Stretching for Jesus

BAWHAWHAWHAWHAW....

A-hem...sorry...let me say that again: Stretching for Jesus

BAWHAWHAWHAW....Nope. Still too funny to take seriously. Check this lunacy out:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1098937-1,00.html

"she has had to convince potential students that meditation is not anti-Christ."

It never ceases to amaze me how much people live religion. It is absolutely insane. That someone took a yoga class, and actually FELT UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT MEDITATING is absurd. For someone to think that a physical exersize that is twice as old (more) as the christian religion IS ANTI-CHRIST is absurd.

I can see the hindu's getting pretty miffed about it, but I also think its fairly absurd to consider yoga as part of your religion...But then again, I do find religion as a whole pretty absurd.

I'm going to start praying, but modify it so that it is beneficial to atheists. Call it "inner-prayer". It will focus the mind inward instead of upward, and will call on the practitioner to think about Nothing instead of about god.

This is basically what this christian lunatic has done to yoga...

And yes, I realize I just described meditation...that's the point.

I Am Man. Watch Me Plumb

Ripping CD's on Sunday night while the little lady is making dinner. She pops her head out, and quietly tells me that she thinks she just broke the garbage disposal.

Excellent.

Since getting a condo (approx 15 months ago), I have found that I truly enjoy those moments of fixing something or working on something. Specifically when it is an issue that would cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to have someone else do the work!

So I leap out of my chair and purposefully march into the kitchen. And, yes, I do make sure that she doesn't feel bad or guilty. This isn't a power trip over her. It's a power trip over contractors and repairmen!! The water in the sink is not draining, I flick on the garbage disposal (which I installed myself upon moving in), and it grinds away.

Garbage Disposal is not broken.

But, now I have to figure out why the drain isn't draining. I've never done this before.

Excellent.

So first, I clear out the crap she was trying to get down the GD. Spin it around a bunch of times, and decide that the clog is further down the pipe. Now this is where I get a little proud of myself. I've never done this stuff before. I did install a bathroom sink when we moved in, so I have handled pipes before, but I've never DEBUGGED pipes before. What I've notice on the sinks is that there appears to be a little openning at the bottom of the bend...never touched it. Just noticed it.

So, now I'm face to face with this purge valve, and I have to break out the wrench. Excellent. Happily, I was correct. I crank that bad boy open, and water pours out...Yes, I did place a bucket underneath it. Yes, there was more water and general sludge than I had planned. Yes, it was gross. No, it did not spill.

So I get a hanger, and wiggle my way up to where the pipe connects to the disposal unit, and there doesn't appear to be any clog. I run just a little water, and sure enough, it pours right through to the open valve, and into my bucket.

Narrowing down the problem. Excellent.

This means it on the other side of the valve. I wiggle the hanger up there, and there's no obstruction, but I can't make it too far because there are too many bends. Okay, gotta take this thing apart.

Excellent.

This takes a little figuring out. The only problem was that I didn't realize that the point that connects the main pipe to the sink's pipe doesn't rotate indipendant of the drain pipe. In the end, I just have to disconnect the disposal unit from the sink pipe, then I can rotate the ENTIRE pipe to disconnect it from the main pipe. Get that puppy off of there, and check if its clogged. No good. The clog isn't in there.

That means the clog is in the main pipe. I scrap a little out with the hanger, and hook everything back up. Run some water, and it backs right up. This means the clog is further than I can reach with my hanger. This means I don't have the right tools. This means I need MORE tools.

Excellent.

Monday after work, I swing by Home Depot and pick up a snake. It connects to a drill and is 25 feet long and is only 20 bucks. It's just fine.

I get it home, open up that small valve, run the snake in there until it won't go any further, and hit the drill. Bang, I'm through. Pull the snake back out. Close up the valve. Run the water. Drain starts draining.

Excellent.

I am man. Watch me plumb.

(In the end, I would not recommend the drill powered snake. Didn't feel like it was that high quality of a product. But the price is right if you just need it for little things ever 15 months or so.)

Starting fresh - The Black Box

Finally got myself a new computer. Been a long time coming.

I've been working off of the same laptop since December of 2000. It was a Dell laptop that was top of the line in 2001, with a Pentium 850, 20GB drive, 192 MB of RAM, DVD player, as well as a CD Burner. Had everything you need, like a firewire port, dual battery capability, digital sound, S-video port...the whole enchilada.

I've also been a computer geek since I was about 12. Somehow, I've never built an entire PC from scratch! I've taken PC's apart, and replaced or upgraded virtually every part of every PC I've ever owned! (Right down to adding a clock card to the Apple IIe that I had to throw a clock card into when I was running a BBS off of it back in 1988!!!) But I've never bought all of the parts seperately, and put 'em all together myself.


Well, it's about friggin time!!

I've been acquiring pieces for some time now, and have finally put together an Intel Pentium 2.44 GHz PC with 512 MB of RAM, 160 GB drive (and 6.5 GB Drive as a system drive), DVD-RW, wireless network card, too many USB ports, a couple firwire ports, on board digital sound, and an extra system fan. The power supply was even purchased seperately from the case.

I'm happy with it. Have learned a couple lessons, and have realized that I'm now an old bastard...When looking for a case, I found myself commenting to the salesguy that "All of these cases seem to be built for teenagers that want flashing lights and neon signs". He smiled and pointed me directly to the simplest, blackest, cheapest case that wasn't even on display. It was perfect. Will hold a TON of drives, has two front facing USB ports, and a very small drive light, and a very low level power light.

My first goal with her is to get my whole CD collection ripped on to it, and start developing playlists. I figure this will be the perfect test to make sure that the drives are in good order, and can last a while.

Anyway...back to ripping discs.

Authors Who Want Their Books Banned

Have we all notice the cute little "Flag" link in the upper right-hand corner?

If they are going to start flagging blogs, I must admit that I would love the ability to browse the "unlisted" blogs. While I doubt (hope!) that they would use this feature as a means to censor voices of the revolution, I have to believe that there is a certain "family values" element to this new feature.

Does that mean that blogs will start getting flagged for using the word "FUCK", or "Cocksucker"? Or will they be flagged for saying christianity is stupid and religion is for the weak? Of course, they describe it as being used to remove potentially illegal content, I would have to question what this content is! If drug dealers are using blogs to arrange meetings, they deserve to have it public, because they deserve to be caught. I guess blackmail, or child porn are other areas of the underworld that could use blogs, but again, I hope that they are reported and get caught.

(I would like a segue to further point out that both blackmail and ESPECIALLY child porn belong in a category far more disgusting, gross, and inhuman than drug use/dealing. Drugs should be decriminalized. Child pornographers should be thrown into the general population of the worst prisons forever and denied any form of protection. Medical aid should be provided only when they are about to die...this will provide a longer life, so that they can exist in general population a little bit longer.)

[Back on subject]
So, if there really is a crime being committed, the "unlisted" concept is virtually pointless. The only other category would be content that is objectionable when measured against a defined moral yardstick. In these days of Bush and the christian regime, I have a real hard time with that...Unless the ability to browse "unlisted" blogs is provided.

Since plenty of people want their blog to be completely unlisted and only to be encountered by people typing in a specific address, that means that there needs to (should be) a specific difference between the two. I want people to be able to find my words stating (what I perceive to be) the problems with the government, religion, and society in general. I don't want little four year olds to read my language, but I do want any adult that's looking for viewpoints to be able to find my viewpoint.

If there is an "adults only" flag, then I'm fine with it, and would even request that my blog be put into that list. If using the word FUCK is going to get me flagged because some parent can't sit with their four year old kids when they are online, then I will blame the fucking parents and say that this flagging crap is bullshit.

As I have not been flagged, I have no idea how this system is going to be run. But I will not stop using the word fuck. Or perhaps, I will just have to get off my own ass and set up my own blogging site where there is a difference between being unlisted, and being flagged as "not for christians that are afraid of the real fucking world".

Serious Beats

Any of you drum and bass freaks out there, check this collection out:

http://www.news.be/asp/compilation_tracks.asp?cat_num=1456

I'm kickin the iPod at work, and it decided to rock my world with "dooms night (timo maas remix)". I love it. The beat is so fucking good, so heavy that you're exhausted after the song. You want to listen again, but you're almost afraid to do it.

The other tracks on the collection are fantastic as well. There are multiple Serious Beats collections, and the one I have is pretty old (five years). I do believe that I will be picking up another one from the Serious Beats collection on my way home tonight.

Bwaaah-bapa-Bwaaah-bapa-dundundun-duun
Bwaaah-bapa-Bwaaah-bapa-dundundun-duun

Aw yeah....

Differences in Humans

In this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/08/17/school.subjects.ap/index.html

It is stated that most people hated math. I always loved math (still do). What amazes me is the differences this brings up in humans. In the article, this quote is given:

"It was cold and calculating," she said. "There was no gray, it was black and white."

This epitomizes the difference that I'm talking about. That is exactly the reason that I love math. There is no interpretation. There is no GUESSING what the author meant by this. Hell, when "interpreting" novels, we don't even know that the author INTENDED it to be interpreted!! Maybe the author character was a carpenter, because the author likes working with wood, instead of trying to make a christ metaphor. We'll never know because no one read the fucking book until after the guy was DEAD!

So English, in my mind, is not about interpreting what the authors' intent was. Instead, it is about interpreting the book in the same way the TEACHER interprets it. Right or wrong.

Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy reading. I just question how much I enjoy ANALYSIS of what I have read.

My buddy ( Fellswoop13 ) and I tried to spend a summer reading the same book, and discussing it chapter by chapter. He is one of those literary types that totally digs on getting into the guts of an authors mind. The book was I,Robot by Isaac Azimov. Short story by short story, actually. Not chapter by chapter. We ran into a couple of hurdles.

The most significant hurdle was that when ever we got together, we would just talk about other shit. Politics, life, news, cars, music, etc...

The other main hurdle was that the type of book/story that I like (Sci-Fi), generally can not be dissected in the way that classic text can be. The author was writing for pennies, not for interprettation. He included that sub-plot of a dream because he gets paid by the word, not because the dream is a metaphor for how his mother left him.

The most productive parts of these discussions came when he would ask me about the Sci-Fi elements of a particular story. (He doesn't read much sci-fi, so I had to fill him in on some of the standards for the genre) Once he knew what the author was actually talking about, he could then talk to me about how that fills in the story from a literary sense. So we played off of each other rather well...when we finally got down to these parts.

But that's the difference in humans that amazes me. I know half of the goal, and he knows the other half. Once he tells me what his half is about, I have no problem grasping it. And vice verse. But I simply can't come to the conclusion that he came to on my own...and vice verse...

Androids and Augmentation

Quick article on a new type of artificial skin:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4154366.stm

Sounds super-cool. Androids can now be made to truly respond to the same physical inputs that humans do. I believe that taste and smell are the only two that I haven't seen around...although, I think I may have seen scent somewhere.

So, not only can the next level of android be made, but we can also consider the augmentation of humans!

It has always been a dream of mine to have a clock permanently dispalyed in the upper corner of my vision. With this type of skin, you could include humidity, temperature, possibly radiation levels, and weight.

Ahhh....science....

Ahhh....science fiction....

Finally Going iPod

Okay, so I finally started pumping tuynes through my iPod. Its interesting and fun and new (to me). It is a whole new way to listen to your music, because you spend all of your time wondering "how shall I rate this?".

You also have to spend about a decade loading CD's onto your PC....which can be kind of a fun way to check out your collection again.

I'm going to have to learn how to work the whole playlist thing...Not too sure how, but I'm focusing on ripping all my disks first, anyway...

Well, reports will be posted. Rock on.

Exotic Car Day

First, on the way to work, I found myself driving behind an Aston Martin Vanguish S. It had dealer plates, and the driver was having plenty of fun. And you can bet your ass that I turned off the radio, rolled down the window and listened to that RIDICULOUS engine rumble, snarl and growl. Yum.



Then driving home, I passed one of these (but in black). A Lamborghini Murciélago. Wow. Really, just wow. The driver was in traffic, so I couldn't hear any revs. But I did just STOP in the middle of the road and watch it drive by me going the other direction. Nobody behind me seemed to mind, because they all seemed to be doing the same thing....

Insurance for Speed Freaks

A Swedish insurance company has finally gotten it right:

Of Course I'm Speeding!

A friend of mine and I ( Fellswoop13 ) have dreamed of the US offering a special training program for civilian drivers to learn how to drive with no speed limits. Once you pass this course, you would place a sticker or something on you car/plate.

If you have this sticker or siren or whatever, then you can drive as though there is no speed limit, because you have been trained to do so. Oh, what a dream...

While this insurance company only offers protection if you are less than 20mph over the limit, its still the best thing out there since the 65mph limit...

(Oh, except, of course, for the Autobahn...mmmm.....autobahn....)

Time for us to start preaching

Print these out :

http://normalbobsmith.com/banners_fliers.html

Distribute them. Place them in Bibles in hotel rooms. Place them in pews in churches. Hand them to zealots.

I found a link for these on http://www.strongatheism.net

We're All Monkeys

An interesting editorial read :

From Time Magazine - Krauthammer

As an atheist, I find some of this editorial to be lacking in harshness. But I do accept that the author probably does not have the same viewpoint that I have. And I like his stance.

I came across a quote that I greatly appreciated:

"If we are going to teach creation science as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction."- Judith Hayes

It encompasses exactly how foolish I find the notion. So-called intelligent design will crumple under the first bit of scientific scrutiny. It is a hypothesis with no proof. The only reason to believe it is faith.

What irks me the most about religious types expressing their ID fallacy is that they present it under the guise of "It's not a Cristian ideal. Every religion has a supreme being, and this could apply to any of them".

Well you know what, THERE IS NO SUPREME BEING. While I have no doubt that there are humans that are superior to these people, and I have some hope that there are extraterrestrials that are superior to humans, there is not a sole being that is hanging around out there, guiding the comings and goings of individuals. There is no such thing as a soul. There is no heaven. No hell. No angels. No Reincarnation. None of it. You're born. You live. You die. Game Over.

And even if you disagree with what I say, please respect that fact that not everyone believes in some magical sky fairy that is watching over people. Some of us find it moronic.

If They CAN Watch You, They WILL Watch You

The concept of eternal flight aircraft is really INCREDIBLY cool:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4721091.stm

Just from a geek standpoint, it's fabulous. That there could be some flimsy piece of technology that's hanging around at 90,000ft, NEVER has to land, and is remote controlled....I love it.

BUT

Remember that only the government would do something like this. And the government CAN NOT BE TRUSTED! This is beyond the range of visibility. You WOULD NOT KNOW if these things were flying around at any given moment in time. You WOULD NOT KNOW what kind of surveillance setup these things had.

THEY WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH YOU!! And it will cost them less money, and it will be for longer periods of time.

Do we care? Well, that's entirely up to the individual...It also depends on what kind of legislation surrounds these things.

Could they just hover above a city monitoring traffic? Send tickets to whatever car owners have cars that speed or merge poorly? I doubt it, but it is feasible. Could cities use these to track criminals during car chases? Possible. Somewhat useful, I would guess.

How about detecting radiation around cities? That's a pretty usefull thing. It would be very nice to know if any suitcase sized pockets of radiation entered Boston...

Just remember, that's the justification they will use when they try to bring these over your city. They'll say it's for your protection...

In the immortal words of Mr. Cobain, "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you"