AtomicBaboon!?!

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.

It's Ordered.

Iranian police captured 14 secret squirrel spies along the Iranian border. They were supposedly equipped with spy equipment from foreign intelligence agencies. According to Sky News, a foreign official told them "The story is nuts."

First its man eating badgers, now its nut-lovin' rodent-spies.

There are some good lines and quotes in this BBC article:British blamed for Basra badgers

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area."

"British forces have denied rumours that they released a plague of ferocious badgers into the Iraqi city of Basra."

"One housewife, Suad Hassan, 30, claimed she had been attacked by one of the badgers as she slept. 'My husband hurried to shoot it but it was as swift as a deer,' she said. 'It is the size of a dog but his head is like a monkey,'"

I figured I would be able to escape the clutches of the Vicious Meme. However, having had his brain infected by its viral control, Secret Drinker led the meme to my secret bunker 40 stories below sea level. I battled with the meme for days, trying to escape its evil clutches but in the end it won. So, here I am, divulging eight of my deepest, darkest secrets to you... my many two's (maybe three's) of readers so that the meme may live to claim more victims.

1. I too have seen one of the unmarked, black, silent helicopters oft spoke of by conspiracy theorists. I saw it fly low over the (S)MSU campus toward downtown. No one believes me either. You are not alone Secret Drinker!
2. I was captured by the police and "taken downtown" when I was in 8th grade. My crime: curfew violation! *gasp*
3. I made it to the rank of Life Scout, just one below Eagle, before quitting Boy Scouts.
4. I had some art work sold at auction when I was in 6th grade.
5. I used to play trumpet in the high school jazz band.
6. Movies about honor and patriotism bring a tear to my eye.
7. The sight of The Rockies gives me chills.
8. I've never been outside the lower 48 of the United States.

There you have it. Eight things about me. Let's see, who will battle the meme next... Zach is Here, Ed, and Jipsta.

This weekend I met up with my friend John and his wife and little boy and we all went to El Dorado Springs to the motorcycle dealer there. John had never been there and I like looking at Triumph's so we made a trip up there. I ended up filling out a credit app in preparation for my future ordering of a Thruxton.

The problem is I am a very indecisive person. Those who know me personally know this all too well. I can't make a decision to save my life. It's hard enough for me to decide where I am going to eat lunch everyday. Anyway, where I'm going with this is I need to buy a house. I would like to have a house before I have a motorcycle so I have somewhere to keep it. That would be the responsible decision. However, waiting until I get a house means waiting to have fun. I want to have fun riding a motorcycle NOW not later. But, if I have a motorcycle now where do I keep it. I still live in an apartment. I don't want to leave my motorcycle in the parking lot. I could "borrow" space in friends garage or rent a small storage space but talk about a pain when I want to go ride it.

Bah... anyway. Look at what John did to his motorcycle. It's crazy looking! It will definitely turn heads! Other colors are available from Tomhawk tires.

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.

For you Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) fans out there, the band has their newest album entitled "Era Vulgaris" on their website for your listening pleasure. The official album release is June 12th (next Tuesday). I like it so far, but I like pretty much anything they do to some degree.

Chatter pointed out that there is a new blogger that calls himself "The Secret Drinker" that started The "Dive Bar" Review. That could be an entertaining blog I think.

Have a good Friday.

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?

I think this is the one: Triumph Thruxton.

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 paid my car off today. After almost 5 years I actually own the vehicle I've put 98,000 miles on. Sweet...

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.

Yeah so... uh-huh. Been gone for a bit. Went to Colorado for a bit. Visited fam for a bit. I don't like Denver.

Queens of the Stone Age have a new Album coming out on June 12th called "Era Vulgaris." Should be super swell.

Ummmmm... I still need to buy a house so I can get a motorcycle and do other cool stuff like build things in my garage and stuff. That would be super sweet. Like rebuild an old truck like this guy did. I like what he did with the LED's in the head lights. Super cool.

I almost own my car. I only owe about $600 on it after May's payment. I'm super stoked. That will be a nice chunk of change I can just pocket every month... or spend on the above mentioned items of interest. That will super own.

Anyway, killin' time with a ramble here. Here's hopin' you have a super wicked awesome rest of the day. Super.

I think I need to adjust the layout of my site. I mentioned before that the way I have things setup doesn't lend itself well to adding more links. Having everything at the bottom like I do is a little cumbersome.

I may give in and do what everyone else is doing and put my links on the side(s). I ran across a GPL'd Word Press plugin for StumbleUpon that lists what you have recently stumbled... upon. I downloaded the source and plan on writing a Python version that I can use on my blog. If I do that I am not sure where I would put the list it produces in my current layout. I would also like to add more links to blogs and websites that I like.

I also need a cartoon baboon. I have an idea in my head and I have tried to get it down on paper but it never turns out the way I want. If any of you know good artists let me know. Maybe if I can explain what I am looking for to someone with a little more talent they could pull it off. A funny looking baboon with a green glowing behind would be funny.

I completed all the songs in Guitar Hero II with 5 stars on Medium difficulty last night. Now I am attempting to play them on Hard. That is an addicting game.

Tonight The Moxie is hosting a free show at The Gillioz. They have details on their site. I am going to try to make it over there. The Gillioz has 1100 seats in it, making it the largest theater in Springfield. I have only seen the lobby so far and it is a pretty amazing building. Then I might grab a tasty beer at Patton Alley.

Anyway... I could keep rambling... but I need to get some work done so I will stop here. Have a good day.

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

π

"What am I going to eat for lunch/dinner?"

That's it most days. Sometimes its "What music am I going to listen to while I work" or "Which of the things TiVo recorded am I going to watch this evening?"

It's a rough life. Lot's of tough decisions. But I bite the bullet and I do it!

I am going to add a "Tough Decisions" category to keep track of the various, life changing decisions I make everyday.

I bought a Classic Video Table Tennis Kit from Think Geek and attempted to solder it together this weekend. It was hard... and it doesn't work. I under estimated how difficult soldering it together would be. I spent at least 3 hours, and the power LED lights up, and the reset button appears to work as far as I can tell, but I don't get any video or audio. I think I got the PCB too hot in a couple places because the traces pulled up off the board a bit.

I was also using a Cold Heat Soldering Tool. It can be a little difficult to get it positioned so that it would heat up. So, I would be messing around trying to get it positioned and then end up with the board in a cumbersome spot for getting the solder on it. A little frustrating but towards the end I was getting it figured out. I burned up a bunch of batteries doing it though. I think for lengthy projects I should use a real soldering iron.

There are a few places where the solder globbed up rather than spreading out evenly and this isn't good either. I am going to have to go pick up some solder wick and try to re-do those spots.

Although it wasn't a complete success it was pretty fun. I want to get better at it so I can put together some projects I have had bouncing around in me head for a while. I gotta keep trying.

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.

"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.

except for all the others.

I would be King of Sealand. That would own.

is not knowing your place in the world.

Here are some projects I want to try:

1. Write "atomiCommerce" - Started
2. Build a coffee table with a built-in Atari 2600 - 2nd Atari for this obtained, Need a house with a garage to work in next
3. Build small video cameras that will stream what they capture over a WiFi connection
4. Build an LCD projector - Need a house first
5. Build a media center PC for the entertainment center - Just thought of this last night. I have a TiVo in the meantime.

Some important, time consuming things are getting ready to change. When that happens, I will have alot more time to do the things I want to do. It will be good. More on that when I can share it. There are also alot of cool and inspirational projects in Make Magazine. Their projects have given me ideas of my own and gave me yet another reason I need a house with a big garage to work in.

I want to do something cool!

So, here it is... 2007. I don't like it... no sir. I don't like it because this is the year I turn 30... holy crap.

Anyway, I think I had a list of resolutions for 2006. I took them so seriously that I have no idea what they were. I'm going to make some for 2007 but I'm not going to put them here. I will write them down and carry the list with me this year. Maybe that will work.

I don't have any grand predictions or hopes for this year yet. Yeah... this post is shaping up to be pretty boring. Well... here it is. 2007. Happy New Yar!... heh... errrr, Year.