Whispers in the wind

I'm hearing a similar thread weave it's way around the blogsphere. There is an opinion or perhaps a spreading fear that the U. S. is in decline. More, all of western culture is on it's way out. When I say western culture I mean specifically the ideals that brought about things like the Bill of Rights. In so many parts of the world, the people have no guarantee of freedom. At least we have a contract.

It is all about different things too.

• Illegal immigrants, and the shitty laws that grant them tax exempt status for free. I mean, why bother going through the motions of becoming a citizen if they are just going to have an amnesty every twenty years?
  
• The gathering rage of Sharia. That is the kind of law that Osama bin Laden and the Osama bin Laden Al-Qaeda boys want. It forbids all music, dancing, drinking, images of the prophet, free will (Really, you must submit to god and refuse to listen to anything that does not fall in line with those teachings.) Oh, and puppies too. That's right, no more puppies.
  
• Big brother eroding our rights from within.
• Lack of law enforcement of existing laws.
  
• The media eroding our morals. Sex sells.
  
• The media blowing covert operations with the click of a mouse.
  
• The media bias to the left. If you don't believe that, you are reading the wrong blog.
  
• Censorship in the name of religion. See Sharia above.
  
• Over zealous intellectual property enforcement. These laws stifle creation and development of new ideas, not promote them.
  
• Self serving politicians who will not work for change that doesn't put them in charge.
  
• Politicians taking money from known terrorist organizations. Heck, someone even said Carter took money from the Saudi royal family, or some such. Something about a loan.
  
• Fences, walls, borders and lack there of.
• Political Correctness preventing law enforcement from identifying bad people. Of course now they say the next group will be average looking Americans. And why not?
  
• European countries becoming a Muslim majority. This is true. Just look at the numbers. Remember what happens when the Palestinians got the vote? They voted the terrorists in charge.
  
• The UN being run by small countries with horrible human rights and economic records.
• Every one we are fighting in all three wars we are in are civilians. No one but our side ware uniforms. We will probably never fight a 'real' war again.
  

I'm quite sure I've missed many. If you pile all of these things on top of each other, it does look like curtains for the U. S., but I think it will pull a Mr. Burns. That is, all our enemies will pile on top of each other trying to get in the door and get stuck. This will leave the U. S. to survive well in to senility. That is the stage I'm looking forward to. It reminds me of the fall of the British Empire of the early twentieth century.

Well, maybe not. These are problems. There are more. I'm sure I missed some. These are just the ones off the top of my head. I bet there are a couple of duties no one knows about. Notice I didn't mention the below only because I didn't happen to hear them in a blog today.

• The environment. Is there a problem? Would it have happened any way? What should we do to fix things? Can we fix things? Should the U. S. be expected to foot the bill for the entire world via Kyoto.
  
• Population. Too many or two few of a given attribute or another.
• Education. Mainly the lowest common denominator approach that kills the genius factor. We will never generate another Einstein with this educational system.
• Pharmaceuticals and the diseases that don't get cured because it is not profitable.
• In the age of communication, growing divisions between races, economic backgrounds, political backgrounds, religious backgrounds, ... take your pick.
  

It seems like the internet, the great communication medium, has just made it easier for us to realize how much we hate each other. I don't have a conclusion. I don't have an answer. I just take the next step, try to keep my family fed.

No title

Just for the heck of it.

Problematic opportunities

My old job frowned on calling problems anything that implied that they were anything that was wrong. I don't know where this trend started. It probably started in ancient Rome where all good management techniques came to be. You cannot acknowledge that anything is wrong because then people will know something is wrong. You have to speak in code that misdirects all intention of fixing the thing that is wrong. This should limit responsibility. If some one knows something is wrong and they try to gloss over it with words that do not make it sound like anything is wrong, then they are lying.

In other words calling problems 'opportunities' is fraud in my book. I don't like it. I'll do it if told, but I will not accept that it is the right thing to do.

Irrelevant

White House spokesman Tony Fratto had declined to react on Saturday but on Sunday fired back. "I think it's sad that President Carter's reckless personal criticism is out there," Fratto told reporters. "I think it's unfortunate. And I think he is proving to be increasingly irrelevant with these kinds of comments." The National Ledger

He just looks like an old codger who is set in his ways and will start swinging his cane and flailing his arms when someone is contrary to his beliefs. Not Sad, fitting. I for one don't think Carter takes the cake when it comes to failed administrations. The Iran hostage thing was going on the whole time he was in office and only ended when America elected a president who said he would bomb the snot out of Iran if they didn't give up the goose right frigging now.

How dare Carter so much as voice his opinion these days. How should have a cow bell around his neck and a sandwich sign that just says "Failure" on it. Go build a house, you sad relic.

Uploading to YouTube (HowTo)

Finally, some useful information on the internet.

I'm sure this is ground well covered by many already, but I thought I'd frame this discussion with a couple notes for Cinelerra users. I finally got around to uploading a test video on YouTube, and the process is pretty simple:

Crazed Mule Productions

I had to cover this all by my self. This is a good example with some screen shots. Great little example and some helpful hints. I thought about doing something like it, but I'm very lazy.

ahhhhh....

"There are great and strong voices, big or beautiful voices, but very rarely, there is what can only be described as a magic voice. Frances is one of these rare ones, and the magic seems to lie in the contradiction, she is youthful and wise, vibrant and sad, spontaneous and skilled. Hearing is believing."

Trevor Nunn, Artistic Director RNT

Read Frances' new Blog

She has some sample songs on her site. She sounds pretty darn good to me. Her blog is way out of date, but that's OK. They twist artists arms to do blogs these days.

Yes, I'm quoting a quote. blah blah.

No Mote! What's the point?

Fairy-tale setting with your own personal lagoon

Searles Castle is no ordinary mansion. It may not have been designed to keep enemies away from a royal family, but it has all the trappings to make it worthy of Sleeping Beauty.

There isn't a moat, but the seven-floor castle has a dungeon that could be used for a friendlier purpose -- a restaurant, perhaps, or an extensive wine cellar.

Thirty-six fireplaces are scattered among more than 40 rooms, one of which once contained a pipe organ and served as a mini-concert hall.

Marble is everywhere -- rising in columns, carved as mantles and in slabs as flooring.

Balconies and terraces overlook the property's sprawling 61 acres, which include a T-shaped lagoon, tennis courts and a garden temple guarded by two marble sphinx sculptures.

CNN

They have a picture. It just looks like a plane old castle. I would have to figure out how to get a thunder cloud to permanently park over head and crack lightning at passers by while maniacal laughter is heard wafting from the grounds.

What better place to base my lair of intergalactic dominance? I'll have to find out if the deed restrictions say anything about pulse cannons. Where is my check book?

Sick, but better

I haven't been to busy to blog. I've been sick and pissy. Nat nearly put me out of her misery last night. I wouldn't have blamed her.

My mother would have me in intensive care if she had her way. Thanks Mom, but I'm not that bad off. My symptoms have sunk to cough, runny nose, stomach ache and a bit of [looks both ways and whispers] diarrhea. I'm sure you were interested in that bit of news. =] I don't have much of a fever left. Sometimes it seems like I had a fever for a bit while I was sleeping. I'm getting the bronchitis symptoms again I am going to change doctors. I just don't care. I'm looking hard at the urgent care place down highway 6. They are open weekends and the next time I start feeling like crap on the weekend, I'm going in immediately. They are closed Tuesdays. Funny that.

We are supposed to go to a friend's place tonight for a house worming. It isn't going to happen. We have like $50 bucks left until the end of the month. Nat and I refuse to put any more on the credit card. We insist on paying it off before we make any major purchases. That is going to take some effort. The car needed a tune up. The house still needs some repairs. I've had doctor's visits. Nat has doctor's visits. I'm out of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It's ANARCHY!!

Maybe we will make it. At least for a little while. We will have to feel it out later this evening.

About time

MS will no longer support 32 bit processors after Vista. I just bought a computer and let me tell you, it would have been nice to know this before hand. I think it should have happened three or four years ago. There was no real reason to keep 32 bit going so long. I say this and all my machines are 32 bit. Linux really has to get it's shit together to get 64 bit working like 32 bit. If you ask me, every one should drop support for 32 bit as soon as possible. This will leave me in the dust because I cannot afford a new computer. Oh, well. I've never been on the right side of things before.

From the hospitol

I'm publishing from a public computer at the hospitol waiting room. This is a really good idea. It calmes being able to type away while I wate to get poked and prodded.

Still Sick

So, I went to the doctore again today. I go in for an ultrasound tomorrow for my gut. Sounds like fun. I called my bos to let him know what's going on. I'm going in for a bit tomorrow to take care of some things. I don't care how I feel. Wish me luck.

Sick

Symptoms

• Headache: It feels like a sinus thing.
  
• Stomach ache: I'm [looks both ways and whispers.] constipated. Every time I move or breath, my gut hurts. This has kept me from sleeping properly. I've taken some medicine, but so far, no luck.
  
• Mild fever: At night I get the sweats and I've noticed a feverish feeling some times. Taking Acudomeephen takes care of it.
  
• The blaws: Well, a stomach ache and fever will make on feel run down.
  
• Dehydration: I get dehydrated easily. I'll drink water and then feel bloated. Then I'll pee my brains out a few hours later.
• Drainage: Bit of a sore throat and messed up sinuses.
  

Medicine I'm taking

• Benadryl: Low dose Benadryl to counter act the sinus stuff.
• Acudomeephen: Takes the chills out of the fever.
• Something for the [looks both ways and whispers.] constipation.
• Water: Lots of fluids.
• Rest: I've missed two days of work. That sucks, but I have to remind myself that this is what sick days are for.
• Kisses from Nat: The best defense against illness is the kiss of one's lover.
  

That is list of symptoms and medicine. It doesn't add up to much. I've had this before. It usually leads to a bout of bronchitics. I cough for weeks and end up in the doctor's office a couple of times. I'm tired of being sick. I don't know what to do. There must be something .

At first I thought this was something I ate. I doubt it now. I think it is some kind of virus or other real illness. 

One side effect of the cold, I'm blaming it anyway, is slight loss of directional hearing. I heard this tick tick tick coming from my computer. It could only be the heard drive. A fan wouldn't make this kind of sound I don't think. I go through the motions of trying to figure out what drive is making the noise. I look at performance. I look at the top. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then, I stand up to go to the bathroom. The sound is coming from the sealing fan in the next room. I guess a fan could make that tick tick tick noise.

Not

You scored as Akasha. You are the ultimate in ambition. You don't just want to own the world you want to make crawl to you on its hands and knees begging for mercy or at the least a taste! Blade 83% Akasha 83% Armand 83% Deacon Frost 67% Marius 67% Dracula 58% Spike 50% Angel 8% Lestat 0% Louis 0% Whose your Vampire personality? (images) created with QuizFarm.com

I had a three way tie. I would have preferred Blade to be honest. Though, making the world bow before me has been a life long dream.

All you need is a pair of pliers

Damion M. Mosher, who put bullets [loaded rounds] in a vise and whacked them with a hammer to empty the brass shell casings, was hit in the abdomen by one of the shots, authorities said.
...
Mosher, 18, told authorities he was trying to empty the .223-caliber rounds to collect the brass casings for scrap.

CNN

Was he hit with the bullet part, or the brass part?

I've unloaded bullets. There is a purpose built device called a bullet puller that works by pinning the round in a holder and then slamming the device down on a hard surface like a hammer. The bullet (lead part) is then separated from the brass part of the round and held inside the device.

I remember having to talk a kid out of hitting a .22 round with a hammer just to "see what happens" when I was in Middle School. I may have saved a life. .22 are crazy. They go all over the place if you aren't careful. Even when properly fired, they can be unpredictable. It depends on the ammo.

Sick Day

So, I'm at home today. I'm sick. I'm not going to get in to details. I nearly went in, but I couldn't face the stress of work today. I can't sit for a long time without getting up and walking around.

Daytime TV sucks. I don't know how people stand it. There has got to be something better on cable. I've noticed AT&T touting $99 a month for cable, home phone, and internet. Finally, that sounds like an OK deal. They give you high-definition free for a year. That won't help us because we don't have a TV that will receive it. I've made the excuse that I watch too much TV now to bother getting cable. I kind of want it for the family.

TVs at Wal-Mart are down in price. I liked one for $800 the other day. I have no idea what to get. I need to bribe one of the geeks at work who knows this sort of stuff to walk me through anything before I pull the trigger. Nat and I say we are saving up for a new vehicle, but I don't see that happening with gas prices skyrocketing. I'm of the mind lately to wait until hybrids or electric SUVs make some headway. I bet gas will be $5 a gallon by the end of 2008. That is just a gut feeling. Maybe it is just the illness that kept me home today.

It was Tuesday last time I took a day off for pretty much the same thing. I'm probably eating something on the weekends that does not agree with me. We went to Mama's Cafe on Westheimer for Mother's day. I had a hamburger. It was pretty good. My father got ribs. He didn't like them much. I didn't like them much either. Now, Heath, has ruined me for ribs, but these were actually bad. I wonder if they made me sick. I'm going to have to ask my dad if he has the same trouble. Probably not. Everything else we had was good.

Pipers are special

The Piper's Lament
Approved for Design, the flowsheet read
'There will be no more changes', the boss he said.
So design I did the pumps with speed,
The voice in my head I did not heed.
The plot was tight, the stresses great,
I couldn't stop, I can't be late.
Sweating blood, the pressure is on,
Go home at dark, return at dawn.
For days on end the scene remained,
Then mechanical says 'The pumps have changed!'
The pumps anew just wouldn't fit,
The whole design is a piece of sh!t.
So once again my morale was low,
The voice in my head said I told you so.

Pipers are very special people. They make a lot of money based on what they know. There is no degree for it. There is only learning by doing. Most of them come from the oil fields. They learn by getting their hands dirty. They learn by crawling around on pipes. They learn what actually works, imagine that. They are good old boys. They are hillbillies. They are red necks. They drive big trucks and they might use an ATV to go get the mail. They are not stupid. They are not careless. They are needed. They are free.

And, they suffer from knowing they are smarter than their degreed bosses.

All technology is modifying humans

Supporters say that we've always sought ways to extend life and improve the human species and that to do otherwise would be to cede our destiny to the slowly grinding wheels of evolution.

...

"You can either try to live as if we're still on the savanna, or try to design the human body to live in the circumstances we're in now."

...

"Almost always, new developments evoke horror and fear and gradually acceptance. We saw that with in vitro fertilization and organ transplantation," said Robyn S. Shapiro, director of the Center for the Study of Bioethics at the Medical College. "This is a little bit different. This is really tinkering with the basic building blocks of who we are."

Such changes, she adds, raise the specter of eugenics, the discredited notion of improving the human race by restricting reproduction to only those people with traits deemed "desirable."

JSOnline

The first guy who sharpened a stick to a point was enhancing his body. The speer lengthened his reach and gave him claws. The gap between haves and have-nots they speak of in the article has always been there. It always will be there. There will never be an infinite quantity of resources for every living thing. Lions developed good night vision to hunt at night. Owls developed amazing hearing and balance to hunt at night. Horses grew longer legs and the ability to run for long periods of time. They also run in herds. Lets face it, all living things evolve or die. The trilobite ran the oceans umpteen gazillion years ago. They are all gone now because they didn't have umbrellas. Perhaps some other reason killed them off. Well, we have umbrellas. This makes us more likely to make it than the lowly trilobite. Hope so anyway.

Having been legally blind all of my life, I welcome cybernetic technology that enhances the human body and mind. I suffered for years at the whim of healthy dick-heads who never had a headache or a sick day in their lives. They made damned sure I was in my place every minute. If I had an advantage at the time like enhanced dexterity, improved concentration, or the ability to spell, I would have been a far happier child. I might have learned more in school. I would have done better in college. It would not have taken me nearly this long to conquer the universe with my army of cybernetic ex-cripples.

I believe that while the western civilization sits on it's hands bitching about the moral implications of genetically enhanced eyelash length, the Chinese et al are going to bust their ass to guarantee their superiority for many generations.

No more bad press

Iraq to bar press from blast scenes

Iraq's interior ministry has decided to bar news photographers and camera operators from the scenes of bomb attacks, operations director Brigadier General Abdel Karim Khalaf said on Sunday (local time).

...

"This decision does not imply a curtailment of press freedom, it is a measure followed all over the world."

ABC (Australia)

Ya! everybody else is doing it. Why not us?

Actually, I'm not so sure it is a bad idea. I'm sick of the videos and pictures being run through the Al Qaeda filter and hitting the front page of every U. S. news paper and TV screen. What was this form of government we were thinking would flourish in the Middle East? Oh, was it democracy? Wait a minute, that requires an informed public. We can't have that. You have to have an educated public first. That puts the U. S. out. I'm a product of public schools and I know this.

Speaking of big brother ...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) knows the AS&E Advantage. Multiple agencies within DHS deploy the Z Backscatter Van for counterterrorism applications. A breakthrough in X-ray detection technology, AS&E's Z Backscatter Van (ZBV) is a low-cost, extremely maneuverable screening system built into a commercially available delivery van. The ZBV allows for immediate deployment in response to security threats, and its high throughput capability facilitates rapid inspections. The system's unique "drive-by" capability allows one or two operators to conduct X-ray imaging of suspect vehicles and objects while the ZBV drives past.

AS&E

It violates your right to privacy and doesn't even have to stop. Why you can just pass by a vehicle on the street and have your rights violated with neither muss nor fuss.

I heard somewhere that this back scatter device can fit in a suit case. I think it was on the local news a couple of years ago. No, maybe it was on CNN, or both. Heck, maybe it was PBS. I'm not sure how people expect to keep off the shelf stuff quite in this day and age.

FJ Cruiser

This makes me think of someone I know driving off road. Wonder who that could be?