'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.

Tough job, isn't it?

Oh, the challenges of public service!

But, it's uncomfortable!

I thought this was kind of sad.

To me, it's almost incomprehensible that someone wouldn't wear their seatbelt while driving. I feel uncomfortable if I drive from the lower driveway at home to the upper one without my 'belt. I've been that way as long as I can remember. And although I feel uncomfortable sometimes about asking others to buckle up while I'm driving, I do it anyway.

I'm reminded of a speech in my speech class in college. It was about seatbelt safety, and the person mentioned some of the excuses that people give for not wearing theirs. The only thing that comes to mind was the response he gave to those excuses: "Going through the windshield is lots worse than having rumpled clothing, being in a bit of discomfort or being perceived as 'uncool'"

I have to agree...

Why would you do anything else but wear your seatbelt?




Isn't your life worth 5 extra seconds?

An apology..

I apologize for the extra "//'s" at some of the ends of my URL links.

I'll do better from now on.

Ah, only in the morning...

It's nice to listen to music on the way to work in the morning.



Especially when it's 'Holiday'.



Most especially when it's legally downloaded and dropped onto my MD player.



*glee!*









Does it seem like I like that song? A bit?

By the way...

I really do like it when comments are left on what I post. I realize that I don't always do the same in return, but it helps give me a bit of validation.

And yes, I know I'm insecure...

This has been a public service announcement by the Fauver Fact-Finding Forum...

If only I had the money...

I'd buy some of this stuff.

Being a confessed Trek fan, this interests me. Not all of it. But, it would be fun to have a hand phaser from the later DS9 episodes, maybe even a type 3A compression rifle. (By the way, if you know what a 3A is, you are as much a Trek fan as I am. Congrats!)

On a different note, I downloaded my first 8 songs last night from ITunes. It was pretty easy, but now I need to create a music CD and then rip the tracks back in order to convert them to something compatible to my MD player. So, just a few steps more...

But, it was nice to listen to 'Holiday' by Green Day this morning, and to have a clear conscience about it!

Cuz' I'm sensitive...

Post #3!

Wow, 3 posts in a day! I must be getting sick........

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I have something to confess...

I admire my friend Ben, and the unusually clear way he sets forth his thoughts, which are extremely well thought out and written.

My confession is that I suffer from an inferiority complex.

I think my little blurbs about what is happening to me are nice, and I enjoy writing them. But, I can't help but feel outclassed by Ben's well-reasoned posts.

I know it's not a competition. And I hope this post/confession doesn't scare him away from his blog. I really enjoy reading what he has to say.

I just feel inferior.

I wish I had his gift for words and elucidation.

And it's not his fault.

And I'm NOT gonna apologize for how I feel!

Yes, I am a Harry Potter fan...

But I'm not a fanboy/fanatic about it. The only person I know who is anywhere close to approaching Potter-mania is my co-worker Taunya. She actually has all the books so far on CD and listens to them after I'm gone for the night.

This article will probably kill her off... :D

$ 4.95, or somewhere close...

This morning I input our account info into the Sony music service, intending to download a little Green Day, perhaps a little Metallica. Then I wondered if I would have control over those songs (i.e. being able to drop them on to a disc as MP3's), or if it would only be able to be played by my computer with SonyConnect. So, until I figure that out, I won't be doing any downloading.

Cuz' it's stupid to pay for music that you don't get to keep.

If that's the case, I'll just go to a P2P network and get it from someone else.

After all, this is a matter of conscience...