Happy Easter!

There's not a whole lot is going on right now for me. We expect our first silicon back imminently and we're putting the final touches on our drivers. In the meantime, we're working on the next chip. So, there's been a lot of work to do.

So, this being a very religious time of year I have some special readings for you, dear reader. A couple of snippets to ease the burdens of your day and maybe make you think divine thoughts.

I hereby give you Special Liturgical Dispensation to take as much time off today as necessary (with pay) to follow up on these little goodies.

This last week, PBS' Frontline had a special called "From Jesus to Christ" which I found interesting. It explored the early history of Christianity, starting around Jesus' death and ending around 300 AD, by which time Christianity was fully established.

The majority of the evidence (if that is what it's called) revolved around the writings of the time. The explored how the Gospels were written and how they reflected the times in which they were written. They actually have a pseudo-Gospel called "Q" which they theorize must have existed because of the similarities between other writings.

The web site is really good too, which a lot more information than merely what was covered in the show. Stop by.

In an interesting bit of serendipity, I recently finished a novel called The Wrestler's Cruel Study, by Stephen Dobyns (who, apparently, is a Saratoga, NY native). I recommend it. The basic plot involves a professional wrestler who is trying to find his fiancee's kidnappers-- but that has little to do with the story. It's more of a framework for the rest: a discourse on the nature of philosophy and how it permeates everything we do.

You see, as the wrestler goes along his quest he finds that ancient controversies and battles are still being fought in the streets today. He is presented as the Babylonian hero Marduk, the Neitzschean Superman, and a gentle giant. Figuring out which of these he is (and likewise for the characters around him) is the real quest.

Along the way, absurd situations (example: his fiancee is kidnapped by gorillas) make this a fun read as well.

Its style stretches the bounds of typical fiction. It takes an odd third-person view of the story-- almost like a movie director. The narrator tells you to zoom in on things, focus on a single item, etc.

In any case, read it. One warning: you may occasionally be entranced by profressional wrestling as you channel surf.

Both the PBS special and the novel discussed the Gnostics. The Gnostics believe that the way to enlightenment or heaven isn't through the redemption of sin, but through self-knowledge.

Of course, no mention of gnosis can go by without the obligatory mention to the Kabbalah. Among other things, the Kabbalah attempts to find truths through the words of God themselves. Numerology, magic, color, letters, and the various states of being are all interwoven and connected. Interesting idea: The Word is Truth. If only we can figure out what the real name for something is, then we know its truth. Some say the fall of Tower of Babylon caused us to lose our knowledge of this ur-language.

Of course, some say that this is a lot of bung.

Meditating upon the cosmos,
poz