I am pleased overall with Firefox 4.0. It may be faster and safer, as touted, but these are qualities that I can't discern with my limited usage and safe browsing habits. I also installed Avast's WebRep add-on for Firefox, which allows community participation to flag malware sites. That seems to me a sensible effort to limit the prevalence of bad actors on the web, and I'm pleased to make my own contributions.
With the latest versions of an Internet browser, ZoneAlarm Firewall, and Avast anti-virus, I wonder what is the big deal about Windows 7? Maybe it is a big deal for game players who like the latest graphical effects or consumers of Very High Definition video who have the latest and greatest motherboards, processors and video cards. For my money, Windows XP does everything that I need. Why upgrade, when upgrading requires tossing perfectly good hardware into the garbage bin?
A long-distance friend mailed me his laptop not long ago with the instructions to reinstall an operating system, because it was locked down tight. The OS was Windows Vista, and the former user (it had been purchased second-hand) had used some sort of option to lock the system down to where none of the system options could be changed. Only a narrow range of preexisting applications could be used. No new software could be installed. As you might guess, this was not an acceptable situation.
I have never seen an OS locked down so tight. The OS worked hand-in-hand with the BIOS, which had password protection preventing any alterations. I had to call the manufacturer, DELL, in order to get a generic password to bypass the BIOS protection. Then I was able to reformat and install--you guessed it--Windows XP, which I considered an upgrade over Windows Vista. I don't password-protect anything on the OS and don't bother with User Accounts, myself. I rely instead upon controlling physical access to the computer and not letting any curious and ignorant hands to use the computer unsupervised. Not every one takes that precaution, as I soon learned.
The story should have ended on a better note, but my friend apparently neglected to activate Avast anti-virus and the ZoneAlarm Firewall, steps which are essential security components of a modern Windows XP system. Registering and activating a free copy of Avast requires following a simple set of specific instructions involving email. Instead, he purchased the paid version of Avast, which failed to install properly for some reason that was never elaborated upon. I am not sure what the confusion was, whether it had to do with email registration or a copy of Avast already being installed.
He compounded the problem by letting another friend play with the unprotected and vulnerable Windows XP laptop, and that ignorant individual promptly engaged in unsafe browsing habits, getting the machine infected by a virus and corrupting the OS.
The moral of my story is that a Windows XP system without an Anti-Virus and a decent Firewall should be considered unsafe for ignorant hands to use. Tell them whatever story you like, that your machine is infected, for instance, because it certainly will be if they go off using it without any security applications. I have yet to see one machine get infected with Avast on patrol, however, and that is a tribute to Avast, which has given excellent service over the years.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Interviewing After College
One of my first interviews after graduating was in the big city. It seemed promising, because I was qualified according to the advertisement. I secured two other interviews in the same city and signed up for a job fair, which almost justified driving a couple hundred miles and checking into a hotel.
I interviewed for a job with a state agency. Despite my having a degree in IT, they made me take a test, which was unusual, regarding my knowledge of computer skills, as though my degree had no meaning. I thought I did pretty well on their little test. It took about an hour to complete, and then I proceeded with the interview.
The interviewer had a smirk on his face and took a decidedly negative tone. He had a co-worker as his partner during the interview, a woman who said little but laughed at his stale jokes which were directed at me--I was the butt of his jokes for some reason. He looked at my resume for the first time and criticized me for having graduated summa cum laude. He didn't like the fact I did well at university, because he said he didn't. His eyebrows were pointed down toward his nose, and it seemed to me like he had made up his mind to dislike anyone interviewing for the position. Or maybe the problem was that I was male, and he had not known I was male prior to the interview, and he wanted a female that he could have fun with, maybe a fresh young thing straight out of college. At any rate I lost all interest in the job after spending twenty minutes with what would have been my future boss.
It is rare to find a good job advertised anywhere. I'm not sure it is at all possible to secure a good job through classified ads. Most jobs that are available are available because people already at the company don't want them and would not touch them with a ten-foot pole. I suspect the reason the state agency was hiring was that his previous co-worker had left, not wishing to spend another day with creep-o.
I interviewed for a job with a state agency. Despite my having a degree in IT, they made me take a test, which was unusual, regarding my knowledge of computer skills, as though my degree had no meaning. I thought I did pretty well on their little test. It took about an hour to complete, and then I proceeded with the interview.
The interviewer had a smirk on his face and took a decidedly negative tone. He had a co-worker as his partner during the interview, a woman who said little but laughed at his stale jokes which were directed at me--I was the butt of his jokes for some reason. He looked at my resume for the first time and criticized me for having graduated summa cum laude. He didn't like the fact I did well at university, because he said he didn't. His eyebrows were pointed down toward his nose, and it seemed to me like he had made up his mind to dislike anyone interviewing for the position. Or maybe the problem was that I was male, and he had not known I was male prior to the interview, and he wanted a female that he could have fun with, maybe a fresh young thing straight out of college. At any rate I lost all interest in the job after spending twenty minutes with what would have been my future boss.
It is rare to find a good job advertised anywhere. I'm not sure it is at all possible to secure a good job through classified ads. Most jobs that are available are available because people already at the company don't want them and would not touch them with a ten-foot pole. I suspect the reason the state agency was hiring was that his previous co-worker had left, not wishing to spend another day with creep-o.
More Reflections on Renault
David Sweetman's biography of Mary Renault was charming, humorous and enlightening. He was a kind and sensitive biographer for a woman that he did not always agree with. She was about as quirky and nerdy as I am, which helped me relate, but had gobs more talent. I'm one of the countless invisible people whose biography won't get written or, if I were to trouble myself with publishing one, it would either remain unread or be rejected due to its irrelevance. At one time that displeased, but I'm not sure it matters to me now. There has been a reduction of ambition and sober reevaluation of possibilities. In life, one finds doors that are opened, and many that are closed.
Mary Renault wanted to be an actor, I think (not an actress), but lacked talent for public speaking. She was no Catherine Tate, but was a serious, sober intellectual scholar. Her life prior to the publication of her bestsellers was impoverished and difficult. She had her partner, Julie, a wonderful and loyal companion, but couldn't count on anyone else.
Her elevated status in later life had everything to do with the indisputable merit of her books. To a large extent, she relied upon her celebrity to attract and maintain friends and acquaintances, and as she got older became pickier about who she chose to spend time with. People would be cut off for one reason or another. On her deathbed, the list of those admitted for an audience with Renault reduced to a handful of intimates. Even those people she still liked were refused an audience, if she didn't like them quite enough. I think Julie admitted this to the biographer as a kind of confession in the hope of salving the wounded feelings of old friends that were still alive.
Mary Renault wanted to be an actor, I think (not an actress), but lacked talent for public speaking. She was no Catherine Tate, but was a serious, sober intellectual scholar. Her life prior to the publication of her bestsellers was impoverished and difficult. She had her partner, Julie, a wonderful and loyal companion, but couldn't count on anyone else.
Her elevated status in later life had everything to do with the indisputable merit of her books. To a large extent, she relied upon her celebrity to attract and maintain friends and acquaintances, and as she got older became pickier about who she chose to spend time with. People would be cut off for one reason or another. On her deathbed, the list of those admitted for an audience with Renault reduced to a handful of intimates. Even those people she still liked were refused an audience, if she didn't like them quite enough. I think Julie admitted this to the biographer as a kind of confession in the hope of salving the wounded feelings of old friends that were still alive.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Understanding the American Psychology
I think people around the world, outside of the U.S., fail to realize just how important WW2 was in American history. It was our single most important event. As a matter of fact, I don't think any other subject commands as much attention in regards to world history. Americans are fascinated, I would almost say obsessed, over every aspect of WW2, for obvious reasons. Just look at our books, movies and television. I don't think it is possible for an educated American male to reach maturity without knowing the essential facts about WW2. It is indeed a fascinating subject. I have long suspected that the popularity of "The Lord of the Rings" has a great deal to do with WW2.
Perhaps this is the reason America has a habit of intervening against dictators. Yes, we probably are a bit mad. Is intervention always a good idea? No. Is it always rational? No. Are there negative consequences? Yes, to varying extents, depending upon the length and scope of the intervention. Viet Nam was a blunder. Iraq and Afghanistan, headaches with uncertain results, although Iraq may prove to be okay. Libya's result is unknown. But there is something satisfying about knowing that a tyrant's been placed six feet under the ground.
You have to appreciate your Uncle Sam. Maybe he gets a little crazy once in a while, but if you're on the ground facing a murderous tyrant, there ain't no one else gonna help you in this world 'cept your Crazy Old Uncle Sam. So, don't write your crazy Uncle off and keep on loving him.
Perhaps this is the reason America has a habit of intervening against dictators. Yes, we probably are a bit mad. Is intervention always a good idea? No. Is it always rational? No. Are there negative consequences? Yes, to varying extents, depending upon the length and scope of the intervention. Viet Nam was a blunder. Iraq and Afghanistan, headaches with uncertain results, although Iraq may prove to be okay. Libya's result is unknown. But there is something satisfying about knowing that a tyrant's been placed six feet under the ground.
You have to appreciate your Uncle Sam. Maybe he gets a little crazy once in a while, but if you're on the ground facing a murderous tyrant, there ain't no one else gonna help you in this world 'cept your Crazy Old Uncle Sam. So, don't write your crazy Uncle off and keep on loving him.
Libyan Rebel Poetry
Gotta love this...
Maybe that's an old saying in the Arab world, but it's the first time I've heard the analogy. Brought a smile to my face.
However, chickens don't fly, as far as I know, though I'm no expert on the species, being a city boy. I would suspect Fathi Bin Saud is no chicken farmer, either. From what I understand, having spoken with farmers, chickens are plucked for ease of packaging and sale. Chickens lost the ability to fly during the long period of their domestication by humans. They can achieve temporary lift-off, but cannot maintain themselves in the air.
I do hope that someone in the rebel movement has a notion concerning democracy. I don't know whether those people have a Thomas Jefferson or George Washington among them or not. Iraq & Afghanistan certainly did not.
"Gaddafi is like a chicken and the coalition is plucking his feathers so he can't fly. The revolutionaries will slit his neck," said Fathi Bin Saud, a 52-year-old rebel carrying a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, surveying the wreckage.
Maybe that's an old saying in the Arab world, but it's the first time I've heard the analogy. Brought a smile to my face.
However, chickens don't fly, as far as I know, though I'm no expert on the species, being a city boy. I would suspect Fathi Bin Saud is no chicken farmer, either. From what I understand, having spoken with farmers, chickens are plucked for ease of packaging and sale. Chickens lost the ability to fly during the long period of their domestication by humans. They can achieve temporary lift-off, but cannot maintain themselves in the air.
I do hope that someone in the rebel movement has a notion concerning democracy. I don't know whether those people have a Thomas Jefferson or George Washington among them or not. Iraq & Afghanistan certainly did not.
Opposition to the Intervention
I have been unswayed by opposition to the intervention expressed by Russia, China, Hugo Chavez, sundry intellectuals, and Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League. I believe that they prejudge Western nations and form an opinion based upon deep prejudices originating out of their own peculiar moral deficiencies. Cynics complain because they don't like any demonstration of Western power, whether for good or bad. It makes them feel insecure.
I'm for intervention, even if there are certain self-serving motives intermingled into the justification*, if it can be limited in scope and not remain a long-term drain on resources. The problem with Iraq and Afghanistan is that we got into this business of nation-building, a massive, corrupt welfare program. The cost was astronomical. I celebrated when Hussein was overthrown, but did not appreciate the long-term commitment to Iraq that resulted. Afghanistan seems to just get worse. We are stuck in a situation where we bribe corrupt and evil leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Therefore, I am pleased that Obama is not planning to send ground troops to Libya. I think he performed in just the right manner, with finesse. Of course, Republicans are too stupid to realize that, discounting the importance of diplomacy.
Settling a score with an old dictator sounds to me positively peachy. Who cares about motives? Yes, Libya has oil. Yes, that's a big factor along with the proximity to Europe and the Middle East. Get over it. The rebels are not complaining. I like the idea of bombing Khadaffy's forces to Hell. In fact, I regret that I am not involved in the military. I'd drop a bomb on Khadaffy myself.
I'm for intervention, even if there are certain self-serving motives intermingled into the justification*, if it can be limited in scope and not remain a long-term drain on resources. The problem with Iraq and Afghanistan is that we got into this business of nation-building, a massive, corrupt welfare program. The cost was astronomical. I celebrated when Hussein was overthrown, but did not appreciate the long-term commitment to Iraq that resulted. Afghanistan seems to just get worse. We are stuck in a situation where we bribe corrupt and evil leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Therefore, I am pleased that Obama is not planning to send ground troops to Libya. I think he performed in just the right manner, with finesse. Of course, Republicans are too stupid to realize that, discounting the importance of diplomacy.
Settling a score with an old dictator sounds to me positively peachy. Who cares about motives? Yes, Libya has oil. Yes, that's a big factor along with the proximity to Europe and the Middle East. Get over it. The rebels are not complaining. I like the idea of bombing Khadaffy's forces to Hell. In fact, I regret that I am not involved in the military. I'd drop a bomb on Khadaffy myself.
[*] I am not sure what planet certain individuals live upon, but is there a case in all of history where anyone or any government acts out of purely altruistic motives? First, it would be necessary to examine the person who answers in the affirmative without equivocation. I doubt many could withstand a thorough examination of their own motives. I never question a good deed. The motives are not as important as the outcome! It is perfectly alright for someone to do a good deed out of purely selfish motives.
To hear Russia and China talk about restraint and ethics is just a bad joke.
Khadaffy's Lies
Anyone with an intelligence greater than a pigeon can detect the logical inconsistencies in Khadaffy's rhetoric, which would exclude Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Khadaffy duck says the Libyan rebels are Al Qaeda. Then he says the Western Powers are Crusaders. According to him, the Crusaders have allied with Al Qaeda to take him down. That makes about as much sense as the rebel army being high on hallucinogenic pills sent to them by Bin Laden.
Khadaffy is such a windbag. Every time I read about Libya, some journalist has decided to quote Khadaffy duck, who does nothing but lie, lie, and lie all the time, about everything to twist reality to serve his own ends. If he would shut up for a moment and listen to what the outside world says, he might understand why his life expectancy has declined from twenty years to twenty weeks. I just hope that the rebels, upon achieving final victory, which they certainly will with allied air support, prosecute each and every member of his family and his henchmen and exterminate the evil that is in that blighted region.
There was a time when Khadaffy could have made a graceful exit to another country. I don't know which country, to be honest, as he has burned bridges with most. Perhaps a tiny island-nation in the Pacific would be willing to take him in, in exchange for massive amounts of money. On the other hand, such island-nations may value ethics over money and refuse to harbor a villain. It is doubtful that Khadaffy could abide by the laws of any country, being a sociopath. He would cause trouble anywhere he went.
Khadaffy duck says the Libyan rebels are Al Qaeda. Then he says the Western Powers are Crusaders. According to him, the Crusaders have allied with Al Qaeda to take him down. That makes about as much sense as the rebel army being high on hallucinogenic pills sent to them by Bin Laden.
Khadaffy is such a windbag. Every time I read about Libya, some journalist has decided to quote Khadaffy duck, who does nothing but lie, lie, and lie all the time, about everything to twist reality to serve his own ends. If he would shut up for a moment and listen to what the outside world says, he might understand why his life expectancy has declined from twenty years to twenty weeks. I just hope that the rebels, upon achieving final victory, which they certainly will with allied air support, prosecute each and every member of his family and his henchmen and exterminate the evil that is in that blighted region.
There was a time when Khadaffy could have made a graceful exit to another country. I don't know which country, to be honest, as he has burned bridges with most. Perhaps a tiny island-nation in the Pacific would be willing to take him in, in exchange for massive amounts of money. On the other hand, such island-nations may value ethics over money and refuse to harbor a villain. It is doubtful that Khadaffy could abide by the laws of any country, being a sociopath. He would cause trouble anywhere he went.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Aisha Khadaffy
At first, I thought it was a man in drag. Then I read the caption. This is Aisha, daughter of Khadaffy, who has the misfortune of having inherited his looks.
Somebody hit a few trees running through the Ugly Forest. I'm glad I wasn't eating my supper when I saw that picture. I have gained a new appreciation for the burqa.
Somebody hit a few trees running through the Ugly Forest. I'm glad I wasn't eating my supper when I saw that picture. I have gained a new appreciation for the burqa.
I am Glad for France
My opinions of France and of Sarkozy have improved. That the French are leading the way in supporting regime change in Libya is a deed that will reflect well upon their people and should silence conservative Americans who fault France for not supporting the war in Iraq. It must be remembered that the French, and no one else, supported the American rebels in the Revolutionary War. Without French support, America would not exist as it is today; our history would be much different. Perhaps a United States might eventually have evolved, but not in the 1790's, not without French support. The French were not repaid for their assistance until the World Wars, and the monarch who supported the intervention was rendered bankrupt by it. Even so, he did right, even if it led to his own execution in the French Revolution. A single deed of goodness can sometimes counterbalance a lifetime of wickedness.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Hate
There was a time when hateful words could sway my emotions. Those days are past. I have heard and experienced hate ten thousand times. It is like bitter cold; of little interest, an inconvenience merely. The source of hate is recognized as an unstable mind. By spouting hate, a speaker discredits himself in total. Nothing more that is said by the speaker need be contemplated. Hate speech is like a beacon, notifying all observers that the speaker is to be avoided because he is consumed by the virus of violence. He has succumbed to the animal nature. Hate was in the world before and will be in the world after I am gone. It is a known illness, a disease, widespread in the human race.
I prefer minds that are free of that particular illness, such as Mary Renault, who I like to read about.
Without any doubt, the Republican Party in the United States is the party of hate, pure and simple. Any statements that issue from a Republican politician are more often than not motivated by base hatreds and ignorance. They are not absolute evil, but only because of their incompetence. To be absolute evil does require a certain amount of willpower, lacking in Republicans. They are merely mildly evil, imps in the service of Hell, not very effective, but annoying to the good and the just. A worse party would be the Nationalists of South Africa in the 1950's. Republicans have a long way to fall before becoming as evil as they were.
I prefer minds that are free of that particular illness, such as Mary Renault, who I like to read about.
Without any doubt, the Republican Party in the United States is the party of hate, pure and simple. Any statements that issue from a Republican politician are more often than not motivated by base hatreds and ignorance. They are not absolute evil, but only because of their incompetence. To be absolute evil does require a certain amount of willpower, lacking in Republicans. They are merely mildly evil, imps in the service of Hell, not very effective, but annoying to the good and the just. A worse party would be the Nationalists of South Africa in the 1950's. Republicans have a long way to fall before becoming as evil as they were.
Mary Renault, Heroine
My personal heroine is Mary Renault, an acclaimed historical novelist, now deceased. Her biography by David Sweetman has been an inspiration to me. I don't know of any living writers or celebrities that I admire to quite the same extent. Part of the attraction of Renault is that she came from humble origins, but managed through hard work and talent to achieve success as a writer. All of her success was due to merit, something that is extremely rare. She was also a lesbian, although she didn't like to use the word. She had her share of hard knocks, including a near-fatal car crash, but managed to survive and even prosper.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Internet Explorer 9
I have no plans to ever try Internet Explorer 9. The last Internet Explorer kludge I tried was IE sick--er, six. I'm content with Firefox. No reason to change. Over the years, I have learned that Microsoft acts in coordination with hardware vendors and corporate partners to design products that benefit Microsoft & its allies to the detriment of the end user. Each new Microsoft release is designed with a lone imperative, present and future profit-making for Microsoft, guiding all else.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Windows 7 versus Windows XP
Still using Windows XP? You retrograde, you. Here are the reasons you must upgrade to Windows 7.
I confess, I am one of the throwbacks that remained with ancient old Windows XP. Pity me. Think of all the things I have to do without.
Well, I can't think of anything at the moment.
I use the very latest version of Firefox to browse the Internet. I use the 2007 version of Microsoft Word to compose documents. I use Notepad++ to edit html files. For gaming, there's dungeon crawl, of course. I do without absolutely nothing. And as for the $1000 I would otherwise spend on a Win 7 system? That's in the bank, saved for a rainy day.
- Microsoft needs your money. They have to pay for all those buildings and employees over in India, where they shipped a ton of middle-class jobs, leaving American programmers unemployed. By helping Microsoft, you help India a little bit. Don't you want to support our friends, the Indians?
- Windows 7 requires a whole new suite of hardware. It won't settle for your old XP rig. Don't worry about it. You clearly don't need $1000, since you're considering upgrading. You'd probably waste $1000 anyway on something else. So upgrade already. Brag about how Windows 7 boots twenty seconds faster and looks spiffy on your HD monitor and how you can play all the latest whiz-bang video games. This impresses the ladies a great deal. Sure. Take it from me.
- You need the exercise. Americans are overweight according to everybody. Hauling all that old computer equipment to the dump should burn off a couple hundred calories.
- Landfills need your business. If you don't throw good, working equipment away before its time, then they lose money. Don't you care about the landfill operators? They have families to feed, too.
- What else would you do with your time, anyway? Nothing interesting. Might as well upgrade, then, just for the sake of upgrading. You get bragging rights then.
I confess, I am one of the throwbacks that remained with ancient old Windows XP. Pity me. Think of all the things I have to do without.
Well, I can't think of anything at the moment.
I use the very latest version of Firefox to browse the Internet. I use the 2007 version of Microsoft Word to compose documents. I use Notepad++ to edit html files. For gaming, there's dungeon crawl, of course. I do without absolutely nothing. And as for the $1000 I would otherwise spend on a Win 7 system? That's in the bank, saved for a rainy day.
Monday, March 14, 2011
My Heart is with the Libyan Rebels
My heart is with the Libyan rebels. Perhaps it is because of American history. We revolted against a tyrant, as well, although our nemesis, King George, was not nearly as bad as Khadaffy. Old Georgie wasn't even in the same league. In fact, the British were rather nice compared to Khadaffy & Sons, who remind one more of Hitler and the Nazis. I am repelled by reports of torture. I think it is a crime against humanity to commit such acts.
The U.S. is already bogged down in two foreign wars that drain our funds without giving anything back. The people of Iraq and Afghanistan do not seem grateful for our intervention. The Arab world tends to blame the U.S. for every ill under the Sun. They blame us when we do intervene, and blame us even when we don't, as in the Libyan conflict. I don't know that it is fair to expect the U.S. to shoulder yet another burden, that of liberating Libya. The Arab nations are closer to Libya than we are. They are the same religion and have at least a similar culture. If Libya is anyone's responsibility, it's theirs.
However, if the U.S. chose to involve itself, despite our ailing economy, I must admit, I'd be pleased if we could pull it off with minimal involvement and minimal loss of life. If removing Khadaffy only required six months' time, then I'd be all for it. I'm uncertain. I don't really know that much about the situation.
I'm for intervening in Libya, even with ground troops, if it resulted in a speedy resolution and the installation of a Western-style republic. That does seem unlikely, given Libya's history and culture. So I defer to our leader, Obama. Perhaps he knows best. I still have faith in Obama and will indeed vote for him in 2012, if he offers us the chance. His is a most difficult job at this particular juncture in history. We are lucky to have him.
The U.S. is already bogged down in two foreign wars that drain our funds without giving anything back. The people of Iraq and Afghanistan do not seem grateful for our intervention. The Arab world tends to blame the U.S. for every ill under the Sun. They blame us when we do intervene, and blame us even when we don't, as in the Libyan conflict. I don't know that it is fair to expect the U.S. to shoulder yet another burden, that of liberating Libya. The Arab nations are closer to Libya than we are. They are the same religion and have at least a similar culture. If Libya is anyone's responsibility, it's theirs.
However, if the U.S. chose to involve itself, despite our ailing economy, I must admit, I'd be pleased if we could pull it off with minimal involvement and minimal loss of life. If removing Khadaffy only required six months' time, then I'd be all for it. I'm uncertain. I don't really know that much about the situation.
I'm for intervening in Libya, even with ground troops, if it resulted in a speedy resolution and the installation of a Western-style republic. That does seem unlikely, given Libya's history and culture. So I defer to our leader, Obama. Perhaps he knows best. I still have faith in Obama and will indeed vote for him in 2012, if he offers us the chance. His is a most difficult job at this particular juncture in history. We are lucky to have him.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
XP Codec Pack 2.51 & AVI Chunk Viewer, Crapware
When I used Windows Explorer this evening, a strange unwanted screen popped up whenever I highlighted any type of .avi file. It was called "AVI Chunk Viewer." I have no idea what it is and don't want to know. It annoys the end user, with no options to remove or disable itself.
It comes from a package called "XP Codec Pack 2.51" and, rumor has it, certain other codec packs.
Solution? Uninstall "XP Codec Pack." I was experimenting with it in an attempt to diagnose a sound problem, but it turned out to be a hardware issue--the sound card was bad.
For several days, my PC speakers had been emitting a strange, intermittent squeak whenever I played any type of media file with audio content. Obviously, that was not a situation that could be allowed to persist. I was loathe to suspect the Creative Labs Soundblaster (LE version) sound card, because it had been working fine for years without issue. I downloaded various media players, codec packages, and ran the gamut of installations attempting to resolve the problem. Then I suspected my NVIDIA video card, recently installed, might be causing interference--a wild hypothesis, perhaps, but not without foundation, judging by message threads found on various hardware forums. However, when I switched the sound output from SoundBlaster to the onboard audio, all was well. No more squeaking. Problem solved. I removed the sound card and am tempted to toss it in the trash, but a lingering doubt does remain over whether it might have been a software-related issue after all. I'm a pack-rat by nature, despising waste. But in the case of the sound card, it is a $10 piece of hardware. Into the trash it must go. I only resolved that just now, at the end of this post. It goes against the grain to throw something away. *sigh*
It comes from a package called "XP Codec Pack 2.51" and, rumor has it, certain other codec packs.
Solution? Uninstall "XP Codec Pack." I was experimenting with it in an attempt to diagnose a sound problem, but it turned out to be a hardware issue--the sound card was bad.
For several days, my PC speakers had been emitting a strange, intermittent squeak whenever I played any type of media file with audio content. Obviously, that was not a situation that could be allowed to persist. I was loathe to suspect the Creative Labs Soundblaster (LE version) sound card, because it had been working fine for years without issue. I downloaded various media players, codec packages, and ran the gamut of installations attempting to resolve the problem. Then I suspected my NVIDIA video card, recently installed, might be causing interference--a wild hypothesis, perhaps, but not without foundation, judging by message threads found on various hardware forums. However, when I switched the sound output from SoundBlaster to the onboard audio, all was well. No more squeaking. Problem solved. I removed the sound card and am tempted to toss it in the trash, but a lingering doubt does remain over whether it might have been a software-related issue after all. I'm a pack-rat by nature, despising waste. But in the case of the sound card, it is a $10 piece of hardware. Into the trash it must go. I only resolved that just now, at the end of this post. It goes against the grain to throw something away. *sigh*
Friday, March 11, 2011
Victory in Zot Defense
My Naga Wizard worshiping Nemelex Xobeh finally won after a long game. By the twenty-fifth level, undead servants, spells, stabbing, traps and decks of cards provided so much power that victory was inevitable.
In Zot Defense, Necromancy provides a clear and overwhelming advantage. Because my Naga began as a Wizard, which grants the maximum number of magic points, I relied upon the Summon Imp spell, awaiting a shadow imp that would put corpses to work as zombies and skeletons. Undead servants are essential to guard the Orb. After acquiring a Book of Necromancy, I was able to do it myself. (I tried playing a Necromancer before, but had a difficult time in the beginning due to lack of magic points.)
Nemelex Xobeh is the god to play in Zot Defense. He is sated by sacrificing the unresurrectible corpses and items which litter ZD. Leaving magic weapons scattered around the dungeon is poor practice, because hostiles may pick them up and use them as fuel for reproduction (acids) or as weapons (intelligent monsters). His decks of cards are quite powerful to begin with and increase in power as one learns Evocations.
Nagas are by far the easiest race to play in ZD (though not Crawl) due to their immunity to poison, ability to see invisible, robustness and moderate aptitude for spellcasting. The ability to spit poison is useful in the beginning. Many of the traditional disadvantages of Naga are rendered moot in Zot Defense. For instance, their slow movement speed is no great problem, because there is nowhere to go in ZD and seldom any need to escape monsters. In Zot Defense, monsters are not bloody-minded--they seek to desecrate the Orb, not kill the player. The Naga's inability to wear most forms of armor is less of a problem for the same reason. Armor interferes with spellcasting, anyway.
In Zot Defense, Necromancy provides a clear and overwhelming advantage. Because my Naga began as a Wizard, which grants the maximum number of magic points, I relied upon the Summon Imp spell, awaiting a shadow imp that would put corpses to work as zombies and skeletons. Undead servants are essential to guard the Orb. After acquiring a Book of Necromancy, I was able to do it myself. (I tried playing a Necromancer before, but had a difficult time in the beginning due to lack of magic points.)
Nemelex Xobeh is the god to play in Zot Defense. He is sated by sacrificing the unresurrectible corpses and items which litter ZD. Leaving magic weapons scattered around the dungeon is poor practice, because hostiles may pick them up and use them as fuel for reproduction (acids) or as weapons (intelligent monsters). His decks of cards are quite powerful to begin with and increase in power as one learns Evocations.
Nagas are by far the easiest race to play in ZD (though not Crawl) due to their immunity to poison, ability to see invisible, robustness and moderate aptitude for spellcasting. The ability to spit poison is useful in the beginning. Many of the traditional disadvantages of Naga are rendered moot in Zot Defense. For instance, their slow movement speed is no great problem, because there is nowhere to go in ZD and seldom any need to escape monsters. In Zot Defense, monsters are not bloody-minded--they seek to desecrate the Orb, not kill the player. The Naga's inability to wear most forms of armor is less of a problem for the same reason. Armor interferes with spellcasting, anyway.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Just Not Good Enough, Eh?
As I was doing my taxes, I came across old documentation from school that reminded me of my aborted mission to become a registered nurse. I am reminded of the substantial costs in money, time, energy and effort that amounted to nothing. It was a gamble, nothing more--a losing wager.
According to the local nursing school, I'm not good enough to be allowed into their program. After all, I only scored a 100 out of 100 on the entrance exam--not a 110, as an extraterrestrial by the name of Zwee!-Blapt!-Flitzuh! scored, adding quantum points from an alternative reality.
Also, my five "critical grades" in prerequisite courses were A, A, A, C, and B, which were far from perfect. The A's were all science courses. The "C" was in English Composition (101), a course I took in the 1980's. (Ignored was my Bachelor in Arts with a major in English and a 3.9 GPA.)
I scored 18 out of a possible 25 points on the interview itself, which lasted about five minutes. Mainly the interviewers wished to know whether I had prior nursing experience, which is interesting, because if I had, it is likely I would not have been enrolling in nursing school. But apparently many nursing students are already in the medical profession and seeking to move up the career ladder.
In retrospect, I think taking prerequisites for nursing school was a waste of time, although I did enjoy several of my classes, because I like learning. Though I have lost, I think that society too has lost, because it was the State that financed much of my education and whose employees determined, at the end, for whatever secret motives, that I wasn't good enough to be admitted into nursing school. Since my education was a mutual investment, we are losers together. That gives me a small measure of satisfaction, much better than if I had paid for all the tuition myself.
I understand that there is a shortage of nurses these days. Too bad.
According to the local nursing school, I'm not good enough to be allowed into their program. After all, I only scored a 100 out of 100 on the entrance exam--not a 110, as an extraterrestrial by the name of Zwee!-Blapt!-Flitzuh! scored, adding quantum points from an alternative reality.
Also, my five "critical grades" in prerequisite courses were A, A, A, C, and B, which were far from perfect. The A's were all science courses. The "C" was in English Composition (101), a course I took in the 1980's. (Ignored was my Bachelor in Arts with a major in English and a 3.9 GPA.)
I scored 18 out of a possible 25 points on the interview itself, which lasted about five minutes. Mainly the interviewers wished to know whether I had prior nursing experience, which is interesting, because if I had, it is likely I would not have been enrolling in nursing school. But apparently many nursing students are already in the medical profession and seeking to move up the career ladder.
In retrospect, I think taking prerequisites for nursing school was a waste of time, although I did enjoy several of my classes, because I like learning. Though I have lost, I think that society too has lost, because it was the State that financed much of my education and whose employees determined, at the end, for whatever secret motives, that I wasn't good enough to be admitted into nursing school. Since my education was a mutual investment, we are losers together. That gives me a small measure of satisfaction, much better than if I had paid for all the tuition myself.
I understand that there is a shortage of nurses these days. Too bad.
Dungeon Crawl Novelties
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is a great game, even if it were frozen in time, but development continues. Dungeon Crawl of 2010 is not the Dungeon Crawl of 2011. A player who bores of it in one year can resume playing with the latest version and discover new and interesting features, courtesy of the gifted, generous and devious dev team.
Such was the case for me, when I discovered a brand new path in the beta version .8 of DCSS, Zot Defense. Instead of attempting to capture the Orb of Zot, the player already has it and must defend it against hordes of invadingreactionaries monsters, a scenario reminiscent of Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper*. I have not won yet, but am working on it. Beware the blitz!
At this stage of development, ZD appears hostile to my favorite race, vegetarian Spriggans. Therefore, my favorite race/class/religion for ZD at this time is a Naga Wizard (the extra MP, I find, are really needed) worshiping Nemelex Xobeh, a divine vacuum useful for tidying up a dungeon littered with detritus. His cards come in handy as cost-free alternatives to spellcasting. I have experimented with Naga Necromancers worshiping Kikubaaqudgha with some success as well. Large abominations make decent, permanent Orb guardians, although powerful monsters can gobble them up like popcorn. Care must be taken that undead servants don't trigger traps. Another combo I've found to be very successful is Deep Dwarf Artificer worshiping Nemelex Xobeh. (In my opinion, NX is the best choice for ZD, for aesthetic reasons alone.)
ZD has reinvigorated my interest in the game. I've even wrapped my regen.bat around it, because I play nothing but ZD nowadays. Until I win, that is. Then I may investigate the new branches in Sprint. Version .8 has five branches!
Such was the case for me, when I discovered a brand new path in the beta version .8 of DCSS, Zot Defense. Instead of attempting to capture the Orb of Zot, the player already has it and must defend it against hordes of invading
At this stage of development, ZD appears hostile to my favorite race, vegetarian Spriggans. Therefore, my favorite race/class/religion for ZD at this time is a Naga Wizard (the extra MP, I find, are really needed) worshiping Nemelex Xobeh, a divine vacuum useful for tidying up a dungeon littered with detritus. His cards come in handy as cost-free alternatives to spellcasting. I have experimented with Naga Necromancers worshiping Kikubaaqudgha with some success as well. Large abominations make decent, permanent Orb guardians, although powerful monsters can gobble them up like popcorn. Care must be taken that undead servants don't trigger traps. Another combo I've found to be very successful is Deep Dwarf Artificer worshiping Nemelex Xobeh. (In my opinion, NX is the best choice for ZD, for aesthetic reasons alone.)
ZD has reinvigorated my interest in the game. I've even wrapped my regen.bat around it, because I play nothing but ZD nowadays. Until I win, that is. Then I may investigate the new branches in Sprint. Version .8 has five branches!
* Does anyone remember that fine game, beloved by critics, the third sequel of which was terminated by Electronic Arts? Dungeon Keeper 2 works with Windows 2000 and XP with some tinkering. It is a rewarding game for those willing to put up with several annoyance factors, such as copy protection and technical problems. A copy can be obtained for $5 or so via Ebay or Amazon, and upgrades and a copy protection removal program downloaded from various sites.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Khadaffy & Sons and their Transparent Lies
Khadaffy & sons remind me of thugs from high school. Long on meanness, short on brains.
Does he think we were born yesterday?
I read news about Khadaffy's attempt to stay in power for black humor more than anything. I laugh at the lies that seem contrived by idiots, but am dismayed by reports of atrocities.
I read somewhere that Lionel Richie, Beyonce, Usher, and Mariah Carey went to Libya to play for the tyrant. Such celebrities may* deserve criticism for aiding and abetting a war criminal. I have never admired these performers or their music, so there is no question about not listening to them anymore.
"Hello? Is it me you're looking for?" Radio stations played Lionel Richie's stupid song repeatedly in the 1980's, once an hour at least, enough to make me want to puke. One reason I stopped listening to radio is that the stations are bribed by record companies to repeat certain performers over and over. Such performers may or may not produce good music. I have better luck picking and choosing what I listen to on my own. Radio I equate with garbage music, much like television is equated with garbage shows.
I read about Saif al-Islam obtaining a doctorate from the London School of Economics and am tempted to believe his scholarship was the result of deceit and fraud, which characterizes his entire family and himself. From what I have seen of Saif al-Islam, as he prosecutes the war against the Libyan freedom fighters, he is a stupid fascist of zero worth and without any scruples. He that would slay and torture thousands in the service of a tyrant would not hesitate to hire a poor scholar, or several scholars, to write all of his papers and reports. I suspect that he bribed his professors and the school administration. The awarding of a doctorate to a tyrant's son represents a scandal for the London School of Economics that will persist into perpetuity.
Colleges have for a long time sold advanced academic degrees to the rich. As George W. Bush understood all too well, only the poor must study or work. The rich may play.
[Saif al-Islam] promised journalists they would find the streets peaceful and support for his father strong. Do not confuse the sound of celebratory fireworks for bursts of gunfire around the streets of Tripoli, he told them.
Does he think we were born yesterday?
I read news about Khadaffy's attempt to stay in power for black humor more than anything. I laugh at the lies that seem contrived by idiots, but am dismayed by reports of atrocities.
I read somewhere that Lionel Richie, Beyonce, Usher, and Mariah Carey went to Libya to play for the tyrant. Such celebrities may* deserve criticism for aiding and abetting a war criminal. I have never admired these performers or their music, so there is no question about not listening to them anymore.
"Hello? Is it me you're looking for?" Radio stations played Lionel Richie's stupid song repeatedly in the 1980's, once an hour at least, enough to make me want to puke. One reason I stopped listening to radio is that the stations are bribed by record companies to repeat certain performers over and over. Such performers may or may not produce good music. I have better luck picking and choosing what I listen to on my own. Radio I equate with garbage music, much like television is equated with garbage shows.
* I am not certain that the celebrities mentioned did any worse than everyday people who have purchased Libya's oil for decades. In a way, everyone who drives a vehicle that runs on fossil fuels has aided and abetted many tyrants of the Middle East, Khadffy being just one of the scum-buckets. Certainly I have purchased my share of oil, some of which derived from Libya or Iran. Is it correct to single out celebrities who assist a tyrant with music rather than petro-dollars? Maybe not! The modern world's relationship to oil is fraught with ethical problems. Hopefully, regimes in the Middle East will fall and convert into republics, removing the ethical difficulties.
I read about Saif al-Islam obtaining a doctorate from the London School of Economics and am tempted to believe his scholarship was the result of deceit and fraud, which characterizes his entire family and himself. From what I have seen of Saif al-Islam, as he prosecutes the war against the Libyan freedom fighters, he is a stupid fascist of zero worth and without any scruples. He that would slay and torture thousands in the service of a tyrant would not hesitate to hire a poor scholar, or several scholars, to write all of his papers and reports. I suspect that he bribed his professors and the school administration. The awarding of a doctorate to a tyrant's son represents a scandal for the London School of Economics that will persist into perpetuity.
Colleges have for a long time sold advanced academic degrees to the rich. As George W. Bush understood all too well, only the poor must study or work. The rich may play.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Writing an Autobiography
I have the rough draft of an autobiography written ten years ago, but the older it gets, the less I value it. When fresh from my hand, I took measures to safeguard its data, including numerous backups on CD amid fretful worries that an I/O error might erase all my labor. I imagined it would be useful, supplying grist for a novel that might gain for me material things. Writing has always seemed a viable path for a poor person to gain wealth and influence, even though those already prestigious, like Donald Trump, have an advantage, because people will read them in the hope that some of their magic might rub off.
After some experimentation with online publishing, I downgraded my own evaluation. There are many writers that must be better, because they earn a living by writing, whereas I've never been paid for the slightest article or web page, even though I have designed an entire web site from the ground up and written many articles. Also, while I've received some encouragement via fan mail, it hasn't been often. In ratings competition with other writers, I rank in the middle. Editors of publications have rejected submissions and queries. One draws the natural conclusion from the accumulation of such experiences. I think if I had showed promise, surely somewhere along the line, a proper place for me would have been found somewhere, if only as a writer for alternative newspapers or magazines.
Now I think of the autobiography as false in many parts or misguided or a collection of events only half-perceived in their totality. There is a focus, for instance, upon individuals, eight or ten in number, that I no longer care anything for and vice versa, youthful infatuations that seem like overripe onions to me now, and no one is interested in those biased histories besides the author anyway. I read the stories and think, what foolishness, and want to bury the knowledge. All the ones I used to place above the Moon and Stars, I now see as unimportant particles of dust. They are better forgotten, and I am only too glad they are strangers to me now. There's no possibility for good as far as I can see.
To dream about the past is an odd and solitary occupation, because most think about the present and the future, always looking to acquire more possessions in the belief they 'win' if they have more stuff in the end. Where is the accountant, and who pays his salary, and why should he concern himself with the trifles of the deceased?
I like writing on a blog as I do now, without any expectations, as a message in a bottle to an alien visitor from another planet. Sometimes, I find posts that I dislike, especially if they expressed anger, and these I delete. My regrets all had their origin in anger. Anger is a relic of our animal origins that I think cannot have much currency in the future. It is a throwback. It had a purpose, even an advantage back in the days of tooth and claw, but not within the context of modern society, I think. Often, anger seems misplaced in retrospect, overwrought, or the result of disordered thoughts.
It is commonplace to see anger expressed in the media. I remember reading the Reader's Digest in the 1970's and 1980's. The Reader's Digest was like Fox News today. Just about every article was calculated to enrage an ordinary person and persuade them that liberals caused every problem under the Sun. I was at one time an avid reader of the Reader's Digest. All my relatives subscribed to it and their opinions were formed by it. And all of it was nothing but lies, a steady stream of half-truths, exaggerations and distortions calculated to turn working people into voters for Ronald Reagan and, later, the Bushes. And it worked. Humans are quite easy to deceive and mislead and can be operated like puppets. This is well-known. No one is immune, no matter how smart. I have crafted my predictions of the future with this in mind.
On the other hand, every once in a while, I read an earlier post and think to myself, "that is not half-bad," and it gives me satisfaction as a kind of validation. If I like my stuff, then that matters more to me than if others do. However, my evaluations change. I sometimes look back on a story that I used to like and find that time and distance have changed my perception. I'm sure other writers must feel the same way. For instance, even the great Mary Renault's early romance novels left a lot to be desired. I couldn't finish any but The Charioteer. The others just seemed boring.
After some experimentation with online publishing, I downgraded my own evaluation. There are many writers that must be better, because they earn a living by writing, whereas I've never been paid for the slightest article or web page, even though I have designed an entire web site from the ground up and written many articles. Also, while I've received some encouragement via fan mail, it hasn't been often. In ratings competition with other writers, I rank in the middle. Editors of publications have rejected submissions and queries. One draws the natural conclusion from the accumulation of such experiences. I think if I had showed promise, surely somewhere along the line, a proper place for me would have been found somewhere, if only as a writer for alternative newspapers or magazines.
Now I think of the autobiography as false in many parts or misguided or a collection of events only half-perceived in their totality. There is a focus, for instance, upon individuals, eight or ten in number, that I no longer care anything for and vice versa, youthful infatuations that seem like overripe onions to me now, and no one is interested in those biased histories besides the author anyway. I read the stories and think, what foolishness, and want to bury the knowledge. All the ones I used to place above the Moon and Stars, I now see as unimportant particles of dust. They are better forgotten, and I am only too glad they are strangers to me now. There's no possibility for good as far as I can see.
To dream about the past is an odd and solitary occupation, because most think about the present and the future, always looking to acquire more possessions in the belief they 'win' if they have more stuff in the end. Where is the accountant, and who pays his salary, and why should he concern himself with the trifles of the deceased?
I like writing on a blog as I do now, without any expectations, as a message in a bottle to an alien visitor from another planet. Sometimes, I find posts that I dislike, especially if they expressed anger, and these I delete. My regrets all had their origin in anger. Anger is a relic of our animal origins that I think cannot have much currency in the future. It is a throwback. It had a purpose, even an advantage back in the days of tooth and claw, but not within the context of modern society, I think. Often, anger seems misplaced in retrospect, overwrought, or the result of disordered thoughts.
It is commonplace to see anger expressed in the media. I remember reading the Reader's Digest in the 1970's and 1980's. The Reader's Digest was like Fox News today. Just about every article was calculated to enrage an ordinary person and persuade them that liberals caused every problem under the Sun. I was at one time an avid reader of the Reader's Digest. All my relatives subscribed to it and their opinions were formed by it. And all of it was nothing but lies, a steady stream of half-truths, exaggerations and distortions calculated to turn working people into voters for Ronald Reagan and, later, the Bushes. And it worked. Humans are quite easy to deceive and mislead and can be operated like puppets. This is well-known. No one is immune, no matter how smart. I have crafted my predictions of the future with this in mind.
On the other hand, every once in a while, I read an earlier post and think to myself, "that is not half-bad," and it gives me satisfaction as a kind of validation. If I like my stuff, then that matters more to me than if others do. However, my evaluations change. I sometimes look back on a story that I used to like and find that time and distance have changed my perception. I'm sure other writers must feel the same way. For instance, even the great Mary Renault's early romance novels left a lot to be desired. I couldn't finish any but The Charioteer. The others just seemed boring.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Cretinous Critics at The New York Times?
The critics of The New York Times praise the execrable "Fringe" while condemning the good and correct "Tudors." How can this be? Are their critics cretins? No. It is likely that the hacks at The New York Times praise whoever bribes them and disparage whoever does not. Writing does not pay well, living expenses in New York City are high, and our mainstream media are no more scrupulous or high-minded than our politicians. Such a combination of factors sometimes leads to good shows being panned, and bad shows being promoted. The same general theme can be observed regarding public policy.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
ATI Radeon 3000 ati2dvag causing crash bsod blue screen of death
For a couple of days after upgrading the video driver on one of my computers, I experienced intermittent crashes involving the ati2dvag driver. Online forums recommended a hundred different fixes that sounded bogus. Some recommended cleaning the dust on the motherboard, doing a virus scan, or uninstalling, then reinstalling the video driver. Wastes o' time. I was feeling frustrated until I quit reading the forums and started using my noggin.
Point of fact: the computer was fine prior to the video driver upgrade.
Conclusion: video driver is bad.
Solution: drop back to previous version of video driver.
Complication: AMD/ATI do not offer the previous version, and I can't find my install CD.
I searched on Google until I found oldapps.com, a worthwhile site that fills in the chasm left by negligent hardware manufacturers.
Dropping back to a driver released last year solved my problem. The version of the good, working driver is 8.771, dated 8-25-2010. The ATI Install file is "ATI Catalyst Driver version 10.9."
Hardware manufacturers such as ATI fail to thoroughly test their drivers and fail to offer older versions of their drivers. Once I see a manufacturer's brand name on a blue screen of death, that tends to stay in my memory forever. The BSOD informed me that the driver was stuck in an infinite loop, which smacks of sloppy programming.
Nota Bene: although the old driver is better, it may be a good idea to disable its "ATI Hotkey Poller" service to avoid unexplained crashes.
Point of fact: the computer was fine prior to the video driver upgrade.
Conclusion: video driver is bad.
Solution: drop back to previous version of video driver.
Complication: AMD/ATI do not offer the previous version, and I can't find my install CD.
I searched on Google until I found oldapps.com, a worthwhile site that fills in the chasm left by negligent hardware manufacturers.
Dropping back to a driver released last year solved my problem. The version of the good, working driver is 8.771, dated 8-25-2010. The ATI Install file is "ATI Catalyst Driver version 10.9."
Hardware manufacturers such as ATI fail to thoroughly test their drivers and fail to offer older versions of their drivers. Once I see a manufacturer's brand name on a blue screen of death, that tends to stay in my memory forever. The BSOD informed me that the driver was stuck in an infinite loop, which smacks of sloppy programming.
Nota Bene: although the old driver is better, it may be a good idea to disable its "ATI Hotkey Poller" service to avoid unexplained crashes.
Update: In retrospect, I recommend that everyone who has embedded video graphics in their motherboard use only the video driver provided by their motherboard manufacturer. Since reinstalling Windows and installing the video driver provided by the motherboard manufacturer, I have had no problems. Don't second-guess the motherboard manufacturer and don't worry about having the latest version of the driver. Although a new version from the ATI web site will install without any warning or problem and may even give a performance boost, it may not play nice with your combo motherboard! The choice is yours--speed or stability.
Egypt, WikiLeaks, and Western Justice
I am pleased the tyrant Mubarak has been evicted from his palace, although he should not be granted a permanent refuge in Egypt. His crimes against his people cannot be overlooked. It is likely that at the present time, he is liquidating much of his fortune and attempting to spirit it out of Egypt, foreseeing his dim future in that country. I suspect he will eventually emerge in Saudi Arabia.
I hope that Egypt evolves into a multiparty republic similar to the European republics. There may be a place for the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's equivalent to our Christian Right. Ignorance and evil are no disqualifications to voting, for better or worse. Indeed the Christian Right has access to the very highest levels of government, including the offices of our Senators, Representatives, Governors, and even our generals. It can be argued that the Christian Right is responsible in large part for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They wish to bring about the end times to fulfill the fantasy drama in their heads. To this end, they are willing to wage war and commit any act which serves to revert the modern world to the world of Biblical times.
If WikiLeaks made any small contribution to the current turn of events in the Middle East, then it must be allowed that Julian may be smarter and better than he at first appeared. I do believe all charges against him in the sex case in Sweden should be dropped. It is probably true that the prosecutor in that case is a man-hater. It is also probably true that the Swedish government is persecuting him for political reasons.
Western law in general has moved to a position that is anti-male. Today, few would dispute that women have a distinct advantage in most areas of legal justice. Divorces deprive men of half their life earnings as well as their children, even in cases where the woman was only married for a few years and only married for money to begin with. For biological reasons, it is easier for women to remain monogamous than men. Sexual mischief is punished severely in civil and criminal cases, even in instances where the harm was negligible. Harm should be evaluated carefully and punishment doled out in proper measure to it.
There needs to be an accommodation made for the male of the species. On the other hand, if men are not a desirable counterpart in our species, then society should eliminate the Y chromosome and switch from natural reproduction to cloning. This would incur certain risks. It is interesting that almost all the leaders, inventors and discoverers in history are male. We can argue about the reasons why this might be so, such as the patriarchal social structure of earlier times, but it does not change the fact. If our species were all women, perhaps we would be more at peace, but still huddled around a fire.
On the other hand, the Islamic world tends to be anti-female, another extreme, and even more anti-female than Western society is anti-male. The Islamic world seems preoccupied by excessive concern over female sexuality. I believe women should have the right to fraternize with whomever they choose, and their fashion is not an issue for the police. I would not be offended even by nakedness, although I wouldn't recommend it. Women should have free access to education, birth control, and the same occupations as men. Iran may be the most anti-female country in the world at this time. I don't know why the Iranian regime despises women, but they despise homosexuals as well. I can't think of anything more tedious than to live in such a repressive and ignorant society. My hopes for regime change in Iran have not died, but been delayed.
On another topic, an argument has gained currency among the right bemoaning the popular uprising in Egypt on the grounds that transition into a free European-style republic is impossible in the Middle East. I am undecided. There is no example of a Middle Eastern country that has transitioned from dictatorship to republic, but that does not prevent Egypt or Tunisia from breaking new ground. In any case, I do not believe that fear of an Iranian-style Islamist regime should stand in the way of democratic change. Perhaps the people will succumb to ignorance and evil. Perhaps they will choose radical Islam over peace, freedom and prosperity. If so, it is their choice. Certainly our people have made their share of mistakes. Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II were all mistakes betraying poor judgment on the part of the electorate, and each mistake had consequences for poor citizens and for foreign people. The U.S. national debt is in large part the result of those mistakes. Most social ills in our country can be laid at the door of those Presidents, who preferred squandering vast sums of taxpayer money on foreign wars instead of investing in science, energy, infrastructure, or education. Those who would argue that Egypt is better off with a tyrant would also place a tyrant in our own country. They have declared themselves as enemies of freedom. Democracy, of course, is not without risk, even grave peril.
Mubarak is a fiend to argue Egypt is not ready for democracy. He had several decades to prepare Egypt for democracy. What was he doing all that time? He was stealing vast sums of money for himself and his own family, that's what. His manner of government involved equipping brutal thugs with policeman's uniforms and an array of weapons and torture devices and letting them do whatever they please against the working class. There are some on the right wing that believe this is fine and dandy, and they would like to have society ordered in a similar manner in the West. The evil of Nazism lingers on in various forms.
I hope that Egypt evolves into a multiparty republic similar to the European republics. There may be a place for the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's equivalent to our Christian Right. Ignorance and evil are no disqualifications to voting, for better or worse. Indeed the Christian Right has access to the very highest levels of government, including the offices of our Senators, Representatives, Governors, and even our generals. It can be argued that the Christian Right is responsible in large part for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They wish to bring about the end times to fulfill the fantasy drama in their heads. To this end, they are willing to wage war and commit any act which serves to revert the modern world to the world of Biblical times.
If WikiLeaks made any small contribution to the current turn of events in the Middle East, then it must be allowed that Julian may be smarter and better than he at first appeared. I do believe all charges against him in the sex case in Sweden should be dropped. It is probably true that the prosecutor in that case is a man-hater. It is also probably true that the Swedish government is persecuting him for political reasons.
Western law in general has moved to a position that is anti-male. Today, few would dispute that women have a distinct advantage in most areas of legal justice. Divorces deprive men of half their life earnings as well as their children, even in cases where the woman was only married for a few years and only married for money to begin with. For biological reasons, it is easier for women to remain monogamous than men. Sexual mischief is punished severely in civil and criminal cases, even in instances where the harm was negligible. Harm should be evaluated carefully and punishment doled out in proper measure to it.
There needs to be an accommodation made for the male of the species. On the other hand, if men are not a desirable counterpart in our species, then society should eliminate the Y chromosome and switch from natural reproduction to cloning. This would incur certain risks. It is interesting that almost all the leaders, inventors and discoverers in history are male. We can argue about the reasons why this might be so, such as the patriarchal social structure of earlier times, but it does not change the fact. If our species were all women, perhaps we would be more at peace, but still huddled around a fire.
On the other hand, the Islamic world tends to be anti-female, another extreme, and even more anti-female than Western society is anti-male. The Islamic world seems preoccupied by excessive concern over female sexuality. I believe women should have the right to fraternize with whomever they choose, and their fashion is not an issue for the police. I would not be offended even by nakedness, although I wouldn't recommend it. Women should have free access to education, birth control, and the same occupations as men. Iran may be the most anti-female country in the world at this time. I don't know why the Iranian regime despises women, but they despise homosexuals as well. I can't think of anything more tedious than to live in such a repressive and ignorant society. My hopes for regime change in Iran have not died, but been delayed.
On another topic, an argument has gained currency among the right bemoaning the popular uprising in Egypt on the grounds that transition into a free European-style republic is impossible in the Middle East. I am undecided. There is no example of a Middle Eastern country that has transitioned from dictatorship to republic, but that does not prevent Egypt or Tunisia from breaking new ground. In any case, I do not believe that fear of an Iranian-style Islamist regime should stand in the way of democratic change. Perhaps the people will succumb to ignorance and evil. Perhaps they will choose radical Islam over peace, freedom and prosperity. If so, it is their choice. Certainly our people have made their share of mistakes. Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II were all mistakes betraying poor judgment on the part of the electorate, and each mistake had consequences for poor citizens and for foreign people. The U.S. national debt is in large part the result of those mistakes. Most social ills in our country can be laid at the door of those Presidents, who preferred squandering vast sums of taxpayer money on foreign wars instead of investing in science, energy, infrastructure, or education. Those who would argue that Egypt is better off with a tyrant would also place a tyrant in our own country. They have declared themselves as enemies of freedom. Democracy, of course, is not without risk, even grave peril.
Mubarak is a fiend to argue Egypt is not ready for democracy. He had several decades to prepare Egypt for democracy. What was he doing all that time? He was stealing vast sums of money for himself and his own family, that's what. His manner of government involved equipping brutal thugs with policeman's uniforms and an array of weapons and torture devices and letting them do whatever they please against the working class. There are some on the right wing that believe this is fine and dandy, and they would like to have society ordered in a similar manner in the West. The evil of Nazism lingers on in various forms.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Magnetic Pole Shift
Some media reports have sounded a shrill alarm over the shift of Earth's magnetic pole.
I prefer reading a report by NASA, which seems calmer by far.
We read a lot about government agencies that commit acts of evil, such as the DEA and the CIA. I prefer to read about government agencies that are benevolent in nature, such as NASA, dedicated to expanding the fund of human knowledge and thereby protecting the human species from destruction. The DEA should be disbanded and its funding diverted to NASA. As for the CIA, its activities and projects should be scaled down. Much of our interference in the affairs of other nations proves counter-productive and is a waste of our time, talents and resources, besides exposing our country to charges of unethical behavior. We need an intelligence agency in order to operate in the world, as has every country since ancient times, including the Romans and the Persians. But oftentimes the goals of our leaders are not informed by wisdom and are instead guided by arrogance with no regard to either ethics of even self-interest. The U.S. should attend to its own house rather than setting fire to the houses of others. Becoming selfish would actually represent a step forward in terms of wisdom. Is it really a good idea to slip billions of dollars into corrupt hands in Afghanistan year after year, when that money could be used on projects here in the United States? Selfishness would say no. Selfishness would be correct.
I prefer reading a report by NASA, which seems calmer by far.
We read a lot about government agencies that commit acts of evil, such as the DEA and the CIA. I prefer to read about government agencies that are benevolent in nature, such as NASA, dedicated to expanding the fund of human knowledge and thereby protecting the human species from destruction. The DEA should be disbanded and its funding diverted to NASA. As for the CIA, its activities and projects should be scaled down. Much of our interference in the affairs of other nations proves counter-productive and is a waste of our time, talents and resources, besides exposing our country to charges of unethical behavior. We need an intelligence agency in order to operate in the world, as has every country since ancient times, including the Romans and the Persians. But oftentimes the goals of our leaders are not informed by wisdom and are instead guided by arrogance with no regard to either ethics of even self-interest. The U.S. should attend to its own house rather than setting fire to the houses of others. Becoming selfish would actually represent a step forward in terms of wisdom. Is it really a good idea to slip billions of dollars into corrupt hands in Afghanistan year after year, when that money could be used on projects here in the United States? Selfishness would say no. Selfishness would be correct.
Mubarak the Torturer
Here is an account of torture committed by the Egyptian Army at the orders of Mubarak.
The U.S. pays Mubarak over a billion dollars a year. He is our chief torturer in the Middle East at this time.
The U.S. pays Mubarak over a billion dollars a year. He is our chief torturer in the Middle East at this time.
Come Fly with Me
Come Fly with Me is a great show featuring Matt Lucas and David Wallliams, of Little Britain fame. The first episode may have been spotty, but the show grew stronger as the episodes continued, and the last episode was the funniest. Some may not understand the cumulative effect of the comedy. When a joke first airs, it may not be funny at all, particularly if the humor is dry. As it gets repeated, it becomes funnier. The audience has to grow accustomed to the character and the situation and suspend disbelief. This takes time. A patient viewer, willing to follow the show to the end, will be rewarded. I think Come Fly with Me is just as good as Little Britain was, which is saying something.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The $1.99 Soft Drink
At a mega-grocery store, the deli has a pernicious rule. They don't allow customers to buy drinks from the rest of the grocery store; only from the deli. Why, I don't know. It seems like a strange rule. Maybe they want customers to buy the sugary sodas that have a higher profit margin. I don't like sugary sodas. I like the juice of carrots, grapefruit, lemons, or oranges, which are sold in the grocery store. Due to this rule, which the cashier rigidly enforced, I ate my meal without drinking. However, the thousands of dollars I spent at that grocery store over the years won't be repeated. There are other grocery stores, after all. The dozen-odd people I recommended the grocery store to over the years won't be repeated. Now I have a different story to tell instead of gushing over the food selection, which again, are duplicated by other grocery stores. They ain't the only game in town, not by a long shot. It does seem odd to me that the one-time possible sale of a $1.99 soft drink is preferred over goodwill. The urge to control customers can be taken too far. Greed is short-sighted, snatching for pennies while losing dollars.
The Hunt for Life...on Earth
The Russians are on the verge of exploring a lake that has been sequestered beneath Antarctic ice for over 15 million years. It will be interesting to learn what ancient life forms, if any, exist in that isolated environment.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Huffington Post
I removed my link to The Huffington Post after reading that AOL is going to acquire HP for $315 million cash. AOL is bad news.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Ronald Reagan's Incompetency
I don't know why the media insists upon lionizing Ronald Reagan. That president oversaw the largest peacetime increase in the national deficit, increased the senseless war on drugs, declared war on the little island of Grenada, sold arms to Iran, funded what would become the future Taliban, and supported the terrorists in Nicaragua. His Presidency was a complete and utter disaster. He set the stage for our problems in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. However, at one time I did support him. I was mistaken. In retrospect, his failings are clear. He was lucky enough to preside during a period when the former U.S.S.R. was dissolving and Gorbachev was seeking reforms. For that reason, right-wingers have deluded themselves into thinking "Reagan beat the Commies," when in reality, the Commies beat themselves with foolish economic, foreign and domestic policies. In no way was the U.S.S.R. ever a competent government.
Conservatives make noise about reducing the deficit only when there is a moderate in the White House. When their party controls the White House, their nature moves them to spend the maximum amount of taxpayer money possible. That is why Reagan increased the deficit every single year that he was in office. He used the money to expand the military, so that we could wage pointless and counter-productive invasions of foreign countries. This is because right-wingers have a deep craving for enemies. They want to be hated. If there are no enemies, they go around the world creating new enemies.
Conservatives make noise about reducing the deficit only when there is a moderate in the White House. When their party controls the White House, their nature moves them to spend the maximum amount of taxpayer money possible. That is why Reagan increased the deficit every single year that he was in office. He used the money to expand the military, so that we could wage pointless and counter-productive invasions of foreign countries. This is because right-wingers have a deep craving for enemies. They want to be hated. If there are no enemies, they go around the world creating new enemies.
Time Magazine on Archer
I was amused by TIME magazine labeling the new cartoon series "Archer" as "bawdy and brilliant." Bawdy, yes. Brilliant, no. TIME magazine would think it was brilliant. They are clueless about everything else, so why not television as well? TIME magazine is primarily composed of photographs, charts, graphs and extra-large fonts these days. I can read it in the amount of time I spend in a grocery store checkout line. Why would anyone buy such a magazine? It's not really a magazine, but just a collection of pictures, and not very good ones at that.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Heroes in Egypt
Real courage is demonstrated in Cairo, Egypt, by demonstrators who are willing to stand up for freedom, day and night, in the open, in public, against government-paid thugs who are using machetes, clubs, fire bombs, whips, and guns against them.
Mubarak sent a sniper equipped with a laser sight to murder seven civilians under cover of darkness. A typical deed for such a tyrant as Mubarak, who should be tried for his crimes and placed at the mercy of the Egyptian people.
It is embarrassing to read that billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money has been squandered upon a torturing, brutal savage such as Mubarak, a coward who turns guns upon defenseless people. In this way he is no different from the Iranian dictator. Perhaps the two dictators differ upon the single issue of Islamic extremism, but otherwise they are soul-mates.
No one wants another Islamic regime to replace Mubarak, but when people are held down in poverty and desperation for many generations, they do have a tendency to turn fanatical, superstitious, and irrational. Violence and oppression have a way of being perpetuated. It may be that another anti-American, anti-Israel Islamist regime is created in Egypt, and perhaps that will be in part a reaction against U.S. aid and support to the dictator Mubarak for so many years.
Billions in U.S. money given to Mubarak: why? I find it difficult to comprehend. Just because someone consents to become the enemy of our enemy is not a good enough reason. We become complicit in crimes beyond our control, and the final cost is difficult to foresee. Our acts are writ in history, unalterable. People remember.
The trouble with so many of our intelligence analysts, political leaders and other big-shots is that they are cunning. Yes, they are very good at what they do. They are focused on precise objectives and they succeed in obtaining short-term goals. If they were dumb or wise they might think, "Oh, but to support an evil man is wrong!" All costs are not apparent. Some are hidden. There are repercussions for committing acts of evil in the world. It would be better to remain uninvolved and unengaged, focused upon domestic issues, instead of blundering around the globe getting involved with other countries in a foolish and short-sighted manner. We are wasting our money creating new generations of enemies that would otherwise be content to leave us be.
Witnesses who spent the night in Tahrir said there were major shooting incidents at 11pm and 4am, the latter involving a sniper equipped with a laser sight. Seven protesters were reported to be confirmed dead at a nearby makeshift medical centre, with three other bodies still unrecovered.
--The Guardian
Mubarak sent a sniper equipped with a laser sight to murder seven civilians under cover of darkness. A typical deed for such a tyrant as Mubarak, who should be tried for his crimes and placed at the mercy of the Egyptian people.
It is embarrassing to read that billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money has been squandered upon a torturing, brutal savage such as Mubarak, a coward who turns guns upon defenseless people. In this way he is no different from the Iranian dictator. Perhaps the two dictators differ upon the single issue of Islamic extremism, but otherwise they are soul-mates.
No one wants another Islamic regime to replace Mubarak, but when people are held down in poverty and desperation for many generations, they do have a tendency to turn fanatical, superstitious, and irrational. Violence and oppression have a way of being perpetuated. It may be that another anti-American, anti-Israel Islamist regime is created in Egypt, and perhaps that will be in part a reaction against U.S. aid and support to the dictator Mubarak for so many years.
Billions in U.S. money given to Mubarak: why? I find it difficult to comprehend. Just because someone consents to become the enemy of our enemy is not a good enough reason. We become complicit in crimes beyond our control, and the final cost is difficult to foresee. Our acts are writ in history, unalterable. People remember.
The trouble with so many of our intelligence analysts, political leaders and other big-shots is that they are cunning. Yes, they are very good at what they do. They are focused on precise objectives and they succeed in obtaining short-term goals. If they were dumb or wise they might think, "Oh, but to support an evil man is wrong!" All costs are not apparent. Some are hidden. There are repercussions for committing acts of evil in the world. It would be better to remain uninvolved and unengaged, focused upon domestic issues, instead of blundering around the globe getting involved with other countries in a foolish and short-sighted manner. We are wasting our money creating new generations of enemies that would otherwise be content to leave us be.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt
I hope Egypt gets a republic out of the recent spate of protests. U.S. ally or not, I'm no fan of dictators who employ torture against their citizens. Mubarak's police force seemed seriously out of control. All police have a tendency to become thugs when there is no redress for citizens' grievances. Many people are interested in becoming police because they have a thirst for power and a streak of sadism in their nature. Police should always test their applicants psychologically to avoid getting sadists in their ranks.
One of my thoughts on reading about the situation in Egypt was that it could happen here. Americans know their government serves the interests of big business instead of ordinary citizens. They know the government is corporate-owned-and-operated. That most, if not all, political leaders have sold out to corporate interests is understood as a given. There isn't even any doubt. So if unemployment remains high and college students can't find jobs, then one day the U.S. will look like Egypt today.
I really don't see how the employment picture in the U.S. can ever improve, when most of the jobs have already been exported to China, India and other nations where corporations can enjoy the benefits of cheap labor and less regulation. They can pollute all they want and treat their workers any which way they feel like.
Free trade was a good concept in theory, but without safeguards and regulations, in practice it results in a few people becoming very rich and everyone else becoming very poor. I think the U.S. is going to become a lot poorer than it is today, and civil unrest will lead to the army being used against U.S. citizens, as is the case in other countries where the rulers fear the people.
One of my thoughts on reading about the situation in Egypt was that it could happen here. Americans know their government serves the interests of big business instead of ordinary citizens. They know the government is corporate-owned-and-operated. That most, if not all, political leaders have sold out to corporate interests is understood as a given. There isn't even any doubt. So if unemployment remains high and college students can't find jobs, then one day the U.S. will look like Egypt today.
I really don't see how the employment picture in the U.S. can ever improve, when most of the jobs have already been exported to China, India and other nations where corporations can enjoy the benefits of cheap labor and less regulation. They can pollute all they want and treat their workers any which way they feel like.
Free trade was a good concept in theory, but without safeguards and regulations, in practice it results in a few people becoming very rich and everyone else becoming very poor. I think the U.S. is going to become a lot poorer than it is today, and civil unrest will lead to the army being used against U.S. citizens, as is the case in other countries where the rulers fear the people.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A Murder in Uganda
A gay activist was murdered in Uganda.
What the murdering swine on the right wing fail to realize, due to lack of social intelligence (including empathy for others), is that harming a gay adult does not reduce the number of gays in the world. Gays will keep being born! All an atrocity does is make their side, that is the side of evil fascism, look bad. A documented history is established of atrocities committed by those who are homophobic bigots. And that helps in consolidating the alliance of good people. The real danger to society is posed by the bigots, who if they are not killing one minority, will be killing another, because it is in their nature to kill and to harm others that are different from themselves. Such is the nature of evil.
“David’s death is a result of the hatred planted in Uganda by U.S. evangelicals in 2009,” Val Kalende, the chairwoman of one of Uganda’s gay rights groups, said in a statement. “The Ugandan government and the so-called U.S. evangelicals must take responsibility for David’s blood.”
Ms. Kalende was referring to visits in March 2009 by a group of American evangelicals, who held rallies and workshops in Uganda discussing how to turn gay people straight, how gay men sodomized teenage boys and how “the gay movement is an evil institution” intended to “defeat the marriage-based society.”
-- The New York Times
What the murdering swine on the right wing fail to realize, due to lack of social intelligence (including empathy for others), is that harming a gay adult does not reduce the number of gays in the world. Gays will keep being born! All an atrocity does is make their side, that is the side of evil fascism, look bad. A documented history is established of atrocities committed by those who are homophobic bigots. And that helps in consolidating the alliance of good people. The real danger to society is posed by the bigots, who if they are not killing one minority, will be killing another, because it is in their nature to kill and to harm others that are different from themselves. Such is the nature of evil.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Gold is Proven by Fire
To be romantic is to have intelligent, kind and elegant friends and stupid, cruel and boorish enemies. Enemies provide contrast, so that others may better appreciate one's worth. Gold is proven by fire. The elves of Middle-Earth were rendered more glamorous because of their foes, the orcs.
I do not mind encountering enemies. I would not have it any other way. It may be that the entire purpose of life is to set oneself upon the world in opposition to such creatures.
I view the human existence as a struggle between good and evil. Evil leads to the decline of our species, the devastation of the natural environment, violence, ignorance, conformity, death, and ugliness. Good lends itself to the improvement of our species and greater beauty, wildness, growth, peace, refinement and knowledge.
Evil works in secret. Good works in the open.
Evil builds prisons. Good prevents crime.
Evil lies. Good tells the truth.
Evil censors. Good discusses.
Evil uses a gun. Good uses words.
Evil stops the talking. Good stops the shooting.
I do not mind encountering enemies. I would not have it any other way. It may be that the entire purpose of life is to set oneself upon the world in opposition to such creatures.
I view the human existence as a struggle between good and evil. Evil leads to the decline of our species, the devastation of the natural environment, violence, ignorance, conformity, death, and ugliness. Good lends itself to the improvement of our species and greater beauty, wildness, growth, peace, refinement and knowledge.
Evil works in secret. Good works in the open.
Evil builds prisons. Good prevents crime.
Evil lies. Good tells the truth.
Evil censors. Good discusses.
Evil uses a gun. Good uses words.
Evil stops the talking. Good stops the shooting.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Correcting a Firefox Foolishness
Let's say you encounter a malware attack site that crashes your browser or, worse, Windows. It happened to me just now. Upon rebooting the computer, Firefox attempts to reload the same malware attack site, trapping the user in an endless crash-reboot cycle. I was fast enough to abort Firefox before the malware site, Mashable dot com, loaded again. (I am not familiar with Mashable, but I will endeavor never to browse that site again, as a single visit inflicted the Blue Screen of Death upon my PC. As far as I am concerned, Mashable is an unfriendly site.)
This log-stupid Firefox behavior can be corrected, although not through intuitive means. The fix is located here. "about:config" must be entered in the url window in order to access the hidden Firefox options.
This log-stupid Firefox behavior can be corrected, although not through intuitive means. The fix is located here. "about:config" must be entered in the url window in order to access the hidden Firefox options.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
One Issue Where I am Conservative
I define conservative as being opposed to the rights of the individual, and in favor of the rights of corporations, the State, and/or other organizations. Given that assumption, there is one issue where I am conservative, and that is funerals. I do not believe anyone has a right to protest at a funeral. I think we should respect the dead, the mourners, and all who come to pay respects at a funeral. I think this is one of the basic hallmarks of civilization.
The legislation being considered by the Arizona legislature is good, but at 300 feet, does not go far enough in terms of distance. I say ban any protest within 1000 feet.
It is difficult for me to understand the mentality of cults like the Westboro Baptist Church. I think that their psychology is based upon hate. Like cockroaches and slugs, they are of no interest to me, other than in terms of how to avoid or eliminate. Their strategy is log-stupid. Rather than gain any influence, they are actually serving the interests of their political opponents. If I were Baptist, I would be mortified that their Church includes the word "Baptist" in their title.
The legislation being considered by the Arizona legislature is good, but at 300 feet, does not go far enough in terms of distance. I say ban any protest within 1000 feet.
It is difficult for me to understand the mentality of cults like the Westboro Baptist Church. I think that their psychology is based upon hate. Like cockroaches and slugs, they are of no interest to me, other than in terms of how to avoid or eliminate. Their strategy is log-stupid. Rather than gain any influence, they are actually serving the interests of their political opponents. If I were Baptist, I would be mortified that their Church includes the word "Baptist" in their title.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Win, Lose, Draw
In chess, I find that drawing leaves me almost as content as winning. I draw about one out of five games or so. If each side plays without making a mistake, then a draw is the natural outcome of chess.
Losing does not bother me if the other side plays exceptionally well. Losing is annoying only if it is the result of a blunder, a particularly egregious mistake. True, chess is a game of mistakes, and neither side would win without there being at least one mistake. If I make a mistake, then perhaps I will learn from it. Not so with a blunder. A blunder is a failure to see something on the board that should be immediately obvious, such as imminent checkmate or the capture of a piece or pawn. A blunder reprimands carelessness.
We all make mistakes and, it should be admitted, blunders. It is the nature of the game. Perhaps supercomputers do not make blunders, but humans do. I composed a little ditty to describe my blundering.
Ultimately, what determines one's success in chess is raw calculating speed. I know that I'm slow, compared to the best players. Not only that, I don't always see everything. I can see up to four or five moves ahead, although usually I just look two or three moves ahead. The better players can look further into the game and faster. I am astounded by players that only require fifteen minutes or even less for an entire game when playing against me. If they can win consistently under that time constraint, to me it seems like they are superhuman.
Losing does not bother me if the other side plays exceptionally well. Losing is annoying only if it is the result of a blunder, a particularly egregious mistake. True, chess is a game of mistakes, and neither side would win without there being at least one mistake. If I make a mistake, then perhaps I will learn from it. Not so with a blunder. A blunder is a failure to see something on the board that should be immediately obvious, such as imminent checkmate or the capture of a piece or pawn. A blunder reprimands carelessness.
We all make mistakes and, it should be admitted, blunders. It is the nature of the game. Perhaps supercomputers do not make blunders, but humans do. I composed a little ditty to describe my blundering.
My brain ain't the best brain.The beauty of online chessplaying is that one can find players of the same approximate skill level. This is not always possible in a local club.
It's an old brain,
Prone to mistakes.
But it's better than no brain
or a half-brain
or a birdbrain,
and I'm happy just the same.
Ultimately, what determines one's success in chess is raw calculating speed. I know that I'm slow, compared to the best players. Not only that, I don't always see everything. I can see up to four or five moves ahead, although usually I just look two or three moves ahead. The better players can look further into the game and faster. I am astounded by players that only require fifteen minutes or even less for an entire game when playing against me. If they can win consistently under that time constraint, to me it seems like they are superhuman.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thanks for Banning Me
In retrospect, I am delighted to be banned from FICS.
There are numerous alternatives for playing chess online. By forcing me out of FICS, the admin did me a favor. I found a better community, easier to use, with many more players and a better designed interface.
I would probably never have left FICS had I not been banned, because I'm a creature of habit and had even become an enthusiast, which is one of my faults, reducing my level of objectivity. I had evaluated FICS as being much better than it is. I liked it so much that I was mentioning it to all my chessplaying friends. I had even added a link to FICS, just a few days before being banned. What irony--and foolishness on my part. All of that is over now, a mistake in the past, now corrected.
I can't think of a better Christmas present than to be banned from FICS, which requires the use of software that has not been updated since 2007. Yet the worst shortcoming is an obtuse admin, incapable or unwilling to communicate with others. I say let the trolls play with the trolls. Perhaps they will find solutions for one another. Players that deport themselves like gentlemen can find a better community with just a little searching. I confess I'm reluctant to offer a link to my new chess community. It seems bad luck. Once bitten, twice shy.
There are numerous alternatives for playing chess online. By forcing me out of FICS, the admin did me a favor. I found a better community, easier to use, with many more players and a better designed interface.
I would probably never have left FICS had I not been banned, because I'm a creature of habit and had even become an enthusiast, which is one of my faults, reducing my level of objectivity. I had evaluated FICS as being much better than it is. I liked it so much that I was mentioning it to all my chessplaying friends. I had even added a link to FICS, just a few days before being banned. What irony--and foolishness on my part. All of that is over now, a mistake in the past, now corrected.
I can't think of a better Christmas present than to be banned from FICS, which requires the use of software that has not been updated since 2007. Yet the worst shortcoming is an obtuse admin, incapable or unwilling to communicate with others. I say let the trolls play with the trolls. Perhaps they will find solutions for one another. Players that deport themselves like gentlemen can find a better community with just a little searching. I confess I'm reluctant to offer a link to my new chess community. It seems bad luck. Once bitten, twice shy.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sisyphus
I am reminded of the myth of Sisyphus. Sometimes when I work on something intensely, after hundreds or thousands of hours, someone thwarts my efforts, so that my efforts backfire. This is seldom accomplished through intellectual means.
I'm a good chess player. I don't know what my USCF ranking would be, but I realize that masters are much better at the game. I'm best at slow games, around twenty to thirty minutes, considered slow these days. When I was a boy, games were not timed and could last for one or two hours. My brother or I might spend ten, fifteen, twenty minutes studying a single move. I fare poorly at blitz chess, because I become fascinated by positions and want to analyze every detail, and then I run out of time. I resent having to rush through things. I like to ponder until I find the perfect solution. But blitz does have the advantage of brevity. Perhaps it serves to quicken one's calculating speed. I'm not sure. I don't think I've gotten any faster, but more likely slower as I've aged.
I spent hundreds of hours mastering an unusual chess opening, learning just about every facet of it, only to be banned from the internet chess server for what seems to me a spurious rationale pulled out of thin air. My brother had visited for Christmas, and I was so enthusiastic about the chess server that I showed him how it worked, even registering him and letting him play from my Internet connection. Such enthusiasm I had. He was the one who had taught me chess at the age of four, so I thought to repay him by teaching him about the internet chess server that I had recently discovered. I spent an hour teaching him how it worked. This was supposedly (I mean I do not believe it) interpreted by an admin as violating a rule of one person having two accounts, because it was from the same IP address. But there were two people, not one. I was interrupted in the middle of a game in which I was winning, disconnected and banned without any warning.
I had been polite to all the players and even in those cases where the players were not polite to me, I just quit playing them. I had spent months learning and perfecting an unusual opening that had given me great success. I think that my unusual opening, judged unsound by many but refuted by none, was the ultimate reason I was banned. I have noticed that some chessplayers are contemptuous of any opening that is not being currently played by one or preferably all the grandmasters. The chess world is hierarchical, the lower ranks being deferential to the best players. Some players believe we should only do what the grandmasters say to do. They read articles written by grandmasters and copy their ideas. Their play consists of rote memorization of the products of other minds. When I break them out of book, they go to pieces. Some players immediately abort the game on the very first move when they observe my opening, because they have no adequate response and can't be troubled to find one.
A few days before my ban, I defeated the wrong person, a connected person, who was angry that I had played my opening. He said it was unsound, and grandmasters didn't play it, and he didn't want to play it either, and he even told me to "go f--- myself," twice, in case I didn't process it the first time. He was either the admin himself or friends with the admin, I think, because he demonstrated a mastery of the network's technical side. It is too much of a coincidence that I am banned so soon after this nasty unprovoked altercation from a player whose very arrogance suggests he was indeed the admin. So I am banned because I play an unusual opening. This fits in with the other expectations I have developed of society.
I suppose it doesn't matter. Chess is a just a game of limited value and minority appeal. I do not have a friend who plays as well as I do. That is one of the problems with chess. Getting good at it is a double-edged sword. I am reminded of my old friend from school. At first he beat me two out of three games. A few weeks later, I beat him half the time, and that was the perfect scenario, but I kept improving. Next I was beating him almost every game, and then he stopped playing me forever, because he hated losing, but did not want to invest the time required to get better at chess, which in retrospect was a prudent choice on his part that I wish I had followed.
If I had my life to live over, I would have learned a musical instrument instead of a nerdy game that appeals to soldierly types, often men of narrow interests and deep prejudices. Music opens up a world of beauty. It allows one to connect with other beings in a way that is not possible through chess. Chess is a blood sport, of limited appeal except to warriors. But one is what one is. I suppose I would have made a good lieutenant. It is good I have not been in war in this lifetime--good for me and merciful to the foes I otherwise would have encountered.
I'm a good chess player. I don't know what my USCF ranking would be, but I realize that masters are much better at the game. I'm best at slow games, around twenty to thirty minutes, considered slow these days. When I was a boy, games were not timed and could last for one or two hours. My brother or I might spend ten, fifteen, twenty minutes studying a single move. I fare poorly at blitz chess, because I become fascinated by positions and want to analyze every detail, and then I run out of time. I resent having to rush through things. I like to ponder until I find the perfect solution. But blitz does have the advantage of brevity. Perhaps it serves to quicken one's calculating speed. I'm not sure. I don't think I've gotten any faster, but more likely slower as I've aged.
I spent hundreds of hours mastering an unusual chess opening, learning just about every facet of it, only to be banned from the internet chess server for what seems to me a spurious rationale pulled out of thin air. My brother had visited for Christmas, and I was so enthusiastic about the chess server that I showed him how it worked, even registering him and letting him play from my Internet connection. Such enthusiasm I had. He was the one who had taught me chess at the age of four, so I thought to repay him by teaching him about the internet chess server that I had recently discovered. I spent an hour teaching him how it worked. This was supposedly (I mean I do not believe it) interpreted by an admin as violating a rule of one person having two accounts, because it was from the same IP address. But there were two people, not one. I was interrupted in the middle of a game in which I was winning, disconnected and banned without any warning.
I had been polite to all the players and even in those cases where the players were not polite to me, I just quit playing them. I had spent months learning and perfecting an unusual opening that had given me great success. I think that my unusual opening, judged unsound by many but refuted by none, was the ultimate reason I was banned. I have noticed that some chessplayers are contemptuous of any opening that is not being currently played by one or preferably all the grandmasters. The chess world is hierarchical, the lower ranks being deferential to the best players. Some players believe we should only do what the grandmasters say to do. They read articles written by grandmasters and copy their ideas. Their play consists of rote memorization of the products of other minds. When I break them out of book, they go to pieces. Some players immediately abort the game on the very first move when they observe my opening, because they have no adequate response and can't be troubled to find one.
A few days before my ban, I defeated the wrong person, a connected person, who was angry that I had played my opening. He said it was unsound, and grandmasters didn't play it, and he didn't want to play it either, and he even told me to "go f--- myself," twice, in case I didn't process it the first time. He was either the admin himself or friends with the admin, I think, because he demonstrated a mastery of the network's technical side. It is too much of a coincidence that I am banned so soon after this nasty unprovoked altercation from a player whose very arrogance suggests he was indeed the admin. So I am banned because I play an unusual opening. This fits in with the other expectations I have developed of society.
I suppose it doesn't matter. Chess is a just a game of limited value and minority appeal. I do not have a friend who plays as well as I do. That is one of the problems with chess. Getting good at it is a double-edged sword. I am reminded of my old friend from school. At first he beat me two out of three games. A few weeks later, I beat him half the time, and that was the perfect scenario, but I kept improving. Next I was beating him almost every game, and then he stopped playing me forever, because he hated losing, but did not want to invest the time required to get better at chess, which in retrospect was a prudent choice on his part that I wish I had followed.
If I had my life to live over, I would have learned a musical instrument instead of a nerdy game that appeals to soldierly types, often men of narrow interests and deep prejudices. Music opens up a world of beauty. It allows one to connect with other beings in a way that is not possible through chess. Chess is a blood sport, of limited appeal except to warriors. But one is what one is. I suppose I would have made a good lieutenant. It is good I have not been in war in this lifetime--good for me and merciful to the foes I otherwise would have encountered.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Gays May Serve in the Military
At last. What I dreamed about at the age of twenty-two has become law in the United States: gay men and women may serve in our armed forces. I remember writing an impassioned letter to a local newspaper columnist in support of gays in the military. That letter was never published--although the columnist came out in favor of gays in the military ten years later. Whether I sowed a seed or whether another persuaded him, I have no clue.
Sexuality is not a relevant criterion for military service. Nothing more needs to be said in defense of a self-evident assertion.
HRC sent me an email that noted, in part, "Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins have been our steadfast champions in this fight. Here's what Senator Lieberman said today that shows how your energy, your drive, your commitment and your focus have been behind every single step: 'This historic day has been seventeen years in the making and would not have happened without the leadership of Joe Solmonese and the Human Rights Campaign.'"
As far as I'm concerned, HRC is vindicated by this victory. I am glad that I have supported that organization.
Joe Lieberman, also, is somewhat redeemed by this in my eyes. He certainly has a new luster. I agree with Megan McCain that he would have been a far better choice for a running mate for John McCain than Sarah Palin. I probably would not have voted for them, but I would have studied the pair much more closely than I did McCain/Palin. Palin has but to speak for a minute in order to annihilate all interest.
The benefits of this prudent change in policy will be everyone in the United States, the allies of the United States, and everyone that will live in the United States or its allies in the future.
Perhaps gays may benefit, as well, although that is not at all clear to me. The military is about self-sacrifice. It is no picnic.
Sexuality is not a relevant criterion for military service. Nothing more needs to be said in defense of a self-evident assertion.
HRC sent me an email that noted, in part, "Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins have been our steadfast champions in this fight. Here's what Senator Lieberman said today that shows how your energy, your drive, your commitment and your focus have been behind every single step: 'This historic day has been seventeen years in the making and would not have happened without the leadership of Joe Solmonese and the Human Rights Campaign.'"
As far as I'm concerned, HRC is vindicated by this victory. I am glad that I have supported that organization.
Joe Lieberman, also, is somewhat redeemed by this in my eyes. He certainly has a new luster. I agree with Megan McCain that he would have been a far better choice for a running mate for John McCain than Sarah Palin. I probably would not have voted for them, but I would have studied the pair much more closely than I did McCain/Palin. Palin has but to speak for a minute in order to annihilate all interest.
The benefits of this prudent change in policy will be everyone in the United States, the allies of the United States, and everyone that will live in the United States or its allies in the future.
Perhaps gays may benefit, as well, although that is not at all clear to me. The military is about self-sacrifice. It is no picnic.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
An American Heroine
I read the obituary of a great American heroine, Adele Starr.
Not many people can look back on their lives with certainty that they made a difference. Adele certainly could have done so. She helped to make the world a better place.
Not many people can look back on their lives with certainty that they made a difference. Adele certainly could have done so. She helped to make the world a better place.
Telemarketers
Telemarketers are lonely. Why else would they call, day after day, to leave a harsh automated message on one's answering machine? Out of compassion, I have decided to alleviate their loneliness by offering up their email addresses for anyone who is interested in being a pen-pal. Perhaps automated bots on the Internet can communicate with those who run automated bots on the telephone.
~*~ The Lonely Hearts List ~*~
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Remember: True Love Waits
~*~ The Lonely Hearts List ~*~
Remember: True Love Waits
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Savagery of the Enemy
It is not the statements or reactions of the U.S. government that makes one despise Wikileaks for aiding and abetting a traitor. Rather, it is the savagery of the Enemy -- Islamist terrorists -- who today disrupted the peace in beautiful and free Stockholm, Sweden.
Those of foreign origin who fail to appreciate the advantages of Western freedoms should be deported to their native lands in order to experience the contrast.
Those of foreign origin who fail to appreciate the advantages of Western freedoms should be deported to their native lands in order to experience the contrast.
Good News for a Change
The media harps on bad news so much that it is refreshing to catch a thread of positive change on rare occasions.
I have become an admirer of our ambassador to the U.N., Susan E. Rice. The U.S. has introduced a U.N. resolution supporting LGBT rights. It is opposed chiefly by the savages from Africa and the Middle East, who wish to continue butchering their own citizens.
I have become an admirer of our ambassador to the U.N., Susan E. Rice. The U.S. has introduced a U.N. resolution supporting LGBT rights. It is opposed chiefly by the savages from Africa and the Middle East, who wish to continue butchering their own citizens.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Soured on Wikileaks
The more I think about Wikileaks, the less I like it. I'm uncomfortable with the readiness that the founder has to reveal the private diplomatic communication of the United States. One can argue over whether the United States should be involved in certain areas of the world. But regardless of the disclosure, the United States will remain involved in those areas, for better or worse. The disclosure will have none of the results that Julian predicts.
Freedom of speech is a fragile liberty, new in human history. The powers-that-be will use Wikileaks as a pretext to stifle free speech elsewhere on the Internet, now and in the future. They are refining their censorship strategies and capabilities. The world will be a less free place as a result. I believe it is Julian who was short-sighted. He should have refused to publish the documents uploaded by the traitor at least for ten years, by which time their information would have grown stale, and current politicians replaced by new ones. The documents were mostly irrelevant, but moreover, his intellect was incapable of determining their relevance. Julian is a stupid man who thinks himself intelligent. Such men are among the most dangerous.
He has not been arrested yet because the powers are cunning and do not wish to make a martyr. They are playing for the hearts and minds, same as Julian. In the end, they will win. They are good at what they do. Julian is not. "Grab the headlines at any cost" strikes me as a poor strategy.
Freedom of speech is a fragile liberty, new in human history. The powers-that-be will use Wikileaks as a pretext to stifle free speech elsewhere on the Internet, now and in the future. They are refining their censorship strategies and capabilities. The world will be a less free place as a result. I believe it is Julian who was short-sighted. He should have refused to publish the documents uploaded by the traitor at least for ten years, by which time their information would have grown stale, and current politicians replaced by new ones. The documents were mostly irrelevant, but moreover, his intellect was incapable of determining their relevance. Julian is a stupid man who thinks himself intelligent. Such men are among the most dangerous.
He has not been arrested yet because the powers are cunning and do not wish to make a martyr. They are playing for the hearts and minds, same as Julian. In the end, they will win. They are good at what they do. Julian is not. "Grab the headlines at any cost" strikes me as a poor strategy.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Africa, the Caribbean, and Homosexuality
I remember walking out of "Malcolm X," the movie, because it demonized all white people. Some of the blacks in the audience hissed at my mother and me as we left. I had gone to see the movie because I was curious about the man, wanted to learn about him, and the movie had received many positive reviews. I came away realizing that Malcolm X was a black racist, not like Martin Luther King, Jr. at all.
Homosexuality is not a racial issue, although some black ministers pretend that it is. They claim that most gays are white. It may be that most visible, well-to-do, celebrity gays are white. But homosexuality does not favor one race or the other.
I was amused recently at the story of a prominent black minister in Atlanta who is facing lawsuits from four young men relating to his alleged courtship and sexual relationships with them. He had been an outspoken foe of gay marriage and had denounced homosexuality from the pulpit. Isn't that interesting?
In reality, blacks can be just as wicked as whites ever were, when it comes to gays among their own race. A recent incident in Jamaica is just the tip of the iceberg worldwide. The Caribbean is no picnic, but Africa seems like a brutal environment for black gays. The only really enlightened country in Africa at this time is South Africa.
I think that, if roles had been reversed, and blacks had wielded the power long ago in the U.S., they would not have conducted themselves any better than the whites did. The current situation in the Caribbean and in Africa do not suggest any reasons to think otherwise.
The idea that "we're all equal" goes both ways. We're all equally good. We can also be equally bad.
Homosexuality is not a racial issue, although some black ministers pretend that it is. They claim that most gays are white. It may be that most visible, well-to-do, celebrity gays are white. But homosexuality does not favor one race or the other.
I was amused recently at the story of a prominent black minister in Atlanta who is facing lawsuits from four young men relating to his alleged courtship and sexual relationships with them. He had been an outspoken foe of gay marriage and had denounced homosexuality from the pulpit. Isn't that interesting?
In reality, blacks can be just as wicked as whites ever were, when it comes to gays among their own race. A recent incident in Jamaica is just the tip of the iceberg worldwide. The Caribbean is no picnic, but Africa seems like a brutal environment for black gays. The only really enlightened country in Africa at this time is South Africa.
I think that, if roles had been reversed, and blacks had wielded the power long ago in the U.S., they would not have conducted themselves any better than the whites did. The current situation in the Caribbean and in Africa do not suggest any reasons to think otherwise.
The idea that "we're all equal" goes both ways. We're all equally good. We can also be equally bad.
Welfare for the Rich
If a rich man screws up due to incompetence, the government gives millions of dollars to him, and says, "I don't care what you do with it. Go on vacation for all I care. If you want more, just ask!"
If a poor man works hard, but falls on hard times due to the incompetence of the rich business owners, the government does not care. The poor man can lose his car, his house, his whole life.
This is because so many people vote Republican or for conservative Democrats that are Republican in all but name.
People vote Republican for a variety of reasons. Some rich folk are just plain greedy and want their taxes as close to zero as possible. Some hate the gays and want to keep them down. Some hate the brown races. Some think abortion is murder. An assortment of nuts go into the Republican cake. The result is that the government favors the rich business criminals who really own the GOP nine times out of ten. The American worker gets the short end of the stick.
*I can do middle-aged rage quite well, can't I?
If a poor man works hard, but falls on hard times due to the incompetence of the rich business owners, the government does not care. The poor man can lose his car, his house, his whole life.
This is because so many people vote Republican or for conservative Democrats that are Republican in all but name.
People vote Republican for a variety of reasons. Some rich folk are just plain greedy and want their taxes as close to zero as possible. Some hate the gays and want to keep them down. Some hate the brown races. Some think abortion is murder. An assortment of nuts go into the Republican cake. The result is that the government favors the rich business criminals who really own the GOP nine times out of ten. The American worker gets the short end of the stick.
*I can do middle-aged rage quite well, can't I?
Childish Behavior over Wikileaks
Some of our leaders are acting childish over the Wikileaks situation, with the possible exception of Hillary Clinton, who at least keeps a sense of humor about it.
I think Wikileaks should focus on corporations, rather than the U.S. government. I don't really see any benefits arising from random disclosure of private diplomatic mail, much of it trivial. All it did was stir up the hornet's nest that is the Republican Party. They have a short fuse. Already they're calling for hanging. It's not surprising. I could have predicted the Republican response. They don't spend much time thinking about things before they reach for their guns.
I think Wikileaks should focus on corporations, rather than the U.S. government. I don't really see any benefits arising from random disclosure of private diplomatic mail, much of it trivial. All it did was stir up the hornet's nest that is the Republican Party. They have a short fuse. Already they're calling for hanging. It's not surprising. I could have predicted the Republican response. They don't spend much time thinking about things before they reach for their guns.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Don't Believe the Songs
The media, in this case the music and video industry, push a palatable product, romantic love. Insipid formula plots typically imagine two strangers having sex, falling in love afterward, and living together forever afterward in perfect bliss. That is simply not the case nine times out of ten.
When I think back to my so-called lovers in the distant past, I think the sex in those days was meaningless, dangerous, in no way superior to masturbation, and depressing, because the individuals were in it for a cheap thrill akin to sniffing nitrous oxide. They moved on in short order, which made me feel like a party condiment.
Reflections such as the above are probably why so many prunes preach abstinence. I don't preach abstinence, but modified, compassionate abstinence. Abstain from sex with casual acquaintances, passing fancies, brief infatuations and the like. I was always hopping into bed with the objects of one-sided infatuations, who took what was offered and then moved on to conquer other lovers with their sole virtue, their face.
However, I hold that there is a slim possibility for a magical requited love. If there is a dear and intimate friend that one has known for a long period of time, let us say six months in this age of AIDS, and the trust in this person is strong, then all right, research safer sex together and learn all of the proper techniques and precautions, prepare with due diligence for the sacred rite, and then taste of the fruit of the gods and see whether it is all that. Knowledge of the risks involved spared me from a lifetime coping with the HIV virus.
I cannot understand young men that have a cavalier attitude towards the viruses and bacteria that seek to use, harm, and kill us. Microbes are the enemies of the human race. They will attempt to exploit the sex act to their own ends. One must not let them win. We are smarter than they are, but they are invisible to our sight. If one is unaware, or assumes that microbes are not a serious concern, then the parasites stand better odds of winning another host. Read, read, and read some more, and learn all about the enemy, and in that way our best weapon, intelligence, can be harnessed against our greatest enemy, microbes.
When I think back to my so-called lovers in the distant past, I think the sex in those days was meaningless, dangerous, in no way superior to masturbation, and depressing, because the individuals were in it for a cheap thrill akin to sniffing nitrous oxide. They moved on in short order, which made me feel like a party condiment.
Reflections such as the above are probably why so many prunes preach abstinence. I don't preach abstinence, but modified, compassionate abstinence. Abstain from sex with casual acquaintances, passing fancies, brief infatuations and the like. I was always hopping into bed with the objects of one-sided infatuations, who took what was offered and then moved on to conquer other lovers with their sole virtue, their face.
However, I hold that there is a slim possibility for a magical requited love. If there is a dear and intimate friend that one has known for a long period of time, let us say six months in this age of AIDS, and the trust in this person is strong, then all right, research safer sex together and learn all of the proper techniques and precautions, prepare with due diligence for the sacred rite, and then taste of the fruit of the gods and see whether it is all that. Knowledge of the risks involved spared me from a lifetime coping with the HIV virus.
I cannot understand young men that have a cavalier attitude towards the viruses and bacteria that seek to use, harm, and kill us. Microbes are the enemies of the human race. They will attempt to exploit the sex act to their own ends. One must not let them win. We are smarter than they are, but they are invisible to our sight. If one is unaware, or assumes that microbes are not a serious concern, then the parasites stand better odds of winning another host. Read, read, and read some more, and learn all about the enemy, and in that way our best weapon, intelligence, can be harnessed against our greatest enemy, microbes.
Friday, December 3, 2010
How to Manage Friends
There are people that I like to see every day. There are some people I'd like to be around all of the time. These are pleasant, reasonable, happy, calm people that like to be around me as well.
Then there are friends that one should only contact in moderation. Every day may be too much. They grow cranky and cantankerous for reasons that may not be at all apparent. Feeling bad, due to physical or psychological ailments, they lash out at others. If you happen to be around, you will get the sharp end of the stick. The trick is not to be around often. Familiarity breeds contempt. Let a day pass. A week. A month. The novelty of your next appearance may startle them from whatever mood they are in, and they may yet prove pleasant company once again. The trick is to cultivate distance, making oneself scarce.
Then there are friends that one should only contact in moderation. Every day may be too much. They grow cranky and cantankerous for reasons that may not be at all apparent. Feeling bad, due to physical or psychological ailments, they lash out at others. If you happen to be around, you will get the sharp end of the stick. The trick is not to be around often. Familiarity breeds contempt. Let a day pass. A week. A month. The novelty of your next appearance may startle them from whatever mood they are in, and they may yet prove pleasant company once again. The trick is to cultivate distance, making oneself scarce.
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