If you like to read then here are my four favorite searches on google news:
1) Anti-Science
2) Science
3) Technology
4) Atheism
Almost always there is something interesting that pops up in these searches. In the future I'll be running these searchs and writing some about the more interesting articles out there.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Death Segment 2
This is just going to be a brief post. I know often people will remark that a specific dead person that was close to them helped them through this or that or guided them through something.
I know one thing for sure dead people don't do anything at all. My mother-in-law used to watch my first son anytime we needed her. No spirit can do that if spirits exist.
If spirits cannot be responsible for something simple like watching my 3 year old, how can they be responsible for anything else?
And so... days before my mother-in-laws death my wife became pregnant. My mother-in-law will never know her second grandchild. And who knows, perhaps there will be a third in the future? I can't say. Right now it seems hard enough to deal with two kids and it seems unlikely that any of her siblings will have any children.
I know there are a lot of people that claim that dead people do things. But you don't see dead people doing anything important. You don't see these people that believe in dead people going around doing things depending on these spirits or whatever to go to work for them today because they are sick?
You can believe in spirits or whatever all you want. In the end, what you do is on a daily basis is no different than what a person does that doesn't believe in spirits. The belief in spirits does only one thing for you - gives you a nice fuzzy feeling that the ones you loved in life that have died are somewhere around doing useful things.
I know one thing for sure dead people don't do anything at all. My mother-in-law used to watch my first son anytime we needed her. No spirit can do that if spirits exist.
If spirits cannot be responsible for something simple like watching my 3 year old, how can they be responsible for anything else?
And so... days before my mother-in-laws death my wife became pregnant. My mother-in-law will never know her second grandchild. And who knows, perhaps there will be a third in the future? I can't say. Right now it seems hard enough to deal with two kids and it seems unlikely that any of her siblings will have any children.
I know there are a lot of people that claim that dead people do things. But you don't see dead people doing anything important. You don't see these people that believe in dead people going around doing things depending on these spirits or whatever to go to work for them today because they are sick?
You can believe in spirits or whatever all you want. In the end, what you do is on a daily basis is no different than what a person does that doesn't believe in spirits. The belief in spirits does only one thing for you - gives you a nice fuzzy feeling that the ones you loved in life that have died are somewhere around doing useful things.
Ann Coulter Calls John Edwards a Faggot
Ann Coulter is a very intelligent woman. I think that point needs to be brought out immediately.
So, when she was accused of using the term faggot (which she did) and she claims it was just a school yard insult and not derogatory of John Edwards sexual orientation and to gays in the United States of America, we know she is lying. An intelligent person in front of a conservative convention that is a paid speaker knows exactly what she is saying.
I don't have a problem with her calling John Edwards a faggot in a personal setting. I don't even care if she says it in a public setting, either. She is a publicity hound and will say or do anything that keeps the coin of her speeches valuable.
No, that isn't the problem.
If you watch the clip you'll hear something very important happen and it has nothing to do with Ann Coulter. Listen to the audience of this major political action committee. A PAC that represents around 50% of the nation.
There is an ooooooing sound from the audience. It is like a fight starting up in the cafeteria in elementary school! And then there is a brief Ah!!! As if to say, I can't believe she said that and its exactly what I'd say if I was up there, followed by loud applause.
Then she closes her speech only seconds later - to thunderous applause.
There was a conservative blog out there that was pissed off at Ann Coulter for associating bigotry and anti-gay sentiment with the conservative movement. I don't know who this person is, but they have a sadly misunderstood idea of their own conservative movement. Listen to the audience. That was not the sound of an audience upset by the speaker saying something they did not want to hear. This was an audience that agreed wholeheartedly with what she said, if not exactly how she said it.
Watch the video again and this time concentrate on her facial movements. She isn't sure at first how well the remark was taken, then the audience takes off with it. She smiles, tilts her head coyly and understands that she has hit her mark. The audience was cheering, there were sure to be press discussion about her which would driving up the value of her speaking engagements (and the demand for those engagements).
She is very proud of what she has done and in her remarks later she is not recalcitrant about saying it - instead she lies and states it is just a school-age insult.
She says that you have to go in to rehab if you use the term 'faggot'. Why would you have to go to an rehab for saying something that is just a school-age insult? No, you might need to go to rehab (at least rehab from the public) if you said the word Nigger. If she was taunting at Political Correctness, it seems that her comment itself is proof that it isn't true - that PC would send you to rehab for saying the word 'faggot'. In her own speech just before she says faggot she determines its meaning. It is clear. She means it as a double-insult - one against John Edwards (who among Democratic presidential hopefuls is the most forgettable) and one against the gay community.
So, Ann Coulter makes a statement, some people get upset, some people are very happy. It should be clear that Ann Coulter has done our society a great service. She has shown that one of the largest PACs and motivators behind republicans and conservatives - are hateful and bigoted. That making such statements does not bring global denouncement by the 'good' people in attendence is a treatise to the fact that they are not the good people they want people to think they are.
So, when she was accused of using the term faggot (which she did) and she claims it was just a school yard insult and not derogatory of John Edwards sexual orientation and to gays in the United States of America, we know she is lying. An intelligent person in front of a conservative convention that is a paid speaker knows exactly what she is saying.
I don't have a problem with her calling John Edwards a faggot in a personal setting. I don't even care if she says it in a public setting, either. She is a publicity hound and will say or do anything that keeps the coin of her speeches valuable.
No, that isn't the problem.
If you watch the clip you'll hear something very important happen and it has nothing to do with Ann Coulter. Listen to the audience of this major political action committee. A PAC that represents around 50% of the nation.
There is an ooooooing sound from the audience. It is like a fight starting up in the cafeteria in elementary school! And then there is a brief Ah!!! As if to say, I can't believe she said that and its exactly what I'd say if I was up there, followed by loud applause.
Then she closes her speech only seconds later - to thunderous applause.
There was a conservative blog out there that was pissed off at Ann Coulter for associating bigotry and anti-gay sentiment with the conservative movement. I don't know who this person is, but they have a sadly misunderstood idea of their own conservative movement. Listen to the audience. That was not the sound of an audience upset by the speaker saying something they did not want to hear. This was an audience that agreed wholeheartedly with what she said, if not exactly how she said it.
Watch the video again and this time concentrate on her facial movements. She isn't sure at first how well the remark was taken, then the audience takes off with it. She smiles, tilts her head coyly and understands that she has hit her mark. The audience was cheering, there were sure to be press discussion about her which would driving up the value of her speaking engagements (and the demand for those engagements).
She is very proud of what she has done and in her remarks later she is not recalcitrant about saying it - instead she lies and states it is just a school-age insult.
She says that you have to go in to rehab if you use the term 'faggot'. Why would you have to go to an rehab for saying something that is just a school-age insult? No, you might need to go to rehab (at least rehab from the public) if you said the word Nigger. If she was taunting at Political Correctness, it seems that her comment itself is proof that it isn't true - that PC would send you to rehab for saying the word 'faggot'. In her own speech just before she says faggot she determines its meaning. It is clear. She means it as a double-insult - one against John Edwards (who among Democratic presidential hopefuls is the most forgettable) and one against the gay community.
So, Ann Coulter makes a statement, some people get upset, some people are very happy. It should be clear that Ann Coulter has done our society a great service. She has shown that one of the largest PACs and motivators behind republicans and conservatives - are hateful and bigoted. That making such statements does not bring global denouncement by the 'good' people in attendence is a treatise to the fact that they are not the good people they want people to think they are.
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Conspiracy to dismantle NASA
It seems like years ago that Bush made a statement that we should return to the moon and then go onward to Mars with manned missions.
He did this before the 2004 elections. I thought it was obvious that he wanted to get the votes of the science oriented. NASA is a constant thorn in the side of politicians.
I am a member of an amateur astronomy group - and I said it shortly after his statement - and I'll say it again - it was not only a ploy to get votes but it is a magnificent plan to destroy and dismantle NASA.
NASA then and NASA now does not appear to have the capability to go to the Moon and even less Mars. It was clear that the funds would never be made available for an surge of capabilities necessary to make it to the Moon and Mars again.
Recent articles have stated that there will be a delay in our return to space after the Space shuttle is retired - due to a flat budget for NASA from 2007 to 2008 - which actually amounts to a decrease in funds when you account for inflation.
NASA - will be absorbed by the military in the near future. All it will take now is the public acknowledging NASA as a failure - and it will fail to go to the Moon and Mars, almost certainly... And NASA's budget, capabilities and manpower will all be military.
NASA has already reduced the science it will do in order to make it to the Moon and Mars, soon, it will not be able to do either (and it will be obvious long before the dates come that they planned to get to the Moon and Mars) and NASA will implode like a Black Hole - never to be seen again.
He did this before the 2004 elections. I thought it was obvious that he wanted to get the votes of the science oriented. NASA is a constant thorn in the side of politicians.
I am a member of an amateur astronomy group - and I said it shortly after his statement - and I'll say it again - it was not only a ploy to get votes but it is a magnificent plan to destroy and dismantle NASA.
NASA then and NASA now does not appear to have the capability to go to the Moon and even less Mars. It was clear that the funds would never be made available for an surge of capabilities necessary to make it to the Moon and Mars again.
Recent articles have stated that there will be a delay in our return to space after the Space shuttle is retired - due to a flat budget for NASA from 2007 to 2008 - which actually amounts to a decrease in funds when you account for inflation.
NASA - will be absorbed by the military in the near future. All it will take now is the public acknowledging NASA as a failure - and it will fail to go to the Moon and Mars, almost certainly... And NASA's budget, capabilities and manpower will all be military.
NASA has already reduced the science it will do in order to make it to the Moon and Mars, soon, it will not be able to do either (and it will be obvious long before the dates come that they planned to get to the Moon and Mars) and NASA will implode like a Black Hole - never to be seen again.
Dvorak's opinion on CES
In John C. Dvorak's recent articel "Dear CES: Kick Out the PCs" he appeals that the computer technology should be removed from the CES show - to make a new Computer/technology oriented show and have more room for the Consume electronics that are supposed to be featured at CES.
Well, respectfully, I disagree with my favorite computer topic writer.
I think that he is on the right track though. I think that in a monstrous sized convention as the CES, you need clear segmentation of the different businesses. Even to the point that companies such as Sony should have separate stands in different areas - for TV, Computer, etc segments.
Then, you still have the SAP, IBM, Oracle stands that are there - and not for the typical Electronics Consumer - and you still attract the sheer number of people that CES is known.
Hell, I'd even be up for combining Tech Ed for Microsoft and Tech Ed for SAP in to CES... Then it would be great to bring the family.
Well, respectfully, I disagree with my favorite computer topic writer.
I think that he is on the right track though. I think that in a monstrous sized convention as the CES, you need clear segmentation of the different businesses. Even to the point that companies such as Sony should have separate stands in different areas - for TV, Computer, etc segments.
Then, you still have the SAP, IBM, Oracle stands that are there - and not for the typical Electronics Consumer - and you still attract the sheer number of people that CES is known.
Hell, I'd even be up for combining Tech Ed for Microsoft and Tech Ed for SAP in to CES... Then it would be great to bring the family.
Guacamole
I love guacamole. But it is just painful to buy avocados and wait until they are ripe and make it. But I don't have to deal with that anymore.
Sam's club sells frozen avocados with premixed guacamole mix that you thaw, mix up and eat whenever you want it.
Ahhhh, this is happiness. Too bad everything I really like at Sam's club eventually disappears. So, I went and bought some more.
Sam's club sells frozen avocados with premixed guacamole mix that you thaw, mix up and eat whenever you want it.
Ahhhh, this is happiness. Too bad everything I really like at Sam's club eventually disappears. So, I went and bought some more.
FutureCar series on Discovery Channel
I like this series a lot, but it seems to me that they lack the negative side of the technologies they talk about.
I don't know how major it is, but I remember reading about the Tweel some time ago.
Noise Problems
As indicated in the above Wikipedia article need to be solved to a better than current tires noise level - before these tires could be adopted by regular people. At first these tires are going to be more expensive than regular tires and if they are more expensive people won't buy them unless they outperform their current tires in almost every way.
But I still love the show. I can't wait for the future to arrive. Personally, though, I hope for arcologies without roads (and no cars) more than I hope for really cool cars. Like any American, though, I love cars.
I don't know how major it is, but I remember reading about the Tweel some time ago.
Noise Problems
As indicated in the above Wikipedia article need to be solved to a better than current tires noise level - before these tires could be adopted by regular people. At first these tires are going to be more expensive than regular tires and if they are more expensive people won't buy them unless they outperform their current tires in almost every way.
But I still love the show. I can't wait for the future to arrive. Personally, though, I hope for arcologies without roads (and no cars) more than I hope for really cool cars. Like any American, though, I love cars.
Monday, February 26, 2007
A Great Discussion Web Site for Religious topics
If you are a person that is interested in discussions with people of varying levels of belief and non-belief the best site in the world to hold discussions is iidb.org -> The Internet Infidels Discussion Board.
I'm on this site frequently as Old Ygg. Sometimes I'll pose rediculous questions, sometimes I'll ask serious questions and on this site where there are so many questions it is often hard to tell the difference.
Most of the people there are curteous, but not all. Expect that you should be able to back up any statements you make on this discussion board.
There is also another good reason for people to go to this site - if they are atheists, agnostics, secular humanists or any other variety of philosophical thinker - it is a place where you can speak your mind and be the free thinker you are - and be in the company of friends.
I'm on this site frequently as Old Ygg. Sometimes I'll pose rediculous questions, sometimes I'll ask serious questions and on this site where there are so many questions it is often hard to tell the difference.
Most of the people there are curteous, but not all. Expect that you should be able to back up any statements you make on this discussion board.
There is also another good reason for people to go to this site - if they are atheists, agnostics, secular humanists or any other variety of philosophical thinker - it is a place where you can speak your mind and be the free thinker you are - and be in the company of friends.
Monthly Gas Bill
So, this month my gas bill was $235 . This is incredible to me - the only thing I use gas for is heating the house and heating household water.
Just last night I was watching Dirty Jobs - where a new senior citizens home was being built - with a large number geothermal wells.
These wells were all 90 or so feet in the ground and helped to alleviate the power consumption of the final structure.
60 million barrels of oil a year could be saved if all the schools in the USA employed similar technology.
Now, this isn't that much when you consider that some numbers indicate we consume 19 million barrels a day, but saving 60 million barrels of oil is still significant - it purchases us three days more oil on the year than if we continue with our current usage profile.
So, when I move in to my next house, I'd certainly love to put in such a system. A combination of a wind turbine, geothermal heat source and some solar panels might reduce my oil profile significantly.
But the value isn't there just for a single household to do it. The value is to convert large numbers of homes to it, so that maybe we set up all the schools with geothermal power, then a significant percentage of homes and save another 60 million barrels of oil and we end up with 6 days less of oil consumption next year than this year.
All this construction certianly comes with a cost - and uses oil to be implemented. So, maybe the first year this is a wash. Then in the following years we could start saving more barrels of oil.
Of course, our population (and the world's population) continue to increase and demand will still increase even with implementing these kinds of measures. Without implementing these kinds of measures; however, we will have less energy for everyone (and higher prices).
So, there is little choice. We need to work to start saving energy resources. My gas bill this month is $235 - what will it be next year?
Just last night I was watching Dirty Jobs - where a new senior citizens home was being built - with a large number geothermal wells.
These wells were all 90 or so feet in the ground and helped to alleviate the power consumption of the final structure.
60 million barrels of oil a year could be saved if all the schools in the USA employed similar technology.
Now, this isn't that much when you consider that some numbers indicate we consume 19 million barrels a day, but saving 60 million barrels of oil is still significant - it purchases us three days more oil on the year than if we continue with our current usage profile.
So, when I move in to my next house, I'd certainly love to put in such a system. A combination of a wind turbine, geothermal heat source and some solar panels might reduce my oil profile significantly.
But the value isn't there just for a single household to do it. The value is to convert large numbers of homes to it, so that maybe we set up all the schools with geothermal power, then a significant percentage of homes and save another 60 million barrels of oil and we end up with 6 days less of oil consumption next year than this year.
All this construction certianly comes with a cost - and uses oil to be implemented. So, maybe the first year this is a wash. Then in the following years we could start saving more barrels of oil.
Of course, our population (and the world's population) continue to increase and demand will still increase even with implementing these kinds of measures. Without implementing these kinds of measures; however, we will have less energy for everyone (and higher prices).
So, there is little choice. We need to work to start saving energy resources. My gas bill this month is $235 - what will it be next year?
Second Introduction
So, it has been a very long time since I have posted on this blog and a great many thing have happened since my last posting.
My wife and I had two miscarriages during the time I was blogging. Then my mother-in-law died - and unknown to everyone my wife was pregnant a few days before her death.
You can imagine that the hope engendered by being pregnant was tempered both by the past spontaneous abortions and by my mother-in-laws death.
Fortunately, the third pregnancy went full term and our second child (out of 4 pregnancies) was born. His name is Corwin and our first child is Random, both boys. It would be nice to have a third child, but the emotional wringer of the spontaneous abortions as well as age and higher risk of disease and economics all factor in the decision. Corwin is only 5 months old now and certainly we wouldn't want to have the next one too soon - as that also increases the chances of a spontaneous abortion.
Well, I certainly have hopes for the future. I hope my boys will have better lives than I've had, even if what I've had so far isn't so bad. It is in the core of my mind that the future should be better than the past.
So, now, this blog is for both of my boys. Hopefully, in reading these blogs when they get older they will get some idea of who I am as well as ideas about the world around them.
My wife and I had two miscarriages during the time I was blogging. Then my mother-in-law died - and unknown to everyone my wife was pregnant a few days before her death.
You can imagine that the hope engendered by being pregnant was tempered both by the past spontaneous abortions and by my mother-in-laws death.
Fortunately, the third pregnancy went full term and our second child (out of 4 pregnancies) was born. His name is Corwin and our first child is Random, both boys. It would be nice to have a third child, but the emotional wringer of the spontaneous abortions as well as age and higher risk of disease and economics all factor in the decision. Corwin is only 5 months old now and certainly we wouldn't want to have the next one too soon - as that also increases the chances of a spontaneous abortion.
Well, I certainly have hopes for the future. I hope my boys will have better lives than I've had, even if what I've had so far isn't so bad. It is in the core of my mind that the future should be better than the past.
So, now, this blog is for both of my boys. Hopefully, in reading these blogs when they get older they will get some idea of who I am as well as ideas about the world around them.
New Species Threaten the Earth
This CNN article should be cause for alarm for everyone.
Antarctic ice melt reveals exotic creatures
Quote From CNN article: "Looking down 2,800 feet into the icy water -- a comparatively shallow depth -- they found fauna usually associated with seabeds about three times that deep, in places where the creatures must adapt to scarcity to survive.
Antarctic ice melt reveals exotic creatures
Quote From CNN article: "Looking down 2,800 feet into the icy water -- a comparatively shallow depth -- they found fauna usually associated with seabeds about three times that deep, in places where the creatures must adapt to scarcity to survive.
There were blue ice fish, with dorsal fins like ribbed fans and blood that lacks red cells, an adaptation that makes the blood more fluid and easier to pump through the animal's body, conserving energy at low temperatures....
Among the hundreds of specimens collected, the scientists identified 15 possible new species of shrimp-like amphipods, and four possible new species of cnidarians, organisms related to coral, jellyfish and sea anemones, the scientists said in a statement."
Does the above quote scare you? Perhaps not. Perhaps you have put together what I have from that article.
Damage is done to environments by foreign species introduction. With the melting of these ice shelves we have a massive introduction of foreign species - species from another time. Most of these species have probably died off due to circumstances of their times. That does not mean that those circumstances continue to exist in the present. Perhaps the starfish in this article may survive better than existing starfish and cause damage to the environment at the same time.
We have a massive task ahead of us and no one is even discussing it. These foreign species from another time need to be isolated from our current environment. They could be carrying diseases that current species have no protection from.
Since it is apparent that no one is being pro-active in this aspect we may run in to new species replacing old ones in a reverse form of evolution, we may find new diseases in existing species some of which definitely do not need the help over the edge and we may luck out and the biodiversity being delivered in to our ecosystem will replace species that are being lost presently due to our direct actions.
Hey, anyone want to comment? Am I insane or some misled prophet of doom? Of course, one should realize that I do not mean that horrible things will happen. What I mean is that horrible things could happen and that we increase those chances by not dealing with the invasion of past species in to our current ecosystem.
Then again, maybe the new starfish will be edible by humans and replace the dwindling species of sea life.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Kiln or Furnace
Well, who knows if anyone still reads this blog, it has been a long time since I posted anything here. My mother-in-laws death and my wife's pregnancy which happened as near simultaneously as these things can has vastly reduced time available for the expansion of thought.
Anyway, I was reading an article in a magazine - nature or something like that where they discussed finding a huge impact crater in Africa, by high-altitude imaging and locating pieces of quartz.
In that article it discussed that at 1600 degrees silicon turns in to quartz (not the point of the article, I know - the point of the article was that it was the largest impact crater ever found, once it was realized what it was).
So, now I am curious - if anyone can answer the question - how can I make something to produce 1600 degrees and melt silicon in to quartz?
The other question I have is interesting. If the quartz created in Africa was from a vast impact, why is there (or was there) so much quartz in cape may (sometimes known as cape may diamond)?
Anyway, I was reading an article in a magazine - nature or something like that where they discussed finding a huge impact crater in Africa, by high-altitude imaging and locating pieces of quartz.
In that article it discussed that at 1600 degrees silicon turns in to quartz (not the point of the article, I know - the point of the article was that it was the largest impact crater ever found, once it was realized what it was).
So, now I am curious - if anyone can answer the question - how can I make something to produce 1600 degrees and melt silicon in to quartz?
The other question I have is interesting. If the quartz created in Africa was from a vast impact, why is there (or was there) so much quartz in cape may (sometimes known as cape may diamond)?
Monday, January 16, 2006
Death
I'm going to be writing an article on Death - but I never seem to be able to finish it.
My mother-in-law died on Christmas day - very suddenly - and this leads my thoughts to travel to thoughts about death.
So, I haven't written much on my blog or on the Useless-knowledge website. In fact, I've written nothing.
Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with some content sometime. The reality is that either in work, after work hobbies or other activities - I've been having trouble concentrating and completing my tasks. I have lots of things to write articles about - but I keep returning to my article on death, which I can't seem to finish.
In the beginning, this blog was written so my son would have resources about me - other than the spoken word by others, about who I am and things like that.
Well, I can say somethings to tell him about himself of the past when he reads this in the future.
Of the grandparents, your Grandmother on your mother's side was the one you were closest to - and she played with you and seemed ready to watch you at a moments notice whenever we needed her help. Seemingly swollowed up in to a black hole at our house and foregoing making dinner for your grandfather and other things to watch you or sometimes just to help us with you.
More about this I suspect will show up in my article - which - who knows - perhaps no one will read. It seemed though that she was happiest when she spent time with you, my son.
Alex
Monday, December 12, 2005
UK - Article Loading to Database
Well, I've improved my performance greatly in loading the article into my database in the hopes that I'll be able to use this data to help them update their interface.
So, up from the last number of articles I have loaded in to my database, I now have 7770 articles of over 10,000 articles uploaded.
That's pretty good. Less than 3,000 to go and then I'll need to be able to grab the most recent articles as well.
There are lots of options with the Useless-Knowledge website update. one hopes for the least work for the most increased abilities, looks and performance, but it seems to me that it is likely that they'll need something completely custom.
I just don't know. And considering the efforts necessary for completely custom - it is difficult to discern if it is worth it. Perhaps they should look at the update in phases. Start with looks and an improved posting logic. Then later add article counters and comments sections to the articles.
It might be better, who knows.
Alex
So, up from the last number of articles I have loaded in to my database, I now have 7770 articles of over 10,000 articles uploaded.
That's pretty good. Less than 3,000 to go and then I'll need to be able to grab the most recent articles as well.
There are lots of options with the Useless-Knowledge website update. one hopes for the least work for the most increased abilities, looks and performance, but it seems to me that it is likely that they'll need something completely custom.
I just don't know. And considering the efforts necessary for completely custom - it is difficult to discern if it is worth it. Perhaps they should look at the update in phases. Start with looks and an improved posting logic. Then later add article counters and comments sections to the articles.
It might be better, who knows.
Alex
New Greyhound
This is mostly a personal entry. It has been the better part of two years since one of our two greyhounds had to be put to sleep.
I should say that there is a moral obligation when humans take on pets - that you must be able to say to yourself about the animal at least 'I am going to kill you' - when you take on a pet.
Because it is unfair for an animal to live its existence primarily for your pleasure and companionship to suffer a horrible painful prolonged death because you don't have the guts to know when the time is - to put that animal to sleep. To kill it. Or you don't have the courage to do what needs to be done.
And in most cases - unless you are near the end of your own life you will outlive your family pet(s). One of the dogs we almost adopted - the owners - a couple - the husband died. The dog was mostly the husbands dog and the wife I suspect may no longer have been up to handling a dog - at least for a time. Fortunately, the dog is healthy and can be re-adopted to another family. Boy it was a really friendly dog. I have cats in the house, though - and this particular greyhound failed the cat test and wanted to eat the test cat. Since I don't want to have another dog at the expense of losing all my cats - he was out of the running.
It is a stark reality that any pet owner should acknowledge when you begin your custodianship of an animal. It is responsiblity for life and death.
Determination of when that time is - to put down a pet - is much harder. But if you don't recognize the fact that this will probably come to pass on inception of taking care of an animal - it is much harder.
No matter what it is hard to put an animal down - when the balance has shifted significantly on the issue of quantity or quality of life. It is largely a judgement call - but good veterninarians won't let you put an otherwise healthy animal down - if in their judgement you are overreacting.
Ok, so we've been looking for a new dog. It is always a journey to find a good fit. Fortunately, I think we found one in a timid greyhound who is just off the track called Willy.
Unfortunately, our current greyhound is called Philly, and Willy doesn't know his name. So you call one and you get both. So we are going to change Willy's name. Usually we keep the name, with Jet and Philly - we kept their original names. They both also seemed to know their original names - so that makes it a whole lot harder to justify changing the dogs name.
I've been watching a lot of anime lately - and am a fan of the sounds that Japanese language makes. So, my wife and I came up with a first and last name for our new Greyhound formerly known as Willy.
Oku Gengetsu. Oku - meaning Timid. Gengetsu - meaning crescent moon.
Greyhounds in general are somewhere between labrador retrievers and well, I can't come up with a completely sedate breed of dog. Anyway, Greyhounds are usually fairly well-rounded in being jumpy happy dogs and lying on the couch or floor sleeping.
Oku, though - and probably because he doesn't know anything about anything - is very very timid. So, Oku means timid in Japanese - and timid he is.
Crescent moon - is because he has a large two or three inch tall crescent moon scar on his side. We actually didn't notice it when we picked him up (him being very timid and another dog that we couldn't have because of his cat-eating obsession being very pushy and wanting to be with me). It wouldn't have mattered, of course. Philly was abused before she came to us and had many scars, but nothing nearly as large as this.
Timid Crescent Moon. Doesn't sound nice or anything in English. It is transformed - even in simple words - in Japanese to Oku Gengetsu.
So, hopefully, some day - a very long time from now - will come the time of decisions for Oku. And one hopes it will be a long time for Philly as well. But Philly is getting older and a large amount of the reason we got Oku - was because she was getting lonely and stopping eating.
She is of course ecstatic to have a companion again.
Now, if only we could get Random to be disciplined enough not to scare Oku so Oku can get acclamated to our house. :)
He's doing well, though - with all so many new things around him. And he isn't allowed to come up on the couch yet.... Which has got to bug him because Philly is allowed to... But them's the rules passed down from the adoption/rescue people and that's that.
Alex
I should say that there is a moral obligation when humans take on pets - that you must be able to say to yourself about the animal at least 'I am going to kill you' - when you take on a pet.
Because it is unfair for an animal to live its existence primarily for your pleasure and companionship to suffer a horrible painful prolonged death because you don't have the guts to know when the time is - to put that animal to sleep. To kill it. Or you don't have the courage to do what needs to be done.
And in most cases - unless you are near the end of your own life you will outlive your family pet(s). One of the dogs we almost adopted - the owners - a couple - the husband died. The dog was mostly the husbands dog and the wife I suspect may no longer have been up to handling a dog - at least for a time. Fortunately, the dog is healthy and can be re-adopted to another family. Boy it was a really friendly dog. I have cats in the house, though - and this particular greyhound failed the cat test and wanted to eat the test cat. Since I don't want to have another dog at the expense of losing all my cats - he was out of the running.
It is a stark reality that any pet owner should acknowledge when you begin your custodianship of an animal. It is responsiblity for life and death.
Determination of when that time is - to put down a pet - is much harder. But if you don't recognize the fact that this will probably come to pass on inception of taking care of an animal - it is much harder.
No matter what it is hard to put an animal down - when the balance has shifted significantly on the issue of quantity or quality of life. It is largely a judgement call - but good veterninarians won't let you put an otherwise healthy animal down - if in their judgement you are overreacting.
Ok, so we've been looking for a new dog. It is always a journey to find a good fit. Fortunately, I think we found one in a timid greyhound who is just off the track called Willy.
Unfortunately, our current greyhound is called Philly, and Willy doesn't know his name. So you call one and you get both. So we are going to change Willy's name. Usually we keep the name, with Jet and Philly - we kept their original names. They both also seemed to know their original names - so that makes it a whole lot harder to justify changing the dogs name.
I've been watching a lot of anime lately - and am a fan of the sounds that Japanese language makes. So, my wife and I came up with a first and last name for our new Greyhound formerly known as Willy.
Oku Gengetsu. Oku - meaning Timid. Gengetsu - meaning crescent moon.
Greyhounds in general are somewhere between labrador retrievers and well, I can't come up with a completely sedate breed of dog. Anyway, Greyhounds are usually fairly well-rounded in being jumpy happy dogs and lying on the couch or floor sleeping.
Oku, though - and probably because he doesn't know anything about anything - is very very timid. So, Oku means timid in Japanese - and timid he is.
Crescent moon - is because he has a large two or three inch tall crescent moon scar on his side. We actually didn't notice it when we picked him up (him being very timid and another dog that we couldn't have because of his cat-eating obsession being very pushy and wanting to be with me). It wouldn't have mattered, of course. Philly was abused before she came to us and had many scars, but nothing nearly as large as this.
Timid Crescent Moon. Doesn't sound nice or anything in English. It is transformed - even in simple words - in Japanese to Oku Gengetsu.
So, hopefully, some day - a very long time from now - will come the time of decisions for Oku. And one hopes it will be a long time for Philly as well. But Philly is getting older and a large amount of the reason we got Oku - was because she was getting lonely and stopping eating.
She is of course ecstatic to have a companion again.
Now, if only we could get Random to be disciplined enough not to scare Oku so Oku can get acclamated to our house. :)
He's doing well, though - with all so many new things around him. And he isn't allowed to come up on the couch yet.... Which has got to bug him because Philly is allowed to... But them's the rules passed down from the adoption/rescue people and that's that.
Alex
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Useless-Knowledge
I am currently involved in a project to update the useless-knowledge website. Who knows what will really happen to the site, but one thing is crystal clear - in a major update many people might say leave the old articles behind.
This is very disturbing to me - these articles represent a lot of work on the part of a lot of people. Over 10,000 articles and who knows how many people.
So, I have begun first by getting a list of all the articles in to my database - and now the slow process of grabbing that content and putting it in a database. This way, if and when a conversion happens, the data will be in a database and can be applied to the newer format.
I am currently on the 143rd article - going in to my database. This is going to take some time, because I have ascertained no completely automated way to place the articles in the database. I could grab the entire page, but this isn't particularly useful.
I am just grabbing the article content and whatever HTML is associated with the article.
We'll see how long I stick with this and how much time is involved.
Alex
This is very disturbing to me - these articles represent a lot of work on the part of a lot of people. Over 10,000 articles and who knows how many people.
So, I have begun first by getting a list of all the articles in to my database - and now the slow process of grabbing that content and putting it in a database. This way, if and when a conversion happens, the data will be in a database and can be applied to the newer format.
I am currently on the 143rd article - going in to my database. This is going to take some time, because I have ascertained no completely automated way to place the articles in the database. I could grab the entire page, but this isn't particularly useful.
I am just grabbing the article content and whatever HTML is associated with the article.
We'll see how long I stick with this and how much time is involved.
Alex
Colored Bubbles
In a previous posting I showed a link to a Popular Science of Popular Mechanics article - which talked about the difficulties of creating bubbles that have color instead of clear bubbles.
Well, one of the uses this process could be applied to is medical coloring. Since the color disappears - when one applies an ointment to your face (for example) it could be colored temporarily - showing the user exactly what parts of the face have been covered.
I suffer from acne - even at age 34 - or however old I am now.
I use a couple of topical medications as well as a medical soap - but nothing works 100% or even 95%.
I do wonder if such medical coloring - could help - and show what parts of the face I miss with medicine (if that is what is the current problem).
The applications of this material are immense - even without considering the cosmetic fun that could be had if the coloration lasted hours instead of seconds.
Alex
Well, one of the uses this process could be applied to is medical coloring. Since the color disappears - when one applies an ointment to your face (for example) it could be colored temporarily - showing the user exactly what parts of the face have been covered.
I suffer from acne - even at age 34 - or however old I am now.
I use a couple of topical medications as well as a medical soap - but nothing works 100% or even 95%.
I do wonder if such medical coloring - could help - and show what parts of the face I miss with medicine (if that is what is the current problem).
The applications of this material are immense - even without considering the cosmetic fun that could be had if the coloration lasted hours instead of seconds.
Alex
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Writing Music
I was involved with music ages ago. Or at least it seems like ages ago. Right now I have some music instruments around and I play them sometimes for my son so that hopefully he will have some interest in music.
So, it has always been of interest to me to write music - but writing music on paper and performing it with a trumpet was never really my interest. I always wanted to do it in some automated manner.
There is software out there - mentioned by Him Louderback - that allows you to write music (using music notes and Midi synthesizer sounds) on the computer and have the computer perform the music.
Two pieces of software he mentions specifically - Cakewalk Sonar 5 and Notion. He had some complaints about Notion, but he also had some good points with it in that it had excellent sounds to go with the music notes. Rather unfortunately, the software is relatively expensive and at the moment I am pursuing other non-work goals.
Can't do everything at once. Right now I am concentrating on writing my Manga Style comic book - starting with an outline of the story and a cell by cell description of what needs to be drawn.
And at the same time, I am gradually getting the opportunity to learn how to draw in the Manga style.
I suspect that this will be a long-term project, but I definitely feel that the medium of Manga comic book will be an excellent form for the stories I have to tell.
Alex
So, it has always been of interest to me to write music - but writing music on paper and performing it with a trumpet was never really my interest. I always wanted to do it in some automated manner.
There is software out there - mentioned by Him Louderback - that allows you to write music (using music notes and Midi synthesizer sounds) on the computer and have the computer perform the music.
Two pieces of software he mentions specifically - Cakewalk Sonar 5 and Notion. He had some complaints about Notion, but he also had some good points with it in that it had excellent sounds to go with the music notes. Rather unfortunately, the software is relatively expensive and at the moment I am pursuing other non-work goals.
Can't do everything at once. Right now I am concentrating on writing my Manga Style comic book - starting with an outline of the story and a cell by cell description of what needs to be drawn.
And at the same time, I am gradually getting the opportunity to learn how to draw in the Manga style.
I suspect that this will be a long-term project, but I definitely feel that the medium of Manga comic book will be an excellent form for the stories I have to tell.
Alex
Monday, December 05, 2005
The Bright Colors of Future
In a post I made some time ago - I indicated that one of the things I would want would be to change the color of my skin, eyes and hair at any time and be able to change them again - as often as I would want to.
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/0a03b5108e097010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html
There is now technology that might make some of that possible. I can almost see me with blue hair and green skin with bright red eyes. A few hours later - I'd be back to my natural color.
Who knows if these guys will be able to realize it?
I can see it now, if my son has children and I'm old he'll be yelling at them about using natural colors instead of flourescent yellow for hair color...
Alex
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/0a03b5108e097010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html
There is now technology that might make some of that possible. I can almost see me with blue hair and green skin with bright red eyes. A few hours later - I'd be back to my natural color.
Who knows if these guys will be able to realize it?
I can see it now, if my son has children and I'm old he'll be yelling at them about using natural colors instead of flourescent yellow for hair color...
Alex
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Vacation
Well, I have returned from vacation - lots of things that I want to write reviews of from the course of my vacation. Our Plan with Tan vacation plan, the rental car (Lincoln Town Car), Parks that we went to and overall how things turned out. Some of these will be articles and I suspect that some of them are more blog entries for here and of more personal interest.
Oh, if you go with your child to play with sting rays at Sea World, please don't scream out when it sucks on your fingers when you feed it while your toddler is next to you. My wife scared the crap out of my son doing that.
Anyway, it turned out ok. :) Hopefully my son won't be deathly afraid of sting rays for life.
But if he's going to be afraid of something - deathly afraid of something - sting rays are a pretty good object.
And I didn't feed the sting rays after that :)
Alex
Oh, if you go with your child to play with sting rays at Sea World, please don't scream out when it sucks on your fingers when you feed it while your toddler is next to you. My wife scared the crap out of my son doing that.
Anyway, it turned out ok. :) Hopefully my son won't be deathly afraid of sting rays for life.
But if he's going to be afraid of something - deathly afraid of something - sting rays are a pretty good object.
And I didn't feed the sting rays after that :)
Alex
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