Objective Subjectivity

Objective Subjectivity: Food For Thought - Regarding Rights

2009-07-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Objective Subjectivity: Food For Thought - Regarding Rights: "Get Serious About Fuel Economy."

Objective Subjectivity: Tax Revolts & Other Modern Phenomenon

2009-07-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Objective Subjectivity: Tax Revolts & Other Modern Phenomenon

What if You Still Can't Get Your Keyboard Clean???

2008-02-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

There are always methods of cleaning your sticky keyboard which will require the complete dismantling, cleaning, and re-assembly of the keyboard, but what follows is an almost surefire method that has never (yet) let me down…

HERE'S THE SIMPLEST METHOD: Believe it or not, if you’ve used all the other methods, (and only _if_ the keyboard is not totally ruined already) you can take it to the shower. Mind you don’t get other things in it whilst you are there, hmmm? Generously douse the keyboard with liquid soap (dish soap, preferably, since it won’t leave any residue) and flush it with water as hot as you can stand for about a minute. When finished, rinse it from as many directions as you can - you can’t begin to imagine what you’re going to see float down the drain!

After following these steps DO NOT plug the keyboard into ANYTHING just yet! Vigorously shake any excess fluids out of the keyboard. Suspend the (now wet) keyboard upside down (and at a slight angle) over or near a safe heat source, such as a baseboard heater or a floor heating vent. Do not let it get so close as to endanger the device by melting it. Leave the keyboard there for at least two days. After ensuring that there is no moisture remaining whatsoever, continue to use your keyboard as normal - golfing, swordplay, and, er, yes…computing. Next time, keep it away from your soda pop, or whatever grunge you might have spilled on it.

If, for some inexplicable reason this doesn’t work; you’re still frightened to take it apart; or you can’t spring for the price of a decent used keyboard…you really should keep a spare mouse and keyboard at all times if you’re serious about computing.

Now, if you’re completely desperate, you could consider using a LIGHT solvent which doesn’t melt plastic. Since there are MANY solvents on the market (alcohol all the way to xylene) YOU must make a wise choice and then test it on the bottom of the keyboard where it won’t be noticed if it does melt the plastic. (STRONG ADVISORY: Keep completely away from the xylene - not only will it it rot your keyboard, it will also rot your brain.) Once you've spot tested the keyboard on its' sensitive underside, and you’ve found a suitably safe solvent: follow the application procedure outlined above for hot, soapy water - only no heat, and no soap! Use the solvent in a well ventilated space - say, outside - and away from any pets, children, favorite plants, etc.. When drying the solvent laden keyboard, it should dry in about half the time that it take the hot soapy water, but keep it away from any sparks, open flame or other sources of ignition. Be ENTIRELY sure that no solvent remains in the keyboard before plugging it back in - your computer and your landlord / parents / spouse / neighbors will thank you for it.

If you’ve followed all of these steps and it still doesn’t work, then I pronounce your keyboard dead. If you continue to abuse keyboards, may I recommend getting a waterproof keyboard?

(Don't try this at home kids.)

REVIEW: ION Audio Tape2PC USB Dual Cassette Deck and Tape to MP3 Converter

2008-01-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hey. It's been a while, but I just used a "Tape2PC USB Dual Cassette Deck and Tape to MP3 Converter" manufactured by ION Audio and want to share what I think about it.

My Ratings are 1 - 5 (Where 5 is Best)

Basically, this gizmo takes all the trouble and wizardry out of transferring your old cassette collection to MP3 or CD. (For any of us folks that still have any.) From there, you can easily transfer it to your favorite MP3 player for your "retro enjoyment"! ION Audio supplies you with the USB cable and both the needed software programs (Audacity and the proprietary EZ Tape Converter) for both PC and MAC. It's sharp looking and doubles as a deck-to-deck high speed dubbing machine that will fit right in with your existing stereo equipment.

Quality - 4 - The guts function well. It definitely gets an otherwise tedious job done right! The case does not seem "robust", (nothing does now days) but I won't be playing basketball with this equipment.

Features - 4 - It's excellent - there were no surprises. Personally, I would add high speed dubbing to MP3, as well as an option to simultaneously dub to the recording deck _while_ converting to MP3. It comes with two software applications (both PC & MAC) and the needed USB cable, so there's nothing else to buy!

Ease Of Use - 5 - Ease of use is just like it says. It has all the standard connections, and once the software was installed, there was virtually no learning curve. Any kid could operate this "without supervision".

Value - 4 - Considering there's nothing else on the market that I've been able to find, it's worth every penny. ION Audio built it first, so they'll set the bar for now, I suppose. I wouldn't pay more for it, but I would expect the price on comparable units to level out around $99 bucks over the next 18 months.

Sound - 4 - Sound quality is as expected. It's definitely no worse than using patches and recording the audio through the PC soundcard. It's a whole lot better than recording from the speakers. This product makes it easier and eliminates a few steps and at _least_ one generation of sound degradation - which is never a bad thing!

Overall - 4.5 - It's great! For someone who wants to convert their tape collection to CD or MP3, this is the way to go. There's nothing overtly wrong with this audio equipment. I certainly don't plan on finding a replacement any time soon. After what I've been through, I'd sooner wear it out and fix it myself before trying again to explain to a retail pencil-neck (clerk, sorry) what it is that I'm looking for. They've all either tried to sell me a high speed dubbing deck, (I've got access to a multi-tape duplicator already.) or they couldn't figure out at all what I was talking about! For now, Ion's got the jump on the market with this one.

If you read Norwegian, there's another review here. I'm pretty happy with it, but if you get one, let me know what you think...

Triumphant Graduation

2006-10-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

1 Dozen eager students ("At Risk Youth" & "Vulnerable Adults" is how the "system" identifies them), ages 15 - 30 graduate from their internship program today.

I have had the unique responsibility, honour, and privilege to have instructed them in computer use, namely: Email Etiquette; Office Applications; Stripping and Assembly of a Computer; and assorted tips and tricks gained through experience.

In the interest of privacy, the first names (only) of these deservedly proud individuals are: Adrianna, Samantha, Ian, Nicole, Coralie, Sarah, Wanetta, Miranda, Eileen, Hannali, Sakshi and Alex. I give them all a collective, virtual hug in celebration of their achievement!

In addition to the customized instruction, the computer segment of the course is structured similarly to a business, where participants are required to produce documents and spreadsheets on a daily basis, of the kind that would ordinarily be used in many organizations. They need to continue producing this output while learning additional skills. The idea is not so much that they complete every last detail of their assignments, but that they keep going, despite the possibility of feeling overwhelmed - just as they would need to do at an actual job. They will need to remember their success with this kind of hurdle as they move off to their job placements, which will last for a period of some months. In the end, many of them will actually be hired by the very organizations where they have completed their training. It is the dawn of a new day for them, and their future is very bright indeed.

At the very end of their course, (with a little encouragement) in only about 7 hours, they were able to pump out a newsletter featuring their progress through their experience in the program. At the beginning (of the newsletter assignment), most of them seemed indifferent to the process, but after it began to take shape, they became increasingly eager to complete it as something of their very own. I am very proud of them.

My biggest let-down (other than likely not seeing any of them again) is that for their safety and that of the program, I can't fully credit them here because there are individuals out there who would gladly take advantage of such information.

I wish all of you (And you know who you are!) the best of success in your futures!

Sometimes It's All Uphill.

2005-11-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

Wasted hours can turn into wasted days can turn into wasted months can turn into...

You get it.

I do too. But neither of us really gets it, since we still waste time, effort and thought without taking too much notice - it seems. Right?

If I get old, will I notice it happening?

I know some people think it should say "When" instead of "If", but we never have that guarantee, do we? And then again, some of us never really believe that even if we're around for a long time that we'll have to age eventually. It's normal, it's human, but it is a normal, human failing. A failure to realize that we all share the same basic patterns, even if we are born on opposite sides of the planet.

I'm not saying we'll turn out like clones, or that we'd turn out like we have even if we did something else with our time, but... we are all suspended here in time and borrowing it until our "space" ship (the form in which we navigate 3D space) finally expires. That time (for almost all of us) is guaranteed to come, and if we spend any time here at all, we will all age accordingly.

Looking at my hands (I mean really looking for the first time in ten years or so) I find them ten years older. Ten years more wrinkled. Ten years more experienced. And, if I've been fortunate - maybe even ten years better.

I dunno. I don't think it's abnormal to catch ourselves looking at ourselves now and then. It's just that like keeps happening at the same furious pace and it seems shorter and shorter as more of our life piles up behind us. While this is all happening, we were caught looking at something else. Sort of like not locking the toilet stall in a public washroom, and only realizing it when we've been caught pulling up our pants while our mouths gape open, not knowing what to do, think or say. The only neat thing about that possibility is that it's probably exactly the same for the other person. And that both of us will likely never look at a toilet stall in the same way again.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

Raining in the Wet Coast

2005-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

An unrelenting torrent of water, mist and thunder.

The rainforest rainstorm.

All smarter creatures hide in their burrows
or stand stiff under thick spreading trees.

But I,

I crouch on glittering neon and brown leaves
in late afternoon
where light sifts through featureless grey skies.

Stupidly soaked, as the maelstrom patters
loud on the hood of my jacket
and on the arboreal floor.

Rivulets of mossy dampness
stream down my face and onto my waiting tongue.

I taste wind,
and the trees above,
through which each drop has filtered.

Lightning rakes sky and creases cloud.

An emerald bubble has burst its wet harvest
upon smiling rocky crags
and replenished the world's lifespring.
---------------------------------

Yep, it's been raining for two days.

Survivor Story of Hurricane Katrina's Damage in New Orleans

2005-09-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

Something I posted on Live Journal, regarding this URL: (See the posting "Get Out If You Can" and the connected thread...

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/2005/08/30/

This guy and his co-workers are riding out the disaster in his company's (http://www.directnic.com/) office tower with a diesel generator. They provide domain services and hosting for hundreds of thousands of people and businesses, and I think he and his friends are doing a fine job. Read the whole thing if you've got the time - it's quite the story, and even CNN http://www.cnn.com has gotten in on it. Pictures at 11: http://sigmund.biz/kat/

Someone started dissing him on the "real" reasons why he chose to do what he's doing. Here is my commentary on that:

Pehaps the reason this fellow is staying is because there are businesses and individuals out there that need their data online. Not all of these ppl live in NO. And yes, duty (soldier or not) _is_ important to some ppl. (joke on) I'm sure there were/are some businesses still operating in Iraq? (joke off)

A reason for his blog is prolly to work his thoughts out and keep his nerves cool. There is documented therapeutic value in keeping a journal, which _also_ seems to be one of his "normal operating procedures" - thus giving him some sense of normalacy in an otherwise crazy situation.

I'm sure if some of you were sitting in a building surrounded by ppl (needy or otherwise) with guns who have already shown their willingness to use them that you would write a few ill-advised comments as well.

All things considered, I think he's doing his company's clients a great service, and likely providing power for the police in his building as well.

_Everyone_ keep their cool, and remember - THIS is just a blog. The real thing is happening down there, on the ground, and in the water. Those are all REAL ppl who are experiencing this.

...on an unrelated note: I think it's pretty funny that a blog offers a spell checker that doesn't recognize the word "blog".

m.

Quasi - Czech Poetry

2005-08-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hepr vavo pa kresul
Jedre bachroumaň ludsí sekesu
Sos úzel zibuc přupřu
Musohřou hři laze tříchroupást

If you speak Czech, please tell me what it means?

:)

Eddie Lin Eats Weird Stuff

2005-08-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Eddie Lin eats weird stuff.

This chap eats things that fight back and wiggle on the way down - if you can even get it into your mouth in the first place. Don't think like that. Follow the link and see for yourself!

ps. Don't have anything to eat for a little while after you read it...

m.

Typing it out...

2005-07-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

sitting
reading
the cries of
the best & worst
of friend with friend
hate & love (or hate for love?)
don't know if I've seen
passion or poison
helpless.

"you can't
have what I have
that's what have means
if you had it
it would be what
you have
and not mine
something different."

sounds
hoarse yet clear
far yet near
cruel yet dear.
real nonetheless
but: (!)
feel.

feelings think not
oft they lie.
twixt smile and blade
hidden in tongue
caressed with
careful murderous
flattery.

comrades in/to arms!
"kill all but
save
mine!"

Horrible word at times:
"mine".

That started the whole ball rolling.

"Mine" & "No"
Self interest and self will:
Two concepts fast learnt
by infants, bureaucrats and imbeciles.
similar yet different (those folk);
in their strife of dominance
they cut those they love.

Moving Van.

2005-07-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

Hey. I like the new interface! I don't have to type HTML anymore to say something different!

OK. It's official. The move is on, and it's at the end of the month. Saving 150 in rent, and only slightly smaller. My place looks like a box factory blew up when a delivery van collided with it. Stuff is everywhere and I can't find anything.

Ah well...2 more weeks and moving out will be moving in. :)

m.

(4 those that care.)

Old Friends

2005-05-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

The older my friends are friends,
the more the heart string bends when I hear from them.
That means you!
But I know the "Good ol' Days" won't be again,
so I amcontent to reinvest anew.

m.

If I was Bigger...

2005-05-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

He bounced her off the floor
I'm sure of it. (Bites lip)
If I was bigger...
(Fists clench, takes a deep breath and...)
No!
(Holds it.)
No...
(Lets it out, relaxes...)
No, If I was bigger, he wouldn't be he
and I wouldn't be,
(Turns and walks away)
either.

- or "Daddy has a right"

You - by Marianne Sheldon

2005-05-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

You
ask me to tell you about myself
You ask me Questions that
I can't answer.
You don't understand that
I must keep my secretsImust
Be private
Though
you
are the one
who made me this way
I've given in before - told you
who I am
How I hurt

And you ridiculed me

Now I am silent
while you
Frustrated
uncomprehending
Beg
To enter my mind

I'm sorry. It's too late now.

Facing Death in a Welcome Manner...

2005-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

There is no better rest in this restless world than to face imminent peril of death solely for the love and service of God our Lord.

- Francis Xavier

Tax Revolts & Other Modern Phenomenon

2005-05-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when working people refuse to pay their taxes, it's called a tax revolt, and when the wealthy don't pay their taxes, it's called "accounting"?

Work is Like a Wolf - It Never Runs Away...

2005-05-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just secured 3 day (evenings, actually) a week cleaning contract for a dental office. Seems the last cleaner whisked in and out of there without really doing too much for his money.

We did a thourough deep cleaning (using hypo-allergenic essential oils whenevery possible) and seem to have impressed the dental staff & owner, so I think we're on the right track. We underbid the initial deep clean, but our regular maintenance cleaning should make up for it. It smells more like a spa than a dental office now - stylin'! That's why we were working until 2:30 in the morning. But there's nothing quite like a job well done. Also repaied their leaky toilet and loose door handles.

Tomorrow, we give them a paper shredder and an electric pencil sharpener that we had kicking around for "goodwill". They don't currently have a way to deal with old client records until they rip them in 4 and assume that it's good enought to dispose of in the trash. I think they'll appreciate the added security of the shredder.

Quoting for these places is a nightmare, cuz you don't want to bid too low and then hate the job, or bid too high and lose it, either. Seems we hit the nail on the head for this one. :)

ta,

m.

Fuzzy or Furry?

2005-04-26T02:14:00.000-07:00

12 hours of work and the screen is not fuzzy...it's furry, along with my teeth. Time to crash. (That was an exciting post.)

Ground Zero

2005-04-12T00:02:00.000-07:00

A supersonic screams streaks across the night sky and tears ten thousand sleeping ears from their pillows.
A flash of light . . .
A burning wind . . .
Incinerates the shutters and scorches the pavement.
A roaring giant, louder than a million starving children,
Retches the contents of its belly upon a nation obsessed with suicidal progress . . .
. . . and in the aftermath, the shattered supremacy litters the ground.

Ground Zero:
What do they want to do to me?
Fallout and get burnt!
The chain me to a fence and watch for my reaction,
But it's a waste of time and energy,
'Cause no-one's talking.

Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

2005-04-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

The wise herd does not too severely punish its deviants - they are idiots, criminals, prophets, and discoverers.

- Bertrand Russel's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

No More Tears in Vukovar

2005-04-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

There are no more tears in Vukovar;
No more laughter either.
The homes once framing her streets;
Are charred and broken.

No flowers grow in window boxes;
The windows are empty;
and when the babies died,
Those boxes became coffins.

But . . . you say:

You know someone who lives in Vukovar?
You must be mistaken.
No-one lives in Vukovar.
All her lives were taken.

[Reflections upon a town I once visited that was swept from the face of the earth by genocide.]

Mrs. Terri Schiavo is Gone.

2005-03-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

Her feeding tube is a non-issue now: Terri Schiavo passed away about 15-20 minutes ago. What a tragedy for her family. What a travesty for the rights of the disabled in North America. She was a fighter - medical staff expected her to die inside of a week. She held on for almost two weeks. Did you know that the police had paddy-wagons equipped with wheelchair ramps to make it easier for them to arrest the hundreds of disabled folks who came to try to give her some water? After the media circus will have taken down their tents and packed their bags, the world's eyes will be glued to other, more "urgent" issues, and this media culture will have forgotten her name. May God grant her family some comfort.

Feeding Tube Frenzy?

2005-03-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to make light of anyone's medical or moral dilemmas - see my previous post. But it certainly strikes me odd that within a few days of Terry Schiavo's feeding tube being "lawfully" removed, that the pope (think Vatican) now needs a feeding tube. I don't see anyone petitioning the courts to have his tube removed. When he appeared at his window to bless the easter crowds, he only made a "sound", and couldn't speak for himself. I realize that he is ambulatory (able to walk), but what if someone with enough power were to start questioning his "quality of life"? Just a little food for deep thought.

Old Stones in the Dust

2005-03-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

old stones in the dust
they can see the glow at night
in the towns where we used to live
if they can see at all

telephone poles stand reminder to the age
short past
but gone forever

wish we could see
could have seen
but now, we're cold
cold bones in the dust

List of famous experiments: Information From Answers.com

2005-03-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

Just something interesting I dug up - in reference back to a few blogs ago...

"List of famous experiments" Wikipedia From Answers.com

Credits to http://newexperiments.blogspot.com/ for finding the list

The following is a list of historically important scientific experiments and observations.

See also:
timeline of scientific experiments;
list of famous discoveries; and,
thought experiment;
for other interesting items.

Now for the list

Astronomy
Eratosthenes measures the earth's circumference (240 BC)
Galileo Galilei uses a telescope to observe that the moons of Jupiter appear to circle Jupiter. This evidence supports the heliocentric model, and hurts the geocentric model of the cosmos (1609)
Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson detect the cosmic microwave background radiation, giving support to the theory of the Big Bang (1964)

Biology
Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovers microorganisms
Robert Hooke, using a microscope, observes cells (1665)
Edward Jenner tests the first vaccine (1796)
Gregor Mendel's pea plant experiments lead him to surmize many of the fundamental theories of genetics (dominant vs recessive genes, the 1-2-1 ratio, see Mendelian inheritance) (1856-1863)
Louis Pasteur uses S-shaped flasks to prevent spores from contaminating broth. Disproves the theory of Spontaneous generation (also known as abiogenesis). (1861) A continuation of the rancid meat experiment done by Francesco Redi
Frederick Griffith demonstrates (Griffith's experiment) that living cells can be transformed via a transforming principle, later discovered to be DNA (1928)
Karl von Frisch decodes the "dance" honeybees use to communicate the location of flowers (1940)
Barbara McClintock breeds maize plants for color, which leads to the discovery of jumping genes (1944)
Hershey-Chase experiment uses bacteriophage to prove that DNA is the hereditary material (1952)
Miller-Urey experiment demonstrates that organic compounds can arise spontaneously from inorganic ones (1953)
Meselson-Stahl experiment proves that DNA replication is semiconservative (1958)
Crick, Brenner et al. experiment (1961)
Nirenberg and Matthaei experiment (1961)
Nirenberg and Leder experiment (1964)

Chemistry
Neil Bartlett mixes xenon and fluorine leading to the first synthesis of a noble gas compound, xenon tetrafluoride (1962)

Physics
Archimedes, while sitting in a bathtub, notices that his body becomes lighter as it pushes the water aside. This leads to the first true theory of buoyancy. (c. 250 BC)
Eratosthenes evaluates the diameter of the Earth by comparing the length of the lengthiest shadow of the day with the distance between that location and a place where the sun shines to the bottom of the well at midday (240 BC)
Galileo Galilei uses rolling balls to disprove the Aristotelian theory of motion (1602 - 1607)
Isaac Newton decomposes sunlight with a prism.
Ole Rømer uses the timing of the eclipses of the moons of Jupiter with respect their distance from earth to estimate the speed of light for the first time. He yields a value of 225,000 km/s (actual value of 299,792 km/s) (1672)
Henry Cavendish's torsion bar experiment (1798)
Thomas Young's double-slit experiment (c1805)
Hans Christian Orsted discovers the connection of electricity and magnetism by experiments involving a compass and electric circuits (1820)
Christian Doppler arranges to have trumpets played from a passing train. The ground-observed pitch was higher than that played, demonstrating the Doppler effect (1845)
Léon Foucault's namesake Foucault pendulum is first exhibited. It demonstrates the Coriolis force and the rotation of the earth (1851)
Michelson-Morley experiment exposes weaknesses of the prevailing variant of the theory of luminiferous aether. (1887)
Guglielmo Marconi demonstrates that radio signals can travel between two points separated by an obstacle. Marconi's servant is behind a hill 3 kilometers away and fires his rifle upon receiving the signals (1895).
Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity (1896)
Joseph John Thomson's cathode ray tube experiments (discovers the electron and its negative charge) (1897)
Robert Millikan's oil-drop experiment, which suggests that electric charge occurs as quanta (whole units), (1909)
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes demonstrates superconductivity (1911)
Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment demonstrated that the positive charge and mass of an atom is concentrated in a small, central atomic nucleus, disproving the then-popular plum pudding model of the atom. (1911)
Arthur Eddington leads an expedition (http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/coles.asp) to the island of Principe to observe a total solar eclipse (gravitational lensing). This allows for an observation of the bending of starlight under gravity, a prediction of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. It was confirmed (although it was later shown that the margin of error was as great as the observed bending) (1919)
Otto Stern and Walter Gerlach conduct the Stern-Gerlach experiment, which demonstrates particle spin (1920)
Enrico Fermi splits the atom (1934)
John Bardeen and Walter Brittain fabricate the first working transistor (1947)
Clyde L. Cowan and Frederick Reines confirm the existence of the neutrino in the neutrino experiment (1955)
The Scout rocket experiment confirms the time dilation effect of gravity. (1976)
Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann report the production of excess heat from a table-top cold fusion experiment (1989)
Eric A. Cornell and Carl E. Wieman synthesize Bose-Einstein condensate (1995)

Psychology
Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs and classical conditioning (1900s)
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner conduct the Little Albert experiment showing evidence of classical conditioning (1920)
Solomon Asch's conformity experiments shows how group pressure can persuade an individual to conform to an obviously wrong opinion (1951)
B.F. Skinner's demonstrations of operant conditioning (1930s - 1960s)
Harry Harlow's experiments with baby monkeys and wire and cloth surrogate mothers (1957-1974)
Stanley Milgram's experiments on human obedience (1963)
Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment (1971)
Allan and Beatrice Gardner' attempts to teach American Sign Language to the chimpanzee Washoe (1970s)
Rosenhan experiment (1972)
Kansas City preventive patrol experiment (1972-1973)

Economics and Political Science
Negative Income Tax experiments
Axelrod's Prisoner's Dilemma Tournament
Tennessee STAR Class Size Experiment

You never know how much.

2005-03-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

You never know how much you miss someone until they're not around for a while. Thankfully, in my case it's only a few days, but time has that mysterious way of feeling like eternity when one is waiting...patiently waiting.

Don't Ask. :)

m.

Food For Thought - Regarding Rights

2005-03-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

"Lest it should be possible that any unchildlike soul might, in arrogance and ignorance, think to stand upon his rights...

I will lay before such a possible one some of the things to which he has a right...

- He has a claim to be compelled to repent;
- To be hedged in on every side;
- To have one after another or the strong, sharp-toothed
sheep-dogs of the Great Shepherd sent after him
- To thwart him in any desire,
- Foil him in any plan,
- Frustrate him of any hope,

...until he come to see at length that nothing will ease his pain, nothing make life a thing worth having but the presence of the Living God within him.

-------------- George MacDonald, "The Voice of Job"

Scot's Wha Hae (Scot's Who Are)

2005-03-23T02:04:00.000-08:00

A Brae' Bonny Poem, and aye so tragic as well.

Scot's Wha Hae (Scot's Who Are), quoted and requoted from http://scotswahey.blogspot.com/

Scots, wha hae wi' WALLACE bled
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led
Welcome to your gory bed
Or to Victorie
Now's the day and now's the hour
See the front o' battle lour
See approach proud EDWARD'S power
Chains and Slaverie
Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee!
Wha for Scotland's King and Law
Freedom's sword will strongly draw
Free-Man stand, or Free-Man fa'
Let him follow me!
By Oppression's woes and pains
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins
But they shall be free
Lay the proud Usurpers low
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do or Die!

And would to God that we'd all treat our spiritual health and freedom as importantly as our physical health and freedom!

m.

On the Topic of Subjectivity.

2005-03-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

It has been said - rightly so - that there is nothing we as humans can experience or interact with that will not be judged subjectively by ourselves. That is: We are mostly a compilation of our past experiences (in addition to other things) and therefore perceive virtually everything through those filters.

Yet the common experience (hallucination?) of the grand lot of us, is that there is something "objective" - something(s) that exists without our neccessarily having given it/them approval.

No matter what we call a chair, it's function (unless we are being experimental, eccentric, or artistic) is an apparatus for one to be seated upon. [Here, were the suds flowing, we could enter into a narcisistic spiral of the meaning of a word, and the meaning of the previous phrase, ad nauseum...]

One of the main jobs of sentient beings then, is to continually, consistently and purposefully strive to make that which is objective, subjective. And we must strive to do that objectively. We must try to bring that which definitively exists outside of our "definitions" and somehow define it in an objective manner.

If we do it subjectively instead, then we might as well not communicate with anyone, or else we'll discover that either self is full of neurosis, or that the world is always wrong. Either path is defined as insanity of some order. Now despite the fact that the circuitry of every last one of us is faulty to begin with (we're not genetically perfect, nor in any other sense) we still must largely acknowlege that "shared neurosis", or "common experience" is normative and somewhat expected by the majority. That put prophets, poets and inventors all in a special little category that isn't quite insane - they just have to get their "marketing campaign" correct in order to relay the new information to the masses.

These "campaigns" are painfully known to many, but I'll mention just a few (all inventors and innovators):
Nikolas Tesla, James Clerk Maxwell, and Antony Leeuwenhoek. You can google those names, or just follow the links I've provided with their names for starters.

These men, and countless women as well, knew what it was to discover something objective, and what a trying time they had in bringing this information to their own peers, let alone the public!

To recap: Whether we be inventors or inventory clerks; we must strive to make the objective, subjective - and that, objectively!

m.

Now You Too Can Get a Life! (a Virtual Second, that is...)

2005-03-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

No kidding. It's a virtual second life - on the net, which is already a virtual second life to some folks - and get this: you have to pay for it! Their promise is "NO SHIPPING - EVER". If you can't buy something real that will make you happy, they'll sell you a virtual life that doesn't come shrink-wrapped in a box. A virtual life within a virtual life within a... does anyone see a hall of mirrors here, or am I just that out of it? Confused? See what I'm talking about at http://secondlife.com/slap/?a = I took the credit reference out of the URL so that you won't be promoting the site more if you just want to take a look. Unless you don't have a life. In that case, "Get a life!" has an all-new virtual meaning to it. 1 star out of 10.

Terry Schiavo - A Tough Call Either Way

2005-03-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

Terri Schiavo: You may know her name. You've seen or heard the news reports of a family torn between Mrs. Shiavo's will - ordering that she not be kept alive if she were in a "persistent vegitative state" - and her immediate relatives, who insist that she be kept intubated so that she may continue to receive water and food. The exceptionis her husband, who is trying to uphold her will, but that places him at odds with many people. See the Google Results here.

If her husband wasn't around, no one would be taking her side. On the other hand, the human rights of the critically ill are up for grabs by anyone with money, a lobby group, or a heart-wrenching story that will lead in the press.

One thing is sure: before the advent of modern medicine - without the ability to swallow - people like Terri would "fail to thrive" in practically any environment trying to provide care for her.

Think about this: an immensely private, family affair is now on the public radar screen. Even the president of the United States has something to say about it:

"Today, I signed into law a bill that will allow Federal courts to hear a claim by or on behalf of Terri Schiavo for violation of her rights relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life"

"In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws, and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life."

I agree with everything except for "In cases like these...". For crying out loud, people are even blogging about it. With the utmost care and respect for the Schiavo/Schindler families, I have this to say (not to them), but about "rights": the right to live, the right to die.

It's my personal opinion that for something to be a right, it must be inviolable - something that is secure from violation. And yes, I know that means that many "rights" protected by laws that have been passed are (by this definition) not rights, but privileges, albeit protected by law. I have no "right" to clean water or food. I have no "right" to personal space, or to breathe. I have no "right" to dignity, safety, reproduction, or to many other words that might follow that important word "right".

I know that both sides of Terri's family are fighting for her "rights", in their own ways. But in the past I have heard that the only true rights we have are those to deficate, and those to die. And not even by our own hand. Those are both bodily functions that will eventually happen - with or without - anyone's consent. There may be a few more that we can add to that list, but I think the explanation is clear: a right is inviolable, and can not be taken away (or given for that matter) by any person. This also means that Terri had the privilege, the ability, to write her own will concerning her health care. But volition is not a right, otherwise, a long time ago the "wright" brothers, if only by their sheer strength of volition, would have been able to fly: without their machines.

Without their machines. If we had no machines, there would be no "right" to extend life beyond it's natural conclusion. I don't agree with state sanctioned/ordered euthanasia, but if I were in Terri's case, I would rather pass off this scene and return to my maker. Terri indicated in her will, that at some time yet future, if her "living" conditions changed drastically (as outlined in some manner in her private will, she should be permitted to die.

This puts me, and millions of others, in a moral quandry: should she be allowed to live, or allowed to die? In the absolute end, God will sort it all out. Right now however, it's obvious that if these millions didn't have syndicated press, television, radio, and the internet that contains this blog where you're reading these words, none of us would know about it, and the family would have arrived at some private conclusion.

Let her family have the privilege of dignity and privacy in this, their hour of pain and need.

m.

ersten poste - poste premiere - first post

2005-03-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

public diaries. hmmm.... sounds like
opportunity for
trouble /action /interaction
/annoyance /irrelevance
/fun and/or whatever else that
might come clicking this way.

beginnings will be brief. some
publication will be compiled from
existing materials. that should
give more than enough feed for now.
oh, and proper punctuation and
diction to follow.