Who knew Cellists could be so cool?

Crossing the line with surveilance

This story is one which scares me quite a bit. A high school in Gig Harbor, Washington (where I attended a certain friend's wedding) has put up a full-time surveilance system. This was to fight crime and deter any would-be drug dealers. What happens next is interesting.

The dean of students said he saw two girls kissing. He checked the surveillance tape then shared what he saw with the parents of one of the girls. They then pulled her out of school, which then pulled the peninsula school district into a big controversy....“I think that that’s fine if they’re doing something they shouldn’t be doing. The surveillance is fine,” said Heidi Holmes, a Gig Harbor parent.
“We’re watching them at home, so we should be watching them at school too,” said Tim, Heidi’s husband.
The Holmes said surveillance cameras are a way of life. Helping prevent crime, identifying suspects and just giving folks a sense of security knowing the cameras are always watching.

Think about this. The students were being monitored when they engaged in an activity that broke no law, violated no school policy, and did not damage the learning process. And yet, the surveilance was used to punish the girls... and their parents are thrilled.

Freedom is not just for adults. And in this case, it was stripped away in the name of security. And what begins with our children will be visited back upon ourselves, because they will consider it the new normal.

Iran's Gas Prices

We were discussing gas prices at work yesterday and the fact that Iranians are paying only 34 cents per gallon of gas came up. This seems like a gross injustice to Americans until I read an article online today that describes why the Iranians pay so little. Part of what it said was "Iran offers the highest subsidies for gasoline in the region, buying foreign gasoline for slightly more than $2 a gallon, according to official figures, and offering it for 34 cents a gallon." So we too could have really cheap gas, if we allowed our government to tax us more and then pay even higher subsidies to the gas companies.

SCOTUS strikes down race as a factor in diversification

I am a white male, which I am told, means I am one of the most privileged people in America and the world. Whether or not that is true is up for some debate - especially since in the last two years I have been passed over for admittance into schools precisely because I am white and male but that's not racism or sexism - it's diversification. That actually gets us to the crux of the issue with yesterday's SCOTUS decision that race is not a factor that can be used in the diversification of schools. Last night as I sat and watched the Democratic candidates for president proclaim this as destroying decades of judicial precedent I could only think "huh?". From what I remember of Brown vs. Board of Ed. the issue was black students being excluded because they were black - which is clearly wrong. In yesterday's case the problem was white students being excluded because they're white. So, the democratic theory would work like this mathematically:
school - black students + white students = racism
school - white students + black students = diversity

To which I can only respond, "What the [your expletive here]!!!!" Now clearly there are some differences in the cases. In Brown all blacks were being excluded and in yesterdays' case it was only a percentage of whites being excluded. Nonetheless, what the court decided yesterday was still in line with Brown in saying that race is not a factor that can be used in the effort to provide equality and diversity in our schools. In fact schools are allowed to decide between students and are allowed remarkable freedom in choosing between students, they're just not allowed to use race as a factor. This seems reasonable to me.

If we are going to get past race in this country then we need to stop using it as a crutch. Are there inequalities in this country that need to be overcome - heck yeah. Stealing from the rich to help the poor isn't the way to do it - that only causes bitter rich people and less bad off criminals. In the same way blocking white admittance to allow black students in isn't a reasonable method of diversifying our schools. Provide some incentive for blacks to move into predominantly white neighborhoods, give out school vouchers, redraw school district lines. Do what you want, just don't say 'you're black so you're in and you're white so you're out.' This doesn't reck precedent - it strengthens the ultimate American precedent 'All people are created equal' and discrimination on the basis of race is wrong.

Is that Taupe, Eggshell, or Offwhite?

I am single, but my married friends tell me this is true

A new JibJab Video

Star Spangled Banner
|Funny Jokes at JibJab

It is amazing to see that the whole National Anthem can be reconstructed from all of the presidents who have ever appeared on film.

Answers to common iPhone questions

David Pogue has up a supplement to yesterday's posted iPhone review to answer the most common questions that he has recieved. Not too much is revealing, but there are a few gems.

Does the iPhone have a speakerphone? Vibrate mode? Airplane mode? Yes, yes and yes. The speakerphone and the vibrations are both weak, though.

Can I dial without looking? Can I dial one-handed? You can’t do much on the iPhone without looking. Then again, few people can operate a cellphone without looking. Dialing the iPhone one-handed, though, is easy. As your fingers grasp the iPhone, your thumb is free to tap buttons, scroll lists and so on.

Can I use a SIM card from another phone? The iPhone comes with an installed SIM card, the tiny circuit board that stores your account information and phone number. Apple says that you should be able to replace it with any recent AT&T card, once you activate it at iTunes. No other company’s SIM card works in the iPhone.

Another site worth checking out is iPhone Source which is looking to be the central repository of iPhone Applications available online. Unfortunately, none of them work with my Sidekick. :-(

BJ's Gas Update

BJ's Gas Update
Originally uploaded by crchair

Wii Transfer

If there are other Nintendo Wii and Mac users out there (and I know of at least one), this is a handy little app you may want to check out. Wii Transfer allows you to share your music and photos between your Mac and your Wii - basically giving you a little bit of the AppleTV functionality on your non-Apple appliance. The way it does it is by setting up a small web server on whatever Mac you are running it on, and streaming music or photos to the Wii thru its Internet Channel (which, by the way, you'll want to pick up right now before Nintendo/Opera take it out of Beta and make it non-free). You can bookmark the Wii Transfer URL, and go back there at any time Wii Transfer is running. The free version will only play individual songs, and puts a big DEMO in the middle of your slideshows. The full version costs $14. But for many of us, free might be all we need.

Tony Blair signs off

It's odd that as a completely american person, I am more saddened by this being the last day of Tony Blair as Prime Minister of Great Britain than I am about the impending end of the term for a president that I voted for - twice. Nonetheless, today Tony Blair leaves his post as Prime Minister. From all that I can tell he is a good man and quite bright as well as the U.S.' greatest supporter in the war on terror. The next few weeks should prove to be important in the future of US-UK relations, here's hoping the next guy is as good as Blair.

Smartphone for Sean

With all the talk of the iPhone the past few days months, I've started to look more seriously into getting a smart phone. As I've stated before, the iPhone is completely off the table. I'm looking for something that:

1. Won't cost me an arm & a leg to buy.
2. Has a good data plan & cell plan (or a combo that is fairly competitive)
3. Will allow me a lot of functionality on the web

With those condition stated, I'm wondering what the Mod-Blog community thinks is the best option - Blackberry, Sidekick, Treo or something else that I haven't even looked at? Discuss...

VP: I am not an Executive

I have only held off posting about this story, because it is almost impossible to find an article on this which is not a commentary piece. It is so weird that right-wingers are trying to ignore it, and left-wingers can't talk about it without a sneer. I am, of course, talking about VP Dick Cheney's comments earlier this week on the role of the Vice Presidential office within the U.S. governmental structure.

Mr Cheney had been complying with a presidential order to surrender sensitive papers but then stopped, saying although he works in the White House, he is not part of the executive branch.

He argues that he is a member of the legislature because of his dual role as president of the Senate.

This is truly a bizzare statement, although not entirely without precedent as George Washington originally refused to include John Adams in his cabinet because he viewed his role as President of the Senate as an inherently Legislative function. But that being said - and that is about the only defense I can imagine for the statement - historically otherwise the VP has always been viewed as part of the Executive and even President Washington's view changed for his second term. The White House should bite the bullet and admit this statement for what is - a lawyerly delaying tactic on releasing some information they want to keep classified for some (maybe even good) reason. It doesn't pass the sniff test in the public, and is only serving to weaken an already lame duck presidency in the eyes of the public.

WSJ iPhone Review

Apparently, the press embargo on the iPhone is now broken, and thus all kinds of newspapers and websites are releasing their reviews. So far, the vast majority appear to be positive... very positive in fact, and far more than I expected with the known drawbacks of the iPhone. I am not sure yet if this is just the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field, or if Apple really has redefined the smartphone space. The Wall Street Journal's review is among the best and most balanced.

The iPhone's most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the screen, turned out in our tests to be a nonissue, despite our deep initial skepticism. After five days of use, Walt -- who did most of the testing for this review -- was able to type on it as quickly and accurately as he could on the Palm Treo he has used for years. This was partly because of smart software that corrects typing errors on the fly.

But the iPhone has a major drawback: the cellphone network it uses. It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won't come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can't use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile's network. So, the phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T's coverage is good. It does work overseas, but only via an AT&T roaming plan.

I am sticking with Tmo and my Sidekick III, but I know at least one guy who will be camping out at the local mall in hopes of scoring an iPhone. I'll let you know my impressions when he is showing it off on Sunday.

NYT iPhone Review

As long as we're giving in the iPhone mania, why not a video review that actually gives you a chance to see the thing in action.

Poor man's iPhone

This is an interesting blog post. But more important - and might I mention comical - than the post is the photo and caption.

iPhone service plans announced

For those interested - which seems to be about 60% of Mod-Bloggers - the service plans for the iPhone have been announced. Apple/AT&T have made a smart move in making data rates unlimited on all plans. The rates seem competitive with something like a Sidekick which, from what I can tell is $30 for data and whatever calling plan you want. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, those of you with a Sidekick). So, the bottom plan for the iPhone is $60 with data and calling. Not too bad, though that does mean you have to fork over the $500 for the phone in the first place.

Gas prices hold steady

Gas prices hold steady
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Yes, we have a Wii...

...and if you own a Nintendo Wii, you know what that means. If you don't, you probably think it means hours of lost sleep. Nope. It means I am sleeping like a BABE, because I am so exhausted from playing this console! I read about the recent diagnosis of "Wii Elbow", and laughed at the out-of-shape people exhausted by playing video games. But, I can tell you that playing even NON-sports games, is EXHAUSTING. But I must say it has been GREAT for my health, as I am now exercising regularly and can really feel the difference as I am more flexible, stronger, and my back has not felt this good since I had surgery years ago. A quick review of the games I have played so far:

Wii Sports: This comes free with the console, but is also EASILY the most fun game I own. And this is not a dig on the other games. But Wii sports - which is a fairly simple set of sports-themed games like tennis, boxing, golf, and bowling - IS simple which means you can start playing on day 1, and have some serious fun. And it is also the most aerobic of the games, which means playing it for 1/2 hour each day counts as exercise.

Wii Play: This game comes free with an extra controller (or is available without, by why bother?) and is focussed on showing what kinds of things you can with the Nintendo Wii's innovative control methods. You race cows, play air hockey, ping pong, and play something like Duck Hunt among other games. Quite fun, but not nearly as fun as Wii Sports. It is worth the extra $10 with a controller, but definitely not worth buying on its own.

Red Steel: This is one of the first First-Person-Shooters for the Wii, and takes advantage of the unique controls to not only shoot guns, but also fight with a sword in each hand. It is a blast to play, although exhausting because you turn and aim by pointing your arm at the screen. However, while is rated "teen", parents should be aware that the weapons include not only bullets and swords, but also every curse word in the book. It is recommended if you are in a house with children (or like me, in a 3-family house with children in a different apartment) that you turn the volume WAY down... or get a different game.

Spider-Man 3: Spider-Man has not only been among the most successful of the super hero adaptions on the big screen, but also among the most successful video game adaptions out there. Spider-Man 1 was fun because you actually got to be the Wall-Crawler. Spider-Man 2 was GREAT because you could swing free-style around the city - I spent hours just exploring for the pure zen peace of it. Spider-Man 3 takes it one more step by allowing you to actually spin webs by flicking your wrists, which gets VERY tiring very quickly. It may actually be MORE tiring than Wii Sports, which is really saying something.

Overall, I have no regrets with buying this system, aside from waking up sore almost every day. But it is that good kind of soreness after a mildly strenuous sports (or marching band) activity, which means you will be stronger tomorrow. And if you want to share your Wii friend code with me, let me know.

Sad but True

Although some must wonder if they'd be more the Golden Calf in this analogy.

This *HAS* to be a hoax, but it is too funny not to post

FYI, filing a false police report is a crime, too.

From Harbor Yard

From Harbor Yard
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Watching the Bridgeport Bluefish playing the Revolution.

Sigh

This one is fun!

Name that connection: Transformers & Orson Welles

With the advent of the next Transformers movie upon us, I stumbled upon this nifty little article on the original Transformers movie. The article puts out there a bunch of little known (or at least little known by me) facts. For instance, did you know that Transformers: the movie was Orson Welles' last movie? Very interesting.

Old School

I love the one scene where he is training with Wii Boxing.

This one is for Sean

Not sure if any of our other regular readers will be interested in this, but I found it interesting. It is iPhoney - a browser invented to give you an idea on your desktop of how your website will look on the iPhone in both landscape and portait mode. Pretty cool, and I must admit that Mod-Blog ain't looking so wonderful. But it WILL look much better in our old mobile view.

Bloomburg's end game - Unity '08?

An interesting article over at National Journal is saying that it looks quite possible that NYC Mayor Bloomburg could possibly be eying the inter-partisan group Unity '08. This would be an interesting move by the mayor. I for one, along with lots of other people, think that the only reason he jumped the GOP ship is because he's planning on running for president. Unity '08 would be a good vehicle for him to move forward on his plans. I don't think he'll win no matter what third party group he aligns with, but I think that this could prove to be an interesting move.

Gas Prices

Gas Prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Welcome back to CT.

NEVER use your ATM Pin Code in front of a stranger

Working at a bank, I am always amazed at how far criminals will go for a quick buck. This story reminds us to NEVER use your ATM Pin Code in front of a stranger, no matter how helpful they may appear to be. Remember, if a thief has your card and your PIN, as far as the bank is concerned, they ARE you. And there is suprisingly little legal protection for PIN-based transactions. Only signature transactions with a DEBIT card recieve VISA's protection against theft.

Making Immigration Law Personal

Part of me does not want to post this story as I think it was only brought up by the media due to immigration reform being a hot topic. That being said, I'm curious what other Mod-Bloggers see as the solution to the following situation.

Alex Jiminez, a member of the U.S. Army, has been missing in Iraq for just over a month. His wife, Yaderlin, came here illegally. Alex then applied for a green card for her which has not come through. The problem is that since she is illegally here and has been for more than a year, the law says that she must be deported and cannot return to the U.S. for 10 years. At this point, it will take an act of Congress to keep her here.

Part of me says that she came here illegally and they should have known the risks. Their illegal actions should not be rewarded. On the other hand, I don't think I could be the judge that handed down that verdict. The fact that her husband is currently MIA just compounds the "human factor" part of the issue.

I think THIS is the real reason CRChair got an Escalade

Some thoughts on the iPhone SDK

My new favorite blog has posted some thoughts on the iPhone SDK. As you may have heard, Apple isn't releasing a software development kit - instead they're pushing developers to create programs meant to run on Safari. Basically what this means is that programs for the iPhone won't actually reside on the iPhone. Instead they will be essentially web pages. So, this blogger wonders if you are willing to a) trust websites to store your private data and b) pay for the data plan that you'll need to update that data.

Since I'm not planning on getting a iPhone - hopefully a Blackberry - these things aren't real concerns for me. But for those that are thinking about it, this is something worth thinking about. It seems that perhaps Apple has finally found a way to push people to the web to make it the hard drive of the future that people have been proclaiming it to be - for some time.

Thoughts?

Bloomberg bolts the GOP

In order to run for mayor, Michael Bloomberg switched from his lifelong affiliation as a Democrat to the Republican party. Many cried foul then, and now the Mayor of NYC has proven them right. He has left the Republican Party... possibly in preparation for a presidential run.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leaving the Republican party and will remain unaffiliated with any political party, CBS 2 HD learned Tuesday night.

The move will clearly begin advancing rumors that the mayor is gearing towards a presidential run, which he has denied in the past.

In a statement, however, the 65-year-old billionaire mayor indicated this doesn't change his plans for his political future.

How interesting would it be to have the former Mayor of NYC (Guilianai) facing the current Mayor of NYC (Bloomberg) facing the current junior senator (Clinton).

New Ride

I got a new car last week. It is a 2004 Cadillac Escalade. We drove it to Delaware/Maryland to visit Ward & Muse this weekend. So far it is a wonderful car and a pleasure to drive.

10 Common Photographic MIstakes

Here at Mod-Blog we have a number of shutter-bugs (Sean - a real pro, Me - a wanna-be), so I thought this article on common photographic mistakes might be useful. Some of them are fairly common sense, and some gave me "AH HA!" moments. The biggest one from my experience is "Be patient!" Digital is great for grabbing a million shots, but somethings you are best waiting for that perfect one.

It's always the last place you look

In car navigation, by Apple?

That is just what we could be expecting if we are to believe this article. The writer makes some good point for pros and cons. I tend to be skeptical on this one. I'll believe it only when I see it. Though it would be cool if Apple provided a place to sync your music library online that the car could access - but I doubt that as well.

Update: Here's the link.

Happy Fathers Day

My own father is home with my Heavenly Father, but I want to wish the fathers our readers this year. May today be a day of joy, and may every year bring you greater satisfaction in the raising of your child(ren). (Pictures below are only a few of the blessed.)

Congratulations Ward and Muse

A very hearty congratulations from all of us here at Mod-Blog to Ward and Muse on their ordination into the Wesleyan Church. May God bless your ministry and bring forth much fruit (even if you have to deal with some manure along the way).

I am still with you Joe!

According to the Connecticut Post, Joe Lieberman has lost a critical vote of support... from the head of the party he started to get him elected to Congress when the Democrats rejected him.

Connecticut for Lieberman Party Chairman John Orman called Tuesday for Sen. Joe Lieberman to resign, saying his advocacy of a military strike against Iran could explode into a global conflict.
"He has crossed the line," said Orman, a professor of politics at Fairfield University. "His unilateral warmongering could lead to a new World War III."
During an appearance on "Face the Nation" on CBS Sunday, Lieberman said the United States should consider a military strike against Iran because of Tehran's involvement in Iraq.

This is a great irony. A man forms a party specifically to support one person... and then jumps ship at the first opportunity. I still support Joe Lieberman, though this may not be a great comfort since I am a Republican.

In Delaware, Gas is $2.79!

In Delaware, Gas is $2.79!
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

I like living in CT, but what a difference in cost of living.

Are we de-naturalizing our children?

I suspect BowHunter will have the strongest opinion on this particular story. It describes how children in only 4 generations have lost the freedom to wander and explore the natural world around them. A child born in 1926 was free to wander 6 or 10 miles from home in search of fun, and thus was able to explore the natural world. A child born in the 2000s, on the other hand, is likely to never be allowed more than 300 feet from his own lawn unsupervised and thus have very little interaction with the natural world.

"It's not just about time. Traffic is an important consideration, as is the fear of abduction, but I'm not sure whether that's real or perceived."

...The report's author, Dr William Bird, the health adviser to Natural England and the organiser of a conference on nature and health on Monday, believes children's long-term mental health is at risk.

He has compiled evidence that people are healthier and better adjusted if they get out into the countryside, parks or gardens.

Stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces, he says. Even filling a home with flowers and plants can improve concentration and lower stress.

"If children haven't had contact with nature, they never develop a relationship with natural environment and they are unable to use it to cope with stress," he said.

"Studies have shown that people deprived of contact with nature were at greater risk of depression and anxiety. Children are getting less and less unsupervised time in the natural environment.

"They need time playing in the countryside, in parks and in gardens where they can explore, dig up the ground and build dens."

I am hardly a good judge of this, since I have always been the great INdoorsman - preferring my own imagination to green spaces - but this makes a lot of sense to me. I know my mother spend most of the summer outside wandering the neighborhood and adjacent spaces, while I see most friends kids never allowed out of the sight of parents until they are well into their teens. Can this NOT have an impact on our development as human beings?

The Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment, Take Two

Geek Question: Ruby on Rails pros & cons

This post is more for the software/web developers in our community. I recently started looking into Ruby on Rails as a development framework for some of my web development. I was wondering what you all have or haven't heard about it. I'm mostly looking for any negatives - since there are tons of positives out on the web - but I'll take any positive comments you have as well. Thanks for your help.

USB Missile Launcher at Woot!

A while back, QuizWedge posted about a USB-powered Nerf Missile Launcher for the office, which looked like a LOT of fun. Well, today ONLY they are selling that bad boy on Woot!. For anyone who finds this AFTER Friday, Click here for the Blog entry. The built-in software is Windows only, but someone has also made a Mac client!

What is your (American) Accent?

I took the test, and I think this is pretty accurate. I grew up in NJ before moving to the NYC suburbs of CT, and then went to upstate NY for college. I think I sound pretty American-neutral.

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Midland ("Midland" is not necessarily the same thing as "Midwest") The default, lowest-common-denominator American accent that newscasters try to imitate. Since it's a neutral accent, just because you have a Midland accent doesn't mean you're from the Midland.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

The Pants Suit

When I first heard about this case, I thought "stupid lawsuit". When I saw it again last night, I thought, "I was thinking about blogging on that." When I saw it again tonight, I thought, "This is a judge that at least should know the law. What part of the case is the news not reporting?"

For anyone who hasn't heard, a Washington, D.C. administrative law judge named Roy Pearson is suing a "mom and pop" dry cleaner owned by Jin, Soo, and Ki Chung for $54 million. The suit started over a pair of lost suit pants and was originally for $67 million.

As best I can tell, here's what has happened. Pearson took his suit to the Chung's shop for a $10.50 alteration. The suit was worth over $1,000. When Pearson went back to pick up his pants, they couldn't find them for three days. After three days, the Chung's produced a pair of pants that they said was Pearson's, but Pearson disagreed and demanded that the Chungs pay for the suit. The Chungs would not pay as they believe the pants they are trying to give Pearson are his. Pearson filed a law suit for $67 million that was later dropped to $54 million. He arrives at these figured based on $65 million under Washington, D.C.'s consumer protection act and another $2 million under common law. Of these claims, Pearson is looking for $2 million for his "pain and suffering" and another $500,000 for the cost of defending himself. The rest would be used to encourage lawsuits similar to his. The Chung's have offered settlement options, but Pearson refuses to budge. Pearson now says that this is no longer about the pants, but about two signs the Chungs had in their window. One said "Same Day Service" and the other said "Satisfaction Guaranteed".

Thoughts:
1. The suit was blue and maroon and the pants the Chungs have are gray. They appear to be the wrong pants.

2. The pants have cuffs. Pearson claims that he hasn't worn cuffed pants since the 70s and photos of his wardrobe show that he has no other pants with cuffs. Again, they appear to be the wrong pants.

3. Pearson admitted that when he started this suit he had no job and only $1,000 to $2,000 to his name. This appears to be, as the defense has suggested, Pearson's way of trying to get himself back into a good financial position at another's expense.

4. Pearson cried during his testimony about his pants. This guy is either unstable or putting on a show. They're pants.

5. Pearson is asking for $15,000 for his rental car fees as this is the only dry cleaner in the area and he doesn't have a car. Having a dry cleaner that you can get to without a car is not a guaranteed right so this is a frivolous charge.

6. The judge presiding over the case has closed the "same day service" issue so now it is about the meaning of "satisfaction guaranteed". While "satisfaction guaranteed" means different things to different people, most sane people seem to think it doesn't mean that the customer gets whatever they want. Pearson disagreed with this idea in his testimony saying that "satisfaction guaranteed" meant they have to do whatever he says to make things right.

Some interesting quotes:

"There is no case in the District of Columbia or in the United States that comes anywhere close to the outrageousness of the behavior of the defendants in this case." - Roy Pearson

"I'm very concerned about it. You're standing here as a lawyer, making an argument, and you have an obligation to the court about what the cases are about." - Judge Judith Bartnoff

"I do think that this is a very important statute to protect to consumers, and I also think it's important that statutes like this are not misused." - Judge Judith Bartnoff

"This case is very simple. It's about one sign and the plaintiff's outlandish interpretation." - defense attorney Chris Manning

"The Chungs, who immigrated from South Korea in 1992, have grown disillusioned with the United States and might return to their native country" - defense attorney Chris Manning

Technically, due to the number of offenses and the time it has been, Pearson is claiming the right amount which is why the judge hasn't simply thrown the case out. Still, this seems to be a case that should have been open and shut in favor of Pearson in small claims court. Does anyone see this differently? Is this just a case of a punishment that was set with large companies in mind (due to the cost) and is being used against a small company?

Elephant Pirate

If you find yourself driving in India, be on the lookout for an elephant that will stop you and not allow you to continue until you have either given it food or allow it to search the car!

Kirk vs Picard

This will be of interest to the writers/Trekkies (Trekers?) in our audience. George Takei
and Wil Wheaton have announced a writing competition where every week a story with the theme of Kirk vs. Picard will be picked as a winner. Not being much of a Star Trek writer, this doesn't interest me too much, but those that enjoy writing sci-fi and Star Trek (yeah you Nomad) would probably be smart to enter one of their fabulous stories.

ONLY ON MOD-BLOG: Death Penalty Debate

I think the Death Penalty debate going on in the comments of the "is it a Deterret" posting is one of the most interesting and respectful ones we have had in a while here on Mod-Blog. Rather than leaving it buried in comments, I thought I'd bring it out as a posting. It really shows that while sometimes Mod-Bloggers seem one-sided, we are a fairly diverse community. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments to this thread as well. After all, I doubt Ward will let me have the last word on this.

(Disclosure: I did make a few tweaks to my comments to reflect what I was thinking but did not make it into the original posting. Feel free to make fun of me for that.)

WACKO! said...

I've struggled with my beliefs over the death penalty topic...unfortunately, it has yet to be settled for me.
Wacko!

NICK said...

I think it is biblical as a punishment for the most serious crimes (taking life).

As for being a detterent... doesn't matter, but it is interesting. I always thought that it must be one... if you knew (know) that if you killed someone you would die... pretty big deterent I think.

The major problem we have now is that if someone does end up getting the death penalty, they end up sitting on death row for years. Without the fear of immenent death, the detterent effect is mitigated.

Now, I know, there have been mistakes. In certain cases it is pretty open and shut though.

SEAN said...

I struggle with the death penalty as a punishment. If we are truly pro-life, then killing someone - no matter what they have or haven't done - doesn't seem consistent to me. I know there are some biblical warrants for it, but they all seem to be pre-Christ - hence pre-grace. I tend to be against it, no matter how it's framed. 'Thou shall not kill' doesn't have any loopholes to me.


NOMAD said...

My opinion is that Pro-Life is a positive way of phrasing "Anti-Abortion" and not a general philosophy for many. Too many want to make it seem like a hypocritical move to both support the Death Penalty and be against Abortion. But being against the taking of innocent life, and being for the taking the life of a person proven guilty of taking the life of another is NOT inconsistent.

That being said, it is not inconsistent either to be purely "Pro-Life" in the sense of "always looking to preserve life and never take it." But one must wonder if someone who is purely "Pro-Life" can support War in any case, since it almost always requires the taking of at least some lives.


NICK responded...

Annanias and Saphira lied about giving all of their money to the church, and they both died immediately.

So, apparently there are some instances where God still calls for a death post-Christ. Combine it with Romans 12 (all authorities are established by God to punish and protect) and I think you have an argument.

Also, even in the OT, it says "thou shalt not kill" but then later on (in what could be called an elaboration on the 10 overarching principles) it calls for the community to stone people for various crimes. So I would argue there are loopholes.


SEAN responded...

with Annanias and Sapharia, God did the killing which is distinctly different from humans doing the killing. Also, you have to look at what they did - lie to the Holy Spirit, which is also distinctly different from anything else. So, the Acts 5 case is moot because in every instance it's different from the death penalty being doled out by humans.

Yes in Romans 12 God says that authorities are established by God, but the question is whether or not those authorities should be killing someone. Just because God established them, doesn't mean they're going to act Godly.

While it does talk about people being stoned in the OT there are no instances in the post-incarnation portion of the scriptures that point to killing someone as a good or proper option.

This brings us back to Nomad's argument that there is a difference between killing an innocent and killing a murderer. I'd argue there's not. If killing people is wrong, then why is killing someone as punishment right. Because they've done something we view as the ultimate crime against humanity, that gives us the right to do the same thing to them. It's a viscous cycle. Purposefully killing someone is wrong, no matter how you look at it. Because we all have a reason to punish someone for some tragic thing they've done. Heck that's the reason behind much of the Islamic terrorism in the world, to punish the non-Islamic world for their sins against Islam. We in the west think this is wrong, but in many cases they're doing the same thing in punishing us as we are to murderers in principle.

And yes, I do have an issue with war. I think that in some cases it is a necessary evil, but should be avoided if at all possible.


QUIZWEDGE responded...

"If killing people is wrong, then why is killing someone as punishment right."

What if we change the words?

If spanking your child for no reason is wrong, then why is spanking your child when they do wrong okay? (Hoping this doesn't spark a "should you spank your child debate". This was just the best example I could think of at the time. Feel free to insert your own action that is wrong, but okay as punishment.)


NOMAD responded...

The "rights" argument falls apart almost immediately. If the most fundamental right is "Life", then the second most fundamental must be the "Right to Self Defense". And if you have right to defend your own life, that right must extend to the killing of another to preseve your right. And extending that right to the Society at large is essentially the argument for the Death Penalty.

I do not think the Biblical model is a strong argument, simply because every society we see pictured in the Bible - including those set up by God - allow Capital Punishment and even require it for extreme offenses. And the "grace" modelled by Christ is largely a personal and God-centered affair. It is never extended to governance or the secular state.

But the "vicious cycle" argument - that a society that tolerates the killing of the guilty makes it morally easier to kill the innocent - is one that bears consideration. That being said. I am not sure the case has been made effectively by anyone I have heard. Michael Moore made essentially this argument (or at least asked the question) in Bowling for Columbine when comparing the USA to Canada. The USA has far more murders and violent crimes per capita, even when you take gun ownership into account which is hardly rare in our neighbor to the north.


WARD responded...

"And the "grace" modelled by Christ is largely a personal and God-centered affair. It is never extended to governance or the secular state."

I don't know if there is anything that you and I consistently butt heads over more than this, lol. If what Christ did was supposed to change us as 'personal' beings, then how could it not logically extend to goverance and the state?

But either way, life is life. I am opposed to taking it in any context. Sometimes people have to do what they 'have to do' but I don't beleive that necessity removes us from the blame that we must own as our own if we take a life. If someone intrudes into my house late at night with intent to harm my family, of course I will defend my family with necessary force. But that does not, in any way, free me from the ramifications of my actions. Sin is sin, rather intentional or unintentional and rather of free will or under duress. Situational ethics have no place in the Christian life.


NOMAD responded...

[[If what Christ did was supposed to change us as 'personal' beings, then how could it not logically extend to goverance and the state?]]

Simply because the needs of the individual and the needs of the state ARE NOT COMPARABLE. If I compel you to pay me at the point of a gun, it is stealing even if I am meeting a real need of my own. If the State compels me at the point of a gun, that is taxation and NOT stealing. Likewise, Christ came TO SAVE THE LOST, not to save the governmental structures of all. They are not the same thing.

That is not to say that my faith should not influence my view of government - especially in a democratic form like we have. It should. But quite simply what is wrong for me is not necesarily wrong for the State. And vice versa.

Look at the OT. God dealt with individuals on one level, and the Nation of Israel on another. Both were capable of sin, but not always of the SAME sins. 

[[But either way, life is life. I am opposed to taking it in any context.]]

Again, as I said for Sean, I respect that position, though I do not hold it myself. I can see Biblical evidence for it, though I also see evidence for the Capital Punishment view.

[[Sin is sin, rather intentional or unintentional and rather of free will or under duress. Situational ethics have no place in the Christian life.]]

With all due respect for your superior educational accomplishment (and Sean's), this is wrong. At least as you have stated it. Consider Christ's example:

Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."
Luke 6:3,4

Eating the bread was UNLAWFUL. But God accepted it in this case, because the situation demanded it. It is not that ethics is relative, but that we have competing Laws here (ceremonial law vs natural law of survival) and one won out.

Man Charged for Videotaping the Police

This is a strange story, and my reactions to it range from outraged to simply disturbed.

Brian D. Kelly didn't think he was doing anything illegal when he used his videocamera to record a Carlisle police officer during a traffic stop. Making movies is one of his hobbies, he said, and the stop was just another interesting event to film....
Kelly, 18, of Carlisle, was arrested on a felony wiretapping charge, with a penalty of up to 7 years in state prison.
His camera and film were seized by police during the May 24 stop, he said, and he spent 26 hours in Cumberland County Prison until his mother posted her house as security for his $2,500 bail.

The same article goes on to explain that just before arresting Kelly, the police officer advised him that HE WAS BEING TAPED BY THE CRUISERS VIDEO CAMERA. In other words, it is entirely appropriate for police officers to videotape suspects, but entirely inappropriate for suspects to tape police officers. Isn't there somethinf fundamentally wrong with this picture?

Can a Dog Be Racist?

An African man who applied for a job was rejected by a businessman because his dog is racist and might bite the African man. Can a dog really be racist or is more realistic that the dog is following a pattern-response behavior based on the businessman's own prejudice?

Clamor of Coconuts

On April 23, the world record for largest coconut orchestra was broken in Trafalgar Square. This was part of a celebration of English culture. Let the Monty Python comments begin...

Gas Prices

Unfortuately, I left my camera phone at home today, so I have no photo. But I paid $3.129 per gallon today. Thought fans of gas prices would want to know

Death Penalty *IS* a Deterrent

For the longest time, a mantra from the anti-Death Penalty crowd has been "There is no evidence that the Death Penalty is a deterrent to crime." Of course, for those who support the Death Penalty, this has not been an effective argument since they believe that punishment is a sufficient reason for the penalty (as it is ONLY used for the MOST heinous crimes). However, a new studies claim that a deterret has been shown.

What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument — whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer.

The reports have horrified death penalty opponents and several scientists, who vigorously question the data and its implications.

What do Mod-Bloggers think? Is the Death Penalty effective? Does deterrence matter?

The social network battle-royal

The youth in my old youth group were crazy about MySpace, but I never got into it. I always thought it was unorganized and generally ugly. I wasn't about to spend a bunch of time building up friends or any of the other stuff that people do on MySpace. Well it appears that there is a potential fight coming between MySpace and FaceBook. From the opinion of this blogger FaceBook is about to walk all over MySpace. He makes a bunch of really good points, looking back to the fight between Prodigy and AOL. I'm not sure how much this affects any of us on this blog but it will be interesting to see if FaceBook becomes the next big social network - or if social networking will go out all together and something else will become the next big thing.

Apple WWDC Keynote is done

Steve Jobs has finished his keynote speech at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference. No he did not announce new iMacs, new iPods, or the new iCar (all of your tunes, now in an easily portable and driveable package!). Instead, he focussed on the new features of Leopard that were previously unannounced, and of course the iPhone. But perhaps most interesting and unexpected is that (1) he released a beta for Safari 3 and (2) that beta runs on Windows!!! Is that the weather report from Hell? I think it is in for a blizzard!

Photographing the Streets

Ever wonder how the photos for technologies such as Google's Street View are taken? A company called Tele Atlas and their orange mini-van. Note: The article does not specifically mention Google's Street View and does specifically mention Tom Tom, but I am not familiar with the Tom Tom technology in question.

What is your view on the "Creation Museum"?

Okay, I have been consciously NOT posting about this, because I think most of the debate about this thing degenerates very quickly into shouts of "Heathen" and "Anti-Science Bigot". But I am curious what our Mod-Blog audience thinks of the Creation Museum in Kuntucky? It is an attempt by Creationists to put forth a museum which reflects their views, and which takes on the theory of Evolution head-on. It has been praised by many, and ridiculed by many, many, many more.

My own view of Evolution? I am undecided on the question of Macro-Evolution. (For those not aware, Darwins theory is divided into two parts - Micro-Evolution which explains how in a coal-dust-covered forest black moths survive and white moths die, so you get more black moths in the next generation, and Macro-Evolution which explains how a fish becomes an amphian becames a reptile becomes a mammal. Micro-evolution is experimentally verifiable, and even seen in human breed experiments of dogs and horses and the like. Macro-evoltuion is experimentally UNverifiable, and the evidence for it is essentially the fossil record.) However, I do not believe the question of your salvation rests upon your view of speciation, but rather your view of Jesus Christ. So, I am fine with Christians who go either Young Earth Creationism or Old Earth Evolutionary Theory (so long as God is in there somewhere).

That being said, I do not see the Creation Museum as doing a lot for Creationists out there. I have not been there, but the pictures posted by those who have do not so much show a careful display that Darwinian Evolution is not the only way to view things, but rather that Young Earth Creationism (i.e. world is 6,000 years old) is the only proper way. The production values seem high, but the actual addressing of issues seems low. Seems like a Museum should have a lot more careful science, and a lot less dinosaurs with saddles on them.

So what do you think? Is the Creation Museum a much-needed breath of fresh air, or the folly of Bible-thumpers unwilling to compromise on non-essentials? Have any of our readers actually been there, and perhaps have a less jaded view than the media has made available?

Is "Adolescence" Artificial?

Psychology Today has up an interesting article by a psychologist who claims that adolescence is an artificial construct created by Western societies, and that we'd all be better off if we treated children as adults as soon as they are reproductively capable.

Imagine what it would feel like—or think back to what it felt like—when your body and mind are telling you you're an adult while the adults around you keep insisting you're a child. This infantilization makes many young people angry or depressed, with their distress carrying over into their families and contributing to our high divorce rate. It's hard to keep a marriage together when there is constant conflict with teens.

We have completely isolated young people from adults and created a peer culture. We stick them in school and keep them from working in any meaningful way, and if they do something wrong we put them in a pen with other "children." In most nonindustrialized societies, young people are integrated into adult society as soon as they are capable, and there is no sign of teen turmoil. Many cultures do not even have a term for adolescence. But we not only created this stage of life: We declared it inevitable. In 1904, American psychologist G. Stanley Hall said it was programmed by evolution. He was wrong.

I find his arguments new and different, but I have to say that in my experience the ability to reason of the average 14 year old is generally far below that of even unintelligent adults.

Movement

Some puns are funny AND painful

Things that make you go "Hmmm..."

Pray... Pray!

Russia Counters

Russia has countered our proposal for a missile defense system by saying that we should put our missile defense in Turkey, Iraq, or on sea platforms. So, let me get this straight... putting our missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic is a threat to Russia's balance of power, but putting them in Turkey or Iraq which appear to be *closer* to Russia is okay? I read somewhere that one of the Russian leaders in this is former KGB and wants to return to the Soviet Union style Russia. Is this Russia admitting that they want Poland and the Czech Republic back?

The link above is a NY Times article which seemed to have a good summary and a small number of ads. For those that prefer, here is a USA Today article (Unfortunately, it appears to have a pop-up, but the FireFox pop-up blocker blocks it).

For those wondering where Azerbaijan is, you can see it on the map just north of Iran.

Another cool thing, apparently the NY Times allows you to double click words on their site to get a definition (such as finding out about Azerbaijan). Very cool.

Is *this* the best they can do?

I saw one of these bumper stickers yesterday on the commute into work. I have to say, is this as creative as the Left can get these days? It took me 10 minutes to figure out what they were referring to, and even then, I had to Google the date to figure out if I was right. If this is supposed to be some kind of protest, it is spectacularly ineffective. If it is supposed to be an inside joke... well... I just don't find it funny.

Maybe if they had stickers like this while President Clinton was in office, I would have gotten it. But then, I have never considered "sour grapes" to be a comedy style.

A Vote For Sanity

A test vote in Congress gives us a real shimmer of hope that this immigration bill stupidity might actually be about to crash in a firey heap. I can only hope. Now, if they'll move forward with this next vote that was supposed to happen hours ago, maybe we can put this awful disaster-waiting-to-happen down for the count.

"Knocked Up" Right or Left leaning?

I have to admit I've not seen either of the movies mentioned in this article, but it is and interesting take on the way Hollywood looks at films. After reading the article I may have to watch them just to gain an opinion.

African Economist: PLEASE Stop Sending Aid

This is certainly a different take on the question of Western aid to Africa. It does make a certain amount of sense, though one wonders if it has a prayer of being heard in the halls of Congress.

Shikwati: Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor.

SPIEGEL: Do you have an explanation for this paradox?

Shikwati: Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.

I am reminded of the "We Are The World" era in Ethiopia where millions of tons of grain were collected to help with the famine, and the government of Ethiopia allowed it to rot on the docks, rather than help out their starving subjects who, if fed, might revolt and threaten their power base.

I Love Scientists!

Scientists have now found a method of creating embryonic stem cells from adult cells. That is right. The same cells that we are fighting over in our debates about federal funding of research may now be able to be created without killing a fetus (baby). 2 different sets of scientists have successfully
done this procedure which is relatively simple. One nice thing in this article is the 1st group of scientists welcomed questions andscepticism as they don't want their work to be accepted at face value. They wantthese questions to avoid the scandals that have recently hit the scientific community.

Pay Per E-Mail

One of the reasons that spam and e-mail scams are profitable is because of the low overhead cost. The number of responses needed for a return on investment is less than 1%. (Somewhere I seem to remember it's around 0.01%.) Wired has up an article about a company named Goodmail that for a quarter of a cent per message will verify the message allowing it to bypass ISPs filters. (This requires the ISP to be using the Goodmail technology). For a broadcast of 5,000,000 e-mails, it will cost the sender $12,500. Using the 0.01% response rate, that means that out of 5,000,000 e-mails, there will be 500 responses for a cost of $25 per responder. Will this stop spam or scams? I doubt it. I'm guessing most spammers and all scammers will make at least $25 off of a responders. Supposedly, if a company hasn't been in business over a year or they have a number of spam complaints, Goodmail will not take their money, but I suspect that spammers and scammers will find ways around it.

Spammer Arrested

A big time spammer, Robert Alan Soloway, was arrested May 30. While this will be good for those who are on his spam list if his operation is shut down, spam is, unfortunately, cheap enough to send out that it will most likely not make much of a dent overall. Personally, I get very few e-mails that don't get flagged by my spam filters except from accounts that I have used to fill out free offers. Still, I can see spammers eventually killing e-mail, at least in its current form.

It's like the best part of my childhood on the big screen

First there was Transformers, next He-Man and now Thundercats is coming to the big screen. It's like all my favorite cartoons are being turned into live action - action movies. Transformers looks like it'll be awesome, though I'm not sure about the other two. I'll reserve judgement until I see a trailer. Nonetheless, this is too cool. Hmmm....I wonder who they'll cast as Cheetera and Lion-O :)

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Sigh... I miss gas under $3 a gallon

Ranting about Gas Prices and Traffic Rules

Can I give a nickel's worth of free advice to our governments? Gas prices are high. Politicians are offering to have hearings on the gas companies, investigations into refineries, negotiations with foreign dignitaries. Instead, how about putting on hold "Click it or ticket", "Truck Safety Week", and the rest of the never-ending traffic-related programs which are causing you to set up police checkpoints? I must have spent an hour the last month waiting in line at various checkpoints for police to confirm I was obeying the law, when I was burning gasoline and spewing pollutants into the air for NO REASON.

Sigh. Okay. Moving on.

Quick Impressions of the GOP Debate

I only caught the last half hour of the townhall part of the debate last night, so I hardly got a balanced view of the debate. But from the little I watched, last night's big winner was Rudy Guilianai. He was relaxed, he was focussed, and he made sure he got across every message he had to say last night. Mitt Romney and John McCain on the other hand came across as disconnected and even unprepared at moments.

My other impression was that the Republicans learned from watching the Dem debate, and ignored Wolf Blitzer's attempts to cut them off. They talked right through his attempts to stop them, which probably lead to a more balanced debate than the Democratic one was.

Did anyone catch the whole thing and have a more balanced view?

Lightning Strikes during Rudy's Abortion Defense

Too funny. But he comes back to explain himself well.

I still can't vote for the man.

Dedicated to Shadow

Is that the sound of a vacuum starting up?

2008 may wind up being the year the American people clean house. A new poll shows Democrats no longer holding any significant edge over Republicans with the electorate. The problem is it is not because the GOP is doing better, but because the Democratic party has lost all credibility on the Iraq War. This raises the question of whether 2008 might wind up being the year that a Third Party can truly make their mark by sweeping both major parties out of power. Of course, a year is a long time in politics - time enough for one party to recover or for a new party to rise. But the early indications are not good for traditional choices.

How balanced was CNN's moderator?

I found this very interesting. The Chris Dodd campaign put out a graph showing how much talk time each candidate at the debate on Sunday. The most was Barack Obama with 16 minutes, and the least was Mike Gravel with a little over 5 minutes. Hmmm... Not so balanced.

Bombing Plot on JFK Airport Foiled

Only a week after John Edwards declared the War on Terror a "bumper sticker", four men have been charged with plotting to blow up jet fuel flowing under New York's Kennedy Airport. Terrorism as a philosophy and methodology is alive and well.

"The devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable," said Roslynn Mauskopf, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where the criminal complaint was filed.

The alleged ringleader of the plot, former JFK Airport employee Russell Defreitas, 63, was the only person in U.S. custody. Following his arrest Friday night, Defreitas appeared in Brooklyn federal court Saturday but did not enter a plea. He is scheduled to have a bail hearing next Wednesday.

Two other suspects are in custody in Trinidad. Abdul Kadir, a citizen of Guyana who has served as a member of the Guyanese Parliament and a mayor of the city of Linden, and Kareem Ibrahim, a citizen of Trinidad.

We need to understand that really the U.S. is fighting two wars. One, a war against Islamic Extremists who wish to subjugate the world under their dark rule. This war is similar to World War II or the Cold War. Two, we are fighting a war to get across to the world that Terrorism is unacceptable as a tool of war. This War is more like the movements to ban chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. If we do not win the first War, our children may live in a world shrouded in the shadow of tyranny. If we do not win the second war, our children may live in a world without certainty or safety, where every person with a gripe feels they have a right to harm others by any means.

My Impressions of the Democratic Debate

I came into the broadcast a bit late, but did manage to catch the Democratic debate last night. My impressions? We can now start to see the real contest begin to gel as competitors vie for an air of credibility in front of the country. John Edwards was the big "winner" of the night in terms of attempting to change his image. He was aggressive and seemed unafraid up there. His tone of self-righteousness became a bit much by the end, but he seemed much less like an also-ran this time around. Obama and Clinton were unchanged by last night. Both came across as tired of debating with such a large crowd, but able to hold their own in every exchange. Bill Richardson came across as a somewhat smarm politician desperate to remind the electorate that he existed. And both Gravel and Kucinich seemed mostly peeved at being left at the fringes of the discussion in a both a literal and figurative sense. Every throwaway question was given to them, and the CNN cameras seemed to make every effort to accentuate their isolation from the mainstream of the debate. Dodd was the only man who looked MORE presidential and credible walking out of the debate, often looking like the only adult amongst a group of squabbling teenagers.

Overall, I do not think the debate did much for anyone. Edwards may come out of this a stronger candidate, and Dodd may come out of it more credible. But overall, CNN seemed more interested in cementing existing impressions than giving us anything new to talk about.

Iran Laughs; Russia Threatens Europe

Iran is laughing at us for saying that the new missile defense shield to be placed in Europe is to protect Europe from them because their missiles won't reach that far. Part of me is surprised that they would readily admit this given that it shows weakness. The part of me that isn't surprised thinks that perhaps this is just to further provoke Russia which is now claiming that it may have to attack Europe to keep the balance of power. I can't imagine that Russia would seriously do this, but then again we have been at odds with Russia in the past few years. Perhaps a pro-Soviet Union elected leadership could cause trouble.

Also, while Poland and the Czech Republic are our friends now, what happens if they turn on us? Will we be in the position we've been in the past with fighting against our own technology? We seem to have a habit as a country of giving support to a country and then fighting them some years later.

I Miss Summer Vacation

Putting it all in Perspective

What Is Your Car Saying?

Too Much is Too Much

Norm MacDonald's Reaction on Letterman

Here is a video of Norm MacDonald on David Letterman after he was fired from Weekend Update on SNL in 1998.

Polish Man Awakens to Democracy

A man in Poland who had been in a coma fohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifr 18 years awakened recently to find that the Communist country he remembered is gone. Perhaps the best part of this story is that his wife stood by him the entire time and he now has 11 grandchildren to get to know.

Happy Birthday Sgt. Pepper

For those of you that don't know, today is the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. I've been reading things all over the web about it today - some funny, some poignant, some condescending, but I finally found an article that I think truly sums up the importance of this album. It was my first full Beatles album and so in many ways it's my favorite. Is it the best Beatles album ever, probably not - for me that goes to Abbey Road though many would say Revolver. Nonetheless, it is an interesting album with some captivating lyrics, fun songs - and also a little bit of odd stuff. But the best part about it, is that it's a cohesive album. From an era where the single wasn't so highly valued and artistry (even if it is drug induced) is celebrated. So here's to you Sgt. Pepper, I promise to still love you when you're sixty four.

iTunes DRM free tracks not so DRM free

It seems that while Apple has removed restrictions on how you can use some iTunes tracks, they certainly haven't removed their monitoring data. Several people have written on this both in technical terms and not so technical terms, but either way it seems that Apple is still watching what we do with our purchased music. I don't know if I should feel outraged or simply cynical.

Gas Prices

Gas Prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Some of the best dogs are "Miscellaneous"

Internet TV Today

A lot of buzz has been generated over TV-over-IP, or the ability to view television programs over the web instead of over the air or cable connection. If you are one of those who finds the idea intriguing this site might be worth a peek. It aggregates many of the existing TV-over-IP feeds into a single interface. And yes, it works on a Mac.