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Last post Author Topic: Write until you pass out!?  (Read 19094 times)

TaoPhoenix

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Write until you pass out!?
« on: September 11, 2012, 06:14 PM »
One of the areas of judicial theory that has amused me from time to time is the "no cruel and unusual punishment" sections of rights. However, in this initial case specifically for ironclad Murder One with no weasel doubts, what if that requirement were lifted? Criminal "gets to do" all kinds of cruel and unusual things to his victim, and then we need to "see to his rights" afterward? One really fun case consists of "unusual punishments less cruel than the original crime". And since the original crime was something like chopping their legs off and painting diagrams with knives on the victim's chests, it's hard to get much more C&U than that.

So for the "softie" DC version of an experiment, what if the criminal were sentenced to write valid sentences until he simply passes out from fatigue? (Spelling mistakes punished on a sliding scale, no asdf asdf etc allowed, etc.)

In what is commonly called "first world problem", we get to say "nah, I'm tired, I don't want to do that". But what if you simply had to? Has anyone here ever written until they simply passed out near the keyboard?

Edit: Writing code (even with minor syntax errors, if it's still recognizable code) counts!

fenixproductions

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2012, 07:58 PM »
@TaoPhoenix
You can count me in.

As I mostly have the best ideas late at night, I sometimes go to sleep with my keyboard. Heck, it even happened with BBCeditor when I was writing second parsing engine for it: coding until you don't even know what you are typing in… But the best moments were not coding-related.

As soon as I get known about Allen Ginsberg works I became a fan of "stream of consciousness" term. Getting yourself into the specific way of thinking, specific rhythm of thoughts and writing while on it. In case of Beat Generation in was often induced through drugs but I didn't want to go this way so… knowing about Saint Vitus Dance I used to get into similar states when being tired. And it was great for creativity.

Except strange poetry, the first thing I wrote was a short story - typing machine FTW - about something similar to concentration camps. Writing process was amazing, so much stuff coming to mind, but some of the results were "little bit of" so I had to skip them for the sake of staying sake. Result: best thing I ever wrote.

Second amazing story - same whole day writing until unconscious scenario - was more Lynch-like. Again, it gave very nice output but whole procedure was more scary than ever. I had to stop few times because I was scared what my mind is capable of. Sleep-like state was indeed helpful for Lynchizm but… scary the demons are. Weird thing is: I have a novel which can be started at any page, read till whole circle is set and it will still be consistent within itself.

Those were scary, tiresome but not punishment in any way. Or you may call it masochism if you like.

In terms of law, we may wonder how would it work. I am not sure forcing people to do things could bring suffering but not allowing them do do some - definitely (as one of interrogation methods is preventing sleep).

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2012, 08:21 PM »
Hmm, speaking of prisoner punishment, I hear prisoners are forced to perform labor previously reserved to the private sector such as working phone banks for customer service outfits. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich may seem tame compared to taking customer complaints from mothers with squalling infants on their laps. Unless the criminal committed crimes in the heinous top ten I'd say give the dude 10 hours off good behavior for every hour working that gig.  I bet most prisoners would prefer to pick cotton. :)

Its seems the 8th Amendment does not proscribe cruel punishments as long as they are not also unusual. I think when translated to everyday language it means that the authority has been getting away with the particular cruelty in question for many years. So, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

wraith808

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2012, 09:47 PM »
If the legal system was infallible, and the amount of money didn't factor into the level of law and punishment (notice I didn't say anything about justice.. there's none of that in the legal system), then... I'd still be against it.

I think Nietzsche said it best: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2012, 11:19 AM »
The Abyss and I have been ...uh... (colleagues?) for a long time now. He's fun to talk to, and gives you nice creepy story ideas if you want them, or he'll augment your calculations in whichever esoteric system you are studying at the time - for a price. The price is that once the Abyss gazes into you, you can never go back to being a simple normal guy.

wraith808

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2012, 11:36 AM »
I guess that the purpose of that quote was somehow missed?  The abyss looks back at you means that when you begin to know somthing that is fundamentally different from yourself, you take a piece of it with you and it changes you and vice versa.  If you do the same sorts of thing as the person that you're calling a monster in order to punish them for being a monster, doesn't that make you the same sort of monster? 

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2012, 12:21 PM »
I guess that the purpose of that quote was somehow missed?  The abyss looks back at you means that when you begin to know somthing that is fundamentally different from yourself, you take a piece of it with you and it changes you and vice versa.  If you do the same sorts of thing as the person that you're calling a monster in order to punish them for being a monster, doesn't that make you the same sort of monster? 

I've seen the quote many times before, it's well known. But I purposely switched it up by making the Abyss "a Nice Force" rather than an "Evil Force". Heh - maybe I've OD'ed on comic strips this week, and went for a twist punchline. But there's truth in my note too - once you start getting thoughts like comparing sudoku grids to new age theory, you can't (easily) go back to just watching Da Bears football games and drinking beer.

Stoic Joker

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2012, 01:25 PM »
Last time I looked into the abyss, it blinked.

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2012, 01:26 PM »
Last time I looked into the abyss, it blinked.

That's 'cause it liked you!

Stoic Joker

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2012, 01:28 PM »
Last time I looked into the abyss, it blinked.

That's 'cause it liked you!

I said blinked...not winked. (Not that I haven't courted disaster more than once...)

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2012, 02:01 PM »
If the legal system was infallible, and the amount of money didn't factor into the level of law and punishment (notice I didn't say anything about justice.. there's none of that in the legal system),

...


Lenny Bruce put it concisely, “In the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls.”  :)

40hz

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2012, 03:13 PM »
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. said it best when he told one hapless attorney: "This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice."

Don't look to the courts for justice. It's not what they do.

Then there's this:

Justice is incidental to law and order.  ~J. Edgar Hoover

Hmm...

Apparently it's not what the Judicial Branch thinks it does either.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2012, 03:19 PM by 40hz »

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2012, 03:59 PM »
The thing I like about the Bruce quote is that anyone who has been there, even for a traffic violation, knows exactly what he means. You meet your attorney in the hallway and that's where the deals are made. The courtroom session is a formality unless you can afford to be represented by a high powered law firm a la OJ.

cranioscopical

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2012, 04:48 PM »
Not that I haven't courted disaster more than once...
That's something to a void.

40hz

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2012, 05:29 PM »
Of course there's some things I've read that made me wish more that the authors had passed out before they had written.


tomos

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #15 on: September 12, 2012, 05:53 PM »
Of course there's some things I've read that made me wish more that the authors had passed out before they had written.

 ;D I know what you mean :D
Tom

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #16 on: September 12, 2012, 08:26 PM »
Not that I haven't courted disaster more than once...
That's something to a void.

What an abyss-mal pun that was!!!



40hz

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #17 on: September 12, 2012, 10:28 PM »
Not that I haven't courted disaster more than once...
That's something to a void.

What an abyss-mal pun that was!!!




Miles has just fireed his opening valley...

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #18 on: September 12, 2012, 11:25 PM »
Heh heh.  Was that valley or

  ??

:)

Shades

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #19 on: September 13, 2012, 04:55 PM »
@ miles:
...Dragon Ball Z?


 :P

cranioscopical

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #20 on: September 13, 2012, 06:50 PM »
I'd rather play gulf…

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #21 on: September 13, 2012, 07:11 PM »
I'd rather play gulf…

Hmm, didn't that that was your

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #22 on: September 13, 2012, 07:12 PM »
@ miles:
...Dragon Ball Z?


 :P

Not familiar with that. But if he's draggin' 'em then he's got his own problems. :)

cranioscopical

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #23 on: September 14, 2012, 01:26 PM »
I'd rather play gulf…

Hmm, didn't that that was your
Heading for the green? I'm all fore it.
 

MilesAhead

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Re: Write until you pass out!?
« Reply #24 on: September 14, 2012, 02:04 PM »
I'd rather play gulf…

Hmm, didn't that that was your
Heading for the green? I'm all fore it.
 

I knew you wood say that. :)