Ukiyo-e, or ukiyo-ye (浮世絵, Japanese: [u.ki.jo.e], "pictures of the floating world"), is a genre of woodblock prints and paintings that flourished in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. It was aimed at the prosperous merchant class in the urbanizing Edo period (1603–1867). Among the popular themes were depictions of beautiful women; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica.
Edo (modern Tokyo) became the seat of government for the military dictatorship in the early 17th century. The merchant class at the bottom of the social order found themselves the greatest beneficiaries of the city's rapid economic growth. Many indulged in the entertainments of kabuki theatre, courtesans, and geisha of the pleasure districts. The term ukiyo ("floating world") came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted "ukiyo-e" images of this environment emerged in the late 17th century; they were popular with the merchant class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with such works.
The elves dwelt in The Land of Seven Rivers in a timelessness that only they could grasp. In Shindolay there is no day or night. There are no seasons. There is little that denotes time other than events. They came to understand the universe differently than all the other peoples, for they were removed, living in their own realm. In many respects they are like the foul demons of the Wretched Plains, for those creatures too do not understand time. Much of this timelessness is reflected in their language because they cannot reference the concept, but they speak more of moments that occur. Coming of Age for elves is very important as it is a milestone that denotes not time but the ability to cope.
Shindolay is not a land without dangers, and those who dwell there are not unskilled in the fashioning of arms and weapons. Beasts stalk the deeps and dwell in the river bottoms. But more than that the Void looks upon Shindolay and there is no Wall of Worlds to keep out the horrors that dwell in that Empty place. Only the sorcery of the elves.
Elven sorcerers had long since discovered the world of Aihrde and the other dimensions and planes. They spoke of these far flung realms, attempted to study them. Some few, very powerful wizards, could cross over to them. But few of these returned and those that did were affected in some way and always sought to cross the divides again, either that, or they withered away.
When the All Father passed from the Arc of Time, the Land of Seven Rivers fell into, or joined, the world of Aihrde and the elves were free to cross over into the world. Many did so, mostly people from the Pth, Ra and Uul and they came first to the great forest Rond in the east, beyond the Marl. But there were members of all the tribes that crossed over and they mingled together for they entered the strange lands and dimensions without friend and many foes.
During last night's game we spent some time yapping about the ethics of sex with robots . . . before you draw an opinion, very little of the discussion was of a philosophical nature . . . and Davis informed its quite a discussion out "there" (meaning the internet I think) about the ethics of the legal ramifications of sex with robots.
The State has begun to look at it.
In South Korea for instance they debated whether the sex dolls should fall under existing prostitution laws...as apparently renting a sex doll has become normal. (that's pretty weird, i hope they are cleaned, but maybe they are self cleaning...like an oven).
Psychologists worry to.
Users may develop unnatural attachments to their robot partners, or become estranged from normal relationships in their communities or treat women or men differently (though the number of female dolls sold far out weighs the number male dolls sold).
AI adherents charge the wall.
They wonder what happens when the robots become self aware and discover that their origins lie is sex service slaves, how will they react? How will that affect their self esteem, how will they adjust to the world around them.
I tend to lean toward the idea that singularity will occur. Though I understand we don't yet know how all the brain works and therefore we can't duplicate it in a lab, or through creation. However I suspect self awareness is actually more organic than chemical. At some point, for some reason, probably though tool use and the use of other organic compounds to further its own needs, a creature becomes aware of itself and its surroundings. Once it does it must find its place there.
That's singularity.
So does that mean that at some point, some sexy robot will become self aware in the middle of coitus and react as it sees fit?
In August of 1864 at he height of the American Civil War the Union high command wanted to keep the Confederate General Forrest pinned down, so that he wouldn't attack Sherman's Atlanta-bound supply lines. Forest was in north Mississippi at the time with about 6000 cavalry. Several drives into the state had achieved the purpose, but the August drive was different. Sherman wanted General Washburne (commander of the region, located in Memphis) to hunt down and destroy Forrest's command.
He set out to do this with 18000 hard hitting veterans. As the plunged into Mississippi Forrest, down to about 5000 men now, split his force. He threw up a screen to hold the federals at bay and launched a lightening raid . . . something he was well known for . . . on Memphis with the intent to disrupt the Union attack and capture the three commanding Generals in town, including Washburne. The attack succeeded in breaking the Union advance as with very light casualties Forrest turned things upside down and force the advancing army to return to Memphis to defend the city.
Though Forrest failed to capture any generals, his brother did make off with General Washburne's finally tailed dress uniform. Forrest, under a flag of truce, returned the uniform to Washburne. Washburn, in return, hired Forrest's old tailer (Forrest live in and around Memphis) to tailer the Confederate General a new uniform and under a flag of truce, sent it to the hard riding commander.
Warfare in the old days . . . .
Post Script: Forrest later joined the KKK commanding it military wing, if not the organization. However he soon repudiated the organization and disbanded it. He later spoke for reconciliation between black and white Americans.
The atemoya is a hybrid of two fruits – the sugar-apple and the cherimoya – which are both native to the American tropics. This fruit is popular in Taiwan, where it is known as the "pineapple sugar apple", so is sometimes wrongly believed to be a cross between the sugar-apple and the pineapple. In Cuba, this fruit is called anón, and in Venezuela chirimorinon. In Palestine and Lebanon, the fruit is called achta.
This is different from the Achta that is used in many Lebanese desserts, including ice cream, which is actually the skimming of fresh milk or cream. An atemoya is normally heart-shaped or rounded, with pale-green, easily bruised, bumpy skin. Near the stem, the skin is bumpy as it is in the sugar-apple, but become smoother like the cherimoya on the bottom. The flesh is not segmented like that of the sugar-apple, bearing more similarity to that of the cherimoya. It is very juicy and smooth, tasting slightly sweet and a little tart, reminiscent of a piña colada. The taste also resembles vanilla from its sugar-apple parent. Many inedible, toxic, black seeds are found throughout the flesh of the atemoya. When ripe, the fruit can be scooped out of the shell and eaten chilled.
An atemoya flower, in its female stage, opens between 2:00 and 4:00 pm; between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm on the following afternoon, the flower converts to its male stage.
