Today at my register, a large black family, Mom, Dad, three kids and Grandma, came through with several gift cards to buy some clothes. As I was ringing things and removing EAS tags, they chatted and joked in their native language, which I could not identify. As I neared the end, Dad asked, "How much now?" I stopped ringing for a moment to display the total, which was in excess of $150.00. Dad turned to Mom and said something. I couldn't understand the words but the tone rang loud and clear: "How the hell did you spend so much?!" Then, in polite English to me, "Something must go back."
It was pretty funny.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Press X To Board Enemy Vehicle
I just beat the Prophet of Regret to death with my bare hands, and I feel good about it.
Monday, November 22, 2004
I Heart BBC Worldservice
Our local NPR affiliate runs the BBC Worldservice late at night, and I am consistently impressed by the quality of their broadcasts. I'm not saying that American news companies don't amaze, but they seem to do it with much less frequency.
The other evening, they had a segment with some very interesting views on the Israel/Palestine conflict. It seems that, shortly before his death, Arafat spoke with Mahatma Ghandi's grandson, Rajmohan Ghandi, and was apparently impressed enough to invite Ghandi to speak before the joint houses of the Palestinian Parliament. The BBC invited Rajmohan to talk about what he said, and he was advocating a non-violent end to that conflict. He pointed out that non-violence is not pacifism, nor is it simply turning the other cheek, but an active and dynamic approach to solving conflict. He mentioned that there are 50,000 Palestinian refugees living in Aman, and one demonstration could be to march those men, women and children back to their former homes. Is the Israeli army going to kill 50,000 innocent people? Probably not.
Rajmohan stressed that a non-violent solution is practical and necessary, as Palestine cannot win the war otherwise. Israel has the numbers, the army, the resources and backing of the US and other powerful countries. What's more, the bombings and other actions that the Palestinian people are using are being labeled, at least in western media, as terrorist attacks, so they're losing the moral battle as well.
Also, when discussing the differences between Judaism and Islam, Ghandi said that spirituality, in this day, has been reduced to ritual. People think that going to mass once a week or praying five times or twenty times a day makes you a spiritual person, when this is simply not the case. He pointed out that all religious texts in the world are based on themes of love, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding, and that we need to return to these themes.
What blew me away about the broadcast, was that after Mr. Ghandi left, they had on two other experts, to offer something of a counterpoint, from the Israeli and Palestinian points of view. They pointed out that it's very easy for someone to fly in from New York, shake their finger at Arafat and say, "You should stop this," when their not living in the refugee camps, or witnessing the suicide bombings at the Pizza Hut down the block from your house.
They echoed Rajmohan's sentiment that we don't need to reconcile the religions. Religion does not cause wars; religion finds reasons to justify war. One of the guests described Islam and Judaism as "practical religions. You don't start a fight, but if you are attacked, you defend yourself." One problem with this whole mess is that both Israel and Palestine feel they are the victim.
The BBC reporter asked if maybe that religion was more a cause of things then they suspected, as there are many religious leaders on both sides of the fence that advocate and endorse violence. Someone pointed out that people seem to have this notion that the spiritual leaders, call them scholars of Rabbis or Imams, are somehow removed from their culture and able to make completely objective statements. This is not true. They are in the thick of the culture, and they live with the hurt, and rage and the sorrow just as much as the every-man on the street. Just because your local preacher says something, does not mean that he or she is speaking from some high vantage point and can remove themselves from the situation at hand.
Also, they were not convinced that non-violence would work in this situation. One of the reasons non-violence worked so well in India, was that the British soldiers were not the sort of to kill a bunch of people sitting in the streets. There were those that advocated a Jewish non-violent response to Nazi aggression. That would have been a disaster, as the Nazis would have been content to run them over with a panzer.
It was an awesome, thought provoking segment, and it illustrated how complex this situation really is. The current hostilities began at the end of WWII, and the roots of it all go back thousands of years. I would be surprised to see a final solution, other than one side utterly annihilating the other, in my life time. But we hope and try anyway.
The other evening, they had a segment with some very interesting views on the Israel/Palestine conflict. It seems that, shortly before his death, Arafat spoke with Mahatma Ghandi's grandson, Rajmohan Ghandi, and was apparently impressed enough to invite Ghandi to speak before the joint houses of the Palestinian Parliament. The BBC invited Rajmohan to talk about what he said, and he was advocating a non-violent end to that conflict. He pointed out that non-violence is not pacifism, nor is it simply turning the other cheek, but an active and dynamic approach to solving conflict. He mentioned that there are 50,000 Palestinian refugees living in Aman, and one demonstration could be to march those men, women and children back to their former homes. Is the Israeli army going to kill 50,000 innocent people? Probably not.
Rajmohan stressed that a non-violent solution is practical and necessary, as Palestine cannot win the war otherwise. Israel has the numbers, the army, the resources and backing of the US and other powerful countries. What's more, the bombings and other actions that the Palestinian people are using are being labeled, at least in western media, as terrorist attacks, so they're losing the moral battle as well.
Also, when discussing the differences between Judaism and Islam, Ghandi said that spirituality, in this day, has been reduced to ritual. People think that going to mass once a week or praying five times or twenty times a day makes you a spiritual person, when this is simply not the case. He pointed out that all religious texts in the world are based on themes of love, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding, and that we need to return to these themes.
What blew me away about the broadcast, was that after Mr. Ghandi left, they had on two other experts, to offer something of a counterpoint, from the Israeli and Palestinian points of view. They pointed out that it's very easy for someone to fly in from New York, shake their finger at Arafat and say, "You should stop this," when their not living in the refugee camps, or witnessing the suicide bombings at the Pizza Hut down the block from your house.
They echoed Rajmohan's sentiment that we don't need to reconcile the religions. Religion does not cause wars; religion finds reasons to justify war. One of the guests described Islam and Judaism as "practical religions. You don't start a fight, but if you are attacked, you defend yourself." One problem with this whole mess is that both Israel and Palestine feel they are the victim.
The BBC reporter asked if maybe that religion was more a cause of things then they suspected, as there are many religious leaders on both sides of the fence that advocate and endorse violence. Someone pointed out that people seem to have this notion that the spiritual leaders, call them scholars of Rabbis or Imams, are somehow removed from their culture and able to make completely objective statements. This is not true. They are in the thick of the culture, and they live with the hurt, and rage and the sorrow just as much as the every-man on the street. Just because your local preacher says something, does not mean that he or she is speaking from some high vantage point and can remove themselves from the situation at hand.
Also, they were not convinced that non-violence would work in this situation. One of the reasons non-violence worked so well in India, was that the British soldiers were not the sort of to kill a bunch of people sitting in the streets. There were those that advocated a Jewish non-violent response to Nazi aggression. That would have been a disaster, as the Nazis would have been content to run them over with a panzer.
It was an awesome, thought provoking segment, and it illustrated how complex this situation really is. The current hostilities began at the end of WWII, and the roots of it all go back thousands of years. I would be surprised to see a final solution, other than one side utterly annihilating the other, in my life time. But we hope and try anyway.
An Intellectual Preganany
Nomi is about three months along now, and we have what I call an 'intellectual pregnancy'. You see, Nomi doesn't look pregnant at all. She doesn't feel particularly pregnant, and the only way we know she's pregnant it the ultrasounds and the fact that we haven't had to visit the feminine hygiene aisle since August.
Which is not to say we aren't experiencing the effects of pregnancy. It's manifesting itself in much weirder ways, mostly her sense of smell. Her sense of smell has become highly sensitive. Without warning, she will catch a whiff of something, and it will make her nauseous. This has caused some problems, as often what causes her discomfort is me. I'll want to come up and kiss her, but the scent of my freshly brushed teeth will nearly cause her vomit. I'll climb into bed and she'll need me to keep my distance, less she lose her lunch in the sack.
I try to be the caring, sensitive husband she needs, but I admit it hard to be understanding when she says things like, "Please don't touch me," or, "I need you back off; your breath is making me nauseous." I know she's pregnant, but sometimes I don't understand she's pregnant, if that distinction means anything to you.
Which is not to say we aren't experiencing the effects of pregnancy. It's manifesting itself in much weirder ways, mostly her sense of smell. Her sense of smell has become highly sensitive. Without warning, she will catch a whiff of something, and it will make her nauseous. This has caused some problems, as often what causes her discomfort is me. I'll want to come up and kiss her, but the scent of my freshly brushed teeth will nearly cause her vomit. I'll climb into bed and she'll need me to keep my distance, less she lose her lunch in the sack.
I try to be the caring, sensitive husband she needs, but I admit it hard to be understanding when she says things like, "Please don't touch me," or, "I need you back off; your breath is making me nauseous." I know she's pregnant, but sometimes I don't understand she's pregnant, if that distinction means anything to you.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The Geeks Are Amassing!
So, yes, I waited in line, in the cold, for an hour and a half to get my copy of Halo 2.
No, I haven't played it yet.
I'm still working on Fable.
It's an interesting thing, waiting in line with 500 or so people who love the games as much, possibly more than you. The most interesting thing about it was the diversity of the line. It used to be a midnight release of any video game attracted only hardest of hardcore. That night, there was a reasonable cross-section of America was represented, but it still skewed toward the Uber Geeks. My favorite people were the 10 and 13 year old kids, pouring out of minivans to stand in line while their parents waited in the car.
At one point, someone drove by and shouted "Halo sucks!" Some of us gave chase, but, being who we are, were quickly out of breath and returned to the line, wheezing and gasping.
The Red Bull truck also made an appearance, trolling for addicts and offering their liquid crack to one and all. The young man in line behind me took one, but only because it was free. He said that he really can't stand the stuff. I told it was much better when cut with vodka, a drink that I like to call a Red Bullshevick. (Please let me know if you got that joke, and if you found it funny.)
No, I haven't played it yet.
I'm still working on Fable.
It's an interesting thing, waiting in line with 500 or so people who love the games as much, possibly more than you. The most interesting thing about it was the diversity of the line. It used to be a midnight release of any video game attracted only hardest of hardcore. That night, there was a reasonable cross-section of America was represented, but it still skewed toward the Uber Geeks. My favorite people were the 10 and 13 year old kids, pouring out of minivans to stand in line while their parents waited in the car.
At one point, someone drove by and shouted "Halo sucks!" Some of us gave chase, but, being who we are, were quickly out of breath and returned to the line, wheezing and gasping.
The Red Bull truck also made an appearance, trolling for addicts and offering their liquid crack to one and all. The young man in line behind me took one, but only because it was free. He said that he really can't stand the stuff. I told it was much better when cut with vodka, a drink that I like to call a Red Bullshevick. (Please let me know if you got that joke, and if you found it funny.)
Monday, November 01, 2004
Up From Slavery!
There are innumerable people, groups, activists and political parties urging everyone to vote tomorrow. I would like to be one of those people, but why should you listen to me? You shouldn't. But you should listen to Thomas Paine. Who's Thomas Paine you ask? Well that civics lesson starts here
"The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case."
-- Thomas Paine 1737-1809
"The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for slavery consists in being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of representatives is in this case."
-- Thomas Paine 1737-1809
Kid Strollers: More Than Meets The Eye!
Went to Babies "R" Us the other day and marveled at all the things we didn't know we needed. I was impressed by the wide variety of locks, gates and monitors you buy. You can positively booby trap your house, from a toddler's point of view. They even have baby monitors that come with wireless video so you can see what kid's doing when they're being too quiet. I suggested investing heavily in these kinds of devices, for two reasons. First, if our (the wife and I) own childhood's are any example, the kid will be into everything the moment it learns how to crawl, and second, to develop any latent ninja abilities it may have. If you want you children to grow up to become superspies, you have to start early and I figured that picking the locks on hallway gates is a good place to start.
Equally impressive are car seats and strollers, especially car seat/strollers. One model in particular reminded me of some kind of transformer for respectable adults/infant assault vehicle. There was a "shuttle" of a sort that you strapped the baby into. The shuttle could be locked into a base unit in the car or the stroller. It also had a retractable handle so it could be carried like a basket. When the kid outgrew the car seat, the stroller had a more conventional seat so you could continue to use it. All in all, very cleverly designed, and, I think, intended to appeal to the gadget lover in every man.
Equally impressive are car seats and strollers, especially car seat/strollers. One model in particular reminded me of some kind of transformer for respectable adults/infant assault vehicle. There was a "shuttle" of a sort that you strapped the baby into. The shuttle could be locked into a base unit in the car or the stroller. It also had a retractable handle so it could be carried like a basket. When the kid outgrew the car seat, the stroller had a more conventional seat so you could continue to use it. All in all, very cleverly designed, and, I think, intended to appeal to the gadget lover in every man.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Child's Play
Last year around this time, Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade rand across an article online that said, essentially, videogames are stupid and evil and all they do is teach kids to be stupid and evil. This, understandably, pissed them off. So they started Child's Play, a toy and donation drive for the Seattle Children's Hosptial. In about three months, they raised more than two-hundred fifty thousand dollars in toys games and cash for sick kids stuck in intensive care over the holidays. There was so much stuff, they had to move to a larger warehouse not once, not twice, but thrice. It started as a way to spite the people and media who look down on video games and video game culture, but ended up being one of the most worthwhile things I'd seen in a long time.
This year, they're doing it again, but they've expanded it to include children's hospitals in Oakland, San Diego, Houston and Washington, D.C.
Visit the Child's Play site. Check out the Amazon.com whishlists that each hospitial has set up and buy something for sick kid. Gifts range from four bucks for a coloring book, to $170 bucks for an XBox. They'll also take cash donations through PayPal.
Also, spread the word. If you have a site or a blog or whatever, tell people about Child's Play. If you're able to, donate some server space for the charity. If you're in the neighborhood of one of the hospitals, give them a call and see if you can volunteer your time in some other way. You'll feel good, I promise.
BTW, the guy who wrote the article apologized, and I soon as I figure out how, I'm gonna put a CP banner up instead of just a text link.
This year, they're doing it again, but they've expanded it to include children's hospitals in Oakland, San Diego, Houston and Washington, D.C.
Visit the Child's Play site. Check out the Amazon.com whishlists that each hospitial has set up and buy something for sick kid. Gifts range from four bucks for a coloring book, to $170 bucks for an XBox. They'll also take cash donations through PayPal.
Also, spread the word. If you have a site or a blog or whatever, tell people about Child's Play. If you're able to, donate some server space for the charity. If you're in the neighborhood of one of the hospitals, give them a call and see if you can volunteer your time in some other way. You'll feel good, I promise.
BTW, the guy who wrote the article apologized, and I soon as I figure out how, I'm gonna put a CP banner up instead of just a text link.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Pimpage
I am a big fan of webcomics. I think that it's an awesome medium for young artists and writers to flex their creative muscles and anyone who can pound out even the most mediocre, semi-regular webcomic has my respect. My wife and I have been talking about doing a webcomic for a long time, but have yet to put pen to paper.
I especially like when like when a webcomicist (I'm tossing that word around; see if it sticks. It's a little like 'publicist.') is able to take their hobby and turn it into something profitable, but this is extremely hard to do. For every Penny Arcade or PvP there are literally a thousand Supreme Auranations and Oriyans. Good comics, funny comics that simply don't have hundreds of thousands of readers every day. Some don't want webcomicry to be a full time thing while others are desperately trying to make enough money in the real world so they can keep doing the thing they love. Tahuid Bondia is one of the latter. Tahuid is on the verge of obtaining the Holy Grail of webcomics: Syndication. Together with writer Eric McCurdy they have a brand new comic called Suzie View up on Comics.com, which is the internet arm of United Media. Some United Media alums include For Better or Worse, Get Fuzzy and Peanuts. Suzie View has been very well received by the internet viewers and there is talk of syndication in printed media. Tahuid has recently quit his job to devote all his time to Suzie View and his other really excellent webcomic, Spells and Whistles. He is very close to living the webcomicist's dream, but needs help. He need everyone who reads this to also read Spells and Whistles and Suzie Veiw. If you like Suzie View, write you local paper and tell them to request it on their comics page. If you like S&W, buy some swag. As soon as he gets some. For my part, I'm pimping him here, and am adding him to my links table.
Good luck Tahuid. I'm pulling for you.
I especially like when like when a webcomicist (I'm tossing that word around; see if it sticks. It's a little like 'publicist.') is able to take their hobby and turn it into something profitable, but this is extremely hard to do. For every Penny Arcade or PvP there are literally a thousand Supreme Auranations and Oriyans. Good comics, funny comics that simply don't have hundreds of thousands of readers every day. Some don't want webcomicry to be a full time thing while others are desperately trying to make enough money in the real world so they can keep doing the thing they love. Tahuid Bondia is one of the latter. Tahuid is on the verge of obtaining the Holy Grail of webcomics: Syndication. Together with writer Eric McCurdy they have a brand new comic called Suzie View up on Comics.com, which is the internet arm of United Media. Some United Media alums include For Better or Worse, Get Fuzzy and Peanuts. Suzie View has been very well received by the internet viewers and there is talk of syndication in printed media. Tahuid has recently quit his job to devote all his time to Suzie View and his other really excellent webcomic, Spells and Whistles. He is very close to living the webcomicist's dream, but needs help. He need everyone who reads this to also read Spells and Whistles and Suzie Veiw. If you like Suzie View, write you local paper and tell them to request it on their comics page. If you like S&W, buy some swag. As soon as he gets some. For my part, I'm pimping him here, and am adding him to my links table.
Good luck Tahuid. I'm pulling for you.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Way To Go, Baby
Even though I casually tossed out the news of our impending child like a penny found in the dryer, it really is huge, life-altering news, and will likely be the subject of many posts to come. If I haven't mentioned it already, my wife is due around May 30. Due dates can always be plus or minus a week or two, which means there is a chance the baby could arrive on my birthday, June 15. That would be cool.
So far, I've learned that once you announce a pregnancy, the number of would-be obstetricians you know goes up markedly. Everyone is suddenly an expert, or has some kind of advice to impart. My father assures me that this will only get worse as time goes on. I was even given birthing advice by a man who didn't even get married until his late 40s and, to my knowledge, has never raised so much as a goldfish. I politely thanked him for the info, as I knew he, and so many others, are only acting in our best interest.
My wife has become very susceptible to advertising, particularly any advertising involving food, but only for a short time. (Upon hearing this, a coworker with a kid of her own said, "Just wait until she starts crying for no reason.") Case in point, it was late and she was very hungry, so we went to a local IHOP. As we were looking over the menu, she complained about all the pancakes on the menu. I asked her if she knew what the 'p' in 'IHOP' stood for. She said she did, but followed that with, "I don't like pancakes." The waitress arrived and Nomi asked what could be done about all the dishes that come with pancakes. The waitress began to explain that toast or hash browns could be substituted, but Nomi cut her off saying, "You're taking too long answering my question. I'm having the biscuits and gravy," which does not come with pancakes.
My shrimp arrived, as did Nomi's dish, which came with two eggs and two sausage links as well. She ate the eggs and half a sausage and suddenly did not feel well and couldn't eat anything else. My wife pushed the plate away and lay her head down on the table, where she got a whiff of the syrup jars kept there and said, "Ohhh! I want pancakes!"
So far, I've learned that once you announce a pregnancy, the number of would-be obstetricians you know goes up markedly. Everyone is suddenly an expert, or has some kind of advice to impart. My father assures me that this will only get worse as time goes on. I was even given birthing advice by a man who didn't even get married until his late 40s and, to my knowledge, has never raised so much as a goldfish. I politely thanked him for the info, as I knew he, and so many others, are only acting in our best interest.
My wife has become very susceptible to advertising, particularly any advertising involving food, but only for a short time. (Upon hearing this, a coworker with a kid of her own said, "Just wait until she starts crying for no reason.") Case in point, it was late and she was very hungry, so we went to a local IHOP. As we were looking over the menu, she complained about all the pancakes on the menu. I asked her if she knew what the 'p' in 'IHOP' stood for. She said she did, but followed that with, "I don't like pancakes." The waitress arrived and Nomi asked what could be done about all the dishes that come with pancakes. The waitress began to explain that toast or hash browns could be substituted, but Nomi cut her off saying, "You're taking too long answering my question. I'm having the biscuits and gravy," which does not come with pancakes.
My shrimp arrived, as did Nomi's dish, which came with two eggs and two sausage links as well. She ate the eggs and half a sausage and suddenly did not feel well and couldn't eat anything else. My wife pushed the plate away and lay her head down on the table, where she got a whiff of the syrup jars kept there and said, "Ohhh! I want pancakes!"
Friday, October 08, 2004
A Blogger's Miscellaney
You know what you never see anymore? Playground equipment made out of old tractor tires.
I like Bill Maher, but only when he's not on his show. When he's on his show, it's mostly about him being right and his guests being wrong. (True story, during the last episode of Politically Incorrect I saw, which featured an all female, all black panel, Bill would not admit that he did not know what it was like to be a black woman in America today.) But on Last Call the other night, he had an interesting point about about food. Basically, he said that food can kill you just as easily as any drug. He also said that getting gastric bypass surgery to lose weight is like quitting cocaine by super-gluing your nostrils shut; it doesn't really solve your problem.
Conan will be taking over from Leno in a few years. I hope the higher profile time slot doesn't cause him to mellow out.
This really deserves a full post of it's own, but my wife is pregnant. It was suspected for a few days, and confirmed earlier this week. She is due somewhere in the neighborhood of May 30th. More details as they are made available.
Soul Calibur II's 'Extremely Hard' mode does not fuck around.
Something else that probably deserves a full-blown post, my wife and I just celebrated our one year anniversary. We had a pot luck lunch in our back yard with friends and family. The weather was awesome, and a good time was had by all.
Allow me to paraphrase my Grandfather: Summer and Winter are nothing to shout about in the Treasure Valley. Summer is just hot and dry, and the mercury will break 100 on a daily basis, for weeks on end. Winter is cold with hardly any snow. What little snow we get, is immediately followed by either rain, or warm day. But Spring and Fall, especially Fall, are done right. For the last three weeks or so, we've days in the 70s, and nights in the 50s. Not too hot to go get stuff done, and warm long evenings, though those will come to an abrupt halt once Daylight Saving time ends. The leaves are just hitting their prime, and it is a golden opportunity to hit the Greenbelt. If you have a bike and any time whatsoever to spare, I insist you take a trip along the river; your soul will thank you for it. I suggest you park your car at Ann Morrison Park, cross to the North side of the river, then head down stream. You'll pass through Shoreline Park and Veterans Memorial Park. That's not a bad place to turn around, but you really should continue on to Willow Lane Athletic Complex. The cottonwood, oaks, maples and black walnuts particularly, are absolutely stunning. Since you've gone all that way, you might as well head down to Glenwood bridge area; the path runs along some very cool wetlands preserves (I'll bet you didn't know Boise had wetlands!). The trip I just described is about 10 miles round trip, so you may not want to tackle it all at once if you don't bike a lot, but trust me, even a portion of the trip is worth it.
I like Bill Maher, but only when he's not on his show. When he's on his show, it's mostly about him being right and his guests being wrong. (True story, during the last episode of Politically Incorrect I saw, which featured an all female, all black panel, Bill would not admit that he did not know what it was like to be a black woman in America today.) But on Last Call the other night, he had an interesting point about about food. Basically, he said that food can kill you just as easily as any drug. He also said that getting gastric bypass surgery to lose weight is like quitting cocaine by super-gluing your nostrils shut; it doesn't really solve your problem.
Conan will be taking over from Leno in a few years. I hope the higher profile time slot doesn't cause him to mellow out.
This really deserves a full post of it's own, but my wife is pregnant. It was suspected for a few days, and confirmed earlier this week. She is due somewhere in the neighborhood of May 30th. More details as they are made available.
Soul Calibur II's 'Extremely Hard' mode does not fuck around.
Something else that probably deserves a full-blown post, my wife and I just celebrated our one year anniversary. We had a pot luck lunch in our back yard with friends and family. The weather was awesome, and a good time was had by all.
Allow me to paraphrase my Grandfather: Summer and Winter are nothing to shout about in the Treasure Valley. Summer is just hot and dry, and the mercury will break 100 on a daily basis, for weeks on end. Winter is cold with hardly any snow. What little snow we get, is immediately followed by either rain, or warm day. But Spring and Fall, especially Fall, are done right. For the last three weeks or so, we've days in the 70s, and nights in the 50s. Not too hot to go get stuff done, and warm long evenings, though those will come to an abrupt halt once Daylight Saving time ends. The leaves are just hitting their prime, and it is a golden opportunity to hit the Greenbelt. If you have a bike and any time whatsoever to spare, I insist you take a trip along the river; your soul will thank you for it. I suggest you park your car at Ann Morrison Park, cross to the North side of the river, then head down stream. You'll pass through Shoreline Park and Veterans Memorial Park. That's not a bad place to turn around, but you really should continue on to Willow Lane Athletic Complex. The cottonwood, oaks, maples and black walnuts particularly, are absolutely stunning. Since you've gone all that way, you might as well head down to Glenwood bridge area; the path runs along some very cool wetlands preserves (I'll bet you didn't know Boise had wetlands!). The trip I just described is about 10 miles round trip, so you may not want to tackle it all at once if you don't bike a lot, but trust me, even a portion of the trip is worth it.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
A Belated Note About The Olympics
There were, it seems, innumerable judging controversies this year with regard to gymnastics, including some international gymnastics governing body or another requesting, though not actually requiring, an American men's gymnastics gold medal winner to return his medal. These controversies seem to stem from the fact that gymnastics now has a labyrinthine system of rules for scoring points; deductions are sometimes measured in one quarter of one-tenths of a point, and the gold medal previously mentioned was won by two one-thousandths (0.002) of a point. While scoring a routine, judges cannot keep their eyes glued to the performance at all times, as they must, at least occasionally glance down to make a note. When the difference between going home with a gold and going home with nothing at all is often less than a whole point, any distraction at all by the judges could mean disaster for a contestant.
Even though I am utterly unqualified to do so, I offer a solution to this problem: instant replay.
This could work one of at least two ways. First, have the judges watch the routine without making any kind of note or comment on their cards at all; this way they are sure to see the routine in it's entirety, and not miss some crucial point where the athlete did especially well or poor. Then, have them watch the tape, and make their scoring decisions there. This way, they can be certain of any deductions or bonus points they wish to award. The other way would be to model it after the NFL, where if the coach has a specific complaint about the score, a specific deduction or deductions he wishes to challenge, he may do so and everybody goes to the tape. If the replay bears out the coaches challenge, then the score is revised. If, after viewing the replay, the judge does not feel the change is warranted, then the athlete is fined tenth of a point or something, similar to the penalty a football team faces if they lose their challenge. This would prevent people from challenging every little thing and focus only on grievous or significant errors.
If anyone reading this had a more technical knowledge of gymnastics, say, is actually involved with the sport outside of watching the olympics, let me know what you think of my idea.
Even though I am utterly unqualified to do so, I offer a solution to this problem: instant replay.
This could work one of at least two ways. First, have the judges watch the routine without making any kind of note or comment on their cards at all; this way they are sure to see the routine in it's entirety, and not miss some crucial point where the athlete did especially well or poor. Then, have them watch the tape, and make their scoring decisions there. This way, they can be certain of any deductions or bonus points they wish to award. The other way would be to model it after the NFL, where if the coach has a specific complaint about the score, a specific deduction or deductions he wishes to challenge, he may do so and everybody goes to the tape. If the replay bears out the coaches challenge, then the score is revised. If, after viewing the replay, the judge does not feel the change is warranted, then the athlete is fined tenth of a point or something, similar to the penalty a football team faces if they lose their challenge. This would prevent people from challenging every little thing and focus only on grievous or significant errors.
If anyone reading this had a more technical knowledge of gymnastics, say, is actually involved with the sport outside of watching the olympics, let me know what you think of my idea.
Monday, September 13, 2004
The Box
"Daddy, what's in the box?"
"I don't know. What do you think could be in the box?"
It was the boy's favorite game, one of pure imagination. The box in question was high up on a shelf bracketed to the wall of their living room. It was small, but longish, not unlike the card catalogue drawers that used to be found in libraries, with a brass pull and an empty frame for a label. The game started many years ago, when the child had first noticed the box tucked away among the knick-knacks on the shelf and had asked what was in it. His father had replied, as he now always did, asking the boy what he thought was in the box, and the boy replied "Fairies!" This started a story about the Fairies of the Box and the Evil Ogres they defeated to protect their land.
The contents of the box changed with the years. Sometimes it was a magic wand, or an enchanted sword with which the boy would, with help from his father, go on daring adventures around the house and yard. Later, when the boy discovered cowboys and wild wild west stories, the box held a sheriff's star and six shooter, or Chief Loudwater's tomahawk. Later still, when the boy was wrapped in thrilling science fiction novels, they made stories about lost data disks or mysterious gadgets from the future.
Throughout all their adventures, however, the box was never taken down, nor was it ever opened; it remained an object of pure speculation and mystery.
By degrees, they lost interest in the game. Friends and school came to take up more and more of the boys life, and he spent less and less and finally no time at home imagining things with his father. Video games and girls, cars, part-time jobs and mid-term exams all conspired to remove the magic and wonder from the box, until it was just another dusty relic in his father's home.
The years went by quickly for the child: grammar school, junior then senior high, college, moving away to start a life of his own. And, as too often happens, the boy, now a young man, and his father fell out of touch. This is not to say they never spoke of visited, but they lost the connections they shared so may years ago. The game was dim memory, as dusty and forgotten as the box itself.
Eventually, the father died, as all fathers must, and the young man was called back to his boyhood home to settle his father's affairs, and clean out the house, which he and his young wife had inherited. Three days into the painful sorting and boxing of his late father's effects, the young man spied the box, still in it's accustomed place on the shelf in the living room, and the memories came flooding back. He stood from where he had been sitting, leafing though his father's record collection and took down the box. It was the first time he had seen it up close, no, it was the first time really looked at it. He wiped away the thick layer of dust to reveal a richly stained and polished wood underneath. Quietly the young man marveled that he could forget such a potent memory from his youth. He grabbed the dull brass pull on the drawer and slid it easily open. Inside he was surprised to find....
At this point, I invite my readers to post a comment and tell us what's in the box and continue the story. After that, another post, then another, until the story reaches it's end, or we get bored.
Have fun. I'm curious to see where this leads.
"I don't know. What do you think could be in the box?"
It was the boy's favorite game, one of pure imagination. The box in question was high up on a shelf bracketed to the wall of their living room. It was small, but longish, not unlike the card catalogue drawers that used to be found in libraries, with a brass pull and an empty frame for a label. The game started many years ago, when the child had first noticed the box tucked away among the knick-knacks on the shelf and had asked what was in it. His father had replied, as he now always did, asking the boy what he thought was in the box, and the boy replied "Fairies!" This started a story about the Fairies of the Box and the Evil Ogres they defeated to protect their land.
The contents of the box changed with the years. Sometimes it was a magic wand, or an enchanted sword with which the boy would, with help from his father, go on daring adventures around the house and yard. Later, when the boy discovered cowboys and wild wild west stories, the box held a sheriff's star and six shooter, or Chief Loudwater's tomahawk. Later still, when the boy was wrapped in thrilling science fiction novels, they made stories about lost data disks or mysterious gadgets from the future.
Throughout all their adventures, however, the box was never taken down, nor was it ever opened; it remained an object of pure speculation and mystery.
By degrees, they lost interest in the game. Friends and school came to take up more and more of the boys life, and he spent less and less and finally no time at home imagining things with his father. Video games and girls, cars, part-time jobs and mid-term exams all conspired to remove the magic and wonder from the box, until it was just another dusty relic in his father's home.
The years went by quickly for the child: grammar school, junior then senior high, college, moving away to start a life of his own. And, as too often happens, the boy, now a young man, and his father fell out of touch. This is not to say they never spoke of visited, but they lost the connections they shared so may years ago. The game was dim memory, as dusty and forgotten as the box itself.
Eventually, the father died, as all fathers must, and the young man was called back to his boyhood home to settle his father's affairs, and clean out the house, which he and his young wife had inherited. Three days into the painful sorting and boxing of his late father's effects, the young man spied the box, still in it's accustomed place on the shelf in the living room, and the memories came flooding back. He stood from where he had been sitting, leafing though his father's record collection and took down the box. It was the first time he had seen it up close, no, it was the first time really looked at it. He wiped away the thick layer of dust to reveal a richly stained and polished wood underneath. Quietly the young man marveled that he could forget such a potent memory from his youth. He grabbed the dull brass pull on the drawer and slid it easily open. Inside he was surprised to find....
At this point, I invite my readers to post a comment and tell us what's in the box and continue the story. After that, another post, then another, until the story reaches it's end, or we get bored.
Have fun. I'm curious to see where this leads.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Hiatus
I am in the process of moving and new posts will be even more sporadic than usual, especially since Qwest told us that there is no DSL available in our area. They offered dial up service, but we politely declined.
As for the bees, the best answers lie here, here and here. By the way, I am a weak person, and the very first thing I did when I woke up the next morn was check on my bees.
As for the bees, the best answers lie here, here and here. By the way, I am a weak person, and the very first thing I did when I woke up the next morn was check on my bees.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
I Love Bees
As do many thousands of people across the country. However, my days have been so filled bees, that it could almost be called an addiction. To wit, I'm declaring the next 24 hours of my life to bee-free, to give myself a break, clear my head, and tackle the mystery anew.
If you did not understand this post, don't worry; I'll explain everything once I get it all figured out.
If you did not understand this post, don't worry; I'll explain everything once I get it all figured out.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
SWEET!
My blog is now ad free! I don't know why Google/Blogger/Blogspot decided to scrap the text ads, nor do I care. The only complaint I have is that it clashes with my template.
UPDATE: Changed the color of the tool bar and learned it's function. If you click the "Next Blog" button, it will take you to a random recently updated blog hosted by blogspot. The search bar searches only my blog, so don't use it to look for porn.
UPDATE: Changed the color of the tool bar and learned it's function. If you click the "Next Blog" button, it will take you to a random recently updated blog hosted by blogspot. The search bar searches only my blog, so don't use it to look for porn.
Gift Quandry
I wonder when cash became a thoughtless gift, or at least a gift without much effort behind it, and gift cards, which are like cash but less useful, became the quick, thoughtful gift of choice.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Olympic Hubris
Alternate titles: Olympic Arrogance; Stupid Political Stunt.
You may have heard of the Olympic Judo fighter, from Iran I believe, who bowed out of the games because his first opponent was from Israel, and Iran and Israel have a relationship best described as nonexistent. [Hint: Iran doesn't recognize Israel the same way protestants don't recognize the Pope or two Mormons don't recognize each other in a liquor store. Badum-bum!]
Anyway, that sort of thing pisses me off. I'm of the ever so humble opinion that the Olympic Games should focus exclusively on sport. You should not be there push whatever political/religious agenda you may have. This is a golden opportunity for nations to set aside differences and just play some games. Who cares what the state of the world may be? You're here to prove your worth, not against a nation, but against another human, to see who has the fire, the spark, the desire to win.
In other words, put up or shut up.
Stunts (and yes I feel it was a stunt) like this only cheapen the ideal that the games stand for. What's the point of competing if every Tom Dick and Harry brings his social baggage with him to the match? I can't compete with him: he eats pork; or him: he doesn't believe in Baby Jesus; or her: she thinks women are allowed to have an opinion; or these guys: they're pro-life; et cetera ad naseum.
So what if he hails from a country you and your government don't officially endorse? He's still real, so fight him. Don't punk out because you'll look good to the folks back home.
Yes I know that the United States, under President Carter, boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics because we didn't like Russian soldiers in Afghanistan. [An aside about Carter's decision to boycott: I do like the idea of a permanent home for the games, even if that idea does trample, somewhat, the international spirit of the games.] I don't think it's better just because my side was the one doing the boycotting. It was stupid stunt (even more stupid because it was publicly endorsed) just like this one. Hell, We went to the 1936 Berlin games when Hitler was running Germany. Did Jesse Owens bow out when it was revealed that he would be racing Nazis? No, he came to compete and compete he did, winning four gold medals.
My point is, this guy pissed me off.
You may have heard of the Olympic Judo fighter, from Iran I believe, who bowed out of the games because his first opponent was from Israel, and Iran and Israel have a relationship best described as nonexistent. [Hint: Iran doesn't recognize Israel the same way protestants don't recognize the Pope or two Mormons don't recognize each other in a liquor store. Badum-bum!]
Anyway, that sort of thing pisses me off. I'm of the ever so humble opinion that the Olympic Games should focus exclusively on sport. You should not be there push whatever political/religious agenda you may have. This is a golden opportunity for nations to set aside differences and just play some games. Who cares what the state of the world may be? You're here to prove your worth, not against a nation, but against another human, to see who has the fire, the spark, the desire to win.
In other words, put up or shut up.
Stunts (and yes I feel it was a stunt) like this only cheapen the ideal that the games stand for. What's the point of competing if every Tom Dick and Harry brings his social baggage with him to the match? I can't compete with him: he eats pork; or him: he doesn't believe in Baby Jesus; or her: she thinks women are allowed to have an opinion; or these guys: they're pro-life; et cetera ad naseum.
So what if he hails from a country you and your government don't officially endorse? He's still real, so fight him. Don't punk out because you'll look good to the folks back home.
Yes I know that the United States, under President Carter, boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics because we didn't like Russian soldiers in Afghanistan. [An aside about Carter's decision to boycott: I do like the idea of a permanent home for the games, even if that idea does trample, somewhat, the international spirit of the games.] I don't think it's better just because my side was the one doing the boycotting. It was stupid stunt (even more stupid because it was publicly endorsed) just like this one. Hell, We went to the 1936 Berlin games when Hitler was running Germany. Did Jesse Owens bow out when it was revealed that he would be racing Nazis? No, he came to compete and compete he did, winning four gold medals.
My point is, this guy pissed me off.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Flood
I am in the middle of a creative flood! You see, I've always fancied myself a 'writer.' I enjoy writing, and am pretty good at it, I think. But for the longest time, the only thing I was writing (outside of papers for school) was this little blog. And while this is fun, it wasn't exactly the creative release I'd been looking for.
That all changed this week, when my wife and I went camping up at Goose Lake. We spent most of the day discussing some projects that we had kicking around, but never really got to. Once we started brainstorming though, it was like the flood gates opened. It was easily the most productive 24 hours I've had in a very long time. It also helps me to not worry, quite so much, about how much we spent.
I feel good!
That all changed this week, when my wife and I went camping up at Goose Lake. We spent most of the day discussing some projects that we had kicking around, but never really got to. Once we started brainstorming though, it was like the flood gates opened. It was easily the most productive 24 hours I've had in a very long time. It also helps me to not worry, quite so much, about how much we spent.
I feel good!
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
A Simple Wish
I want to see a car manufacturer come out with an ad and say, without any rebates or incentives or cash allowances or bonus cash or cash back or 90 days same as cash or no interest/no payments for 1 full year, "This is our car. This is the price of our car. We chose this price because this is lowest price we can offer and still remain profitable. Feel free to finance through us or your lending institution of choice."
Post A Comment
I have finally gotten around to actually hunting down other blogs and seeing what others are doing with the digital land-rush known as blogging. I know, I know; I who praise the democratic soul of blogs long and loud to anyone unlucky enough to share an elevator with me have never really taken the time to see what else is out there. I have found that there are a lot of semi-literate people out there with blogs. Kind of like the reat of the internet, actually. Once you wade through that, there are also a lot of eloquent and well spoken people out there as well.
Most importantly, I learned the sublime joy of posting a comment on someone else work. As anybody who has read this or knows me will tell, I can find an opinion on most anything, and now I have a way firing those opinions through the ether at total strangers. Also, it's nice to know that, at least occasionally, those hits you see adding up on your counter are people actually reading what you write.
So a big hello to all the people who I've left a comment with recently. Take a look around, tell me what you think.
Right now, the screen is flickering at the corners of my vision when I look down to type, and that means either I have an expensive repair bill coming up, or I'm extremely tired. Either way, I'm going to bed.
Most importantly, I learned the sublime joy of posting a comment on someone else work. As anybody who has read this or knows me will tell, I can find an opinion on most anything, and now I have a way firing those opinions through the ether at total strangers. Also, it's nice to know that, at least occasionally, those hits you see adding up on your counter are people actually reading what you write.
So a big hello to all the people who I've left a comment with recently. Take a look around, tell me what you think.
Right now, the screen is flickering at the corners of my vision when I look down to type, and that means either I have an expensive repair bill coming up, or I'm extremely tired. Either way, I'm going to bed.
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Distilled Democracy
Now that I have titles enabled, I suddenly feel pressure to come up with pithy monikers for my posts.
Today I turned my father on to blogging. He was unaware that I had one and once I showed it to him, he became really interested so I set him up with one. He's the type of guy who loves to tinker and learns by doing, and taking things apart, so I'm sure he'll jump in, feet first. Once he gets the time, that is.
As I was explaining to him what blogs are, and what Blogger is, it occurred to me that blogs are the the internet at it's most dynamic and democratic. It's difficult to define exactly what a blog is because a blog can be absolutely anything. They allow you to broadcast your message, regardless of what your message may be, to (potentially) hundreds of thousands of people. They are free, embarrassingly simple to set up and implement, and require only the techno-how (Do you like that word? I just made it up.) needed to use a word processor and surf the web, skills most anybody in a developed country possesses. Of course, if you are one of those people who dream in HTML (and actually understand the dream, unlike myself) you are more than welcome to use your skills here.
If you are in the habit of reading blogs, but don't have one yourself, I encourage you to give one a spin.
That's all the proselytization I have for today.
PS I will link to my Fathers blog once he gets it up and running a little.
Today I turned my father on to blogging. He was unaware that I had one and once I showed it to him, he became really interested so I set him up with one. He's the type of guy who loves to tinker and learns by doing, and taking things apart, so I'm sure he'll jump in, feet first. Once he gets the time, that is.
As I was explaining to him what blogs are, and what Blogger is, it occurred to me that blogs are the the internet at it's most dynamic and democratic. It's difficult to define exactly what a blog is because a blog can be absolutely anything. They allow you to broadcast your message, regardless of what your message may be, to (potentially) hundreds of thousands of people. They are free, embarrassingly simple to set up and implement, and require only the techno-how (Do you like that word? I just made it up.) needed to use a word processor and surf the web, skills most anybody in a developed country possesses. Of course, if you are one of those people who dream in HTML (and actually understand the dream, unlike myself) you are more than welcome to use your skills here.
If you are in the habit of reading blogs, but don't have one yourself, I encourage you to give one a spin.
That's all the proselytization I have for today.
PS I will link to my Fathers blog once he gets it up and running a little.
Friday, August 06, 2004
News
I have successfully added a table of links. If you will kindly scroll down, you will find hand-picked websites for your viewing pleasure.
The comics I've chosen to link to are all quality comics that are somewhat overlooked. I read many, many more on a daily basis, but most of them are well established and don't need my help in gathering an audience.
The Nomi Art pages are full of my wife's drawings and renderings. Stop on by and leave a comment if you like what you see, though she is making me warn everybody that she sometimes has mature work, so avert your eyes, kiddies.
Bartley.com is a wonderful resource for classic literature and poetry online for free.
The Legal Information Institute is brought to you by Cornell University's School of Law and contains the text of the constitution, the bill of rights, federal codes as well as state laws. A great way to research and be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a citizen.
MoJo is actually Mother Jones.com, a left leaning political magazine that I enjoy.
The Best Page In The Universe is just that.
In other news, Nomi and I have decided to throw our hat into the webcomic ring. If you would just click her art links already, you would know that she has tremendous talent, and I will be writing the strips. We will probably set something up Keenspace, or some other such free hosting and automation service. More details will be available soon.
The comics I've chosen to link to are all quality comics that are somewhat overlooked. I read many, many more on a daily basis, but most of them are well established and don't need my help in gathering an audience.
The Nomi Art pages are full of my wife's drawings and renderings. Stop on by and leave a comment if you like what you see, though she is making me warn everybody that she sometimes has mature work, so avert your eyes, kiddies.
Bartley.com is a wonderful resource for classic literature and poetry online for free.
The Legal Information Institute is brought to you by Cornell University's School of Law and contains the text of the constitution, the bill of rights, federal codes as well as state laws. A great way to research and be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a citizen.
MoJo is actually Mother Jones.com, a left leaning political magazine that I enjoy.
The Best Page In The Universe is just that.
In other news, Nomi and I have decided to throw our hat into the webcomic ring. If you would just click her art links already, you would know that she has tremendous talent, and I will be writing the strips. We will probably set something up Keenspace, or some other such free hosting and automation service. More details will be available soon.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
I've been reading all the con reports from the various web comics I read, specifically the SDCC and Otakon reports. If you want to read some good ones (con reports that is, thought the comics themselves are well worth the trip), I suggest you check out Machall, Applegeeks, Little Gamers and Ctrl+Alt+Del.
I really want to attend some cons next year, and it's looking like Nomi and I might be in a place to afford to go to one. This month, we will be at Fandemonium, though only for one day; it's all we could afford.
I'm gonna talk with Nomi about attending some kind of convention next summer. We'll both have paid vacation by then, and might be able to swing it.
I really want to attend some cons next year, and it's looking like Nomi and I might be in a place to afford to go to one. This month, we will be at Fandemonium, though only for one day; it's all we could afford.
I'm gonna talk with Nomi about attending some kind of convention next summer. We'll both have paid vacation by then, and might be able to swing it.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Some Random Stuff
I just dusted off my Player's Handbook and dicebag. I find that sentence very sad on many levels.
My local MTV2 station seems to have lost it's ability to broadcast sound. While this may seem detrimental to the music portion of their music video programming, I find it to be a change for the better.
There is an indescribably hideous show airing Saturday mornings on your local Fox affiliate. It's called The Menu. It is wall to wall advertising aimed at the 'tween' crowd bracketed by normal commercials for the same products and companies. I am not making this up: it was Cingular presents The Menu from Disney's Atlantis waterpark. What followed was several 'segments', each brought to you by yet another corporation. Nauseating. It was like an animated issue of People Magazine.
I just dusted off my Player's Handbook and dicebag. I find that sentence very sad on many levels.
My local MTV2 station seems to have lost it's ability to broadcast sound. While this may seem detrimental to the music portion of their music video programming, I find it to be a change for the better.
There is an indescribably hideous show airing Saturday mornings on your local Fox affiliate. It's called The Menu. It is wall to wall advertising aimed at the 'tween' crowd bracketed by normal commercials for the same products and companies. I am not making this up: it was Cingular presents The Menu from Disney's Atlantis waterpark. What followed was several 'segments', each brought to you by yet another corporation. Nauseating. It was like an animated issue of People Magazine.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Look What I Can Do!
I'm embarking on a self-directed HTML course, and by that I mean, I put 'learn HTML' into Google and clicked on the first thing that came up. So far it's pretty easy and fairly straight forward. If nothing else, I learned how to italicize things and other such formatting tricks. So I can now emphasize things, seemingly at random, like another prolific essayist you may know.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
A Few Miscellaneous Things and Video Games
Blogger is owned by Google, and in exchange for giving this space away, they put a banner ad at the top of my blog. I don't mind banner ads, especially Google's ads because they only use text, so, visually, it's less intrusive.
However, I noticed something the other day about this banner. At the time of this writing, it has two ads relating to the U.S. Constitution. One of my more recent posts is about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his views on the Constitution, wherein the word 'constitution' appears so often that I actually copy/pasted it to save time on typing.
I don't know if it's neat or scary that they troll my page for keywords in order to place the most relevant ads in the banner.
On a related note, if you search Google for 'Naznarreb,' you get some forum posts I've made, but not this site.
Finally, Video Games!
I have a theory about the next generation of games: I feel we are about to enter the third... phase, for lack of a better term, of video games. First, some history, as I call it.
The first phase, in my estimation, was from the beginning of home consoles through the end of SNES/Sega Genesis Era. In this era, game developers were limited, graphically speaking, in designing games; there's only so much you can do with eight or sixteen or 32 bits. to overcome the graphical shortcomings of games, they had to focus on gameplay and story. This is why games like Super Mario Bros. and the early Castlevainia's, Sonic The Hedgehog and other of the age still stand up after all these years. If you don't believe me, then you probably haven't played the games I'm talking about. My favorite games of all time are the Original R-Type from the Sega Master System and Contra: The Alien Wars from the SNES. Super Metroid is widely believed to be the best game ever.
Second Phase, the one we're in now, began around the time of the N64 and Playstation. During this time, the graphical capabilities of consoles exploded, and the talk was all about how many polygons could a given system push, particle effects, ambient lighting effect and anti-aliasing. Game designers shifted their focus from gameplay and story to whiz-bang graphics. This is not to say that gameplay was totally discarded, just put on the back burner.
Now that we are at the end of the second phase, I feel that graphics have 'plateaued' to a point. Things will continue to improve, but I think the improvements will be more subtle than mind blowing. At any rate, game designers now have the graphical freedom to do pretty much whatever they wish in a game.
The third phase, which I predict will be in full swing by the time the next generation of home consoles, will bring the focus back to story and gameplay. I've seen several things that I think point to this happening.
First, any game that is even moderately successful, or even suck out loud as in the case of the recent Tomb Raiders or any Army Men games or most anything put out by 989 Sports, will get at least one sequel, probably many. A coherent story is needed to sustain a series over many games, otherwise you're just changing the setting and the trinket that the hero or heroine is questing after.
Second, the recent success of games that are very story-dependant: Halo, Morrowind, Splinter Cell, (though this one does run the risk palette swaping the setting) the first Jak and Daxter and others that don't come immediately to mind.
Third, the fact that R. A. Salvatore and Orson Scott Card have been tapped by developers to write plots for video games.
All this point to a trend of the focus moving back to story and gameplay.
Hopefully.
We'll still have to deal with crappy games, cheap knockoffs and second-string imitators, but then again we've always had that trouble.
Blogger is owned by Google, and in exchange for giving this space away, they put a banner ad at the top of my blog. I don't mind banner ads, especially Google's ads because they only use text, so, visually, it's less intrusive.
However, I noticed something the other day about this banner. At the time of this writing, it has two ads relating to the U.S. Constitution. One of my more recent posts is about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his views on the Constitution, wherein the word 'constitution' appears so often that I actually copy/pasted it to save time on typing.
I don't know if it's neat or scary that they troll my page for keywords in order to place the most relevant ads in the banner.
On a related note, if you search Google for 'Naznarreb,' you get some forum posts I've made, but not this site.
Finally, Video Games!
I have a theory about the next generation of games: I feel we are about to enter the third... phase, for lack of a better term, of video games. First, some history, as I call it.
The first phase, in my estimation, was from the beginning of home consoles through the end of SNES/Sega Genesis Era. In this era, game developers were limited, graphically speaking, in designing games; there's only so much you can do with eight or sixteen or 32 bits. to overcome the graphical shortcomings of games, they had to focus on gameplay and story. This is why games like Super Mario Bros. and the early Castlevainia's, Sonic The Hedgehog and other of the age still stand up after all these years. If you don't believe me, then you probably haven't played the games I'm talking about. My favorite games of all time are the Original R-Type from the Sega Master System and Contra: The Alien Wars from the SNES. Super Metroid is widely believed to be the best game ever.
Second Phase, the one we're in now, began around the time of the N64 and Playstation. During this time, the graphical capabilities of consoles exploded, and the talk was all about how many polygons could a given system push, particle effects, ambient lighting effect and anti-aliasing. Game designers shifted their focus from gameplay and story to whiz-bang graphics. This is not to say that gameplay was totally discarded, just put on the back burner.
Now that we are at the end of the second phase, I feel that graphics have 'plateaued' to a point. Things will continue to improve, but I think the improvements will be more subtle than mind blowing. At any rate, game designers now have the graphical freedom to do pretty much whatever they wish in a game.
The third phase, which I predict will be in full swing by the time the next generation of home consoles, will bring the focus back to story and gameplay. I've seen several things that I think point to this happening.
First, any game that is even moderately successful, or even suck out loud as in the case of the recent Tomb Raiders or any Army Men games or most anything put out by 989 Sports, will get at least one sequel, probably many. A coherent story is needed to sustain a series over many games, otherwise you're just changing the setting and the trinket that the hero or heroine is questing after.
Second, the recent success of games that are very story-dependant: Halo, Morrowind, Splinter Cell, (though this one does run the risk palette swaping the setting) the first Jak and Daxter and others that don't come immediately to mind.
Third, the fact that R. A. Salvatore and Orson Scott Card have been tapped by developers to write plots for video games.
All this point to a trend of the focus moving back to story and gameplay.
Hopefully.
We'll still have to deal with crappy games, cheap knockoffs and second-string imitators, but then again we've always had that trouble.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
I am working on some new stuff for this page. A recounting of our most recent Road Trip, and a short story that has been bugging me for a week now. As usual, there is no guarantee of when, or even if these things will show up, I just thought I'd let my loyal reader(s) know that stuff is in the pipeline. For today, I thought I make mention of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Justice Thomas is what is sometimes called an Originalist, and by that people mean he defines the words and meaning of the constitution by their original, late-eighteenth century definitions. Another way to put it is he does not thing the constitution is a living document, subject to reinterpretation by each new generation. The implications of this type of thinking are far-reaching and, I think, fun to consider.
For instance, the constitution originally placed restrictions on the federal government and protected the rights of the States. After the civil war, the emphasis was placed on restricting the States power, and protecting the rights of individuals. If we revert to the old way of thinking, many of the constitutional amendments and clauses no longer apply to the States, or apply in a very different way. For example, the First Amendment's prohibition against a State religion would apply only to the federal government. Under this interpretation, Mississippi could become officially Baptist, and Utah could be officially LDS. Now, the provisions about freedom of religion would still apply, so no State could force you to attend services nor could they prohibit you from forming or attending the Church of your choice.
Another contention of Justice Thomas is that the term "commerce" (as in the "commerce clause" of the constitution, with which congress has passed legislation regarding almost every conceivable form of interstate transaction) in the 1790's related only to the physical moving of goods across state borders. Using this logic things like the FCC could be unconstitutional as they do not deal with any actual, physical commerce.
Let me close by saying that I am not a constitutional scholar, and I neither support of disagree with Justice Thomas' constitutional theories (as he is infinitely more learned in this subject than I, I am on no firm ground to question him). I merely find them fun to consider.
Justice Thomas is what is sometimes called an Originalist, and by that people mean he defines the words and meaning of the constitution by their original, late-eighteenth century definitions. Another way to put it is he does not thing the constitution is a living document, subject to reinterpretation by each new generation. The implications of this type of thinking are far-reaching and, I think, fun to consider.
For instance, the constitution originally placed restrictions on the federal government and protected the rights of the States. After the civil war, the emphasis was placed on restricting the States power, and protecting the rights of individuals. If we revert to the old way of thinking, many of the constitutional amendments and clauses no longer apply to the States, or apply in a very different way. For example, the First Amendment's prohibition against a State religion would apply only to the federal government. Under this interpretation, Mississippi could become officially Baptist, and Utah could be officially LDS. Now, the provisions about freedom of religion would still apply, so no State could force you to attend services nor could they prohibit you from forming or attending the Church of your choice.
Another contention of Justice Thomas is that the term "commerce" (as in the "commerce clause" of the constitution, with which congress has passed legislation regarding almost every conceivable form of interstate transaction) in the 1790's related only to the physical moving of goods across state borders. Using this logic things like the FCC could be unconstitutional as they do not deal with any actual, physical commerce.
Let me close by saying that I am not a constitutional scholar, and I neither support of disagree with Justice Thomas' constitutional theories (as he is infinitely more learned in this subject than I, I am on no firm ground to question him). I merely find them fun to consider.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Actual Things I've Said That My Wife Didn't Find Funny
Me: I think I'll have butter on my baked potato.
Her: Put the butter away this time/
Me: Why should I? The butter puts itself away.
Her: No it doesn't.
Me: Yes it does. Every time I leave the butter out, I come back and it's in the fridge again.
Hmm. That was a lot funnier when it happened.
Me: I think I'll have butter on my baked potato.
Her: Put the butter away this time/
Me: Why should I? The butter puts itself away.
Her: No it doesn't.
Me: Yes it does. Every time I leave the butter out, I come back and it's in the fridge again.
Hmm. That was a lot funnier when it happened.
Monday, May 31, 2004
There are schools of criticism that say all art and literature is self-referential.
I'm on an updating spree! For fun I took a look at the new blog templates, and decided that I liked this one better; easier on the eyes. Also, it puts the comments link right up front, so that's nice. Only problem is, I lost my site meter when I changed the template, though I'm not sure I care. I also liked 'shouting into the void' so much I made it into the title of my blog.
I'm on an updating spree! For fun I took a look at the new blog templates, and decided that I liked this one better; easier on the eyes. Also, it puts the comments link right up front, so that's nice. Only problem is, I lost my site meter when I changed the template, though I'm not sure I care. I also liked 'shouting into the void' so much I made it into the title of my blog.
Something new for the blog!
I know I said I was tired two hours ago, but you know how the internet can be when you have nothing to do tomorrow (or is it later today?)
Anyway, I found a way for people to leave comments on my little blog. If you click the time stamp for a given post, then scroll to the bottom of the page, you should see a link that lets you comment. Anyone can do it, so feel free. Say whatever you want; I really don't care. This should help make it so I don't feel like I'm shouting into the void every time I post something. Then again, given that I've only had about 130 hits in a year and a half, 'shouting into the void' may be an apt phrase.
There is probably a way to get the comments link on the main page, but apparently I can't be bothered to figure that out. It took me 18 months just to figure out that comments were possible at all, so what do you expect?
I know I said I was tired two hours ago, but you know how the internet can be when you have nothing to do tomorrow (or is it later today?)
Anyway, I found a way for people to leave comments on my little blog. If you click the time stamp for a given post, then scroll to the bottom of the page, you should see a link that lets you comment. Anyone can do it, so feel free. Say whatever you want; I really don't care. This should help make it so I don't feel like I'm shouting into the void every time I post something. Then again, given that I've only had about 130 hits in a year and a half, 'shouting into the void' may be an apt phrase.
There is probably a way to get the comments link on the main page, but apparently I can't be bothered to figure that out. It took me 18 months just to figure out that comments were possible at all, so what do you expect?
I was torn between writing something in here, or going for a walk, so I walked to the Rite Aid down the block, bought a pint of over-frozen chocolate Haagen-Dazs ice cream, and now I'm here.
I'm in one of those vaguely depressing, self loathing moods right now, and am not sure I want to unleash it upon my dozens of fans. It's either that or post something I had planned about the guy supposedly responsible for that beheading that American in Iraq, I forgot his name, but it seems the net is inundated with left-leaning blogs on that subject. On the other hand, there is also a plethora of pseudo-intellectual, woe is me blogs as well, so I'm at a loss. I suppose I'll combine the two, as I combined my desire for a walk, and my desire to write. First, the liberal propaganda.
As I can't remember the name of the man assumed to be responsible for the beheading, I'll call him ?????????, which is Russian for anonymous. Sorry if your browser has trouble with the Cyrillic letters.
So, this video of an American civilian getting his head cut off is shown to the world. The United States, and many other countries are shocked and outraged, and for a while it has become a rallying point for people both for and against the war. Those on the pro side are saying things to effect of, "See! This is why the war is a good idea!" and those opposed are saying, "See! This is why the war is a bad idea!" I don't understand either argument. But I digress; I'm here to talk about ?????????.
Shortly after the video aired, ????????? was pegged as the most likely suspect and we, the MSNBC watching public, learned that he has claimed responsibility for something like 50 other acts of terrorism, and is linked to both the Madrid bombings and (surprise!) the 9/11 attacks. It's looking like ????????? might be next on the Department of Homeland Security's hit parade, and I have a problem with that.
I don't have a problem with bringing a guilty man to justice, I have a problem with the pattern I'm seeing. Perhaps I'm paranoid. Maybe I enjoyed 1984 a little too much. Maybe I'm just too jaded and cynical to put any trust whatsoever in politicians (maybe not), but I see a recent pattern with our Public Enemy #1s of late.
First, right after 9/11/01, Osama bin Laden became our primary goal. We were told he was the biggest threat to our nation in the world. We could not, and still can't, find him, and so it's on to Saddam Hussein.
We were told Saddam was the biggest threat to our nation in the world. He had, or was, attempting to acquire Weapons of Mass Destruction, including nuclear material. We caught Saddam, but it's looking more and more like the claims regarding his WMD cache and plans were based on intel that was shaky at best, and fraudulent at worst. The situation in Iraq is deteriorating rapidly, so enter ????????? and his network of agents and sleeper cells as our new national focus.
There is a theory called 'permanent revolution.' I've forgotten where it comes from, I think Lenin or Trotsky, and it's been a while since I read up on it so I may not properly elucidate the concept, but it goes something like this: If you want to maintain power, you must always give the people an enemy, something or someone to rebel against. If they're left to their own devices, they may wake up and realize that their leaders, elected or otherwise, are not acceptable. Originally, this concept was applied when conditions at home (nationally speaking) were bad, and one wanted to distract the populace from that fact. I feel it's being used here and now, to distract America from how bad things are going for us in the Middle East. How can we be upset over the progress of the war (or the reasons for going to war, or the reasons for sticking around) if we're all excited about hunting down Osama/Saddam/?????????/John Doe?
Once Saddam became the focus of things, Osama sort of slid out of the public eye. Once we caught Saddam, you hardly heard anything about him, The war in Afghanistan was half-assed, so we start a war in Iraq. Now that that endeavor is souring, we have a new person and a new terrorist network to target. How often is it mentioned that that more servicemen and women have died in Iraq since President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" than prior to that? Have you heard that, since our bringing democracy to Afghanistan, 75% of all the opium in the world is grown there? The Afghani economy is nearly nonexistent, so the people need a crop that will bring cash. The drug lords are doing exactly what the United States wishes it was, albeit with a different crop.
Now, I realize that the death toll in Iraq and the opium production in Afghanistan must be mentioned at least some times in the media, else how could I have learned of them, but my point is that they are not mentioned nearly as often as the hunt for whomever, or the struggle to light the candle of democracy in the Mid East. Certainly neither the President nor his administration has makes mention of these facts.
I could continue with this subject, but I'll save that for a later post. I will also save my pseudo-intellectual pity party for a later date, as I am now very tired.
I'm in one of those vaguely depressing, self loathing moods right now, and am not sure I want to unleash it upon my dozens of fans. It's either that or post something I had planned about the guy supposedly responsible for that beheading that American in Iraq, I forgot his name, but it seems the net is inundated with left-leaning blogs on that subject. On the other hand, there is also a plethora of pseudo-intellectual, woe is me blogs as well, so I'm at a loss. I suppose I'll combine the two, as I combined my desire for a walk, and my desire to write. First, the liberal propaganda.
As I can't remember the name of the man assumed to be responsible for the beheading, I'll call him ?????????, which is Russian for anonymous. Sorry if your browser has trouble with the Cyrillic letters.
So, this video of an American civilian getting his head cut off is shown to the world. The United States, and many other countries are shocked and outraged, and for a while it has become a rallying point for people both for and against the war. Those on the pro side are saying things to effect of, "See! This is why the war is a good idea!" and those opposed are saying, "See! This is why the war is a bad idea!" I don't understand either argument. But I digress; I'm here to talk about ?????????.
Shortly after the video aired, ????????? was pegged as the most likely suspect and we, the MSNBC watching public, learned that he has claimed responsibility for something like 50 other acts of terrorism, and is linked to both the Madrid bombings and (surprise!) the 9/11 attacks. It's looking like ????????? might be next on the Department of Homeland Security's hit parade, and I have a problem with that.
I don't have a problem with bringing a guilty man to justice, I have a problem with the pattern I'm seeing. Perhaps I'm paranoid. Maybe I enjoyed 1984 a little too much. Maybe I'm just too jaded and cynical to put any trust whatsoever in politicians (maybe not), but I see a recent pattern with our Public Enemy #1s of late.
First, right after 9/11/01, Osama bin Laden became our primary goal. We were told he was the biggest threat to our nation in the world. We could not, and still can't, find him, and so it's on to Saddam Hussein.
We were told Saddam was the biggest threat to our nation in the world. He had, or was, attempting to acquire Weapons of Mass Destruction, including nuclear material. We caught Saddam, but it's looking more and more like the claims regarding his WMD cache and plans were based on intel that was shaky at best, and fraudulent at worst. The situation in Iraq is deteriorating rapidly, so enter ????????? and his network of agents and sleeper cells as our new national focus.
There is a theory called 'permanent revolution.' I've forgotten where it comes from, I think Lenin or Trotsky, and it's been a while since I read up on it so I may not properly elucidate the concept, but it goes something like this: If you want to maintain power, you must always give the people an enemy, something or someone to rebel against. If they're left to their own devices, they may wake up and realize that their leaders, elected or otherwise, are not acceptable. Originally, this concept was applied when conditions at home (nationally speaking) were bad, and one wanted to distract the populace from that fact. I feel it's being used here and now, to distract America from how bad things are going for us in the Middle East. How can we be upset over the progress of the war (or the reasons for going to war, or the reasons for sticking around) if we're all excited about hunting down Osama/Saddam/?????????/John Doe?
Once Saddam became the focus of things, Osama sort of slid out of the public eye. Once we caught Saddam, you hardly heard anything about him, The war in Afghanistan was half-assed, so we start a war in Iraq. Now that that endeavor is souring, we have a new person and a new terrorist network to target. How often is it mentioned that that more servicemen and women have died in Iraq since President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" than prior to that? Have you heard that, since our bringing democracy to Afghanistan, 75% of all the opium in the world is grown there? The Afghani economy is nearly nonexistent, so the people need a crop that will bring cash. The drug lords are doing exactly what the United States wishes it was, albeit with a different crop.
Now, I realize that the death toll in Iraq and the opium production in Afghanistan must be mentioned at least some times in the media, else how could I have learned of them, but my point is that they are not mentioned nearly as often as the hunt for whomever, or the struggle to light the candle of democracy in the Mid East. Certainly neither the President nor his administration has makes mention of these facts.
I could continue with this subject, but I'll save that for a later post. I will also save my pseudo-intellectual pity party for a later date, as I am now very tired.
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Of all the mutants Marvel introduced for it's comics, do you know gets my vote for most useful mutant power? Doug Ramsey, aka Cypher. He had the intrinsic ability to understand any language, spoken or written, computer, human or alien. That's downright useful. For those not in the know, Cypher was shot by the Genoshans and almost died, but the phalanx entity known as Warlock merged with him and they became Douglock. I'm done being a geek for the moment. Time to play Halo.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Friday, April 30, 2004
I made a promise to some friends that I would update this thing more often, and this is the first post to that effect.
I was discussing Creationism vs Evolutionism with one of the afore mentioned friends, and we hit upon some interesting points.
1. There is a lot of hate between the two camps. There are many people who get entirely too irrational about the subject; Creationists saying that Evolutionists are trying to undermine their religious institutions, and the Evolutionists calling the Creationists stupid for believing in fairy tales. I'm not saying that these arguments are representative of either side, but the people making these comments seem to be the ones who get the most press.
2. Evolution is still a scientific theory; it is not proven and it is not law. Many people seem to forget this fact. While there is a lot evidence pointing to evolution as a verifiable natural process, it still has not entered into scientific dogma, and there are many people working on the problem. From a purely scientific standpoint, it would be acceptable for evolution to be proven false, as that would end the debate, and allow us to further our knowledge of the world. Unfortunately, people seem to be more concerned with being right rather than factual.
3. The ideology of Creationists and Evolutionists are inherently different. Their basic assumptions about the whole issue are not the same. An Evolutionist is looking for something that can be objectively and independently verified. They are looking for an experiment that can be published and then duplicated by anyone in the world with the equipment and inclination to do so. Creationists, on the other hand, operate on faith. They are have no need of independent verification because having faith in God and the Bible does not require it. This is not to imply that scientists are without any sort of faith, or that devout people are foolish for their beliefs, just to point out that the ideology is different, and that causes problems.
Some thoughts on political parties.
As I've said before, I can't always remember what I've talked about on this page, so I apologize if I repeat myself. If you know me personally, then you know that that is pretty much how I operate in real life anyway.
Political parties are not interested in finding the best man for office. They are not even interested in finding the best Democrat or Republican or whatever for office. They are interested in the person most likely to get elected, whatever his qualities. The only reason that issues matter to the party at all, is that issues affect your ability to get elected. If a study was done proving that penis size affected your chances, you can be damn sure that every presidential hopeful would find himself in a room with doctor, a ruler, and his pants around his ankles.
Overheard in my Literature 275 class
A student mentioned that she was dying to ask the professor if he held any kind of religious beliefs at all, because shed couldn't tell.
It's true; from his lectures you really don't get any kind feel for weather or not he has any, but that doesn't bother me.
I wanted to ask her, "If he was Christian, would that make him a better professor? Would he be a worse teacher is he was an Atheist?"
Just an interesting question. Not sure why I didn't speak up. Maybe I'll ask next week.
Marriage (Mine)
I'm still developing a.... an image, if you will, of myself as a married man. It's still hard for me to grasp that she doesn't care if screw up, because she loves me. It's strange that I should forget that, as it's the same way I feel about her.
I'm also learning that just because I love her very much, does not mean that I'm always happy with her. We're human, above all, and we get upset with each other. Sometimes a lot, sometimes not at all. But we always come out of it.
I was discussing Creationism vs Evolutionism with one of the afore mentioned friends, and we hit upon some interesting points.
1. There is a lot of hate between the two camps. There are many people who get entirely too irrational about the subject; Creationists saying that Evolutionists are trying to undermine their religious institutions, and the Evolutionists calling the Creationists stupid for believing in fairy tales. I'm not saying that these arguments are representative of either side, but the people making these comments seem to be the ones who get the most press.
2. Evolution is still a scientific theory; it is not proven and it is not law. Many people seem to forget this fact. While there is a lot evidence pointing to evolution as a verifiable natural process, it still has not entered into scientific dogma, and there are many people working on the problem. From a purely scientific standpoint, it would be acceptable for evolution to be proven false, as that would end the debate, and allow us to further our knowledge of the world. Unfortunately, people seem to be more concerned with being right rather than factual.
3. The ideology of Creationists and Evolutionists are inherently different. Their basic assumptions about the whole issue are not the same. An Evolutionist is looking for something that can be objectively and independently verified. They are looking for an experiment that can be published and then duplicated by anyone in the world with the equipment and inclination to do so. Creationists, on the other hand, operate on faith. They are have no need of independent verification because having faith in God and the Bible does not require it. This is not to imply that scientists are without any sort of faith, or that devout people are foolish for their beliefs, just to point out that the ideology is different, and that causes problems.
Some thoughts on political parties.
As I've said before, I can't always remember what I've talked about on this page, so I apologize if I repeat myself. If you know me personally, then you know that that is pretty much how I operate in real life anyway.
Political parties are not interested in finding the best man for office. They are not even interested in finding the best Democrat or Republican or whatever for office. They are interested in the person most likely to get elected, whatever his qualities. The only reason that issues matter to the party at all, is that issues affect your ability to get elected. If a study was done proving that penis size affected your chances, you can be damn sure that every presidential hopeful would find himself in a room with doctor, a ruler, and his pants around his ankles.
Overheard in my Literature 275 class
A student mentioned that she was dying to ask the professor if he held any kind of religious beliefs at all, because shed couldn't tell.
It's true; from his lectures you really don't get any kind feel for weather or not he has any, but that doesn't bother me.
I wanted to ask her, "If he was Christian, would that make him a better professor? Would he be a worse teacher is he was an Atheist?"
Just an interesting question. Not sure why I didn't speak up. Maybe I'll ask next week.
Marriage (Mine)
I'm still developing a.... an image, if you will, of myself as a married man. It's still hard for me to grasp that she doesn't care if screw up, because she loves me. It's strange that I should forget that, as it's the same way I feel about her.
I'm also learning that just because I love her very much, does not mean that I'm always happy with her. We're human, above all, and we get upset with each other. Sometimes a lot, sometimes not at all. But we always come out of it.
Monday, April 05, 2004
A casualty of the information age.
That's how I describe myself, at the moment. I was thinking about how I was tired of being sold shit, and how difficult it can be to research something on line, and I decided the two were related.
I feel that almost all advertising is deceitful. Every time I see an ad, I think, "Where's the catch?" Most of you are probably thinking, "Well, duh," but I don't think the point is addressed enough. While ads may not lie outright, as in passing off cubic zirconia as natural diamond, by it's very nature seemingly, there is always a kernal of dishonesty, of chicanery, double-dealing, fourberie, fraud, hanky-panky, highbinding, or sharp practice. To quote Tolkien, it's "wicked, tricksy, false." Either by omission or clever word choice, they attempt to lead you astray.
It can't be good to be this cynical, but growing up with the glut of information we have these days has sent my bullshit detector into overdrive. It doesn't help that I find myself right a lot of the time.
Some examples:
I was investigating a bartending academy that opened recently in town. The comely young woman explained that, normally, the cost is $599.00, but because they've had such a need for students, they're currently offering classes for only $349.00. I needed to act quickly, she told me, because that special price was scheduled to end tomorrow. At this point, the BS radar went 'ping,' and I told her I'd think about it. (Not that I had six hundred or three hundred fifty or even fifty dollars to give her at that point.) I asked around and, sure enough, the 'special price' had been scheduled to end for several months now.
RC Willey, a furniture chain for those readers lucky enough to not live within range of their incessant advertising, advertised a sale where, quote, "Absolutely everything in the store is on sale!" Then at the end of the broadcast the announcer quickly added that, "A very few items not included in this sale." You can't have it both ways.
Mor, another furniture chain, has had a sale going on "Today, Tonight and Tomorrow Only!" since they opened in town, two years ago. The deal never really changes, only the name of the sale. I rest easy every night knowing that I will probably never have to pay money down, interest, or delivery fees at Mor, OAC.
Political ads are a whole category of dishonesty to themselves.
So everything I'm presented with I regard warily. I see the man begging on the corner and wonder if really does need money or is just lazy. There's a collection cup on the counter at work for a little girl who needs an unfathomably expensive operation. I know the girl's need is genuine, but I wonder how much of the spare change in the cup actually makes it to her family. The cup does say dose that 100% of the funds go directly to Annabelle, and that is comforting, but I still can't bring myself to trust them.
Somebody wants me to "click here to receive a free prize." I have never once clicked one of those.
This other person wants my email address to sign me up for a newsletter, and I want to know who else is getting my address.
Even my employer is trying to sell me something. Not a product, but we have these five 'core values' that are basically trying to trick me into being a good little employee. (I'll save my thoughts on those gems for later.)
As jaded as I am, ads still work on me from time to time. Case in point, I tried one of BK's new chicken sandwiches the other day because mostly I thought the commercials were funny.
I understand that whining about advertising being double-plus un-good is like whining about an elm tree shedding it's leaves in the fall; it's just the way things are. But the elm tree doesn't make me wary of almost every one I meet.
I wonder what all this cynicism is doing to us.
That's how I describe myself, at the moment. I was thinking about how I was tired of being sold shit, and how difficult it can be to research something on line, and I decided the two were related.
I feel that almost all advertising is deceitful. Every time I see an ad, I think, "Where's the catch?" Most of you are probably thinking, "Well, duh," but I don't think the point is addressed enough. While ads may not lie outright, as in passing off cubic zirconia as natural diamond, by it's very nature seemingly, there is always a kernal of dishonesty, of chicanery, double-dealing, fourberie, fraud, hanky-panky, highbinding, or sharp practice. To quote Tolkien, it's "wicked, tricksy, false." Either by omission or clever word choice, they attempt to lead you astray.
It can't be good to be this cynical, but growing up with the glut of information we have these days has sent my bullshit detector into overdrive. It doesn't help that I find myself right a lot of the time.
Some examples:
I was investigating a bartending academy that opened recently in town. The comely young woman explained that, normally, the cost is $599.00, but because they've had such a need for students, they're currently offering classes for only $349.00. I needed to act quickly, she told me, because that special price was scheduled to end tomorrow. At this point, the BS radar went 'ping,' and I told her I'd think about it. (Not that I had six hundred or three hundred fifty or even fifty dollars to give her at that point.) I asked around and, sure enough, the 'special price' had been scheduled to end for several months now.
RC Willey, a furniture chain for those readers lucky enough to not live within range of their incessant advertising, advertised a sale where, quote, "Absolutely everything in the store is on sale!" Then at the end of the broadcast the announcer quickly added that, "A very few items not included in this sale." You can't have it both ways.
Mor, another furniture chain, has had a sale going on "Today, Tonight and Tomorrow Only!" since they opened in town, two years ago. The deal never really changes, only the name of the sale. I rest easy every night knowing that I will probably never have to pay money down, interest, or delivery fees at Mor, OAC.
Political ads are a whole category of dishonesty to themselves.
So everything I'm presented with I regard warily. I see the man begging on the corner and wonder if really does need money or is just lazy. There's a collection cup on the counter at work for a little girl who needs an unfathomably expensive operation. I know the girl's need is genuine, but I wonder how much of the spare change in the cup actually makes it to her family. The cup does say dose that 100% of the funds go directly to Annabelle, and that is comforting, but I still can't bring myself to trust them.
Somebody wants me to "click here to receive a free prize." I have never once clicked one of those.
This other person wants my email address to sign me up for a newsletter, and I want to know who else is getting my address.
Even my employer is trying to sell me something. Not a product, but we have these five 'core values' that are basically trying to trick me into being a good little employee. (I'll save my thoughts on those gems for later.)
As jaded as I am, ads still work on me from time to time. Case in point, I tried one of BK's new chicken sandwiches the other day because mostly I thought the commercials were funny.
I understand that whining about advertising being double-plus un-good is like whining about an elm tree shedding it's leaves in the fall; it's just the way things are. But the elm tree doesn't make me wary of almost every one I meet.
I wonder what all this cynicism is doing to us.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
It's called the "Bible," not God's Big Book Of People Who Are Going To Hell, And Therefore Are Acceptable Targets Of Your Narrow-Minded Scorn And Ridicule. Seeing as gay marriage and ten commandments monuments are on everybody's mind just now, I thought I'd take the time to weigh in on both subjects. First, the 10 commandments monument in Julia Davis park.
It seemed to me that the importance of of having the monument in the park quickly overshadowed the message the monument represents. (I wonder how many of the people in these vigils and protests were aware it existed before Fred Phelps made a fuss about his monument. More than that, I wonder how many of them actually practiced what the stones preached.) But command number 2 is all about not having graven images, i.e., worshipping things as opposed to God. I don't think Boise is any better or worse off for having or not having the monument in place. Now that's is being moved, I'm fairly certain that people will forget about the fracas, and continue on with their lives.
The point I'm trying to make is, if you truly believe, if you give more than lip-service to God and the Bible, then you don't need a monument; you have it in your heart.
Broadly speaking, I'm very pro religion. I don't have much use for organized religion, personally, but in general, it's a good thing. Almost every religion I've come across, and certainly the Big 3, boil down to: don't be a dick, don't lie, don't steal, don't kill, be nice to people, avoid drugs and alcohol, don't have sex unless you're absolutely prepared to have kids, respect people, and so on. All very good things, things that wouldn't kill more people to try. But then you get into the zelots, and the whole system breaks down. This seqways nicely into my thoughts on gay marriage.
It's well established that the Bible, and by extension God and Jesus, take a very dim view of homosexuality. By most readings, homosexuals go to hell. End of story. Guess what? Gay people know this. You don't have to beat them over the head with the fact that you may consider their whole like to sinful. Gays, for the most part, are not asking the Catholics, or Luthren, or LDS, etc, etc, etc, to suddenly approve of homosexuality, they're asking governments to.
I see three levels, no, let's call them types of marriage, as levels implies a hierarchy, of marriage, each capable of existing with or without any of the others. The first is a 'spiritual' marriage. This is where two people decide that they love each other, and make lifelong commitments to support each other. Weather or not this union is recognized by any religious or secular authority is another question, and irrelavent. These people love each other, and that's all that matters
The second type, is a religious marriage, that is one sancioned by a higher power, weather that be Buddha or God or Jehova or Allah or Kali or Deanna or a thousand other deities. These unions can exist with out without any kind of legal status, and with or without any kind of love or emotion.
The final type is a civil union, which is largely a taxable arrangement anymore.
Every combination of these types of 'marriage' is possible. If you think for a moment, you've probably encountered several combinations in your own life.
The gays have the first type, they mostly don't care about the second, seeing it, I think, as a lost cause for the time being, and are after the third. Just because San Francisco, or New Paltz says these two people are married, does not imperatively mean they love each other, or any sort of deity gives a damn. It's just a monetary situation. gays want to get all the cool financial stuff straight people do: lower taxes, better interest rates and insurance, the right to inherit and all that stuff.
It was asked of me, if they allow gay marriage, since tradition is out the window, why not allow incestual marriage? I say sure, but the problem lies in the semantics of the word 'marriage.' 'Marriage' implies a religious ceremony, so I propose that we leave marriage to refer specifically to that alone, and have the word 'union' apply to any two people who want this tax status to apply to them. There does not need to be any physical love/sex/lust involved, (and if there is, what business is it of yours?) but this could really help people out. As an example, my uncle and grandmother have lived together for many years. My grandmother is divorced and my uncle shows no signs of getting married any time soon, if at all. If the option were open, setting up a 'union' could help them tremendously. (Money is very tight with them.) If would lower their taxes, my uncle would be able to add his mother to his health insurance, and they would have more money in pocket because of lower deductions.
It seemed to me that the importance of of having the monument in the park quickly overshadowed the message the monument represents. (I wonder how many of the people in these vigils and protests were aware it existed before Fred Phelps made a fuss about his monument. More than that, I wonder how many of them actually practiced what the stones preached.) But command number 2 is all about not having graven images, i.e., worshipping things as opposed to God. I don't think Boise is any better or worse off for having or not having the monument in place. Now that's is being moved, I'm fairly certain that people will forget about the fracas, and continue on with their lives.
The point I'm trying to make is, if you truly believe, if you give more than lip-service to God and the Bible, then you don't need a monument; you have it in your heart.
Broadly speaking, I'm very pro religion. I don't have much use for organized religion, personally, but in general, it's a good thing. Almost every religion I've come across, and certainly the Big 3, boil down to: don't be a dick, don't lie, don't steal, don't kill, be nice to people, avoid drugs and alcohol, don't have sex unless you're absolutely prepared to have kids, respect people, and so on. All very good things, things that wouldn't kill more people to try. But then you get into the zelots, and the whole system breaks down. This seqways nicely into my thoughts on gay marriage.
It's well established that the Bible, and by extension God and Jesus, take a very dim view of homosexuality. By most readings, homosexuals go to hell. End of story. Guess what? Gay people know this. You don't have to beat them over the head with the fact that you may consider their whole like to sinful. Gays, for the most part, are not asking the Catholics, or Luthren, or LDS, etc, etc, etc, to suddenly approve of homosexuality, they're asking governments to.
I see three levels, no, let's call them types of marriage, as levels implies a hierarchy, of marriage, each capable of existing with or without any of the others. The first is a 'spiritual' marriage. This is where two people decide that they love each other, and make lifelong commitments to support each other. Weather or not this union is recognized by any religious or secular authority is another question, and irrelavent. These people love each other, and that's all that matters
The second type, is a religious marriage, that is one sancioned by a higher power, weather that be Buddha or God or Jehova or Allah or Kali or Deanna or a thousand other deities. These unions can exist with out without any kind of legal status, and with or without any kind of love or emotion.
The final type is a civil union, which is largely a taxable arrangement anymore.
Every combination of these types of 'marriage' is possible. If you think for a moment, you've probably encountered several combinations in your own life.
The gays have the first type, they mostly don't care about the second, seeing it, I think, as a lost cause for the time being, and are after the third. Just because San Francisco, or New Paltz says these two people are married, does not imperatively mean they love each other, or any sort of deity gives a damn. It's just a monetary situation. gays want to get all the cool financial stuff straight people do: lower taxes, better interest rates and insurance, the right to inherit and all that stuff.
It was asked of me, if they allow gay marriage, since tradition is out the window, why not allow incestual marriage? I say sure, but the problem lies in the semantics of the word 'marriage.' 'Marriage' implies a religious ceremony, so I propose that we leave marriage to refer specifically to that alone, and have the word 'union' apply to any two people who want this tax status to apply to them. There does not need to be any physical love/sex/lust involved, (and if there is, what business is it of yours?) but this could really help people out. As an example, my uncle and grandmother have lived together for many years. My grandmother is divorced and my uncle shows no signs of getting married any time soon, if at all. If the option were open, setting up a 'union' could help them tremendously. (Money is very tight with them.) If would lower their taxes, my uncle would be able to add his mother to his health insurance, and they would have more money in pocket because of lower deductions.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
So, had another drug test at work the other day. That makes two in seven months. I'm seeing some kind of trend here: Store Director leaves (the first for incompetence, the second for screwing the Bakery Manager (rumor, tho widely repeated)), Area Supervisor holds an Emergency Store Meeting, we meet the new Boss Man, pizza is served, then we are all asked to share a few ounces of our urine with the nice man from Occupational Health Services.
It's the last part that gets me.
Now, I have smoked pot, as have large portions of this country, though never regularly and not in several years, so passing the test was not an issue for me, but it still bothered me that they wanted to screen my urine.
{I would like to take the time to mention that pot is fun and enjoyable [if it wasn't, would people smoke it?] and if given the opportunity, I would probably do it again.}
A couple of reasons:
The first is a trust thing. There has to exist a certain amount of trust between employer and employee. I have to trust that my employer will give me the hours I need with respect to my class schedule, will pay a more or less (emphasis on less) fair wage, not intentionally endanger my life, etc.
The Employer should trust that I will execute my duties (more or less) faithfully, show up for work ready to work, not (wantonly) steal from the store, respect the rules and policies in effect, etc.
I have worked there for, as I said, seven months, and have, so I thought, proven myself to be a willing, capable, and trustworthy employee. I have never given them any reason to doubt my sobriety on the job, unlike one or two employees I can think of. So when it comes time to see which peons are tweaking after work, they should say to themselves, "He is a trustworthy employee. We do not need to test him." But they don't. I'm equally suspect as anyone else, which is annoying. What is the point of trying to be a mostly scrupulous person if no one ever believes you?
My soul mate says it not about trust, that it's about all the other people who came before and have ruined for me. But that's exactly about trust. It's not that they are unable to trust me, they are unwilling to.
I don't like not being trusted, especially when I feel I've gone out of my way to be worthy of trust.
The second reason is for broader, political reasons. Some of you may find it strange that I take the time to connect a simple piss test that I'm in no danger, whatsoever, of failing, with national policy, but this is a way that larger issues manifest themselves directly in our lives (or mine at least).
Certain drugs are illegal, others are not, and I find the distinctions arbitrary.
Pot is illegal. Tobacco is not.
Pot is, insofar as I know, not chemically addictive.
Nicotine in tobacco is. I have never heard of any one getting emphysema from pot, though I suppose it's possible with heavy use. Cigarettes kill something like one in three people who use them. See what I mean by arbitrary?
Another fun fact: of all the varied and sundry substances you can become addicted to, alcohol is the only one that can kill you with withdrawal symptoms. That's right, the delirium tremens (DTs) are the only commonly fatal withdrawal out there. Many withdrawals, heroin and cocaine notably, may make you wish you were dead, but only alcohol can kill you if you're an alcoholic and try to quit. And alcohol is the legal drug.
My point to this is, there seems to be no logical reason why some things are illegal, and other are not.
Let's suppose, for a moment, that I'm a HUGE pot-head. Let's say I have trouble paying the bills and am failing my classes for all the time and money I spend on pot. Or Cocaine, or heroin, or meth or pick your drug. Has that effected the company in any way? No. I'm still a reliable person, who keeps his habits at home, and does his job well. Why should they care if I get high after work? I really don't think it any of their business, so long as my personal activities do not interfere with my ability to do my job.
I am not the world's best employee. I slack off like most people, cut corners when I'm feeling lazy and think I can get away with it, and sometimes simply sit behind the register and stare for a while, so don't think I'm coming from some kind of holier than thou stance, but I see a lot of inherent contradictions in this policy.
For example, almost every time I show up for work and one of the Smokers is working, as soon as my till is ready to go, they go outside have a smoke. Often for ten minutes or more. They're outside puffing away, and stuck inside with the customers. I don't mind when there's nothing going on, but frequently, I have a line of three or four people and my coworker is nowhere to be found. As an estimate, I would say that the smoking population at my store loses one-half hour per person per shift due to smoking. Assuming five shifts a week, that's two and a half hours a week per person! Assuming that they make at least as much as I, the math works to approximately $217.50 a month that the company is paying to have people smoke.
And the company is worried that I may be smoking pot.
It's the last part that gets me.
Now, I have smoked pot, as have large portions of this country, though never regularly and not in several years, so passing the test was not an issue for me, but it still bothered me that they wanted to screen my urine.
{I would like to take the time to mention that pot is fun and enjoyable [if it wasn't, would people smoke it?] and if given the opportunity, I would probably do it again.}
A couple of reasons:
The first is a trust thing. There has to exist a certain amount of trust between employer and employee. I have to trust that my employer will give me the hours I need with respect to my class schedule, will pay a more or less (emphasis on less) fair wage, not intentionally endanger my life, etc.
The Employer should trust that I will execute my duties (more or less) faithfully, show up for work ready to work, not (wantonly) steal from the store, respect the rules and policies in effect, etc.
I have worked there for, as I said, seven months, and have, so I thought, proven myself to be a willing, capable, and trustworthy employee. I have never given them any reason to doubt my sobriety on the job, unlike one or two employees I can think of. So when it comes time to see which peons are tweaking after work, they should say to themselves, "He is a trustworthy employee. We do not need to test him." But they don't. I'm equally suspect as anyone else, which is annoying. What is the point of trying to be a mostly scrupulous person if no one ever believes you?
My soul mate says it not about trust, that it's about all the other people who came before and have ruined for me. But that's exactly about trust. It's not that they are unable to trust me, they are unwilling to.
I don't like not being trusted, especially when I feel I've gone out of my way to be worthy of trust.
The second reason is for broader, political reasons. Some of you may find it strange that I take the time to connect a simple piss test that I'm in no danger, whatsoever, of failing, with national policy, but this is a way that larger issues manifest themselves directly in our lives (or mine at least).
Certain drugs are illegal, others are not, and I find the distinctions arbitrary.
Pot is illegal. Tobacco is not.
Pot is, insofar as I know, not chemically addictive.
Nicotine in tobacco is. I have never heard of any one getting emphysema from pot, though I suppose it's possible with heavy use. Cigarettes kill something like one in three people who use them. See what I mean by arbitrary?
Another fun fact: of all the varied and sundry substances you can become addicted to, alcohol is the only one that can kill you with withdrawal symptoms. That's right, the delirium tremens (DTs) are the only commonly fatal withdrawal out there. Many withdrawals, heroin and cocaine notably, may make you wish you were dead, but only alcohol can kill you if you're an alcoholic and try to quit. And alcohol is the legal drug.
My point to this is, there seems to be no logical reason why some things are illegal, and other are not.
Let's suppose, for a moment, that I'm a HUGE pot-head. Let's say I have trouble paying the bills and am failing my classes for all the time and money I spend on pot. Or Cocaine, or heroin, or meth or pick your drug. Has that effected the company in any way? No. I'm still a reliable person, who keeps his habits at home, and does his job well. Why should they care if I get high after work? I really don't think it any of their business, so long as my personal activities do not interfere with my ability to do my job.
I am not the world's best employee. I slack off like most people, cut corners when I'm feeling lazy and think I can get away with it, and sometimes simply sit behind the register and stare for a while, so don't think I'm coming from some kind of holier than thou stance, but I see a lot of inherent contradictions in this policy.
For example, almost every time I show up for work and one of the Smokers is working, as soon as my till is ready to go, they go outside have a smoke. Often for ten minutes or more. They're outside puffing away, and stuck inside with the customers. I don't mind when there's nothing going on, but frequently, I have a line of three or four people and my coworker is nowhere to be found. As an estimate, I would say that the smoking population at my store loses one-half hour per person per shift due to smoking. Assuming five shifts a week, that's two and a half hours a week per person! Assuming that they make at least as much as I, the math works to approximately $217.50 a month that the company is paying to have people smoke.
And the company is worried that I may be smoking pot.
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