The Pride of Parents

It is amazing how vain and prideful we humans can be. I entitled this post "The Pride of Parents" due to the one comment by the child, "You know I don't really want to do this."

One Man's story of the John Edwards Pick as VP in 2004

Time.com has up an interesting article from an insider on the picking of John Edwards as the Vice Presidential candidate in 2004. It seems from this article that it came down to Dick Gephardt and John Edwards. The article says that John Kerry was more comfortable with Dick Gephardt , but eventually picked John Edwards.

I don't think Gephardt would have helped the Democratic ticket in 2004, but this is a warning to both the Republicans and Democrats in 2008. Pick the person you are most comfortable with as your Vice President.

A Perfect Definition of Conservatism and Liberalism

George Will has posted today a near-perfect discussion of the modern schools of Conservatism and Liberalism, and what divides them. While it comes down eventually on the side of Conservatism - as that is what animates Will - it does not disparage the other side nor is it filled with animosity toward Liberalism. Definitely worth a read if you are unclear what Conservative, Liberal, and Moderate mean.

Today's political argument involves perennial themes that give it more seriousness than many participants understand. The argument, like Western political philosophy generally, is about the meaning of, and the proper adjustment of the tension between, two important political goals -- freedom and equality.

Today, conservatives tend to favor freedom, and consequently are inclined to be somewhat sanguine about inequalities of outcomes. Liberals are more concerned with equality, understood, they insist, primarily as equality of opportunity, not of outcome.

Moderates, I would argue are those who try to find the best balance between liberty and equality - neither as trusting of the market as Conservatives nor trusting of the government as Liberals.

Cutest Star Wars Photo Ever

squirrels with lightsabers
Originally uploaded by rylanddotnet.

Bad News for Romney: Affleck thinks he'll win

Ben Affleck may be a good actor (though I know that is also highly debated) but he has been the poison pill for many in politics. Last night he apparently had a lot to say about Mitt Romney on Real Time with Bill Maher.

Chatting about the upcoming presidential race on the season finale of “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the Cambridge homey said he thinks the GOP will end up with Romney because the ex-gov looks good, has nice hair - and the Republicans really don’t have anyone else.
“He says he doesn’t like abortion and he’s all clean-cut and he looks like a Ken doll,” said Affleck who was doing a rather amusing imitation of our ex-gov during the Romney rant.

If there is anything we have learned over the last few cycles of American politics, it is that Ben Affleck is always wrong. So this may be VERY bad news for Mitt's candidacy. If Ben says you're in, chances are you are out. And with Fred Thompson allegedly planning a July 4th launch maybe the race is about to change significantly.

When a Star Trek fan has too much time on their hands...

...this happens. I can't imagine taking the time this map would require. Then again, I have been known to have my own obsessive streak here and there.

Apple pulls the trigger on DRM-free Music

According to MacRumors, Apple has now released iTunes 7.2 for Mac and Windows which supports the new "iTunes Plus" system for buying DRM-free (i.e. you can copy it and use it anywhere) music from the iTunes Music Store. It is likely this will be officially announced by Apple later this morning, along with a list of the "free" music now available to iTunes users.

Street View in Google Maps

Wired discusses Google's "Street View" in Google Maps. I hadn't heard of this before, but I'm guessing it's new. You can see the street as if you were in a car on the street. I'm wondering how long until someone creates a game using "Street View".

New Russian Missile Bypasses U.S. Missile Shield

Russia has announced a successful test of a prototype missile that would bypass the proposed U.S. missile shield in Europe. I find the missile shield debate interesting. I think the logic that "We signed the agreement with the USSR and the USSR doesn't exist anymore" is not completely solid. On the other hand, we shouldn't be held to an agreement with a country just because the capital is the same. The idea of the shield is to protect against threats such as Iran and North Korea. If Russia's missile defeats this shield, we're then depending on Russia not to sell Iran or North Korea (or anyone else for that matter) this missile technology. We've seen in the past, that Russia is willing to sell military technology to nations unfriendly to the U.S.

Ironically, this quote came up on my Google Home Page:

My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.

- Ronald Reagan

Goldfish Receives Plastic Surgery

The Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh had a problem... people were complaining about an ugly goldfish with a bump on its head. The solution? Plastic surgery for the fish. The bump has now been removed. Unfortunately, an eye also had to be removed which very well may have defeated the purpose.

Watch Out For the Fish in the Road?

An accident was caused in Paderborn, Germany over a bag of goldfish in the road. Five people were injured. The goldfish are assumed to have come from a local fair.

Yankee Stadium Photos

Here are some more pictures that I took at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Click Here to see the whole set.

Welcome to a Fallen World

Cindy Sheehan says "No Mas"

After many years being the face of the Anti-War fringe, Cindy Sheehan has decided to bow out of her quest to end the Iraq War and impeach GWB.

This is my resignation letter as the "face" of the American anti-war movement. This is not my "Checkers" moment, because I will never give up trying to help people in the world who are harmed by the empire of the good old US of A, but I am finished working in, or outside of this system. This system forcefully resists being helped and eats up the people who try to help it. I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources.

Good-bye America ...you are not the country that I love and I finally realized no matter how much I sacrifice, I can’t make you be that country unless you want it.

I can't say that I will miss Cindy Sheehan. She never brought any kind of rational argument to the debate, and merely served to distract from any real discussion of the issues. However, I wish her well in her attempt to restore her life to some semblance of normalcy.

Yankee Stadium YMCA

We went to Yankee Stadium on Saturday and I took a short video of the grounds crew doing the YMCA song.

Memorial Day

We here at Mod-Blog want to thank our men and women in the military who have given their lives or their well-being for the sake of our country and its freedoms. Whether a soldier fought in the first Wars of a young republic, fought on the shores of Europe and Asia, fought in the jungles of South America and the Far East, or fought in the deserts of Iraq, we thank you. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants," and unfortunately he was right. We thank you and honor you today, and every day.

We especially thank those among our Mod-Blog readers who have served, and continue to serve. This means you, our retired Marine friend and our friend currently serving in the Navy. And the others I may not be aware actually read this blog.

Sometimes the Truth Hurts

Regarding that "Star Wars: Tales of New Republic" Trailer

It appears that George Lucas has responded. Click on over for a real trailer for STAR WARS: The Clone Wars. It is also a CGI animated series, but this one takes place between episode 2 and 3, apparently, and concurrent with the existing non-CGI animated TV series (which I highly recommend)

This One is for Wacko!

Took this picture at Monument Park at Yankee Stadium yesterday. I know Wacko will appreciate it the most.

Tune in tomorrow for a Yankee Stadium video.

Wonder while I Wander

Why I don't let my dog watch Star Wars

Whaaaaaaaaaaa?

Safe Driving Tips the Police Use

This article is a nice summary of safe driving tips recommended to police officers which are VERY applicable to the average non-police driver. Some are common sense, some are not so much.

Airbags save lives, but many a police officer has been unnecessarily injured because their hands were over the airbag when it went off. At the school for law enforcement driving instructors I recently attended, the story was told of an officer who was driving with his wrist draped over the top of the steering wheel. His attention was diverted by the in-car computer and he smashed into a car that suddenly pulled in front of him: the deploying airbag broke his lower arm and caused his own hand to break out his front teeth. While driving straight, police instructors say that your hands should be at 3 and 9 o'clock on the steering wheel.

Another tip offered is to always drive with your windows all the up, or all the way down. They say that many accidents become lethal when a partially-opened window hits the drivers head sideways and cuts deep into the skull.

I think I have decided NO on the Immigration Bill

I am one of those who has been voting "Undecided" in the poll about the new immigration bill. On the one hand, I agree very much that the current system is broken, both for legal immigrants and for illegal immigrants, and I am not against the idea of a limited amnesty to clear the slate and let us begin again anew. On the other hand, I have found it hard to break through the long list of options here and get an idea of what is really being done. I am a great believer that we are a nation of immigrants (unless your ancestors were amerindians) and that the willingness to accept anyone who is willing to work hard and embrace our culture is one of the things which has made America great.

The arguments against this bill by most Conservatives have not been convincing to me. Those who claim amnsesty can not work and point to the 1986 bill, seem too hide-bound to me. Those who claim it can't work because we have too many imigrants already, seem to have a limited vision. And those who claim we have too few whites in the country already seem rascist to me. The arguments against the bill by Liberals are even less convincing. Those who claim it is splitting up families are ignoring the reality of immigration - that it is a grand gamble and that by breaking the law by entering a land outside its system you are placing yourself outside its protections. And those who claim that it is punishing unskilled workers don't seem to understand that we are not compelled to take anyone who wants to come. It is reasonable to favor those will skills we need.

The arguments for the bill have likewise been unconvincing. Most say simply "We need to do something, and this is the only bill that could possibly pass." They point to a provision for everyone in the bill. What is telling to me is that few to none are pointing anything and saying "This will work." They are just saying "It is the best we can do." I am a great believer in compromise as an engine of democracy, but not compromise for its own sake.

Peggy Noonan has finally made a compelling argument to me. And it is tellingly simple. The bill is too complex to work, and too complicated to enforce. And she is right. I have a friend whose in-laws are legal immigrants, here for political assylum. They have been caught up in the immigration system for years, and every few years have to live in fear for their lives as a judge combs through the REAMS of immigration law to figure out if they are still allowed to stay. If they go back, they die. Simple as that. But not so simple for a judge, who has to decide if their deaths are enough to justify staying here. It should be simple.

There, a decision is made. I can't vote on this myself, but I hope my representatives are listening.

Devil Rays Player Not Welcome in Minors

Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Elijah Dukes is in trouble. He has been accused of threatening to kill his wife and her kids and a newspaper says it has the threats on tape. They transcribed them and they are pretty scary. What was interesting to to me about this story is that Dukes caused so much trouble when he played for minor league teams in Montgomery and Durham that both of those teams have said they will refuse to take him back if he is sent down to the minors. My only comment it...I thought guys with this kind of background were supposed to be playing in the NFL, not Major League Baseball. ;)

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

New Star Wars Film Coming?

Apparently, the rumors are swirling that George Lucas is going to announce a new upcoming Star Wars film set for theaters at the CELEBRATION event in L.A., where they are celebrating 30 years of Star Wars. Allegedly, the film will be set in the age of the Old Republic and presumably would NOT involve the Skywalkers in any way, shape, or form. The early life of Mace Windu, perhaps? The romantic adventures of Yoda, maybe? Or better yet, R2D2 and Boba Fett in a remake of Revenge of the Nerds!

Who am I kidding? If they make it, I'll buy a ticket and the DVD. Still, unless they plan to let someone else make the film... or they decide to make the originally-promised sequel trilogy... I don't really see the point.

Gas Price Alert: Gas Stations shutting down over price gouging

As the oil companies continue to have record profits and argue that their gross margins are still too lean, consumers are increasingly feeling gouged by high gas prices. You know exactly what I am paying for gas, and even at a discount club the prices are insanely high. Now, the high price for gas - and the incredibly low profits that individual gas stations get for it - are driving individual stations away from even selling gasoline in favor of just doing car repairs.

Including the wholesale cost of gas and other taxes and charges, he was being asked to pay $3.44 a gallon Friday, a day when the competing stations down the street were selling gasoline for $3.47.

"Three cents a gallon doesn't cut it," Curro said. "It doesn't pay the bills."

Add to that the money he loses every time a motorist uses a credit card at the pump, and there was no reason to keep selling gas, Curro said.

Credit card companies and banks get an average of 2.75% on every gallon of gas sold, and credit card processing fees now rank as the second-biggest expense for gas station operators, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.

"The way I see it is, I'm doing all the work of providing the labor, the wages, the electricity, the lighting, the maintenance of the pumps, the repairs and the insurance, which is quite substantial," Curro said. "I'm doing all the work, and somebody else is getting fat on me."

It is time for the oil companies to realize their business model is fundamentally broken. Whether by refinery issues, problems in the Middle East, or by their own incompetence, they are rapidly reaching a point where consumers are demanding relief. And that relief will come. Either in the form of their own action, Congressional action, or alternative means of getting to work. I am actually telecommuting now far more often than before to save money on gas, and bought the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid I could. How long until a practical alternative to the gasoline-powered car is out there, and the bottom falls out from the oil machine?

Happy Birthday, Nick!

Well, I am a little late to the party, but even late in the day we here at Mod-Blog want to wish regular-poster Nick/Nard a very happy birthday. May God bless you, your comments here at Mod-Blog, your marriage, your career, and everything else in your life. And here is hoping Nora got you a nice large cake, and made it a sweet day.

Life after Star Wars

Ever wonder what happened to the actor who played Grand Moff Tarkin? Still trying to figure out if Sir Alec Guiness is among the living? Think a certain animated character sounds a whole lot like Luke? Check out this article to see where our favorite Star Wars stars are now, and what they are doing with the fame garnered from the Trilogies.

And no, it does not bother to track where the actor who played Jar Jar Binks wound up.

Exploding Sewer

Talk about a bad day... While the video is silent, there is a "bleep out" word in text on the page.

Amazing Snowboarding

Feel free to turn the sound off... there are some expletives and the dialog isn't anything special anyway. Quite an amazing ride.

glumbert.com - The Great Descent

The Negativity of Human Nature

Perhaps it's because I have been raised in a faith tradition that values optimism and values the power of human potential. I don't know. But I am shocked by how much negativity humans choose to embrace. I was reminded of this recently when my old home town went through their elections. The sitting mayor was ousted pretty handily by a candidate who ran on one thing, and literally only one thing. And this one thing was anti-growth. "Too many people have moved in here. Too much development has happened. Etc etc." And now, I happen to like the idea of the Eastern Shore as the quiet place that it was when I grew up here. So I'm not opposed to some limits on growth. But what I am disappointed about is the fact that a town chose to elect a candidate with only one point on her entire agenda. And again, a negative point at that. She doesn't stand for anything as a candidate except that we need to oppose growth.

And looking at the Presidential candidates, it's not much better. I've heard hardly any actual forward thinking, proactive ideas. Everything is based on what we stand against, rather than what we stand for. Are we simply a nation that cannot be defined any longer unless we are defined by what we oppose? That strikes me as profoundly saddening. I would much rather be known for the things I championed and supported, rather than those which I fought against.

Of course, the two are tied together in many ways. Consider someone like Martin Luther King Jr. By all means, he opposed inequality and racism. But really, his legacy is not remembered as that really. Rather, he is remembered as a man who championed the idea that every many could be equal. Did he fight against something? Yes, but he focused on fighting for something and in so doing, his actions combated the evils he saw. Some may say there is no difference, but there is a massive gulf of a difference in my eyes. Do we spend all of our time fighting against things? Or do we spend our time fighting for things? When we fight for something, things do change. But in my experience, when we simply fight against something, little ever does.

Consider Prohibition. Christians became so worked up about alcohol that they fought as hard as they could against allowing even a drop to be sold. It was, obviously, a disaster. Imagine if Christians during this period had dedicated as much time and energy towards fighting for rehabilitation and addiction assistance as they had fighting against alcohol sale. I believe the face of American life would look very different today. But instead, our predecessors in the faith (Much like we still do today) spent their energy on a negative agenda rather than a positive one.

Are we doomed to always focus on the negative aspects rather than the positive? I hope not. Increasingly, it appears that fewer and fewer people in our society are interested in actually building. It is easier to tear down. But as Christians, I beleive we have a serious responsibility to make sure that those tossed about when we tear down (Even rightly) have a safe place to land.

Is the Cold War with Iran heating up?

The Guardian (a British publication) is claiming that the ongoing cold war with Iran over their nuclear ambitions is about to flare up into full-heat, as Iran goes all-out to turn Iraq into the stage for a proxy war with America and Britain.

The official said US commanders were bracing for a nationwide, Iranian-orchestrated summer offensive, linking al-Qaida and Sunni insurgents to Tehran's Shia militia allies, that Iran hoped would trigger a political mutiny in Washington and a US retreat. "We expect that al-Qaida and Iran will both attempt to increase the propaganda and increase the violence prior to Petraeus's report in September [when the US commander General David Petraeus will report to Congress on President George Bush's controversial, six-month security "surge" of 30,000 troop reinforcements]," the official said.
"Certainly it [the violence] is going to pick up from their side. There is significant latent capability in Iraq, especially Iranian-sponsored capability. They can turn it up whenever they want. You can see that from the pre-positioning that's been going on and the huge stockpiles of Iranian weapons that we've turned up in the last couple of months. The relationships between Iran and groups like al-Qaida are very fluid," the official said.

I can't imagine anything more dangerous than this kind of brinksmanship from Iran. It would not take much to push Allied forced into a retaliatory strike on Iran - or to taking the leash off of Israel to allow them to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities - which could lead to all-out war. And if America is not very effective at fighting guerilla insurgency, we are quite good at fighting conventional wars with nation-states. Just ask Sadaam Hussein or the Taliban. Unfortunately, wars don't tend to stay localized in the Middle East.

R.I.P. PalmOS

Palm was once the juggernaut of the handheld world. It held nearly the entire PDA space in its iron grip, and only a few surviving Apple Newtons and Windows CE devices were out there to challenge it. Now, however, it is a much different world. Windows Mobile owns much of the American market, Blackberry owns most of the rest, and the PalmOS is being quietly retired in favor of some kind of Linux which Palm will use on future handhelds.

The beginning of the end for PalmOS was when Palm split into two companies - one to handle Palm-branded hardware and another to handle Palm-branded operating systems and software. Ostensibly, this was to foster innovation on both sides. Instead, it institutionalized the tendency toward tunnel vision. Here is hoping devices like the iPhone can return competition to the space, and foster true innovation.

Convention Center or Top Secret Space Station?

Wired has posted a picture of plans for a new convention center in Dubai that looks very similar to the Death Star.

Fred Thompson on Global Warming

Fred Thompson did a bit for Paul Harvey on Global Warming that I found pretty humorous. The audio can be found here and a transcript can be found here.

Gas Pump Pain

Gas Pump Pain
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

And remember this is at a discount club!

-

Mod-Blog Review: Spider-Man 3

Movie: Spider-Man 3

MPAA Rating: PG-13

The Short Version: Fun, but uneven movie. Ignoring the Spider-Man canon more than either of the ones that came before it, it tries to fit too many villains and storylines into too little time. However, even with its weaknesses, it is better than any of the other summer movies currently out there.

The Long Version: This time out we are at a rare moment in Peter Parker's life. He is in love, Spider-Man is beloved by the public, and none of his close friends are sick or dying. This, of course, requires that before the end of Act 1, everything gets thrown into chaos. While romance deepening between MJ and Peter, a mysterious meteor lands next to the happy couple and an oily-black substance begins stalking the web-slinger. At the same time, in one of the weired retcons (retroactive changes in continuity, a rewriting of history that tends to plague DC more than Marvel) suddenly the police find out that the thug Peter faced in Spider-Man 1 was not actually Uncle Ben's killer. Now, the oily-black substance "bonds" to Peter and causes him to revel in vengeance against the new target of his anger, while at the same time Harry Osborne finally steps into his father's... uh... boots (?) to take his revenge against Spidey.

It is a good summer movie, don't let the mixed reviews out there fool you on that. If this were the first installment of a Spider-Man franchise, we'd all be hailing it as a great example of comic-book adaptation. That being said, the critics have a point. The film is not nearly as good as the original or as Spider-Man 2 (though Shadowmom liked it better than 2). The movie is amazingly uneven. The first 1/2 is a solid mix of drama and action, and then at just about exactly the halfway point suddenly things switch gears and you can tell the director is rushing to fit everything else into the already-long running time. (Be watching for a Spider-Man 3.1 or 3.5 with MANY more scenes inserted). Still the drama works and the action is amazing. The problem is that it doesn't always fit together. And ultmately, that is what made the first two Spider-Man movie, the first 2 X-Men movies, and the Batman Begins movie work so well.

But fear not, Sony has already committed to a Spider-Man 4, even though none of the principle actors have done so. But with a guaranteed blockbuster, it seems unlikely that anyone but Raimi would really say no to a 4th outing. At least until Toby Maguire is too old or the actress who plays Aunt May dies.

Using Video Games to Rewrite History

Running through scenarios is something I enjoy. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if some historical event had the opposite outcome. Apparently, there's a term for it- "Counterfactual Thinking". A video game released last year, "Making History", allow you to do just that with World War II. Economic historian Niall Ferguson has now joined forces with the creators of "Making History" (Muzzy Lane) to release a game which will model current conflicts such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. It should be an interesting game.

Real Immigration Reform?

Back from Africa

I've been back for about a week now and I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. It was a great trip and I thank all of you for your prayers. Anyway, I finally sorted through the 1100+ photos I took and have made a gallery for all of you to see. So, here it is:

Swaziland Select

What is all this about an Immigration Bill?

The poll has been up since yesterday, so it is only fair that we actually post a story about this. The new "bipartisan immigration bill" has finally made its way out of negotiations, and it appears both sides are equally unhappy with it. Sometimes that is the sign of a good compromise. Sometimes that is the sign of a DOA bill. We shall see. What has been hard to find is a good summary of the thing without all of the commentary that is already being flung at it with words like "Amnesty" or "Discrimination" or "Criminalization". The White House has their own summary from their daily press briefings, which you are welcome to read. However, it was long, pedantic, and overly focussed assuming you already know a lot about immigration reform. This summary is a lot more clear to me.

Illegal aliens who "come out of the shadows" by applying for a Z visa would have to pass a background check, remain employed, and avoid criminal behavior, the White House said in a lengthy summary of the legislation released on Thursday.

A Z visa will allow people who sneaked into the country illegally before Jan. 1, 2007, to "live, work and travel freely." But to get a Z visa, illegal aliens will be required to pay a $1,000 fine, "meet accelerated English and civics requirements," stay employed, and renew their visa every four years...

The bill says future immigrants will be selected based on the "skills and attributes" they bring to the United States," including their educational background, their ability to speak English, their job skills, and family ties to the United States.

The bill also ends "chain migration," in which a majority of green cards go to relatives of U.S. citizens....

"To relieve pressure on the border and provide a lawful way to meet the needs of our economy, the proposal creates a temporary worker program to fill jobs Americans are not doing," the White House said.

"Guest workers" would be limited to three two-year terms, and they'd have to spend at least a year outside the United States between each term.

While I applaud Congress and the White House for giving this a try, I have a feeling the bil is DOA at this point in the election cycle. Quite clearly, this Congress is more interested in talking about what the White House does wrong than in making any progress before the 2008 elections. However, this bill may go down in history as the start of the grand debate among the American people - raising the visibility of the issue and forcing the NEXT Congress and President to act.

Prediction: XM Loses Major Value Next Week

This past week, XM radio suspended Opie and Anthony - their online shock jocks - for comments made on their program about Condoleeza Rice. After this move, fans of Opie & Anthony (of which I am not one) decided to make a statement and began cancelling their accounts in droves. The idea was to send a message to XM Radio that the whole reason they bought into satellite radio, which is independent of most FCC regulation, was to have a radio show with more creative freedom. OK, fine. Statement made and move on, right? Well, maybe not. XM protesters are finding, upon reviewing their account statuses, that in fact XM is either suspending the account (i.e. leaving radios active but holding up billing) or giving them credit for the accounts to cover the months that Opie and Anthony will be off the air, but leaving the accounts entirely active.

From listening to the second link above, it appears to me that this may not be sinister but merely an incompetent off-shore call center staff. However, the last time a company did things like this - AOL - it lead to a huge media firestorm and a major red face for the company. To present, XM executives appear oblivious to the issue, and since it is now the weekend it is unlikely any action will be taken until Monday. But by Monday, you can be assured some major media outlet will have picked this up and will run it as a major story. This will lead to an XM Radio stock selloff, and likely a major loss in value.

Be watching. I doubt XM is done shooting themselves in the foot quite yet.

Do you need "Alone Time"?

I have always been a bit of a loner. I need some time to myself every day (and I don't mean the time in the bathroom). This has been seen by some of my friends and relatives as "weird" and even unhealthy. But modern research is showing that loners are a healthy part of the population who bring much of the detail-oriented skills and creativity to the world. Something perhaps less expected is that loners are not socially insensitive, but actually are oversensitized.

Previous MRI studies have shown that during social situations, specific areas in the brains of loners experience especially lively blood flow, indicating a sort of overstimulation, which explains why they find parties so wearying. But Guyer's results suggest that introverts may be more attuned to all sorts of positive experiences as well. This added sensitivity, she speculates, could mean that people who are reserved have an ability to respond quickly to situations—such as coming to your aid in a moment of need—or show unusual empathy to a friend, due to their strong emotional antennae.

This may explain why I prefer a few close friends to a large pool of friends I barely know. This is to be contrasted with other friends of mine who love to have a wide pool of friends whether or not they have emotional intimacy with any of them. Neither is wrong or unhealthy. Both are useful for society.

Transformers Full Trailers Hits the Net!

I have been a huge Transformers fan since about age 6, and have been excited (but skeptical) about Michael Bay's plans to bring live action Transformers Movie to the big screen. The teasers have been interesting, but the "exclusive preview" toys have been much less so. Well, now we have our first chance to really judge the work as the full-length trailer is now online and available in both standard format and HD. I must admit it looks generally better than expected, thought the transforming jets look quite a bit worse. I am still eager to see their design for Megatron, and to see if it is truly menacing.

Speaking of Post-Moderism

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

I almost always trash forwards, unread

Joost - Yet Another VIdeo App

Joost is a new online video application designed to bring more and better video to your desktop than is allowed by YouTube or GoogleVideo. It has been embraced by a number of mainstream TV studios, as it has more control and higher quality than some other options. And now it has a MacOS X version of their Beta. If you are a Mod-Blog reader, and would like an invite, let me know. I can invite a number of people to join in and check it out.

Hong Kong to classify the Bible as "Indecent"?

In what may the most ridiculous move in recent times, Hong Kong authorities are being asked to classify the Bible as "indecent" because of sections with violent and sexual content. Apparently, the move is part of a public protest over the banning of a recent student magazine which ran a feature about incest. If the Bible were to be thusly classified, only adults would be allowed to buy the book and it would be sold wrapped in a solid cover with a large government warning on the cover.

Let's be clear. The Bible does include sections which discuss incest, murder, adultery, rape, and many other horrific acts. But it discusses them as history and condemns them. This may be simply be a political maneuver of protesters, but let's not allow things to get out of hand and deny the religious freedom of millions.

Free Will Fruit Flies

I'm not quite sure how the research actually proves that fruit flies have free will (or at least some free will), but I figured it'd generate interest discussion... even it Nomad is the only one who understands exactly what's going on and argues both the physical and philosophical sides. :)

Although I did not read it, the original article appears to be here.

I'll Vote Yes, Unless I Vote No

Hilary Clinton is the new John Kerry. In what is the Democrats' biggest issue, Clinton won't commit to a troop deadline nor will she commit to not having a troop deadline. I remember an episode of The Daily Show that I saw where they had a mock interview on whether or not Clinton would run for President that played off of her flip-flopping back then. You'll have to read the article. To try to pull a few quotes out of it will lose the effect.

Bush polls poorly, Congress polls worse

It is now being widely reported that Congress is now geting lower approval ratings than President Bush, which is especially notable considering GWB is getting some of lowest ratings since such polls have been taken. We were discussing this at Guys Nite Out tonight (our weekly ritual of pizza and testosterone) and agreed the reason for this problem is obvious. This Democratic Congress was put into place with only ONE clear mandate - to get the USA out of Iraq. And that is the one thing they have shown themselves unable to do.

One wonders if the Democratic Congress will only last 2 years. After all, say what you will about the Republican Congresses. They got stuff done, for better or for worse.

Michael Moore vs Fred Thompson

Michael Moore is the master of the theatrical moment in documentaries. His first documentary - Roger & Me - showed him standing outside of GM trying to get the CEO to come out and talk to him. His documentary on gun violence - Bowling for Columbine - included a moment where he brought Columbine victims to K-Mart to try and return the bullets still lodged in their bodies. Classic cinema. And the reason why, with the exception of the pure unfair propoganda piece that is Fahrenheit 9/11 - I am a fan of his films.

But he should be aware that in this year's race, he may facing other people who know what to do behind a camera. Yesterday, he challenged maybe-presidential candidate Fred Thompson to a debate on Cuba after the actor/politician/pretender-to-a-campaign criticized him for going to Cuba for a theatrical stunt for his next movie on the American Health Care system. He probably expected a politely-worded letter or a snide response from a press aide. Instead, Thompson turned to Google video. Very funny, and perhaps the first geniunely fun moment of this presidential campaign on either side. (If you are having problems playing this under the Safari browser, consider using Firefox or Camino.)

If Moore doesn't let this slide - and he is not the type to take the better part of valor - this could become a VERY interesting week for all of us.

Hostess 100-Calorie Snack Cakes have come to Wal-Mart

They have come to Walmart
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

I know a lot of weight watchers who have been rooting for these to enter our market area. There was only one left when we reached there, and CRChair snapped it up.

Jerry Falwell has died

I was never a fan of much of his fundamentalist baptist theology, nor was I a fan of the moral majority, but nonetheless Jerry Falwell, a man of great conviction, has died today. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family as they cope with this loss.

Youngest Mother Gives Birth

It happened on May 14, 1939, but it's still news to me. The youngest women ever to give birth, gave birth at the age of five!

Wonder What Roger Clemens is Worth to the Yankees?

Do you wonder why the Yankees would pay Roger Clemens the equivalent of 28 million dollars to come out of semi-retirement to pitch for them this year? Did the Yankees overpay or is Clemens worth that much money to them? This article on CNN is an attempt to quantify Clemens worth to the Yankees. The short version is, Clemens is likely to not effect the Yankees bottom line, but is likely to put them in the playoffs.

History makes me think we'll see a Democratic President in '08 but a Republican Congress

I was talking about this wth CRChair and realized it might make for a good Mod-Blog article. I am thinking that American history shows us that the Presidency is the Democrats to lose in 2008. Historically - with the exception of the Civil War times - any party that is in power for 8 years, especially with both Congress and the Presidency, requires some time out of power in order to reform itself and shake off the parasites that always follow power. As such, a Democratic president will shock the GOP into cleaning house, doing a reality check against the grassroots, and prepare themselves for 2012.

That being said, the current Democratic Congress is making no friends, either. They are failing to act like serious lawmakers, but rather stand up to GWB only when it is easy and tend to back down on even their core issues when they become inconvenient. This is likely to lead to another backlash in 2008, and return us to the state that Americans seem to like best - a Presidency and Congress in the hands of different parties.

But even if they think I am right, the major parties should not get complacent. There is plenty of room in this election for a Third Party to step in and steal the election from out under the major parties. We are in a time of shifting alliances within American politics, and it is not unimaginable that the shift may bring about a new 2-party system to replace the old.

A Four Million Dollar Parsonage

I admit to being troubled by reports out of Northville, a suburb of Detroit, where a church has purchased a $4,000,000 home for their pastor. The linked article is mainly focussed on the anger of the local taxpayers that this house is no longer taxable (it used to bring in $40K a year), but I am more concerned at the corruption of a church that feels this is a good use of their money. I know there are many views as to what kind of parsonage a pastor is due - many feel that it should be the same as that of their median member - but can we really justify tying up that much money with so many pressing needs in the world and even in nearby Detroit?

The church defends their decision 2 ways. First, they are a "health and wealth" gospel church which believes God rewards the faithful with nice stuff. A view I admit to NOT being sympathetic to. After all, Jesus would have been considered poor, and appears to have owned only the clothes on his back. Second, they point to the high salaries and expensive lifestyles of sports icons and actors, and argue that it is hypocritical to reward a man for golf more than to a man who is saving souls for eternity.

This is my dog

Gas prices on Mothers Day

Gas prices on Mothers Day
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Priorities

All the puppies agree - adoption is GREAT!

Happy Mother's Day!

We love you very much, and are thankful that God chose to entrust us to your care. We thank God that not only were we given a womb in which to be knit together, but also were given a nurturer and protector who could become a good and loyal friend, as well.

May to day be a day of joy and family. And may God pour out upon you every blessing.

What we do affects our families, too.

CNN has up an article about the Muslim owners of a pizza restaurant right outside of Fort Dix where 7 men were arrested recently for plotting a killing spree against American servicemen. One of those arrested was the son of the owner and the plotters chose the restaurant as a cover because it delivered to the base. Now, soldiers and base personnel are shunning the pizzeria. CNN appears to be mourning this as punishing the innocent father for the sins of the son.

This is an important lesson for those who would harbor the enemies of America, and not anything that the Fort Dix crowd should be ashamed of. What we do reflects not only upon us, but also upon our families. The son of the owner needs to learn that his crime is not in isolation, but affects the whole world.

Original Hindenberg News Footage

My grandmother told me that one of my ancestors had heavily invested in the Hindenberg.

Apple sued for NOT using DRM

My father was a lawyer. And an honest one at that. No, "honest lawyer" is NOT an oxymoron. However, many in the legal profession appear dedicated to making it so. Consider this case where a company is suing Apple, Intel, and others for NOT using their technology. The DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) made it a crime to knowingly bypass a DRM (digital rights management - controlling whether you gave access to a given file) technology without the permission of the copyright holder of whatever is protected. This has been used to run companies out of business that allow ripping of copy-protected DVDs, for example. In this new case, a company has engineered a technology to control and limit users ability to "rip" streamed videos (like YouTube, for example). Most companies have chosen NOT to use the software - presumably because either it does not match their business model or they simply feel it is ineffective. So now, the company is claiming by NOT licensing their technology (i.e. paying them to use it) they are "bypassing" this DRM scheme.

This is like using a law against breaking into someone's house to force all homeowners to buy locks for their front doors from every lockmaker in town. Here is hoping the case is quickly dismissed with prejudice.

The Pope Makes Waves

Although I haven't followed Pope Benedict XVI much, every once in a while a story pops up that makes me impressed with him. In a time when "morality is relative" and "all ways lead to heaven" the Pope has continued to take a stand. Roman Catholic officials in Mexico have excommunicated government officials who recently voted to legalize abortion in Mexico City. The Pope firmly stands behind them reasoning, "... (T)he excommunication was not an arbitrary one, but is allowed under Canon Law which says the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ," (as quoted in the article)

We Need More Troops

The U.S. Army commander over northern Iraq has asked for more troops in order to get the job done in the Diyala province. It's refreshing to see a news article where there are comments from someone who knows we're making progress and that troops and time is really what we need, along with support from the Iraqi government.

Reformating Online Text

Walker Reading Technologies has discovered that the brain reads block text as if we were seeing through a straw. That is, we not only see the word we're looking at, but also two lines above and below. Their solution? Live Ink. Live Ink automatically reformats the text so that it is broken up into phrases and makes it much easier on the eyes. As someone who can zone out and get lost in long paragraphs (I never did claim to have a long attention span :-P), I would find the Live Ink version of a paragraph much easier to read. The downside is that pages would be much longer.

Turning Point: Guiliani Embacing His Pro-Choice Roots

After his wishy-washy attempt to play both sides of the abortion debate, Rudolph Guiliani is preparing to fully come out as a Pro-Choice Republican. This is likely a turning point for the Hero of 9/11, as finally the Republican base has to come to grips with the fact that his views are at odds with the vast majority of the G.O.P. Either the base - after considerable sturm and drang - will decide Guiliani's other qualities make up for this one failing, or they will decide that this is a deal-breaker for any Presidential candidate.

I have been listening to an audiobook on American history. In it, the Republican Party became great by refusing to budge on one great moral issue - Slavery. My own opinion is that if the Republican Party gives in on this other great moral issue, it is the beginning of the end of the party. At the same time, I recognize that the refusal to budge by both sides on Slavery is largely what lead to the Civil War.

Mod-Blog Friend Goes Into the Bagel Business

Kim is a good friend who lost 212 pounds on Weight Watchers, and now is on a quest to help others lose weight and/or get healthier. Head on over to KimBensen.Com or KimsLightBagels.Com for more details.

New Engine to Transform Gasoline Cars?

Science Daily is claiming that a new part of the internal combustion engine called "variable valve actuation" could transform the industry.

In today's internal combustion engines, the pistons turn a crankshaft, which is linked to a camshaft that opens and closes the valves, directing the flow of air and exhaust into and out of the cylinders. The new method would eliminate the mechanism linking the crankshaft to the camshaft, providing an independent control system for the valves.
Because the valves' timing would no longer be restricted by the pistons' movement, they could be more finely tuned to allow more efficient combustion of diesel, gasoline and alternative fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, Shaver said.

The technique could allegedly increase gas-burning efficiency by 15 to 20 percent, making gasoline-based cars as efficient as diesel. It also leads to more completely combusted fuels, meaning fewer greenhouse gases emitted.

Maybe the future is not in the electric car after all. At least not the ones envisioned recently. Maybe instead it is an ultra-efficient hybrid-gasoline engine.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Now THAT is a Pothole

All I can say about these pictures is that it goes to show we all really need amphibious cars... or competent street repair crews.

Why Data Centers and Playgrounds Are Not the Same

Data centers are great places. They house the (or a) heart of a company's computer system. In the summer, they're normally quite comfortably cool. They've got lots of little blinking lights. Playgrounds are also great places. You can run around and play all sorts of games with your friends. Unfortunately, when you get a kid that thinks the data center is the playground, well, let's just say that the data center is no longer a part of the Take Your Child To Work Day tour.

GL says, "Two more (TV) Star Wars movies"

Believe it or not, George Lucas is claiming that he has two more Star Wars movies in him! Supposedly, the new ones will be made-for-television, and will NOT be about the Skywalker family. But in a universe as dense with stories as the Star Wars one, there is plenty of room for new stories. Hopefully, they will be on the same quality level as the CLONE WARS cartoons, and not that of the infamous TV Christmas Special.

Obama, The Fabulous Unelectable Outsider

I came across this interesting article on how Barack Obama is a great candidate, but will be remembered more along the lines of Bill Bradley and Paul Tsongas. This is very much the way that I felt about Steve Forbes in the last two elections. Like Obama he was a smart, successful outsider who was able to articulate his views on what he deemed important. (Of course, compared to Obama, Forbes has the charisma of a pencil eraser.) I think it will make for a more interesting presidential race to have Obama running for the Democrats, but it might make a starker choice of directions if Senator Clinton is the nominee.

Note to self, try to die solvent

A British man thought he had beaten the system. He was informed by doctors that he had a year to live. He promptly stopped paying his bills and his mortgage, went on a spending spree, and lived the life of his dreams. Everything was great! Then came the problem. Doctors called back and revealed good news: he was NOT dying but instead merely had an inflamed prostate. Unfortunately, this means he was now alive, healthy, and pretty much bankrupt.

Lesson learned. Nothing is certain. Not even death.

The Mighty Raptor

I recently was sent this video of the F-22 Raptor that was built for the U.S. Air Force and I must say that it is amazing how that plane is using/abusing physics.

Does Salt Change With The Times?

My church - and I know it is not alone, as I read a lot about similar efforts online - is attempting to get our congregation into a new mindset for Evangelism by attempting to teach us about "Post-Modernism." Over the last couple of years, they have significantly changed the presentation, programs, and teaching of our church in an attempt to reach out to "a post-modern world." This has been a struggle for me. Not because I do not understand post-modernism. I am a philosophy major and a member of Generation X, so I have lived for years in a post-modern world with post-modern peers. What bothers me is the obvious attitude that the Church needs to be in a constant state of flux and change. The attitude seems to be the Church needs to change to meet the shape of the World, no matter what shape the World takes on.

I am stuck between two verses. One is the one that the "changeable Church" proponents would turn to.

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:22

This verse seems to be spot-on in indicating that the Church should change in any way required to win some to Christ. The other vserse is one that seems to stand against a "changeable Church."

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Mattthew 5:13

This verse seems to indicate that the Church needs to be timeless. It needs to maintain its distinctives, and must watch to ensure that it does nothing to lose its ability to be a preservative in the world. It implies that the Church needs to avoid being changed by the World.

Which is supposed to be our model? Or it it supposed to be a mixture of the two? It is always dangerous to hang a whole philosophy on a single verse. It is always safer to grab the message from the whole of scripture. But here I can not see which is the right way. What are the thoughts of Mod-Bloggers out there? Where is the proper balance?

Resolve Phishing Problems with .BANK TLD?

It amazes me how the tech press finds simple solutions for complex problems, and then decides that the beneficiaries are willing to pay big bucks for it. Consider this article on preventing Phishing.

Why do banks and other financial institutions operate under the public top-level domains, like .com? The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the body that creates new top-level domains, should create a new, secure domain just for this reason—something like “.bank,” for example.

Registering new domains under such a top-level domain could then be restricted to bona fide financial organizations. And the price for the domain wouldn’t be just a few dollars: It could be something like $50,000—making it prohibitively expensive to most copycats. Banks would love this. They would move their existing online banks under a more secure domain in no time.

"Banks would love this?" Has this guy ever worked for a bank? Banks understand that the best way to make money is to find ways to avoid spending money. This is why most banks are working on systems invented in the 1970s, and why the one I work for only retired their last Windows 98 computer last year. None of the banks I know would happily give up their $25 a year .COM address for a $50,000 .BANK address unless it were a regulatory requirments. And even then they'd be looking for a way out of it.

Note to the wise: When looking for solutions to problems, try to avoid solutions with costs you would not truly be willing to pay yourself.

Gas over $3 per Gallon

Over $3 per Gallon
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.
I know most Mod-Bloggers have been paying over $3/gallon for a week now, but I managed to put it off. I had forgotten how much it hurts.

Painless Blood Sugar Tests?

Diabetes is a significant problem for many Americans, including a number of my family members and friends. In order to ensure that blood sugar is under control, diabetics have to regularly price themselves in order to draw blood and test blood sugar. It is a major inconvenience, and keeps many needle-fearing Americans from taking care of themselves. But now, a pain-free alternative may be on the way!

The size of a mobile phone, the instrument emits a weaker form of infrared, or near-infrared, which penetrates the skin on the finger and homes in on the bloodstream.
Out of the many components in the blood, the beam is able to identify bits of glucose through the frequency, or wavelengths, they transmit and the amount of blood sugar present would be displayed on the instrument in 10 seconds.

All of Life is a Metaphor

I had a strange experience Sunday at church which seemed weirdly symbolic of our lives. During the sermon I got a bad taste in my mouth (literally, not metaphorically, I really enjoyed the sermon) so I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the sugar free gum I keep there for just such an occurrence. I popped it in, and happily chewed and freshened my mouth as the sermon drew to a close. After the sermon, Communion (i.e. the eucharist) was served. First, they brought around the bread. I hurriedly took the gum out of my mouth to chew the wafer. The gum wound up all over my hands, making a mess and requiring use of a tissue to resolve. Stupidly, I popped it back in afterwards (what was left). Then around came the cup. "Aha!" I thought, "I'll just wad up the gum in the back of my mouth and drink the grape juice." I did so. As the juice entered my mouth, I immediately realized my mistake. The minty gum and the juice were incompatible, and lead to a horrible taste in my mouth. Far worse than when I had started. And I simply wound up miserable.

I have a saying that "All of life is a metaphor," and this time it certainly was true. It was almost a parable. Thinking only of myself and of the moment, I grabbed onto a thing of the world. When I saw a Holy thing about to enter into me, I thought I could balance the two - enjoy the benefits of both. Instead, trying to balance God and the World equally lead to nothing but messy hands, and a bad taste in my mouth.

The Return of Cold Fusion?

When I was in high school, Ponns and Fleishman announced their infamous Cold Fusion results which appeared to show that fusion was possble using relatively cheap and simple technology, at room temperatures, on a tabletop. The world went wild. "The biggest scientific news in a generation!" "Cheap energy for all!" "The end of the Oil monopolies!" As a high school student fascinated with physics, it could not come at a better time. I read everything I could find on the subject, and even was thinking about how I could try and reproduce the experiment. And then came the bad news. The results could NOT be replicated... and there were even signals that the original results may have been tweaked to look more promising than they were. Cold fusion was debunked, and few reputable scientists could get funding to investigate further.

Since then, the "hot fusion" scientists working with high-energy plasmas have still not managed to even reach a break-even point in almost 20 years, and largely the world is looking to sunlight, wind power, ethanol, etc. to meet the growing energy appetite of a technology saturated world. It seems like Cold Fusion might still be worth looking into. It turns out the Navy never gave up hope. And they claim to have results! I hope they are right.

France Chooses Conservative for New President

French voters chose a conservative to be their president by a 53% to 47% margin Saturday. Nicolas Sarkozy is the new president. He had friendly words for America in his victory speech. He called Americans his "Friends" and said that France will stand with America when we need them. He did add the caveat that friends can disagree. It will be interesting to see if a new conservative leader in Europe can change attitudes and do some good.

Sidekick, Good Old Sidekick

As someone who has owned all three generations of the T-Mobile Sidekick, it is one of my favorite electronics that I own. CNN had up an interesting article on the Sidekick that explores why it is so hot amongst the 18-34 year old market. The most interesting stat from the article to me is "the average T-Mobile Sidekick customer sends or receives more than 3,000 instant messages per month". While I don't use my Sidekick much for IMing, it is easy to use and I do send a certain amount of text messages every month.

Not so much funny as scary-true

Yes, I actually have these thoughts

Another look at Global Warming

Conservatives fail to learn from Air America, launch YouTube competitor

Despite the fact that the "Hillary 1984" commercial premiered on YouTube - along with several other powerful and controversial films that supported Republicans and tore down Demorats - apparently some Conservatives precieve the video sharing website as "too liberal." So in response for the 2008 election season they have founded their own video-sharing website called QubeTV. Using the tagline "Starring The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy", QubeTV wants to define itself as THE place to go for Conservative video commentary and propogada.

Have we learned NOTHING from the failure of Air America? Liberals saw the success of Conservative Talk Radio, and attempted to form their own talk radio station to counter it. The result? Millions of dollars of debt, and pretty much no listeners except for Conservatives who tune in to get angry at what is being said. You do not win the conversation by forming a new conversation far away from the original, excluding the people who started it in the first place. You win a debate by facing people down directly, where they are. All this is going to do is ensure a migration of Conservative thought away from YouTube, which is where the majority of Americans will be looking for grassroots political commentary in 2008.

Update: And, of course, QubeTV BARELY works on my Mac. I get audit, but that is it. Way to try to get the message out to everyone, guys. But we all know only liberals use Macs, right?

If you doubt the kinds of monsters we're dealing with in Iraq...

...read this story and be reminded. The American military discovered this week that a new girls school being built north of Baghdad literally had artillery shells baked into the foundation!!! detonating cord has been run throughout the building, turning the school into a building-wise IED (improvised explosive device). Discovered by accident, it shows an Al Qaeda attempt to murder perhaps hundreds of innocent little girls, merely to generate terror for their parents and to make the point that educating females is against Bin Ladin's idea of proper Islam.

I truly do not understand why Feminists like Nancy Pelosi refuse to speak out on things like this. If we leave Iraq and Al Qaeda moves in, they will want to impose a Taliban-style government which sends women back to the times when they had no place in public discourse... or even the public space at all. Are they so focused on embarrassing GWB, that they don't care about this?

Both profound and profundly disturbing

First impression of the Republican Candidates Debate

CRChair again induced me to watch portions of the Presidental Candiate Debate. I did NOT see the whole thing, so I may well have missed some key points. But one thing was clear from the start to the finish: there were only two men on stage who were presidential. Neither was John McCain who looked like a harried grandfather hopped up on too much coffee. The two presidential images on stage were those of Rudolph Guiliani and Mitt Romney. No one else had the confidence, the command, and the unflappable demeanor demanded of a modern president.

My prediction is that John McCain's run essentially ended tonight, and that unless Fred Thompson decides to run the two poles of the GOP primary will be Rudy and Mitt. All the rest will quickly fall by the wayside. Cultural conservatives will lean towards Romney. Economic and law-and-order conservatives will lean toward Rudy. And no, I do not know if either can win in the general election. But then, I do not know if anyone on the Democratic stage could win it all either. There is still room for an independent rising star to steal the stage for either party... or for their own party.

My Mom Appreciates MY Blog

Republicans Take Center Stage

I watched about 1/3 to ½ of the Republican debate on MSNBC last night and recorded it for future viewing. This is my reaction to the parts that I saw.

Mitt Romney was the most presidential person on stage. He easily answered questions and moved the discussion to questions he wanted to answer without making it obvious. Rudy Giuliani seemed unprepared to answer the questions about abortion. You would have thought that he would have decided on how he wanted to explain his views by now knowing that this question would come up. He did alright other than that. John McCain didn’t seem Presidential to me. He is said to be great at speaking “off the cuff”, but all of his answers seemed too planned to play into his strengths. None of the next tier candidates did much to change my opinion of them. I would like to be able to say that Gov. Mike Huckabee did a great job, but he was just fine. I do think that the candidates that said that they support the Fair Tax (National Sales Tax) probably put themselves out of the race. Huckabee is one of the candidates who did this. This election will not be about changing the tax system (as much as some of us would like this to be a major issue.) This election is about Iraq, homeland security and national optimism. The major tax debate of this election cycle will be about making President Bush’s tax cuts permanent and extending the elimination of the “Death Tax” which goes to 0% in 2010 and back to 55% in 2011.

China Copies Disneyland/Disney World

The website Japan Probe has posted pictures of Shijingshan Amusement Park, an amusement park in Beijing that looks suspiciously like Disneyland/Disney World. Only problem is that Disney didn't have anything to do with it. To make things even weirder, the operators claim that all of the characters are original characters.

Fire Video

Here is a video I took of the smoke rising from the fire.

Fire, Fire, Fire

A Fire broke out near our shop less than an hour ago. Preliminary reports are that it is a brush fire. The flames were really high though, so it could be more than that.

Star Wars: Robot Chicken

The trailer is up and looks too funny for words.

This is... IRON MAN!

Check out this amazing image of the upcoming red-and-gold suit for next summer's Iron Man movie. I have to admit, I was figuring on Iron Man for another Marvel disappointment. But at least from a design perspective, this film is hitting everything out of the park.

Playstation 3 destroys Xbox 360 in real life

No, this is not another reviews comparison. A video games columnist learned about the comparative cooling systems of the two units when his sons accidentally turned on both inside of a tightly-packed, closed entertainment center. As the two systems ran, the heat built up inside the unfortunate piece of furniture and fans audibly kicked in for both systems. The children who caused the battle were blissfully unaware until suddenly... the XBox 260 showed up the "red ring of death" which indicates it needs to go back to the shop for repairs. The PS3 remained functional and relatively happy.

Lesson learned? Apparently, Sony is prepared for Global Warming with their new console, while Microsoft is depending on air conditioning to sustain their units.

House unable to overturn GWB Veto

Despite threats by Democratic leaders the House of Representatives was unable to gather enough votes to overturn President Bush's veto of the War Spending Bill. This means that Congress will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new bill instead, in hopes of crafting one that the President will sign... or that the House can find enough votes in to overturn a Presidential veto. Democrats claim that they will accept no bill without a deadline for troop withdrawal.

I suspect we will find ourselves back here in a month or so, and Congress will find itself increasingly unpopular with the people. The White House is already at its low point in popularity, but Congress still has a way to go. And unyielding stubbornness could easily lead to a reversal of Democratic gains in 2008.

Schools Overreact To Student's Counter Strike Level

A high school senior created a map of his high school for play in the popular first person shooter game, Counter-Strike. For that reason, he was sent to an alternative school. The original article mentioned on Slashdot is now "Slashdotted", but supposedly the only "weapon" police found was a hammer. School officials are completely overreacting to this. While some of the school shooters have been found to have played first person shooters, not all people who play first person shooters end up becoming school shooters. If the school was really worried, a psychological evaluation should have been performed and then a decision made from there.

It's Funny, But Sad Because It's True

My father used to say he wanted the job of "dog" in our family

GWB Vetoes War Spending Bill

We caught the president's speech yesterday explaining his reasoning for vetoing the Democratic spending bill for the War in IRaq. Essentially, he gave two reasons: (1) giving a date for withdrawal only telegraphs to the enemy how and when to plan the next attack, and (2) the bill is so laden with pork that in many ways it is less a war spending bill than a homeland appropriations bill. The Democrats in Congress have immediately mobilized to contain the political damage (hardly suprising since they knew this veto was coming) but already seem a but shrill in their feigned shock and outrage.

While I understand the Democratic need to pander to their base, I do not see how they hope to win this one. Do they really want to open themselves to charges of sending the troops into battle with insufficient armor or weapons or ammunition? The commander-in-chief already has them over there, and the Constitution only gives Congress power over the purse. It seems to me that it would be more logical for them to threaten to not vote on any Judicial Appointments or some other priority of the president's until he agrees to concessions, rather than punishing the troops. Well, we shall see.

Video Game Cheating

Wired has up an interesting opinion piece on video games and cheating. It asks the question, what is cheating in a single-player game? Personally, if I use cheat codes, I don't feel that I really beat the game, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it. How do other Mod-Bloggers feel?

Selling Internet in Iraq

Ever wonder what it takes to have a business of selling internet access in Iraq? Here is an account of the struggles two Californians have had. Sounds like the pay is good, but personally, I'd rather not have to always be watching my back.