Jello bot 2

Remember the little drummer bot posted before?
I think I found its cousin.

(4 min, but gets less interesting as it goes on. So feel free to stop when you've seen enough)

Peter Schiff was right, right, right.

Seemingly everyone else was wrong, wrong, wrong.



They just laughed at him, even mocked him. Who's laughing now?

Despite appearances, Peter Schiff is no clairvoyant- he was only applying the principles of the Austrian school of economic thought. In one interview, he said,

I was introduced to the Austrian school early on by my father. According to my dad saying Austrian economics makes as much sense as saying Chinese physics. Austrian economics is economics, period!

Although the Austrian school isn't reknown, it has been around for some time. Austrians like Schiff predicted the Great Depression, for example. Friedrich Hayek wrote in the February 1929 edition of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research Report, "the boom will collapse within the next few months." The stock market crashed in October, but we can forgive him for being a few months eager. Much like Schiff, Hayek saw serious imbalances and knew that the "Roaring Twenties", made possible by the loose monetary policies of the Fed, were simply unsustainable.

This is surprising to many, because we are told that economists failed to predict the crash. Well, many did fail to see it- Keynes, for example. And yet it is Keynes' policies we largely adhere to today- not those of the dissenting Austrian school who are repeatedly proven correct in their assessments.

Unfortunately, that's bad news for everyone. Without the correct diagnosis, there is little chance for an effective remedy.

Make it stop!

In case you missed the three joint press conferences, here's a recap:

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

On Ballots, Parties, Debates

i received my sample ballot in the mail last week, and it led me to make some observations.

First, Tennessee voters may be surprised to find eight candidates for President of the United States on their ballot. Aside from the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin tickets, it appears six mysterious independents are running. Except they're not all independents, and it's no mistake that they're not well known.

Let me revise and expand on the "independents":

• Chuck Baldwin, Darryl Castle - Constitution Party
• Bob Barr, Wayne Root - Libertarian Party
• Charles Jay, Thomas Knapp - Boston Tea Party
  
• Cynthia McKinney, Rosa Clemente - Green Party
• Brian Moore, Stewart Alexander - Socialist Party USA
  
• Ralph Nader, Matt Gonzalez - Independant

To be listed on this ballot, (or more accurately, to get the electors for your ticket on the ballot - we're not actually voting for candidates but for a slate of electors), these candidates gathered 2500 signatures of registered voters. Had they been one of the two state-recognized parties, they would have been automatically included. In Tennessee, as in many states, lawsuits have been filed against what are considered prohibitive rules regarding party recognition, or ballot access in general. Practically speaking, this means that while the two major party candidates are out campaigning, everyone else is running around trying to be included in the first place.

Tonight^[1], there will be a third-party debate on C-SPAN. i attended one such debate at Vanderbilt, the day prior to Nashville's so-called "Town Hall Debate" featuring Obama and McCain. The differences are striking- and if you watch the debate tonight, you can see if my observations still hold true. First, at the third party debate, there was a wide range of ideas and philosophies. What else would you expect at an event including the Socialist Party, the US Pacifist Party, and even the Boston Tea Party? i found it refreshing. Similarly refreshing was the utter lack of "he said, she said, but i said it first" which dominates the major parties' joint debates. The scope of discussion and tone of debate were much more interesting and altogether more useful.

Why are the joint major party debates so limited? Well, it starts with the sponsor- a group called the Commission on Presidential Debates, which wrestled the debates from the non-partisan League of Women Voters in the 1980s.

Here are some complaints i have regarding the Commission. First, it is a brainchild of both major parties- the two parties that defend the status quo. It was founded and is co-chaired by the former chairs of the RNC and DNC. The board consists of politically connected Republicans and Democrats, as well as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. A former board member of Fannie Mae, for example, is on this board. It's funded by corporations.

i won't go on about this because someone else already has- i urge you to investigate for yourself. NPR Commentator Connie Rice did, in 2004, and found herself presenting a scathing review called the Top 10 Secrets They Don't Want You to Know About the Debates. Walter Cronkite declared Commission-sponsored debates an "unconscionable fraud."

What are the consequences of the limited exposure of third parties, and their exclusion from debates? i'll explain this anecdotally. Some candidates at the third party debate in Nashville couldn't be more dissimilar in ideologies- they made Obama and McCain look like two shades of the same color. Yet even with the wide range in philosophy, the entire 6-person forum were in outspoken agreement on some key issues, like ending our interventionist, perhaps imperialist foreign policy, and fighting against corporatism (not to be confused with capitalism). Neither Obama, McCain, nor the moderators give these ideas any mention. Where some would have you believe Obama and McCain are polar opposites, it's really a matter of scope.

Ron Paul made an announcement at the Nation Press Club^[2] on September 10th, where he encourages Americans to choose their favorite third party candidate over the two leading candidates:

The truth is that our two-party system offers no real choice. The real goal of the campaign is to distract people from considering the real issues.

The four additional candidates with enough ballot access to theoretically carry the electoral college all signed on to support a platorm of Foreign Policy, Privacy, Fiscal Policy, and Monetary Policy - three candidates who are very different from one another, but in unison hold key positions that are in opposition to the two major candidates! This should show us how far the charade has gone.

Our two leading candidates are in joint disagreement with Americans on the bailout, international adventurism, and privacy issues, while there are several candidates available who are of the real majority, and might perhaps even win if they had any comparable exposure. A Zogby poll indicated that 55% of likely voters favor the inclusion of Bob Barr in the debates. Since the two parties control the debates (while hardly anyone notices) this didn't happen. Do you see what's happening?

i urge you to find a list of candidates on your ballot for each office, and honestly consider them all. Consider stepping out of the two-party charade of false choice and cast an informed, principled vote for someone who might actually represent you well. Cast off the politics of fear-mongering by actually voting for someone (there is no vote against option on the ballot). Choose the candidate who you think will best serve as president, and vote for him or her.

---

Update 1 Oct 20
i mischaracterized the Oct 19th debate as a "third party" debate. The debate, which has been rescheduled for Oct 23rd, is open to all 6 candidates with ballot access sufficient to win the electoral college.

Update 2 Oct 20
Here are some better links to videos of the conference: parts 1, 2, 3 (McKinney), 4 (Baldwin), 5 (Nader). Original link.

Thoughts on the Bailout Act

Here are some hilights of the text of a draft of the bailout plan, as of the 21st. (They're now calling it a "Rescue Plan")

Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.

The Secretary’s authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time

Wait a second... "at any one time"? Suddenly the $700 billion plan sounds a lot like the $Infinity plan. Please someone shed some light on this troubling wording. And what's so special about the $700 billion figure? According to Forbes, a Treasury spokesperson sayd "We just wanted to choose a really large number."

Sec. 8. Review.

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

"Non-reviewable... by any court of law of any administrative agency"? In other words, Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, can bail out whomever he wants to bail out with however much he wants to bail them out, no objections or oversight allowed. It's remeniscent of former Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney and the no-bid contracts of the Iraq War.

Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.

Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.

This is the great irony of the situation: who better to bail out insolvent companies than the biggest debtor of all? Our current national debt is about $9.8 trillion, with the current limit being $10.6 trillion (which was recently raised to that level during the Freddie/Fannie debacle). Now we are going to put the limit at well over $11 trillion. Just 8 years ago, our national debt was half that amount. This is out of control.

This is Wile E Coyote Government.

Congressman Paul, who predicted this whole mess (remember, just two months ago, Fed Chair Bernanke told us the economy, and housing market, were doing pretty well) offers his reservations.

Then come the scare tactics. If we don’t give dictatorial powers to the Treasury Secretary “the stock market would drop even more, which would reduce the value of your retirement account. The value of your home could plummet.” Left unsaid, naturally, is that with the bailout and all the money and credit that must be produced out of thin air to fund it, the value of your retirement account will drop anyway, because the value of the dollar will suffer a precipitous decline.

Without really getting into it, consider the bailouts like this: your friend is an addict to heroine. Your friend isn't looking so well, and they're getting quite shaky. You give them another hit. This accomplishes two things: 1) they get their fix and are relatively stabilized, and 2) their entire body is that much closer to completely shutting down. The other option (which isn't getting much traction in the press), is to take your friend to rehab. This accomplishes the antithesis: 1) it's gonna hurt a little in the short term, 2) but not nearly as much in the long run. This option looks like this, according to a recent email from Congressman Paul:

1.) End the Bailouts - Congress must revoke the Federal Reserve's authority to bail out failed businesses at your expense.

2.) Cut Taxes and Curb Regulation - If we really want to stimulate businesses and revive the market, we need to cut corporate and capital gains taxes, spurring investors to come back to the market and making it easier to attract new workers and clients. It is also time to end failed legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley, which has crippled capital markets, diminished our competitiveness, and greatly harmed small businesses.

3.) Reduce Spending - We must freeze all non-entitlement spending by the federal government at current levels and eliminate wasteful spending both domestically and in our trillion-dollar overseas budget. Our debt has to come down, and it won't until we start living within our means.

4.) Reform the Monetary System - If we are to have long-term economic progress, we must end the system of printing money out of thin air. The current laws limiting the circulation of gold and silver-backed currency must be overturned. We can no longer base our money on the empty promises of bureaucrats that it is sound.

Unfortunately, even though public support for the bailouts is devastatingly low (about as low as Congressional approval ratings) it is likely a version of the bailout plan will nevertheless be passed. The conditions that brought the crisis about will go on. The crash of the dollar looms closer.

Jon Stewart makes a sly comparison of Bush's recent appeal for support of this plan, and his appeal for support in 2003 for war with Iraq. i would add the PATRIOT Act to that shortlist. Haven't we heard this before? Doomsday scenarios if we don't fall in line, giving the executive branch unprecedented power? We should resist the fearmongering.

What would it look like, to follow Paul's advise? What would the ramifications mean? Less credit, sure. Your cat won't be receiving any more pre-approvals for credit cards in the mail. As a nation, we'd have to live within our means.

If you're interested in learning more about this crisis and the events that led up to it, see The Bailout Reader on mises.org.

Please contact your representatives, and check out http://nocashfortrash.org/.

Sign this petition

We have this TV frequency spectrum opening up in 4 months. What better way to use some of it than to provide better WIFI access?

Some Title

Too lazy to come up with my own content, I'm posting a short video of Matt Damon on Sarah Palin. If there's any role model we should be listening to, wouldn't it be Jason Bourne?

Never talk to the police

Part 1

Part 2

video editing will get a whole lot cooler soon

Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.

Shannon said something a few posts back about "Where's Jason??"

The last ten weeks I was on a 60 hour work schedule. Pretty draining and thankless.

Now, here I am.

I went hiking for the third (only the third!) time this year today. I felt like exploring my preferred ski area. The ski area is actually on the far side of Mt Shuksan. (I don't know for sure, but I think that's Indian for big-ass-mountain)

Broken Oaths

i just read an editorial by Mickey Edwards posted on June 16 at The Huffington Post called "A True Litmus Test For Reelection". i about jumped out of my seat. Listen to what Mickey says about Congressmen's oath:

It is important to note what it is they are swearing to "support and defend." Not the President. Not a political party. It is also important to note against whom they are vowing to protect the Constitution: its -- that is, the Constitution's -- enemies, no matter whether they live in caves in Afghanistan or in mansions on Pennsylvania Avenue.

i eagerly searched this blog, thinking i had written something similar, because fidelity to the Constitution has become my litmus test for re-electing government officials. Unfortunately, i hadn't posted on that, but rather had used in a couple emails to friends. Here's a bit from a June 6 email to my grandmother:

Here is the oath a President takes upon entering office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

i do not trust McCain nor Obama to do fulfill that oath. Why? Because they have already broken the oath taken as Senators: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. (So help me God.)"

Had that been the litmus test for at least those who consider themselves constitutional, conservative Republicans, Ron Paul would have been the Presidential nominee.

Pop quiz- what is the oath taken by Supreme Court Justices? By servicemen? See a pattern here? What are they sworn to protect? What are they not sworn to protect?

Quote: Herman Göring

i thought it might be interesting to post a quote and get your reactions. If there's interest, i might do this periodically.

Göring: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.

Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.

Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.

Nuremberg Diary (Gustave Gilbert, 1947)

Recker is crazy

Jerome ran with the bulls in Spain.

What has become of our Constitutional Republic?

i just read an article called The Real Purpose of the Consitution (you may have to skip an advertisement page). Here are some hilights:

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that “The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite.” That issue is one that appears to have been settled, as we are no longer a nation in which the will of the people is upheld by those chosen to represent them.

It's sad that we have to stretch our imagination to consider what this government might look like:

Thomas Jefferson described the function of government when he said, “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned — this is the sum of good government.”

i'm not a fan of Hamilton- he's like the precursor to the neocons, although he would pale in comparison to today's power-grabbers. But even he was able to predict the day when, due to our corruption and disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution "will bind no longer."

Yet didn’t even Hamilton once say, ” Ah, this is the constitution,” he said. “Now, mark my words. So long as we are a young and virtuous people, this instrument will bind us together in mutual interests, mutual welfare, and mutual happiness. But when we become old and corrupt, it will bind no longer.”

We have to face it- if you read the Constitution, read some writings by the men who wrote it; you'll discover that our government today is basically illegal. The Legislative Branch passes illegal laws, and illegally delegates powers to other bodies without authority. The Executive Branch now sets policy, chooses whether or not to enforce laws created by the Legislature, includes departments who, unelected, pass rules that are binding by law, and otherwise desregards Constitutional limits. Then we have a Judicial Branch that does little at all to challenge these issues at all.

Read the Declaration of Independence. i think there's an argument that if that generation of patriots were alive today, we might have another revolution on our hands.

The Federalist Papers

i've been reading the Federalist Papers lately- a collection of letters to the people of New York before in support of the US Constitution as drafted at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. They were penned under the name Publius, but actually written by later presidents Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, with a few undertaken by John Jay, who was to become our first Supreme Court Justice.

My original goal (of typical fashion for myself) was to read through all 85 letters, but i've since reconsidered. This particular edition is nearly 500 pages long, including editor's notes, a copy of the Constitution, and a glossary to help translate the obtuse, late-18th Century jargon (i'll be honest, it's tough to follow at times). Since my real motive for reading was to catch a glimpse of what the Constitution mean to it's drafters, after reading the first several letters about limitations of the Articles of Confederation, i skipped to where the exposition on the Constitution begins in 37, and am currently only on 47.

So far, it's been both inspiring, and discouraging. Inspiring, because these of our nation's forefathers were brilliant, skilled in careful reason and debate, versed in the history of various forms of government, and grounded in principle and a love of liberty. Discouraging, because the great form of national government they were selling to their fellow citizens bears little resemblance to the government we have, in practice, today (although the legal document remains much the same). This is where i'm tempted to spend the most time writing, but for brevity's sake i'll just list a few i've noticed so far:

• The Federal government is meant to have very limited powers (in scope), such as national defense, regulation of international relations, keeping harmony among the states, taxation, and a few specific miscellaneous powers like maintaining a postal service. (41, 44, 45)
  
• While the Federal government is meant to have jurisdiction over foreign affairs, domestic affairs are the domain of the states. (45)
  
• Protection against abuses by the Federal government is guaranteed by the fact that the free people of the United States are well-armed, and able to conduct future revolutions as necessary. (46)
  

One thing i'm learning to get over is the holding of "democracy" as the finest form of government. It was, in fact, scorned by our nation's early statesmen as a classic "tyranny of the majority." While many of our elected officials are elected democratically, our government is actually a Constitutional Republic, the goal of which is to protect the life and liberty of its citizens (video explaining various forms of government). This means regardless of the wishes of the majority, the rights of the minority are preserved because of the contract. That is, perhaps, in theory only, since later generations have increasingly shown utter contempt for the Rule of Law.

Exiting Independence Hall on the final day of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked by a women outside, “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?” His reply should haunt us all—“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Scandal and a Tragedy

Starting with the scandal...
As if anyone needed more evidence of the quality of Fox News (or lack thereof) or the reach of the Republican machine, MSNBC seems to have caught FN trying to make McCain look younger:


In other news, recently popular CMU professor, Randy Pausch passed on Friday from pancreatic cancer. The guy had a heck of an insight on life, which he shared in his Last Lecture (a CMU series of senior faculty). If you haven't seen it, I recommend you check it out.

Finally, we haven't seen any posts from Jason in a while. Not even some pictures ("Jello Shots"). You still out there, bro?

Wow

Well I guess this is proof that I'm not the only one who hates the Mainstream Media.

Fed / Congress may bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Looks like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be bailed out due to the mortgage woes. Lots of articles out there.

I see why we would want to make sure these two giant mortgage businesses don't come crashing down, but whats being done long term....

Should we let the market play out like it should, or have government create more oversight into the business world? What do you all think... or do you care?

Editing the statement (Oh yeah.. the cost for the bail out really isn't the issue....) which isn't accurate. The Fed actually took up some of the liabilities and now the Federal Reserves balance sheet has to take the hit. Can't find the exact amount, but I it could be as much as 5 trillion. This affects the rates our country gets when borrowing money just like any business gets rated on its risk to the investor/lender.

Rush in Cincinnati!

Steph and I got to see Rush--the most amazing band in the world. ;-) The venue, Riverbend in Cincinnati, was set up similar to DTE with a pavilion and lawn, but the view of the stage from the lawn wasn't as good. Neither was the sound.

The performance was great. Though they aren't "spring chickens" anymore, to steal a line from Getty, they put on a 4 hour show with one small break. I'm still amazed at their level of performance.... after 25 some years of playing and touring together.


They played more songs from their current album than we anticipated. About 8 I'd say. And their choice of classic songs to preform wasn't the best... at least from our point of view. Overall the flow of the show wasn't as good as that of the DTE show we all went to.

Check out Neil's drum solo for the tour. Great solo over all! One of the biggest changes to the solo was the electric portion. When he starts that part (2:22 on the video) the sound affects for the drums are very mechanical sounding. Once he started that section the whole crowd went quiet... probably thinking the same thing I was.... "Wait.. what is that?"

Awesome show, awesome time, awesome band. Nuf said.

Ode to M$

This should strike a chord with everyone...

You have more than one Gmail address.

Did you know that when you register your Gmail address, you actually get a bunch of variations (or one good regular expression) of your address.

From the help document:

There are three common reasons why Gmail users think they're receiving someone else's mail. Please select the description that matches your situation below.

Your address is similar but has more or fewer dots (.) or different capitalization.

Sometimes you may receive a message intended for someone whose address resembles yours but has a different number or placement of dots. For example, your address might be homerjsimpson@gmail.com, but the message was sent to a Homer.J.Simpson@gmail.com. What's going on?

Gmail allows only one registration for any given username. Once you sign up for a particular username, any dot or capitalization variations are made permanently unavailable for new registration. If you created yourusername@gmail.com, no one can ever register your.username@gmail.com, or Your.user.name@gmail.com. Furthermore, because Gmail doesn't recognize dots as characters within usernames, adding or removing dots from a Gmail address won't change the actual destination address. Messages sent to yourusername@gmail.com, your.username@gmail.com, and y.o.u.r.u.s.e.r.n.a.m.e@gmail.com are all delivered to your inbox, and only yours.

If you're homerjsimpson@gmail.com, no one owns Homer.J.Simpson@gmail.com, except for you. Sending mail to Homer.J.Simpson@gmail.com is the same as sending mail to homerjsimpson@gmail.com, or even HOMERJSIMPSON@GMAIL.COM. If you're getting mail addressed to Homer.J.Simpson@gmail.com, most likely someone was trying to send a message to Homer.J.Sampson@gmail.com, or Homer.J.Simpson1@gmail.com, and made a mistake. You might even get messages from mailing lists or website registrations because the intended recipient accidentally provided the wrong email address. In these cases, we suggest contacting the original sender or website when possible to alert them to the mistake.

For security reasons, when you log in to Gmail, you must enter any dots that were originally defined as part of your username.

Note: Google Apps recognizes dots. If you'd like to receive mail with a dot in your username, please ask your domain administrator to add the desired username as a nickname.

Empty post, but I thought it was cool. :-)

Hm... Bob Barr?

Firstly, someone please post so we can have some diversity of topics on here!

Secondly, i just saw this viral ad for presidential candidate Bob Barr today. What do you guys think of him? Anyone willing to tell us who they plan on voting for this November?

The Natural Progression of Progressivism

Recently i read an article in the NY Times called Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions. It reports that Japan rolled out a massive campaign to reduce obesity by mandating that companies and local governments periodically measure and report the waist sizes of Japanese citizens. Penalties are imposed on those who don't meet the goals. It sounds kinda funny, and also alarming.

Why does the Japanese government believe they have the right to intervene in the lifestyles of its citizens in this way? Well, the logic is that since Japan has nationalized health care, an overweight person, who is more prone to disease, is a higher financial liability to the rest of the people. It's a logical point. In fact, regulations and mandates are the next natural step after the government gets involved in any arena. If a citizen is going to benefit by a program, they are going to give up some responsibility as well. They are going to lose their freedom.

This anecdote shows why i oppose federal intervention. Socialized systems operate on the basis that the government both owns the resources (including people and the fruits of their efforts) and can determine their use. While the intentions are often the very best, the result is, among other things, a loss of liberty.

i much prefer the early Libertarian tradition of the United States, which maximizes personal liberty. In this scenario, a person can choose any lifestyle they like, and deal with their own consequences. In addition, any person or group of persons are even more able to freely help those in need.

In closing, i offer this quote from "The Law," by Frédéric Bastiat:

"If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of these organizers are always good? Do not the legislators and their appointed agents also belong to the human race? Or do they believe that they themselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind?"

Ron Paul withdraws from Presidential race, launches a new initiative

Yesterday, at a rally in Texas, Congressman Ron Paul withdrew his candidacy for the Presidency.

As a strong Paul supporter, am i discouraged? Some have been surprised when i tell them i'm not. The fact is, Dr. Paul's plan is continuing to unfold with greater effect than he had even hoped. The campaign wasn't about winning the White House- despite having run twice, Ron Paul was a reluctant candidate. His vision is much greater: a re-enlightened nation with renewed respect for the Constitution and the ideals of its framers- a reinvigoration of the "Great Freedom Experiment" that is our Republic. Paul knows that this will be a great effort to educate and inspire the nation, who in turn will elect representatives who value individual freedom, sound money, non-interventionism, sound markets, and constitutional government. From this perspective, you can see that the Presidential campaign was only a means to an end.

In hindsight, you can see it everywhere in his his political career: his lone votes against otherwise unanimous measures; his unabashed opposition to the war, popular at first with the nation, and still among his party; his almost completely unchanged political views over the span of decades, regardless of the fashionable sensibilities of the time. You can see it in his candidacy, as well: his unwillingness to soften his ideals to appeal to a broader base; his unabashedly pointed statements in cases where it might have been expedient to pander; his continued campaigning through the last of the primaries and caucuses, long after any chance of nomination; the seemingly ill-timed release of his best-selling book, The Revolution: A Manifesto. When framed against his ultimate goal, the appearance of strategic awkwardness washes away.

The end of his Presidential run is merely the finish of the first significant chapter in this ideological battle. In an effort to keep the momentum created by his candidacy, he simultaneously launched a new initiative, the Campaign for Liberty, which focuses on continued educational efforts and the promotion of like-minded candidates. Several events are planned to galvanize support, notably the July 12 Revolution March in D.C., and a rally in Minneapolis during the GOP convention in St. Paul. i predict the scope of the rEVOLution's impact will be at least on par with (yet markedly different in principle) that of evangelicals during the era of the Moral Majority, and of the progressive movement of this past decade. i look forward to actual debate in Washington, and an end to the controlled, carefully framed choices we're given.

McCain's "Straight Talk Express" Stops in Nashville

Monday, May 2nd, i attended John McCain's town hall meeting at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville- part of his "Straight Talk Express" tour across the country. My Obama-supporting coworker James accompanied me. i took extensive notes, partly as an excuse not to participate in several sessions of applause for statements with which i disagreed. James didn't have that luxury. The result of those notes will be, i'm sure, a rather lengthy report to follow. i was quite excited, because i had spent the better part of the prior day researching and forming questions, hoping i might get the opportunity to ask Senator McCain something that might not otherwise be asked, thanks to what i consider the shoddy quality of journalism in the major media outlets of the US.

The event was open to the public, with door opening for general admission at 12:30. When James and i arrived, the line had just wrapped around Gruhn Guitars on Broadway. On the way in we were greeted by protesters, with signs about the war in Iraq, and one about NAFTA. The anti-NAFTA lady got in a shouting match with another women her age in front of me, who taunted back at her by making silly "i can't hear you" gestures. One protester, a late 20's guy in a red polo and, occasionally, a rubber Nixon mask, asked with a grin, "Does McCain understand the economy?" One guy in front of me, just out of earshot, started yelling "Do you?? Do you??" until he was satisfied he'd been heard. i think the line of reason that naturally follows is "since we don't understand economics, who are we to demand a President that does?" i told James some of the Primary debates weren't much better than this.

Once inside, it was as if TSA had commandeered the place, but instead it was the Secret Service inspecting purses and wallets while we walked through metal detectors. General admission sat in the balcony, the floor being occupied by VIP's, according to a young volunteer named Caroline who helped seat us. Because we were being seated in sections from right to left, James and i scored second-row aisle seats in the center, my favorite spot to attend a Ryman function.

A smartly-dressed woman in her 50's was making her way down the aisle next to me, and shook my hand announcing "I'm Marsha Blackburn." ...awkward pause... "i'm Shannon. Collins." Her smile began to fade until a man in my aisle showered her with compliments regarding her earlier appearance on a radio show, apparently talking about oil refineries. Turns out she's the 7th district's US representative, serving an electorate stretching between the suburbs of Memphis and Nashville. According to one man near us, she is "the bestest one we have" and when she says she'll get something done, she surely will. i offered Caroline my pen, because she desperately wanted the Congresswoman's autograph.

First up was John Rich of Big & Rich, in all black with a red tie, who opened with Johnny Cash's "Walk the Line". He intermingled a few more songs with praise for Senator McCain, who, he was pleased to say, recognized him when they first met, and was a fan of his music. Behind Rich was four bleacher rows of supporters with McCain signs, my favorite saying "Hold the Bacon", which was not McCain's dietary concern, as James surmised, but rather an ode to the Senator's war on pork-barrel spending and earmarks. The backdrop was an enormous US flag flanked by 6' x 12' "John McCain and the Straight Talk Express" banners. Rich ended with a little diatribe about the "youth vote", and how it's apparently going to Obama. "Well guess what," he said, "I'm pretty young, and I'm not voting for him- I'm voting for Senator McCain!" His comment was met with enthusiastic cheering, the crowd encouraged to know that the 34-year old wasn't so young he didn't know better.

Senator Bill Frist attested to McCain's judgment and responsibility, particularly when it came to fiscal issues. i felt silly when i didn't anticipate his introduction of former Senator Fred Thompson, who received a great standing ovation- perhaps greater than any McCain received. Thompson praised McCain's "career of honor, courage, integrity; plain old-fashioned guts in everything he's ever done" and told a story of how during five and a half years as a "guest of the Viet Cong" McCain turned down an early release offered to him as the son of an admiral. He assured us that Senator McCain could deliver a "smaller, more responsible government", with "less pork." Then he warned us that McCain was "the only man in this race who understands the importance of the US not appearing to be weak and not appearing to be divided."

John McCain appeared to one of many enthusiastic standing ovations. His speech was peppered with self-deprecating stories, which were pretty funny, including one where on the campaign trail a man asked if he'd ever been told he looks "like Senator John McCain," adding, "doesn't that make you mad as heck?" Someone in the back with a large video camera shouted something and was promptly escorted outside by Secret Service without much more drama, aside from a woman in the section to my left who similarly stood up and screamed, "Go home, you Marxist!" but wasn't also asked to leave. Her charge became ironic when i later found the man was a Paul supporter and likely even less Marxist than the woman.

After another woman stood up to shout "Fred for VP!" John related that a Vice President has two duties- to preside over the Senate, and to inquire daily about the health of the President. McCain commended Thompson, as well as former opponents Guiliani, Huckabee, and Romney, notably omitting Representative Ron Paul, who to McCain's irritation, continues to campaign against him. "We are a united party," he assured us. You wouldn't know, considering the past several Republican primaries, where he still only gets around 3 of 4 votes in what is an all-but-determined contest.

He spoke about the price of oil, mentioning his tax holiday idea, which he explained would benefit those who drive the furthest and own the most gas-guzzling vehicles, otherwise known as "the lowest income Americans." Huh? He chided Obama for calling it a gimmick, and suggested we should find a few more gimmicks like that. Next, he advocated "energy independence", saying some of the money we pay for oil ends up in the hands of terrorists. Another standing ovation, in which James and i sat awkwardly in their midst. Wind, solar, plug-in hybrids, and nuclear are the answer, he said. He ignored a call-out regarding drilling in Alaska. We wouldn't care so much about Hugo Chavez, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, if we weren't so dependent on their oil, he said in an interesting confession.

Next he focused on Iran, citing a quote by Ahmadinejad from earlier in the day where he apparently said "I must pronounce that [Israel] is about to die and will soon be erased from the geography," and something about the "fall of the Great Satan." McCain was reiterating his talking points from the AIPAC conference earlier in the day. McCain also asserted that the Iranians were sending "the most explosive weapons into Iraq." He called on Senator Obama to visit Iraq, where he hadn't been in nearly three years. (In Obama's later victory speech in St. Paul, he challenged McCain to visit one of the many cities in the US affected by our failing economy.) McCain continued to hammer at Obama, citing his failure to criticize MoveOn.org's controversial "General Betray-Us" ad.

McCain argued success in Iraq, saying the three major cities are under the control of the Iraqi Council, and repeating his "it's not American presence, it's American casualties" line, and warning that if we withdraw, we will have to return at a greater loss. he ended with a story about how he wears a bracelet in the honor of a particular fallen soldier and promised not to let that soldier to have died in vain.

Following his awkwardly-worded claim that "with your support, I win win every place," we entered the question time, which i consider a disappointment, partly because only a dozen questions were addressed, due in part to the lengthy nature of the questions, and in some cases, the meandering path of the answers. The first was not a question at all, but a story by a former enlisted man under Petraeus, who related a heartwarming story about the General while he was a Lieutenant Colonel hit by friendly fire.

The next questioner mentioned Hillary Clinton, which was the first mention of the New York Senator that afternoon, and McCain took the opportunity to praise Clinton for inspiring generations of young women to achieve high office. Don't quite know how he segued, but McCain also took the opportunity to appeal the Tennessee's social conservatives, grabbing another standing ovation by voicing his support for the idea that marriage is between a man and a woman.

The third questioner asked what his response to Iran would be if they bombed Israel, possibly hoping to recreate Hillary's "total obliteration" snafu. McCain said he would never allow a "Second Holocaust," which was a talking point for which the audience warmly rewarded him.

The next questioner pointed out McCain's votes against several rounds of Bush's tax cuts, citing his statements that "we have to match cuts with spending cuts," and otherwise he could not support them. "How would McCain' cuts look different?" he asked. McCain spoke of cutting earmarks and "pork barrel spending," and reminisced about fiscal restraint under Reagan.

Responding to a question about servicemen in extended tours in Iraq, McCain blamed the overstretched military on the cuts made under Clinton. He said he'd do whatever it took to increase the size of the military. He would increase educational and health care for vets, he said.

After another lady suggested Fred Thompson for veep, with another round of standing ovation, a young man offered a little diatribe on how he felt the "Separation of Church and State" has become the "Separation of God and State," and ended with a very carefully crafted, direct question to Senator McCain: "What or who is the supreme authority in your life, and how will it be evident during your Presidency?" This drew an eager gasp from the audience, a large percentage i suspect were evangelicals. McCain proceeded to directly avoid the question, telling a long story about being a POW in Vietnam, and how his faith helped him through- that he "would be here today" if it weren't for his faith. Problem was, the question was not about whether he had faith, but in "what or who" that faith was placed. The questioner likely was hoping for "Jesus", "the Bible", or as a concession, "God," but got none of the above. i was disappointed when the questioner decided not to follow up by asking the very same question again. As an aside, i do not believe a religious test should be put on a candidate for the Presidency, but i am completely disappointed in McCain's lack of "Straight Talk" in addressing the question. Ironically, the Tennessean chose to use the "faith" quote as their headline in the next day's newspaper, which i believe utterly misrepresented McCain's visit, but surely eased the minds of the local electorate.

The next questioner, another Iraq War vet who chided the Senator for admittedly being one of many congressmen who did not read the intelligence report before authorizing the President to invade Iraq, asked the Senator if he could name the US Poet Laureate. "The what?" McCain asked, while many wondered the same. "Maybe you can tell me," McCain said. After informing everyone the current appointee (which we all promptly forgot), he asked McCain who his biggest literary influences were. McCain seized the opportunity to regain some face with the evangelicals by immediately citing Joel Osteen. i don't know if that had the desired effect. After adding Hemingway, McCain seemingly couldn't remember any other names of authors, because he fumbled his way into a little aside about biographies of "The Founding Fathers."

Another man assured McCain that he was a bonafide fiscal conservative, but that he had doubts about his social conservatism. What would judicial appointees look like under his Presidency? Roberts and Alito were cited, and John took the opportunity to mention that Obama opposed both. "I will only nominate strict Constitutional judges," he said.

"Thank you for five years in a concentration camp," said a women in the VIP section, adding logically, "what is your stance on immigration?" McCain's response meandered from "The Federalist Papers inspired me", the country has changed, sometimes "not for the better," and that "all are created equal and endowed." i don't remember anything about immigration in his answer, but the questioner must have been satisfied because she declared to him, "you are one of the Fathers!" Oh, please. i considered changing my question to "Which of the Federalist Papers is your favorite and why?" hoping to call his bluff.

A man told a sad story about his deteriorating 92-year-old aunt, who had chronic pain, and wondered why someone couldn't just treat the pain. Apparently, the Federal government is prosecuting doctors for prescribing too much pain medication, so they are wary to give ample amounts. i thought the question was going ot be about medical marijuana. McCain had no idea how to address this question, but Frist stood up to come to his aid, but with not much better result. The best the two could come up with was "we need to invest in science." McCain said he'd be glad to look at the issue.

At 3:15 people were bored and began to leave. i, on the other hand, was quite eager to ask McCain my question, and even more eager for James, behind me in one of four lines, to ask the question i offered him. But after a woman took the opportunity to lobby for a legislation proposed by NARF, which McCain didn't know anything about but would again "examine the agenda," the presumptive nominee ended the meeting so he could take photographs.

Oh, disappointment. i made a mental note to be more aggressive with opportunities like this, be cause had i lined up earlier i surely would have had my question in. Here it is, if you're curious: "Senator McCain,, you've detailed several tax cuts you'd like to make, but i haven't heard you specify the spending cuts you plan to make to address the $400 billion budget deficit, likely to increase another $300 billion more after your proposed tax cuts. Would you please specifically itemize the spending cuts you'd propose, to cover this several hundred billion dollar deficit?"

i consider economic questions of utmost importance, considering our current outstanding liabilites amount to $53 trillion and we have no hope to pay them. Since McCain promised to balance the budget before the end of his first term, and because during the afternoon he already committed to increasing funding for the military, benefits for vets, and "science", i wanted to get him to be brave and tell us what programs would face cuts. i didn't suspect he actually would be able to, nor do i anticipate such cuts under his Presidency. i would also have liked to take the opportunity to use a followup question to challenge his pork-cutting rhetoric, which i could demonstrate is a smokescreen for anyone interested. i don't buy into McCain's "fiscal conservative" image any more than i buy into his "maverick" image, or his supposed "straight talk."

Oh, here's the question i gutlessly pawned off on James: "Since you've taken the position that you can unilaterally withdraw your campaign from public financing without the authorization of the FEC, failing to abide by a campaign financing law that bears your name (McCain-Feingold), should we expect similar above-the-law actions during your presidency?"

If he comes to your town, please consider attending with a good question of your own. If you're uninspired, i'd be delighted if you used one of mine.

ISPs planning to stick it to the consumer

Check out this article which discusses the new pricing structure strategy for ISPs. I've got to give props to the leadership of these companies because they have the for foresight to see how we are just beginning to walk into the possibilities of broadband. The charges at this point seem somewhat reasonable, but with advances in technology the concept of what is high usage could drastically change. Just think back 10 years... we were getting into Napster... over a dial up connection.
These are the policies that lobbyist push on government and no one really cares about the ramifications 10, 20 years down the road. If this happens you can pretty much guaranty that the that innovation will be stifled. Anyone know if this type of pricing is used in China or other country's?

Timing is Everything

This tragic moment was captured amazingly by this photographer. Very sad story.... one person was killed. Here is the article

Big Dog Robot Revisited

You might recall the post from Matt about the Big Dog robot from Boston Dynamics in which he noted that it was some "pretty good AI."

I was a bit more skeptical until I saw how it's performing in beta.

Check it out.

oh SNAP

Red Bull Air Races

They're racing this Sunday in Detroit.
I'm not going, but I was influenced by all the hype.
Check this out.

Can you imagine being in the cockpit?

Miracle, possession, or ... other?!

This is a shattered pot lid. I didn't cause it. My girlfriend didn't cause it. We can't imagine what caused it.

I was sitting on the other side of the room, putting together some furniture. She was washing some dishes. We heard a 'pop' like a champagne bottle, and both thought to ourselves "...we don't have any champagne, what was that?" We opened the cupboard and saw this, with a fine spray of glass dust covering things. For the next hour, we could still hear it cracking constantly!

The lid was put in the cupboard about five minutes earlier, in this exact same position. It did not move at all. Previous to that, it was sitting in the drying rack for about a day. That rules out thermal causes. It didn't move, so it didn't drop on anything (or vice versa).

Any other scientific minds out there care to take some guesses?

Animated wall art

Sound waves

I will derive...

Ron Paul in Louisville May 17th

To my delight Ron Paul made a stop in Louisville to hold a book signing at Boarders and attend a freedom rally at Freedom Palace (what a perfect venue name). The timing of the visit coincided with the Kentucky Primary held on May 20th.

Here is a picture of Ron signing my book.
The book signing was one of boarders biggest events (just behind Jimmy Carter). I was able to shake Ron's hand and say hello, but had to move on fairly quick because he was only signing books for 2 hours and there were over 600 people who wanted to see him. He was very kind and pleasant.

The rally was very interesting. 90% of the attendees were very intense supporters, shouting and yelling after each statement made by Ron. There was an NRA convention in Louisville that week and prior to the speech they had some pictures projected in the hall. They were showing pictures of guys with huge high power rifles and whenever one of those pictures were shown most of the crowd erupted in shouting and clapping. It was a bit redneck. All political groups from 911 Truthers to Constitution Party members to Republicans were there. The content of his speech was very consistent with what you would find on YouTube. There was a call to supporters to travel to the Republican convention to hold a massive rally (10,000 people) to pull media attention toward the revolution because it's likely that he will not be invited into convention.

Overall, for being the first political rally I've attended, the event was very interesting. Hopefully Ron will be back in the mix next election cycle or someone else with his views will be in the race.

I may be sold....

Found out that GE is taking a look at selling the Appliance business... which I am a part of.
I hear that sometimes they do this kind of thing to see what people would pay for the business, but don't actually sell.

I find the weirdest things...

I've bought a pile of LPs in the last month or two. And look what I found... the soundtrack to Hoser's namesake. Recognize the other name? 'Where the Sidewalk Ends'? The author of that (also 'The Giving Tree') was a singer as well, and I found an album of his. His voice reminds me of what my uncle sounds like when he sings.

Did You Know?

Sometimes it's nice to see some numbers for facts that we already know intuitively.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

i wrote my congressmen today

i wrote about REAL ID, passed in 2005. i consider it an assault on liberty and the groundwork for terrible abuses of power.

---

We know Congress rejected REAL ID twice before it was passed, lumped into the "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005." i understand that it would be extremely difficult to vote against a measure with such a name, and have a measure of sympathy for such a vote.

Now, however, is the time to repeal REAL ID, which is an affront to the liberty and privacy of citizens, and gravely inflates the powers of unelected officials in the Executive Branch.

When i look at the Constitution, i think Hitler himself could be President and the people would be protected if the Congress and Courts played their Constitutional roles. i believe that principle should be applied when considering legislation. The Founders didn't count on the benevolence of this nation's leaders, rather they built measures to restrict the powers of government in order to prevent abuses of power.

REAL ID flies in the face of that wisdom and creates a mechanism that could be used for terrible ends at some point in the future.

Let me also remind you of my support for the "One Subject at a Time Act (OSTA)", that would have prevented REAL ID from being injected into that bill. Please support the OSTA by introducing it in Congress. More information on the bill is available here:

http://www.downsizedc.org/osta-legislation.shtml

Why would Sprint expect me to ever have a phone bill totalling MILLIONS of dollars?

Music with a purpose?

I heard a new song on the radio today. At first listen, I didn't give it much thought. But it was catchy, so I figured I would look it up, and I found this video (Handlebars by Flobots).
It's one of those songs/videos that has you thinking (and a bit uncomfortable) by the end. I think that's good for people, so I'm sharing. Give it a watch, if you get a minute.

Note: The first link is the radio edit, the second is the video I liked.

So now the US is officially supporting terrorists?

Great. According to this Andrew Cockburn op-ed,

"Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, 'unprecedented in its scope.'"

Kicker is, some of the groups we're supporting (such as Mujahedin-e Khalq and Jundullah) are on our own State Department's list of terrorist groups.

How's that for moral high ground? If this is true, now we're "aiding and abetting" terrorist groups, which has been the very charge leveled at Afghanistan and Iraq preceding our invasion.

In any case, this certainly lends itself to conjecture that the US may pursue more aggressive action against Iran for the same reasons, which in my opinion, would be even more of a disaster, not to mention ironic, given this latest news.

As Cockburn mentioned, Centcom commander Admiral Fallon recently left his post and will be replaced by Gen Petraeus. i was alarmed when Fallon left, and have been keeping my ear to the ground with issues involving Iran ever more so carefully since.

Surely a piece like Cockburn's has to be taken with a grain of salt (or in my case, a few grains) but i think we can all sift through the alarmism and find the important warnings we won't be getting elsewhere.

Look, they made a robotic version of Jason

Robot Drummer Has Planty of Rhythm

Happy B-Day Shannon

Eh?

Where is everybody??

Ever heard of a theremin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW0B1sipLBI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adtW7nZHmkg

so Flickr does video now, too

This ski area is the one I frequent the most. Just a bit of video to show you part of a mid-level difficulty run there. They stay open until late April!

Snow, at the end of April!

Apparently, I have to redact my earlier post about it being spring in the northwest. My town got a couple inches of snow and hail today... it's been going for about 12 hours now. It's actually sticking around on the ground, and I've seen some cars (driving around!) with about 3-4" on top.

Impeachment was conceived for such a time as this

i'm struggling to know how to write this post. Let me instead quote Ron Russell's comment regarding this story about President Bush's confession that he was aware of his advisors' drafting of torture guidelines, because it comes closest to my sentiment:

"...I always wondered how the average German could have allowed Nazi war crimes to happen. Sadly and shamefully, I now know. The sickening part is that I can’t do a damn thing about it. I’ve posted, I’ve voted, I’ve donated, I’ve marched in protest, I’ve called my lawmakers and it still happens and will continue to do so. Someday, someone will ask us how we could have allowed it and I will still be hanging my head in shame. Being powerless, does not absolve any of us of these crimes."

If Clinton's perjury in a civil case was grounds for impeachment, certainly drafting unconstitutional (that's not even to mention immoral and unethical!) quidelines for the Federal government to torture is all the more so. But even the media conveniently sleeps now.

Surfer rescue

I was down in Oregon yesterday, visiting some filming locations from the most excellent movie "The Goonies". A particular State Park was used, so we dropped by and hiked a bit. When we got back to my car, I had been severely blocked in by rescue vehicles...

Drum video

It's been a few days since someone posted, so check this out.

A few things...

1. Who's gonna sign up for project virgle? Let's go to Mars!!! :-)
2. Gmail's figured out the space-time continuum. Anyone up for a meeting 6 hrs ago? I think Google's lost it.
3. Happy April Fools Day.
4. Where the heck is Magic? Mr. one-post? Are you there?
5. I've got a post showcasing Greg Pattillo on my blog. If you haven't seen him (or even if you have), check it out. I imagine it would appeal to everyone who reads this blog.

Cheers,

Spring has springeded.

The cherry trees have been in bloom for at least two weeks now. The scent is beginning to fade from the neighborhoods. Many daffodils and other flowers are already in bloom.

And it snowed the last three days IN TOWN. Getting snow once is notable, even in winter. Twice in a row is odd. Three sequential days in spring is insane.

What's it like back east?

(Bean - what photo equipment do you use?)

Now this is some pretty good AI

She wasn't lying...

Bob Arno - Pick Pocket

This guy cracks me up.

Wow... just, wow. What a big lie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsGo_HWP-c

Sorry, I'm too dumb to know how to embed it. At least I'm not as dumb as politicians who do not remember that their appearances are recorded and archived...

(Anybody got similarly juicy clips of the other presidential candidates?)

Justice for Ryan Frederick

Police break into man's house unannounced at night. Man shoots and kills one of the officers, thinking he's being burglarized (there was a break-in a week earlier). Police find that the lead was bad- he's not growing or selling weed. Punchline - Man is on trial for murder.

Huh?

a) There have got to be better ways to arrest the guy for allegedly growing weed than an unannounced night raid. The man had no criminal record.

b) Let's end the drug war against marijuana users.

28 year old Ryan Frederick is just your average dude. i'm hoping this can be the high-profile case bringing policy changes- this is not the first time something like this has happened.

Ryan's not the only victim of this situation- don't forget the officer is dead, leaving behind a wife and three children. Let's hope something changes for everyone's sake.

Read the full article in Reason Magazine. Dig deeper in this wiki.

Economy, Part Dos: The Satirical Coverage

Posting here because it's on topic and so as to not sway focus from the current post on my blog (SPAM)

Inspiring faith in our president & the media...

Inflation

I can't put together such a thorough post on the topic as Shannon would, but in response to all the recent government economic intervention, I wanted to revive the discussion.

With the fed bailing out banks, and lowering interest rates, and whatever else they're up to, I can't help but wonder what effect it will have on trends like this.

Personally, I'm trying to save tuition for next year (when I'll be jobless, going to class full-time) in a high-interest savings account. It was nice at first, at 6% interest, but now it's down to 3.55%. Compound that with the effect of inflation, and it's tough-going if you're trying to be financially responsible / conservative these days.

I find myself aggravated at our nation's irresponsibility and near-sightedness. Is it wrong to feel like I'm paying for other's ignorance w.r.t. lending/borrowing, credit, spending (both at an individual and governmental level)?

What's your disposition?

Big Air Cannon

I thought this was cool.

Trying Out Ubuntu

My PC is eight years old. Yes, i'm still using the custom 600MHz AMD i brought with me to college. i've been through 3 hard drives, i'm on my third disc drive, third graphics card, and i've added RAM and a Soundblaster Audigy along the way. When flash websites choke your computer, you know it's time.

i've also finally warmed up to the idea of laptops. And i developed Mac-envy; the hardware looks sweet, runs well, the OS is awesome, and the software both developed by Apple and the community follows this neat concept of simplicity and quality aesthetics. Bonus.

In spite of all this, i found my opportunity to be a dissenter. My friends freak me out- they start innocently enough with a shiny new MacBookPro (an elevated price over comparable PCs), but no one seems to be able to control themselves. All of the sudden they're buying every upgrade, every new model of the iPod, all the cool new peripherals, and can be seen around town with the Apple baseball cap. The cult kinda freaks me out.

This is why i felt all warm inside when i began seeing the Linux options. As someone who has backed in to the programming community, i've grown a high level of respect for Linux- a) it's free and open-source (a cult i can identify with), and b) the apps are sweet, most likely due to the supersaturation of great developers within the Linux community. Ubuntu is likely the most commonly used and best-supported Debian Linux distribution out there, so i considered it a great place to start.

i learned on a blog somewhere that you can try out Ubuntu without installing it on your machine by booting to the install CD (ISO available as a free download at Ubuntu.com). i did this with the 7.10 release and was pleasantly surprised. i just had to keep in mind the fact that i was running an OS directly off my CD-ROM, so i wouldn't walk away from the experience thinking "Unbuntu is slow". Coincidentally, i've heard a report from Jake, who installed it on a Virtual PC, that it is even more responsive than Windows (XP?).

Windows XP is my reference, because i've been using it the longest. Ubuntu has a lot of the same features; the equivalences of a Start Bar, Task Bar, Quick Launch, and Recycle Bin. Bonus points to Ubuntu for a "Quit" button that doesn't have to be unintuitively preceded by a click on the "Start" button. (i'm referencing the GNOME desktop- there are several others to choose from! Xubuntu is an Ubuntu release with the Xfce desktop for increased performance).

This OS seems fully fleshed out- everything important like network management, user profiles, and software updates. Then there all the extras like games, dozens of cool screensavers, and optional display effects that pinch and shove your windows as you drag them around- ensuring you that yes, all the bases have been covered here and this is a mature product.

My favorite feature is the Workspace Switcher applet. It works like this- you're working away, with OpenOffice Writer (replacement for Word), Calc (spreadsheets), and the default mail client Evolution (or install another, like Mozilla Thunderbird, which i'm currently using), all arranged in your special way so you can get around your workspace just how you like. With the click of a button, your desktop magically switches to show Firefox and your preferred media player, so you can check your Inbox for new messages and start your favorite Tom Petty album. With one click on the Workspace Switcher, you're back in work mode. Mint.

Challenge- give Ubuntu a shot and report here. Considering this can be done with a simple, nondestructive boot to CD, there will be no valid excuses.

Also- let's talk about what a Windows user might lose if switching to a Linux OS. For example: i use a budgeting tool currently only available on Windows (OS X release soon). i heard i could set up a Windows emulator for it, or set up a dual-boot system. What might some other potential difficulties be?

C'mon already...

I'm so impatient right now...

Due out in stores April 27.

I've already ordered more lenses and equipment that I can use on my current camera (Rebel T2, 35mm equivalent to this one) and this one.

Feedburner stats

So average readership is now about 10/day. (not bad given the infancy of this blog)
It just tied the stats of my blog this week, though I expect it to surpass it as soon as the bots notice the recent post frequency...

bump :-)

Anyway, the majority of our regular subscribers do so through iGoogle.
The remainder are split between Firefox and IE's live bookmark features.

To the latter... do you know something I don't?
I thought live bookmarks were kinda primitive.



P.S. 10/day is the number or UNIQUE subscribers. Our hits are significantly more frequent.

Hulu went public today

Hulu
I don't have much background on the site, but it offers NBC content online with less commercials. Thought I would let you guys know.

Ode to the MSU Drumline

I found this vid a few weeks back. I never got a chance to see it on PBS ... but now I can share will all. Enjoy you Hosers



Note that I'm changing a head out when the camera guy goes down the line.... whoops

The "Read the Bills Act"

i'm tickled. DownsizeDC.org wrote a piece of legislation that, if passed, would make any bill available to the congressman and constituents for a full week in it's final form before coming to a vote.

Why? Because many cumbersome bills are passed within hours of being distributed to congressmen, some without even being available in printed form at the time of the vote! (read: The Patriot Act) In other words, our congressman are voting for or against bills without even reading them.

That's clearly irresponsible and something needs to change. For more information on the "Read the Bills Act":

http://www.downsizedc.org/read_the_laws.shtml

i'm boycotting 24

So when i moved to my present crib in East Nashville (372-0H-SIX!), i discovered it was a house custom to have weekly gatherings for dinner and the latest 24 episode. i never was a real fan of the show- i hardly watch any TV and 24's plot continuity problems (flights from the east to west coast in 90 minutes) and poor acting (no need to even cite examples) wasn't doing it for me. But the ritual - the social aspect - was worth it, so for the past two seasons i obliged.

Not anymore. i'm staging an all-out boycott of 24 on the basis of it's role in desensitization. Not desensitization to violence, nor vulgarity, not even promiscuity- desensitization to the idea of a police state violating our rights. i might stomach it if 24 were a sci-fi set in another time and place, but 24 is meant to represent our beloved nation in the very near future. God help us all if it is.

The "war on terror" paradigm permits the writers to present a slew of previously intolerable scenarios: warrantless searches, illegal surveillance of American citizens, detainment of people without charges, government-sanctioned kidnapping, even torture- of internationals, citizens - shoot - even family members. Suddenly we can trample over everything that ensures a free society; habeas corpus, our Bill of Rights, human rights, the Geneva Convention, even the rule of law, if it's too inconvenient for 24's heroes to tolerate. This, i suppose, is what the end of the Republic looks like.

One day i suddenly snapped out of my daze and realized what i was going along with. When i thought about it some more, if realized that our current government is not so far from it's fictional counterpart. And 24 is not any help in the general awareness, appreciation, and defense of the rights and freedoms we've inherited- quite the opposite, really. i, for one, won't stomach it any longer.

Colbert

No activity lately?
Is this a protest of the new location?

Anyway, I'm posting Colbert here (so as to keep a 1post/day limit on my blog).






I want the T Shirt!

Adios

We Are Grounded

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N-joy

Matt, I had to post this.

A Gallup poll of Muslims worldwide

i ran across another article today: 'Politics, not piety' dictate radicals in Muslim world: poll. Gallup polled 50,000 Muslims ins several predominately Muslim states. They found that 93% of Muslims condemn the 9/11 attacks. More notably, of the 7% who do, none citing religious reasons, but political reasons. This flies in the face of what we're being taught about "Islamofascism."

i'm becoming very politically-minded because i recognize that our government has a huge impact on the whole world. People live and die by our country's decisions. As a citizen in this Republic, i feel the weight of responsibility. So i've been educating myself and trying to educate others as i go.

But i want to be reasonable and level-headed. i don't want to be one of those bloggers who can get everyone like-minded to foam at the mouth and everyone else feeling defensive, because i don't think that ends up accomplishing anything. So i'd like to use this blog from time to time to say my piece, and i'd like for you all to call me out if i'm not being reasonable. Cool?