Short and sweet...

Christmas was great. I got 7 games; Wild ARMs 3, 4, and Alter Code:F, Star Wars Podracer Revenge, Star Wars: Episode 3 and Lego Star Wars, all for the PS2. I also got SimCity 4 for the PC. And best of all, Val, her mom, her mom's friend and her Aunt Sandy banded together and refurbished my Cabbage Patch Kid. Sandy resewed all the stitching that had gone out over the years, Rosallyn got lots of cute clothes for him, and Val's mom brought it all together. But it was all Val's idea. And she was the mover and shaker of it.

I'm working nights, so I'm gonna stop, but I hope all of you enjoyed your Christmas.

I'm goin' away for Christmas...

I have the rest of the week off, starting tomorrow. We're gonna work on Christmas cards, anticipate presents, and take time to play games.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Again, I can hear the masses saying..."duh".

Your link for the day.

A study says that 95% of Americans have had sex before they were married. And people think that it's normal.

I'm not even gonna get into a discussion or a diatribe about this study. The only comment I will make is that this shows why Western civilization is going down the toilet, and why the 2nd Coming is right around the corner. If the most sacred thing a person can share with someone else is cheapened to the point of normalcy by its casual flaunting and misuse, we are doomed.

Repeat after me..."moral degredation".

Just hold on to the stupid thing...!

Your gratuitous game link for the day...

You'd think that people wouldn't let go of their game controllers, even in the heat of the moment...

Then again, perhaps I'm not as excitable as other people.

I have made a decision about games and game consoles. From now on I'm not gonna buy a *new* console until the end of its generational cycle. I'll just save up money, and then when the new consoles come out, I'll pick up the old ones along with all the cool games that are out for them. This way I save money, avoid hardware recalls and destoyed HDTV's from flung Wiimotes.

So, with the Wii, 360 and the PS3 coming out last month, I would have bought a PS2/Xbox/GameCube, along with the games I wanted. But, I have a PS2 and 'Cube already, along with games. So my plan will be put into effect as of this moment.

Post #2

Mom just sent me this...

I wonder what Ben's take is...

on this.

A Ford Mustang Wagon?


The world is doomed...

Cone nebula

Resembling a nightmarish beast rearing its head from a crimson sea, this monstrous object is actually a pillar of gas and dust. Called the Cone Nebula because of its conical shape in ground-based images, this giant pillar resides in a turbulent star-forming region. Taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in April 2002, this image shows the upper 2.5 light-years of the nebula, a height that equals 23 million round trips to the moon. The entire nebula is 7 light years in length. The Cone Nebula resides 2,500 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. Radiation from hot, young stars has slowly eroded the nebula over millions of years. Ultraviolet light heats the edges of the dark cloud, releasing gas into the relatively empty region of surrounding space. There, additional ultraviolet radiation causes the hydrogen gas to glow, which produces the red halo of light seen around the pillar. A similar process occurs on a much smaller scale to gas surrounding a single star, forming the bow-shaped arc seen near the upper left side of the Cone. This arc is 65 times larger than the diameter of our solar system. The blue-white light from surrounding stars is reflected by dust. Background stars can be seen peeking through the evaporating tendrils of gas, while the turbulent base is pockmarked with stars reddened by dust. Over time, only the densest regions of the Cone will be left. Inside these regions, stars and planets may form. The Cone Nebula is a cousin of the M16 pillars, which the Hubble imaged in 1995. Monstrous pillars of cold gas like the Cone and M16 are common in large regions of star birth. Astronomers believe the pillars are incubators for developing stars.

Image credit: NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (UCSC/LO), M. Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team and ESA

Here is the link for the text and image.

The king has died. Long live the king...

Ben's site is now gone.

*sigh*

I'm taking it off the side of the blog right now...

How big is the second Death Star really...?

I didn't post yesterday, and I apologize.

Here is your Star Trek/Star Wars/sci-fi link for the day.

WARNING: If you do not have a cable/DSL/T-1 or faster connection to the 'Net, I wouldn't even bother clicking the link. Lots of .gif images that are quite hi-resolution. So, if you are dial-up, don't even worry about it.

I'm not sure how coherent this will be...

...but it saddens me just how much intolerance and/or hate and /or indifference is in the world. It almost seems as though peaceful coexistence is an empty platitude mouthed for the benefit of the poor sheeple who are expected to remain pliant.

Angnostics and atheists decry the supposed fallacies of organized religions and question the believers' sanity in believing in things so obviously false and unproveable, organized religions preach intolerance and bigotry towards their fellowmen, road-rage is rampant, and indifference towards others is rife.

And the indifference isn't only towards other people, but also towards the things we belive. I wonder what the percentage of church members is, in any religion, that have testimonies of their faith. Strong, Mother Teresa/Pres. Hinckley types of testimonies. Religion seems to be a thing practiced on Sunday, and rarely if ever implemented in a person's life. I suppose it has always been that way, but I can only wonder at how much better would the world be if everyone loved everyone else and helped them, according to their religion's dictates.

Why can someone believe in no Higher Authority, but if I do belive in God and Jesus, why do they attack me for my belief? Am I the only one who sees a double standard here and a inherent weakness in the believers' position? I'm not saying that the position is weak, only that by proclaiming a belief in something, say Christianity, it limits the kind of responses to the attacker.
Because the attacker will invariably deny the reality of a person's feelings, and thus their testimony, and the beliver is limited by his Christian beliefs towards patience, tolerance and love. NOT that these beliefs make the person weak. But if you are taught not to attack a person's beliefs and to be tolerant, you will feel sadness and sorrow for the other's intractability. Hopefully you will also share your testimony, even though it might ultimately be a futile endeavor. But that will be the extent of your involvement.

I suppose that contention/attacks on others will never be a viable method of conversion. Helping others to feel the Spirit through truth is the most effective method. It just seems that there is so little opportunity to share the Spirit through the Internet.

My disclaimer is that I still have a testimony of the restored Gospel, and that it is true. Prophets lead us through current revelation.

I think I have a problem with the "meekness is not weakness" thing.

I know. It's been a while...

"This 1991 image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a small section of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. The Cygnus Loop marks the edge of a bubble-like, expanding blast wave from a colossal stellar explosion which occurred about 15,000 years ago. Supernova remnants play an important role in stellar evolution by enriching space with heavy elements, and triggering new star formation by compressing interstellar gas.The image shows the structure behind the shock waves in the Cygnus Loop with unprecedented clarity, allowing astronomers to compare directly the actual structure of the shock with theoretical model calculations for the first time. Besides supernova remnants, these shock models are important in understanding a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, ranging from winds in newly-formed stars to cataclysmic stellar outbursts.As the supernova blast wave slams into tenuous clouds of interstellar gas, the resulting collision heats and compresses the gas, causing it to glow. The shock acts as a searchlight by revealing the structure of the interstellar medium.A bluish ribbon of light stretching left to right across the picture might be a knot of gas ejected by the supernova. This interstellar "bullet," traveling over three million miles per hour (5 million km), is just catching up with the shock front, which has been slowed by plowing into interstellar material.The Cygnus Loop appears as a faint ring of glowing gases about three degrees across (six times the diameter of the full moon), located in the northern constellation Cygnus the Swan. The supernova remnant is within the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy and is 2,600 light-years away."

Text and image taken from here.

My bad...

I didn't post yesterday, and I hope all of you were OK with that. I'm really bsy today, and I don't have anything else to say today.

So, until tomorrow...

Hardware upgrade...

So, I traded in my old PS2, which I got about 6 months after the launch in either 2000 or 2001. I got $15 for it, which I used to buy a new PS2. I'm pleased with the new one. It's about 1/3 the size of the old one, makes lots less noise, has an integrated IR remote reciever, and is lots faster than the old one. The only drawback is that it is a top-loader, instead of a front-, like the old one. And the reason I only got $15 for it is because it was an old model that didn't play blue PS2 discs, so it needed to be sent back to be refurbished. I wasn't too happy to lose the $45 that I had hoped would go towards my re-upping, but I'll live through it.

So, that burns through the rest of my Christmas money for this year. And I'm OK with that. I picked up the stuff that I wanted, and Val has the things she wants. So, we should be good to go.

A better day, I hope...

...than yesterday. I think my problem is that I put too much stock in my personal relationships, and am too sensitive.

I worry what others think of me, if they are upset with me or not, whether what I do or don't pleases them, etc. This is with ALL of my relationships. And when someone doesn't respond to me as quickly as I would like, I assume (bad, Jordan, bad!) that they ARE mad at me, and the whole thing goes down the toilet from there. But, the key to all of this is that I still choose how I feel, and can therefore choose my way out of my funk. It's really difficult, though.

I just need to not worry so much, and trust that those who care about me will tell me if I have done something stupid, or have hurt them in some way.

A bad day...

I don't want to talk about it...

Working nights again...

...so this'll be short.

Nothing to report.



























"...feh. Boring conversation anyway. Luke...!"

So many games, so little time or money...

Your link for the day.
























WHY DO THEY TEMPT ME?!?!?!?!

I CAN'T AFFORD A 360! NOR A WII ! AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO UPGRADE MY COMPUTER!

I JUST BOUGHT A BUNCH OF GAMES FOR THE PS2 FOR CHRISTMAS!

WHY DO THEY MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO INDULGE? DO THEY HATE ME? DO THEY GLORY IN THEIR SADISTIC PLEASURE AT THEIR ABILITY TO INFLICT PAIN AND MISERY?

*whimper...*

Back from Thanksgiving weekend...

The potatoes were very yummy, along with the mushroom gravy, the stuffing, the peas and the home-made punkin pie. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

It was hard coming back this morning, but it always is.

How was everyone else's weekends?

Thankful...?

Yes, I am...

I know most everyone is gone already. I'm working nights tonight, and I have Friday off. So, I'll wish you all a belated Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Remember, we have a lot to be thankful for. And this country, despite its faults and follies, is still the greatest country on the earth.

I love all of you...

I love food...

...and this report says why I do.

It also tells me why I love pumpkin pie so much, and why, despite no turkey on Thursday, I'll be having lots of fun and yummy food.

I am SO looking forward to everything on Thursday.

Isn't it painfully obvious...?

...that he did it?


Say hi to Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and Osama when you get to hell.

Better yet, tell them to *insert expletive here*.

One, and then the other...

Your link for the day...

Dollar coins are a good idea, I think, as long as they are readily available. I have a Sacagawea dollar, but I didn't see a lot of them around.

Now, my other topic for the day.

I enjoy being in choir in church. I love singing. I love singing tenor and/or bass parts. I like Christmas. I like to participate in things I like to do...

So, that is why I'm stoked to be able to be the narrator in our ward Christmas program in church on the 24 Dec 06. I'm also gonna be able to sing! Whoo hoo!

I had fun last night practicing with my mother-in-law and Val the music/cantata we are getting ready for Christmas. So much fun to be able to do things that sound good with other people who sound better than I do.

*glee!*

A new link...

Here it is, or else you can click on it over on the side, if you want. It's right above Ben's link.

More news to come later.

For the record...

I have neither an XBox, Xbox 360 nor a PS3.

My point is that $600 is a lot of money to pay for a console that has few games. But, as Ben pointed out, the PS3 is backwards compatible with PS2 games, and a Blu-ray DVD player is +$1000. So, if you wanna upgrade your DVD player and your console,all at the same time, go for it.

Me, I'm gonna wait 3 or 4 years.

Maybe more.

Oh, the irony...

1: People shot while waiting in line for PS3.

2: Wii more available, and it's unique...

As to the first one, I realize that this sort of thing (the craziness) happens frequently when groups of people compete for limited 'resources'. It's not limited or specific only to the PS3 launch. And, when you're carrying $600 + to buy something, it's easy money if you want to rob someone.

The second one seems to be a no-brainer for me. With Nintendo you get Mario, Zelda and Link, Metroid and Samus... Name-brand characters with historically succesful franchises, even though the only one being offered right now of those is Zelda. With the PS3, your launch is...sparsely populated, to say the least.

I thought Tycho put it best this morning in this.

It's HOW much?!?!?!?!?!

Your link for the day.

OK...

$600 + for a new console is asenine, in my opinion. Even if it has a next-gen DVD player and is HD capable. There are few games for it, it's overpriced and scarce.

The XBox 360 has HD capability, has lots of games, has been out for a year, and has a DVD player. Not next-gen, but capable nonetheless.

And it's HALF THE PRICE of a PS3!

Go back to your lives, citizens...

...show's over.

Not a lot happening. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

...and all the hot air they spew pollutes too!

Happy Monday..........?

Nothing here today, citizens.

See you tomorrow.

Honestly...

No links today...

I've come to the conclusion that people don't like honesty, even my own family(immediate and -in-law's). Most people proclaim honesty to be one of the pillars of civilization, and bemoan the fact that there is not enough of it in the world. Yet, if a person is honest to someone else, the reciever is offended and angry 99% of the time. I hate people who pay lip-service, and thats all.

Now I can understand that most people have a hard time taking criticism. I am one of them. I'm trying to do better. But, at what point do we stop being honest with ourselves and with others because we are afraid of hurting their feelings? Don't the ones we love deserve to know when they have hurt our feelings?

Are my feelings less important than theirs?

Should I stomp down on my feelings because I am afraid of hurting their feelings?

Apparently so, as even my own family has gotten upset with me on occasion for expressing my feelings truthfully. Josh has blown up at me on more than one occasion. Mom has, and Dad has too. Why is honesty so difficult for others to accept?

I think the thing that bothers me the most is that my family has been taught the same things that I have, and proclaims to cherish honesty and open communication. Yet when I communicate about how I feel, even in an imperfect manner which is the best I can do, the reaction is anger and hostility.

No one likes to be told that they hurt someone else, but to compound the problem by getting upset really makes it worse.

Don't tell me how I SHOULD feel. Who are you to tell me how I should feel, huh? Sympathize with me. Tell me that you are sorry and will try to do better. That's all I ask.

If I've done something to hurt you, tell me, and I'll do my best to say I'm sorry and to reciprocate.

And if you claim to want open communication, be aware that you are not perfect, even if you are a parent, and that that openness entails a certain amount of negative feedback. And also be aware that getting angry only facilitates the destruction of communication.

What a freakin' crock of crap. This upsets me so much I deliberately have ommitted the obscenities I had run through my mind as I was typing all of this. Rest assured, though, that they are there.

Now, on to the real issue: I want to go to a LAN tonight with my brothers-in-law and play computer games. The thing is that Aaron's girlfriend Melissa is loud-mouthed, obnoxious, and very full of herself, and she's sure to be there tonight. I don't want to be there if she's there. But, I also want to play.

Hence the dilemma. The rhetorical question before the court: Do I stuff my feelings and go play anyway? Do I avoid the situation? I know I can't be honest to any of these people(DeVon, Marie, Melissa, Aaron, Josh. Relationship to Jordan: father-, step-mother-, sister-, and 2 brothers-in-law), as they will explode just like my brother Josh.

I hate this feeling, knowing that it is an exercise in futility to be honest with most of my family.

Ask yourself: Do I want others to be honest with me, or do I want to hear some myself-serving BS from them? Which do I really want?

*indifference*

Your link for the day.

In short, the article states that Windows Vista is now ready for distribution, and will be released in January 30, 2007.

I'm gonna shorten it right now to WinVis, and state my utter lack of drive to buy said product. I see no reason to shell out $150+ for something that is gonna be a buggy, unsecure piece of crap. Not that XP is really secure, but it's been around for 5+ years and hasn't let me down yet. That's my opinion anyway.



Good day...

Happy anniversary...

to Val and I. We've been married for 3 years today!

We went and voted, and then we went out to eat for the first time in 8 months. We found a place in SLC that makes vegan pizzas called Este Pizza (about 21st South and 840 East). It was excellent, and the people there were very friendly and helpful. Then we sang to Pink Floyd and the Pulse version of 'Dark Side of the Moon' all the way home. Played Scrabble, where she kicked my trash yet again. I think the final score was 187 to 129. Oh well...It was fun anyway.

Happy day, my goo. I love you so much!

This is NOT a rant...

but I take issue with this article.

There is a better way to prevent this from happening, and it would remove a whole lot of other problems: global warming, water pollution, deforestation, ozone depletion, oil dependence...The list goes on.

The solution? Be vegan!

I understand that there are 1 billion people who depend on seafood for their protein. I don't have a problem with that. But, why can't Americans cut out their seafood intake? We don't depend solely on fish for our protein, so why don't we take it away? Wouldn't that help alleviate the 2048 collapse?

I'll tell you why. It's either one or any combination of these reasons: because it would be difficult. Because people see animals as resources to be exploited, not as animals with feelings, not as God's creations that have feelings and souls; because people are addicted to their 'carnal' pleasures. They operate under the fallacy, fed to them by the animal exploiters, that 'animal' protein is better than plant protein. They also lack the imagination to be adventurous in the foods they eat. They also are lazy, and don't want to spend the time to cook their food.

Some parts of the world don't have a choice in what they eat, or where they get their protein. As Americans, the overwhelming majority DO have a choice. But, they choose to be lazy, buying into the stereotypes fed to them by manipulative industries.

Now, I know that people are gonna feel indignant, and feel that I have maligned them. I promise that that has not been my intention. I merely saw another solution to the problem stated in the article, and I can give just as much evidence to support my position as others can give to defend theirs.

Ultimately, the choice to be vegan resides within the mind and soul of every person, and, like the gospel, can't be brought about by facts, figures or debate. It must come through correct information, clearly presented in a caring manner.

A good book that converted me is 'Diet for a New America' by John Robbins. I found it quite informative, and full of INDEPENDENT sources to back his opinions and observations.

*whew*

OK. I'm done.

On a different note...check this and this out. They are game video previews for the new Nintendo system and Legend of Zelda game that are coming out on 19 Nov 06.

After watching those, I figure that I'm definitely gonna be ensnared by that game and system, despite its unconventional controllers. Sooner or later, it's gonna happen. "We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

And lastly.....4 LINKS!!!!! Whoo hoo!

Not much today...

Sorry, but I haven't been able to find anything worth posting.

*sigh*

Oh well.

See ya tomorrow!

100 million...and still going

This article says that the Web has hit 100 million+ websites, since starting in 1989.

To quote the article: "When the Web was started, it was started as a mechanism for sharing high energy particle physics data," said Professor Rebecca Grinter of Georgia Tech's College of Computing.
The creator of that Web site, Tim Berners-Lee, wanted experts to be able to share data on particle smashing, even if they weren't at CERN in Switzerland where he was doing research. CERN, in Geneva, is the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Research facilities and universities soon started seeing benefits of this new tool for things as lofty as nuclear physics and as mundane as sharing restaurant recommendations.
Even today CERN proudly proclaims on its home page, "The world's largest particle physics laboratory, where the Web was born!"

I bet we hit 1 billion in 10 or 15 years.

EDIT: Ben pointed out that ARPANET has been around longer and is the true 'Net forerunner, according to this article, and this article also. Once again, Ben reveals his prowess.

Impressive.........Most impressive.

Yearnings...

Here is your link for the day. It's a webcomic I like. Hope it makes you laugh.

I've never played a real RPG with a 'dungeon-master' before, but I bought some Star Wars RPG books that I lent to Joel before he left. They're gone now, to who-knows-where.

I wish I had been able to play it with him some.

*sigh* $50+ down the tube.

It's Halloween! / aka Crass Commercialism

The only thing I feel I can say about today...blah!

It would be different if I could eat the candy, the chocolate and other sweet things. But, I'm not gonna do it. So, there goes one of the few things that makes it worth it.

I know there are others who will decry my lack of sentiment about this 'fun' holiday. But I feel that it is a child's holiday, tailored to them, their wants and desires; gorge on candy for free, dress up in ninja outfits, parties at school with cupcakes and stuff. Overly commercialized, and definitely NOT vegan.

I can't stand putting things like makeup on my face. I feel like a moron dressing up in anything other than my normal clothes.

There are only a few good things about Halloween: seeing the little ones from Nursery in their cute outfits, and carving pumpkins. My pumpkin this year is a cutout of Coach Z. Val's is the 'Eh, Steve!' guy.

I'm sure you're all gonna tell me why I shouldn't be so grumpy, but it's difficult for me to find any reasonable rationale for getting hyped over it.

I like Ben's links

Here it is.

Basically, this article's points are difficult to oppose.

The Internet has failed to meet the expectations foisted upon it at its inception, and has only succeeded in reaching the lowest common denominator of human depravity, for the most part.

Of course, as with anything else, there are pros and cons. I just put books on hold over the 'net, and I can pick them up tomorrow. Sweeeet.

The internet is very helpful, but not ground-breaking.

Stupid Blogger...

I tried to post last week, but there were...'outages'. So, I'm sorry for not being able to provide you with your daily fix. I hope you survived.

No link yet, but if something comes along, I'll let you know.

23 Thousand reasons to go back to school...

This says that people with a BA make at least $23k more than someone with a high school diploma.

Good reasons for trying to make another go at college.

I am thinking about going into nutrition or something like that. Maybe I could help advise people on how to eat better...

Feh...

Stupid Blogger. Down all day.

Nothing to post.

*blah*

At least my sidebar is back. Be thankful for small things.

Who says they are all slack-jawed troglydites...?

Your link for the day.

Brian May is the guitarist for Queen, but he was doing his PhD in astronomy before Queen bacme popular.

This shows me that not all rockers are unintelligent. I thought that most of them were relatively uneducated and unsophisticated. I am glad to see that I am wrong.

Of course, I realize that I have a miniscule amount of musical genius, and that I can't play burning guitar riffs like Slash, write excellent lyrics like Roger Waters, or sing as well as David Gilmour. To be able to do those things requires a more extensive musical education than I have.

So, I suppose I have bought in to the stereotype that 'rockers' are merely sex-crazed, coke-driven, drooling slobs.

I know that there are still those sort of people in rock, but not the overwhelming majority that I had envisioned.

I was wrong.

Back from the land of the living...

"Hallelujah brother! I am here to comfort the sinner and return the stray lamb to the fold..."

Your Cat Ballou fix for the day...

I'm back from vacation. It was great to see Leah and Joel, and Eric. I wish I'd been able to get pictures, but we have no digital camera. Some day soon, though, we will.

Not much to report. A few complaints, but I'm not gonna voice them here or now.

I'll post a link later on today if it is warranted.

Bye!

Happy birthday, my Goo!

She's so cute! I <3 her.

Happy birthday, my precious!

Happy, happy birthday from all of us to you...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEAH!!!!!!

We <3 you, Lemur!

By the way...

I'm gonna be gone the rest of this week and all of next week. We're gonna be in IF until Monday, and we'll be back at home for the rest of the week.

Ah, a nice relaxing week, playing games, sleeping in....I can hardly wait.

I'm out!

P.S. 1 year ago, yesterday, I started this blog. I think I like it a lot.

Have fun while I'm gone!

Crazy, like a fox...

Link

In short, the article states that N.Korea's nuke test may have the effect on the U.S. that the N.Koreans wanted: a normalization of relations and a non-agression treaty. International consensus may force the U.S. to recognize the government of N.Korea, especially if Kim Jong Il is willing to dismantle his new nuclear arsenal in order to facilitate a relationship with the U.S.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. I think the dictator is treating his people poorly, but how can we change it? Sanctions, in my opinion, hurt the common people, not the leaders who govern them. Short of a .50 caliber bullet from 1 mile away, what else can we do? Do we go in, topple the leadership and start another Iraq? How can we MAKE him treat his people well?

I guess we can't.

I can hear the legions saying...'DUH!'

Your link for the day.

So, let your kids be kids. Try asking them what they would like to do instead of making them play T-ball, play violin and piano, learning Spanish, Mandarin, German and C++, and algebra.

Childhood is fleeting. Adulthood is permanent.

And ask yourself WHY you want them to excel. Is it because of your insecurities or inadequacies?

Faceless serenity...

No, this isn't a post about the band Godsmack...

Your link for the day...

I think the last 2 paragraphs are indicative of the whole article:


"Back in Iowa, Henderson is enjoying spending more face-to-face time with his friends and less with his computer. He says his decision to quit MySpace and Facebook was a good one.
"I'm not sacrificing friends," he says, "because if a picture, some basic information about their life and a Web page is all my friendship has become, then there was nothing to sacrifice to begin with."

I suppose that friendship is a subjective term. Someone else might consider a photo, a web page and a brief description the basis of a friendship.

I prefer a deeper level of interaction from myself for those I call my friends...

Quick Friday post...

I'm super busy today, so this will be quick.

Talked to Joel yesterday. He sounds fine, if a bit disoriented. Still the same person, if quite a bit more mature. Uhhh....OK, not the same person, since he has changed. Ummmm. Yeah....

Leah's excited to be going to MT and IF with Eric (her uncle).

Not much else to report. If you wanna talk to Joel, call me and I'll give you either Mom or Dad's cell # so you can talk...

I'm out. Sorry for not having a link today.

Have a great weekend!

What!?! I'm only 55 minutes late...

Last Saturday, 23Sep06, Val and I found that one of my stitches had been left behind/ forgotten/overlooked. It was the one at the bottom of my right scapula (shoulder-blade). So, we had it taken out.

Well, this morning Val found another stitch in my lower back. I don't understand how she knew it was there, since it felt like a bump to me. But, the doctor pulled it and it was a stitch. As a precautionary measure we had him check all of the other places I got sewed up, and there were no other lingering stitches.

Now, before you send comments telling me to drop/sue my quack physician, I will tell you that he wasn't the one to take out the stitches. There was a med-school student who was helping him that day.

So, she missed some.

Annoying, but I'm not gonna scream about it.

And, happy day, my blood pressure is 110/80, which r00x0rz!

So, I was 55 minutes late.

T minus 6 hours, or so...

Joel arrives in IF at 6:22 pm on Wednesday, 04 October. That's what Mom said a month ago. I wonder if she and Dad have butterflies...

I don't think I have a link worth anything today, but Ben's atomic bomb dismantling link deserve a looksee.

I'll post again if something comes up.

I'm out...

T minus-1

Joel comes home tomorrow. Happy, happy!

Your link for today. It's the first post on the page.

Basically, Tycho examines the fallcy of the government trying to regulate the regulators of the ESRB, which is the review board for video games. Legislation is in the works to make the ESRB play completely through every game it reviews. Not to mention being impossible time-wise, considering the amount of new games that come out every month, Tycho makes the point that it is futile to try and rate player-added content that is not shipped with the game. Another point: Why should the ESRB be held responsible for what a player finds in his already sex- and violence-filled copy of Grand Theft Auto- San Andreas? Haven't they done their job by posting a Mature rating on the game? If you object to violence and/or nudity, why the HELL are you playing GTA:SA in the first place? Or letting your children play it, even IF there are nastier things hidden away on the disc?

I can hear it now: "Yes, son, I'll buy this game for you, even though it is named GRAND... THEFT... AUTO! And has a woman in revealing clothing on the cover."......"What? You kill people in this game and steal their car? You can even be a pimp? Well, that's all right, I guess................ *gasp* WTF! A simulated sex-scene! Why is this FILTH even on this game? I'm gonna sue the producer of this game for including such trash and subjecting my children to it!

Here's a news flash, politicians and parents of America... Keep track of what your children are doing and playing. Stop spending time playing golf, poker, shoe shopping, getting manicures, looking at porn, etc. ... and wake up to what your children are doing! Spend time with them instead.

Stupid people...

I apologize for my strong language. I feel strongly about this.

Just how anal do you have to be...

...for this to matter?

I suppose some people are sticklers for correct grammar. I know, for myself, that I hate it when people misspell things.

Oh well. I'm not gonna rant about this, as everyone has their ideosyncrasies.

Just seems to be nit-picky, to me.

But, again, I dunt buthcer my sintences.

:D

I'm back...

Sorry for not telling you, but I had Friday off. And boy, coming back to work is tough. I just have to make it through the next week and a half, and then I have 7 days off... Ah, the relaxation and oblivion. I can almost feel it right now.

Conference was good. I liked it a lot. I always love to listen to Elder Holland when he talks. If he gave 1 talk every session, that would only be better. I was also reminded of how much I miss hearing Elder Maxwell...It's too bad he's gone. Pres. Monson always has good stories. All in all, an excellent conference.

No link yet today, but I'm sure I'll come up with one later on today. Fear not...

Last but not least: Joel comes home in 2 days.

*glee!*

I am SO getting this when it happens...

Your gratuitous Star Trek game link for the month.

I got the first Birth of the Federation for a penny from Hastings in IF. One of the best games in my PC library.

That game R0xx0rz!

Blah...

I feel blah today.

I don't know why, and I don't think I wanna do anything about it.

Thanks for not trying to talk me out of it.

I almost forgot...

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Thanks for being my friend.

Success!

I finally got MechWarrior2 to work on Friday. I suppose it needed to be loaded up on an Athlon motherboard, not a Pentium 3 or 4.

Joel has about a week to go...

And I have nothing else to comment on.

'bye!

Post #201

Holy crap! I passed post 200 without even realizing it.

Sorry if this is short. I have nothing to share today, really.

Have a good weekend!

2nd post

Stupid qoute buttons don't work on my last post. Either that or I don't know how to use them. If that's the case, I feel pretty stupid...'Hi, I need a tutorial on how to use the quote button!'

Heh, *derf*

Yeah...

MW2 update: Still no luck. I posted something to the ArsTechnica website forum, whose link is in the link section, and we'll see if anything comes of it. My username is Marauder2c if you wanna look at the post and thread.

I'm out.

I got a speech to give...

Your link for the day.

Basically the link discusses why Persident Bush's speech at the UN yesterday was met with skepticism.

I thought there were a few good questions/points brought up in the article.

"Some have argued that the democratic changes we're seeing in the
Middle East are destabilizing the region," Bush noted. "This argument rests on a
false assumption, that the Middle East was stable to begin with. The reality is
that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage. For
decades, millions of men and women in the region have been trapped in oppression
and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation disillusioned, and made
this region a breeding ground for extremism."

True, the Middle East has rarely been a peaceful place. It's been that way for as long as I can remember, ~20 years.

In short, much of the world remains to be convinced that Iran actually
harbors the "nuclear weapons ambitions" alleged by President Bush. And the fact
that these allegations are coming from the same man who started a war on the
basis of a series of claims against Iraq that later were proved false does not
help his case.

I suppose that that will be Bush's short-term legacy: He acted on incorrect information and started a pre-emptive war against someone who, while he was a bad, despicable person, wasn't the supporter of al-Qaeda or a hoarder of nukes or biological weapons.

It's difficult to be lenient to the President when the results of his actions are so immediately obvious, and when his hoped-for reactions are at least 20 years away.

Other things...

I think I figured out my conundrum with MW2. I made a Win98 boot disk so that I start in DOS instead of Windows. Then I'll load MW2 through DOS, and then play through Windows, if necessary. We'll see if the other things are necessary.

I forgot that we went and saw Superman on Friday night. I liked it.

WHY WON'T IT WORK?!?!?!

Well, I still don't have MechWarrior2 loaded yet.

The problem is that I don't know why it won't load up. I get an error message, but it is practically incomprehensible to me. This morning I joined a message board, and tonight I'll post a post so that possibly I can get some help. I do have a few other things I can try to get it to come up and load.

I still have my fingers crossed. But, I'm close to pulling out my sideburns from frustration.

I think I got it...

OK, my MW2 update for today.

The 6 GB disk I was trying to work on Saturday I took back to work this morning. I took the Win98 CD I got from a friend in California and formatted the hard-drive, since the CD will only work on a Dell machine. So, Win98 is now on the drive, but without any sort of updates. WindowsUpdate wouldn't update the OS, so I gave up. I'll see if MW2 will work on it now.

We'll see.

Cross your fingers...

I hate WindowsME!

Really, I do. Do you think I'd be posting on Saturday if I didn't?!?!?

I spent 4 hours this morning trying to get a 6 GB hard-drive ready for a MW2 intall, and every time I load up my wireless network card software, the system locks. Even if it finds the appropriate network, it logs in and halts the system.

Yeah! I don't need internet access to update the OS, do I? Or download drivers! Or look for patches for the game!

Stupid piece of software!

I think I'm gonna have to give up on MW2, at least until I get money for an external drive and a copy of Win95.



XP never does this to me.

Faster boy, faster...! (a la Sean Connery)

I got more RAM for my computer here at work. It's amazing what a doubling of memory will do to speed things up...

I went from 128MB to 256MB.

I am pleased.

This has Val ands I written all over it...

Not that we are gonna rush out and drop $ for a Wii, but we do love our Zelda games.

P.S. I like Tycho's nose in this.

Nuthin'....

Not much to talk about today, so I won't try to force anything.

'bye...

Busy day!

OK, I think I got all of the new links up that I wanted. Check 'em out, if you would.

I also think this is the most posts I've ever made in one day.

I think I'm done for now.

Back in black...

Ah, finally...

This way I can use almost all of the colors now...

I think I'm gonna try another template for the blog...

If I'm outta touch for a while, rest assured that I will be back.

If I could stop laughing, I might feel sorry for him...

I think I'm happy with my copies of Star Wars, thank you.

Pancake post #2

Just so you all don't think I'm a glutton, I didn't eat anything for lunch. I finished my 12 pancakes at 10:15 AM.

Lunch was at 1 PM. Dinner will probably be at 6.30 PM.

Actually I stopped eating early. I was gonna keep going, but I decided I shouldn't. My self-control must be growing.

I can still pack it away, though, can't I?

...and the fear still shakes me...

I must admit something a bit shameful to you all this morning. And it is painful...

I...............had pancakes this morning! Before my fruit was all digested!

Oh! The pain and anguish of spirit!

I must tell you that everything I ate was vegan. I just couldn't help myself. Someone at work made them this morning, and I was the last one to go at it.

They sure were yummy!

I feel sorry for my peaches. They had to share my tummy with 12 pancakes.

P.S. I saw a whippet yesterday morning on my way to work. It wasn't broken-brindled like Hugo, but it sure was like him. Same head movements and the prance. I was sad...

HELP!!!!!

I am sending out a request to all of you...the 3 of you who read this blog.

I'd really like to have either a copy of Windows 95 or Windows 98. There are games I'd like to play that won't work on WinXP, only on Win95 or 98. If any of you has access to or can burn a copy for me, I'll gladly pay...$10. The program itself prolly isn't worth that much, but I'll pay it.

I'd appreciate it if you could at least look...

Thanks a lot.

I knew there was a reason I didn't like college...

Your link for the day.

The article says that more homework does not a genius make, more or less. I am inclined to agree, since after about 90 minutes I start to burn out. I can't imagine what would happen to a 4th grader who is, right now, probably saddled with at least 90 minutes.

Repeat after me: Counter-productive.

The surest way, at least for most people, to discourage them from doing something is to make it difficult, frustrating and not fun.

Makes me wonder why so many kids are on Ritalin. School isn't fun, so they make their minds go elsewhere. I'd be hard pressed to pay attention if I knew I was gonna be hit up for 2 hours of homework every day. And I'm 28! Not 10.

One other thing...

Live every day as if it's the last, do the things you think are right, and NEVER take the ones you love for granted. Tell them you love them.

I have the power to see into the future, centuries into the future...

Thanks, Merlin.

Basically, this article is a postulation on a possible future in the post 9/11 future. I don't know how accurate the article is, obviously, at predicting the future. But I hope that things work out for us.

I still remember that day, 5 years ago. I got home from school, unaware that anything had happened. My roommate then said something like "We're at war, or sumthin'." I remember watching someone jump out in order to avoid being incinerated. It was terrible to watch.

I remember something else that I said at the time..."Nuke 'em til they glow, shoot 'em in the dark, let God sort them out." Not Christ-like at all, but yet an accurate representation on how I felt at the time.

Right now, I'm just not sure what to do about all of the things I think are wrong in the world. Does one person really make a difference? I think we need Divine help in sorting out the mess that is the world right now. That one Person can make all the difference.

Dropping gas prices...

Leah's good advice!

All the stuff in parentheses are my thoughts. No links in this one...



If dogs were our teachers:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

Let others know when they've invaded your territory. (But be nice about it...)

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. (Sounds like Hugo... :) )

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout..! run right back and make friends. (How true! I have problems doing this myself.)

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently. (And just listen...)

Finally!

I had my stitches removed yesterday, which is a cause for much rejoicing (yay...monty python).
I was starting to go crazy, having to cover up the stitches with band-aids, skipping days between showers, etc...

The other good news is that all of the moles I had taken out were benign. Not that I was worried, but it is nice. It also is nice to hear a doctor congratulate me for the changes that I have made. He said my blood-work is back to being perfect, except for my triglycerides. This is good news, as my body/blood was WAY out of line 5 months ago. I'm gonna see if eating a bit less and exercising will bring my tri-glydes(...shy-guys?) back to where they are supposed to be.

Future vacation plans...

Just so you know, Joel comes home 4 October 2006. Val and I are prolly gonna be going up to IF on the 12 Oct 06 so we can hang with him, and with Leah and Eric (mom's brother). It's gonna be Leah's birthday that day, and I wanna be there with both she and Joel. We'll prolly stay until the 15 or 16 Oct. I then have the rest of the week off, just in time for Val's birthday on the 20 Oct 06.
Lotsa birthdays!

40 years old...

Another link for you...

As an admitted Star Trek fan, it's hard to believe that 40 years has passed since Trek first aired. I'm more of a Deep Space 9 fan than the original, but you have to start somewhere.

By the way, I bet Shatner and Nimoy are rolling in the dough.

I like Star Trek. I wish it was real...

"I'm not socially inept..."

Your link for the day.

There is no substitute for having a real life. But, I agree that these sorts of games help foster interaction that a person might not have normally had. However, how much interaction can you have, realistically, when you are power-leveling, leading your 40-man guild on a raid against the Horde or camping the spawn?

I suppose that if you log in to interact rather than play, it could be said that you are wasting your money. But, waste like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Just seems like for $15 per MMORPG per month you are logged into, you could spend your time a bit more...healthily/productively.

That's my opinion. Do what you want.

Thanks, again, for stating the obvious...

My bad...

I forgot to tell you that yesterday was my mom's birthday. I'm not sure how old she is, but it doesn't matter. She is timeless.

Happy Birthday, mother dearest!

Ah, Monday...

Now that Labor Day is past, it's time to look forward to that wonderful time of year called..."Fall."

I like fall, especially watching the leaves change color. That, and the heat starts to go down.

I don't like heat.

Yesterday was kinda depressing, since I was unable to go swimming along with everyone else. However, the vegan sloppy joes that Val and I made for everyone else went over quite well, despite being made with dill relish.

I also don't like dill relish.

My namesake...

Daishi 90-ton Assault Mech


Oh yeah!! Let’s bring road rage to a whole new level! A vehicle like this would be ideal for trampling pesky neighbors, eliminating groundhogs and other troublesome varmints, and for taking over small third world countries on the weekends.

Here's the link of where I got this picture from. It's about halfway down the page. And the above paragraph is from that article. I like the groundhog reference.

By the way...even if their Christmas list is a bit dated(4 years old), I'd sure like to have that stuff.

Well, I decided that after almost a full year that I should show you what a Daishi looks like, since it is my blog name. For those of you familiar with the MechWarrior universe, the Daishi is a 90-ton Clan Assault Mech. I like them in MW4 cuz' they have the most weapon space available for its size.

Load up a couple of ER PPC's, 3 LB-20x AC's and some extra armor, and I'm ready to rock, rock on! It's slow, but devastatingly powerful, especially close up.

'Tis better to give than to recieve....

At first, when I read this article, I thought "Wouldn't it have been great to get that?" My second thought was "Wouldn't it be better to be able to give that?"

I think I'd much rather give a $10k tip than recieve one.

In the slow lane on the Information Super-Highway...

This makes me glad I don't have a CrackBerry, a PDA or anything like that. I do some shopping online, but that is about the extent of my online exposure. Except for this blog. And my e-mail account. And the websites I visit every day. And my IM service. And, uh, hmmmm...

I'm just glad I don't have more things that keep track of me that I need to keep track of and erase.

Wow, what a long sentence!

Ouch!

Heh....camping. I like camping. Every time we would play Counterstrike, I would be the sniper, especially on Aztec.

I took the day off yesterday, but it was anything but restful. Well, that's not entirely true.

Thursday of last week I won an hour-long massage, and I used it yesterday. Man, when I get wealthy enough, I'm gonna have one of those every day...

Then it was to the doctor to remove 5 moles off of my back and side. Getting the local anesthetic was the worst part. Invariably I would break out in a cold sweat every time he numbed me, and I almost said things no good boy like me is supposed to either know or say.

The other hard thing is that the biggest one he took from me, about the size of a dime, was on my right side. I sleep on that side, so it was a rather long night. I realized that I can't sleep on my back, nor on my tummy.

So, I'm back at work today, and my side feels kinda like I'm gonna pull my skin apart. Of course, that may be the band-aids sticking to the hair. I hate working with stitches. The good thing is that they will come out in 7-10 days.

I can make it a week, can't I?

Digital or analog...

Your link for the day.

Cell phones are rapidly replacing wristwatches as the preferred mobile time-keeping device. But, I don't think I'm ready to give up my watch just yet.

Besides, anyone who has a $2500 watch is either asking for a mugging or is way too pretentious for my tastes.

And yes, that is an unfair judgement. But, do you really need a watch that expensive?

I don't think so.

Storm's a-brewin'...

This mass of storm clouds was observed by Expedition 1 from the International Space Station. The picture was the first Earth observation still image downlinked by the three-man crew, which consisted of flight engineer Sergei Krikalev, Soyuz commander Yuri Gidzenko and mission commander William Shepherd. Currently, additional imagery taken by Expedition 13 crew members Jeffrey Williams, Pavel Vinogradov and Thomas Reiter has brought the total number of images of Earth taken from station to more than 248,000. Image credit: NASA

Here is the link to the pic.

Not much happening today, so I won't post anything else.

I'm out...

School...

Today is the first day of school in Utah. Monday was the first day in Idaho.

Just for your information.

Further proof is unnecessary, but, thanks anyway.

Your link for the day.

In summary, the article states that evidence has been found that the Aztecs ritually sacrificed people, including Spaniards and others, when Cortes was raping and pillaging his way across the American continent. Some of those sacrificial victims were also eaten by 'priests'.

This story reminds me of the last part of the Book of Mormon, in the book of Moroni, chapter 9:

7 And now I write somewhat concerning the sufferings of this people. For according to the knowledge which I have received from Amoron, behold, the Lamanites have many prisoners, which they took from the tower of Sherrizah; and there were men, women, and children.

8 And the husbands and fathers of those women and children they have slain; and they feed the women upon the flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers; and no water, save a little, do they give unto them.

9 And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue—

10 And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery.

11 O my beloved son, how can a people like this, that are without civilization—

12 (And only a few years have passed away, and they were a civil and a delightsome people)

13 But O my son, how can a people like this, whose delight is in so much abomination—

14 How can we expect that God will stay his hand in judgment against us?

15 Behold, my heart cries: Wo unto this people. Come out in judgment, O God, and hide their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face!

Sorry to be a downer, but it is sad.

...doomed to repeat history.

Double take...

This is another post that, most likely, only Ben and I will appreciate.

I had to be to work early this morning to help out. At about 8.30 I heard 'What's on your mind?' by Information Society. That is another song that takes me back more than 10 years to my teen years with my friend Ben. I liked that song so much when I heard it that I borrowed the tape from Ben and wore it out, due to my constant listening.

I thought it was cool that I posted about MechWarrior yesterday, and this morning I heard a song that took me back to the same time as that game did.

I think I'm gonna put that song on my To Download list.

Where the elite satisfy their most wicked desires...

Ah, the old-school satisfaction.

I suppose I ought to warn you away from clicking the link if you are at work, as it is a game site. I'd hate for anyone to get in trouble because of me.

This link will interest only Ben and I, probably.

Over the last 2 weeks, I've been groovin' to play MechWarrior, Dune 2, and BattleTech:The Crescent Hawks Inception. I finally found a site that has them and lets you download them for free. I'm pretty sure I have the disks Ben gave me somewhere for these games, but it's easier to download. The best part is that the dowloaded games nest well with a program called DOSBox, which clocks down the processor so that I can play MechWarrior at 4.5 MHz instead of 1.5 GHz. Actually, I can set the processor speed to whatever I want it to be, which is helpful.

I'm really rusty, though. I used to be able to take my Marauder solo and wipe out 4 BattleMasters without getting my 'Mech shot out from underneath me. Right now, even with 3 others to back me up, I still get wiped.

Of course, this game evokes extreme senses of nostalgia in me, of when Ben and I would go to Brian Garret's house and sit side by side down in the basement in front of the VGA monitor. We would share the keyboard and head-shoot every 'mech we could. We rocked! I think I was 14 and Ben was 15. Ah, the memories.

So, I managed to get those 3 games, along with Scorched Earth for Val, for free. Rock, rock on!

By the way, Joel's birthday was Saturday. He's 21 now, and will be home in a few weeks. So, drop him a line and wish him a Happy Birthday.

Mondays should be illegal...

Sorry for not posting on Friday. I was really busy.

I'm kinda tired today. More and more I wish that weekends could be 3 days long instead of 2.

Yeah. Like that's gonna happen...

I'll post again later today.

m4p problems...

For the uninitiated, the file format m4p is an audio format for Apple that is proprietary to them. It's similar to the ubiquitous mp3 format that everyone is familiar with, but doesn't have the playability or mobility of mp3's. It only works on Apple or Mac devices, or PC's running a Mac program such as ITunes. Mp3's, however, are recognized by just about everything.

I think I'm gonna start using either MusicMatch's download store or walmart.com to download music. I toyed briefly with the idea of putting a Mac emulator on my PC and then running Amadeus2 or something. Ben has said that that will convert m4p's to mp3's easily. But, downloading something in a .wav or .mp3 format from the other 2 services seems to be just as easy, since it would then be able to be converted to anything I want it to be.

It seems so cumbersome to do it the long way, even with a RW disc.

I don't know. Maybe I'm impatient, but it just seems like there is an easier way to do this.

By the way, I'm sure if there are technical inconsistencies or errors in my post, that my resident Mac expert Ben will straighten me out.

And, so you know, I'm not a Mac-hater. I just think that music from ITunes is too cumbersome to deal with with the devices that I use.

I swear I am not a Mac-hater...

Really, Ben, I'm not.





(*methinks he doth protest too much...)

MMO's are of the devil!

OK, maybe they aren't that bad. But, I know better than to play them. Since I have an addictive personality, me and a unending game that sucks me in and I pay $15 per month for is not a good combination. Besides, you can't win or beat the game. The only ones who win are the ones who recieve the hard-won funds you give to them.

And of course, there are always risks, above and beyond in-game PvP.

Just one more reason to protect your bastard ice sword of Gargamel with its +9 wisdom.

You gotta ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky?

Well, do ya? Punk?!?!

Here is your link for the day.

Everyone has to die. That is as much a part of life as birth is. But, to prolong the agony and the inevitable for fractions of a year at an exorbitant cost is asinine at best, I think. If reasonable measures can't help bring me back or extend my life, I'm ready to go. No persistent vegetative state for me, thank you very much.

1 year is a long time, but putting my family into a financial hole that they may never climb out of just so I can hang around and spend more money on pain medications or whatever is grossly selfish. And, there is absolutely no guarantee that I will be one of those lucky ones who even make it a year. I'd prolly kick the bucket after 3 months, after putting the fam into a $30k hole.

No thanks. I'll just die, OK?

Besides, if I live correctly, I should be ready to buy the farm at any time. It doesn't mean I won't be scared, or sad, but the cost to myself and those I love isn't worth it.

Busy week...

John is working nights while Taunya is on vacation. So, this will be a very busy week. Therefore, I am declaring, right now, that my posts might be models of brevity or nonexistent, even.

You have been warned...

Man, I thought my job was thankless...

As usual, your anticipated link for the day.

I suppose I take issue with the author of this article referring to the TSA screeners as "the burger-flippers of the security industry". I'm not a traveler, and I like to stay home. But, to refer to them in this way is unnecessarily...demeaning.

Of course, to hear Mark tell it, these people really aren't very...sophisticated. But, how much do they save us from and we don't know it? I would think that we should be grateful, since they do their part to deter terrorism. True, there are loopholes and things that get missed, but doesn't it help even a little?

Just seems like they should be given a little bit more respect.

Competition...

2nd link for the day...

I think that competition should be allowed, and prolly that 6, 7, or 8 year olds shouldn't really be playing if they don't want to. Definitely not if I want them to.

I think that youth sports are created to assuage the egos of parents who feel guilty about the lack of time that they spend with their kids. Also, their self-worth is intertwined with the success of their children. If it wasn't, why would the parents feel so concerned about making sure everyone wins?

Real life demonstrates that not all people win all the time. Our economic system is based on competition. Adults everywhere everyday deal with aspects of competition: In pricing of commodities, in ideas, in the workforce.

Why can't parents become involved enough to help their children understand that when they lose, it doesn't mean they are bad, but that it is a natural part of life and society? Perhaps they might even help motivate the child to better themselves so that they do better next time.

I think that it all comes down to how much time we are willing to take to be with our children and help 'parent' them. If we aren't willing to be involved, we let others take responsibility to teach values we should be teaching. So, how can others help comfort those who have lost, if you are talking about 15 kids? You can't, so you make it so everyone wins, so that you don't have to take the time to...

See the cycle?

And, before the howls of outrage reach the comment section, I will acknowledge right now that I know almost nothing about parenting. I have no children, but I plan on teaching them some things.

Holy crap it's dark in here!

Your link for the day, gentle reader...

This seems like a cool idea, except for the not being able to see part. Maybe they'll create some sort of fiber-optic goggles so that the fibers can guide a bit of light in so that we can see. Beats me man...I really don't know.

I can see a lot of problems arising from this, but a lot of advantages also. Wars would be difficult to fight against an invisible enemy., and law-enforcement officers would be able to keep themselves safer. Of course, the minute a soldier or policeman pulled a gun, there goes the invisiblity, but they would still have tactical surprise...

I wonder if it would be a bit like a Romulan cloaking device... That would be cool.

On a sadder note: John started smoking again after a hiatus of about a year. While I understand how difficult addictions are to deal with, I can't help but feel disappointed. Such are the choices people make.

No real post for today...

Sorry.

Not much happening today.

I hope you live through it.

Privacy: Is it necessary?

Here is your link for the day.

I'm not sure how I feel on this issue.

While I think everyone should drive safely (despite my unsafeness sometimes), I also agree that this could produce results that would be undesireable. I'd rather be ticketed by an officer who actually saw me do it, rather than by a seemingly more capricious GPS system.

Of course, if everyone did the things they were supposed to do, the privacy activists wouldn't have anything to worry about, would they? And the lawyers would be out of a job.

But, privacy is nice. Necessary even, though I have nothing to hide from anyone. Because, if you follow the logical drift, there are some things that need to be kept private in a person's life.





Because no one wants to know about my eating or sleeping habits, do they?







Heavens, I certainly hope not.