inajeep's Brain Dump

Cloudy fall in NJ

2011-10-24T08:42:00.001-04:00

Cloudy fall in NJ
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Cold is coming and it feels great. The boys are ice skating and work is still here. I look forward to going to Disney next month.

New twin 27" acer led LCD displays

2011-06-09T22:19:00.001-04:00

New twin 27" acer led LCD displays
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

And the new LCDs are in. I don't need to double up displays. I may once my old desktop is regulated to something else. Perhaps keep a 19".

New Desktop Dell 8300

2011-05-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

Finally ordered a new desktop. I decided against a new laptop because it can still handle my remote duties and I wanted something more powerful at home to work on video/photo and development. iMac was too expensive for the same specs. Mac Pro was WAY to expensive.

Intel i7-2600, 8GB memory, 1TB HDD, BLu-Ray burner, ATI 5670 1GB video, wireless card Wnn7 64BIT

I wanted to get the XPS 9100 for exandablitiy, faster CPU but the price was too high. I would have to sacrifice, RAM, Blu-Ray, an extra year of warranty and possibly video card.

Quantity	Item Number	Description

1	225-0125	XPS 8300
1	317-6080	XPS 8300 Intel Core i7-2600 processor(8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)
1	317-5786	8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz - 4x2GB
1	331-0659	Dell Consumer Multimedia Keyboard
1	320-7810	No Monitor
1	320-1786	ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB GDDR5
1	342-2007	1TB Serial ATA 2 Hard Drive 7200 RPM
1	421-4337	Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
1	420-6576	DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1	330-6097	You have chosen a Windows 7 System
1	420-6436	PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1	318-0455	Windows Live Wave 4
1	421-0756	SKYPE VOIP Software Application
1	421-4652	Dell Support Center 3
1	420-9841	Cozi-Calendar
1	331-1418	Dell Resource DVD with Application Backup
1	421-3645	Basic Stage
1	420-9691	DataSafe Local BackUp
1	330-1158	Dell USB 6-Button Laser Mouse
1	430-3775	Standard USB 2.0 + 10/100/1000 Ethernet
1	313-3607	No Dial Up Modem Requested for Dell Dimension
1	410-1867	ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE
1	318-0357	Blu-ray 8X BD-R, DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
1	421-4542	Roxio Creator Starter,No Media
1	421-3609	Power DVD 9.5, BD
1	421-9898	THX TruStudio PC
1	313-6138	No Speaker Requested
1	430-3922	Dell 1501 WLAN PCIe card
1	410-9449	McAfee Platinum, 15 Month, MUI
1	410-0451	Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student, English
1	938-3320	Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Extended Year
1	938-3310	Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Initial Year
1	938-3400	Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, 1 Year Extended
1	938-3390	Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, Initial Year
1	950-3338	2 Year Limited Warranty
1	902-0931	Warranty Support, 1 Year Extended
1	960-8700	Warranty Support, Initial Year
1	420-8878	Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement
1	421-4356	Software, DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB
1	988-0099	To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online
1	927-2357	DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB
1	330-0172	S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Desktops

suffolk UK coast

2011-02-08T08:50:00.001-05:00

suffolk UK coast
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

I miss England. I want to go back and visit for a bit longer to see more.

frosty jeep

2011-01-20T13:45:00.001-05:00

frosty jeep
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Doors off, windows out
Top down anytime of the year
Only In a Jeep

two year old apple mac book pro battery expansion

2010-10-17T21:26:00.001-04:00

two year old apple mac book pro battery expansion
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

A few months ago my wife's mac book pro wasn't sitting properly on the table because the battery bulged out. Then the battery discharged suddenly. So we bought a new battery and left the old on on her desk. Take a look at it now. I have batteries from many other manufactures and none of them ever did this. Nothing was done to pry this thing apart either. The battery appears to have held a 3/4 charge too. I'm going to loo into finding a way of discharging it safely and disposing of the battery.

1 2 3 4 Count the digg list articles

2010-09-16T23:54:00.002-04:00

1 2 3 4
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Every other day I check Digg to see how things are coming along. Upcoming is back, good. Now take a look at upcoming. Why does Upcoming remind me of a woman's magazine? Oh all the top ## lists posing as articles. These upcoming have between 50 or 60 diggs already. Thankfully I can click the x in the upper right of the listing and they seem to stay out of the list. Here is an example of Upcoming 'Entertainment" articles and their diggs on the first page.

5 weirdest game shot contestants - 49
9 suckiest movies - 43
5 actresses good at playing dumb - 43
Top 10 best dan cook jokes - 36
15 songs celebrating nerd girls - 32
20 child stars who have been arrested - 30

The categories I checked had at least a few of these top number lists. My loyalty is hanging on by a thread. Speaking of which. Threads and discussions are broken still. Here is a poorly written and hastily sent feedback to digg.

"Are you planning on fixing the commenting issues? IE I am unable to follow a threaded discussion easily from either my own list of comments or contacts. Followers messages are not linked to so I have to hunt them down in the thread itself. Not as bad as it could be since not many posts are occurring any longer. Catch 22 maybe? Still I have to wonder if it was a conscience decision to make it more difficult to continue discussions on digg as it does not ad to page views. Even when I click on my comment 9 times out of 10 it links to the story with NO comments listed, not even mine so I have to go through all comments to find it. I keep coming back to see if things are fixed. The color of the feedback form is blue while you did fix the threaded comments, we will call that one even. The upcoming is back but not working like it used to because the recommended is missing as well as All submitted. Crashes are at a minimum the article quality seems to be continuing the downward trend. I see crap in Science section that isn't science nor any way to bury or report it. Please tell me these things will be fixed, not considered or addressed then I will see if it is worth it to be here."

Update: Looks like they fixed your own comments partially. I can see them easily, with diggs but not if they have a reply (unless none of mine do, which is a good possibility). Still can not see contacts diggs summary or comments.

View from Joe's Deck

2010-09-14T15:45:00.001-04:00

View from Joe's Deck
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

I am back from visiting Joe in Oregon/Washington. I had a wonderful time visiting a couple of breweries and the food they serve. I am jealous of what is there versus what is near me. The mountains, river, trees, beer, food and houses. I wish I could move my family out there.

The plane rides were memorable. I am kicking myself figuratively though. On the way there I flew over a lightning storm for 15 minutes. I was amazed at the sheer beauty of it and the number of time lightning was strobing within the clouds. I counted 5-10 per second. I didn't see the lightning most times, just the clouds illuminated from within. The plane was a good distance from the majority of it. I did see a plane fly by in the opposite direction very close if not right above the storm. That must have been a sight.

Swollen apple

2010-09-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

My wife's MacBook Pro is almost 3 years old. She noticed that the laptop no longer was level on the table and mentioned it to me. Upon turning it over I found that the battery was not seated right, I removed it and noticed that the damn thing was pregnant. I looked around for some amorous energizers or litium-ion batteries but found none. For the last month we both noticed that the battery would heat up more than normal and not shut down with a warning, it would die so we knew the battery was in need of replacement. The swelling battery is more of a concern so I put it in a corner and waiting for the expectant mother to pass whatever is crammed up in it. Searching online I find it is a common issue and one that Apple refuses to recall or address. We seem to have gotten a lot more life out of the $160 battery than others who see just over a year of use before the immaculate conception takes place which for some magical reason is just past the warranty is over. I was not surprised. I am looking to get some sort of chastity belt for our current virgin battery that may curb any divine dry humping.

boiling angry at new digg 4.0

2010-08-26T15:43:00.002-04:00

boiling
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Digg.com is a news aggregation site. I go there to get news from a lot of different sources. The social aspect allows you to discuss the events and follow contacts who most often submit news stories from various sites that I don't frequent. I have been an active member for about 4 years. Digg started off mostly posting tech related information. It branched out to many different topics. Religion, politics, science, sports, entertainment , funny stuff etc. I enjoyed finding sites, news and commenting on the articles. Now Digg released a new watered down version catering to publishers. A hand full of sites get front billing. I am going to submit my blog article when I am done writing this as a test. I have submitted 38 articles from news sites the previous 8 years and none have made it past 20 diggs. Supposedly the new site improves submission. The new site looks like facebook removed the ability to bury a story and reduced the number of options and categories. I am a minimalists at heart but this design change takes so much away that it is now nothing like what made it a useful site.

What Digg has done is made finding stories that were not sponsored or submitted by your contacts difficult if not impossible to find. Reaction so far has been hostile and whiny. I try to keep both of those traits out of my comments. It is difficult. Especially since the roll out went so poorly due to broken features. Feedback and reporting bugs never worked for me. When the dust settles if nothing is changed I will head over to reddit as it is another site I get my news from.

Make the right decision Digg and go back to the last version and review the decisions you made.

my favorite rock

2010-07-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

my favorite rock
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

The kids had a ball at the poconos. I missed cousins/aunts and uncles due to my work schedule.

inside norwich cathedral

2010-07-22T09:59:00.001-04:00

inside norwich cathedral
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

We had a wonderful trip to England. This picture was one of my favorites but their were many many more. I wish I had more time and a tripod to see this cathedral. It was the most beautiful church I have ever been in.

top of the eye

2010-07-09T15:51:00.001-04:00

top of the eye
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

2nd day of tourism in London complete. tomorrow we head to norwich.

London has been warmer than normal without the humidity but it made for a warm trip so far. No rain yet.

Day 4 of my 360 gone quiet

2010-06-28T09:19:00.000-04:00

No video. No Modern Warfare 2. I bought a game for my PS3 but I can't bring myself to put it in.

Game Stop is out of the new 360s so I can't even pretend that I was about to buy one.

My outing with my eldest son on Father's Day

2010-06-24T13:31:00.001-04:00

20100620_01682
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

We went to the bird sanctuary in Stone Harbor which didn't turn up many birds. A hawk was wheeling around when we first pulled up and never reappeared. We ended up back at the Wetlands's Institute which I enjoyed a lot. I got to use my new lens briefly but I need to get out more to find the sweet spot.

Lab settings

2010-05-27T11:03:00.001-04:00

wut? I fit.
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Normal: Tail wagging side to side slowly
Happy: Tail whipping side to side enough to dent thin metal and bruise shins
Very Happy: Tail propellers in a circle enough to hover hind quarters off the ground 1/4 of an inch.
Has a new toy/bone: Tail is very unpredictable due to the hind quarters swiveling along with a mixture of Happy and Very Happy.

glass post two

2010-05-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

I think I am settling on the 70-200mm L f/4 lens. I verified that my 1.4x extender will work well with it.

I'd love to get the IS version or even the F2.8 version but the cost goes up exponentially. With the addition of IS or better aperture.

Oh the humanity

2010-05-13T16:11:00.000-04:00

Trolling is like a warehouse full of anally retentive obsessive compulsives locked in with the world's largest Rube goldburg machine somewhere near a fault line and the troll has a working Tesla's oscillator.

glass shopping

2010-05-13T12:13:00.002-04:00

goat lips
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Since we are heading to the UK this summer for vacation, my need for a telezoom becomes more necessary. I am considering the Tamron 18-250mm ~$350 cheap, great range but weak in low light and distortions in the upper part of the 250mm.

The other option is the canon 70-200mm f/4L series. ~600 great lens in low light, good range, lighter than he IS version so but is still on the long side.

I'm leaning towards the more expensive glass since I can see it being a good lens to carry around. L series, good range coupled with my 1.4x extender with good low light ability. It's isn't the 2.8L but f4 across the range is much better than the 5.6 or 6.3 on the cheaper versions.

NJ GOP Gov cuts education

2010-05-06T10:22:00.004-04:00

Yep, cut education you fricking idiot. How else will you be able to keep your party in their seats in the future? Now they want to base pay raises on student's grades! Those same lazy students whose parents could care less about them? Those teachers lucky enough to get in schools that have kids that want to learn and have the resources to teach properly will do well and those teachers with no resources, distracted and uncaring students/parents will get the shaft. I described the GOP's results perfectly. Maybe they think this is the right thing to do to help but it didn't in the past with unfunded No child left behind and won't in the future.

Here are some NJ.com headlines...

Legislature should fight back, not let Gov. Chris Christie weaken New Jersey's Supreme Court

N.J. public employee unions are used as scapegoats during difficult economy, budget crisis

Environmental agency, Gov. Christie discuss privatizing N.J. forests, parks

Gov. Christie signs controversial zoning law in effort to make N.J. more business friendly

N.J. town, school officials vent about budget cuts, property tax hikes

Gov. Chris Christie draws sharp criticism on decision to not reappoint N.J. Supreme Court Justice Wallace

Christie is an utter bottom feeder with the GOP mindset. I will be waiting patiently till he is voted out by the next Gov who has to come in and fix everything he breaks. I wonder what skeletons he has in his closet.

Drag and drop attachments onto messages - Official Gmail Blog

2010-04-15T15:09:00.000-04:00

Drag and drop attachments onto messages - Official Gmail Blog

Whoo ho just like Lotus Notes!

growing

2010-04-08T15:03:00.001-04:00

20100404_01203
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Our minds grow like our bodies. You change your perspective as you grow older. Am I like the person I was 30 years ago? 20? Yes and no. I think about things I never considered before and worry about different matters. Politics never concerned me even in my 30's but now I listen and consider. Religion too comes under consideration. I wish I had the inquisitiveness I do now back in school.

As I'm growing up I have regressed too, gaming is taking up a good part of my time. It is an escape of the every day low testosterone life that many many many have. I am not looking to go sky diving or base jumping but the false thrill I get at game is enough to satisfy any urge that builds up over time. One other benefit I get in gaming is interacting with my online friends as I'd rather play a shooter with a bunch of friends than an excellent single player game. Time to get back to reality though, the rut I was talking about last post is still there. I have dialed back my gaming some. Come May that may change due to a very popular game that is due to beta.

Stuck in a cycle

2010-04-02T11:55:00.005-04:00

My internet usage seems to be stuck in a cycle. Check google home page, blogs stored there, check digg /reddit and finally check email accounts. Repeat. I feel almost OCD in that nature. I don't do anything else on my laptop. I don't learn a new language or refresh my other skills. My flickr account is suffering as I almost didn't renew because most of my latest photos are from my cell phone.

I need to push myself to start transferring video tape to file and backing up my files. Get ready to change the OS in my desktop, learn PHP, do something photos like my own site....

I need motivation or a muse.

roots removed

2010-04-01T15:32:00.001-04:00

roots removed
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Putting the final step of my root canal off came to a bad conclusion. No excuse since I had the roughest part already done. The cap was never put on and the nail they stuck in with the hardware fell out last year. It finally started giving me trouble a few weeks ago so I had the remnants removed. It was done in 2 minutes. Just a local no anesthesia.

Crazy or Disciplined?

2010-03-02T20:45:00.002-05:00

A Muslim, a Christian, and a crazy guy walk into a room. The one thing you can know for sure is that at least two out of three of them organize their lives around things that aren't real. And that's the best case scenario. Atheists would say all three have some explaining to do. And atheists are the minority, which is the very definition of abnormal.

- Scott Adams

snow

2010-02-09T15:37:00.001-05:00

snow blowing
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

More is coming! Since I'm working from home it won't effect me too much.

Where is my neck in this photo? Damn.

I'm addicted to the damn Cadillac commercial's song. 1901 - Pheonix. I barely can understand the words but I just like the melody. I bought the iTunes song.

Heading to the poconos this weekend, more snow - the snow blower. Weeee!

kindle

2009-12-29T14:48:00.001-05:00

kindle
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Got a Kindle for xmas. I was a little worried about it's DRM and the size of the screen. However, in using it the size of the screen is not an issue. The text is crisp and I'm getting a kick out of the photos it leaves on the screen when turned off. eink needs power only to change and not maintain the text. Therefore it is very good on battery life. I imagine if I turned off the free Whispernet cellular it would last even longer. Speaking of the wireless connection, you can browse the Amazon shop and download books from anywhere which is fantastic. However, if you want to put your own books/pdfs on it, the process is a bothersome along with a kink that costs money. In order to get your own pdf on your kindle you must email it to a @kindle.com address that is assigned to your Kindle from a pre-setup email address. So far no issue. However, to deliver it, a small charge of .15 for a two page pdf was placed on my account. Hrmmmm. It's not the cost but the idea of charging me to put my own content on my own device is what I do not like. The newer DX doesn't use this method. After a bit of research (using the Help section) I found if you sent the pdf to the @free.kindle.com version of your address it would convert it and allow you to dl it for free to transfer it to your kindle via usb. Thank you DRM/Pirates for making me jump through hoops to get my own content on my Kindle.

That aside, I am enjoying my Kindle which I attribute to the particular series I found online and am currently reading.

My first download I made(The Origin of Species plus other books from Charles Darwin for $5) which was tied to my wife's account due to the ordering process is still available on my Kindle even though I transferred it to my son's Kindle. That may change when he actually sets his up. I will rebuy it if it does since he is interested in biology anyway.

ebooks leads to another conundrum. You lose the ability to lend the book outside of lending the entire device while gaining space by not having the physical books. I can read everything on my computer but in order to get a new ereader (ie a color or bigger one) I'd need to stick with a Kindle. FU DRM.

4 watches per container?

2009-11-10T09:07:00.001-05:00

4 watches per box?
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Holy wasteful packaging batman. I normally don't even think about product packaging being wasteful unless I'm trying to open a toy or something triple wrapped in plastic with tie downs, tape and plastic molded protectors but who ever packaged these watches hates trees. I mean really hates them. Huge unnecessarily big cardboard holders. A huge display for only 4 watches so shipping a large amount of watches means tons of huge cardboard boxes.

warm rich red flowing down the gutters

2009-11-09T21:16:00.001-05:00

warm rich red
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Tonight I go in and pick up Modern Warfare 2 formerly Call of Duty.

I'm killing time waiting for a midnight run that I promised I'd stop after ODST. This is the last time, I swear.

camera phone pics

2009-10-22T21:28:00.001-04:00

1021091155a.jpg
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

I just realized that most of my pics lately have been my camera phone. I need to take the time to bring my canon with me again.

Dr. Carl Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot

2009-10-14T15:18:00.002-04:00

We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space] , and, if you look at it, you
see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity - in all this vastness - there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from
ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

2009-09-24T13:21:00.003-04:00

When I was a teenage I worried more and maybe even thought too much. It effected me and got me upset for no reason other than these false scenarios I build up in my head. I had no way of separating myself from them and not feel the anger or worry. I wouldn't take it to the next step which would be to plan contingencies so I started forcing myself to stop worrying and it gave me a more positive laid back attitude. It may have saved me a few years till a heart attack or ulcer. The downside is that I don't plan ahead enough and my thoughts seem to be more haphazard. ADD-like.

cigar store indian

2009-09-24T10:44:00.001-04:00

cigar store indian
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

This guy sits in my favorite cigar store walk in humidor. Every time my peripheral vision hits him, I get startled. I'm not sure why. The stern expression or the belief I am alone in the humidor maybe a bit of both. Perhaps the eyebrows remind me of my father who passed away. Add a salt and pepper goatee and a nose job and it would be a close call. Lose the headdress.

Lunatic fringe is now an infestation

2009-09-10T13:10:00.002-04:00

Is there any subject you can have a discussion about that doesn't include some sort of ass biting point of view that uses no logic, rational thought or knowledge on? My favorite topics are out of bounds any more. I get tired of trying to talk about them.

I love technology/computers/programming... Mac vs PC, Programming language vs programming language,
I love video games. Microsoft vs Sony vs Nintendo, game title vs game title(some not even on the same console) ie Halo vs KillZone.
I like Politics. R vs D vs I vs middle ground
I like Space. moon landing deniers vs NASA
I look at religion. Atheists vs Theologist

Each camp has varying degrees of support. I get tired of one type of conversation and move on to the next. Is it any wonder why people of like minds group together so they can each agree with each other, pat each other on the back and then eventually get into arguments about the finer details of a subject.

What is really starting to annoy me are those who fly in the fact of reason will deny hard evidence, convincing arguments stick with logical fallacies no matter what. Have they always been out there and just didn't have a medium to communicate with? Why are they getting so much attention? When someone with not accreditation makes an outrages claim, why are they so roundly argued with? The argument decibel level seems to give both sides more fuel and credit therefore it becomes news. News that is pushed with obvious and not so obvious intent. More than viewership, rating and interest but an underlying agenda for their own gains.

spring

2009-09-09T09:33:00.001-04:00

spring
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

The end of a summer. A bit of sparkle and smoke. I hope my wife's ankle heals and she has a spring in her step this holiday.

Happy 9-9-09

Toast Face

2009-09-03T10:59:00.001-04:00

Pareidolia (pronounced /pærɪˈdoʊliə/) is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse. The word comes from the Greek para- ("beside", "with", or "alongside"—meaning, in this context, something faulty or wrong (as in paraphasia, disordered speech)) and eidolon ("image"; the diminutive of eidos ("image", "form", "shape")). Pareidolia is a type of apophenia.

Advice from the internets

2009-09-02T08:49:00.001-04:00

Advice to Young Men from an Old Man
1. Don't pick on the weak. It's immoral. Don't antagonize the strong without cause, its stupid.
2. Don't hate women. It's a waste of time
3. Invest in yourself. Material things come to those that have self actualized.
4. Get in a fistfight, even if you are going to lose.
5. As a former Marine, take it from me. Don't join the military, unless you want to risk getting your balls blown off to secure other people's economic or political interests.
6. If something has a direct benefit to an individual or a class of people, and a theoretical, abstract, or amorphous benefit to everybody else, realize that the proponent's intentions are to benefit the former, not the latter, no matter what bullshit they try to feed you.
7. Don't be a Republican. They are self-dealing crooks with no sense of honor or patriotism to their fellow citizens. If you must be a Republican, don't be a 'conservative.' They are whining, bitching, complaining, simple-minded self-righteous idiots who think they're perpetual victims. Listen to talk radio for a while, you'll see what I mean.
8. Don't take proffered advice without a critical analysis. 90% of all advice is intended to benefit the proponent, not the recipient. Actually, the number is probably closer to 97%, but I don't want to come off as cynical.
9. You'll spend your entire life listening to people tell you how much you owe them. You don't owe the vast majority of people shit.
10. Don't undermine your fellow young men. Mentor the young men that come after you. Society recognizes that you have the potential to be the most power force in society. It scares them. Society does not find young men sympathetic. They are afraid of you, both individually and collectively. Law enforcement's primary purpose is to suppress you.
11. As a young man, you're on your own. Society divides and conquers. Unlike women who have advocates looking out for them (NOW, Women's Study Departments, government, non-profit organizations, political advocacy groups) almost no one is looking out for you.
12. Young men provide the genius and muscle by which our society thrives. Look at the Silicone Valley. By in large, it was not old men or women that created the revolution we live. Realize that society steals your contributions, secures it with our intellectual property laws, and then takes credit and the rewards where none is due.
13. Know that few people have your best interests at heart. Your mother does. Your father probably does (if he stuck around). Your siblings are on your side. Everybody else worries about themselves.
14. Don't be afraid to tell people to 'Fuck off' when need be. It is an important skill to acquire. As they say, speak your piece, even if your voice shakes.
15. Acquire empathy, good interpersonal skills, and confidence. Learn to read body language and non-verbal communication. Don't just concentrate on your vocational or technical skills, or you'll find your wife fucking somebody else.
16. Keep fit.
17. Don't speak ill of your wife/girlfriend. Back her up against the world, even if she's wrong. She should know that you have her back. When she needs your help, give it. She should know that you'll take her part.
18. Don't cheat on your wife/girlfriend. If you must cheat, don't humiliate her. Don't risk having your transgressions come back to her or her friends. Don't do it where you live. Don't do it with people in your social circle. Don't shit in your own back yard.
19. If your girlfriend doesn't make you feel good about yourself and bring joy to your life, fire her. That's what girlfriends are for.
20. Don't bother with 'emotional affairs.' They are just a vehicle for women to flirt and have someone make them feel good about themselves. That's the part of a relationship they want. For you it is a lot of work and investment in time. If they are having an emotional affair with you, they're probably fucking someone else.
21. Becoming a woman's friend and confidant is not going to get you into an intimate relationship. If you haven't gotten the girl within a reasonably short period of time, chances are you won't ever get her. She'll end up confiding to you about the sexual adventures she's having with someone else.
22. Have and nurture friendships with women.
23. Realize that love is a numbers game. Guys fall in love easily. You're going to see some girl and feel like you'll die if you don't get her. If she rejects you, move on to the next one. It's her loss.
24. Don't be an internet troll. Got out and live life. There is not a cadre of beautiful women advertising on Craigslist to have NSA sex with you. Beautiful women don't need to advertise. The websites that advertise with attractive women's photos and claims of loneliness are baloney. All they want is your money and your personal information so that they can market to you. The posts on Craigslist by young 'women' seeking NSA sex, and asking for a picture are just a bunch of gay troll pic collectors. This is especially true if the post uses common gay lexicon like 'hole' as in 'fuck my hole' or seeks 'masculine' men, or uses the word cock (except in the context of 'Don't send a cock shot.') There are women on Craigslist. They are easily recognizable by their 2-5 paragraph postings. Most are in their 30's or older.
25. When you become a man in full, know that people will get in your way. People who are attracted to you will somehow manage to step in your path. Gay guys will give you 'the look.' Old people will somehow stumble in front of you at the worst time. Don't get frustrated. Just step aside and go about your business. Know that these are passive aggressive methods to get you to acknowledge their existence.
26. Don't gay bash. Don't mentally or physically abuse people because of who they are, or how they present themselves. It's none of your business to try to intimidate people into conformity.
27. If your gay, admit it to yourself, your parents, your friends and society at large. Be prepared to get harassed. See rule 14. If someone threatens you or assaults you, call the cops. Have them arrested. You have no obligation to self sacrifice because of who you are. As a gay person, you'll have more social freedom than straight men. Use it to protect yourself. Be prepared to get out of Dodge if your orientation makes your life unbearable. Move to San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, or New Orleans. You'll find a welcoming community there.
28. Don't be a poser. Avoid being one of those dudes who puts a surfboard on top of their car, but never surfs, or a dude with a powder coated fixed gear bike and a messenger bag, but was never a messenger. Live the life. Earn your bona fides.
29. Don't believe the crap about the patriarchy. More women are accepted and attend college. More degrees are awarded to women than men. Women outlive men. More men commit suicide. Men are twice as likely to be victims of violence, including murder. If you consider sexual assaults in prisons, twice as many men are raped as women (society thinks prison rape is funny). The streets are littered with homeless men, sprinkled with a few homeless women. Statically, women are happier than men. The myth that girls are being cheated by are educational system is belied by the fact that schools are bastions of femininity, mostly run by and taught by women. Girls outperform boys in school. It is the boys in school getting fucked over, and prescribed ritalin for being boys. Real wages for men are falling, while real wages for women are rising. Just because someone says something enough times, doesn't make it true. You have nothing to feel guilty about.
30. Remember, 97% of all advice is worthless. Take what you can use, and trash the rest.

The Art of Propaganda

2009-08-13T15:27:00.000-04:00

1. Name-calling
2. Glittering Generalities
3. Transfer
4. Testimonial
5. Plain Folks
6. Card Stacking
7. Bandwagon

around the bend

2009-08-10T19:32:00.001-04:00

around the bend
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

This may be my new header. Someone stole all our hanging bird houses and one large bird feeder. Nothing else. It took a day to notice.

Behind the Health Care rage.

2009-08-06T20:17:00.001-04:00

So you've just been hired by an IT department...

2009-08-06T20:13:00.001-04:00

Remember I said that nobody knows what they want. Now say they've hired a consulting firm to design their inventory control and the consultants sit in on dozens of meetings, take notes, nod their heads, tour the building, look at the products, produce endless specs and proposals, then sit down and pound out code. Suddenly a zillion gotchas and change requests wriggle out of the carpet like slugs and maggots. The changes are made, but each one compromises the design in some way. Normally you'd iron-out those wrinkles with a good bout of refactoring, but these consultants are on the clock, and when the first bill arrives the CEO is going to want to know what features he's just paid for.

Imagine the conversation between the consultant and the CEO. "What's this line item for?" Techno mumble-jumble in reply. "What do I get for it?" Abstract and immeasurable concepts of goodness. "Take it off! I'm not paying for that!"

So consultants and freelance programmers don't do much refactoring. Once the contract is over they move on to the next job and forget about what they wrote. When something breaks, they start the clock again, hack and hack and hack until it works, submit their invoice and bugger off.

The person behind the role may be highly intelligent and competent (rare, but it happens), but the role makes them a moron. Sometimes they were morons to begin with, and the role makes them even worse.

Now you've inherited all that code and you get to fix it and extend it, and maybe--because you're salaried--spend time refactoring it.

Lesson for CIO. Hire full time developers and stop using contractors.

2009-07-28T10:25:00.000-04:00

248 -

2009-07-16T13:58:00.003-04:00

247.5

This is after having a donut or two during the day and over eating Chinese food.

Climbing the stairs for ice packs, drinks, laundry, letting the dog out, kids, cleaning and so on has burned off a few calories.

Before ankle surgery

2009-07-11T10:23:00.001-04:00

0708092228.jpg
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Karen is on day two after her surgery. Can't get comfortable, more pain than what was described or assured.

2009-07-07T11:01:00.001-04:00

249.

Walked Niko around the entire neighborhood last night.

golden finch

2009-07-06T07:14:00.001-04:00

IMG_0699
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

After waiting for 20 minutes this finch came back to the sunflower he's been chewing on. I set up the tripod and the long Tamron lens in the sun room with the door open a crack for the lens to stick through. I just wish I had a better angle so the background wasn't the house.

Ordered the diffuser for the vivitar finally.

2009-07-06T07:10:00.001-04:00

249.5 - Finally below 250. After a holiday weekend too. Finally a good sign but I'm not done yet.

I had to clear the deck so to speak and tried weighing again. I checked 3 times and dropped down to 247.5 (triple checked)

2009-07-01T12:16:00.001-04:00

252 - yeah.

2009-06-30T10:26:00.000-04:00

Science is basically an inoculation against charlatans.

Neil Tyson

2009-06-30T10:16:00.001-04:00

251.5

Saw Star Trek movie last night. Very good but short. They skipped over the academy completely which I thought might be interesting. I'm looking forward to the next movie.

2009-06-29T11:29:00.001-04:00

250

2009-06-26T09:32:00.001-04:00

252 or 251.5 depending on which time you believe. I weighed 252 with and without clothes. Something is wrong with the scale.

Walked Niko last night around the entire development.

2009-06-25T09:20:00.001-04:00

252. no exercise

2009-06-24T08:25:00.001-04:00

250

I had two cupcakes and a small sundae last night. How did I go that low? I had the Niko at the dog park so I wasn't just sitting around.

2009-06-23T09:51:00.002-04:00

254.

Too many cupcakes. I guess I hit my plateau without exercise and watching the amount I eat. I can get as low as 251. So next thing is finding an exercise schedule. Walking Niko at night may be the best option for now as long as this damn serial rainstorm them subsides. That and with Karen's surgery on the 9th, I won't be able to continue for a few weeks so maybe I should concentrate on in home exercise. pushups and situps. boring.

2009-06-22T07:19:00.002-04:00

252

Had too big a dinner but it was worth it. Still cupcakes left.

Bought Gran Torino and watched it last night. Very good movie. Take the old guy from UP and Archie Bunker and you Clint Eastwoods character.

ComiCon

2009-06-20T21:06:00.001-04:00

IMG_0532
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Comicon was great. Met Max Brooks and my son had fun too. This photo of a painting was one of my favorites in the collection.

251.5 in the am.

first day up a half pound

2009-06-19T08:43:00.002-04:00

252

Too much pizza and cheese steak yesterday.

The PS3 came in and I set it up. Downloaded a few demos or at least one while the others are queueing up. So far I like it minus the lack of HD cables, headset and vibration. I'll pick up a game and maybe a movie or two soon.

A quote that is becoming more and more applicable to more and more people.

2009-06-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

"I do have a test today. That wasn't bullshit. It's on European socialism. I mean, really, what's the point? I'm not European. I don't plan on being European. So who gives a crap if they're socialists? They could be fascist anarchists. It still wouldn't change the fact that I don't own a car. Not that I condone fascism, or any 'ism' for that matter. 'Ism's, in my opinion, are not good. A person should not believe in an 'ism,' he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in The Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people."

- Ferris

2009-06-18T09:02:00.002-04:00

251.5 .

Half pound per day with no exercise. Eventually I'll level out unless I exercise or make more of a change to my food intake.

I haven't discussed goals. I keep thinking 240 would make me happy since I haven't been there is in years. Even when I worked out 5 days a week and play hockey I was around 235. However, it seems possible now to be down below 240 before the end of July.

Today the PS3 should be in but the cables won't be.

morning

2009-06-17T07:10:00.001-04:00

252 - I lost a half pound overnight. Hmmm, where did i put it.

dinner

2009-06-16T09:33:00.001-04:00

IMG_0423
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

I don't think that 250.5 is accurate for Monday.

Today was 253.5. No Kaiser rolls anymore.

This weekend is ComicCon in Philly.

2009-06-15T07:11:00.000-04:00

250.5

Just reducing amount and saying no to fries. Damn them.

blood test results

2009-06-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

My good cholesterol was fine at 190 but my bad stuff was just over the bad by 1 point at 121.

My blood sugar was 127 which is the high side. My dr said i should take this as a warning and lose weight and reduce carbs. Sigh. Carbs are my favorite but I will try to reduce it since the alternate which is injections and no carbs would be hell for me.

So it's eggs and bacon, hold the kaiser roll in the am. No cookies. I already am doing diet pepsi but I'm going to try to cut back farther. More vegetables.

Day 2

2009-06-12T11:10:00.002-04:00

I'm not expecting much

254

loss .5 pound. I have not yet begun to exercise. Cutting out the morning cookies at work but not at home yet. For lunch yesterday I had a Pineapple bomb - pineapple, mango, yogurt and honey smoothie and a taco bell chicken quesida which isn't spelled correctly. Working from home today, had a bowl of cereal and so far only two peanut butter oreo cookies.

41 now time for change

2009-06-10T12:45:00.003-04:00

I will be attempting over the next year to seriously reduce my mass.

254.5

I need to work on breakfasts, snacks and dinner. I can do a good lunch most of the time.

Bear sighting

2009-05-30T13:59:00.002-04:00

Last night we had a black bear visitor up in the mountains. It was a male and weight appx. 600#s. Karen came in and woke me up excidtedly. The bear was eating the peanuts we left for the flying squirrels and blue-jays. He then goes over and sits on his but and snifs the suet we leave for the woodpeckers and procedes to pull on it until the quarter inch steel hook unbends and wanders off to chew that up. They bear was huge, I had thought a female 200#er or so was visiting once in a while. Our bear box/trash can holder was tipped over when we got here and normally we don't see anything when the truck is in the driveway. They must be getting hungry. This one had tags in both ears so it must have been moved at least once. The next morning Karen told me she checked again and saw the bear lounging out in front of the bird feeders with a peanut holder he bent up, chewing on peanuts and spittng the shells out. This happened to be the one weekend I didn't bring up my camera or camcorder. My wife's little point and shoot camera does not have a low enough ISO or quick enough lens to take night shots. None of them came out.

bros by the lake

2009-04-30T10:31:00.001-04:00

bros by the lake
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Had a nice weekend. Karen's cast makes it difficult to go anywhere but Kev has been begging to go to the beach to play in the sand. We had promised last time up and had other things to do.

Allergies are bothering my eyes and now I have been switched to a generic form of my allergy meds they don't seem to be working as well. I tried a night time pill and it doesn't knock me out like the allerx did. But it also didn't seem to be keeping my sinuses from swelling. I had some of the allerx night time tabs still and tried one, sure enough it knocked me out and cleared me up. I may switch back to the non-generic stuff even though it's more money.

Food Court

2009-03-26T13:32:00.001-04:00

wind blown hawk
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Yesterday I am in the kitchen with the family and as usual taking a look at Karen's birdfeeders to see what's eating what when I see this dark shape with a wing span much larger than I'm used to see in the yard flash by and a slow drifting of feathers fall down. I just partially witnessed a hit by this hawk in our yard! I got all excited and looked on the ground to see if the meal was injured and didn't see anything so I went into our sun room where we can see a lot more of the yard. Nothing. Then I look up to see the hawk sitting with it's back to us in the willow tree, swivel it's head around and take off without a meal in it's claws or beak. Something just escaped. Karen wasn't too happy but I thought that the whole episode was fantastic.

Intellectual blind spots

2009-03-24T10:47:00.004-04:00

I am constantly amazed at the way information distorts as it makes it's way through the spoken word, internet and even written in old fashion book form. Recently I read a blog entry from a scientists documenting a fossil of a octopus from appx 65 million years ago. He goes on to show the changes over the evolution of the specimen. Much like the shark the form and function have pretty much peaked in it's environment but after highlighting the parts that have changed it was clear what has changed. However, after a couple of days another entry from a journalist took the information from and came up to her own conclusions minus biology degree or equilvalant study. He was of course not surprised. However, I find this is common on all levels of society and I am guilty of it myself. I am trying to look at things a bit more openly because of it but even if someone takes great pains to clearly and emphatically state the facts, someone can always come along and say the completely wrong thing using the same facts but twisting them slightly. What makes one opinion better or more weighted than the other. I would take a scientist's opinion over a blogger any time. Anything that is based on evidence and or science over superstition as well. So we have a lot of people as well as some scientists who have intellectual blind spots to reasoning and logical thinking. They aren't helping critical thinking nor scientifically challenaging hypothisis. I don't have the strength or patience to debate their arguements when they have the hocus pocus magic card to pull out at any time to explain something.

What a frog

2009-03-07T02:14:00.001-05:00

IMG_9981
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Found this wooden hand carved frog at the Philadelphia Flower show. See that stick jammed into the side of him. Pull that out and while holding the back two legs, gently stroke the top of his head with the thicker park of the stick. It sounds like a frog. Very cool.

Saw Watchmen tonight. It's a great movie. Doesn't end the same way as the comic book. It does end the same way but not for the same reason. I am not too sure why they choose to do it that way but the movie and characters were capture well and were believable. If you never read the comic you would still enjoy it. Just remember it's not all about explosions. Watchmen shows the bad side, the dark side of us as a people no matter if you wear a mask or not.

tail wag

2009-02-12T15:31:00.001-05:00

his good side
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Karen gave me one of my Valentine's day gifts early. A new canon camera back pack. I can fit all my favorite lenses in it including the monster Tamron 200mm-500mm. If I forgo that lens I can fit a 2nd body(as yet to be purchased) or a flash setup. I really need to sell the kit lens and the 300mm lens. I'm not using them and I could use the cash to go towards the next L I want. The old top loader canon bag will now house my two Vivitar flashes, batteries, lens cleaners and other paraphernalia.

Kyle got COD4 and a iTunes gift card early so we can play COD together. It's less gory and annoying than COD5.

Kevin got a Polar Express train set that is compatible with his Thomas the Tank engine wooden ones. It came with a silver bell like the movie/book. Thrilled is a word that applies here. He still wants me to read Polar Express most nights before bed.

proud cooper

2009-02-05T09:41:00.001-05:00

proud cooper
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

This hawk has been stopping by trying to eat the birds that Karen feeds. The other day I found a bunch of feathers in the yard. The day after the snow storm we see this guy hanging around. After a quick internet search we find it's a Cooper hawk. Very pretty. I got a ton of pics through the window with my Tamron 200mm-500mm lens. I used the unipod and a pillow to get it steady.

2009 The year I do something

2009-01-05T14:54:00.003-05:00

Not in any order....

I have not created a web site in a long while and while the desire is there I seem to be missing the direction and actual motivation. So instead of spinning my wheels I just let it sit and percolate. Now I'm caught between the design and functional aspect. I'd love to do something with my photographs but rather do something a bit more functional that may push me technically as opposed to artistically. Part of the reason is that I am now in a ravine as opposed to a rut in my career. However, having a job in today's economy out weighs any desire I have for pushing myself to move to another company to learn something new. Long term planning dictates that I need something to maintain my salary for the next 25 years at least and Lotus Notes won't be able to provide.

More later....

Brain slows at 40, starts body decline

2008-11-04T09:02:00.000-05:00

-- Think achy joints are the main reason we slow down as we get older? Blame the brain, too: The part in charge of motion may start a gradual downhill slide at age 40. How fast you can throw a ball or run or swerve a steering wheel depends on how speedily brain cells fire off commands to muscles. Fast firing depends on good insulation for your brain's wiring.
Now new research suggests that in middle age, even healthy people begin to lose some of that insulation in a motor-control part of the brain - at the same rate that their speed subtly slows.

That helps explain why "it's hard to be a world-class athlete after 40," concludes Dr. George Bartzokis, a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who led the work.

And while that may sound depressing, keep reading. The research points to yet another reason to stay physically and mentally active: An exercised brain may spot fraying insulation quicker and signal for repair cells to get to work.

To Bartzokis, the brain is like the Internet. Speedy movement depends on bandwidth, which in the brain is myelin, a special sheet of fat that coats nerve fibers.

Healthy myelin - good thick insulation wound tightly around those nerve fibers - allows prompt conduction of the electrical signals the brain uses to send commands. Higher-frequency electrical discharges, known as "actional potentials," speed movement - any movement, from a basketball rebound to a finger tap.

Consider someone like Michael Jordan. "The circuitry that made him a great basketball player was probably myelinated better than most other mortals," Bartzokis notes.

But while myelin builds up during adolescence, when does production slow enough that we fall behind in the race to repair fraying, older insulation?

Enter the new research. First, Bartzokis recruited 72 healthy men, ages 23 to 80, to perform a simple test: How fast they tapped an index finger. Anyone can do this; it doesn't depend on strength or fitness.

Researchers counted how many taps the men made in 10 seconds, recording the two fastest of 10 attempts. Then, brain scans checked for myelin in need of repair in the region that orders a finger to tap.

Strikingly, tapping speed and myelin health both peaked at age 39. Then both gradually declined with increasing age, the researchers reported last month in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

That doesn't mean the rest of the brain is equally affected. Bartzokis has some evidence that myelin starts to fray a decade or so later in brain regions responsible for cognitive functions - higher-level thinking - than in motor-control areas.

So back to his example of Jordan, who last played professionally at age 40: "Even he started getting older. That circuitry started breaking down a little," contends Bartzokis. "He can become Michael Jordan the big-shot businessman ... but not be Michael Jordan the super-duper basketball player anymore."

Bartzokis isn't looking to build a better athlete. His ultimate goal is to fight Alzheimer's disease. The connection: Building memories requires high-frequency electrical bursts, too, and Bartzokis' earlier research suggests an Alzheimer's-linked gene may thwart myelin repair.

But the new research has broader implications because it sheds light on normal aging, says Dr. Zoe Arvanitakis, a neurologist at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.

"We knew at some age you peak and there's a sense it would disintegrate as you grow older. But we didn't have a sense of where that age would be," says Arvanitakis, who next wants to see if myelin and cognitive functions show a similar trajectory.

Bartzokis' research supports a recent report from German scientists, that with age comes a weakening of the system that's supposed to repair broken myelin, adds Dr. Bradley Wise of the National Institute on Aging.

"Any disruption in these neural circuits and networks will have problems for functioning," says Wise, who says the two reports are spurring increased interest into myelin's role in aging. Until recently, most myelin research has focused on multiple sclerosis, where myelin doesn't gradually degrade but disappears.

While much more research is needed, Bartzokis has some practical advice:

-Keeping active and treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes already are deemed important for good brain health. But physical and mental activity also may stimulate myelin repair, while unused neural pathways wouldn't send out a "help" signal, he says.

"Remember, these are average people I tested," Bartzokis says. "Someone that's really practicing could make it (myelin) last longer because you're sending the signals to repair, repair, repair."

-Stress hormones, however, may hurt myelin.

-He's also testing whether consumption of omega-3 fatty acids - the oils, found in fatty fish, already recommended for cardiovascular health - might help maintain myelin.

Strobist newbie

2008-11-03T11:21:00.004-05:00

My home flash studio is on it's way. I already have the light stands from Amazon ($30 x 2). The reflector/pass-through umbrellas should be coming in this week too.
Adorama 40" White Interior Umbrella with Removeable Black Cover ($15 x 2).

The rest from B&H.


Impact SHOE MOUNT BRACKET f/UMBRELLA/LIGHT - IMBSM	2	$13.95
SBM #0104 SUPREME LIGHT DIFF f/CAN 580EX/2 - SB0104	2	$14.95
Vivitar 285HV FLASH - VI285HV	2	$89.95
Vivitar SB-4 ADAPTER - VISB4 (AC)	2	$34.95

The AC adapter is to save batteries and I got the diffusor for stand-alone operation and for possible studio work to see how they work. For on camera work I only needed one but in case they work out on stands too, then I have two.

Grand total of $477 with shipping and tax for a complete home studio. Quasi-wireless as I'm using the peanuts to trigger via flash. I'll end up getting some long PC cords and maybe a PocketWizard down the line as the need arises but I'll learn to use what I have and wait till I really need a different triggering method before spending more money. The cheapest would be long PC1 cords.

Coupons

2008-10-29T19:39:00.002-04:00

I got a bunch of coupons in for Circuit City. $30 off a camera $300 or more. Ok, I check out the site and in the range of 200-400 camera the cameras were all lowered below 299. :-/

61 Flip-Flops and Counting

2008-10-24T14:58:00.001-04:00

I'd like to see what Obama's reversals have been so far. Although only John is claiming never to have flip-flopped. There is also the fact that John has been around much much longer so maybe we can do some ratio matching.

John McCain -- 61 Flip-Flops and Counting

By Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report
Posted on July 10, 2008, Printed on October 23, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/90956/

Editor's Note: Writer Steve Benen has graciously compiled a comprehensive tally of John McCain's flip-flops on issues ranging from national security to energy. The following is Benen's list of 61 clear 180-degree switches by McCain on the biggest issues of the day.
National Security Policy
1. McCain thought Bush's warrantless wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.

2. McCain insisted that everyone, even "terrible killers," "the worst kind of scum of humanity," and detainees at Guantanamo Bay, "deserve to have some adjudication of their cases," even if that means "releasing some of them." McCain now believes the opposite.
3. He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it "one of the worst decisions in the history of this country."
4. In February, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.
5. McCain favored closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay before he was against it.

6. When Barack Obama talked about going after terrorists in Pakistani mountains with Predators, McCain criticized him for it. He's since come to the opposite conclusion.
Foreign Policy
7. McCain was for kicking Russia out of the G8 before he was against it.

8. McCain supported moving "toward normalization of relations" with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.
9. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

10. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.
11. McCain is both for and against a "rogue state rollback" as a focus of his foreign policy vision.

12. McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty's behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.

13. McCain was against divestment from South Africa before he was for it.
Military Policy
14. McCain recently claimed that he was the "greatest critic" of Rumsfeld's failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as "a mission accomplished." In March 2004, he said, "I'm confident we're on the right course." In December 2005, he said, "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course."
15. McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions, concluding, on multiple occasions, that a Korea-like presence is both a good idea and a bad idea.

16. McCain said before the war in Iraq, "We will win this conflict. We will win it easily." Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was "probably going to be long and hard and tough."
17. McCain has repeatedly said it's a dangerous mistake to tell the "enemy" when U.S. troops would be out of Iraq. In May, McCain announced that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013.
18. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill before he was for it.
Domestic Policy

19. McCain defended "privatizing" Social Security. Now he says he's against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

20. McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn't.

21. McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.
22. He argued that the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party's policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

23. In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won't commit to supporting a regulation bill he's co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris' former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.
24. McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.
25. McCain's first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn't be "rewarded" for acting "irresponsibly." His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.
26. McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn't be allowed.

27. McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. before he supported it.
28. McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he's pro-ethanol.
29. McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

30. In 2005, McCain endorsed intelligent design creationism, a year later he said the opposite, and a few months after that, he was both for and against creationism at the same time.

Economic Policy
31. McCain was against Bush's tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them.
32. John McCain initially argued that economics is not an area of expertise for him, saying, "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues; I still need to be educated," and "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should." He now falsely denies ever having made these remarks and insists that he has a "very strong" understanding of economics.
33. McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal. And soon after that, McCain abandoned his second position and went back to his first.

34. McCain said in 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were "too tilted to the wealthy." By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and falsely argued that he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.
35. McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

36. McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a "'read my lips' candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?" referring to George H.W. Bush's 1988 pledge. "No new taxes," McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, "I'm not making a 'read my lips' statement, in that I will not raise taxes."
37. McCain has changed his entire economic worldview on multiple occasions.

38. McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off economically than they were before Bush took office.
Energy Policy

39. McCain supported the moratorium on coastal drilling; now he's against it.
40. McCain recently announced his strong opposition to a windfall tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

41. McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade policy with a mandatory emissions cap. In mid-June, McCain announced he wants the caps to be voluntary.
42. McCain explained his belief that a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax would provide an immediate economic stimulus. Shortly thereafter, he argued the exact opposite.
43. McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn't.

Immigration Policy
44. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants' kids who graduate from high school. Now he's against it.

45. On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill.
46. In April, McCain promised voters that he would secure the borders "before proceeding to other reform measures." Two months later, he abandoned his public pledge, pretended that he'd never made the promise in the first place, and vowed that a comprehensive immigration reform policy has always been, and would always be, his "top priority."
Judicial Policy and the Rule of Law
47. McCain said he would "not impose a litmus test on any nominee." He used to promise the opposite.

48. McCain believes the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration's warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.

49. McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

Campaign, Ethics, and Lobbying Reform
50. McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn't.

51. In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving "feedback" on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.
52. McCain supported a campaign-finance bill, which bore his name, on strengthening the public-financing system. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.
Politics and Associations
53. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist John Hagee. Now he doesn't.

54. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist Rod Parsley. Now he doesn't.
55. McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry's Democratic ticket in 2004.

56. McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.
57. McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as "an agent of intolerance" in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans "deserved" the 9/11 attacks.

58. In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending "dirty money" to help finance Bush's presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.
59. McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

60. McCain decided in 2000 that he didn't want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he "would taint the image of the 'Straight Talk Express.'" Kissinger is now the honorary co-chair for his presidential campaign in New York.
61. McCain believed powerful right-wing activist/lobbyist Grover Norquist was "corrupt, a shill for dictators, and (with just a dose of sarcasm) Jack Abramoff's gay lover." McCain now considers Norquist a key political ally.
And while I realize there are some who believe these constant flip-flops are irrelevant, I respectfully disagree.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

Steve Benen is a freelance writer and editor of The Carpetbagger Report.

Media filters required

2008-10-09T10:54:00.003-04:00

OK, when opinion articles are posting anonymous comments they receive on various issues and politicians, something has to change. I propose a political media filter plug-in to Firefox or something I can use on an RSS feed.

1. Inflammatory language, cursing, name calling. It's grade-school and offers nothing to impart knowledge or sways opinion in anyway. If you are swayed by cursing then you really need to deeply examine your mental processes. Get help immediately.

2. Any bit of information that uses obscure blogs or web sites as sources of information. We want opinion from competent intelligent known individuals. If the material is written with an intelligent perspective from an unknown source, back it up with some research so we learn about this new source of information.

3. Any news site that is obvious being fed talking points directly from the campaign and no longer reporting. They are acting as a low end PR firm. Knock it off, quit it.

4. Any articles that start with or contain the following no-nos ... "Source say", "Some say", "Anonymous sources", "From inside", "Public opinion", "From an unnamed"

5. Any article that refers to a poll, statistics, guesses based on some research, poll or study but offers no links or bibliography to back it up.

6. Any article from AP or any source that does not have an author.

7. No date on the article

These rules are a good starting point and will certainly be added to and modified.

Campaign and Politics

2008-10-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

As usual the GOP won't let the facts get in the way of a good attack campaign. Slipping in the polls? Attack the character. Spin half lies, make broad claims with very little proof and let the people who look at the ads fill in the blanks with cobwebs and preconceived notions. Let the girl go on the attack because you have a half a dozen different ways to protect her. Poor interview with softball questions, blame the reporter. Don't know, don't answer. Yet there are still people who eat that shit with a big spoon and a grin to match. Pathetic. This bail-out, I didn't want it. Both McCain and Obama wanted one. McCain is obviously out of his economic depth as well as Obama.

Back to the attack ads that are predictable and it wouldn't bother me as much except that they work. The poll numbers which aren't facts or accurate show how the selection of Palin, an obvious cheap trick for votes worked for far too many. What the hell has this administration done right in the last 8 years so that it garners so much support even now? How can such a large part of the country follow the party that eases taxes on the rich be supported by so many that aren't rich? I believe in less govt too but the banking and mortgage deregulation should prove that there is oversight that is still needed. GOP pushed for deregulation and the Dems let it happen? Who is worse? Do people really want or think Palin can do anything? She's a good face to put on the GOP, a pretty face with not much behind the words she says. It's a politician in lipstick.

Economic crisis venting required

2008-09-16T12:48:00.004-04:00

The spin machine for the GOP is going like a hurricane. Blaming it on a do-nothing congress?!? Well, they didn't do much but one thing is that the one(s) to blame for the current economic misery is Phil Gramm. I'm sure you can't blame the whole thing on him but the deregulation of the mortage industry led to their downfall. They can't regulate themselves. This is the 2nd time that greed ran away with stability. McCain is back peddling his parroting of Bush's "The economy is strong." bull shit. I don't know who is more pathetic, the GOP puppets for thinking we are buying this shit anymore or those of us who keep repeating the same GOP drivel. These pep talks are laughable and those who believe them are worse because they'll vote the same dick head in. 'The economy is strong' backpeddling now has McCain saying that he obviously means the workers. That's the beauty of being a politician, if you spout the right sort of crap you can reshape in down the line. Bush's writers were explimperary at it. Bush just flubbed them but enough people bought that crap. It's what worries me about Obama. His speeches are more elequent by a hundred fold but still are missing the details.

McCain used to be a worthwhile politician (oxymoron I know) years ago but it's all gone now. He had plenty of people on both sides respect him. He is now the GOP's bitch/puppet. Palin. Joke. Not qualified in expereince nor does she have the ideas or education to pull that off. Which is the difference in her and Obama. That is the comparison that the GOP wanted. Their expereinces. However, it's not just the experience, it's the knowledge, education and the vision. None of which she has.

While I know Obama doesn't have all the answers nor do I trust that he won't change his stance once in, I really believe that he won't screw up this country worse that the last 8 years have. Of course those GOP blinders have gone over those Red states. They are counting on the those stereotypical racists down lower to put them over the top I guess.

Drill baby drill!?! WTF is that supposed to do for anyone now or in the next few years. The fact that people believe and repeat that is abhorent to me. 5 to 10 baby and we get pennies? I don't consider destroying more wildlife worth those pennies. Get infrastructure transportation off of gas/diesel and on something else so our economy isn't tied to APEC, push tellecommuting, discount hybrids, more $ in to R&D for better energy resources.

I won't even think about the negative, distortions and lying ads coming out of the GOP side. Why is everyone acting surprised at them? Finally some of the major news sources are calling them as they see them. I'm trying to avoid those overly left leaning sources like dailykos and huffington which try to blow things out of proportion. Unless it's a youtube or similar quote where it's there in plain site. When they start interpreting things is where they get out of control. I still can't bring myself to listen/watch fox news. WSJ is suspect now too. Thanks Rupert, you conservative twat.

update

2008-08-07T09:44:00.003-04:00

DS survived the dunking. :-)

Gaming sites are now blocked at work which may push my need to distract myself to other avenues.

I'm finally backing up my photos from my 2nd drive onto DL DVD+s. I am averaging 2+Gigs a month in photos. These are in RAW format so each photo is around 5 or 6 Megs. I want to store these DVDs outside of the home or at least in our 'fireproof' safe. Although I don't think they would survive intact.

gah

2008-07-21T11:34:00.003-04:00

So far today I am dealing with a crumbling filling in my tooth and dropped my DS in the toilet. Doh! I took the battery out and shook most of the water out of it and will let it dry for a couple of days before trying it. It wasn't on so I may have just shorted the battery and not damaged anything. The LCD looks dry. I was justing starting to advance in Puzzle Quest too. So I'm plugging in my PSP for the first time in months. Back to work.

2008-06-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

1. I'm going to the Monterey Jazz Festival this year much to my and Joe's delight. It was Karen's gift to me. I'll be staying at a hotel right off of the big sur. I've been there once before and the photos I hope to get should make the expense worth it alone. I plan on taking my camera and might consider a new lens for the trip. Low light and fast with a zoom. Should be expensive but I may just make due with my 50mm f1.4...

2. I may be able to telecommute since my company rep didn't see any issues and my manager agreed. It's all up to the manager's group meeting Monday. It could all be a way of pointing blame at a group which deflects all blame and reason. Yay for saving $$$ in gas/tolls and wear and tear on my jeep!

3. July Karen is taking the kids to TN to visit her sister but I have to work. It just so happens that our company picnic is that weekend and I'm trying to decide whether I should go or not. It's at Wildwood. If I went, I'd want to take my camera for pics but there is also a water slide. Am I too much of an adult to not go down the water slide without any kids??

4. Because of the new possible telecommuting change I am starting to research laptops and PCs again. I like the G2 3100B shuttle but it's pricey at $1200. I can get a cheaper desktop although larger at BB or CC. I'm still not sure what to do. I haven't started looking at laptops yet but the more I think about it the more I think I should do a laptop so I can move around in the home.

5. Karen busted up her toe bad tripping over the puppy. Xrays are still pending. Tore a thick chunk of skin from the top, stuff was leaking from under the nail but it has recovered a little. The more worrying issue is how f'in painful it is to even touch or tap. It has gotten better but that pain wave can come on at anytime and it really is frustrating to me because I can't do anything about it. It may require surgery if the one bone is fractured enough.

good samaritan

2008-06-09T10:47:00.001-04:00

Driving home late from Sara's graduation party we are making a right near a local lake. I see in time a turtle moving at it's pace across the road. I pull over to give the poor thing a lift to the other side of the road. I walk up to it and notice that it's got some grass on it's back and the smell of a deep lake turtle. It's fairly large and as I try to determine which end is which as I reach for it, it's neck and head pop out and it hisses and lunges at me. It's a snapper turtle. I jumped up about a foot off the ground, turn around and walk to my car saying good bye to Mr. Turtle. I wish him luck crossing the road on his or her own.

RIP Annie

2008-05-28T10:32:00.001-04:00

RIP Annie
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

This is the last picture I took of her. Annie passed away last night at the emergency medical clinic. She had a tumor or mass that was infected but ended up dying of renal failure after administering deramaxx as per our vet. The progression of the failure falls in line with what my wife and I found out about the drug and never would have given it to Annie had we read up on it first. The emergency vet we took Annie to told us that he doesn't use it and it seemed especially hard/lethal to golden retrievers. Please read up on it if you have a golden retriever as it is often used for hip and joint problems. Our family will miss Annie and it's harder because we may not have had to lose her. It is not fair that she only had 7 and a half years with us.

4 0

2008-05-16T15:17:00.003-04:00

My 40th birthday is rapidly approach although it feels like I'm falling towards it rather than it approaching me. Originally this was to be a birthday list of things I would like. However, Karen has asked me what I wanted then said never mind she knew from January what she was going to get me. Great. She had stuff like this planned out while I barely know what to do for myself or others. My 30th Birthday she sent me to Maine to fish with friends. It was a surprise and the time spent there minus the piss cramps I had during the drive there was great. I already mentioned that I had no interest in a large party but I don't have much hope she will listen to what I say. Joe is supposed to be in for a dinner in Philadelphia which would be fine for me. Although with Maureen breaking her heel I'm not sure if he can or should make it. 40 is an age I have never thought about much. I thought about 20, 30 and 60 then death. Skipping over it makes no sense since I'll be seeing it sooner than 60. I don't feel 40, which makes me wonder if I know what other ages are supposed to feel like. Maybe my lack of exercise will contribute to a feeling of 40 next time I try to exert myself.

Iron Man loves those burgers.

2008-05-08T11:25:00.003-04:00

Saw it. Loved it. Mr. Downy was cast perfectly and his acting abilities brought the movie up a few notches. I was a bit nauseated by the blatant and so obvious it was distracting product placement of Burger King. They tied it in with a desire by Robert Downey Jr. / Mr. Stark fresh return to the US from his escape. Tony wants 'an American cheese burger' which I can understand but was a bit confused by the 'American'. Next he leaves his limo wiping his mouth and they hand him a bag with the BK label out. Next the burger follows him into the conference which is wrapped in the BK wrapper and Mr. Stark proceeds to eat it during the f'n conference. Ugh. I keep trying to forget that part of the movie, much like the douche chills I got with the saturday night fever strutting/dance scene in Spiderman III. I'd pay extra for the DVD with those scenes edited out.

top off 4 the first time

2008-04-16T12:52:00.001-04:00

top off 4 the first time
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

Popped the top off 1 2 3 for the lunch time ride. Nice an easy and a breath of fresh air. I missed last season due to time concerns on trading the last jeep in . I don't have a soft top yet but the ease of taking these things off and on may ease my desire for a soft top for now. That and the lack of any room in the garage for storage. I have to remember to keep a hat in the jeep, the sun was bright today.

trim those brows

2008-03-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

trim those brows
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

500mm Tamron lens did a good job here. a little fuzzy on the edges but I love the clarity and color. I'm hoping to use it this weekend.

Best Buy Bucks

2008-03-06T10:27:00.002-05:00

$75 from Best Buy in reward certificates just came in. They are burning a hole in my pocket. I am backed up in games and movies so I don't want to buy any more now. However, I noticed my external backup drives are filling up. Time for a 3rd? Perhaps. I'm heading over to BB during lunch.

wii sold by the road

2008-02-25T16:58:00.003-05:00

I wish I had time to snap a pick to prove it...

This weekend I'm driving down a fairly busy 2 way street, not a highway, not a town road either. It's a fairly busy route between two very busy towns in NJ. Mainly businesses but there are houses right off this road too. I see a small tent put up, that is mainly for shade and a folding table holding a couple of white boxes. I can barely make out the hand written sign. Wii for Sale. What was once normally a place to sell crabs, T-shirts, lemonade or sneakers becomes an area for peddling gaming consoles. Wow. To be honest this area of the road doesn't have peddlers of any sort on it. By the time this whole scene registered I was past it and didn't have the time or place to turn around quickly just to see what kind of price he was asking.

size matters

2008-02-21T16:15:00.001-05:00

size matters
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

New Tamron lens fully extended. It's a big one!

Took some pics of the lunar eclipse but they didn't come out well. I suspect I needed to get more familiar w/ this lens. I also used a cheap tripod because it's easier to setup but again, it took me a little while to get it set up and even then the adjustments were horrible.

Much fun in the Barrens

2008-02-12T10:03:00.001-05:00

20080210_5540
Originally uploaded by inajeep.

This isn't me but I went through that spot. I did well and knew not to go in certain places. There was only a few of spots that a stock vehicles couldn't go through but they were big spots and people got stock trying to get through them. One messed up clutch and a broken rear sway bar bracket is the only damage our group of 20+ Jeeps had. The weather was perfect with some wind and cold creeping in right at the end.

Here is the wish list I have for my jeep from of Quadtratec

Rugged Ridge Entry Guard Set in Black for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited JK 4 Door
Item Number: 13113 312
$29.99

TeraFlex 2.5" Budget Boost with Shock Adapters for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK
Item Number: 16190 0005
$225.99

SilverStar Halogen Headlamp Upgrade for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK
Item Number: 97000 107
$19.99

SilverStar Halogen Fog Lamp Upgrade for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK
Item Number: 97000 108
$24.99

Mr. Grille Billet Aluminum Grille Inserts in Black Aluminum Finish for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK
Item Number: 13131 0002
$84.99

Tuffy Locking Cubby Cover for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK
Item Number: 14142 001 07
$133.99

Delta Fog Light Upgrades for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler and Unlimited JK
Item Number: 97047 1100
Comments: In lew of updates above. I like the blacked out lights a lot more than the silverstars.
$145.99

Maxxis Bighorn Radial LT275/65R18
Item Number: 92612 117 07
Future purchase...
$221.99

TeraFlex Front Sway Bar Disconnects for 07-08 Jeep® Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited JK with 0-3" Lift
Item Number: 16191 605
$99.99

The prices shown above are current as of February 12, 2008. Prices are subject to change.

Stocks fall yet there is a bright spot

2008-01-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

Stocks are falling, almost no one is immune to it. However, I do see one stock doing well. Ebay. I guess when everyone is trying to stay afloat in mortgages they can't afford, they start selling their stuff. Ebay is the answer. We need to get rid of a lot of garbage we have as a country and sell it to the highest bidder. It's quick, it's temporary, it doesn't help us in the future but isn't that how America has been run these last 7 years?

Quotes

2008-01-14T14:36:00.001-05:00

George Carlin

1. Religion easily has the best bullshit story of all time. Think about it. Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money.

2. Atheism: A non-prophet organization.

3. I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.

Friedrich Nietzsche

4. Which is it, is man one of God’s blunders or is God one of man’s?

5. Faith means not wanting to know what is true.

6. Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.

Albert Einstein

7. What I see in Nature is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of “humility.” This is a genuinely religious feeling that has nothing to do with mysticism.

8. It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. … Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
Albert Einstein, “Religion and Science”, New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930

9. If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.

Gandhi Quotes

10. The most henious and the must cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives.
Mohandas K Gandhi, Young India, July 7, 1950, quoted from Laird Wilcox, ed., “The Degeneration of Belief”

11. I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Mark Twain Quotes

12. “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”
Mark Twain

13. A man is accepted into a church for what he believes and he is turned out for what he knows.
Mark Twain

14. What God lacks is convictions — stability of character. He ought to be a Presbyterian or a Catholic or something — not try to be everything.

15. Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.
Mark Twain, quoted from Curmudgeon-Online

16. “In God We Trust.” I don’t believe it would sound any better if it were true.

Thomas Jefferson

17. Shake off all fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God, because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.

18. We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society.

Benjamin Franklin

19. The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason: The Morning Daylight appears plainer when you put out your Candle.
Benjamin Franklin, the incompatibility of faith and reason, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1758)

20. Lighthouses are more helpful then churches.

Voltaire

21. If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor.
Voltaire

22. Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities.

Stephen Hawking

23. Black holes would seem to suggest that God not only plays dice, but also sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.
Stephen Hawking, NATURE, 1975

24. We could call order by the name of God, but it would be an impersonal God. There’s not much personal about the laws of physics.

Jiddu Krishnamurti

25. Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.
Jiddu Krishnamurti

26. The constant assertion of belief is an indication of fear.
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Christopher Hitchens

27. What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.
Christopher Hitchens

28. Christopher Hitchens On Jerry Falwell: If you gave Falwell an enema, he could be buried in a matchbox.

Sigmund Freud

29. Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires.
Sigmund Freud

30. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.
Karl Marx

George Bernard Shaw

31. The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.
George Bernard Shaw

32. Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions.
Blaise Pascal

32. You’re basically killing each other to see who’s got the better imaginary friend.
Richard Jeni

34. With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven Weinberg

35. The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.
Delos B. McKown

36. Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.
Edward Gibbon

37. Our ignorance is God; what we know is science.
Robert Ingersoll

38. The foolish reject what they see and not what they think; the wise reject what they think and not what they see.
Huang Po

39. Where knowledge ends, religion begins.
Benjamin Disraeli

40. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish.
Unknown

41. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He will not use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle.
Dave Barry

42. Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
- Epicurus

43. The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.
Eric Hoffer

44. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder.
Bill Maher

45. There’s a phrase we live by in America: “In God We Trust”. It’s right there where Jesus would want it: on our money.

46. If we go back to the beginning, we shall find that ignorance and fear created the gods; that fancy, enthusiasm, or deceit adorned them; that weakness worships them; that credulity preserves them and that custom, respect and tyranny support them in order to make the blindness of men serve their own interests. If the ignorance of nature gave birth to gods, the knowledge of nature is calculated to destroy them.
Baron D’Holbach, cited in Jonathan Miller. (2004). A Brief History of Disbelief [TV-Series].

47. If I thought the Jews killed God, I’d worship the Jews.
Bill Hicks

48. Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.
Isaac Asimov

49. A belief which leaves no place for doubt is not a belief; it is a superstition.
José Bergamín

50. One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion.
Arthur C. Clarke

Apple Macbook Pro

2007-12-19T10:57:00.000-05:00

Last night I looked over Karen's xmas list and realize there is nothing really good. Nothing considered the 'big' gift. We'd been back and forth about a new laptop for her but she's been a bit wishy washy on it. So after a comment about how much she got me I went online and into Best Buy. I know. However they were close, had Mac people on staff and it looked like the 17" MacBook Pros were in stock. So I drive over at 9:30pm at night and talked to this guy who could be mistaken for Jesus if it wasn't for the blue polo shirt. He knew his stuff and answered all my questions. Then came the decision between the 15" and 17". They only had a 15" and it look small against my 17" and Karen's 17" laptops. I asked about the warranty and decided to get the 3 year plan until I heard the price. $450!!!!!! Holy Shnikes. However, knowing where Karen uses the laptop and our 2 year old's desire to be into everything we need a no-questions-asked warranty. So I call Karen and lo and behold the 17" wins! I walk out of the Best Buy with a 17" macbook Pro, iWork and a wireless Mac mouse. I was the envy of all the geeks. This is Karen's laptop so I hope she takes good care of it and takes a bit of time to learn how to use it because my Apple skills are about equal to hers. None. If this works out well I'm getting the desktop version next year though.

Terry Pratchett

2007-12-13T14:51:00.000-05:00

I have a number of his books and have just given a bunch to my son to read. An article on the web says he has a rare form of Alzheimer's. His quotes sound like himself on the subject...

"I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I can do?' but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."

That is why I love his writing. That is my humor.

Chipmunks

2007-12-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

Karen had me buy The Chipmunk's Xmas album from iTunes. I don't see listening to those tunes long w/out getting a headache.

Got my Secret Santa gift in from XMG group. Holy crap a gaming headset! Over and above the limit and thoughtful too. I have a good idea who it's from too.

This weekend we are taking the Jeep up to the mountains thanks to Karen's early xmas gift of the hitch storage rack. Holds 500lbs!

She had problems w/ Kevin shopping today since he was due for a nap. As she is trying to get him into the car he cries that he wants to get in dada's jeep. Parked next to her is a yellow Jeep (TJ) and he wants to go in that. That's funny for me because I didn't have to deal w/ a screaming 2 year old. He should really love the ride up on friday to the mountains then. Hope he can get used to not watching Cars.

violin

2007-12-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

Kyle has taken it upon himself to find the music to the Halo theme and learn to play it on his violin. He has taken this on his own. Finally. *Big Grin* I can here him getting better w/ the opening set of notes. Watching your kids take something and apply themselves as you secretly wish can be very satisfying.