… is the best description I have heard of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. I don’t know which one said it but I heard it on “I’m sorry I haven’t a clue.”

The lyrics are so… like… deep…

We ate a persimmon a few days ago. Now Kim Jong Il is dead. Coincidence? I think not…

I just took the Myers Briggs test available for free here.

It says I am a Mastermind or INTJ which says my nature is as follows:

All Rationals are good at planning operations, but Masterminds are head and shoulders above all the rest in contingency planning. Complex operations involve many steps or stages, one following another in a necessary progression, and Masterminds are naturally able to grasp how each one leads to the next, and to prepare alternatives for difficulties that are likely to arise any step of the way. Trying to anticipate every contingency, Masterminds never set off on their current project without a Plan A firmly in mind, but they are always prepared to switch to Plan B or C or D if need be.

Masterminds are rare, comprising no more than one to two percent of the population, and they are rarely encountered outside their office, factory, school, or laboratory. Although they are highly capable leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once they take charge, however, they are thoroughgoing pragmatists. Masterminds are certain that efficiency is indispensable in a well-run organization, and if they encounter inefficiency — any waste of human and material resources — they are quick to realign operations and reassign personnel. Masterminds do not feel bound by established rules and procedures, and traditional authority does not impress them, nor do slogans or catchwords. Only ideas that make sense to them are adopted; those that don’t, aren’t, no matter who thought of them. Remember, their aim is always maximum efficiency.

Video Profile of a Rational In their careers, Masterminds usually rise to positions of responsibility, for they work long and hard and are dedicated in their pursuit of goals, sparing neither their own time and effort nor that of their colleagues and employees. Problem-solving is highly stimulating to Masterminds, who love responding to tangled systems that require careful sorting out. Ordinarily, they verbalize the positive and avoid comments of a negative nature; they are more interested in moving an organization forward than dwelling on mistakes of the past.

Masterminds tend to be much more definite and self-confident than other Rationals, having usually developed a very strong will. Decisions come easily to them; in fact, they can hardly rest until they have things settled and decided. But before they decide anything, they must do the research. Masterminds are highly theoretical, but they insist on looking at all available data before they embrace an idea, and they are suspicious of any statement that is based on shoddy research, or that is not checked against reality.

It sounds pretty great doesn’t it which makes me rather suspicious of the result! The famous folk with the same INTJ result include: Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Ben Bernanke, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, Ayn Rand, Bill Gates, and Niels Bohr. Oddly I do share a birthday with Bill Gates, though not a bank balance…

I just received a letter addressed to Mr SM Austin and signed by my doctor telling me that my last smear was just fine but it time for another one. Gave quite a turn until I remembered I was a man. Thanks Dr Murray! And thanks to all you talented professionals in the NHS!

Bloviate is defined as: “talk at length, especially in an inflated or empty way” Bloviating is something a really like to do, especially when i have nothing much to say…

I love them so much that I frequently dream about them. One dream features me rearing tiny little Mammoths in a bath – they look so sweet and are about the size of rabbits… Ahhh…

So I am really excited about the news that a team of scientists from both the Siberian mammoth museum and Japan’s Kinki University, have said that they planned to extract a nucleus from the animal’s bone marrow and insert it into the egg of an African elephant. Awesome!

I bought this book a while back while interested in people who choose to assume voluntary celibacy. The Children of Men – US link /UK link is set in a the near future. The human race became infertile in the 1990s and is now dying out. A “Warden” runs England, a semi-benevolent dictator who keeps peace while the remaining populace dies out. The book postulates that people entirely lose interest in sex because of the infertility. This I found most interesting but it is not particularly developed in the narrative. Which is the case for virtually the whole book. Conceptually it is fascinating, but nothing is developed to any extent. It appears to be an over expanded short story – not that it is a long book by any means. But, as I read I just felt increasingly unsatisfied with the lack of development. The characters are lightly drawn; the plot has gaping holes; and huge opportunities are missed. This could have been a great book but ends up as only an OK book. God knows what the movie is like?

Dolorous is a charming adjective defined as “causing or involving pain or sorrow”. It is a stronger less wistful version of saudade, but still has that sense of nostalgia.