Next Archive - October 2004

Bass Ackwards

I've done it again. Yes, this is not the first time, not even the second time. I'm reading backwards.

Let me explain.

Periodically, I'll pick up a book and enjoy it so much that I read the rest of the series. I recently did that with Lee Child's books. And now I've done it again. I finished The Da Vinci Code, and I like it so much I picked up the rest of his books. Now I'm reading Angels & Demons.

I've done this so often, I've gotten used to reading a series backwards, prequel following sequel. It changes the irony of the stories knowing the consequences of the events. I like it.


Blog Tag: Chatter

The Official God FAQ

For those of you with a sense of humor, here is The Official God FAQ. (via Chasing Daisy)

For those of you without a sense of humor, here is Battleground God. And, by the way, what the heck are you doing here???


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: God

Another Ethical Dilemma

As a follow-up to an earlier post, here is a quick test of your moral fiber from the eMusings mailbag:

To whom would you offer a ride to, knowing that there could be only one passenger in your car?

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.


2. An old friend who once saved your life.


3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once used as part of an actual job application.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus save her life.

Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He said, "I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box."

However, the correct answer is to run the old lady over and put her out of her misery, have sex with the perfect partner on the hood of the car, then drive off with the old friend for some beers.

I just love happy endings.


Blog Tag: Humor

Is It Wrong to Extend Human Life?

An interesting science article reports that humans may be "programmed" by their DNA to die earlier than they need to. Why would evolution have selected this trait? Possibly to improve the chances for the next generation, who could be carrying a better set of genes through mutation or natural selection.

If this is true, and at this point it is just theory, then you know what the inevitable consequence will be. Money will be thrown at the question in order to determine if this "suicide system" could be defeated. Sooner or later, one way or another, science will engineer a means of extending human life. When that happens, the spam you get hawking Viagra will seem like a drop in the bucket.

Whether or not it's true that our DNA controls our longevity, it seems obvious that the planet is already overpopulated, and that our advances in science have thwarted Nature's ability to prune our stock of individuals who are not fit enough to survive without assistance. I know it sounds cold-hearted, but ultimately, the factors that reduce a herd by preying on the sick and infirm improve the health and viability of the herd as a whole.

Should we allow purveyors of longevity drugs to weaken the health and longevity of our species as a whole? I think we should not. What I fear, though, is that every human with an elderly parent or elderly self would overwhelmingly vote to allow life extending treatments. The future of our race be damned.


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: News   Blog Tags: Opinion

Scared of Commitment

Speaking as a man (one of the few things I'm qualified to speak as), it always gives me a chuckle when some guy is afraid to get married. I'm not talking about the womanizers who have such luck with women that they haven't the slightest desire to settle down, I'm talking about the guys who are monogamous, have been with the same woman for years, and say they want to get married, yet never actually make it to the altar. Amusing, isn't it?

Today I read a story about a couple who were in agreement that they never wanted children, and the guy wasn't afraid to walk down the aisle. And then, at some point after they'd tied the knot, the woman had a change of heart. She now wanted children. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming that it was a change of heart. That couple has a big problem.

A child is a big deal. Having children changes your life, turns it upside down. It changes who you are, what you are, what you can do. Some people don't like kids. Some people know or fear that they would make a bad parent. What happens next?

Divorce can be a terrible thing. I know, because my parents divorced. But in my book, if there's a chance a marriage isn't going to make it, the time to find out is before there are children. One of the worst sins I can think of is to have a child to save a marriage. If you fail, you've now failed the child as well. I firmly believe that children have the best chance of success when they have two loving parents. I'm not saying children of single parents can't turn out well, but it's so much harder for everyone involved.

Marriage takes commitment. It takes two people who are strong enough to make it through the rough times and keep going, who can adapt to the inevitable changes in their situations, and their feelings, and the evolution of who they are and how they are together.

I know, because I was terribly afraid of marriage. I'd seen my parents fail at it. It took five years together before I had the confidence to marry, but I'm so glad that I did. I'm deeply grateful that we had our daughter. And our marriage has lasted a long time now.

Men have every right to be afraid of commitment. But it still makes me laugh. :)


Blog Tag: Opinion

Is It Halloween Yet?

October is my favorite month. It has nothing to do with the weather. It's because October is home to my favorite holiday: Halloween. I love getting costumed, love seeing the kids in costumes, love spookifying the house. It's the role-playing in me, I guess. This year I'm going to celebrate in a new way. I'm going to be tweaking the blog design. I'm not sure yet exactly how, yet, but I shall. Look for it.

I've picked up the Last Samurai DVD, which is the best movie I've seen in the past year. And I'm now 2/3 of the way through The Da Vinci Code, which is the best book I've read in the past year. In addition to the wonderful story, there's historical trivia and word origin trivia. Great stuff. The author likes to end every chapter with a mystery or a revelation (or both), which makes it really hard to put down. In fact, I want to read one more chapter before bed, so I need to end this post.


Blog Tag: Chatter

Meet My Alter-Egos

I'd like you to meet a close, personal friend of mine. The knight you see drawn here (by my good friend C Blaha) is Taliesin Pendragon, knight and preceptor of the Church of Amilor in the town of Fayd. He is practiced in polearms, a master of psionics, and known far and wide as a strong, respected champion for good with a lamentable penchant for puns. What is unbeknownst to all but a select few is that he is also a Rake, a member of that little-known vigilante group whose actions, while possibly commendable, are not what one would call legal.

Yes, I am (was) Taliesin. I used to be deeply involved in playing an online MUD, a text-based, multiplayer role-playing game. I created the character of Taliesin, imbued him with a personality similar but not identical to my own, and learned to play him as if I was Taliesin himself. Within the game, I stayed in character religiously (if you'll pardon the pun). I'd find myself compelled to act in ways as Taliesin that I would never do myself, even when nobody was looking. That's the funny thing about playing a character.

Fortunately, I'm good at compartmentalization, so I didn't fall prey to that behavior sometimes attributed to actors and undercover detectives who lose themselves in their role. When I logged off, I was me, not Taliesin. But the game ended years ago, and I miss him.

I am also Scratch, the thieving loud-mouthed parrot of that drunken pirate, Armoth. (Whar ye be, ye scurvy pirate? I miss ye.)

And, finally, I am also Amilor, god of the seas and the weather, gentle and compassionate when pleased, tempestuous when angered. It was even less well known that I played Amilor. There were a few occasions when I had to play Amilor and Taliesin at the same time. That, I do not miss. Schizophrenia is not my thing. (Yes, it is. No, it's not!)

I think a fantasy life is a wonderful way to explore how you'd feel in different situations, and is an exciting means of escape from the daily grind of today's world. As long as you can remember which is fantasy and which is real, and keep them separated.


Blog Tag: Chatter   Blog Tag: Images

Cracking the Code, Redux

I received my paperback copy of The DaVinci Code a few days ago. The bill was itemized in pounds, but by checking my credit card account online I was able to see that the cost for the book and shipping was a few dollars less than the retail cost of the hardback version without shipping. Not that it matters... it's the principle of the thing. :)

I've read the first few chapters, and so far it's a great read. It moves fast, it develops the characters well, it immediately sets up the premise of the book. It's a really big book, which I like, because it means I'll have something to read for a while. The only problem is, well, it's been translated from the American. I have to read it in British.

What? You think I'm joking? I am not. Take the following two sentences I've made up, for example:

1) "Just kick the tires, man," said the general.

2) 'Just kick the tyres, man,' said the general.

A discerning eye will notice two differences between the sentences. Line 1 is in American. Tires is spelled properly and the speech is in double-quotes. Line 2 is in British, with the Brit spelling of tires and single-quotes around the speech. The paperback I received is formatted the way line 2 is. I'm wondering what other differences I'll find.

By the way, between writing this blog and reading books and other blogs, I find I've been neglecting the editing of my own book. Shame on me. I need an intervention or something. Help me, Tara! I'm gonna let myself putter around another half hour, then I'm going to force myself to work on my book. I promise.


Blog Tag: Reviews   Blog Tag: The Da Vinci Code

Mary Steenburgen is Hot

Apropos of nothing, Mary Steenburgen is hot. Her voice, her figure, her hair, especially her mannerisms. Is it just me? Am I odd?


Blog Tag: Chatter

The Rabbit Died

Don't get excited, it's just the post title. You younger readers may not know this, but once upon a time, a test for pregnancy involved injecting a rabbit with urine from a woman being tested. The rabbit was then killed and the ovaries were examined. Ovary changes indicated that the woman was pregnant. (The rabbit always died so the ovaries could be inspected. It wasn't just when the woman was pregnant.)

Can you imagine going through life, knowing that a bunny died so your mother could find out she was going to have you? Fortunately, this practice went away in the 30's.

It feels odd knowing so many things that younger people know nothing about. I remember a time when there was no color TV, no touch-tone phones (or cellphones), no pocket calculators (except slide rules). I remember when there were no personal computers, when talking of landing on the moon was pie in the sky talk. Kids today grew up with all these things (and I'm jealous!). They can't imagine a life without email.

Things like the rabbit test ended before I was born, but they were part of our culture, of general knowledge. It's been so long now that even the hearsay is fading, and is not part of the cultural literacy that our children are absorbing.

My dad remembers the Korean War, World War II, and songs and movies I've never even heard of ("I’m a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin’ Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues"). My grandparents lived through World War I, the depression, the advent of cars and television and airplanes.

Growing up, you learned what the world was like, and it felt as if it had always been that way. As the years slowly passed, things slowly changed, but you didn't notice them that much. Then, as you get into your thirties, you start being able to look back over your life and marvel at the changes that have been wrought. You begin to realize that the world is not static. You begin to mourn the things that you've lost, that the world has lost, that will never be back again. I can't imagine what it will be like twenty, thirty, forty years from now. Some day I will, I guess.


Blog Tag: Opinion

Hiking Bon Tempe

Okay, I admit it. When I was out of work, I ate poorly. Too many sweets and greasy foods. I was home alot, not very active. After getting a new job, I started eating out a lot more often, now that I could afford it. Bigger meals. The end result: I have about 10 or 15 more pounds than I'm using to carrying. The weather's been cooling off as well, so we've been hiking more. Hiking in the trees also recharges our spirits. Last week was Muir Woods, today we did a two-hour, five mile hike around beautiful Bon Tempe lake just outside the funky little town of Fairfax, here in Marin County.



The trail is mostly level, fragrant with the scents of bay trees and something I can't identify, sage or manzanita maybe. We met several people hiking the other way, and after circumnavigating most of the lake found ourselves encountering several of them again.




As we approached one hiker, I noticed the neck of a stringed instrument peeking out from behind him. The head was sporting eight tuning keys, which caught my eye. I asked him what it was, and he drew the instrument from his back, revealing a beautiful, teardrop shaped mandolin, which has eight strings arranged in pairs. I thanked him and as we continued on our way, I heard him playing behind us. It was beautiful. I regretted not taking his picture.

As I mentioned, we eventually came upon many of the same hikers we had seen when first setting out. Among them was the mandolin player. I asked if I could take his picture, which he allowed, and we got to talking. He teaches a meditation class at a spa in nearby Mill Valley, and he spoke of getting students to lift the "veil" between their perception and how things really are. He was a friendly, fascinating guy, and I'm thinking I'll be attending a class to find out more.

Now it's off to dinner. I've somehow built up an appetite.


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Bon Tempe

About Those Toilets...

Update to my earlier post that mentioned the pay toilets in San Francisco:

Turns out that it costs a quarter for us regular folk, but homeless people get free tokens they can use to operate the toilet. I have more photos, if anyone is interested. The toilets were offered free to the city in return for the advertising revenue of the ads on the outside.


Blog Tag: Chatter

TANSTAAFL

There ain't no such thing as a free lunch... or a free car.


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: News

Lovely, Dark and Deep

I'm not talking about Aisha Tyler here, people. Get with the program. Muir Woods. Here are a few shots from our recent hike, as promised.

California is more than crowded freeways.


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Muir Woods

Are You Sure?

Your friend gets drunk and confides that a month ago, he seriously injured a pedestrian and didn't stop. Do you report your friend?

There's a game called Scruples in which the players answer ethical dilemmas printed on cards.

You win a tennis tournament because your opponent's final volley is ruled "out." You saw it was in. Do you tell the umpire?

Sometimes when I'm stumped for ideas about a story, I flip through my Scruples cards and see if anything piques my interest. There is something about these questions that makes me squirm. They make my head hurt. Often, morals are taught as absolutes. Thou shalt not kill. There are no qualifiers there, no loopholes for us to parse and weasel through. But life doesn't serve us situations that are so black and white. It's hard to really know what you believe in until you're faced with a decision that challenges your assumptions.

You're drafted to fight in a war you consider unjust. At risk of going to jail, do you refuse to fight?

The world isn't black and white. I don't think morality should be. I believe in situational ethics. I believe it's wrong to kill, but I would fight to defend my family. Absolutes are for people who don't want to think about situations. I believe in thinking, not in knee-jerk reactions.


Blog Tag: Opinion

The Truth Is Out

Sometimes you learn more from Google by what it can't find than by what it can. :)


Blog Tag: Humor

Finish What You've Started

From the eMusings mailbag:

By following the simple advice I read in an article, I have finally found inner peace. The article read: "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you've started."

So I looked around the house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished... and before leaving the house this morning I finished off a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine, the Bailey's, Kahlua and Wild Turkey, the Prozac, some valium, some cheesecake and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how freakin' good I feel...


Blog Tag: Humor

Busted by Guys in Pajamas

A followup to a previous post:

Today CBS News and teleprompter reader Dan Rather have finally admitted that the documents they used recently to smear the president were fake, and that they had been fooled by Kerry sympathizer Bill Burkett, who manufactured the documents as part of a dirty trick campaign, using the name of a deceased National Guard commander.

Their mistake was revealed by "guys in pajamas," as a former CBS exec referred to bloggers. Once again, the supposed "right wing conspiracy" wasn't to blame.

I'm still not sure CBS and Dan Rather "get it." They think the big story is about Pres. Bush's alleged time away from the National Guard. It's not. That's not important to most people. What's of intense interest is how a once respected news organization was fooled and blamed the messenger and Republicans instead of doing a professional job of confirming the facts first, or objectively reviewing them when they came into question.

Blogging is the new sheriff in town, and he has a million deputies.


Blog Tag: News   Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: CBS

Pushy, Pushy

Yesterday, we went to Muir Woods here in Marin County. It's a wonderful place to hike, to relax, to observe beauty and let the big trees and green ferns recharge your spirits. Photos to come.

Having rested for two days, tomorrow I resume my sojourns to the city. Last Friday, waiting for the ferry, I was one of the dozens of people patiently waiting for the gate to open to allow us ingress to the ship. The ferry is never full at the times I take it. There are no prime seats to fight for. And yet, every time, there are the Type-A guys and gals who have to weasel their way to the head of the line, to be amongst the first on the ferry. Why?

When you see two people approach a doorway at the same time, some guys will drop back and let the other go first, and some will quicken their step to be the first through the doorway. I prefer the former. Pushy people bother me.

On the other hand, I'm a generally a fan of progress (except for genetically modified food). Reasonable people accept the world as it is. Unreasonable people, as someone I knew says a lot, change the world to suit their wishes. Most progress is achieved by unreasonable people. But it doesn't mean I have to like them. :)


Blog Tag: Opinion

Cracking the Code

Yesterday, on the Muni train, I noticed someone next to me reading The Da Vinci Code, which I keep hearing great things about. I've been waiting for it to appear in paperback. The copy I saw yesterday was in paperback. Finally!

So today I meander over to Crown Books and ask for a copy, and they tell me it's not out in paperback yet. "But I just saw a copy!" I protest. The salesperson informed me that the book is available in paperback overseas. It's just here that we have to pay through the nose (a painful process, believe me) for a hardback version. But if I really wanted the paperback, I could order it from Amazon.co.uk. That's right, you can't get it from Amazon.com, but you can get it from Amazon's Brit side of the pond.

That's just wrong.


Blog Tag: Opinion

Friday eMusings

I like to people-watch. This morning, sitting on the Muni train, I was amused by an rider who was a contrast in stereotypes. He was a young guy, wearing baggy jeans and a dark grey sweatshirt with the hood up, shrouding his head. He was listening to a CD in his headphones, and there was a skull and crossbones on his sweatshirt. And he was carrying golf clubs. :)

This evening, waiting on the platform for the Muni to arrive, I saw a gentleman with a seeing-eye dog who didn't seem sure of where he wanted to be. I offered to help, and directed him to the side of the platform he wanted. His dog was a beautiful yellow lab named Genoa, and the guy was a good looking middle-aged man. Think Mayor Riordan of Los Angeles. I chatted with him a while, and it turns out he lives on a boat and teaches sailing to kids. What a guy!

I've mentioned in the past the smells I encounter in the city from people who don't bother to find a urinal. Pictured above is one of the toilets the city has erected to help relieve this problem by giving the homeless a place to go. It's a pay toilet.

Also pictured is a talented musician playing a one-stringed instrument with a bow, like a violin. Maybe some day I'll snap a shot of the xylophone/accordion playing duo.


Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: San Francisco

Nous Sommes Desoles...

Whenever I encounter a statement that I suspect of being urban folklore (almost always via email), I head over to snopes.com to see if they've already vetted the claim.

Saw a funny one there today about a hidden message in French on a washing instructions tag.


Blog Tag: Links

What Are You Gonna Blog About Today?

I think I've mentioned Blog Ideas before. You go there once a day and it gives you an idea you can blog about.

Here's another one, Blogliners. Same thing.

And here's something to think about (from my days until sidebar):
It's only a 100 days until Christmas!

Now you have no excuse for not posting something today. :)


Blog Tag: Links

Logical Fallacies and the Art of Debate

Found a great web page at my old alma mater, Logical Fallacies and Art of Debate, that describes most of the errors in logic that speakers use to put one over on us. Forewarned is forearmed.


Blog Tag: Links

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

CBS says it's going to be sunny tomorrow. I'd better bring an umbrella.

With all the reality shows on TV, it's a shame CBS News can't be one of them.

What does CBS stand for? Counterfeit But Stubborn.

Recent polls show that Kerry is slipping even in states that were in the Kerry column. How ironic it would be if Dan Rather, in his zeal to crucify Bush, actually tipped the election in Bush's favor. CBS: Crucify Bush Slanderously.

I'm still not sure who I'm going to vote for, but I know I'll never trust CBS again.


Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: CBS

Our Own Government

Today the US released accused terrorist Yaser Hamdi without ever charging him with a crime.

It scares me when our own government will lock up one of our own citizens indefinitely, incommunicado, without a trial or access to counsel. Even if that citizen may be a terrorist, we're supposed to be the good guys. What happened to playing by the rules?

Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: News   Blog Tag: Links

The Theory of Holes

I just heard a saying I've never heard before. It's called the Theory of Holes, and it goes like this: "If you find yourself in a hole... stop digging!"

Words to live by. :)


Blog Tag: Chatter

Spell Czech

I was just spell checking my previous post, and it didn't like the word bloggers! I feel so oppressed. :)


Blog Tag: Chatter

I'm In My Underwear

I've been following intently the progress of the counterfeit documents that 60 Minutes claimed were proof that Pres. Bush shirked his National Guard duties. I don't care whether he did or not, and I don't care if Sen. Kerry served in Vietnam or not. But this incident shows the depths to which some in the "news" business have sunk, and that saddens me because in some ways I consider myself a journalist.

The fact is, I write many of these posts while in my bathrobe or wearing next to nothing. Does that have any bearing on the veracity of what I write? I don't think so. That's why I take insult that an apologist for CBS is dissing bloggers when it's 60 Minutes that should be apologizing.

Jonathan Klein, a former executive vice president of CBS News who oversaw 60 Minutes said on Friday that you "couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of check and balances [at '60 Minutes'] and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing."

There is now a preponderance of evidence that the documents in question are phonier than a campaign promise, and still 60 Minutes continues to defend their evidence. Worse, Dan Rather, who has been a respected journalist, continues to dispute the evidence against the documents. When I was learning journalism in high school, I was taught even then that a journalist keeps an open mind, checks his facts and doesn't go public with damaging information without overwhelming evidence. Like a scientist, a good journalist fits the theory to the facts, not the other way around.

It's just pathetic the way some people are trying to defend the documents. It reminds me of a little kid with mud on his shoes saying he hadn't gone outside. "A band of gypsies stole my shoes and when they brought them back they were dirty!" Yeah, right. It reminds me of the time they tried to blame Nixon's secretary for erasing 18 minutes of tape, when it was nearly impossible for her to have done so. All these suppositions that "if they had done this, with this rare equipment, and switched fonts in the middle..." are ludicrous. Nobody typing a document like that would take any more effort than absolutely necessary to get it typed. Get real!

Dan Rather could have checked his facts more thoroughly instead of running with a story just because it aided the candidate he liked. Once confronted with the evidence against the story, he could have made a retraction, like good journalists do, and moved on. But he didn't. He has shirked his duties as a journalist, and has become just a not-so-pretty face reading from a teleprompter. I expect his resignation soon.


Blog Tag: News   Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: CBS

Shazam!

There's a scene towards the end of the movie Ordinary People where the psychologist, beautifully played by Judd Hirsch, finally gets the troubled kid to reveal and realize what it is that's been troubling him so deeply. I'm not that fond of the movie overall, but I just love that scene. Another movie very much like that is Good Will Hunting in which a psychologist, this time played by Robin Williams, is able to get Matt Damon to reach his epiphany.

It's magic. It's voodoo. Modern shamanism. What a miracle it is when someone can look at a troubled person and turn their life around with a few words.

Nearly my entire life, I've wished some guru could whisper a magic phrase in my ear and poof! I'd be enlightened, or at least unloaded of some of my demons. My internal skeptic prevents me from seeking therapy, so it's like hoping to win the lottery without buying tickets. I guess you, dear audience, will have to suffice. :)


Blog Tag: Opinion

Las Vegas to LAX

I watched a new TV show tonight, LAX. It got a bad review from a local critic, but I really liked it. The stories were fresh and interesting. The music was great. The visuals were fascinating, and Heather Locklear is easy on the eyes. What clinches it for me is that it wasn't predictable. I like a show that can surprise, that doesn't use the same tired formula you've seen a dozen times before.

LAX follows Las Vegas, which is the opposite. It's easy on the eyes, but the plots are kind of cheesy and pretty predictable. It's like an hour-long commercial for Las Vegas. But it's got Nikki Cox. :sigh:

They aren't West Wing, or Babylon 5, but after a hard day's work, it's nice to watch something mindless with the wife. And, sadly, Babylon 5 is gone, and so is West Wing. Sure, West Wing still has new episodes, but they aren't penned by Aaron Sorkin and it shows. Next year should be the last.


Blog Tag: Reviews

Bloglines and del.icio.us

There are too many blogs. "Too many" meaning more than I have time to read. And I read really fast. So I've been playing with Bloglines, which is a free service that lets you subscribe to the feeds from your favorite blogs, and then keeps track of which ones have new posts. It's kind of like a blogroll, only much better, letting you quickly read just the latest posts.

Another free service I've been playing with is del.icio.us, which lets you enter bookmarks to web sites. You can categorize them, publish them for others to see, or list them in your blog (somehow). An interesting feature of this service is that you can see who else links to the same web sites. My bookmarks are here.

I read a blog today (oh, boy), an English gay guy who seems to write real well. notenoughdrewsintheworld. Check it out.


Blog Tag: Links

Programmer's Day

Today is Programmer's Day, the 256th day of the year. Send something nice to your favorite programmer. :)


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Amusements

Five Questions

One of the games that bloggers play is to challenge another blogger to answer questions about themselves. My friend twistedcat offered to ask questions of her friends, for which I volunteered. She deftly tailors the questions to the querent. Here are her questions and my answers.

1. you can spend one hour in conversation with any author, from any time period. who do you choose and what do you talk about?
A. I love books on how things work. Books that explain how computers work, how radios work, things like that. For my author, I would choose the author who, several years from now, will write the book on how to build a teleportation device. :) Or, failing that, Robert Heinlein would do nicely. Or Louis L'Amour. John D. McDonald. Homer (with Greek translater).

2. do you listen to music when you program, and if so, what is your preference?
A. I sometimes listen to music while programming. I have eclectic tastes in music, as evidenced by my list of favorite singles, but typically I listen to the music I used to hear on KROQ in the 80's. Tears for Fears. Thomas Dolby. The English Beat, etc.

3. do you think in words, pictures, or shapes (or perhaps something else entirely)?
A. I think in clusters, chains and links. Clusters of facts, including sounds, images and smells. When I think of you, it brings up a collection of memories including lunch at the sushi place, how the room looked, the taste and aroma of the teriyaki, how you looked, what we chatted about, how it felt hugging you. Chains of cause and effect. If this, then that, and if that, then what next. Links from one cluster to another, like web page hyperlinks. When I think of our lunch over sushi, I can link to the lunch before that, when we ate at Fresh Choice and a whole 'nother cluster of facts.

4. sugar, corn or wheat: if you had to give up one, for the rest of your life, which would it be?
A. I love all three, but I'd have to choose corn. I get the shakes when my blood sugar drops. I love wheat in all its forms: bread, tortillas, cereal, pastries, crackers, crepes, etc. As much as I love corn in its various forms, I eat it less than the other two. I have friends with wheat intolerance (as you know), and I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

5. >bap!< you're in an alternate reality. you have been tapped to do the design for a computer program that will run the country (time is not an object, and you're just doing high-end systems design; you have brilliant humans to implement your programming ideas). where do you start? what are the priorities?
A. Whoa! What a rush! Okay, let's see...
Don't like centralization. Distributed processing is the way to go. Establish a network of computers so cities and states don't need the federal computer to operate. Makes it more tolerant of failures and catastrophes. Establish a secure voting system, so that teams of experts, and the populace at large, can be polled to determine the options and preferences for dealing with various situations. Every time it polls, it evaluates how effective each respondant's answer was, and in what category the problem domain was. Then the next time it polls, it gives more weight to the people who give the better answers in that domain. Eventually, after it's identified the 25,000 people who make the best decisions, it identifies them publicly and destroys itself, because the country shouldn't be run by a computer. :)


Blog Tag: Opinion

Doggy Style

I've made several posts about cats because, well, because I have cats. They made me do it. As a Sunday change of pace, follow this link for an amusing post I found about a dog. Or, rather, by a dog.

Update: Sadly, that link is now broken. This is an ongoing problem with linking to things. I'm going to have to give some thought to how I should handle this.


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Amusements

Lives and Memories

Lives are lost every day. Some days more than others. Some days the lives are those of people who are closer to us, but every one is a loss, whether we knew that person or not. We all contribute in one way or another to the planet.

One of the traits that make us human is our desire to change our environment. We see something that should not be so, and we want to change it. So it is with tragic loss of life. We want to turn back the clock, to step into the Wayback Machine and keep it from happening... but we cannot. We can take steps to reduce further loss of life, but we can't get the ghost back in the machine.

All that's left for us is to remember those who are gone, remember what they lived for, and remember to do what we can to change the world for the better, as they would have wished to do.

I remember you.


Blog Tag: Opinion   Blog Tag: 9/11

Flowers and Bugs

Some incredible closeup photos of flowers and bugs here.


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Images

Let's Take Over the World

I found out where to get what we need. Right here!

Anyone wanna stake me a few million?


Blog Tag: Links   Blog Tag: Amusements

Cat Haikus

Water cooler style,
Amusements arrive daily,
Via my email:

Cat Haikus

Am I in your way?
You seem to have it backwards:
This pillow's taken.

Your mouth is moving;
Up and down, emitting noise.
I've lost interest.

The dog wags his tail,
Seeking approval. See mine?
Different message.

Cats can't steal the breath
Of children. But if my tail's
Pulled again, I'll learn.

There's no dignity
In being sick - which is why
I don't tell you where.

Toy mice, dancing yarn
Meowing sounds. I'm convinced:
You're an idiot.

The food in my bowl
Is old, and more to the point
Contains no tuna.

So you want to play.
Will I claw at dancing string?
Your ankle's closer.

Seeking solitude
I am locked in the closet.
For once I need you.

Tiny can, dumped in
Plastic bowl. Presentation,
One star; service: none.

My brain: walnut-sized.
Yours: largest among primates.
Yet, who leaves for work?

Most problems can be
Ignored. The more difficult
Ones can be slept through.

My affection is conditional.
Don't stand up,
It's your lap I love.

I don't mind being
Teased, any more than you mind
A skin graft or two.

So you call this thing
Your "cat carrier." I call
These my "blades of death."

My cat Dingus in one of her frequent patiently annoyed moods:




Blog Tag: Images   Blog Tag: Dingus   Blog Tag: Humor   Blog Tag: Haiku

The Sky Is Falling!

First, it was the Mir space station. 143 tons (yes, I said tons) of metal plunged to Earth in 2001. Assurances were given that the fiery crash would be carefully aimed at an uninhabited region of the South Pacific, and fortunately that is what happened. At least the Mir was crashed crashed carefully. If some engineer had accidentally used English measurements instead of metric, it could have taken out Los Angeles or Tokyo, instead. But we know mistakes like that wouldn't happen.

Today, another spacecraft crashed, but this time it was by accident, as described in the following press release:

DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah - NASA's space capsule, the Genesis, crashed to Earth today after its parachute failed to open. It had orbited the sun for over three years on a mission to gather clues to the origin of the solar system.

The $260 million project crashed with a cargo of particles collected in space, and it is unknown whether the containment vessel holding those particles ruptured on impact. Complicating the situation is the worry that the explosive charge that was to release the parachute may still be functional and capable of detonation, which would send the space particles far and wide.

"This just wasn't supposed to happen," said physicist Roger Wiens of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which designed the particle collection system.

The impact of the crash left the Genesis device partially buried in the desert, and NASA engineers fear that a recovery attempt could detonate the explosive charge. Photographs of the downed craft reveal an absence of all life within 600 yards of the impact site.

Witnesses reported a team of NASA workers in hazmat suits approaching the site, then turning away before retrieving the containment vessel. One worker claimed she had a bitter taste in her mouth and a feeling of nausea that turned her away, but a NASA spokesman dismissed the report, stating that the workers were only there to observe the wreckage, and would not approach until the condition of the explosives could be determined. The spokesman went on to say that reports of Earth creatures behaving strangely in the area were the product of overactive imaginations.


When is NASA going to start being more careful about letting things fall to Earth? Especially objects the size of the Mir space station or the Hubble Space Telescope?


Blog Tag: News   Blog Tag: Opinion

Where Does Money Come From?

Or, What Are The Consequences?

I can't believe, in this day and age, that we still have politicians who believe in the tooth fairy, who seem to think you can make a string longer by cutting off one end and tying it on the other end.

There are plans afoot to raise the minimum wage. Seems like a no-brainer, right? The little folk get more money, which stimulates the economy, and everybody's happy, right? That politician would surely get elected, no? No.

What happens when you raise the minimum wage? Well, that money has to come from somewhere, right? So the employer might raise their prices. Which means that everybody has to pay more, so the extra money comes right back out of the pockets of the people who got the raise. Or the employer, unable or unwilling to raise rates, moves the jobs out of the country to someplace that pays a lot less, and now the people who had a raise are out of work and on unemployment.

What, you expected the employer to just pay the raise out of their profits? Then their stock would fall and the senior citizens living on the dividends from those stocks would lose money.

Raise the minimum wage, and you're waving a flag to every underpaid worker across the border, saying, "Hey, come work here! Even the lowest paid job pays more in one day than you make in a week there!"

I know, we'll tax the rich. They have too much money, anyway. The harder you work, the more money you make, the more we'll take away. Now there's an incentive plan. And if you don't work at all, we'll give you money! Oh, and those jobs we were talking about? Take away more money from those who have it, and they have less money to invest in new jobs. A lot more jobs are created by rich people than poor people.

And let's not forget, with more people trying to buy the same number of goods, that drives up the price of the goods. This is known as inflation.

When politicians are required to have a PhD in Economics, then I'll have a little more faith in their ability to tinker with a free economy.

Yeah, like that's gonna happen!


Blog Tag: Opinion

800 Miles

I've driven 800 miles the past three days, making the trek to Los Angeles and back. My wife and daughter were with me, so as you can imagine we made a lot of rest stops.

Gas station restrooms are not what they used to be. There once was a time when the stalls in the men's rooms had crude pictorials of genitalia, dirty limericks and "personal ads" with phone numbers. ("Here I sit, broken-hearted..." etc.) Now all you see are undecipherable gang tags. It makes me nostalgic for the "good old days" when there was something to read. What is the world coming to?


Blog Tag: Chatter

What Is A Cult? Part 2.

So I've been flitting from page to page, perusing the results of Googling for what makes a cult a cult. Googling is like bobbing for apples. Well, it makes the same sound, anyway. It's channel flipping for the internet generation. I'll be taking bits from here and there.

The One True Way. Evidently, one of the marks of a cult is that their way is the only way. Strangely enough, both political parties seem to espouse this. Is the Democratic Party a cult? I've also seen this in schools. Ever have a math teacher tell you not to use the method your big brother taught you? Some teachers say that you should think for yourself, but they all seem to grade higher if you agree with the teacher. The school system is a cult!

When you go to a self-help seminar, they often tell you that their way is the only way, or the best way. What else would they tell you? That The Foo System is better than their system? What kind of marketing strategy is that? If this was a major criterion, then every advertiser on television could be accused of running a cult!

Accepted But Not Understood. Another mark of a cult is that you need only to accept their doctrine, you don't have to understand it. This again sounds like a political compaign. They want you to take their word for it that they have the answers, but they won't be specific about what the answer is. I've always been a curious guy. I don't know how many times I've asked a question and my teacher would say, "Just take my word for it." What a cop-out. TV ads seem to qualify again. "We're better!" Just don't ask better than who, or how it's better.

Seems likely to me that self-improvement courses would use this line, too. After all, you don't need to know how your car engine works in order to drive it. In matters of the mind, nobody seems to know exactly how all of its mechanisms operate, but we can observe what works and what doesn't, and help others to get the most out of their life by sticking to what works... even if we don't know why it works. (Why buy flowers for a woman when they'll be dead a month later? You can't even eat them! Don't ask why, just do it. It works.)

Living a Double Life Is Common. This seems to be a consequence of the cult insisting theirs is the only way. It's like being on a diet. They may say you have to obey their rules at all times, but you can't live your life like that. There comes a time when you just have to have some ice cream. So when that jones hits you, you sneak out and get your groove on. Funny... a lot of diets seem to be like a cult. "Don't ask why these crazy rules will help you lose weight, just trust us."

Leaders Brush Off the Questions They Don't Have the Answers To. I don't think this is juat a mark of cults. This is universal. My parents did this. In fact... my parents have done all of these things. My family was a cult!

A Feeling of Superiority. This is a mark of a cult? Every group feels this. Why would you belong to a group that claimed to be inferior to others? On the other hand, players still belong to the Red Sox.

Members Shun Ex-Members. You gotta do this. If someone leaves the group, you don't want to hang out with that loser. The presence of ex-members makes you question your own beliefs. Can't have that. Uh-uh. How many spouses want their ex to hang around? Not many that I know of.


I may revisit this topic, but in looking at the various web pages about cults, they all seem to indicate that any group is a cult, unless they eschew all those things that even the greenest marketing dude would know. For a group to survive and be successful, they need to acquire and retain members. For a self-improvement group, the way to improve a person is to change their behavior, teach them new skills, show them what they're doing wrong... all those things that a cult would do as well. Hard to know the difference.

For now, I just want to say that this blog is the one to read. It's better than those other blogs. No need to say how or why, you can just see that it is. :)


Blog Tag: Opinion

On the Road

This weekend I'll be in Los Angeles for a Bar and Bat Mitzvah. It'll be fun to be back where the drivers drive as fast as I do (but not as well). We'll be staying with my sister-in-law. Last time we stayed there, I was thrilled to discover that one of her neighbors had a WiFi system that wasn't secured, so my laptop had instant internet all over the apartment without having to jack into the phone system. If that's still true, I should be able to post with no problem. If not, look for me next week.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend, friends.


Blog Tag: Announcements

What Is A Cult? Part 1.

I'm still tottering around like an old man. I'm sore in places I didn't know I had places. I've been getting up earlier than any self-respecting programmer should get up, so I'm going to keep this short.

I was listening to a discussion of cults on the radio this morning. One of the staff had gone to a self-improvement retreat, and the DJ's were convinced that the place was a cult. I'm not familiar with the program in question, so I can't comment on whether that particular place was a cult or not. And, for the record, I investigated Scientology when I was in college and decided that it wasn't for me.

I believe in self-improvement as a worthy goal, and I've attended self-improvement seminars that were of great benefit to me. I've never fallen prey to a cult; I'm too cynical and skeptical.

This morning, the DJ's were using a "Cult Test" to determine if their coworker was in a cult. The majority of the questions made me wonder how valid the questions were. A cult begins by trying to modify your behavior. So does a self-improvement course. That's what self-improvement is all about: modifying your behavior. In my next post (tomorrow, if I have the energy), I'll review the specifics of the questions in the various Cult Tests that the great Google has retrieved for me.


Blog Tag: Opinion

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