Ben Stein on Christmas

I recently received an e-mail forward about Ben Sten's view on Christmas celebrations. I confirmed this at Snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/benstein2.asp).

CHARLES OSGOOD, host: We all have our own thoughts about the holidays. Here's Ben Stein with his.

BEN STEIN: Here at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart. I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are.

(Footage of People magazine; Us magazine)

STEIN: I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I'm buying my dog biscuits. I still don't know. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores who they are. They don't know who Nick and Jessica are, either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they've broken up? Why are they so darned important?

(Footage of People magazine)

STEIN: I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I don't care at all about Tom Cruise's baby.

(Vintage footage of congressional hearing)

STEIN: Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I'm a subversive? Maybe. But I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this what it means to be no longer young? Hm, not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish, and it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautifully lit-up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees.

(Footage of Christmas trees)

STEIN: I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are — Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they're slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. I shows that we're all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.

It doesn't bother me one bit that there's a manger scene on display at a key intersection at my beach house in Malibu.

(Footage of manger scene; menorah)

STEIN: If people want a creche, fine. The menorah a few hundred yards away is fine, too. I do not like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way. Where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and aren't allowed to worship God as we understand him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we used to know went to.

With all of the politically correctness out there, it's nice to see a public person making a well reasoned stance on how it's okay for us to all celebrate together without being descrimintory.

How to Change a Flat Tire

Public service anouncement for those "I'm a guy, I can do this" type guys:

1. Read the directions in the user manual completely before attempting to change the tire.

2. When the directions say "level surface" they mean it.

3. If you don't use a level surface, do, at least, place something in front of the other wheel to make sure it doesn't roll.

4. If the car does fall after you've taken off the flat tire and are reading the directions for the next step (put on the spare tire), use a second jack to prop the car up so that you can slide the real jack under at the right place.

5. Post on mod-blog so I'm not the only one who feels stupid about having the car fall off the jack. :)

The joys of pregnancy

This is among the funniest things I have every read.

...and her memory has really evaporated.
I think the only reason I am alive is because of that last one. She gets mad at me, ready to kill me, then has to go to the bathroom. By the time she gets out she not only forgot why she was mad at me, she forgot that she was mad at me at all.

My mother tells me my father has had similar experiences with her, when she was pregnant with me. I have to wonder how funny I would find this if I were married, and had a wife reading it over my shoulder.

America's Passtime

It's Official: Sidekick III is on the Way!

For months, there have been "leaked pictures" flying around the web of the new T-Mobile Sidekick III - next in the Sidekick series of phones made by Danger which allow full web browsing, instant messaging, and e-mail in addition to normal cell phone functionality - most of which have been accused of being Photoshop mock-ups. But now it is official. The FCC has released pictures of the phone submitted by T-Mobile in their application for approval (despite requests that they be kept confidential, apparently). No word on a release date, yet, but if TMo holds true to form, it will not be more than a couple of months away. Usually, they release to existing Sidekick owners first, and then to the general public.

The long wait is almost over!

The D Code: Calm Down Christians

I have not read "The DaVinci Code." I do not intend to watch the movie. I have seen the trailers and was not impressed. And what is MUCH more, I have seen, heard, and been inundated with news from the church about how BAD the Da Vinci code is. I read articles about churches condemning the film and calling for boycotts. And I hear Christian leaders across the globe decrying the film as evil, and perhaps "the greatest threat to Christianity in many years."

Let me offer a contrary view. The Church is making FAR too much of this book/movie.

First, the Da Vinci Code is a fiction book. That is where it is located in the bookstores and libraries. The author makes no bones that it is all made up. "But!" Many say, "He claims in the foreward that all of the facts in the book are true!" OK. Maybe I am one of the few paying attention, but so do many other authors. It is a common literary conceit used to make a novel seem more compelling to claim that some or all of the facts are true. If you paid close attention, JURASSIC PARK (a book about cloning dinosaurs) said the same thing. Few will be fooled into thinking that much at all in this book or movie is true. And ever fewer will be those who were not already predisposed to assume the worst of Christianity by temperment or experience.

Second, what all-consuming great deception does this fiction book hold? (And this is where I need those who actually have read the book to correct me if I am wrong.) My understanding is that the two major revelations are (1) that Jesus had children with Mary Magdalene and (2) the Catholic Church has a secret police dedicated to hiding this secret. While I grant these are both falsehoods easily disproven from history, scripture, and basic logic, what great harm to the average person does either really do? The non-Christian public holds many views which are contrary to scripture, history, and basic logic. Many believe that Christ was only a "good man" who was not God but merely a great thinker. C.S. Lewis reminds us this is contrary to scripture (Christ claimed to be God), history (all histories of the period indicate he said this), and basic logic (Can one truly be both sane and moral, AND claim to be God?). Yet, these beliefs are no barrier to the Holy Spirit when He chooses to begin to work in a heart and life. Indeed, there are very few truths which must be grasped prior to becoming a Christian: (1) You are a sinner and can not save yourself, (2) Jesus Christ died as the perfect sacrifice for all men, to save all men from their sin, (3) Christ rose again, proving that He had conquered death, and (4) you must believe in your heart and confess with your mouth in order to be saved. Neither of these falsehoods in any way would contradict these truths. And they are easily dealt with, when one comes questioning to a Christian with a basic knowledge of history, scripture, and logic.

Third, the Church is allowing itself to become part of the marketing machine. Now, I am not typical in the number of hours I watch TV each week, but I have seen more material on the DaVinci code in church, on Christian radio, and in news articles about the Christian reactions than I have seen on TV, in the movie theater, or in print. I do not think I am being conspiracy-minded myself to wonder if in fact this is the flip-side of the PASSION OF THE CHRIST phenomenon. For Mel Gibson's film, the movie was marketted directly to the church, increasing product awareness and driving Christians to the theaters. This time, the movie is being marketted as a threat to the churches, who are warning their congregations against it, increasing product awareness, and driving curious Christians and non-Christians to the theaters. If this film is a success in its first few weeks, the churches will be no small part in its success.

In conclusion, we Christians need to calm down and take a step back. We are overreacting to a cultural phenomenon, and giving to too much credit merely because it has a religious subtext. The more we panic about this, the more attention we draw to this film and the more likely we are to drive people into the theaters. We should be ready to answer questions, certainly, but much more is simply overreacting.

Phishers marry web and phone for maximum Identity Theft

This is scary! A new Phishing scam sends an e-mail to direct people to a telephone system which sounds JUST LIKE YOUR BANK'S. You enter your identifying info, and they have everything they need to drain your accounts to zero.

Beware! It is NOT the internet which is insecure. It is human nature.

A Discriminatory Internet?

Ever wondered what the Net would be like if you got one set of websites at high speed (because they paid your ISP money) but the rest are served only at slow speeds? If you have ever been an AOL subscriber, you already know what this is like. For the rest of us, a move by the Senate may bring a similar experience to other broadband providers.

This is a silly attempt by broadand providers to squeeze more money from content providers. But they should keep in mind it is just as easy for Google to block Verizon, as for Verizon to block Google. And what would I do if I was a Verizon DSL subscriber who could not reach Google? I'd switch to Cable internet instead.

Fire Safe Cigarettes

Each year between 700 and 900 people die from cigarette related fires. Well there is someone trying to do something about it. The Fire Safe Cigarette Coalition is trying to get all cigarette manufacturers to adopt simple strategies for making cigarettes more fire safe. One thing that is done is to put "speed bumps" in the cigarette that help the cigarette to stop burning if it is left unattended for a period of time.

The company I work for responded last year to an apartment in an apartment building where someone had fallen asleep while smoking. The elderly resident did survive because a fire sprinkler went off over her bed, but the damage to her room and property would have been nil if she had a fire safe cigarette.

It maketh me laugh

Sigh, $3/gallon

Sigh, $3/gallon
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

And again, this is the cheap place.

Gas-Free Beans!

This article could mean significantly increased quality of life in the households of a few friends of mine.

Love and Differences

Sean's post yesterday about the birthday of Pentacostalism got me thinking about how far we've all come. It is sad to consider that for the better part of those years, Pentecostals and Holiness folk (The larger Wesleyan tradition) did not get along well at all together. And 98% of that disagreement was over one spiritual gift and the perception we have of it. As a matter of fact, even growing up in my church, I was still taught that 'tongues' was at best, the least of all giftings. This was a marked improvement over the generation of my parents who believed that 'tongues' was not only not a gifting of the Spirit, but the work of the Devil. As such, Pentecostals who spoke in tongues were considered un-Christian. The truly absurd part of this is that the Wesleyan tradition is almost identical to the Pentecostal movement in virtually every other way. In some ways, the Wesleyan tradition honored practices even more "obscure" than 'tongues.' If you were to attend an early Holiness camp meeting and measure it from a modern perspective, it would look nearly identical to modern day Pentecostal meetings with the notable exception of speaking in tongues. Yet, despite all the differences, the Holiness churches refused to even interact with Pentecostals because of this one small difference.

And the Pentecostals don't get off the hook either. The instance that the gift of 'tongues' was a requirement for sanctification, and in some churches even for salvation, is patently un-Biblical. It is placing dogma before the inspired Word of God and it made resistance even more intense. Likewise, some of the extremes of Pentecostalism have created deep controversy and schism within the Church. Sean and Crchair will remember an unfortunate series of events at Houghton that came about because of some of the worship leaderships' close ties to the Airport Fellowship.

However, it is very satisfying to see the gap between Pentecostals and Wesleyans (Again, the larger tradition and not just the denomination) closing. The extremists on both sides have found their voices limited in the past decade and we now even have a society dedicated to re-discovering the bonds between our two traditions.

So what do I hope to convey by this history lesson? If you've stuck with this piece for that long, you probably already know it. The point is that we, as a Church, are too prone to allowing dogma and personal judgments dictate who is "acceptable." It is stupid, to put it mildly, for two groups of Christians striving for the same goal to battle each other over minor points of doctrine. The Church faces a slew of enemies from every direction, and the thing we need most is internal strength.

For those of us in these traditions and to those in others, I offer two quotes from Wesley that I find relevant on a daily basis:

"When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me."

"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love."

Tony Snow joins the White House

CNN is reporting that Tony Snow has just accepted the position of Press Secretary for the Bush White House. While I must say I am not sure I could have said no if I were Mr. Snow, I am increasingly disturbed by the incestuous mixture of politicians and journalists. More and more, former Washington aides are being snatched up as reporters, and reporters are being snatched up as aides. It makes it harder and harder to be sure that the person telling you the news is truly a disinterested observer, instead of an active partisan. Tony Snow is no exception, and I think overall this choice - which probably good for the Bush White House - is not good for America.

Happy 100th Birthday Pentecostalism

Yes, it has been 100 years since the Azusa St. revivals that are pointed to as the birthplace of Pentecostalism. As the single largest Christian sect, other than Roman Catholicism, Pentecostalism is a force to be reckoned with. While there are many mixed feelings about Pentecostals both inside and outside of the church, their very existence has continued to push the church toward a greater understanding of how God works through the Holy Spirit. As a former-not-quite-but-still Pentecostal I can say that the movement has definitely enriched my spiritual life. Lets hope that in the next 100 years the Pentecostals develop even more than they have in their first 100 years.

Is IE Microsoft's biggest mistake?

That is the argument that ABCNews is making. They argue that all of MS's legal woes are due to their browser market in both the USA and Europe, and most of the sources of virus and malware infections. It raises the interesting question, what if MS *did* decide to pull IE out of Windows and replace it with Mozilla code? I know Sean would be much happier.

A Modest Proposal

Not much time to post today, but I felt I had to say something about this. As the Iran "Crisis" continues to be used by Oil Companies as an excuse to hike prices, the government is slowly lurching into action to launch investigations into price gouging. We all already know the results - they'll find a few suspicious signs and obscenely large CEO bonuses but nothing definitive. It may help to bring down gas prices from historic highs, but not immediately.

Instead, let us face what WOULD have an immediate effect on gas prices: reductions in federal, state, and local gas taxes. Does it not make sense in order to keep the economies running for federal and state governments to consider a new and radical bill? Set a price trigger, let us say $3 (adjust for inflation) as our current trigger, when federal, state, and local gasoline taxes would be suspended automatically. This would have an IMMEDIATE effect on the pocketbooks of average Americans, relieve some of the price pressures, and create an urgent need for governments to add pressure to gas companies to bring down their prices, since every day gas was over $3/gallon would be a day of deficit for the budget. Then, when prices dropped below $3/gallon, taxes would be reinstated and normality would resume.

This would also have the extra consequence of helping us to see just how much of our gas dollar goes to taxes. Something the average American could use to be reminded of from time to time.

Gas Price Map

Ever wonder what you are paying for gas compared to others around the country? This link has a map by county of the average gas prices being paid. Who has the the cheapest gas? Well a hint would be that Mormons can best afford to drive an SUV.

Rappers and Financial Responsibility - strange bedfellows indeed

In an interesting little twist some fairly popular hip-hop and R&B stars got together to urge their fans to be financially responsible. The Hip Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment brought together people like LL Cool J, Alicia Keys and Nas with financial experts. Oddly enough - maybe it's not so odd, but it seems that way to me - some of the advice from the hip-hoppers was pretty good:

"Give 10 percent to the church, give 10 percent to your house. That's a good start," urged rapper LL Cool J.

It does seem odd to hear the stars of the "bling-bling" world telling their fans that they should be responsible with their money - I mean that 5 pound diamond encrusted gold chain sure doesn't say financial responsibility to me - but hey, what do I know. The very nice thing about this is that it's about time that minorities stop blaming the white world for their status and start taking some responsibility for their own futures. Lets hope more events like this happen and that the stars that appear can actually live out what they're teaching.

Happy Birthday Phillie Phanatic... and Ward

mascots birthday
Originally uploaded by erglantz.

I had no idea it was the Phillie Phanatic's birthday! But apparently it was sometime this weekend. Happy birthday to everyone's favorite sports mascot! (Well, mine, anyway.)

And happy birthday to Ward (belated) whose birthday was on Saturday!

Happy Eastern Orthodox Easter

Today is Easter for Eastern and Orthodox Christians. Western Christians like me celebrated it last weekend, but to all the rest let me again say, "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!"

Star Trek is back

I have to admit that once Enterprise died I was pretty sure that the Star Trek franchise was done. The last film had underperformed as had the last series - and I wasn't the only one thinking this. So, how surprised was I to discover that J.J. Abrams (the guy behind Alias, Lost, and MI:III) was planning on filming another Trek adventure. Interestingly enough, he is planning on focusing on the early years of the Kirk-Spock relationship rather than keeping with the Star Trek:TNG casting that has been the focus of the previous (4?) films. I certainly hope that he can work his box office magic on this film. Perhaps the only thing Star Trek needed was some new (writers) blood.

Who Says Nails in the Head will Kill You

My wife - who was born and raised in western Oregon - has a belief that all the crazy people in the world were either born in Oregon or lived there at some point in their life. Enter this piece of evidence that she may be right. A man shoots 12 nails into his head with a nail gun in order to commit suicide - unfortunately for him none of them hit anything vital and he managed to survive. Maybe - just maybe - God still has a plan for this man, hopefully he finds that before he tries again with longer nails.

Greenhouse Effect Explained - then debunked

Over the course of the past year I have become less and less convinced about the arguments supporting the greenhouse effect upon the earth. I stated some of that skepticism earlier this week. Nonetheless, it's nice to get a good scientific explanation of the science and theory behind the greenhouse effect. In this article the greenhouse effect is explained then totally debunked. It's nice to see that some scientists haven't lost their heads and jumped on the environmentalist wacko bandwagon.

More on tracking fuel prices

This site may be interesting to you. It is AAA's gas price tracking, to show you the trends of gasoline, the highest prices ever, and what you would have paid for gas a year ago today. Interesting... and a little depressing. Especially with a 250 mile trek ahead for us later on today.

COOL RESOURCE THURSDAY: GasBuddy.Com

As gas prices are again flirting with European levels, we here at Mod-Blog wanted to remind you about GasBuddy.Com, a site which tracks the cheapest gas in your area. Just click on a state, provide your zip code, and they will tell you the cheapest gas around, based on member price submissions.

Of course, with the CHEAP places near us now near $3/gallon, "cheapest gas around" is not what it once was.

Fun Quote

Sorry, no time to post news today as life is getting too weird and hectic. But I ran across this fun quote I thought our readers would enjoy.

Ambition is a poor excuse
for not having sense enough to be lazy.

Edgar Bergen (1903 - 1978), (Charlie McCarthy)

Did I mention UP?

Did I mention UP?
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Sigh. They say the rise in prices is due to concern over the nuclear situation in Iran. I can't help wondering if it has more to do with profiteering.

Greenpeace Co-Founder: Pro-Nuclear Power

In a stunning reversal of his opinions Patrick Moore - a co-founder of Greenpeace - has decided that the only type of "large-scale, cost-effective energy source that can reduce [CO2] emissions while continuing to satisfy a growing demand for power."

He is of course working on the theory that CO2 emissions cause global warming - a theory disputed by many people including many of the Mod-Blog contributors such as myself (the last ice age ended a long time before the first Ford Explorer was built). Nonetheless, it is nice to see environmentalists start to engage the facts of power creation. Even if CO2 doesn't cause global warming it is responsible for smog and much air pollution, so reducing it would be a great thing.

Goth Subculture Prone to Self-Harm/Suicide

A new study shows that the biggest single predictor of whether a teenager will have a tendency toward self-harming actions and/or suicide is their identification with the Goth subculture. This is hardly a surprise for anyone who has dealt with those calling themselves Goth, as the whole aesthetic and ethos is centered around death and darkness. Some teens merely see the Goth identity as a way to find a distinctive style and a social group - especially those who do not fit into the "popular group" molds. But many gravitate there because the obsession with death reflects their own inner turmoils.

If you are a parent of a teen flirting with Goth, it is time to be vigilant. It is not that one can not wear Goth clothes/make-up and be a Christian, it is often a sign that bad things are afoot in the mind or the spirit.

I know this is on purpose, but it is JUST too weird

A History of Easter Candy

If you think about it, it is a little strange that we distribute candy to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After all, what do marshmallow chicks have to do with the King of Kings conquering Death and Hell? (Unless, of course, one of Satan's forms is a Peep.) Our church even distributed candy this year. Well, this site has up a brief history of Easter Candy.

Missed Easter Service? Listen to Choir Here!

Apologies for the background noise at the beginning. Handbell players at rest are more talkative than you would expect!

HAPPY EASTER! (He is risen! He is risen indeed!)

Thoughts on Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday - the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday - is perhaps the most forgotten day of Holy Week and yet it is the most significant for our lives. For most evangelicals Holy Week consists of Palm Sunday and Easter, for many of us it also includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. But the vast majority of us do not think about Holy Saturday. This day serves as a rest between Good Friday and Easter - for those of us that honor Good Friday (celebrate in front of Good Friday seems disrespectful because of what the day represents). For many more this day serves as a day of preparation for hectic-ness of Easter.

Holy Saturday represents the day Jesus lay (physically) dead. Some believe it to be when he descended to hell. That's what the Apostles Creed indicates, and while the exact meaning of inferos is unclear - it is still evident that from the earliest time believers held that Jesus descended to those who had gone before. Some people believe that this descending was in order to preach and proclaim himself to those who had gone before, some believe that in descending Jesus actually defeated Satan and took the keys of life and death at that point. Most of this is wild speculation - since we have no scriptural evidence to support any of it - and that is in large part why we have neglected this very important day. Most importantly it was a day of expectation and uncertainty.

We all love the celebration of Easter, it is a great day that celebrates one of the most significant events in human history. We proclaim the victory of Christ over death and take joy in the life we receive because of that victory. Yet in our own lives we live more in Holy Saturday than Easter Sunday. We are forgiven because of Christ's death and we live in that forgiveness. Yet we are not resurrected/perfected the way Jesus is/was on Easter Sunday. We live in expectation of the resurrection of our lives - seeing the evil that resides in us expunged and the holiness of God overtake us. We are forgiven - this is for certain! - but we are not perfected - as we will be. We live in expectation of the return of Christ, much like the Apostles on this day so many years ago. It's interesting that the Scriptures are silent on Holy Saturday - something definitely happened, but we're not told what. In the same way, the Scriptures are silent on so much of our lives, what will happen is uncertain. We live expecting something to happen that is (dare I say it) predestined to happen.

Let us take this day and use it as a day of expectation - not simply for Easter - but for the glorious return of Christ Jesus our Lord.

AOL blocks Opponents of Pay AOL E-mail Plan

I know most of you are either off of work today, or preparing to give a sermon today, tomorrow, and/or Sunday, but I also know many of you are AOL customers, and thus need to know about this.

America Online on Wednesday apparently began blocking e-mail on its servers containing the Web address of a petition against the company's upcoming certified-mail program, an issue the company called a "glitch."
The Internet service provider, which has roughly 20 million subscribers in the United States, began bouncing e-mail communications with the URL "Dearaol.com" sometime late Wednesday and continuing through Thursday.
A e-mail sent by CNET News.com to an AOL.com address and containing the URL "www.dearaol.com" bounced back on Thursday afternoon with a system administrator note that read: "The e-mail system was unable to deliver the message, but did not report a specific reason."
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham said late Thursday that AOL e-mails mentioning Dearaol.com would now be delivered as normal.

From what I know of AOL, I am not likely to believe this was a "glitch". More likely, someone thought they could bury opposition and did not check with the corporate lawyers first.

Happy Good Friday!

Luke 23:32-49
32Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[e] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

38There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[f]"

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." 48When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Up, up, up!

Up, up, up!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Sega Returning to the Console Market?

This story seems to suggest so, though it looks like it would be with a quasi-Gameboy competitor rather than a full-blown modern console to compete with the XBox360 or the Playstation 3. Frankly, the sketch looks more than a little goofy, but I like the fact that they say it'll play DIVX movies.

Military Thumb Drives for Sale in Afghanistan?

We have been warned from the beginning that while thumb drives are convenient ways to store and carry around data, they are also a BIG potential security risk. It appears the military is learning this the hard way in Afghanistan. It may be time to consider memory sticks with built-in encryption like the Stealth Surfer that I use.

Sigh. It is all too true.

First Step Toward the Death Star

Finally, it appears that directed-energy (read laser) weapons are making it into the USA arsenal. This article mentions two: a jumbo-jet carried lazer for knocking missiles out of the sky and a microwave weapon designed for crowd control.

I have read about both of these in the past, other places, but this article does a good job of consolidating info. There is still a lot of controversy surrounding these weapons - especially the microwave weapon since it could be used as a mass torture device - but it is important to further our understanding of such devices... because if we don't, someone else will beat us to it and we'll not know the proper countermeasures.

Impressions of Minnesota

No real time to post news today, as I try to get back to work, but I thought folks might be interested in a few of my impressions of Minnesota from staying in Minneapolis.
- Friendly, bright, and clean bunch of cities (i.e. Minneapolis/St.Paul). Only Denver was cleaner when I visited there.
- Minnesotans have no idea what a "real" inner city is like. They called the location of the church "just like Brooklyn" in referring to the run-down nature of the area. Honestly, it was more like downtown Shelton or Stratford, CT. Almost no trash in sight, the only grafitti was on one dumpster, houses were generally farther apart than in some suburbs of NJ I have been to, and I never felt unsafe.
- Most Minnesotans appear to be fighting their natural "Ya, you betcha" accent. They would speak TV-style english (what I think of as "normal") in front of me, and then I'd hear them lapse back into "Ya, ya" when I turned a corner, or they were speaking to a coworker.
- The Mall of America was VERY nice, and impressive in its own way. But if you have been to a large mall elsewhere in the country like the one in Palisades, NJ, you are not going to see anything new in the way of stores. The impressive parts were the lego world store with life size lego dinosaurs, the indoor amusement park, and the Dinosaur Walk Museum.
- For some reason, Minnesotans like more letters in their highways than we do in the Northeast. I'll never forget the first time I saw a sign for "35W N" and had to figure out if that meant "Highway 35 West N" or "Highway 35W North" or "Highway 35 Northwest".
- Minnesota women are very attractive, but don't assume you are seeing them in the crowds at the airport. It was not until we got away from the airport and hotel into the Mall of America and other attractions that you got a real feel for the place.
- If you are in town, definitely stop at Christos Restaurant in Minneapolis, and get the flaming cheese dish! Fun to watch and delicious!
- If you are visiting and don't plan to only stay in the city, bring/rent a GPS for the car. One of our fellow guests learned that there is more than 1 (or 2 or 3) "Route 15"s in the Minneapolis area, and wound up sampling them all while trying to find Lord Fletchers in the backwoods. We had our Garmin iQue 3600 and arrived quickly and without any problems.

Prices way up!

Prices way up!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

GPS Thoughts

The Garmin iQue 3600 was a wonderful tool to have along at the wedding this weekend. Minneapolis and St. Paul are not nearly so confusing to maneuver as New York City (where I would rather trust a taxi driver than any maps) but they are also not as simple as the suburbs. The Garmin got us everywhere we needed to be, usually more quickly than those who actually knew where they were going.

If you were a guest and are wondering about it, you can buy it from Amazon.Com or Tiger Direct for about $250 in a refurbished model, complete with car mounting kit and DC plug. For my full review of the product, you can look here.

Congratulations, Pure Nard!

Congratulations to regular reader and sometimes commenter, Pure Nard, on his wedding in Minneapolis, MN to a beautiful and wise woman. (Though one might question her wisdom in marrying such an unstable personality.)

Is there a "real" Were-Rabbit?

Judge for yourself. Personally, I am going to try and find some gold bullets, before starting my vegetable garden this year.

Immigration Bill Wierdness

I know, I know. I said no posts while I am in Minneapolis for the wedding. But I had to post this one. I found this sentence in this article on the current Immigration Bill debate.

He said Democrats perceive a benefit in having only a GOP-written House bill that criminalizes being an illegal immigrant.

Emphasis added by me. Isn't this EXACTLY what is wrong with the current debate? We're talking about whether or not to make a criminal act criminal. i.e. It is already illegal - criminal - contrary to established law - to be in the U.S.A. without having observed the border laws and entered via the usual procedures. And yet, we feel a need to debate whether or not to "criminalize" this act!

Sigh. I'm not saying this is not a problem. But let's be honest with ourselves. Entering the country illegally is criminal. If you want to debate whether it is immoral or unethical or good policy, that is another whole debate. But that is a debate we can honestly have. This debate over non-issues is just obscuring the facts and making it impossible to come to a consensus.

Does Sex Sell at the Movies

Basic Instinct 2 premiered this week, if you didn't know and had a horrible opening - even Welcome to Mooseport had a better opening. This horrible opening has prompted some questions as to whether or not sex sells at the movies any more. It is an interesting column and he makes some good points, but I think that he has missed the elephant in the room - the US is a "red state" country and not a "blue state" country for the most part, which means "puritanical" is not a bad word for most of us. It seems that the author is coming from the point of view that all people want to see erotic content, they just want to see it at home. While the reality is that many of us may have urges to see the erotic, we know that it is immoral and by force of will decide to not watch it. And for those who don't have any urges to see it, it is simply not appealing - and in some cases very off-putting. Sex isn't selling because America has largely become more moral - outwardly at least.

Simpsons Movie Plot Points

Beware! Many spoilers at this link. Well, potential spoilers. At this point, who knows what is true, and what is Harry Shearer prank calling various websites?

Kids need Germs to NOT be Sick

I had a friend when I was growing up whose mother was a germ freak. When they went to a hotel, she sprayed lysol on every surface. She would not let him sleep in a bed until the sheets has been individually sprayed. And she only let him eat food that she had seen prepared, to make sure it was hygienic. And he was sick all the time. By comparison, other friends who followed the "5 second rule" with food on the floor, and lived in a level of chaos that would send some homemakers into a coma, were hale, healthy, and active. I always wondered what was the cause and what was the effect. New studies seem to be showing that exposure to dirt actually makes kids more resistant to future illness.

My mother always said a little dirt was good for us. It seems (as usual) that she was right.

More Mac Madness: Bootcamp Beta

I think most long-time Mac users secretly wondered if they were suffering from a fever-dream. But time passed, none of us woke up to a splash of cold water, and Intel iMacs, Intel MacBooks, and Intel Mac Minis appeared on the scene. Soon reviewers were gushing over the power and the good looks. And after time, hackers figured out how to get Windows XP and then Vista working on the machines... after the shedding of blood, sweat, and tears. Mac users felt thrilled to see XP on a Mac... and yet dirty, too.

Well, get ready to feel weird all over again. Apple has released "BootCamp Beta" which is new software coming with MacOS X 10.5 to allow native capability to dual boot a Mac into either Windows XP/Vista or MacOS X. The Execs are very careful to note that Apple offers no support for Windows - and for all we know Microsoft may lock down Windows specifically NOT to work on Apple computers - but it appears to be a step toward an OS-agnostic world.

Can someone pinch me to make sure I am not in that fever-dream?

42% of Urban Kids have sex by 14

This is very disturbing.

The study, published in The Archives of Sexual Behavior, examined the sexual habits of 2,311 Baltimore youths. But Ompad said, "I don't think other cities would be too different."
The study showed that 42% had engaged in ... intercourse by the age of 14. About 14% of kids said they had sex before the age of 13, a 9% jump from a similar survey by the Centers for Disease Control in 1995.

I hope suburban and rural youth are faring better (i.e. holding off longer) but I have a sinking feeling this is a sign of the times.

Two Detained in Russia for *WALKING* from Alaska to Siberia

I had not heard about this previously. Apparently, two men are making it their mission to walk around the world, and have just been detained in Russia for having entered the country illegally by crossing over the Bering Strait (the small strip of water - currently ice - separating Alaska from eastern Siberia). The Russians appear to be in the right to do so - the pair did not alert the authorities about this trip before setting out, so local law and border enforcement had no way to tell these two apart from drug traffickers or smugglers. But they are still hoping to continue their trip which began on the southern tip of South America.

This is also somewhat poetic, since it is supposed the ancestors of modern Eskimos and native Americans may have crossed over to the New World via the same Bering Strait.

Mmmm.... Canon 30D...

DPrieview has up a review of the new Canon 30D, their replacement for the 20D - the venerable mid-rangle digital SLR. I am still shooting on a Digital Rebel (and loving it!) but would like some day to step up to a real pro digital SLR.

MIT's $100 Laptop Survives Criticism

Microsoft has released the UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) and Intel is releasing a third-world server designed to be the centerpiece of a third-world village's computing. These developments more than anything show how worried the top software maker and top hardware maker are about MIT's plan to develop a lightweight, energy-efficient laptop for third-world education that can be bought for as little as $100. So it should be no surprise that they are heavily criticizing the effort, trying to blunt the effects of a major new competitor not using either of their products. But John Negroponte, the designer, remains unfazed.

Doctors Grow New Organs Without Stem Cells

This story at CNN is reporting on a new development where doctors are able to grow organs from a patient's own cells, which are then transplanted back into the patient's body with no possibility of rejection. The part worth noting is that it uses no Stem Cells as part of the procedure. Just parts of the patient's own organs.

Tell me why infant stem calls are so critical again, and why therefore abortion and producing embryos for experimentation are justified. (Clue to those new to conversation: THEY AREN'T!)

Mr. DeLay is going home

After a long battle-filled career, Tom Delay is calling it quits from Congress. It probably is best for his family and his own sanity, and perhaps best for the country as some days it seems he has become more of a distraction than an asset. But it is sure to make politics less interesting for the next two years.

Sony's UMD is almost dead?

Multiple sources are reporting that the UMD format, used by the Sony PSP and thought to be a viable portable movie format at launch, is on its last legs.

Exactly a year after it was launched in the United States, the Sony PlayStation Portable's days as a hand-held movie-viewing device might be numbered.
Disappointing sales have slowed the flow of movies on the proprietary Universal Media Disc to a mere trickle. At least two major studios have completely stopped releasing movies on UMD, while others are either toying with the idea or drastically cutting back.
And retailers also are cutting the amount of shelf space they've been devoting to UMD movies, amid talk that Wal-Mart is about to dump the category entirely.

I always thought the UMD movies on the PSP were redundant when it could handle DVDs converted to MP4, and stored on the memory stick. But it is still sad to see another format die so soon, in light of the coming format war over Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD.

Happy Opening Day!

I once heard a very wise man say, "In America there are truly only two seasons - baseball season and not baseball season." I have to agree and thank God almighty it's once again baseball season! I cannot think of one sport other than baseball that I actually like to listen to on the radio, not can I think of a sport other than baseball that I look forward to opening day of. So here's to another year of baseball - hoping that the Yankees can once again dominate the world, the Mets can be almost as good, and the Red Sox lose - a lot. Happy Opening Day!

Men vs. Women

My family was discussing a parellel topic just the other day: Two men can "bond" sitting in the same room silently, watching a movie. Two women must be interacting to bond. The same goes for women-to-men, they need interaction to go on. I just hope I can find a woman who will allow me some silent bonding time now and again, too.

Simpsons Trailer Download

Here you can download and view the teaser trailer for the coming Simpsons Movie. Nothing very special, but it is funny.

UT Professor: Doomsday is a good thing

One has to wonder what people are thinking of giving talks like this one.

In his estimation, “We’ve grown fat, apathetic and miserable,” all the while leaving the planet parched.
The solution?
A 90 percent reduction.
That’s 5.8 billion lives — lives he says are turning the planet into “fat, human biomass.” He points to an 85 percent swell in the population during the last 25 years and insists civilization is on the brink of its downfall — likely at the hand of widespread disease.
“[Disease] will control the scourge of humanity,” Pianka said. “We’re looking forward to a huge collapse.”

I don't even know what to make of a man who is publicly rooting for the Ebola Virus.

If South Dakota bans abortions, Indians will happily provide them

The Pine Ridge Indians have proclaimed that they are unreservedly on the side of abortion. If South Dakota's ban on abortion passes, they have announced abortions will be offered on the reservations. Of course, this ignores the fact that if it does pass, a restraining order on the law will likely be issued right away, until the Supreme Court readdresses Roe vs. Wade. Still, it is an interesting development. Hollywood likes to portray the native american as the ultimate defender of life. Apparently, not so much, if the life is unborn.

Psst! $99 Portable Media Player on Woot!

Check it out! It only has a 512 memory, so don't plan to watch full-length video on it. But it will be enough to bring along that latest episode of Law & Order you recorded using EyeTV.

Confirmed: Simpsons coming to the BIG SCREEN

I'd have been more excited about this news a few years back, before the show's writing got stale. But it has been confirmed that the Simpsons are coming to the Movies in 2007! A teaser trailer is apparently running in front of some prints of ICE AGE 2, and the cast is recording dialogue as we speak. Well, maybe not literally as we speak, but right about this time period.

Here is hoping they can recapture some of the magic of the "And Maggie Makes Three" years, rather than the pure formula (Homer gets nutty idea, Margie disapproves, Homer does it anyway, Lisa/Bart has B-story with new best friend) of the last season or two.