of Stoicism? Are you a stoic? Leave your comments below!
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Monday, June 22, 2020

Monster Rancher 2: My Monster YouTube Playlists

If you are one of the raft of my WhatsApp contacts, chances are you are already aware that I've been crazily playing the old but gold game Monster Rancher 2 (MR2). I am so enamored of this monster-raising game that I recently wrote an article listing PSX ROMs and the monsters that can be acquired from them via the Shrine feature – the writing process, of course, involved innumerable instances of "CD swapping" (to read the post, click here).

The Gaboo Soldier Captain Dave gives a Straight punch to Reikoku,
inflicting a lot of damage on the Shogun

One of the most fascinating aspects of MR2 is, without doubt, the battles!!! Hence, the chemical reactions in my brain naturally propelled me to recording and uploading battle videos of my monsters to the world's biggest video-sharing site: YouTube. They are comprised of not only battles with wild monsters on Errantries and at scheduled tournaments, but also fights with fellow monsters from my ranch, as I pitted all of them against each other! Witness the monstrous spectacles and I hope you relish every single scene of the shows!

Note:
- Click the image to be directed to the playlist
- There are three (3) matches in each video
- I will keep the list updated as I raise more monsters



Monster 1
Dinoking (Zuum/Zuum)
Image source: https://monster-rancher.fandom.com/wiki/Zuum?file=Zuum_MR2.png

Monster 7
Monster 8
Monster 9
Monster 10
Monster 11
Monster 12
Monster 13
Monster 14
Monster 15
Monster 16
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Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Quote #61

"I would choose to know the truth, however agonizing it is, over comforting lies any day." - Klinsman Hinjaya
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Thursday, June 4, 2020

My First-Ever Podcast on Dinosaurs!

This past week has been a little surreal for me. Out of the blue, a former colleague of mine Aep Syaefullah, the host of Kantor Penasaran, contacted me and asked whether I would like to talk in his podcast about one of the most influential things in my life: dinosaurs. 🦖🦕 Is this for real? The invitation left me psychologically unstable for some time, and eventually I said yes! I felt it would be a great chance to channel my interest to the general public, specifically the Indonesians, the vast majority of whom, in my opinion, are indifferent to the majestic creatures. So, on June 1, 2020 we did the recording and talked about dinosaurs for about 45 minutes. Here is a poster for the event:


The podcast can be accessed on the following platforms: Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Breaker, and RadioPublic. The title is "Klinsman H: Talking about Dinosaurs in Indonesia" and, as you must have noticed, it was recorded in Indonesian, our native language. Although we did have a discussion about dinosaurs in Indonesia, the podcast actually covers more than that: what dinosaurs mean to me, my dinosaur-related collection, whether Komodo dragons are honest-to-goodness dinosaurs, and so on. Here is a snippet of the podcast:


Listen to the full podcast here:

I'm really sorry for any imperfections in the podcast – to be honest, I was somewhat nervous! However, I hope that the audience can enjoy listening to our conversation and get something useful from it! 😊

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