It would seem that I have been tagged by James Marwood of www.safeism.com to reveal seven facts about myself. I considered not bothering but didn't think that was sporting.
However, part and parcel of the Hemaboy persona is his anonymity and so whilst I won't be revealing whether they are true or not here are seven things people say about me.
Some say he is Paul B....and the stig.
Some say he doesn't even read the Schola forums!
Some say he is not Dave.
Some say he is just a cock.
Some say he is the manifestation of disgruntled WMAists everywhere.
Some say he is a Legend.
Some say he is too stupid to get it.
As to tagging other people, I notice there are currently seven people following this blog, so I tag them.
Monday, 12 January 2009
Sunday, 4 January 2009
Chivalry, Idiots and Historical Justification
In 1344 Edward III, disappointed at the dropping standards of chivalry amongst his knights, announced the formation of a new order of chivalry. The Order of the Round Table was designed to draw directly on the legends of King Arthur and his Knights to set an example of the kind of behaviour the King expected of his peers.
It was a nice idea, but it smacks of the kind of behaviour you expect of a grumpy old man. Odd for a King only 32 years old. Perhaps it was the start of a mid life crisis.
Where is this going I hear you ask?
Well it is simple.
There seems to be a section of the WMA community (I know, I know, it's a handy term though so I'm going to use it however hypocritical that makes me) that claims we can only ever truly master the arts we study if we also take on the ethical framework of those that practiced it originally. They claim that in order to learn to fight with a sword we must also give of our time to help those less fortunate than ourselves. They don't tell us how this helps, but they insist that it is necessary.
Perhaps they are right.
Perhaps we really do need to hand out food to the homeless so we can more effectively hit each other with swords.
Or perhaps not.
Perhaps the two are completely unconnected and these people are simply brainwashed by the myth of Bushido. That to be balanced fighters we also need to become better people. That we should study combat and flower arranging. That martial arts are a way of life that make us better people and the improvement in our ability to fight is simply a side effect of this personal improvement.
Of course this is utter crap.
If we want to give more to charity we don't go out and get into fights in the street so why is the converse true?
It isn't.
However it would seem that Edward III thought the same so maybe it's historical after all. It's worth bearing in mind however that The Order of The Round Table was never formed. It was never anything more than a whim.
Perhaps he was an idiot too.
Oh yeah.
Happy New Year.
It was a nice idea, but it smacks of the kind of behaviour you expect of a grumpy old man. Odd for a King only 32 years old. Perhaps it was the start of a mid life crisis.
Where is this going I hear you ask?
Well it is simple.
There seems to be a section of the WMA community (I know, I know, it's a handy term though so I'm going to use it however hypocritical that makes me) that claims we can only ever truly master the arts we study if we also take on the ethical framework of those that practiced it originally. They claim that in order to learn to fight with a sword we must also give of our time to help those less fortunate than ourselves. They don't tell us how this helps, but they insist that it is necessary.
Perhaps they are right.
Perhaps we really do need to hand out food to the homeless so we can more effectively hit each other with swords.
Or perhaps not.
Perhaps the two are completely unconnected and these people are simply brainwashed by the myth of Bushido. That to be balanced fighters we also need to become better people. That we should study combat and flower arranging. That martial arts are a way of life that make us better people and the improvement in our ability to fight is simply a side effect of this personal improvement.
Of course this is utter crap.
If we want to give more to charity we don't go out and get into fights in the street so why is the converse true?
It isn't.
However it would seem that Edward III thought the same so maybe it's historical after all. It's worth bearing in mind however that The Order of The Round Table was never formed. It was never anything more than a whim.
Perhaps he was an idiot too.
Oh yeah.
Happy New Year.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Debt
With some newspapers predicting UK national debt to be as high as £1 Trillion by 2012 I thought it was time to mention some debts I have.
The Association of Renaissance Martial Arts.
For sharing sources when it was of little benefit to themselves. Yes they keep some to themselves, but many years ago when HEMA was new and shiny www.thehaca.com was the place to go to find manuscripts. For this, and for providing one of the first dedicated discussion forums I thank you.
Swordforum.
I know this may come as a surprise but I feel that what community there is in HEMA exists in part because of Swordforum. It took the baton from the ARMA forum and ran with it. It was a place for open, frank, and informative discussion. The fact that it no longer is, does not change the fact that it was once the place to be. For this I thank you.
Steve Hick
For spending years searching out new sources and putting them out there for all to see. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that this man has had more influence on HEMA as a whole than anyone else. For this I thank you.
This is not an exhaustive list, there are many people I have not mentioned. Matt Galas, Fabrice Cognot, Matt Easton to name but a few. There are also websites aplenty who help others with no obvious benefit to themselves www.sirwilliamhope.org, www.the-exiles.org.uk and www.aemma.org spring instantly to mind but there are numerous others.
These debts may not have a financial value, but they are huge non the less.
The Association of Renaissance Martial Arts.
For sharing sources when it was of little benefit to themselves. Yes they keep some to themselves, but many years ago when HEMA was new and shiny www.thehaca.com was the place to go to find manuscripts. For this, and for providing one of the first dedicated discussion forums I thank you.
Swordforum.
I know this may come as a surprise but I feel that what community there is in HEMA exists in part because of Swordforum. It took the baton from the ARMA forum and ran with it. It was a place for open, frank, and informative discussion. The fact that it no longer is, does not change the fact that it was once the place to be. For this I thank you.
Steve Hick
For spending years searching out new sources and putting them out there for all to see. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that this man has had more influence on HEMA as a whole than anyone else. For this I thank you.
This is not an exhaustive list, there are many people I have not mentioned. Matt Galas, Fabrice Cognot, Matt Easton to name but a few. There are also websites aplenty who help others with no obvious benefit to themselves www.sirwilliamhope.org, www.the-exiles.org.uk and www.aemma.org spring instantly to mind but there are numerous others.
These debts may not have a financial value, but they are huge non the less.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Books and Authors
Stephen King's net worth is reputed to be somewhere in excess of $200 million. Yet whenever the subject of money is mentioned to anyone who has written a book on HEMA they never hesitate to tell you that they didn't do it for the money, in fact it cost them money to write it.
This makes me wonder.
If they are telling the truth and the royalties they get from the worldwide sales of their books really are so poor as to actually cost them money, why then did they bother writing it in the first place?
There must be a reason, it's just that I can't figure it out.
It can't be because they want to share their interpretation with the rest of us. HEMA is pretty unique in that it is, and always has been (at least for the last 15 years), closely linked to the internet. So sharing of information is a doddle. It can be acheived in seconds. One moment you are sat at home looking at a word document, the next you are sharing it with everyone in the world who cares to look.
So it's clearly not about money, and it's certainly not about the dissemination of information.
Surely it can't be something as base as respect? By publishing a book people will respect me? I find it hard to rule this one out even though I think it is very wrong indeed. I respect people who work hard, people who share their work and people who are open to changing their ideas in a truly scientific manner.
I don't have any respect for someone who sets out to stroke their own ego by hiding their interpretation inside a glossy cover and trying to force people to pay them to view it.
Perhaps it is simply the continuance of a longstanding tradition. The sources we study exist because they were written down, and so setting our own work down is simply following in the footsteps of those martial artists who came before us. However this doesn't hold water.
At least not quite.
If you want to set your interpretation down for everyone to see, to gain respect and to enter into the age old tradition that we are striving to be part of then open source is the way to go. It gets you work far more exposure than it would if you put it in a hard cover and set a price on it. You might not make it onto Amazon.com but if your work is any good then you will stimulate interest in yourself as a teacher. That way you really can start to make some money.
Not that many teachers earn as much as Stephen King.
So maybe it is about the money after all...
This makes me wonder.
If they are telling the truth and the royalties they get from the worldwide sales of their books really are so poor as to actually cost them money, why then did they bother writing it in the first place?
There must be a reason, it's just that I can't figure it out.
It can't be because they want to share their interpretation with the rest of us. HEMA is pretty unique in that it is, and always has been (at least for the last 15 years), closely linked to the internet. So sharing of information is a doddle. It can be acheived in seconds. One moment you are sat at home looking at a word document, the next you are sharing it with everyone in the world who cares to look.
So it's clearly not about money, and it's certainly not about the dissemination of information.
Surely it can't be something as base as respect? By publishing a book people will respect me? I find it hard to rule this one out even though I think it is very wrong indeed. I respect people who work hard, people who share their work and people who are open to changing their ideas in a truly scientific manner.
I don't have any respect for someone who sets out to stroke their own ego by hiding their interpretation inside a glossy cover and trying to force people to pay them to view it.
Perhaps it is simply the continuance of a longstanding tradition. The sources we study exist because they were written down, and so setting our own work down is simply following in the footsteps of those martial artists who came before us. However this doesn't hold water.
At least not quite.
If you want to set your interpretation down for everyone to see, to gain respect and to enter into the age old tradition that we are striving to be part of then open source is the way to go. It gets you work far more exposure than it would if you put it in a hard cover and set a price on it. You might not make it onto Amazon.com but if your work is any good then you will stimulate interest in yourself as a teacher. That way you really can start to make some money.
Not that many teachers earn as much as Stephen King.
So maybe it is about the money after all...
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Evolution and memetics
If we are to believe Darwin then we are simply organic vehicles that exist to ensure the survival of the genes we carry. Those genes give us the characteristics and ability to ensure we can pass them on to others and so ensure an unbroken line of genetic existance.
Richard Dawkins took this idea and applied it to information. These packets of information, or memes, behave in a very similar way to genes. They are passed from one vehicle to another, sometimes changing identity along the way. So perhaps we can look at vehicles designed to pass on memes in the same way that we do so with those that pass on genes.
The problem humans have when passing on their genes is that they are only able to do so for a relatively short period of time. They start off too small and ineffectual, then reach maturity and are able to replicate many times, however this ability tails off and the genes passed on are more likely to be faulty. Eventually the person becomes unable to pass on their genes and then they die.
This process can be applied to internet discussion forums. They exist for the purpose of sharing information, or memes. Initially when a forum is created, it is too small and there is not enough traffic for it to be able to function properly. Then as it grows it starts to become a place where information is first collected from, and then disseminated to, a large number of other vehicles, be they other websites, groups, or individuals.
However as the forum continues to grow it is inevitable that some controls will be placed on the memetic dissemination that occurs, this process eventually leads to a gradual decrease in the introduction of new memes, and so begins the process of decline. If we are willing to follow this theory through to its logical conclusion there will come a point where the forum is no longer able to pass on quality memes and eventually ceases to exist as a source of information at all.
If we accept this, (and I'm not really suggesting that we should, just that it is an interesting comparison) then perhaps we should not look at SFI as a bad place at all, simply as a senile forum that needs our support and care in order to continue to exist. Of course there will come a day when it is no longer able to do so and then we should mourn its passing. But until then we should look at it as a ailing geriatric too decrepit to look after itself any more.
Richard Dawkins took this idea and applied it to information. These packets of information, or memes, behave in a very similar way to genes. They are passed from one vehicle to another, sometimes changing identity along the way. So perhaps we can look at vehicles designed to pass on memes in the same way that we do so with those that pass on genes.
The problem humans have when passing on their genes is that they are only able to do so for a relatively short period of time. They start off too small and ineffectual, then reach maturity and are able to replicate many times, however this ability tails off and the genes passed on are more likely to be faulty. Eventually the person becomes unable to pass on their genes and then they die.
This process can be applied to internet discussion forums. They exist for the purpose of sharing information, or memes. Initially when a forum is created, it is too small and there is not enough traffic for it to be able to function properly. Then as it grows it starts to become a place where information is first collected from, and then disseminated to, a large number of other vehicles, be they other websites, groups, or individuals.
However as the forum continues to grow it is inevitable that some controls will be placed on the memetic dissemination that occurs, this process eventually leads to a gradual decrease in the introduction of new memes, and so begins the process of decline. If we are willing to follow this theory through to its logical conclusion there will come a point where the forum is no longer able to pass on quality memes and eventually ceases to exist as a source of information at all.
If we accept this, (and I'm not really suggesting that we should, just that it is an interesting comparison) then perhaps we should not look at SFI as a bad place at all, simply as a senile forum that needs our support and care in order to continue to exist. Of course there will come a day when it is no longer able to do so and then we should mourn its passing. But until then we should look at it as a ailing geriatric too decrepit to look after itself any more.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
A thing I like.
It has been mentioned that this blog is all about what I don't like. That's not true, there is a picture of kittens, and what's not to like there?
Though I'd like to make a special mention for these guys.
They seem to have got the balance right between aesthetic and safety when it comes to equipment. They look modern and professional, something most groups struggle with.
They fight as if they mean it without being overly aggresive, I have yet to see a single video (and there are a lot of them out there) where they look sloppy.
Lastly, and most irritatingly,somehow they all seem to be decent people. If you're going to copy any group then you could do a lot worse than the GHFS.
To entertain you here are two of them in the final of the longsword competition at this year's Fightcamp. (A co-incidence? Probably not.)
Though I'd like to make a special mention for these guys.
They seem to have got the balance right between aesthetic and safety when it comes to equipment. They look modern and professional, something most groups struggle with.
They fight as if they mean it without being overly aggresive, I have yet to see a single video (and there are a lot of them out there) where they look sloppy.
Lastly, and most irritatingly,somehow they all seem to be decent people. If you're going to copy any group then you could do a lot worse than the GHFS.
To entertain you here are two of them in the final of the longsword competition at this year's Fightcamp. (A co-incidence? Probably not.)
Monday, 27 October 2008
Under pressure
It seems I may have created a monster
Every day a new HEMA Blog appears, Hemaman, Hemagirl, Hemadog, Hemagoth, and more lately Baskethilt Broadsword Boy and Sword Punk.
I don’t know whether to be flattered or annoyed.
A part of me believes that imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, that somehow my actions have made it acceptable to be honest about your feelings and get them out there for other people to read. That part of me is quite happy indeed with the situation and would dearly love more to start
However there is another part of me that isn’t quite so keen. That part of me understands that there is a finite amount of reading any one person can do and that the larger the pool of writing there is to draw from, the smaller the chance it is me that they are reading. That is the part that enjoyed it immensely when I stood alone and people were discussing my every word.
It isn’t a very big part of me though.
I am too much a capitalist at heart. I honestly believe that competition is a good thing.
The more blogs there are, the more I have to strive to make mine the one that stands out. The more competition there is, the better the overall result will be.
This is also true of original source interpretations.
Every time I talk to someone about what I do I want them to question me. I don’t want them to simply take what I say as the gospel truth (an odd phrase for an atheist I know). I want to be constantly under pressure to show my reasoning. I want my interpretation to be forced to prove itself both against the intricacies of the source manuscript, but also against physical pressure.
Yes it works, but does it work when I am tired, gasping for breath, filled with adrenaline and being watched by everyone else?
Ok so it works, but does it match the manuscript? Is there anything that I do that is contradicted by the text or the pictures?
Does my interpretation make sense when compared to that of other people who have looked at the same source? Can they show me something that better fits the facts?
In summary, am I the best? If not then why not?
Could it be that I spend too much time typing and not enough training?
Is it too much to ask to be the best at both?
Every day a new HEMA Blog appears, Hemaman, Hemagirl, Hemadog, Hemagoth, and more lately Baskethilt Broadsword Boy and Sword Punk.
I don’t know whether to be flattered or annoyed.
A part of me believes that imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, that somehow my actions have made it acceptable to be honest about your feelings and get them out there for other people to read. That part of me is quite happy indeed with the situation and would dearly love more to start
However there is another part of me that isn’t quite so keen. That part of me understands that there is a finite amount of reading any one person can do and that the larger the pool of writing there is to draw from, the smaller the chance it is me that they are reading. That is the part that enjoyed it immensely when I stood alone and people were discussing my every word.
It isn’t a very big part of me though.
I am too much a capitalist at heart. I honestly believe that competition is a good thing.
The more blogs there are, the more I have to strive to make mine the one that stands out. The more competition there is, the better the overall result will be.
This is also true of original source interpretations.
Every time I talk to someone about what I do I want them to question me. I don’t want them to simply take what I say as the gospel truth (an odd phrase for an atheist I know). I want to be constantly under pressure to show my reasoning. I want my interpretation to be forced to prove itself both against the intricacies of the source manuscript, but also against physical pressure.
Yes it works, but does it work when I am tired, gasping for breath, filled with adrenaline and being watched by everyone else?
Ok so it works, but does it match the manuscript? Is there anything that I do that is contradicted by the text or the pictures?
Does my interpretation make sense when compared to that of other people who have looked at the same source? Can they show me something that better fits the facts?
In summary, am I the best? If not then why not?
Could it be that I spend too much time typing and not enough training?
Is it too much to ask to be the best at both?
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