Black holes, LHC, Star Wars, quantum uncertainty… if it is of general geek interest, but doesn’t fit into one of the other categories, it lands here.
I have l a problem with social networking sites. Services like Facebook, Twitter, and so on all encourage me to trust them with all of the data regarding myself and my friends/associates. In return, they provide a service to me for “free”.
The element of surprise…it is critical for special forces military operatives. So a gun that can shoot around corners makes perfect sense. But a gun barrel poking around the corner still looks like a gun barrel…unless you camouflage it.
The Conservatives appear to have delayed introducing the new DMCA-like copyright bill I mentioned in a previous post. Some people are saying that this delay is a result of the vocal reactions from various quarters, particularly on the Internet.
I am a small “c” conservative. I believe in less rather than more government. In the past, I have tended to support the Canadian Conservative party rather than the Liberals.
Lately, though, I’ve been feeling less and less inclined to think of the Conservatives as worthy of support. And in the last forty eight hours, I’ve really started to think they need a swift kick in the pants, just like the Liberals.
I’m obviously totally out of it…I’ve missed the train, the ship has sailed and I’m not on it, and whatever other cliches you might wish to add that describe someone who is oblivious to popular trends.
I just changed out of my pajamas and put on my normal day wear. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized that there really wasn’t a significant difference between these two modes of dress.
I was a reasonably well-dressed man less than a decade ago. No, never really stylish, but I was at least a step or so above “slob”. I had three modes of dress:
I the last seven years I’ve significantly simplified my life. I have my “work/social” clothing, which is basically the “home/casual” category above, and everything else is in the “rough/yard” category. I’ve gone from budgeting $2,000 a year for new clothes at my peak of sartorial excellence to probably spending $150 a year. My suit trousers are so far from fitting that I really have no idea why I keep them any longer. So if I’m relaxing at home, going to the store, going to the park, or generally doing anything other than going to dinner or visiting with the family, I wear sweat pants and a T-shirt. If you drop in unexpectedly or come to stay in my house for a few days, that’s the way you’ll see me: sweat pants and a T-shirt.
But what I do is one thing- trying to figure out why is another matter entirely…
I realize that the American legislative and judicial system is flawed. Money drives both systems: lobbyist groups can “encourage” legislators to re-write laws to suit them, and wealthy individuals or companies can sue the innocent and wronged into oblivion before their case is even heard in a court.
I am a geek, or optionally a nerd if you prefer that term. I know there are some things I am good at: solving complex problems involving computers is probably my forte. There are some things I am pretty terrible at: socializing in general, small talk in a “party-like” environment in particular.
Every year we buy more halloween candy than we give out. That’s great: I like the little snacks.
And every year I grab a handful (or two, or three…) of the stuff every time I sit down in front of the TV. So, there I am, feeling overweight and lazy, eating hundreds of totally empty calories. I feel this strange compulsion to eat the stuff as fast as possible, so it is gone and no longer a temptation. But wait a sec- whether I eat it in one week, or eat it in six months, I’m still ingesting the same calories.
Folks who live in really big cities because they *want* to live there are, in my opinion, kind of weird. But I can sort of see the appeal of being able to walk to trendy shops and restaurants, and particularly being able to make it to the office without driving. I can understand how that would be attractive, and if I didn’t prefer having a bit more space and privacy, I could even see living in an urban core.