AtomicBaboon!?!

With our government going unchecked whilst broadening its powers to spy on the world I am sure most everyone feels pretty helpless to do anything about it. However, it is possible for us to adjust the way we do things in order to keep Big Brother out of our business whether we have something to hide or not. There are ways to use encryption for voice communication. Skype is a popular VoIP (Voice over IP) peer-to-peer system for voice communication. You can get a Skype enabled phone, hook it up to your broadband connection at home, and use it a lot like a regular phone. When you call other Skype users it makes a peer-to-peer connection that is encrypted.

It's a good idea, but there are things about the way it has been implemented that make it a problem. All authentication for access to the Skype network takes place via a central server. This server stores all users public encryption keys. Because of this, Skype has the keys to decrypt conversations. It is possible to make a call to a traditional phone from Skype but all calls of that type have per minute charges applied to them that are in my opinion a bit steep. The protocol used is proprietary which "makes it much more difficult if not impossible for other developers to interact with Skype."

The point I am trying to make isn't that we should all run out and start using Skype. My point is that the technology is out there for We The People to take our power back. Call me a Libertarian Geek, but other than apathy (and I have plenty of that, believe me) there isn't a reason we can't thwart our governments efforts to spy on us. It's not about having something to hide. It's about what living in a surveillance society does to people psychologicaly. It's about protecting what freedom we have left. That's the way I see it anyway.

The Bender Brewer Project == AWESOME!

The Fear of Fear Itself

But mostly, the spectacle left us wondering what the Democrats — especially their feckless Senate leaders — plan to do with their majority in Congress if they are too scared of Republican campaign ads to use it to protect the Constitution and restrain an out-of-control president.

Ummmm... so you really think that because a group of politicians has a D with their name instead of an R it means they are actually going to do something different? Seriously? You believe that? You mean the fact that they are just as much a part of the problem as the R's has escaped you? Well... guess what kiddies! Tickets for the Clue-train are free!

So, I have my motorcycle. It is red and shiny. I need to work on taking off from stop signs or otherwise getting out on the road into traffic. I killed it the other night because I didn't give it enough gas. I was half-way into the road when it died. No traffic was near enough to worry about it, but it could have been a bad situation. I got it started again no problem but at that point I had entered panic mode a bit and gave it too much gas which also isn't good. Almost ran it off the other side of the road. Can't let my fear get the best of me.

I hate tail-gaters even more now. Especially in the dark. Makes me want to start packing. Blast out a couple headlights with a sawed-off shotgun and people will probably back off a bit. Not exactly legal though...

Thanks to Ed for helping me get it home from El Dorado Springs. I rode it the first 40 miles and he rode it the rest of the way. Crazy thing is I didn't realize until we had it home that it didn't have temporary tags on it.

On a semi-related note, I just saved a ton of money on my insurance by switching to Farmers.

So, I went to the DMV and had them put the official 'M' on my license to show that I have a motorcycle endorsement. The addition of that letter cost me $20.

The weird thing about that is, when I obtained my motorcycle permit the DMV printed a new license just like they did today. The permit has 'PERMIT' printed in all caps behind the normal license info, and that is only 3 or 4 bucks. I'm not sure why a normal looking license with just the 'M' added is $20.

Anyway, I spent this weekend taking the Rider's Edge New Rider Course which was an extremely valuable learning experience and well worth the $275 fee. I learned that riding a motorcycle properly (i.e. so you don't kill yourself) is not as simple as many people probably think, and that physics is your friend if you let it be. It is an activity that I think demands more respect and caution than most people give it.

The instructors were awesome. Between the two of them they had 60 to 70 years of riding experience. They gave constructive criticism, and shared their years of wisdom about what to look out for on the road, the correct way to react to a situation, and the likely consequences of reacting improperly. I have a great deal of respect for them. I am not big on having the government control when we can or cannot do something we want to, but I think it should be required by the state that people take this course before they get their motorcycle license.

So, I have the basic training, and I have the license. This coming weekend I go pick up the bike. I'm nervous.

PS. If any of you decide to sign up for the Rider's Edge New Rider Course let me know. If I get someone to sign up I get a $50 gift certificate for Cycle Connection.

I like this new blog: The Voice Of Truth. It's truthy.

Amazon.com and TiVo teamed up to make Amazon's Unbox service available on the TiVo. So, I can bring up the menu on my TiVo and browse movies for rent or purchase and have them downloaded directly to my TiVo. I grabbed "Smoking Aces" and "The good Sheppard" last night.

The first movie downloaded was Smoking Aces which is just under 2 hours long. It took longer than that to download it. It started downloading around 6:54 PM and didn't finish until sometime after 10:00 PM. They aren't DVD quality videos so I did notice some compression artifacts, but they weren't bad. They are better than the picture I get from cable.

I also have a 16:9 television, and have my settings in TiVo adjusted to account for that. However, since the resolution of the movie was lower than that of my screen it was stretched out when I played it. It didn't look bad except that it only stretched horizontally. This struck me as odd since the movie was wide screen. So, I ended up having to use the zoom feature on my television to stretch it vertically. After that it looked great. The sound was good and the picture wasn't bad. That said, I would rather watch it on DVD. I bought a fancy TV and Stereo because I like a good picture and sound.

The rentals cost me $3.99 for each movie. This is comparable to a normal video rental price-wise, but what you get in return leaves a bit to be desired. As I stated before, it isn't DVD quality and I had to fiddle with some settings to get it to display correctly. Another issue is that once you press play you can only keep it and watch it for 24 hours before it is automatically deleted. So, to get the "convenience" of being able to download movies directly to my TiVo without leaving the house I have to sacrifice picture and sound quality, the ability to watch it more than once in a week, and I had to manually adjust things. Add to that the fact that it took at least 3 hours to download the movie I am not sure it is worth it. I could have driven to the video store and picked up the movies on DVD and been back watching them in 20 minutes.

It is a neat idea but they need to work on it. Dropping the price would be a good start. I could see paying maybe $1.50 or $2.00 at the most, but $3.99 is pushing it. I should also be able to watch it for 3 to 5 days like I can when I rent a regular movie. I would even be interested in a Netflix like system where I download say 3 videos at a time for a flat monthly rate, and when I am done with a movie I can delete it and the next movie in my queue will download automatically.

The limitations are due to the same stupidity we hear about from the MPAA all the time. People in charge of the industry that are trying to fight where technology is sending us instead of embracing it. Until they figure that out cool ideas like this will be limited by their short-sightedness.

I was just reading an entry over on Threat Level (formerly 27b Stroke 6) about a "Hacker" that supposedly gained access to publishing company Bloombury's internal network where he found a copy of the final Harry Potter book.

Reading this, a few things came to mind. First of all, my BS Monitor picked up on some stink. Second of all I thought to myself, "Why would someone waste the time and take the risk to break into a network to steal a copy of a Harry Potter novel?" Third, why are they calling this script-kiddy a hacker? Honestly, he sent an e-mail to someone that had malware attached. When the recipient opened the attachment it provided him with the means to access their network. Most likely the guy downloaded it from some 31337 h4x0r site and attached it to the e-mail. Of course, there may have been some degree of social engineering involved to get the recipient to actually open the attachment. However, in my experience, these guys usually end up being wannabes looking for attention trying to prove they are 1337. Lacking the know how they download something written by someone who actually does know what their doing.

Assuming the guy did write it I still don't understand why he would waste the time to steal a Harry Potter book. I mean, seriously... come on. There are an infinite number of more entertaining if not more productive things to waste your time on. It all just seems silly to me. Anyway... yeah... there you go... I just think it is stupid.

<EDIT: Fixed the link to the essay> This essay by Albert Einstein entitled "The World As I See It" is a bit... what's the word... well... it seems like something I would write if I could write that well. Honestly, except for the fact that he was an amazing genius and I'm not, I identify with practically everything he says. Even his take on heroism and patriotism to an extent. I wish that men in our society could feel like they've accomplished something or proven themselves men without having to put themselves through what they do. Maybe that is just how I see it. I often think that in order to prove my honor and that I am a man I need to join the military to become a hero. To prove to my family and my countrymen that I am worth something and should be taken seriously I need to have my mettle tested in combat. Granted, what our people in the service do is valuable and honorable, but should I feel that way about my worth?

He also writes about his solitude and his lack of need for direct contact with other people. Although recently my feelings in that area have begun to change a bit I know exactly what he means. I relish the time I have alone to think about my existence and that of humankind and of the universe. To attempt to wrap my mind around the very fact that anything exists at all is quite a trip. By attempting to look beyond what my temporal mind can understand and contemplate the infinite I can make myself vaguely aware of just how small and insignificant we all are; before I scare the bejesus out of myself and have to go do something to take my mind off it.

The last paragraph of the essay touches on that mystery and the origin of "religiosity." As I have gotten older I find myself thinking of religion and spirituality more in the sense of admitting to the mystery and being in awe of it than something I am told or read in a book. Granted, I stand on the shoulders of giants when it comes to what I know of the world and of that great mystery. However, I cannot with clear conscience simply accept what I am told on that subject. To accept what mortal men have said simply because they were here first and wrote about it first would be absurd. If we are all truly equal in the eyes of our creator then the ideas presented by those before me are no more valuable than my own.

I really enjoy his paragraph on democracy and the value of the "sentient individual." He wrote "In my opinion, an autocratic system of coercion soon degenerates; force attracts men of low morality..." I can't argue with that.

In my opinion this essay very succinctly and elegantly sums up the way I feel about the world. However, it makes me worry that I may be egotistical to say so considering who wrote it... makes me feel good at the same time though.

When I was approaching the end of my high school career I applied for several of the advertised scholarships at school. I figured I would get at least one considering I was in the top 10 of my class with a GPA greater than 4.0, had built a solar car, was a member of various mathematics and engineering clubs, and at the time was a pretty nice guy (not as much of a cynical jerk as I am now).

So I wrote essays (which I was really good at at the time) and answered questionnaires like many of my fellow students were doing. During the process I noticed there were many scholarships that I was automatically disqualified to apply for. Their requirements basically being that I could not be white and/or male. This bugged me a bit but you know I'm a white male so I can't get upset by those things... "they" said so and at that time in my life I wanted to make "them" happy.

So the big night rolls around where they hand out all the scholarships at a ceremony and the people that received them walk across the stage and shake some persons hand and get a check. I can't remember now how many I applied for but I do remember that I didn't get any of them. By that point I had taken the ACT and scored high enough to benefit from one of the states socialist programs so I was in good shape. However, as far as the scholarships made available to me by my high school were concerned, it appeared to me that I had been discriminated against. It seemed that the assumption at the time was that since I was a white male I would some how automatically be able to afford to get the education I needed so I didn't need the money. This of course was not true. Had I scored a couple points lower on the ACT I wouldn't have been able to afford college. However, if I had been a "minority" or a female I would have been guaranteed money. That's the way it looked anyway. So, I decided then that when I had the money to do it I was going to start the Dan Feather Scholarship for Middle Class White Males. I figure if other racial and gender scholarships exist this shouldn't be a problem and I could at least help out one kid in the same situation.

I heard about an incident in Rhode Island a while back but didn't get around to looking it up until this morning. I Googled for "White Male Scholarship" and came up with many blog entries but I can't seem to find any national news about it. The "Cybercast News Service" has a couple articles regarding the situation here and here. It got pretty ugly for the student republican group that created the scholarship. They created it to make a statement of course. It makes me wonder how the Dan Feather Scholarship for Middle Class White Males would go over in Carthage. Probably not very well...

Coolness: I got my motorcycle permit today at lunch. I scored 100% on the test. cool.

Stupidity: Short, fat people may get rights. Mmmmkay... so... when did they not have them? If a person is being harassed or discriminated against for ANY reason it is wrong and in severe enough cases legal action can be taken. It's the same thing as sexual harassment. Say what you want, they are not different. If you are being harassed at work and it makes your work environment hostile the company has the legal obligation to address the issue or face legal action. Do we really need laws any where that list out when that is wrong? Is this something that is different in Missouri than other places?

My friend Ed and I went to the Springfield Blogger's meeting last night at Patton Alley Pub. Zach was there and it was his last meeting before he makes the big move to K.C. So we got to sit and shoot the breeze for a couple hours which was fun. I am certain Zach will do really well in K.C. Good luck Zach!

A couple new people were there and... ummmmm... I am having a hard time remembering their names. We had a great discussion about music with one of them. He is going to be starting a blog about music and based on our conversation I'm pretty sure it will be a great site.

Andy, Jack, Tony, Larry, and Steve were all there as well. As always it was a good time. If you blog and live in Springfield or the surrounding area I encourage you to stop by some time. It is cool to meet the people behind the blogs.

I was thinking today. If Sheryl Crow would go on national television and show that she can get by using one or two squares I will start using one or two too.

I know how it is done and it wouldn't be pleasant. But if she can prove she does it I will do it.

P.S. Just like her, I am kidding too. I think she's got a good sense of humor.

I am "working" down at my favorite place right now and I just overheard part of a phone conversation that included the following phrase: " Business is church and church is business. They're the same thing..."

Maybe that's what's wrong with it... sort of misses the point I think. Who wants their personal and spiritual interactions with people to be treated like business transactions? I sure don't...

When in Rome... I figure while we are all running around exercising our new found right to get offended by every little thing I would go ahead and jump on the bandwagon.

Since 1893 people have been partaking of a snack of caramel, peanuts, and pop-corn that carries a racial slur as a name: "Cracker Jack." Today, after over 100 years this insult and belittling of European Americans is allowed to continue and I have had enough.

I hereby call for a public apology from the people who have been responsible for this travesty for the last century. Since the original creators are probably long since dead their family members, who had no control over the situation, will have to apologize for the crimes of their forefathers. I also want formal public apologies from Borden and Frito-lay. This should happen on either the Rush Limbaugh radio program or Savage Nation. It can't be glossed over, if they walk away from this unscathed the next guy can. We don't need a product like theirs in the supermarket aisle. Then, after we are satisfied that they have been properly chastised for their behavior, they need to go to sensitivity counseling.

...

Or... we could all grow up and not let every little thing get under our poor sensitive skin... whichever makes for more sensational entertainment.

I just finished watching tonights episode of BSG and... uh... ummmm... ...whaaaa... errrr... WOW!

This is something I have seen people discussing quite a bit recently. I find the question itself laughable and it betrays the lack of understanding on the part of the person asking the question. The question "Is Computer Science Dead?" People think that because there are off the shelf solutions for things like accounting, customer information management, enterprise data management, etc. that we don't need computer scientists any more and they cite the rapid decline of people entering the field in the last 5 to 10 years as a sign of this.

What strikes me as odd is that people forget where all this off the shelf software comes from. The technology that makes it possible for Jimmy to drag and drop his VB application into existence turning him into an uber windows programmer didn't just spring into existence. Computer scientists develop the tools and technology that makes it possible for pretty much anyone to do anything with a computer. They aren't always computer scientists in the sense that they have a piece of paper that says that on it, but that is what computer science is. Without them writing things like compilers, drivers, operating systems, and doing all the dirty work Jimmy won't have software that allows him to drag and drop VB and Flash applications.

We don't have magical technology fairies that just deliver unto us the necessary, low-level tools that make it all possible. We need smart people that actually know how computers work to create those tools. That need will never go away. However, I will say that computer science in the United States may be dying and I don't see that as a good thing.

Too many people here don't understand what it takes to make these things do what they do. I run into people who know how to use Flash, VB, Access, Excel, or any number of other user tools that like to call themselves programmers and knowledgeable computer experts, and expect to be treated as such. I run into people who may actually be good programmers and can actually write software and because of that they expect to be considered on the same level as a computer scientist. In my experience, these two attitudes are common. Unfortunately they are also naive and often times incorrect.

You might be the worlds greatest VB user, and be able to make all sorts of nifty little windows applications, but that doesn't make you a computer expert. You might be able to write a killer, light-weight HTTP server, but that doesn't make you a computer scientist. Being able to do those things does not mean you have the skill set necessary to write a new process scheduler for Linux, optimize a SCSI driver, write a compiler. It doesn't give you a working knowledge of what a computer is actually doing as opposed to what the tools you use allow you to make it do. Think of it as similar to the difference between a kindergartner with a box of 16 crayons drawing a picture for Mommy and Da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa. While the little tyke might be a talented little scribbler, he doesn't understand why colors do what they do or how to stretch his own canvas among a myriad of other things.

Behind the animation, the slick interfaces, the auto calculated values, and self populating fields are layers of code containing complex algorithms, binary floating-point arithmetic, and shifting bits... someone needs to know how that works! Until the need for computer scientists to do what they do some how disappears I don't see how the profession can die. It got us where we are today and it is taking us where we are headed tomorrow.

Is Computer Science Dead?
The death of computing

Ron over at Chatter posted about The Definitive 200. A list of the top ranked 200 popular music albums that according to them every music lover should own. Of course, as expected, their list is completely wrong. This isn't opinion; It is fact!

Keep in mind that your perception is your reality. So if you perceive things differently than I it may appear to you that I am wrong. However, it is important that you keep in mind at all times that if your perception does not present the same picture of reality that mine does your perception is broken. Now that we have that out of the way...

Here's an example of what is wrong with this list. At #21 we have "Come On Over" by Shania Twain. That right there is a dead give away that this list is already completely hosed. It becomes even more apparent we have a problem when ranked right UNDER Shania is "Who's Next" by The Who. It gets worse when we find "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd (the album to be played at my funeral) ranked way down the list at #79! Not only is Shania ranked higher, but so are albums by Faith Hill and The Dixie Chicks!

Let's look a little further. Searching for Tool in the list brought up only one album; Lateralus at #123. Tool... at #123. They left Ænima completely off the list! Who are these people and what are they trying to do to us? Are they even human? Nine Inch Nails didn't make the list at all.

Radiohead's "OK Computer" is ranked at #111. It is the only Radiohead album on the list... no "Pablo Honey" or "The Bends." You wouldn't want to listen to those! Noooooo... but be sure to pick up "Wide Open Spaces," "Home," and "Fly" by The Dixie Chicks! Radiohead is represented by one album. Tool... one album. JOHNNY CASH... ONE ALBUM!!!! POLICE... ONE ALBUM!!!! THE DIXIE CHICKS... 3 ALBUMS!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!!! WHAT!!!???!!! WHO CAME UP WITH... WHY DID... WHAT!!!!????!!!!

There is so much wrong with that list. I could write for hours about it. I've barely even scratched the surface. I just can't take it any more. It's so horrible.

For future reference in your daily dealings with people and life in The United States of America: You DO NOT have the right to not be offended. Keep that in mind at all times. Thank you.

Why do people want to pass legislation to ban this or that when someone gets themself killed while using it? New York Senator Carl Kruger wants to make it illegal to use a portable electronic device while using a crosswalk in New York. He wants to do this because people are apparently falling victim to "iPod Oblivion." He claims that people have been injured or even killed because rather than paying attention to where they were walking they were zoned out listening to or otherwise using their portable electronic devices.

So, people did something stupid and got themselves injured or killed. Happens all the time. Why do they need a law to punish everyone because a few people are stupid and irresponsible? This idea that the government needs to pass this law or that law to protect us from stupidity is absurd and encroaches upon our personal liberties. Laws like these are systematically robbing us of our personal freedom simply because a few people lack the personal responsibility and common sense necessary to ensure their continued existence.

It is certainly tragic that people have inadvertently been injured or killed because they weren't paying attention. However, it is not a reason to make the rest of us suffer for it.

NY Senator Wants iPods Out of Crosswalks
Curbing "iPod Oblivion" On City Streets?

Well, I've listened to most of the music suggested by Phasedar, Lord of Funkitania in his Amazon Listmania... err... list... entitled "These will give your life meaning, you filthy animal." I don't exactly have the same taste in music as Lord Phasedar, but I found some of it to be pretty decent.

I already enjoy Beck's "Guero," Radiohead's "OK Computer," Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," and of course The Beatles "The White Album" a great deal, so those were gimme's. Of those I hadn't heard before, I really like Ted Leo & The Pharmacists' "Shake the Sheets." It is a good, poppy sounding album. Not always my cup o' tea, but catchy and I have listened to it several times so far. I am trying to think of a better way to describe it, but it is Monday... anyway.

"Castaways and Cutouts" by The Decemberists is a decent album. Again, not the kind of music I usually dig, but good. It has a bit of a country or folk feel at times, with some whiny slide guitar and accordion in it, and the vocals are whiny. It's a slow album that would probably be good to chill too on a warm afternoon while you nap. I mean that in a good way. However, the album is a little flat sounding... the same droning, forlorn sound throughout the album. It's not a bad album, but I don't think it gave my life meaning like Phasedar said it would...

Rilo Kiley's "More Adventurous" isn't bad. It's a little poppy for my taste but there some decent songs with clever lyrics. "Talkie Walkie" by Air isn't my favorite album of theirs. I enjoy their album "Premiers Symptomes" a great deal more, but it is also a great deal different. I don't care for the vocals of "Talkie Walkie", but I don't hate them either. The music is great though.

I am not a huge fan of rap, but there are a few rappers whose styles are undeniably unique, and among them for me is MF Doom. He has a unique voice and style. The mixing/production is done by Madlib who uses a great mixture of old jazz, what sounds like clips from old radio programs, and other odd samples. "Madvillainy" by Madvillain is something worth experiencing if you are a fan of rap at all.

I listened to Bright Eyes, The Fiery Furnaces, and The Shins as well and none of them struck me as all that impressive. They weren't bad, but nothing that made me want more.

Anyway, that's a quick summary of what I thought. I am not great at writing reviews. My descriptions are a bit generic I suppose. I will try to put more thought into my future reviews and see if I can improve a bit. That said, if you want to hear any of these before you decide whether you want to grab them for yourself, drop me a line.

This is hiliarious. This is something someone said in IRC (Internet Relay Chat). There is a site called bash.org where people copy conversations and things people say in IRC that are funny, clever, and sometimes extremely offensive, twisted, or disgusting. Sometimes you run across a gem like this one:

<comwalk> Remember, here in the U.S.A, we have reached a new age.
<comwalk> NOBODY is responsible for their own actions.
<comwalk> Remember that.
<comwalk> Holy sh*t! I killed somebody! Bob made me do it!
<comwalk> Bob: Joe made me do it!
<comwalk> Joe: I blame the media!
<comwalk> Media: Videogames.
<comwalk> Videogames: Personal responsibility?
<comwalk> Personal Responsibility: <AFK>

By the way, AFK means "Away From Keyboard."

I have shared my distrust of our government here before. Heck, they don't trust me, why should I trust them? However, spying on it's own citizens, secretly kidnapping people for interrogation purposes, etc. is not an activity exclusive to our government. The influential European nations engage in their own as well as assist in our covert intelligence gathering activities. So, although it bothers me that our government does some of the things it does, it bothers me more when European governments call us out on this stuff, ignoring the plank in their own eye. For people to believe that "We" do these things in their country without "Their" help or knowledge is ridiculous. I don't doubt that members of their parliament are ignorant of what is happening, just as members of our own congress are ignorant of what our spies do, but for them to act so naive and self-righteous is insulting. Granted, no one really likes the current US Administration, but this Administration isn't doing anything that other Administrations here or elsewhere haven't done for a long time.

The problem I am having with it is although I don't like what "We" or "They" do (e.g. kidnapping, secret prisons, spying, etc.) I understand it. However, if the US and our European counterparts are going to police the world looking for the bad guys, and be a beacon of hope, liberty, and freedom for the world, I think they need to approach things differently. Where did the idea that it is okay to beat information out of people who might not even have the information you are looking for come from? We don't do that here to our people. Our detectives and police don't jump out of the shadows, throw a black bag over your head, and beat the crap out of you to find out if you did something... at least not that I know of. They (theoretically) gather actual evidence that you are doing something before they capture you.

Anyway, I am rambling now. I just get tired of hearing about these European nations going after our spies for things that their spies help us do or do on their own, and that their governments knowingly authorize, and then play it up as some big shocking surprise that this stuff is going on.

Zach over at ZachIsHere mentioned the blog Waiter Rant today. I have been reading it off and on since this morning. It is one of the best blogs I have ever read. He is a great writer. Word of warning for the linguistically sensitive: he uses colorful language.

"The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time."
- George Bernard Shaw

This morning I read this and it immediately made me ponder why blogs, to me, are so interesting to read. My favorite blogs are often just people writing about themselves and what they do or think. Duane writing about farm life at Geek Acres, Zach writing about photography or whatever else comes to his mind, Granny writing about her life and observations, Jack ranting erratically, the list goes on and on. Some might consider blogs egotistical and silly, but I find them comforting and entertaining. You get to see the world through other peoples eyes in a very personal way. You can see what they see, how they see it, and how they are thinking about it. I enjoy that and I think I gain more perspective and insight about the real world and the day to day grind from that than I get by watching the News or Discovery Channel.

I don't know if that is what Shaw was getting at, but that's how I read it.

As I have made abundantly clear before, I am a geek. Further proof of this is a new guilty pleasure of mine. I really like the extreme power metal band "DragonForce." I like them for a several reasons. First of all, their guitar players are super fast... faster than anything I have heard before. I know Dave Mustaine is fast, and alot of the speed metal from Metallica was played and I think written by him. However, these guys are ridiculously fast. Their sound is also obviously influenced alot by retro video game music. In their song "Through The Fire And Flames" you can hear sounds that are like what you'd hear coming from a game of Pac-man. They also have those cheesy, epic sounding lyrics about fire falling from the sky, and crushing the enemy, and other fantasy themed topics, kind of like what you'd find ina story of a video game... it's great stuff. It isn't dark sounding like death metal, it as actually pretty upbeat and uplifting. The music reminds me of another guilty pleasure of mine EVE On-line. As a matter of fact, they have a music video that looks like it could have been taken right out of that game, which is probably why they are popular among many EVE players. If I could get to YouTube right now I'd look it up for you, but I will leave that as an exercise for my reader. Check out DragonForce... you may or may not regret it!

I work for a decent sized software corporation. Large corporations are good for some things. They are good for cultivating the idea that every waking hour of your life should be spent doing something for the company... unless you are using your PTO time, and even then you need to have your cell phone and laptop ready. Yep... they are good for swallowing your soul, but you sometimes get a fat pay check for it, which is nice.

I obviously disagree with this idea that your job and the company is your life. I used to have a similar opinion about what I do... programming is what I do, who I am, and I don't really have anything else. I eventually figured out that's not healthy. If I enjoy programming I should do it because I enjoy it, but not let it define me as a person. If I enjoy my job that is a bonus and is good, but for me right now it is just a means to an end. That end being shelter, food, and entertainment. Sometimes I get to do things I enjoy, the rest of the time I am there doing what they ask because I know I will get to do what I want (theoretically).

There are some other people, usually (not always) management, that seem to think that people with my attitude about work aren't good employees. Some go so far as to write articles about how we aren't good people who don't understand loyalty and duty and who don't do a good job at work because we don't come in early and stay late even when there isn't a reason to. We aren't motivated people. We won't accomplish anything. This pisses me off... I always get my job done on time, and I do a good job.

I was sent a scanned article yesterday that came from someone in upper management entitled "One Simple Habit That Leads to Success." It was scanned from a magazine and sent to us as a PDF. In it, a person who is successful attributes part of his success to the fact that he comes into work 1 hour early everyday. Now, he does point out that for some people it isn't the way and gives Thomas Edison as an example of a Night Owl who was successful. I expected the article to be about coming to work early to get work for the company done before other people show up, and how that was the way to be popular among the people who matter where you work. The whole "If you are at work early you must have your act together..." line. The funny thing about the article is that although he does say that, he goes on to talk about what he worked on when he first started going into work early; He wrote a book. Not a book about company policy, or a way for the company to make a new product. It was a book he went on to sell that was about wealth that became a best-seller, and encouraged him to write three more.

So here I am, reading an article sent by upper management, about coming into work early... to work on personal projects that will allow me to possibly develop a new source of income and quit my job. I already think the typical corporate attitude that you need to come in early to be successful in a company is stupid, and then to get an article from upper management that tells me I will be successful in the company by coming in early to work on something personal just seems ridiculous. Why do I need to spend more of the little bit of time I get on earth at work to accomplish my personal goals outside of work? They already get 9 hours of my day. I could just get up an hour early, use that time at home to work on my proverbial book, and then come in at the same time I do now and the company will get the same amount of work done for them, except that I won't be putting on a show and essentially lying.

Don't get me wrong, I see what the article is getting at. Basically, find a time everyday you can set aside as your own, without distractions, to work on things that will help you achieve success, financial or otherwise. It was just funny to get it from upper management the way I did and then see how they apparently completely missed, what in my opinion, is the point of the article. They wanted us to see how good coming to work early to give them an extra hour would be. It just struck me as the typical corporate BS that drives me nuts.

Here is the scanned version of the article I got. It is from a magazine. I have no idea what magazine it is from. The article appears to be appropriately attributed at the end.

This is The President. I hereby decree that 4PM shall henceforth be 5PM. You may now go home from work.

The recent entry on 27b Stroke 6 "If You Get Reliable Phone Service, Then Al Quaeda Does Too" they pointed out that the FCC has data on major outages for all the different phone service providers. It would be great if, as the citizens and consumers that pay for this information to be gathered, we could see it and determine which service provider has the fewest outages. That would make it easier to make a wise and informed decision when choosing a cell phone provider, and would probably encourage more competition between providers which would benefit us all in the end. However, when MSNBC requested that information under the Freedom of Information Act, the FCC denied the request stating "Release of the information could help terrorists plan attacks against The United States, and it would harm the companies involved." How is telling me what company provides the best service going to help Terrorists plan attacks against us? "Oh, Ahmad! Sprint has the best service! When we plan our next attack we will use them to coordinate our operations!"

I think what is probably going on is the companies just don't want their customers to see the data because it will force them to be accountable for providing the service they say they are, and the FCC rather than just saying that plays the Terrorist card so people won't question when they don't share the information. "The War On Terror" has lost it's meaning, if it ever had one. It's just turned into the latest over-used excuse that the "elected" give to justify their abuse of power. To keep us in the dark... for our own safety and the safety of our children of course. Yes, the FCC has just saved us from a terrorist attack since the terrorists won't know who provides the best phone service. GO FCC!! YAY!!

Too Many Secrets.

I had an idea today for a new office supply store called "Office Despot". It would sell things like CCTV systems with cameras that could be easily hidden in cubicles so that a manager can watch their employees. A timing system with optical sensors that keep track of when a person enters and leaves their cube so a manager can know for sure when their employees come into work and sit down at their desk. Office supplies with GPS tracking devices in them so a manager can keep track of whether or not their employees are stealing office supplies. For the compassionate despot nice, comfortable, ergonomic office chairs... with built in shackles so that when you need to force your employees to work on weekends they won't be uncomfortable. Custom propaganda posters praising your unsurpassed management skills to remind your subj... errr... employees how great you are and how lucky they are to serv... errr work for you. The possibilities are endless and I think there may be a huge, untapped market for these products. I have ideas for office decorations such as concertina wire, sniper nests, etc. for the Despot that has a taste for the finer things in life and appreciates things that make his life as a tyrant easier.

By the way. This isn't in response to anything specific that has happened to me or anyone I know. I just saw Office Depot today and for some reason this all popped in my head.

I am still reading this, and thinking it all through, but it is making me a little nervous. I am not sure how it applies to my blog just yet. What sort of information am I going to have to ask for when people want to post comments? What information do I need to start logging about posters? If someone starts spamming my blog comments with links to child porn this could become a serious problem for me. What are the civil liberties concerns with this bill? If I don't pay attention to what is posted to my comments for a couple days and someone posts something potentially dangerous, am I guilty of negligence and subject to a $50,000 fine?

I understand what they want us to think they are trying to accomplish, but I have a feeling they are creating another system and another excuse to monitor what we do and say. Read it and tell me what you think. Stop the Online Exploitation of Our Children Act of 2006 (pdf).

I wasn't thinking clearly. I understand now what Ron is getting at. Thanks to jj who posted a response to my comment on Ron's blog for kindly pointing out my stupidity. It is blindingly clear (???) what Ron is getting at. I just get touchy about the subject of Vietnam Veterans and automatically got defensive in this case, when it obviously isn't necessary. Sorry Mr. Ron Davis.

I just read an entry on Mr. Ron Davis' blog entitled Vietnam Veterans. He quotes an article which discusses how the national commander of the American Legion, Paul Morin, says he is a Vietnam Veteran because he served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was not stationed overseas however. He was stationed at Fort Dix, NJ. Ron ends his entry with the statement "New Jersey's a long way from Saigon."

Although possibly not considered as heroic a duty, we do need people to run things here while we fight wars there, where ever "there" may be. New soldiers need to be trained and fed, supply chains maintained, etc. Paul may not have been in anywhere near as much danger, but his job was important. Without guys like Paul here doing their job the guys that do get sent overseas can't do their job. Paul did the job the Army needed and ordered him to do at the time. I may be taking Ron's last comment wrong, but to belittle Mr. Morin because his duties did not carry him into battle is in my opinion extraordinarily rude. I would have posted a comment along these lines on Ron's blog, but the CAPTCHA image wasn't displaying so I couldn't at the time. I may try again later.