March 31, 2004
From Socrates
"My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher. " - Socrates
March 30, 2004
All I Can Say is "Duh!"
Ezra, based on your responses, your top career area is Engineering
Careers in this field often demand that you be exceptionally creative, and think "outside of the box." Enjoying an engineering career means having an insatiable curiosity for figuring out how things work. Having an interest in developing your math and spatial skills helps too. Most likely, you're interested in not just taking things apart but putting them back together again.
March 27, 2004
My Idol Does Too?
From George R. R. Martin's web site:
I have been known to paint a few figures from time to time, usually while "watching" television. (It's odd how many TV shows don't need to be seen to be understood).Back as a wee tyke, I memorized all of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi from records. In high school, I'd turn on the TV and play on the computer at the same time. Even today, I still do this. Crank up the computer to play a game and turn on the TV or a well known movie. I know the parts I want to see and can pause for them.
(Italics added for emphasis
Songs
Started this as a comment to Lacey. However, I think it got a lil too long.
Think a song has done its job when it "connects" with a person. Whether it makes them feel good or bad, it made them feel. People attempt to find meaning in art. This often means that place meaning into the art that probably was not originally there.
Throughout my life, music has been a big part of my life. However, it usually has ended up being in background. Got my first record player at 4 or 5. Had a pretty decent collection of soundtracks and music. Listened to them all the time as I played. Later, this resulted in my listening to music as I walked, rode my bike, studied, or drove.
Find there are songs that remind me of specific points in my life. Those songs looked at critcally do not hold water as original, innovative, or anything truly special. Their specialness has more to do with attachments to my memories. Maybe this is an unfortunate side affect of listening to music as I thought about the past, the present, and the future? There are mnemonic tricks that involve using music. I unwittingly stored these things in my head.
For instance, Better than Ezra's Southern Girl just finished and the whole time I wrote that last paragraph I was thinking about a certain girl my friends know occupied my thoughts around the time I bought the album. I didn't realize why her face was in my head until I stopped to pay attention to the song. Probably why I stopped listening to BTE, huh?
Spring Is In The Air
Had another high school reunion meeting this morning. For the first time, I was not the only guy there. Of course, that did in no way refrain the chat about marriage (who is and who is going to get) and babies (who is pregnant, who is trying, etc.). Find it uproariously funny how these girls I knew in school are so into this stuff. The excitement in their eyes is rather amazing. This whole reunion thing is just kind of an excuse to see their friends.
Topic came up that some people didn't think they should go because they didn't graduate the same year. I pointed out that I didn't graduate until the year later. This was after, of course, one of the girls (who was in my homeroom) tried to make that I graduated a year earlier. Here I thought we had had that conversation a few months ago. Maybe I only thought we had? Dunno.
As I was leaving, I realized that I paid for 2 people. So I guess I better find a date, huh? Nothing like having already spent the money to motivate someone?
Took a drive after the meeting and took lots of pictures. Here are a few.
March 26, 2004
Familiar Face
Saw this woman yesterday at dinner. Knew I knew her face. Could say with certainty that she was in my U.S. History class my freshman year. She was the only other person in the class with any understanding of U.S. History besides the prof.
Kills me that I could not recall her name. Okay, admittedly it was just the one class almost 10 years ago. Still...
It will bug me from now until I figure it out.
Microsoft Grammar
Are my rules of grammar totally off? Are you not allowed to have more than 4 items in a list? For example:
The Luminis portal could fully replace broad stroke email lists like the Announcements, Community Announcements, Faculty, Staff, Students, and Activities lists.[image]Word wants:
The Luminis portal could fully replace broad stroke email lists like the Announcements, Community Announcements, and Faculty, Staff, Students, and Activities lists.If I remove 2 items to a total of 4, then it is okay. Definitely think there needs to be a reference to something or the ability to switch between various writing styles.
March 23, 2004
I'm Cheap
Just cooked and delivered a TV dinner to a co-worker for $0.50.
March 20, 2004
Price Dropping
One of the defining series I did not get to see as a kid for impressing me concerning anime was Robotech. Elitists consider Robotech to be cheap crap compared to the originals. Two originals,Macross (Box 1 of 3) and Southern Cross. are coming down in price? Only $189 for Macross instead of the $300 I saw about year ago. At this rate I might buy it next year!! Woohoo!
March 19, 2004
Mouse Potato
The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.
Can't type
Can't type:
[10:46] sneezypb: very add reversal for me
[10:47] sneezypb: add menat to be off
[10:47] sneezypb: odd even
World View
Something I find odd (mostly because I have so few examples by which I can compare others having the experience) is the propensity I have for attracting women from other countries over the Internet. Don't really understand why they contact me. Have my suspicions, of course.
In that I like to learn about other cultures, this is an awesome experience. Have talked to women from England, Italy, France, Singapore, Phillipines, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, and Israel. Wait... does Canada count? It is not like I have all that many on my contact list... maybe 15 on a IM list of 170.
A few don't talk to me anymore when I made it clear that I was not interested in getting married. Doubt it was that they were after me as a "rich" American husband potential. Just that my callous, gruff way of making it clear was offensive.
Think the experience of talking to these women online has enriched my understanding of the world and world-wide views of American politics. Nothing occurs in a vaccum; yet we Americans want to pretend that elections here are a private, internal matter. The world is watching.
March 17, 2004
Diplomat?
Just had a wild thought. Join the U.S. Foreign Service!!! Specifically, Consular Affairs.
Consular Officers:
- acquire expertise in local laws, economic conditions, political situation and culture to make informed and rapid decisions affecting US citizens abroad
- help American citizens obtain emergency medical assistance
- evacuate American citizens as disasters or armed conflicts require
- visit arrested Americans and ensure they have access to legal counsel
- screen foreign visa applicants and decide whether to issue or deny them entry into the the U.S.
St. Patrick's
Didn't wear green. People are going to want to pinch me. It really is less hit than miss whether or not I actually wear green on St. Pat's. Just not a holiday for me. Do not see what exactly I get out of participating. No benefit => no motivation => lack of participation.
I will get over it. See! Already have!
March 16, 2004
Not My Brother's Keeper
Apparently, I am the person to contact when people need to contact my brother. People at school, people at work, even our mother call or email me when they wish to contact him. Weird.
Red Flower
Lacey rawks!! She gave me a copy of this flower to use as my wallpaper. See more.
March 15, 2004
Personal Mission Statements
From the daily musings of a professor I know:
Having a Personal Mission Statement is not about being better than anyone else; it's about being better, slowly, day by day, inch by inch, than I once was. It's my power of intention. It's my inspiration. That is, it's my energy source that grabs me and carries me along wherever and whenever it wishes without consulting me. It's my motivation. That is, it's my driving force to go out there and do whatever it takes. It's my connection with my unique potential--whatever that may be--to become significant rather than merely successful.My answers:...
Who am I? What is my life about? What do I stand for? What am I capable of? How do I get where I want to go? How do I live the answer? What's holding me back and how do I get it off my back?
Who am I? My name is Inigo Montonya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. Or something like that... Seriously? Uh... right.... hrrmmmmmmmmmmm... I am this guy who does stuff and helps people with stuff.Guess in the end, I am not inspired and thus not motivated. Any area of my life which does have this is work. Maybe that is why I spend to much time there. There I have goals, I have dreams, and plans to make those dreams a reality.What is my life about? Stumbling through events day to day. Hopefully, things will turn out better at then end.
What do I stand for? More of a lounger than a stander.
What am I capable of? Messing up computers, messing up friendships, making an idiot of myself in social situations.
How do I get where I want to go? Processing....
How do I live the answer? Inaction by too much processing.
What's holding me back and how do I get it off my back? Uncertainties in not having made any decisions.
Outside of work, I just vegetate, watch some movies, and wait for things to happen.
This is the part where I am supposed to resolve to change all that, right? Yeah.... uh, right. Okay. Probably not at this time.
March 14, 2004
Getting To Know People
Some people are uncomfortable on the Internet. The lack of seeing the face of the person to which one is typing makes it hard to gauge their response to one's quips. Of course, the facial expressionless person that I am, that actually helps. I don't have to feign the expressions I wish to convey.
Find it very interesting that there are more people online with which I regularly talk than face-to-face.
This is not a new thing experience for me. Over the years I have gotten better at exhibiting appropriate body language. Guess that has made me into a bad Internet friend as I don't hang out online talking to strangers constantly. The job working online has also made me less inclined to hang out an chat as I used to do.
Now, I have a few people that I like to see. I have some 150+ people in my IM contact lists. Probably should weed it?
March 13, 2004
Server Is Down
Got a call that my servers are down. Came into the office to check out the problem. 175,000 lines of the same error in the logs since 10:34 AM (just one of the 2). Yikes!! Stopped the web server and restarted it. The errors stopped. Since the unix gurus wanted it rebooted so patches would take effect and the web server had been up and down all day anyway because of the above problem, I rebooted both servers.
Problem.
They are not coming back up. Lots of phone calls. No one seems to be around. Don't know what is wrong enough to fix it. Guess I need to learn more about this side of things so that I can fix the messes that happen.
March 10, 2004
Bought this shirt almost a
Bought this shirt almost a year ago. First wore it today.
The blue truck!!
Blog It Forward Day
A couple blogs I read (gigglechick and Pixie With A Crash Helpmet mentioned this. So I thought I would participate.
Here are my offerings...
Lay-C - a dear friend and world traveler.
JetGirl - met her on Friendster and followed to other social networks. Pretty random.
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
Just want it out in the open. Not eating during the day makes me more than a little stupid at times. Throw in a rush to get things done. Forget to pay attention to details. Cute little tricks software pull make an idiot out of me.
Hate looking like an idiot.
March 08, 2004
Religion Vs. Science
With all the controversy lately, one might get the impression that scientists and theologians have centuries of animosity towards each other. Perhaps. However, it more has to do with (I think) that they are 2 sides of the same coin.
Science comes from philosophy. Philosophical discussions from the Greeks to the Renaissance often discussed the nature & behavior of humans, fauna, flora, celestial bodies, and even rocks. Everything in nature was fair game and was often called "natural philosophy". This separation was to separate it from the philosophy discussing the supernatural (ie God or gods).
Philosophy comes from religious discourse. The earliest known philosophers in the Western lineage attempted to explain how the world worked beyond supernatural influence. Even in the Dark Ages, Christians learned attempted to combine Epicurean, Aristotlean, and Platonic philosophy with Scripture.
So science and religion are related.
In many cases, they are complimentary. Science has helped give credibility to stories told in the Bible. Underwater archaeology has lent substantial credibility to the Great Flood story recently by discovering cities at the bottom of the Black Sea. Anthropology has linked similar versions of the Great Flood story to most cultures all over the world.
However, as in all areas based on formulating conclusions about the way things are, scientific theories can come into conflict with religious theories. In almost all cases, this has more to do with the assumptions made prior to seeing the other side. If I assume that Genesis in the Bible is word-for-word exactly what happened in creating the world, then many scientific theories are just not possible. However, if I change my assumption to Genesis relates a story that God created the universe and man, then the scientific theories are complimentary to Genesis. There is nothing in the Big Bang theory that precludes God from being the impetus.
The balancing organization of the universe lends credence, I think, to some kind of powerful influence. Perhaps it is possible that an unstable universe would collapse back upon itself and not result in the formation of life. Dealing with infinites leads to infinite possibilities. Guess it makes me feel good to think God is there to keep it all in check?
In the end, science needs morality. Religion can provide it. In exchange, science can provide religion corresponding evidence to confirm that the universe is indeed a gorgeous place full of wonderful mysteries for tiny, tiny life forms on a tiny, tiny planet at the edge of a mediocre galaxy at the edge of a vast universe.
March 06, 2004
Copyright
Lately, I have been reading The Dream of Reason by Anthony Gottlieb. Have really enjoyed the book and found it fascinating to read about the evolution of philosophy. Find it interesting how many contemporary scientific laws had their origins in the musings of Greeks thousands of years before the laws we use today.
The building upon the works of predecessors and tweaking for the improvement of the idea into something more palatable is apparent throughout the processes. This is the foundation of both science and art. Intellectual property provided to the world for dissemination. Of course, a contemporary version of this is blogging. Bloggers steal from other bloggers. Guys use blogs to get chicks. (Riiiggghhhhttt)
In this day and age, we have people trying to cultivate an environment of control over intellectual property. Governments censor research. Media companies want digital rights management over content created in their studios even while the artists signed to work with them release mix tapes in the underground.
If the past has taught us anything, then I would say that control over information (aka Intellectual Property) has caused dark ages. The Dark Ages we refer to was a time when Greek learning was under the thumb of the monasteries and abbeys. They controlled its distribution and interpretation. The Renaissance ended this by tapping into the Arab controlled works and inventing the printing press to make these works more accessible. Hopefully, we will soon have a Second Renaissance?
March 04, 2004
March 02, 2004
Left Handed Picture Taking
Why do I take pictures with my left hand?
Birthday Shoutout
What to give a happy birthday shoutout to my idol...Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel
Biracial In America
Great article from the Youth Desk at the Baha'i National Center on surviving as mixed in America.
Being Biracial in America
It is pretty obvious I chose the "white" culture. This fact frustrates my African-American Studies auntie, I know.
Weird Thought
This morning, as I was pulling stuff out of the dryer, I thought I should invite the nicer of my friends to wash their clothes at my houes. Then I looked at the living room and realized why that is a bad idea.
March 01, 2004
Open Letter To Callers
Don't call me after 10 PM unless it is an emergency. As ugly as I am, "beauty sleep" is a must.
Thanks,
The Management
Pain Thresholds
Don't like to admit when I hurt.
Dad told a story to the guy across the street about how when I fell down he would slap the ground and exclaim, "Bad ground!" Might explain my tendencies to get hurt and get up for more. Used to skin knees, elbows, and shins so much so that even to this day those parts of my body are much, much darker.
On the otherhand, I was never a true daredevil so I rarely broke bones. Just the once. Was not scared to do stupid things. Just held off on things I didn't think I could do. Of course, I didn't get into many fights. Just used my size to intimidate.
When I get sick, I rarely let people know. Have walked around for days with a sinous infection without telling anyone. Once, I went to the doc only after taking a test. Turns out I had a 104 fever. I probably was delusional and should not have even been driving.