Mr. Clean, Nick, and Nora

Mr. Clean, Nick, and Nora
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Here you have proof that while *I* do not like Halloween, I have plenty of friends who revel in the chance to dress up.

Is This Copyrightable?

I'll start off this post by saying that I am not a lawyer and none of what I say should be construed as legal advice. In addition, most of us here at Mod-Blog are not lawyers and none of what is posted in the comments should be construed as legal advice unless the commenter explicitly states that it is legal advice. There, hopefully we should all be covered now. :)

We recently paid for a home inspector and received a report of his inspection from him. In it, the inspector claimed copyright and stated that the report could not be sold or transferred. Now, given that the cost to file a copyright is $35 if you file electronically and $45 if you file using paper, my guess is that he probably doesn't file actual copyright for each and every report. Still, is it even copyrightable? Wouldn't this fall under a work-for-hire and the copyright would be mine?

Again, none of this is legal advice, just curious everyones' thoughts whether it is "this is how it is" or "this is how it should be".

HD Resolutions Explained

I don't have an HD TV, so I haven't really looked into what the different resolutions mean before. I found this article over at Wired interesting and informative.

Interest Rate Cut

The Federal Reserve cut the rate by a quarter of a point today, bringing it down to 4.5%. This is great for the home market, which has been having trouble recently, but also has the potential to increase inflation. The dollar now currently sits lower at 1 Canadian Dollar = .94737 U.S. Dollars according to XE.com. The interesting thing is that even though everybody is saying that the housing market slowing will affect other industries, so far it hasn't. I've heard that all of this work by the Feds is just delaying the inevitable. I'm hoping we can fix it, but not sure how much pain it will take to get there.

Lou Dobbs on NY Drivers Licenses

Lou Dobbs of CNN has an excellent commentary up on the fiasco that is the new New York Drivers license plan. For those of you not paying attention, New York state's Democratic governor released his plan that will now allow illegal immigrants the ability to get driver's licenses. The plan basically sets up a 3 tier system with licenses that have different privileges. Pretty much every important election official agrees that this will enable rampant voter fraud in New York. Also, there is little infrastructure in place to check that people already have a drivers license before issuing them a new one. This plan is a disaster and hopefully the Republicans will be able to use this to get Eliot Spitzer out of office at the end of his current term.

Most Fuel Efficient Cars

CRChair and I were talking recently about how despite all the talk about saving money on gas, it is not easy to find even small cars which really get a good MPG (miles per gallon). So I was happy to come across this list which holds the 82 most fuel-efficient cars for sale in America and their MPG rating. I was even more happy to see that the vehicle I chose - the Pontiac Vibe - is #18 on the list.

Bowhunter at the Pumpkin Festival

I really dislike Halloween personally (don't ask me to explain, it is just a personal thing), but it looks like Bowhunter had a GREAT time at a recent Pumpkin Festival. Thanks for sharing the good time with Mod-Bog readers!

When Animations Fight Back

I got this by e-mail today and found it absolutely hilarious. It's a battle between an animator and his animation. There's a second version as well.

Obama's Memories: Foggy or Rose-Tinted?

There's an interesting piece up in the NYT dealing with some of Barack Obama's recollections of his past. I don't find anything especially startling in the piece, but his former co-worker (Who is linked in the article) clearly paints a different picture. Re-invention never goes out of style. But you have to wonder why someone would write something out of sync with reality when they know that there is a good chance that others might remember the same events rather differently.

Pro-Life Voters and Rudy

Reading Althouse this morning, I came upon something in the comments to one of her posts about Rudy and I was moved to copy it here with a few edits for language. Keep in mind, this is mostly an issue if, as Ann is suggesting, Rudy and Hillary are the nominees...

Well, polls indicate that somewhere around a quarter to a third of Republicans will consider going third-party if the nominee is (like Giuliani) personally pro-choice. I parse that as "between one quarter and one third of Republicans need to be pimp-slapped".

The Religious Right has been getting its way in the Republican Party for nearly 30 years, and a lot of them have (it seems to me) forgotten that being part of a coalition means you don't always get every ********* thing you want every single time you ask for it. How DARE these people think of jumping ship the very first time a candidate comes along who isn't 100% on board with 100% of their agenda? "Nominate a pro-lifer or we'll help Hillary win?" What the **** kind of attitude is that?

You know, there's a minority of Republican voters -- not as big as the religious right, but enough that Republicans will never win without us -- who can't stand all the Christian ******** but still vote Republican because of OTHER things the Republicans ostensibly support. The Republicans owe US something for eight years of George ******* Bush, who has sucked up a storm on everything Republicans supposedly stand for EXCEPT the conservative Christian issues. I'm sure there will be another Jesus freak along in 2012 or 2016 for the latest incarnation of the Moral Majority to vote for, but right now, here in 2008, it is a choice between Giuliani and Clinton. That should not be a hard choice for anyone right of center to make.

The commenter makes a valid point. I'm not saying that everyone who claims a party affiliation needs to always vote for that party. I'm registered as a Republican and can probably just barely claim that 50% of the votes I've cast in my lifetime were for Republicans. So that's not what it's about. But, I think his point is valid, that it is downright childish for Christian Conservatives to not get their nominee just once, and to threaten to leave over it. The Republican party has truly given the Christian Right the candidate they've by-and-large wanted for the past several decades. It is the work of the Republican party that has helped these same Christian Conservatives to achieve so much of their agenda. And now, being faced with one election cycle of having someone more to the left as their candidate has gotten them all up in a huff.

This is especially silly in light of what will happen if the Christian Right does go its own way. Can there really be any doubt that Hillary will govern far more to the left than Giuliani? Sure, we can talk about how important it is to send a message that we need the "right" candidate or we won't vote for Republicans. But let's face it, has President Bush really been that good for the Christians in this country? He certainly hasn't in my mind. I voted for him becuase he was, by far, the lesser of two evils in two elections straight. And that's what voting is. As Christians, we seem to forget that voting isn't the Kingdom of God. If we choose to take a part in this muddied human affair of Democracy, then we have to make choices. Sure, you can choose to throw your vote away. But if you do, you're only helping someone even worse be elected to office. Some of us can sleep well at night knowing that we voted our "heart." But I have to agree with this commenter. I can't say that I've really voted my heart if I vote in a way that brings someone into power who I like even less.

If this election comes down to Hillary vs. Rudy, I can't see sleeping well at night knowing that I didn't do everything in my power to ensure that the better of two candidates was elected, flawed as he might be. And I also see a real danger in the Christian Right shooting itself in the foot. If they walk away and try to do a third party endeavor over one issue (Which we all know will fail) then they will confirm the image that people like the above commenter have about them, that they are simply using the Republican party selfishly to push their own agenda through, that they have no committment to larger principles, and I suspect that it will have dire consequences for the Religious Right in the future. People like Dobson and Robertson might find out once they're gone that the Republicans have decided that they're happier without the Christian Right vote.

Are the Two Major Parties Out of Ideas?

This commentary really caught my eye and crystalized in my mind some thoughts which have been swirling around.

[To] put it more precisely, neither has a convincing narrative of where we are in history and where we should be headed next.

Successful political parties usually have such narratives. Theodore Roosevelt's Republicans believed in respecting but also regulating private property and in conducting a muscular and assertive foreign policy. This seemed appropriate in a nation that had grown from 5 million to nearly 90 million in the preceding century, that had built the world's largest economy and that had a huge but untapped potential for international power.

Franklin Roosevelt's Democrats believed in government intervention in the economy and a federal safety net, and in using military power to advance freedom and democracy in the world.

I know there is some of this with every election, but more-so than any other in my experince I have been wondering what exactly the two major parties stand for. Each party has their own reflexive issues: abortion, taxation, etc. But neither party can really explain right now why they do what they do. Reagan was known as the Great Communicator and Clinton was a success because he made people see with his eyes. But I am not seeing that with many of the people running this year. Only Obama seems to even have a real interest.

Astronauts Describe Earth From Space

I found an interesting slide show with different astronauts describing what it is like seeing the earth from space. Made me want to be an astronaut again like when I was little. I would love to go to space sometime and can only hope that space travel because affordable and safe enough in my lifetime.

The problem with Global Warming predictions

My environmentally-conscious friends often criticize me for my lack of interest in the Global Warming movement and controversy. "The world is coming to an end!" some day. Others plead with me, "We only have a few years left to act before the scales are tipped and there is nothing to do to stop a runaway environmental crisis." Still others are more sober and just say "You need to be informed." But the problem all along for me has been the attempt to make global predictions based on incomplete data and an even more incomplete understanding of the underlying processes.

Well, here is another shovel of dirt to throw on my interest in Global Warming science. Click on the link below for an article showing that despite strong predictions that 2007 would be the most active hurricane system in history... what actually happened was the LEAST active one since record-keeping began.

http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/~maue/tropical/

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Congrats to the Red Sox.

Apparently, they swept the Rockies to win the World Series. The Curse of the Bambino is well and truly over.

When Veggies go bad...

When Veggies go bad...
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Gas at Stop&Shop

Gas at Stop&Shop
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

I think employers should offer "Entropy Days"

I Miss Charles Shultz

MacOS 10.5 Makes Fun of Windows

I just installed MacOS 10.5 onto my MacBook and so far, it has been a smooth experience. There is not much here that is revolutionary, but the O/S does feel quicker and has some additional eye-candy. And Safari 3 is MUCH more stable. One thing I can not see, but is all over the internet, is how Apple displays Windows network shares. See below, or click on the image for more info. Very fun!

Carry your hard drive in your pocket... and then some

Researchers at Arizona State University have figured out a low cost, low energy way to store data. They claim they could store 1 terabyte (between 931.3 and 1,099.5 gigabytes depending on if they're using the computer science or marketing version of the terms for both terabyte and gigabyte). With this you could literally carry around multiple computer hard drives in your pocket. Granted, computer storage will grow in size as well and the first one won't be made for 18 months. Still, if this isn't just vaporware, it will be very cool.

Huckabee a Conservative?

I read this article which questions whether Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is truly Conservative. I think it is worth reading for anyone who is considering supporting him in the primary or for the Vice-Presidential slot. We can't take one article as truth in and of itself, but it does raise some good questions.

Irony in Real Life

CRChair and I had a chat about this yesterday, and I thought it was worth a small post. Amidst the California wildfires, no one has really mentioned that October is Fire Prevention Awareness Month. It is a great irony that the two have coincided. Fire Protection Awareness Month was originally tied to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

It is a reminder to all of us that Fire is not just something for the fireplace, but a real danger to be watchful for every day. Have you checked your smoke alarms yet, and/or replaced their batteries?

Baby Boomers Start Applying for Social Security

Kathleen Casey-Kirschling has become the first baby boomer to apply for social security. She becomes eligible for early retirement benefits in January. This puts the social security crisis back into the forefront of issues that need to be dealt with. If nothing is done, the program will end up with an estimated shortfall of $13.6 trillion. Personally, if I was Ms. Casey-Kirschling, I'd do exactly what she did... grab the money as early as I could to make sure I got something back. Inevitably, we'll either need to raise taxes or reduce benefits.

One of the most interesting quotes from the article is

When you're behind closed doors, and you're not posturing for the public or for the media,'' [Social Security Administration Commissioner] Astrue said, ``they [Democrats and Republicans] say almost word for word the same thing.

Gay films and the viewing public

It's hard to believe that just 2 years ago people were excited or angry about the success of Brokeback Mountain. I never saw the movie, though my wife tells me it was quite good. At the time, everyone was saying that the movie had broken all sorts of barriers and that a windfall of great gay movies and gay leading characters were coming as a result of the success of the movie. I guess all those predictions were wrong. This article examines why those predictions were wrong. The article is definitely slanted in the pro-gay direction, but is worth a read. The article gives a lot of good reasons, but I think that they miss the point of demographics. Most estimates put the total gay population of either the US or the world at about 10%. Obviously that means that 90% fall into the straight category. If only 10% of the population is gay, why then should (or would) more than 10% of lead characters be gay. I know that the gay population wants someone they can relate to, but for better or for worse they are the minority and thus are going to have a minority of lead characters. If you're going to make a movie that's going to relate to people then you need to aim at the greatest number of people to fit that category and when it comes to sexual orientation that's going to be straight folks. Personally, I don't have a problem with gay characters as long as they're written with balance and their sexual orientation isn't thrown in my face, but that goes for straight characters as well. So I guess what I'm looking for is good writing and that doesn't have anything to do with sexual orientation.

November 24: Buy Nothing Day

This post is reporting on a very interesting idea. As a way to recognize the consumerism inherent in the modern American psyche, and perhaps to start reversing irrational shopaholism, they are calling for November 24th (the day after Black Friday) to be "Buy Nothing Day". The idea is to dedicate yourself and your family to consiously spend NO MONEY for 24 hours, to see how hard it is for you, and to see how much materialism has gripped your life.

I find this a really cool idea. Not sure if I can do it on this day, as I will be away on a mini-vacation that day and have to at least "buy" the hotel room. But I might try it for a few days later.

Even the "Real" Reality Isn't Real

Obviously, a lot of reality TV is staged and just plain stupid. But one show that Muse and I have enjoyed is Man vs. Wild. Bear has so many great qualities and the show is truly an opportunity to learn. Too bad his show apparently isn't so real either. I'm sure we will still appreciate the show for what we do see and what is real, but news like this is sad just the same.

Buyer's Remorse

In an early sign of just how interesting the election cycle could be, Mitt has lost some recently gained support from a prominent Baptist.

There has been a lot of talk about Christians having issues with Rudy but as the cycle goes on, I believe a growing number of Christians are going to question how strongly they can support Mitt. Sure, he'll get the conservative Christian vote over most of the Democratic opponents he could run against. But, I'm not sold on the fact that enough of the Christian right are really going to support Mitt to get him to the Presidental race. I know that my theology is different enough from his own that, in my mind, the difference between Mitt and myself is easily as large as the difference between Obama and myself.

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Did Unleaded Gas lead to the crime reductions of the 1990s?

A new study is claiming that the removal of lead from gasoline may have more to do with the crime reductions we saw in the 1990s than any other factor. The theory goes that even small amounts of lead in the bloodstream can cause brain damage in the parts of the brain dealing with aggresion and impulse-control. Thus, by removing it from the environment, it was (demonstrably) reduced in American bloodstreams. The children born since the end of leaded gasoline would have grown up and reached their most aggressive years in the 90s. The years when crime dropped, despite the coming of teenhood of a baby boom that greatly increased the teenaged population.

At first glance, I am almost tempted to view this as an attack on Rudy Giuliani's run for president, since much of his run is based on the crime reductions he accomplished as Mayor of New York. But reading deeper, it seems like a serious study. Especially when they show that States with slower declines were those States which took longer to phase out leaded gas. At the very least, it makes you wonder what else may be out there influencing our behavior.

iPhone's Old Security Model

An article on Wired has compared the iPhone's security model to Windows 95. The reason is that all applications run at the "root" level which has permission to do anything and everything to the phone. With the announcement that an SDK is coming for the phone so that others can write applications for the iPhone, iPhone users are at risk for their data getting misused or even calls and text messages being sent from their phone without them knowing. Shame on Apple for not having a tighter security model.

Blogging from the Fire Zone

Yesterday, my company experienced an outage from a vendor, and were horrified at the long response times. We had customers to service, and had to wait for hours as they brought resources to bear. In the end, it turned out the problem was one of their main technical hubs is in the Evacuation Zone of the San Diego fires. I was shocked to learn that nearly their entire staff had been ordered to evacuate, and were too busy taking care of their families to deal with us. I was much more sympathetic then.

The link below is one tech user's account of how things are going in the Fire Zone, and how he is using technology to navigate the life of an evacuee. It is interesting whether you are a geek, or just someone who wants to know what it is like to be facing a conflagration.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/20911

In Memoriam: "Pastor A"

A number of Mod-Blog readers are former attenders of my church, so it seems appropriate to post this note here. We got notice yesterday afternoon that the former senior pastor of my church, Pastor A, died at 2 AM on 10/22. Pastor A - a man of booming voice, imposing presence, and unshakeable faith - lead the church I now attend for 37 years and was a vital part of every parishioners life. He is in many ways my idea of what God must be like in power, in goodness, and in sometimes being a little scary. He will be sorely missed, even as we celebrate his being welcomed into Glory by Christ.

If anyone is interested, calling hours will be next Monday, October 29, at Abriola Parkview Funeral Home and the memorial service that evening at 7:00 pm at Christian Heritage School. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. A, and many children and grandchildren.

Posted without Further Comment

The Dollar Dips Further

The U.S. Dollar is now worth LESS than a Canadian dollar. See XE.com. To see the dollar against even more currencies, see The Interactive Currency Table.

Apparently the dollar is now at an all time low.

Poll Maintenance

As you may or may not have noticed the poll has been down a lot recently. This is a result of my web host being a bunch of boneheads that don't know how to keep my DNS record from being corrupted. Anyway... After working with them quite a bit over the last month and a half I've decided that it's not worth the pain anymore and am changing web hosts. What this means is that the poll will probably remain down for a couple more days, but hopefully by next Monday it will be back up and running reliably on my new host. Just wanted to let you all know and ask for your patience while this transfer happens. Sorry for the inconvenience.

You knew this day would come

Every dog owner can relate to this

Weapons of Mass Cuteness... Oh Yeah, And Destruction

File this one under "Nomad's Least Favorite Stores, Because If I Wrote A Story About Them It'd Be Called A Cheap Trick". Still, who can resist a flaming squirrel? Not me.

"The squirrel chewed through the wire, was set on fire, fell down directly to where the car was," Tony Millar said. "The squirrel, on fire, slid into the engine compartment and blew up the car.
"They're always coming around here, chewing through the garbage," he added.

Tony Millar says his sister was fully insured.

Somewhere, Dreamworks is wondering if they suddenly have the plot for their next animated feature.

It does make you think

[REMOVED! Image changed to something offensive by the host. My apologies.]

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

When Human Verification Goes Too Far

I Just Lost My Breakfast

Joel Osteen is on The Early Show this morning being lauded as "America's Pastor." If his neutered Christianity, poppish feel-good sermons, and Jesus-as-Santa theology makes him America's pastor, then it's just one more reminder of how badly we need to take a hard look at American Christianity. It's probably already too late at this point to turn the American church around before the inevitable collapse spreads wider than it already has. But, we can at least start working for the future revival and rebuliding that I can only pray and hope will come in time.

An Upcoming Show by Commenter "Nick"

Regular commenter "Nick" is producing this show. Click here for the full story.

Another way to look at Autumn

Bob Jones III Endorses My Man Mitt

Bob Jones III, the Chancellor of Bob Jones University endorsed Mitt Romney today. His reasoning is pretty much what mine will be if I vote for Mitt in the primary. He said "As a Christian I am completely opposed to the doctrines of Mormonism. But I’m not voting for a preacher. I’m voting for a president. It boils down to who can best represent conservative American beliefs, not religious beliefs." "If it turns out to be Giuliani and Hillary we've got two pro choice candidates, and that would be a disaster."

iTunes Plus Price Drop

Apple has announced that the price of iTunes Plus tracks (higher quality and no DRM) will drop down to 99 cents making them the same price as the DRM tracks. I haven't bought any iTunes Plus tracks, only downloaded the free singles they offer, but this is great news. One of my fears about buying iTunes tracks was that someday the iTunes Music Store wouldn't be around and I would no longer be able to listen to my iTunes tracks without burning them to CD first. Unfortunately, it is still only EMI and some independent labels, but this is yet another hole in the RIAA's DRM armor.

MacOS X 10.5 Leopard ships 10/26

It is now official. The next iteration of MacOS X (numbered 10.5, code-named Leopard) is coming to stores October 26. You can pre-order now with free shipping guaranteeing delivery on the release date. Click thru to see all the new features of the new MacOS. Personally, I have already pre-ordered the Family Pack, so I can install it on my multiple Macs and to a family Mac or two as well. (The one downside is Apple officially is abandoning G3 and slow G4 processors with this release. So if you are still using an older iBook, it may be time to invest in new hardware.)

Verizon wants your call info

When I was a Verizon customer, I was very satisfied. They had GREAT coverage - even in the parts of my home town where no other cell carrier had any signal. I left them over high prices and the lack of a really good SmartPhone for me. In my times since, I have enjoyed various Sidekick's under T-Mobile and now the iPhone under AT&T Wireless, but neither have as good coverage as Verizon. But now, Verizon is quickly destroying any positive sense I have for then with a new policy that would allow them to use your call history for whatever they want.

Verizon Wireless has been contacting its customers via snail mail to inform them of their intent to share CPNI data with its "affiliates, agents and parent companies (including Vodafone) and their subsidiaries." The company says that customers who do not want their CPNI data shared need to call 1-800-333-9956 to "opt-out." Upon dialing the opt-out number, Verizon customers will be prompted for their phone number, billing ZIP code, and last four digits of their Social Security Numbers (in the case of businesses, their Employer ID numbers). Failure to opt-out will be interpreted by Verizon Wireless as "consent" to the company's data-sharing practices.

This data would most likely be used for targetted advertising (call NetFlix customer service and get a text message advertising Blockbuster) but could also be used to advertise themselves to your friends and family who are not yet Verizon Wireless customers. If you are a Verizon customer, please call now. If not, think twice before making the switch.

Even Dogs love the iPhone

Gas prices

Gas prices
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Our last dog was like this, with little to no exaggeration

I Like "Dad-logic"

Cookies vs. Cookie Dough

Growing up, I was told that you couldn't eat cookie dough or that you could only eat a little bit of cookie dough because raw eggs cause salmonella. My wife, on the other hand, grew up loving cookie dough. Recently we got some cookie dough and ate all of it raw, my reasoning being her family has eaten it and they put it in ice cream. Still, our conversation up to that point was not too far from this (minus the final punchline). I'm now hooked on cookie dough.

Click on the comic to see the full size.

Turkey and the Armenian Genocide

I want to be 100% clear. I believe that what happened in Turkey during World War 1 against the Armenian people constitutes a genocide. Pure and simple. However, I have to question the motives of the Democrats in Congress who recently pushed thru a Bill to formally state it so. It has lead Turkey to recall its ambassador and is destabilizing an important relationship at this stage in the Iraq War. An ally especially important if we eventually want to withdraw troops, since our transport planes would need to use their airspace.

Let us review the reasons for calling something "genocide". There are two, as I understand it. One, is to accurately label an event for historical perspective. Okay, this has been done by historians worldwide in the case of the Armenian Genocide, and no act of Congress is requried. Two, is to enact the label to authorize certain uses of force by the USA and the UN to stop a genocide. This is irrelevant to the current situation, because the genocide has been over and done with for almost a century now. Taking this into account, I do not understand the push at this time to take this historic step. Unless it is a Congress that is desperately looking for any "progress" to bring home for the election season to justify their existence over the last year.



I am ready to be proven wrong on this - I had an Armenian friend a few years back who introduced me to this subject and taught me a lot. But it just looks like grandstanding to me, at exactly the wrong time.

Yeah, this is pretty much how I feel about the 2008 Campaign, so far

Abortion rates the same, regardless of legality

Part of being a "moderate" blog means posting stories you don't like. Take, for example, this one which cites a new World Health Organization study on abortion.

A comprehensive global study of abortion has concluded that abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal and those where it is not, suggesting that outlawing the procedure does little to deter women seeking it.

Moreover, the researchers found that abortion was safe in countries where it was legal, but dangerous in countries where it was outlawed and performed clandestinely. Globally, abortion accounts for 13 percent of women’s deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, and there are 31 abortions for every 100 live births, the study said.

Readers know I am ardently Pro-Life and Anti-Abotion (choose your label, as you will). Honestly, I suspect this study is flawed as it is extremely counter-intuitive to me. However, I admit counter-intuitive does not always mean wrong. Quantum mechanics and man-woman social interactions prove that quite easily. And I wonder how different this study would look adjusted for moral and social outlooks.

I guess the next question IF the study is accurate is, does this support the Pro-Choice position? It certainly lends credence to the practical argument of those looking to never return to the coat-hanger days. However, it means little to the moral argument. And less to te spiritual argument. After all, it seems like adultery is a constant, despite legal or moral controls on it. But still, we recognize the detrimental effects of adulterous interactions upon society.

What have YOU accomplished?

Are you an overachiever who wants to beat out everyone else? See how you're doing. You'll find accomplishments of both famous and non-famous people. Warning, it can either be a pick me up or a downer. For example, "Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Italy" at my age, but then again, "Jan Birkeland from Norway managed to get to work without hitting a single red light" so I guess I'm not doing all that bad.

VP Al Gore wins Nobel Peace Prize... Why?

I began losing respect for the Nobel Committee when in 2002, they the prize to Jimmy Carter specifically to criticize George W Bush for his policies, rather than for a positive accomplishment in increasing the "peace" in the world. Now, former Vice President Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on Global Warming along with the International Panel on Climate change for "their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change".

I don't care what you believe about Global Warming - theory or fact, man-made or natural, good thing or bad thing - does dissemminating information about it constitute "the most or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the promotion of peace congresses"? (That quote comes directly from Albert Nobel's mandate for the Peace Prize.) Somehow, I'd think the person who negotiated the cease-fire in Darfur is probably more deserving.

Let me be clear. I am not anti-Gore here. I have respect for the man, and enjoyed his movie. But giving him the Nobel Peace Prize is like awarding the 2007 Car of the Year to Steve Jobs for the iPhone. We're all glad he did it, but the prize has no relevance to the achievement.

Terrorists and Wile E. Coyote

Although this article was posted some time ago, I wanted to pass it on. In some ways, the fear of terrorism is even worse than terrorism itself. Our enemies want us to have our freedoms restricted and to live in fear. When we let our fear of terrorism overwhelm us, we "gladly" give up our liberties in exchange for "protection". Security is something we need to work on, but we need to have the security measures be things that actually protect us and not just give the government more power.

Typically, people who write articles about this come at it from an angle of how the "security measures" really do nothing, but Bruce Schneier over at Wired takes a different angle. Our security response needs to be proportional to the threat and many "terrorists" plans are so riddled with impossibilities that we needn't worry about them especially when traditional means are working fine.

Fun

What the aftermath of a REAL winter storm looks like

I truly love winter. I love snow, I enjoy the ice, and I love the cold. Yeah, I know. What a weirdo. But still, I am amazed by the raw beauty of winter and ice. Check out these photos of an ice storm from Switzerland. If you like the icy images from DR. ZHIVAGO, or the deep-freeze from DAY AFTER TOMORROW, you owe it to yourself to click on over.

On Abortion and the Campaign

There's an interesting conversation going on here concerning what will have to be faced by pro-life voters should Rudy and Hillary end up being the candidates. And while the post itself is good, I would recommend definitely reading the comments as there is some really good debate going on there.

Setting a Positive Trend or Making a Rough Road?

Trent Reznor of NIN fame, has left his label once and for all, and claims that he will never again produce music under any label. Radiohead has already followed suit, and it looks like at least two other major bands of the past decade are also considering the same move.

Now this could end up being a huge deal if this sets a trend. The recording industry is just about at the breaking point and there is a core of acts who have simply sat on their resentment at the prosecution of little girls and grandmothers for too long. With a group carrying a fanbase as large as NIN's and Radiohead's, others might really be persuaded to leave the draconian RIAA behind. This would be an incredible move for the sake of inovation and it would open the market up to some real options. Men who never listen to music might actually have less control over what is sold then those who do. And I'm all for that.

However, there are serious potential challenges ahead. Not the least of which is that many, many struggling bands are given large amounts of money by the record companies to front their recording process. They will have to pay it back, of course. But many of these bands cannot afford the equipment or studio time to make a quality release on their own. They are dependent on the money put forward by the lable to carry them through until they make it on their own. So, this trend could potentially stifle some bands' ability to get there message out there. Of course, then we might actually return to the band that has to play their hearts out on the road and bulid up a fan base and earn their success, rather than having it all made in a studio for them.

Either way, it will be very intersting to see where this movement goes, if anywhere at all. And to see what it might do to the music industry if it is successful.

The Republican Trade Debate

I have to be honest. I missed the debate entirely. I was working, and had no idea that the debate was on from 4 PM to 6 PM EST. I arrived home just in time for CRChair to tease me about my timing. Oh, well. But I liked this moment quoted in one blog.

Romney: "These debates are a little like Law and Order. It has a huge cast. The series seems to go on forever. And Fred Thompson shows up at the end."

Thompson: "And to think, I was going to be the best actor on the stage."

Consensus seems to be that no one embarrassed themselves, but no one distinguished themselves either. And that no matter what the voters think, Romney and Guiliani have decided they are the two to watch.

Left Brain vs Right Brain

This graphic came from this site, and is a fascinating example of Left Brain (logical) vs Right Brain (creative) thinking. If you see the figure turning clockwise, you are primarily right brained. If it is going counter-clockwise, you are primaily left-brained. I find in my case I see it turning clockwise (right-brained) until I start reading something and then it switches.

Review of Hillary Clinton's Economic Plan

As Nomad has pointed out, we at Mod-Blog try to give a balanced point of view. As far as the team goes, I probably lean the furthest right. I saw a headline that caught my attention, "Clinton talks trade policy and mortgages". I was interested, but skeptical, as to what she had to say. Let me say, I will not vote for Hillary Clinton. Besides our views on abortion being different (which loses my vote right there, given that there are pro-life candidates), there are too many other issues that we disagree on. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that should she be elected president, there are some good things that she says she will do.

Anatomy of Hillary Clinton's economic plan based on the article above and her issues page.

1. Review Trade Deals every five years: This is a good thing. The first thing she wants to review is NAFTA, which Bill Clinton signed. By reviewing our trade agreements, we can help keep our economy in check.

2. Appoint a federal trade enforcement officer and double the size of the U.S. Trade Representative enforcement unit: I haven't heard of us having an enforcement problem, but I lean away from this as Democrats have a tendency to create more government for government's sake.

3. Allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to better help homeowners get off of the adjustable rate mortgages to fixed-rate mortgages: Losing a home must be a completely devastating experience. The mortgage companies played off of our debt-heavy minded society and the longing to own a home to lend money to people in quantities they couldn't afford. While I believe in personal responsibility, there is some fault to the mortgage lenders here as well. Owning a home, in my mind, is part of the American dream and the pursuit of happiness. If we can help people from losing their homes by converting their loan with little cost to the taxpayer, this will make for a more productive economy.

4. Expand the availability of health care: There is a problem with the health insurance system. Making it all a single payer system funded by tax dollars is not the answer.

5. Roll back President Bush's tax cuts: Taxing the rich more is the antithesis of the American dream. Work hard and make a better life for yourself, not work hard and get taxed more.

6. Promote stem-cell research: The only reason I can see for promoting stem-cell research by taking aborted babies is to cement abortion further in as law. Adult stem-cells are where the advances have been and can be taken without killing babies.

7. Bolster organized labor: There was a time and a place for organized labor. In some industries, it may still be the time and place. The problem is that now organized labor has too much power. The workers are enslaved to organized labor who tells them when they can't work because it's not in their "best interest".

8. $50-billion for alternative energy: This is to be provided by repealed tax cuts for the oil industry. Businesses are out to make money. They use that money to pay salaries, among other things. Still, the oil industry and the automotive industry have locked us into their solution and reaped the profits of it. You will find stories of products that have been invented that would cut the oil industry out that get bought up and then put on the shelf to gather dust. Since we can't just "take our money elsewhere", cutting back on the tax cuts of an established "monopoly" we can't get rid of could make sense, so long as the $50-billion was used for viable alternative energy. Nuclear energy works well and I've heard that with advances, it's not even that hard to dispose of anymore. The problem is that many who are anti-oil are also anti-nuclear. We need to realize that anything we do will have an effect, no matter how "green" it is. My favorite example is that if the U.S. went completely wind power, that act itself would cause a rise in temperatures.

9. Reduce the cost of energy and make us energy independent: This depends on point 8. If the money is used wisely, we may find something cheaper. Right now, there isn't a cheaper, viable alternative.

10. Expand access to affordable, high-quality child care: The government should not be raising our kids.

11. Make college more affordable: The one way I've heard that Clinton plans on doing this is by giving each child, when they are born, a $5,000 government bond. First, there's the tax cost of that. Second, we'll have even more people having kids just so they can get their "free" $5,000. Most people, if they work hard enough can at least go to a jr. college / community college. Yes, it's hard work, but that's the American dream: work hard and improve your life.

12. Protect families from predatory lenders and help them avoid foreclosures: This, along with people needing to get away from a heavy-debt mentality will help spur economic growth that we desperately need.

13. Increase the minimum wage / Create good jobs with good wages to expand the middle class: First, this is really a state or even a county issue. What is a good wage in rural Iowa would leave you homeless in San Francisco. Second, raising the minimum wage hurts employers, raises prices, and benefits teenagers more than it does working adults.

14. Balance the federal budget so we don't pass today's massive debts to the next generation: I don't typically associate this idea with the Democrats. I'm in favor of balancing the budget and working to pay it down.

15. Reward savings, protect pensions, and provide greater retirement security: Rewarding saving slows the economy, but protects the American dream. If we can reward saving without hurting the economy even more, I'm all for it.

The Return of Futurama

AppleTV a Flop?

CNET is questioning whether the AppleTV is a flop. They are leaning toward saying it is, but still hold out hope that it can be saved. This article includes some suggestions for the next version. We own one and my biggest sugestion is to add a DVR to the unit. This would allow it to be a true competitor to TIVO.

Alan Keyes is Back!!!

Alan Keyes is back running for President. He has entered the race for the Republican nomination. I guess this signals 2 things to me. One, he doesn't see any of the candidates being able to challenge Giuliani at a debate on abortion or other moral issues. And two, he wants to boost the ratings of his radio show. Alan Keyes is a good representative of the religious conservative cause, but is hardly a credible presidential candidate anymore. He has lost Senate bids in two states by wide margins. (Illinois and Maryland)

Poor, poor Phillies

Well, my celebration was short-lived. The Phillies fought had to win their division, but could not hold out against the red-hot Rockies and have now gone home to watch the rest of the post season from their recliners. It was a nice dream while it lasted. Maybe next year can be a better repeat of 1980.

Also, congratulations to the Diamonbacks over the Cubs, and the Red Sox over the Angels. We're watching the Yankees game now, which I hope ends out better, for Shadowmom and Sean's sakes.

Gas prices at Stop N Shop

Gas prices at Stop N Shop
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

There is a time for all things

Some days, this is how I view my employer

Progressives Wrestle with Evangelicals

A lot of people know that most of us here at Mod-Blog - a place dedicated to giving both sides of the issue - lean to the Right. How can a MODERATE blog be populated by people on one side of the spectrum? The answer has always been that we respect both sides, and try to tell both sides of the story. And not let either side get away with unexamined foolishness. And one area where a lot more engagement is needed is in the foolish "Red State vs Blue State" mentality in politics right now.

That is why it was nice to see this blog written by a Progressive Christian trying to reach out and understand Evangelicals. If those terms are unfamiliar to you, let me try and boil down the difference to its essentials. Progressives focus their faith around social action - especially around helping the poor. If anything gets in the way of that, it can be laid aside. Evangelicals focus their faith around the Bible, and its inerrancy and inspiration. If anything disagrees with the Bible, it can be laid aside. Now, both groups love Jesus, view the Bible as important, and want to help the poor and needy. But their different emphases lead to radically different priorities, methods, and allies. And perhaps most importantly, different cultures with different jargon. Ask an Evangelical and a Progressive what "God's Word" means, and you'll get a very different answer.

Click here for the blog author's attempt to lay out why he built the blog. He is a Progressive Christian who previously had been dismissing the Evangelical movement. I think his goal is the same as ours - to understand both sides and as much as possible bring them together... no matter what our own political leaning may be.

The Smiles of Autumn

Siblings Sharing Birthdays

An Ohio couple has three children who were all born on the same day of the year. Their two boys were born in 2003 and 2006 on October 2. They just had a girl also born October 2. I have two cousins (same immediate family) that are similar, but aparantly the odds of having three children all with the same birth day are about 7.5 in 1 million.

When your child's faith is not your own

This article was first presented to me as evidence of the intolerance of evangelical Christians. It is based on a letter written by an atheist to an advice columnist about dealing with his daughter's fears that he was going to Hell

When I try to explain my beliefs (that I don't believe in God or a higher power), she cries. I am certainly not trying to deny her mother the right to take her to church, but I don't want to cut my two weekends a month with her short to take her back to her mother's to attend church. Nor do I want her mother telling her that I am going to hell.

But the advice columnist's response was excellent and balanced.

What I am trying to say is, the way to help your daughter grow is not to debate the existence of God. It is to go to church with your daughter and experience what she is experiencing.

You can argue about who is winning and who is losing. But at least watch the game.

Read on through the article. It is a good read and provides insight into both sides of the religious divide.

Online Health Records

Microsoft has announced that they want to host your medical records. So does Google and other companies. Kaiser Permanente has had ads on the radio around here that you can e-mail your doctor and get test results online. My wife and I shop online as well as use online banking, but this worries me. I wasn't worried about the Kaiser Permanente system when I heard about it, but that may have been that it's just for their hospitals, doctors, etc. The thought of having multiple health care professionals putting all of my information into one central database just makes me worried. Perhaps it's because it's Microsoft. Maybe I'm just paranoid. On the other hand, it'd be nice to have up to date records at any time. Would you trust a company to store you medical history?

Let the mud slinging commence

The Log Cabin Republicans have decided that they don't like Mitt Romney. Why exactly is unclear other than he's for a marriage amendment, which would effectively end many in their organization's quest to get married. Nonetheless, they've decided that in order to get their point across - that Romney is a bad bad man and a flip flopper - they're going to start running a negative ad using his words from.... wait for it.... wait for it... 1994 as an indication of how bad a candidate he is.

I've stated before that I don't plan on voting for Mr. Romney, but I still think this is a bad move. I'd like to see the day when PACs aren't allowed to run advertisements on candidates because they generally end up being negative and destructive rather than helpful in any way - as this stunt shows along with anything MoveOn.org has done and the Swiftboaters from the last presidential election and numerous other examples. But on a completely different level, Romney has answered all these charges months ago. Why is it necessary to bring this up again? It just seems childish to me.

CA.GOV Goes Down

I can't find an official press release on either California's Department of Technology's website or the U.S. General Services Administration's website, but it appears that for about 7 hours, the ca.gov domain was at least partially down. NetworkWorld has the story. It appears that the Transportation Authority of Marin County had their website get hacked and redirected to a website with pornography. In response, the U.S. General Services responded with too broad a "sword" and deleted the entire ca.gov domain. The proper procedure would have been to notify California's Department of Technology and then take down the site. Apparently, the wrong person or people were contacted. By the time the problem was realized on the west coast, it was after business hours on the east coast. The blame seems to lie with the federal government, though we'll have to wait for the report to here the GSA's response.

Bush asked to speak at Iranian university

In a switch from last week's debacle at Columbia University, President Bush has been asked to speak at Ferdowsi University in Iran. Of course the president isn't going to accept this invitation, but how interesting would it be if he did choose to go? Would he come off looking as bad as Ahmadinejad or maybe better. I suppose it all depends on what side of the argument you're on. Then again maybe the University is being as slimy as Columbia was in inviting Ahmadinejad only to verbally bash him.

Woman Sues Apple Over iPhone Price Drop

This is ridiculous. Dongmei Li is suing Apple for $1 million dollars in compensatory damages plus punitive damages. Why? She doesn't think that it's fair that she bought a 4GB iPhone 3 days after it was released for full price and now Apple isn't selling it so she can't sell it for as much of a profit as she could have. Prices on electronics fall. Yes, it was surprising what Apple did, but they didn't do anything wrong, other than upset people. Even then, they refunded the $200 to anyone who bought the iPhone 14 days before the announcement of the price drop and gave a $100 store credit to anyone who bought the iPhone before that. I can understand being upset, but suing for $1 million+? That's just one more sign of how crazy our country has gotten. I've said this before, the American dream has changed. Instead of work hard and move yourself up the ladder, we've switched to find something to sue for. I hope this woman gets laughed at by the judge and it never even goes to trial.

Yes, they can check my reciept

There is a new partiularly rabid strain of libertarian thought going around right now regarding the current practice of many stores to check your reciept on the way out, as a way of preventing theft. I have some sympathy when these policies are applied overly strictly at retailers like Circuit City and Best Buy. Especially as in the case of a recent Circuit City customer who was arrested for refusing to produce a reciept. (Technically, he was arrested for failure to produce ID, but CC did everything in their power to force the issue.) However, you always have the alternative to NOT give your money to these retailers. (If you don't have another local electronics store, remember Amazon.Com or any number of small internet retailers are only a click and UPS away.)

But the newest strain of this meme is fury over big-box retailers like BJ's and CostCo doing the same thing. This truly makes no sense, for a simple reason. YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THE COMPANY THAT GIVES THEM THAT PRIVILEGE. The way that stores like BJ and Costco keep down prices is by buying in bulk, and minimizing staffing. They lack sophisticated security systems or an oppressive watchful staff to prevent shoplifting, and instead place a single pimply-faced person at the door to check your reciept against your cart. This is annoying, but hardly a violation of anyone's rights.

So, let's all calm down out there, okay? If you feel a need to express your annoyance at these practices, complain to the local manager or the regional directors of the stores in question. And don't patronize any place you feel violates your rights. But stop making a Federal Case out of a hung over teenager earning minimum wage checking reciepts.

Posted without further comment

Maybe This Suggests Something About My Computer Problems

I noticed my laptop was slowing down a bit and hanging here and there so I decided to check on my iStat widget to see how long I had gone without a shut down. 91 days, 15 hours, and 27 minutes uptime. I could have never gotten away with that with any of my older PC laptops...They would have crashed dozens of times in three months. But still, I have to wonder if I don't push my computers a little too hard. Not that I'm going to change my ways or anything, but it could be a part of the problem.

I hate to say "I told you so", but...

...the Republican party is finally starting to confront the Elephant in the Room for the Rudy Guiliani campaign. His pro-abortion past is catching up with him, as some Evangelical leaders are threatening to go Third Party.

For months, Christian conservatives have been escalating their warnings about the risk that nominating Mr. Giuliani could splinter the party. Dr. Dobson wrote a column declaring that he would waste his vote before casting it for either Mr. Giuliani or a Democrat who supports abortion rights like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Richard Land, the top public policy official of the Southern Baptist Convention, has said that nominating a Republican candidate who supports abortion rights would make white evangelical votes “a jump ball” between the Republicans and Democrats, with other issues taking the fore.

You may recall I said that I could not vote for the Mayor, despite my respect for him, from Day 1. I doubt that I am among the more extreme members of the anti-abortion wing.

Go Phillies!!!

I am not a big sports guy in general. But I have been a faithful Phillies fan since 1980 when they last won the world series. I want to congratulate my beloved team on winning the National League East pennant. And I hope they go on to the World Series.

And my sympathies to CRChair on his poor Mets.