It's Just Who I Am

The End of DADT

2010-12-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

I am very proud of my country today!

Noah --

Moments ago, the Senate voted to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

When that bill reaches my desk, I will sign it, and this discriminatory law will be repealed.

Gay and lesbian service members -- brave Americans who enable our freedoms -- will no longer have to hide who they are.

The fight for civil rights, a struggle that continues, will no longer include this one.

This victory belongs to you. Without your commitment, the promise I made as a candidate would have remained just that.

Instead, you helped prove again that no one should underestimate this movement. Every phone call to a senator on the fence, every letter to the editor in a local paper, and every message in a congressional inbox makes it clear to those who would stand in the way of justice: We will not quit.

This victory also belongs to Senator Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and our many allies in Congress who refused to let politics get in the way of what was right.

Like you, they never gave up, and I want them to know how grateful we are for that commitment.

Will you join me in thanking them by adding your name to Organizing for America's letter?

I will make sure these messages are delivered -- you can also add a comment about what the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" means to you.

As Commander in Chief, I fought to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" because it weakens our national security and military readiness. It violates the fundamental American principles of equality and fairness.

But this victory is also personal.

I will never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of my sexual orientation.

But I know my story would not be possible without the sacrifice and struggle of those who came before me -- many I will never meet, and can never thank.

I know this repeal is a crucial step for civil rights, and that it strengthens our military and national security. I know it is the right thing to do.

But the rightness of our cause does not guarantee success, and today, celebration of this historic step forward is tempered by the defeat of another -- the DREAM Act. I am incredibly disappointed that a minority of senators refused to move forward on this important, commonsense reform that most Americans understand is the right thing for our country. On this issue, our work must continue.

Today, I'm proud that we took these fights on.

Please join me in thanking those in Congress who helped make "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal possible:

http://my.barackobama.com/Repealed

Thank you,

Barack

Takedown of NOM's Misleading Iowa Ad

2010-09-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Gina Trapani Schools Us on Facebook Security

2010-04-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gina Trapani does great work and here is a good article from her. Here she is trying to help educate folks about some of the moves Facebook recently made that affect your privacy and then shows you how to take control of how much you share through your use of Facebook.

If you are so inclined, please leave a comment thanking Gina. She does good work. If you are a huge Google fan, then you'd want to learn more about Gina. A lot of her work is focused on Google products.

Time to Audit Your Facebook Privacy Settings, Here's How

Yet Another Threat From the World of Islam

2010-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Islamic group threatens Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Yet another of the COUNTLESS examples of why it is dangerous to believe in the supernatural. You can't make sound decisions about how to lead your life when those decisions are founded on the delicate navigation of and the impossibility of deciphering any meaning from supernatural beliefs.

Praise God! Oh, that's the Devil.

2010-04-14T08:29:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that when I hear someone attribute a personal achievement to god or a personal failure to the devil, it really annoys me to no end. How does actually believing this make for a healthy perspective on what it means to live in the real world and embrace how life actually works? From my perspective, this kind of thinking is a symptom of a person who is still struggling to grasp the reality of their lives and this world.

When you attribute an accomplishment to god, you are not honoring what it is that YOU have actually accomplished all on your own. You are denying yourself the full praise for what YOU have done. I think that is bullshit and self destructive. At the same time, we often achieve accomplishments through the help of others. Typically those others would be people who care about you. So here you are also disrespecting or dishonoring their efforts to help you achieve what you did.

When you pawn your failures or shortcomings off on the devil, you are not taking full responsibility for your own actions and mistakes. This is clearly an issue in any society considering that your actions and decisions will always affect someone else to some degree or another and here you are skirting some or all of the responsibility to closely and fully evaluate the results of YOUR decisions and actions so that you can determine if there are better ways or even what those other ways are.

That touches on the concepts of what critical thinking and intellectual honesty are all about. These are two things that people in the scientific, skeptic and free thinking worlds strive to honor and raise up above most other things. It baffles me that apparently most of the world prefers to live their lives and often force decisions onto other peoples lives based on how they have personally been able to decipher a bunch of contradicting made up non-sense about a vengeful yet loving sky daddy thing that cannot be proven exists and that we quite certainly could never truly know the motivation or desires of even if it did.

My perspective on this also goes for "random" or "uncontrollable" events beyond the individual. One could say that the insanely low quality of the infrastructure in many of the poorer countries that have been hit with all these various natural disasters was to blame for the resulting horrific numbers of deaths. Of course, there are also psychopaths like Pat Robertson who have their own unique perspective on things. The answer is quite simple in my eyes. WE, as a whole planet full of the same human race, are to blame for the fact that WE are failing in our responsibilities to ensure that we are all protected and provided the same safe guards equally or at least much more equally then they are now.

Price Drop for TV Shows in iTunes Store

2010-01-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

A single song can easily stand alone. People don't mind buying them individually. I personally prefer full albums from the artists I love, but again I seem to be the minority rather than the majority. As a fan of a TV show though, someone isn't going to just want one off episodes. Maybe for some series you can get away with that, but there are plenty of series these days with a clear overarching theme. Why would people only buy a single episode here and there? They want to see the whole series. If the prices were cut, I agree with  that you would see many more people snatching up whole seasons of shows through the iTunes store. I know i've been waiting for this moment to start snatching them up. I just hope I do not turn out to be the minority once again in this case.

Apple arguing to have iTunes TV show prices cut?

How To Find My Representative and Senators

2010-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

District Office
	87 North Raymond Ave, Ste. 900 Pasadena, 91105M Phone: (626) 304-2727 Facsimile: (626) 304-0572
	Washington, D.C. Office
	326 Cannon House Office Building Washington D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4176 Facsimile: (202) 225-5828

Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)	Class III
112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3553
Web Form: boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/

Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)	Class I
331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3841
Web Form: feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactU...

Spiritual Health Care

2010-01-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

This is the letter I am sending to my Representative and Senators. I hope enough people take the time to speak out on this. The only part I wrote is the last paragraph.

January 17, 2010

Dear Representative Schiff,

Dear Senator Boxer,

Dear Senator Feinstein,

Tucked into the health care reform bill passed by Sen. Harkin’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee is a mandate that insurers reimburse for “religious or spiritual health care” that is classified as a deductible medical care expense by the Internal Revenue Service. See S.1679, Section 3103(a)(1)(D).

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on which Congressman Bruce Braley sits has added a similar measure to the House health care reform bill. See Section 125 of HR3200.

If the federal government forces the insurance industry to pay for prayer, the Christian Science church and other faith healing practitioners will use the federal law as another argument that Christian Science “treatment” or prayer should be a legal substitute for medical care of sick children.

Between 1 and 5 children currently die in the United States, per month, from religiously-motivated medical neglect. If the Congress passes into law these provisions equating prayer with medical care, this number will surely increase.

There will be more laws like West Virginia’s religious defense to fatal neglect of a child when parents withhold medical care and instead rely on prayer-treatment “if fees and expenses incurred in connection with such treatment are permitted to be deducted from taxable income as ‘medical expenses’ pursuant to regulations or rules promulgated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. (West Virginia Code 61-8D-4a(b)).

Iowa’s religious defense to felony child endangerment and manslaughter at Iowa Code 726.6(d) has been justified on similar grounds.

The government should not be forcing anyone to pay for prayer. We urge Congress to remove all provisions in the health care reform bills that require insurers to reimburse for prayer or any other “health care” that is not evidence-based.

The irony here is that it is typically people of faith who pull the "but it's to protect the children" card to evoke the emotional reaction they need to sway people to an irrational stance that supports their side of many arguments. Now here we are, many of the non-believers of the world, having to pull that exact same card. Yet, we are having to pull it for the REAL and PROVABLE abuses that WILL occur under the kind of measures such as the one in question. They would be abuses perpetrated by people of faith no less. What is happening to our country!? It floors me that this and many other kinds of atrocities perpetrated in our world, of which are fueled by ridiculous ideas stemming from the Abrahamic faiths, are not enough to convince more of the world how dangerous religion and belief in god is. This kind of lunacy needs to be stamped out of our country not turned into law. Contrary to popular belief this country was founded on secular principles and it survives as well as it does because of those secular principles. Keep faith in churches and especially out of our government. I will not be forced to pay my tax dollars to people who will get paid for abusing and killing children!

Sincerely,

Mr. Noah Wiles
5019 Santa Anita Ave
Temple City, CA 91780-3618

In Health Care Debate, Fear Trumps Logic : NPR

2009-08-28T07:28:00.001-07:00

There are those occasions when I wish I was an alien who could finally throw down my hands and bow my head in disgust and simply climb back into my spaceship and take off for good. My final thought as I left would be, "There's just no hope for you ignorant bastards. It takes you way too long to get a clue."

In Health Care Debate, Fear Trumps Logic : NPR

Posted using ShareThis

2009-08-19T13:31:00.001-07:00

I love technology! This is my first official blog entry entered through SMS from my iPhone. I am actually at work right now though. I suppose now is not a good time to dive into any rants. Oh well.

I feel so connected! :-) I'm out!

C Street, Ensign and Sandford

2009-08-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, the constitution is a secular document purposefully calling for a separation of church and state. If this whole scandal surrounding C Street and Senator's Ensign and Sanford isn't one of the most glaring examples of the reasoning behind this, I don't know what is. Government should NEVER be used to push or promote a specific religion on its people AT ALL. This should be obvious. That goes hand in hand with purporting to be a nation that protects freedom of religion or for some people freedom from religion.

Also, I am severely annoyed that these hypocritical self righteous "Republican's" are not calling out for the resignation of these two pricks! These two guys have been very outspoken about how the honorable and right thing to do for certain other politicians who have been caught with their pants down was to resign and here they are caught up in their hypocrisy and scandal and refusing to resign. Bullshit! This is the kind of thing that burns my ass that many conservatives don't seem to register. You have these self righteous bastards preaching up and down all these morals, telling people who to hate and who not to hate, doing nothing really than paying lip service to their constituents, and low and behold we find out that they are just like everyone else. Oh my goodness! They sure had me fooled. Not! Get a clue people!

2009-06-14T14:09:00.001-07:00

2009-06-05T14:25:00.001-07:00

Ballmer Says Netbooks Are

2009-05-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

I did a little commenting on this article. It's a discussion about if there is any real future for netbooks.
Ballmer Says Netbooks Are... ‘Revolutionary’

Posted using ShareThis

2009-05-08T10:24:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

MacBook Users: Turn off This Bluetooth Default Setting Now

2009-05-08T08:37:00.001-07:00

I checked my setting and the default was for it to be turned off. I am assuming though, that this setting defaults to on once you've actually synced up a bluetooth mouse to your MacBook. I have not done this. I find the awesome design of the trackpad and gestures to be more than sufficient. I don't need a mouse.

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The Last Device

2009-04-30T16:25:00.001-07:00

I sure do look happy here!

Posted via Pixelpipe.

2009-04-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

2009-04-28T11:16:00.001-07:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Panel 1

2009-04-27T08:33:00.001-07:00

Panel 2

Panel 3

Panel 4

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Things Seem to be Looking Up

2009-04-07T08:19:00.001-07:00

Well, it seems that we have been able to pull through some tough times. Partly due to perseverance and partly do to simple luck. Tina and I have come out on the other end with a solid game plan and the ability to start getting our financial situation in order. The first step will be paying off the car which we can actually do right now! When that is done, we will then be able to aggressively attacking the remainder of our debts and will finally have the ability to start building some real savings. I am very happy I finally got my head out of my ass on this issue. I actually feel like this horrible recession we are all going through was a bit of a blessing for me. It put the fear in me that forced my head to pop out and start paying attention. How do you like that for visuals? :-)

On top of all of that, I was even left with enough room to finally purchase my first Mac computer! How exciting is that!? I am such a junky when it comes to Apple products that I am tempted to stay home the rest of the week until it shows up. I want to be here as soon as it gets here. I know. It's horrible.

I'll be getting a refurbished 2.4 GHz Mac Book. Buying refurbished is saving me three hundred bones. Here are the full details:

Enclosure = Precision aluminum unibody
Processor = 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
L2 Cache = 3MB shared
System bus = 1066MHz
Memory = 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500); supports up to 4GB
Hard drive1 = 250GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
Slot-loading optical drive = 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Graphics = NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory2
Video = Built-in iSight camera; Mini DisplayPort output port with support for DVI, VGA, and dual-link DVI (requires adapters, sold separately)
Display = 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
USB = Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
Audio = Built-in stereo speakers, built-in omnidirectional microphone, combined optical digital input/analog line in, combined optical digital output/analog line out
Networking = Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
Wireless = Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification)3 ; built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module
Hardware accessories = 60W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-polymer battery
Height = 0.95 inch (2.41 cm)
Width = 12.78 inches (32.5 cm)
Depth = 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)
Weight = 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg)4

How the iPhone 3.0 Will Create a New Mobile Economy

2009-03-27T08:22:00.001-07:00

I love how Apple is making all these arrogant cocky asshole dinosaurs in the mobile phone manufacturing industry eat all those words they were spewing out of their mouths when the iPhone was just a phone no one had seen yet, but knew it was on the way. Now look at it. It is creating whole new markets that didn't even exist before. We are heading for an Apple world. People just don't realize it. Apple is taking over and I love it! The bottom line is that their products, in many specific ways, are superior. Damn it I'm such an Apple fanboy!

read more | digg story

Adam Lambert sings Ring of Fire

2009-03-18T12:01:00.001-07:00

The beauty of this performance is not only that it was arguably THE most brilliant arrangement and performance ever done on AI, but also that Adam pushed the envelope so far he stumped everyone and forced them to expand their perception and understanding of what good music can be. That is what is called TRUE talent. When you look closely at the songs Johnny decided to cover in that cover album he put out just before passing away, I have no doubt what-so-ever that he would have LOVED this version and performance of his song and that he would have wanted to meet Adam.

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Urban Desi: A Genre On The Rise

2009-03-15T09:31:00.001-07:00

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar and Snoop Dogg collaborated on the song "Singh Is King" for the soundtrack of a popular Bollywood film. - This is a bit of an old article I came across that still seems very relevant to me. Being that I am a huge fan of music and especially being a fan of the fruit that is born when american music is blended with music of different cultures from around the world, this struck me as something that more people should learn about.

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Atheists in the US: A turning tide?

2009-02-05T07:45:00.001-08:00

I used to be afraid to admit that I did not believe. I especially could never say this to my family! For the most part, they are all so much into the Jesus thing. I used to hate feeling like I could never speak up. Then I got brave and started to admit I was agnostic. Now I don't care anymore. I'll admit I'm an atheist any chance I get.

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Kary Mullis: DNA, LSD and Alien Abductions

2009-01-29T15:51:00.001-08:00

In 1993, biochemist Kary Mullis won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a process that allows the amplification of specific DNA sequences. Since then, though, he has often played the enfant terrible to his once-adoring scientific 'parent'.

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Many African girls at risk due to practice of Breast Ironing

2009-01-29T07:54:00.001-08:00

I just don't understand what the shit is wrong with people sometimes. Shouldn't it seem obvious that there are so many better ways to deal with the root of a problem like this than punishing and mutilating young girls. And how often does that even work anyway I wonder?

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Hail Two

2009-01-26T09:01:00.001-08:00

Here's the other picture I took.

Hail

2009-01-26T09:00:00.001-08:00

Got some hail last night.

Cocaine

2009-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Daily Mail Article from the UK

This is a comment I made on an article about cocaine that I found on current.com.

"If you are not an emotionally broken or weak willed person, it is easy to use many types of drugs responsibly or recreationally and still lead a very normal life just like anyone else.

I laugh at this reactionary uneducated response everyone seems to be enjoying by throwing around this "coke whore" phrase. It's funny how easy it is for ignorant people to judge and berate someone they don't even know in order to try and build up this fantasy that they are so much better than anyone else. Its amazing how much child like behavior still permeates throughout our adult years.

All you ever see are those who are the broken ones and never those who are perfectly fine and have no idea what the problem is with the broken people.

Regardless, those who are actual "whores", whether they be a drug whore, a designer clothes whore, a Big Mac whore or an alcohol whore, they are simply people who need love and attention and who were probably fucked up in the first place by some ignorant a-hole. Why isn't there a war on a-holes instead of all these external things we cannot control!?

The focus just needs to be on helping them. We can't wipe the world clean of every ill that exists out there. But, we can do our part and just step up when an individual needs help. If we don't get rid of the a-holes (ourselves) then nothing will change."

A response I made on Current.com

2009-01-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

Post on Current.com that spawned this discussion: Being Gay is a Gift from God

Original Post:
aswift1 - "I love this. I am Christian, and I know that's not the cool thing to be on this web site, but I am proud of it. Whatever. I love that this man of God is not so intimidated by the thought that the ignorant Christians will judge and shun him for making this statement. More power to him! I want to go to this guy's church."

Response to Original Post:
Nephwrack - "aside from the dick jokes, the wordng of the modern bible was decided at the council of nycea, by a bunch of males. add to that the fact that we've just taken our first baby steps away from chauvanism in the last century, and you have humanity worshiping a male god figure. not to say that the devine is female either though, i dont think an omniscient, omnipotent being would limit itself to one sex or another, including t/g. more than likely the divine has no sex or sexual preference, no matter how much we limited meatbags would like to think of it in human terms. regardless, religion is false in any form, as it is an attempted connection to the divine through a man colored filter. before all the atheists jump on my bandwagon however, ti'm not denying the existence of a God/divine presence/force/spaghetti monster/etc, as it is just as impossible to prove the nonexistence of such a being as it is to prove it's existence."

My Response:
"@aswift1 - As an Atheist, I for one am happy to have you up here. I have begun to learn to be more patient with those of any religious faith even when we have very different views on life as a whole. I am not completely there yet, but I feel I am on my way. It is still tough to hold certain conversations without letting those damn emotions creep in to muck it all up. I do believe the key to success for any person is to get themselves to a place where they can discuss the tough stuff without ruining the opportunity to communicate and learn by letting emotions take over the conversation.

@Nephwrack - "it is just as impossible to prove the nonexistence of such a being as it is to prove it's existence." Incredibly well said my friend! It seems to me that many people are beginning to come to this particular conclusion of which you have explained very well with your whole response. It essentially brings us to a fork in the road. And at this place, you have turned one way while I have turned the other. For me, It just seems too fanciful to believe there is any kind of conscious creator of all things out there at all. But where you are is not so far from where I am, and so I can appreciate your decision while still being satisfied with mine. And that right there is where everyone needs to be able to get to. To accept all others while being satisfied with themselves. Of course, that is not to say we should then stop trying to progress from where we."

Les Claypool Concert Tickets - Hollywood Palladium in Los An

2009-01-16T08:03:00.001-08:00

I hope i am able to make it to this show. It sounds like it will be fun. I am interested in seeing what Saul Williams can do with his live show. And of course there is the great Les Claypool!

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Daily Wisdom

2009-01-13T00:33:00.000-08:00

The present moment is changing so fast that we often do not notice its existence at all. Every moment of mind is like a series of pictures passing through a projector. Some of the pictures come from sense impressions. Others come from memories of past experiences or from fantasies of the future. Mindfulness helps us freeze the frame so that we can become aware of our sensations and experiences as they are, without the distorting coloration of socially conditioned responses or habitual reactions.

Daily Wisdom

2009-01-11T10:10:00.001-08:00

Honesty can be cultivated by transforming your inner language. For example, you might think: "I am no good." or "They are not good." Is it true? For some strange reason, people want to wallow in the idea of being either the best or the worst. What is true in this moment? How close can we get to the reality of our experiences?

Daily Wisdom

2009-01-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

January 7
This mind and body is our household. If this inner household is not in order, no outer household can be in order.

January 8
No matter how hard you pursue pleasure and success, there are times when you fail. No matter how fast you flee, there are times when pain catches up with you.

January 9
Try to be reasonable in the way you grow, and don't ever think it is too late. It is never too late. Even if you are going to die tomorrow, keep yourself straight and clear and be a happy human being today. If you keep your situation happy day by day, you will eventually reach the greatest happiness of enlightenment.

January 10
On the basis of the belief that all human beings share the same divine nature, we have a very strong ground, a very powerful reason, to believe that it is possible for each of us to develop a genuine sense of equanimity toward all beings.

The Team Approach to Holding Serve

2009-01-10T14:54:00.001-08:00

More good doubles strategies.

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Strategy for Return of Serve in Doubles

2009-01-10T08:14:00.001-08:00

Very good article on some basic doubles return strategies!

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Low Prices, Convergence Devices Dominate CES

2009-01-09T19:18:00.001-08:00

Good little article about emerging trends with newly launched electronic devices considering the state of our economy here in the US.

read more | digg story

Daily Wisdom

2009-01-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

January 5th 2009
Wisdom does not mean knowledge but experiential understanding. Wisdom helps you to change radically your habits and perceptions, as you discover the constantly changing, interconnected nature of the whole of existence.

January 6th 2009
We plant merit with our minds, and we commit crimes with our minds. With our minds, we imprint images. This one mind is like an artist. It can draw anything, and what it draws is realized. If you surrender your impressions, ideas, thoughts, and so on at the moment they arise without imprinting them on your mind, your mind will not be tainted, just as the lotus flower is not tainted by the muddy water whence it grows.

Brevity

2009-01-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

2009-01-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

When elections like this get to this granular of a level and it turns into a battle of splitting hairs to confirm who actually won, it starts to get a bit frustrating to deal with. You begin to just expect someone to concede and be done with it. Of course, it is easy to say this when the person you wanted to win is the winner at the time, but what about if it is the person who you do not want to win? To be honest, when it came down to a recount initially, I had assumed that Al lost and was fine with it just being over. Now that it seems Al has one, I am very happy to hear that, but again, it looks like Norm Coleman may try to contest and fight for another recount.

I guess, as Americans, we should be happy that we have a system that goes to such lengths to ensure that our system is being run fairly and that whoever is considered the winner actually deserves to be the winner. I can say that I am happy for that. As an American with the freedom to speak his own mind though, I can also say without persecution, that sometimes the way our systems are designed really annoy the shit out of me!

NYT Minnesota Senate Race

Turning On, Tuning In and Painting the Results

2009-01-05T17:42:00.005-08:00

The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in Chelsea will close at the end of this month. That may not mean much to most of the art world’s hipper denizens, but it will to visionary and psychedelic-art fans for whom the chapel has been a mecca since it opened in 2004.

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Tapping the Power of Podcasting

2009-01-05T17:42:00.003-08:00

I am very excited to see what more the future holds for the podcasting medium. It's potential clearly has not yet been fully realized and I believe it will definitely become a very integrated part of our lives in the near future.

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The night before Christmas-MacWorld Style

2009-01-05T17:42:00.001-08:00

Funny seasonal stuff.

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Fiber showdown looms as Verizon builds in AT&T territory

2009-01-05T17:41:00.001-08:00

I am sure that I do not understand the full scope of what this means, but it is interesting to see from the comments how people are just plain frustrated with these companies regardless of what this "showdown" means for the future of the business.

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One failed bank gets the housing fix right

2009-01-05T17:40:00.001-08:00

When the FDIC seized mortgage giant IndyMac it was one of the biggest bank failures ever. Now the troubled lender just may lead us out of the housing mess. This is an interesting article about how Indymac was actually a test bed for a foreclosure prevention program.

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Daily Wisdom

2009-01-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 3rd

The temptation is to conclude that perhaps meditation is alright for some but dead wrong for you. In my case, meditation started out painful and tedious beyond words. Extremely convincing arguments for giving up before you have even started will almost certainly occur to you-don't listen to them.

Monday, January 4th

When we fall on the ground it hurts us, but we also need to rely on the ground to get back up.

Brevity

2009-01-02T08:01:00.001-08:00

For Jan. 3rd & 4th

Daily Wisdom

2009-01-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

There simply is nothing to which we can attach ourselves, no matter how hard we try. In time, things will change and the conditions that produced our current desires will be gone. Why then cling to them now?

Sophie - Dennis' niece.

2009-01-01T22:01:00.001-08:00

We had dinner and ate at Carissa and Matt's place.

Daily Wisdom

2009-01-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

"How, dear sir, did you cross the flood?"
"By not halting, friend, and by not straining I crossed the flood."
"But how is it , dear sir, that by not halting and by not straining you crossed the flood?"
"When I came to a standstill, friend, then I sank; but when I struggled, then I got swept away. It is in this way, friend, that by not halting and by not straining I crossed the flood."

2008-12-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

Made a post on an article today in response to some other posts. It seemed like an interesting exchange to me so I wanted to make sure and archive it here in my blog.

Link to site/article: TinyGigantic Site

Tiny Gigantic actually seems like a very neat little site. I'm now following one of the creators of the site on Twitter and have subscribed to its feed using Google Reader. Lets see how far this site can go.

Here is the whole article and exchange:

Twitter tastes like Kool-Aid which tastes yummy. Want some?
Twitter. It’s something I’ve been avoiding for the past months. I’ve even had moments of wanting it to fail a little because the idea just kinda bugged. Who the fuck cares about status updates?

But recently, I realized it’s not about status updates. It’s not, as the Facebook prompt suggests, about what I’m “doing right now.” And it’s not, as the LinkedIn prompt suggests, about what I’m “working on right now.”

Twitter is a whole new kind of human communication—a one-to-many conversation—that enables a whole new kind of community. Here’s a nice summary (from Deep Jive Interests):

"It’s because I can listen and participate, in real time, with a giant chat room full off interesting people, who at any given time, are thinking out loud, reporting on things they find important, but doing so in a fairly terse and concise way; and, who are almost always reachable and generally approachable about answering any particular question you might have."

This is a big fucking deal. I know because I’ve recently been lamenting the fact that my areas of interest are unusual and my fellow weirdos often live in other cities. Sure, we all have blogs and delicious accounts, and lots of us are on Facebook or Linkedin. We all use email, text, and chat. Nonetheless, we do not have community and we don’t really have a running conversation. Twitter looks like it’s gonna change that.

Now I want to show you another interesting tidbit, the Five Stages of Twitter Acceptance (from the Influential Marketing Blog):

1. Denial
“I think Twitter sounds stupid. Why would anyone care what people are doing right now?”

2. Presence
“I don’t get it, but I guess I should at least create an account.”

3. Dumping
“I use Twitter to send people links to my blog posts and to send people my press releases.”

4. Conversing
“I don’t always post useful stuff, but I am using Twitter to have authentic 1×1 conversations.”

5. Microblogging
“I use Twitter to post useful stuff that people read, and I’m having authentic 1×1 conversations.”

Lastly, some recently released stats, and a business-case anecdote (via LitmanLive):

* 70% of users joined in 2008.
* 20% have joined in the last 60 days.
* An estimated 5-10,000 new accounts are opening every day.
* The average user has been on Twitter for 275 days.
* 80% of users have a bio on their profile. (I personally don’t follow users without a bio)
* 62% have a photo on their profile.
* Traffic has grown 600% over the last 12 months.
* Total user numbers are between 4-5m with approx 30% unengaged.

(Sources Hubspot and Compete)

It’s not there yet, but it’s getting towards reaching the tipping point. It has potential for business also, success stories are starting to emerge from well known brands who are establishing a presence and engaging with their audience. Perhaps most famously, Dell recently reported that they have made more than $1 million dollars through their DellOutlet Twitter account. It’s clear that there’s value to be had from many angles.

My point: I think Twitter is here in a big way. I think it’s not a matter of adoption, but acceptance. I think it’s a matter of a learning curve (the one-to-many conversation is new to everyone, and we’ll get better), and I think it’s a matter of the hockey-stick curve we see when the network effect kicks in, which is gonna happen real soon.

With that, I’ll sign off and invite you to connect with me on Twitter.

12/26/08 by Axel Albin

This entry was posted on Friday, December 26th, 2008 at 10:28 pm and is filed under Candy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
6 Responses to “Twitter tastes like Kool-Aid which tastes yummy. Want some?”

Michael Colton Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 6:58 am
WALL-E & THE PROBLEM WITH TWITTER!

Witty, poignant, and cynical in its proof points, the movie Wall-E presents the unexpected but unfortunate result of the way we communicate in the world. So while we are not living 700 years in the future, we are not all obese and we are not losing all of our bone-density because we live on a mothership in outer space, we are losing our face-to-face connection with each other. Maybe you can take the POV that we are gaining proximity and intimacy with people in far away places. Maybe it is the wave of the future. But its unfortunate. Its making us all more likely to be transient and less physically social. As Wall-E demonstrates, in generations of the future, we will have forgotten basic formalities and subtle physical acknowledgments. It wont all just disappear but will be slowly and subtly enough and demonstrated only in our offspring who take their cues from us. Just as me and my children today have little awareness of animals outside the zoo so future generations will have an odd kind of comfort with their parent’s transience or the ease with which their parents fall in and out of relationship.

In my opinion, Twitter is a playful but sad alibi for a relationship. Maybe it innovative and cute today, but in the future—a future we will take little responsibility for our children with their children will come closer to confirming wall-E’s brilliant suspicion. Hopefully it wont parallel in time the loss of oxygen and photosynthesis on our planet.

Hey! Spend less time telling people what you are doing in the privacy of your own mental space and more time interacting face to face. Use you muscles-The TINY muscles in your face to smile and greet other people and the GIGANTIC muscles in your legs to walk out amongst your local friends.

If you want another take on what the future will be like, see the documentary, “THE END OF SUBURBIA”. Sure its primarily about the death of fossil fuels but the bright future involves the creation of self-sufficient local communities. Jobs and lives will all exist in local areas the proficiency will be valued because of its value in sustaining the local milieu. We will live with and our cultural values with support living next door to our best friends and we will know them deeper than we ever have before. On the contrary, today we living in cities where we do not often know the person living on the other side of our wall. We drive great distances to work and we communicate virtually to people in the same office.

700 years in the future they will learn about us and scratch their heads at what we thought was right.

Axel Albin Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 9:19 am
mike-

awesome notes.

you might well be right. but these days i am super inspired by the relentlessly growing global brain, and by the manifold ways humans are overcoming the problem of spatial distance.

i have a lot of trust in nature and life. i believe that the optimal destiny will manifest through the all-encompassing process of variation and selection. i recognize that this a statement of faith, but so are all statements about the future.

one last thought: it’s curious how often people (myself included) tend to forecast the future in extremes. take the hyperlocal, end-of-suburbia scenario. i’ll agree with the idea that communities need to be more self-sufficient in order to be more sustainable and resilient. however, these communities will not be isolated. they will have deep connectivity to the global network. eventually the global network will facilitate the creation of a transport technology innovation (some new energy source, a new engine, etc) that will once again make it economically compelling to import raspberries from a great distance. we’ll do that for a while until it becomes unsustainable again and so on. this kind of scenario seems to better align with my sense of the cycles and rhythms of change.

: )
aa

Michael Colton Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Touché Axel…

And you got me there. I did and do forecast in extremes. The effects over time would be subtle and probably never experienced to the point of suffrage by anyone. I think the exaggeration comes from a sense of helplessness over the impact the information society will have on my children and my children’s children.

Kids online are junkies and the machine sucks them in like chocolate on a stcik. They are more likely to be isolationists and with a resources like Twitter, enabled to do so even more so. And when we get them out of the house they want to take their Nintendo DS or watch a DVD in the mini-van. Sounds pathetic, I know.

Darwin characterized dominance of the recessive and this to me is exemplary. A result of and ABSENCE of variation and selection.

Consider this analogy. In childbirth woman consent to c-section in at least 35% of all cases in the U.S. The WHO is now seriously alarmed at the impact over time and generations. The recessive effect ( with the absence of selective pressures) is that, the more likely a woman is to have a c-sections, the more likely her daughter is to have a c-section and so on. Sounds silly but cranium size is then free to exceed pelvic cavity diameter. Use your imagination to imagine the inherent complications besides future c-sections and the effect on the Hat industry.

Twitter and Facebook, innocent as they seem to be might be ultimately culpable. the ‘inside-the-cranium” equivalent. Our heads are getting lop-sided, virtually.

So, I have exaggerated on the impacts as do most forecasters. Its high drama and attempts to shake people in to caring about something that is beyond the sensory world. But optimism and faith in the resilience of humanity can also only be experienced within our limited framework and we haven’t really had the opportunity to witness phenotypic effects of our ingenuity.

Sustainability efforts are, to some extent, requiring the rethinking of the ingenuity that brought about the industrial age. And who knows how far it will persist and require our ongoing rehabilitation of our original bright ideas.

BTW, I also wonder what reinventions will be in store for societies that experience the spoils of the information age. I say this to a guy who I know has taken pride in living without a television for years.

Michael : P

Stowe Boyd Says:
December 30th, 2008 at 6:14 am
It’s actually many-to-many, not one-to-many.

Noah Wiles Says:
December 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Michael,

I just had to make a couple points about your argument and forecast about what Twitter could mean for society.

One, your post that is now reaching many people over the internet of whom can now digest and retort as desired is essentially the exact same exchange and social interaction (because this does qualify as a social interaction between humans) that Twitter offers. So you are clearly engaging in and benefitting from what you say could ultimately be the end of society.

Two, if you are someone who is on Twitter and who is actively using it and following others on it, you come to find something very interesting. Many of the posts that people are submitting to the site are updates, and as is becoming and will continue to become more prevalent, about or that include pictures and videos of SOCIAL situations that the poster is currently engaged in with other people.

So no offense, but I just think your forecast is misguided and does not take into account the fact that Twitter exists specifically because we are, by nature, social creatures and are constantly trying to find new ADDITIONAL ways to connect with each other. Twitter is by no means a replacement for direct face to face socializing. Anyone who wakes up in the morning and goes to work or school or performs whatever hundreds of little daily tasks that all require you to be out and about interacting with people knows this. I think this vision of yours of a possible WALL-E future is nothing but sensationalism at its best.

Maybe you are watching too many Disney movies and not socializing enough.

Smiley Face

Just messin’ with you dude! I love that movie and I’m not trying to be a jerk.

Take care brother.

Noah Wiles Says:
December 30th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Ummm…..I’m not sure how that big smiley face got in there.

My Girls!

2008-12-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

I am quite excited about the next two days. My sister Ida and my two nieces Emalee and Payton are in town and we will be spending some time together during tomorrow and Thursday. The big day will be Thursday when we all go to Disneyland.

As much as Disney has become just another corporate money making machine, it is still a fun place to take your kids, nieces, nephews, young cousins, neighbors kids, etc. It is just fun watching them have fun. This is gonna be great! It's been so long since I have seen them all.

Mumbai

2008-12-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

The muslim extremists are not doing themselves any favors by taking the kind of action they took this past holiday weekend in Mumbai. Attacking random citizens, some not even citizens of India, but visitors to the country, and executing them for some wrong they perceive was done against them that many of those who died probably weren't even aware of.

I am afraid that this type of violence is still going to continue escalating until they force the whole world to be united against them. This is very bad!

Through the outsourcing to India the company I work for does I have met many Indian folk, some who work in Mumbai. They are all such very nice people. It has been an eye opening experience to meet and work with them all. So to see this kind of thing happen to them really makes me sad. Of course they are a country that has their own problems, but they are trying to improve. It is a slow process. It will take time.

Proposition 8 passed, so now what?

2008-11-29T08:57:00.001-08:00

The fight is not over all of my gay and lesbian friends! There is much work to be done though! See what you can do here.

read more | digg story

Simplify Media

2008-08-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

So I just shared an article from Google Reader, you'll see this if you look at the little widget down and to the left of my Blogger blog page, about a new iPhone application called SimplifyMedia written by the company Simplify Media. If you create accounts with their service, you can install this application on the iPhone or iPod Touch and stream your own iTunes music to the devices. This is a very cool in and of itself, but what is even cooler is that you can also stream music from the iTunes libraries of friends who are also registered for this service. Very cool!

Blogger Widget for MAC Dashboard.

2008-08-01T07:41:00.001-07:00

Ok. So I just installed the Blogger widget for the MAC Dashboard. Hopefully this will make it easier for me to make quick little entries into my blog from time to time. We shall see.

2008-07-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

I loved reading the excerpt below written by Blair for the Tool February '08 Newsletter about what happened with Danny, Rynne, the anonymous person and himself. Only, because it so closely resembled an incident I experienced where as I made a left turn onto a residential street from North Lake Avenue in Pasadena, and quickly realizing that the street was void of any available parking spots with the exception of one spot immediately to my right just beyond the painted red area and before the first parked car, I received a traffic ticket for parking "aggressively" considering I quickly pulled to my right to plop into this one available parking spot. When I asked what I was receiving a ticket for and the cop actually said, "For parking A.G.G.R.E.S.S.I.V.E.L.Y" (I can't help but always think of the Faith No More song "Be Aggressive" from Angel Dust when I think of this), I had absolutely no control when the words "Are you kidding me!?" escaped my mouth. Just as with Blair's incident, the cop immediately replied with an aggressive "Does it look like I'm kidding!?". It was immediately clear that this dude was just a macho asshole, and possibly a boojum though I had no idea what a boojum was at that time, and so chose not to tempt fate. Thus I contained my anger and frustration as much as I could during the remainder of this transgression, although I couldn't help but yell very agitatedly to my brother and group of friends at one point, who were all across the street witnessing this go down as they were waiting for me to join them, that I was getting a ticket for parking of all things.

The part about this that makes it more frustrating, knowing that the cop was behind me since he was also making a right turn onto the same street, is that I have no doubt in his mind he justified giving me that ticket for such a ludicrous reason not only because he was probably tailgating me as I made my turn and so probably had to break unexpectedly so as not to hit me as I suddenly slowed and pulled to the right to grab my parking spot, but also because he probably already had me profiled before we even made the turn considering that I was driving a little black pickup truck that had all kinds of stickers like Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, KPFK, and Rage Against the Machine on it as well as a license plate that read Evil Empire (EVLMPIR).

Regardless, the inherently flawed justice system simply got away with robbing me of more money. Things could be much worse so I guess I cannot complain too much.

"SOMETHING’S FISHY HERE!
Having just exited a black roadable* in order to have some lunch with theatrics at Benihana of Tokyo in Encino, Danny, Rynne, I and another (who wishes to remain anonymous) crossed Ventura Boulevard, only to be accosted by a Black Hat-boojum disguised as an L.A.P.D. motorcycle cop (a convincing fake!) who was totally INVISIBLE until we reached the other side of the street. At the entrance, before we could get to the teppan-table, hibachi steak and any dazzling effects, we were each issued a JAYWALKING TICKET (this while one of the freakin’ Cuyler clan was probably cleaning out the robot box at a nearby Starbucks). But not only that, while the ‘officer’ wrote up the citations, we had to listen to some Jabberwocky about how dangerous it was for us to cross the street, and that our ticket wouldn’t affect our driving record. Well, “no shit” to the latter –we weren’t driving (hence the term “jaywalking”). As for it being dangerous to cross the street – that’s fine if you’re a five-year-old child (or if Britney happens to be out and about on that day). When Danny asked if the officer was kidding, after his stern reply of “Does it look like I’m kidding?”, I knew that this was in fact a boojum, and that the encounter with him was a warning for us not to experiment with transuniversal travel. Even though the ‘cop’ didn’t have a purple Sharpie, making no judgment as to whether this was the real Danny and not a decoy, this Fair Witness watched as he calmly signed his ticket, at the same time suggesting that the officer’s time might be better served going door to door looking for any dangerous baby furniture. Once over the emotional shock (for evidence, Rynne also took a photo of the ‘cop’ with a Polaroid Stereo-Instamatic-Self-Focusing, Automatic-Irising, Automatic Processing Camera [or was it an i-Phone?]), we received the equally distressing news that the restaurant had closed for the afternoon. Would there be no lunch with theatrics at Benihana of Tokyo in Encino? Relax. Fortunately, I had a backup plan, and this was “Something’s Fishy Here” just up the boulevard a bit. We thus headed for the nearest crosswalk…"

Peter Gabriel's new audiophile quality subscription site.

2008-05-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

Peter Gabriel is doing a lot these days to try and come up with fresh new ways for artists to express themselves without restriction while still being able to make a living at it. Check it out. It's an interesting concept. Go Directly To Site Here

read more | digg story

Albert Hofmann Departs

2008-04-30T07:10:00.001-07:00

"LSD wanted to tell me something. It gave me an inner joy, an open mindedness, a gratefulness, open eyes and an internal sensitivity for the miracles of creation."

read more | digg story

2008-04-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Sierra Madre Fire News Article

This is not cool. This fire is no particular threat to Tina and I, but it is very close. It is only a little over 5 miles from us. The part that sucks is that I have two good friends that live in this area. One of them most likely is in no real danger. She and her husband are far enough down in the rural area and away for the mountain and actual forest areas. My other friend though is actually living right there with the forest area just at the base of the mountain. You could easily see the fire raging right from the area where her house is. She is just North East of Mountain View Trail where apparently they did end up having to evacuate this morning. This is right by the Mt. Wilson trail that we all go hiking at as well. I wonder if the trail will be shutdown for an extended period of time because of this.

Surging costs of groceries hit home

2008-04-27T01:16:00.001-07:00

"American families, already pinched by soaring energy costs, are taking another big hit to household budgets as food prices increase at the fastest rate since 1990." What the shit is happening to our economy!? I don't get it.

read more | digg story

Wired.com Readers' Brain-Enhancing Drug Regimens

2008-04-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

I am not surprised. Are you? It's not like I don't have the occasional experience with certain substances. I just find it interesting to hear about an hidden culture of folks who would normally be stereotyped as "straight edge" engaged in popping pills to increase their ability to be productive and successful citizens.

read more | digg story

Interesting LSD Documentary

2008-04-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hofmann's Potion

Indian DNA Links to 6 'Founding Mothers'

2008-03-13T09:06:00.001-07:00

The six "founding mothers" apparently did not live in Asia because the DNA signatures they left behind aren't found there, Perego said. They probably lived in Beringia, the now-submerged land bridge that stetched to North America, he said.

read more | digg story

Cool

2008-02-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

I like this little My iTunes HTML widgit I just added to my blog. Good stuff. That was pretty smart on Apple's part. Not sure how many people will actually use it, but I suppose we shall see.

lunar eclipse

2008-02-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

"On Wednesday February 20, 2008, beginning at 7:01 p.m. PST the moon will move completely under the shadow of the Earth in a total lunar eclipse. The eclipse can be seen in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Hope for good weather because the next total lunar eclipse won't happen until December 2010."

read about it here

Krista Bagley

2008-02-17T01:56:00.000-08:00

I just chatted with my internet friend Krista. She's a sweet young lady. Strange how I had not picked up on any headlines regarding this, but it seems that the Mackay area of Australia was getting hit with massive amounts of rain for the past few days and thousands of homes and many businesses were severely damaged by widespread flooding. Thankfully, her home was not one that was caught in the flooding since it is located in an area of higher elevation. Here is an article about it: Flooding in Australia

On a lighter note...

2008-02-11T16:26:00.001-08:00

...it was freaking awesome to finally see Autolux do their thing again at the El Rey Theatre. I was a little disappointed though that there was no mention of the new CD. It was cool to see Tim Roth up on the stage kicking it over to the side taking pictures. It seems that every time I see Autolux there is at least one famous face there as well. From all the times I've seen them I ended up seeing Giovanni Ribisi, Vincent Gallo, and now Tim Roth. Anyway, I just hope the new CD is coming out soon.

Aloke Dutta

2008-02-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you out there who are in to Indian Tabla and Sitar music, please consider purchasing an album or two from Aloke Dutta. His website is provided below. I just found out that he almost freaking died at the beginning of this year due to major heart attacks. He had already gone though major surgery and only just recently recovered to a condition that may see him going home fairly soon. Any purchase will help him in dealing with his new medical bills. Thanks.

Support Your Local Tabla Master

The Joker has leapt off the Brokeback Mountain.

2008-01-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger has passed away today. That's a damn shame. He was a fine actor and from what I understand an upstanding fellow. It seems to be still unclear whether this was an accident or not and apparently sleeping pills were involved. I guess Heath had been complaining a lot about not being able to stop his thoughts and going through a period of sleeping very little to not at all for a long period. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happened.

Being a huge fan of Terry Gilliam, it is also sad to hear that Heath was going to be in Terry's next project of which he was already in the middle of filming. It would have been very cool to see what Heath's talents could bring to a Terry movie.

Such is life. We are but fragile creatures.

Thank You

2008-01-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you Martin Luther King Jr.

There are few men who have existed that are greater than you.

Humans

2008-01-21T00:55:00.000-08:00

There is this incredibly adorable woman from Turkey who I have chatted on and off with for a few years now. Unfortunately, it is rare for us to connect often enough to have more consistent conversations due to the time zone differences of course and our busy lives. This is not the point of this entry though. The point is that we just had a very enjoyable time chatting and most of that chat was me introducing her to my blog on blogger.com and then showing her how she could easily subscribe to the RSS feed of my blog through Google Reader. With her help and just by chance, I then found out that Google apparently is working hard to translate any blog from blogger.com from one language to another automatically and as necessary. She helped me find this out when she expressed her surprise to me at how when viewing my blog it was being displayed to her in Turkish. It is efforts like this that cause me to be as much of a fan boy of Google as I am.

Again, I am straying from the point a bit. My intention, really, is to express here, since i feel i cannot express enough to her, how enjoyable it is to communicate with her and how very appreciative I am of the fact that we are able to have these communications mainly because of her understanding of my language and because of how very intelligent and computer savvy she is.

Making these kinds of connections with people from all over the world is why I love the internet so much and is also what helps give me hope that eventually we will all figure out how to come together as one. It is also a wonderful way to help fend off that feeling we sometimes have of being trapped in our own little worlds and sectioned off in our own separate little concrete rooms with no connections to each other. I am speaking on a more global international scale when I say that.

Anyway' though we have little to do directly with each others lives my good friend from Turkey, as well as all you other friends I have made over the internet through the years, I feel we have all forged small bonds that to me are very tangible and I am thankful for them.

2008-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

It's in the dictionary people. See Here It is nothing more than a word that is part of our language. Get over it you flippin' morons!! We are never going to evolve quick enough to get off of this fuckin' planet before the sun kills us when we continue to think as small minded as this. We are doomed! Sorry. Humans can frustrate me so sometimes.

"First Week 'V is for Vagina' Release 11/07/07: Good news #1 on the Billboard INDIE chart. #25 on the Billboard top 200 No Major label budget. No Major label $300,000 Bus bench/poster/billboard marketing campaign. No overpriced full page ad in every silly magazine ever printed No Promotions Dept Payola hand jobs. No shove it down your throat anything. just 100% street level, viral, word of mouth support. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. By the way... Some Friends of mine in the Garment industry sent out a flyer advertising the release. They received dozens of Complaints from Mothers who were offended by the word Vagina. Ironic, isn't it? Without a vagina they wouldn't BE mothers."

taken from the following site: Puscifer

Game Time!

2008-01-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have had the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, modified Xbox, and Xbox 360 consoles in my home and at my disposal. I found that I rarely ever played any of them. I probably played the GameCube the most out of all of them, but that total play time was still very nominal. It was not until the Wii came along that I have found myself playing games as much as I do now. It seems that Nintendo really has tapped into a change in the gaming experience that really does just work. For example, as foreign as the Wiimote and its accompanying Nunchuk looked and seemed to me in seeing it for the first time, after using it as much as I have now the traditional style of remote just isn't comfortable to me and even further does not seem to feel natural or right anymore.

Anyway, my intention with this entry was really to make mention of some of the upcoming games to the Wii that I am a little excited about and want to make sure and get. The whole of my goal was to use this entry as a way to remember them all. :-)

Well, here they are: Fugal Fantasy, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sega Superstars Tennis, The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return, Samurai Warriors Katana (this is actually available now), and Alone in the Dark.

Ok. I'm pretty much done now.

Squeegee Your 3rd Eye Clean

2007-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

As much as we think we can there is no manipulating life to a point that eliminates all risk. The more you try the less you are living.

Hiking Is Fun!

2007-10-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

So i've started hiking with some co-workers recently. The trail is called the "Mount Wilson Trail". So far it is only about once a week that we go, but i suppose its better than nothing. It is a really nice hike actually, but so far we have only been going to the first stop called First Water. I think we are going to try to push for the next stop next time which is called Lost Canyon.

reactioncome

2007-10-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Dutch ban hallucinogenic mushroom sales

I just don't support these kinds of reactionary measures that only create more problems and create an even more dangerous situation. The last statements are the most important in this article, but that is what no one will hear. It will be selectively blocked out.

"Murat Kucuksen, whose farm Procare supplies about half the psychedelic mushrooms on the Dutch market, said he stood to lose several million euros invested in setting up his legal growing facilities.

He predicted the trade will move underground, prices will rise, and dealers will sell dried mushrooms or LSD as a substitute, with no guidance for tourists.

"So you'll have a rise in incidents but they won't be recorded as mushroom-related, and the politicians can declare victory," he said."

radiohead going independent of a label

2007-10-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9788424-16.html
&
http://www.inrainbows.com/Store/index3.html

I don't know Butchie instead.

2007-08-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm just totally bummed that this series was canceled. It seems that HBO keeps coming up with such refreshing new ideas and is willing to take risks and I allow myself to get invested into a series just to have it canceled. I am starting to hesitate on getting fully invested into shows now, cause I don't want to fall in love with them just to have them ripped away from me suddenly and without explanation.

I am laughing at myself as I write all of this. It all sounds so serious, but damn it, that's what happens with HBO's stuff. It's just too good!!!!

NOAA Vessel to Explore Undersea Unknown

2007-08-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

NOAA

This is friggin' awesome!!! This is something I have discussed before with friends and family. There are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of potential discoveries from past civilizations all buried beneath miles of ocean. I always felt that a focus on developing the technology that would allow us to finally explore these vast lands all buried beneath ocean was one of the most important things that we should be focusing on.

Blogtastic! Blognificent! Blogolicious!

2007-08-22T00:49:00.001-07:00

I posted this at my myspace blog and just found it to be quite humorous so I had to post it here as well even though what is written makes specific reference to my myspace blog.

My Myspace Blog Entry:
Ok. I have finally found out about my blog entry that is messed up. Thanks for telling me everyone!!!

The blog entry in my myspace blog that provided a link to my other blog on blogger.com seems to have been pointing to someone else's blog for who knows how blog now...i mean long now.

I have now added a new blog entry, and this time the last, to my myspace blog that provides the correct link to my full time blog at blogger.com and that again expresses the fact that I will no longer be using my myspace blog.

This is not to say that I care all that much if anyone gives half a rats ass about what I have to say in my blog or pays any attention to it, but like many of us, I do still hold a smidgen of hope that I may accidentally say something one day that turns out to be profound and life changing in at least one persons life who happens to accidentally read that one particular blog entry I have made.

Thank you. That is all.

Wired News - AP News

2007-08-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Wired News - AP News

I am glad to see events like this going on. I hope there are many many more events like this occurring throughout the US. It is horrifyingly disturbing to me that so many people, ones who are ignorant of what real science is and are ignorant of all that science has accomplished in answering so many of the fundamental questions of our existence, choose to simply ignore all that science has acheived and throw all their faith into an idea that is in itself as fanciful as any movie ever created or any fiction book ever written. How can that not be seen as nothing less than completely foolish!?

Active Year

2007-07-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

This year has been pretty crazy so far. First, we had our trip to the Bahamas while at the same time visiting some of Tina's family that lives there in Florida and also catching the wedding of my buddy who lives out there as well. Then my parents drove out from Texas and we all (Ben, Pam, sister Tina, Tina, and myself) hung out at Pismo beach. We also flew up to Washington to kick it with Tina's parents, sisters, and some other family for the 4th of July holiday.

This is also a momentous year due to having finally upgraded to an HD TV (Toshiba Regza 42HL167), to having purchased a Nintendo Wii, and to having purchased the first generation of the iPhone June 29th on its launch date. I am living large baby!

This all seemed to snowball right after I changed my position at Indymac. I think I would have to say that this has been one of my best years so far and it is only half over! I am looking forward to the rest of the year.

For Fellow Tool Fans

2007-05-21T02:40:00.000-07:00

We're in the Bahamas baby!!!

2007-04-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

We arrived early this morning to Freeport and have spent the day out in town shopping and checking out da' beach.....boy!!! It has been fun so far. The food on the ship is pretty damn good and all of the ships crew are very friendly and make the experience much enjoyable. Tonight we head out to Nassau to spend a day there. I think we will actually take one of the tours there.

Got to go! Time is running out!

April 16th, 2007 - Cho Seung-Hui

2007-04-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

What can anyone really say? This is yet another moment in the history of man that offers nothing but more disappointment. The question can be asked, of course, whether or not anyone did enough to try and connect with this guy considering it was very obvious to everyone that he was in a dark place. From the sound of it though, I really do not think it would have mattered much. When someone is that deeply consumed by anger hate and self loathing there really is not a whole lot one can do. For a person who was where this guy was no gesture, regardless of how genuine and true, is viewed for what it really is. Instead, to the person in question, they are viewed as expressions of pity or as manufactured only because of how much pain they had to wear on their sleeve before someone would finally pay attention to them or give them the time of day. This anger can then very quickly turn into self hatred and feelings of shame for having been so openly weak and broken to have caused someone to feel pity for the person, which can then very quickly turn in to projected rage towards those viewed as the perpetrators. This just touches the surface of what it can be like. It is a vicious whirlwind of emotions from one moment to the next and it only leads to the destruction of life whether it be others or the person them self.

Things like this must be burned into our memories to remind us how short life can be and how precious these lives of ours are. We must not waste these lives. I could not imagine how horrific this experience must be for the friends and loved ones of these victims or must have been for those who witnessed this massacre as it was occurring and I can imagine how beautiful these people were that were lost. My heart cries out for them all.

Geek! What!

2007-04-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest here. I am totally juicing over the arrival of the iPhone by Apple Inc. I cannot help it. Call me a fanboy if you like, but no one can deny the beauty in design and simplicity of the iPod that took the portable digital media device world by storm. Well, I believe that Apple could very well do the same thing within the cell phone world. The difference is that they will actually be taking the idea of the cell phone to a new level. We are talking about a phone that is running a full operating system creating the potential for a phone that is not only the first real phone and media entertainment device combined, but that could also essential double as your personal PC. How can that not be something exciting to consider!?

When young minds...

2007-03-27T23:23:00.000-07:00

...are driven by a passion to make the world a better place they can accomplish great things. This is some impressive stuff right here! Check this out: http://www.intropsychservices.com/index.html

The new medium of choice.

2007-03-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have recently become hooked on podcasts. I am now subscribing to about 14 podcasts so far and I am actually listening to them all! I can't stop myself! I imagine that it is only a matter of time before one could find a podcast on just about any topic that could pop into your mind. Here is a sample of what I am currently subscribed to: this WEEK in TECH (the goings on in the Tech world), Fresh Ubuntu (a guide for those taking the Linux plunge), Mosaic (a weekly sermon given by Erwin McManus), and Doctors Without Borders (A monthly podcast bringing you the latest in humanitarian news and emergency updates from MSF projects around the world).

The quality of podcasts can range from amateur to professional and can either be just audio or include video. The amazing content you can gain access to through this medium is often content that you could never find anywhere else. And what's more amazing is how the majority of this content is totally free. Of course, it does cost money one way or another to host this kind of content. Many of these hosts do ask for donations from their subscribers to help them bare the cost of continuing to provide the content. It is well worth it.

There are two very easy ways to find out about top rated podcasts or to acquire them. This is done through the http://diggnation.com website or through iTunes.

The only thing left I can say is that anyone not hip to podcasts is missing out.

Why can't you be happy!? nag nag nag!!!

2006-10-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

"Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness."
- Robertson Davies

Frusciante

2006-09-11T00:20:00.000-07:00


You can feel the love that exists for John Frusciante while watching this. He is an amazing artist. -Carvel -Shadows Collide With People

Can anyone spare a dollar?

2006-02-08T01:35:00.000-08:00

The Recycling

2006-02-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

Coretta Scott King

RIP - January 31, 2006

Gaim 2.0.0beta1 for two please.

2005-12-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Anyone who says that geeks have no personality are obviously in denial or just have a personal issue that needs to be worked through with a shrink.
Just take the following example i have provided below to see for yourself that there just might be some hope for your friendly neighborhood geek.

The ratio of internal energy density to magnetic field energy density
December 17th, 2005 - 3:24PM EST

We've released Gaim 2.0.0beta1. If you decide to try it out, please back up everything in your .gaim directory. We're looking for lots of feedback on this release--especially what you love about it and what you hate about it.
Again, this is a beta release and should not be used by those with a heart condition, if you are pregnant, or if you are under the age of 8. Side-effects include awesomeness, dumbfoundedness, dry mouth and lava. Consult your doctor to find out if Gaim 2.0.0beta1 is right for you.

2005-12-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Now how do you like that for a Christmas tree!!? laughs!

2005-06-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone Should Go To This!

And So It Begins

2005-06-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Umm....just trying to test this thing out here. Bear with me please.
Thanks.