It's a rainy day here today, so we've been taking it easy. We watched My Dog Skip (it's a great movie if you've never seen it, and it's filmed here in Missisisippi), relaxed and had some coffee, and now I'm scanning old photos that my Mom left with me to scan.

It's kinda cool looking through these old photos. Some aren't so old, but all have memories in them.

I had to stay up last night and test out a change to our system. I was up untill about 2am, then they called me again at 5:20am. It's over now, and everything went well, but I think I'll just relax today.

Happy Father's Day!

FathersDay
Originally uploaded by JoeMoab

I got this nicely decorated stepping stone for my Father's Day gift! I think I'll just relax today and ignore the fact that the grass needs cutting.

Off to Camp

Off to Camp
Originally uploaded by JoeMoab

We dropped Little Bit off at camp this Monday morning. She was all excited about her first ever week at overnight camp. Jen was all depressed of course!

So we've been child-free. Jen was bored, so she decided to decorate the guest bedroom. I've just been chilling.

A new day

Sunrise
Originally uploaded by JoeMoab

I was treated to these nice colors when out walking Hershey this morning. I love watching the colors of the sky at sunrise or sunset, and I love it when I think to grab my camera.

It's been over a year since I last posted, and a lot has happened. Hershey has grown into a small pony (I'll post pics later), Little Bit has gotten another year older and smarter, and we've moved into a new house. I plan to most more again to my blog, but I'll make no promises.

Yesterday evening, Hershey decided he preferred the chimnea to his bed.

We got Hershey! He's got a cough, and wasn't very active on Saturday, but on Sunday he came around and was pretty active. I've got to bring him to the vet this evening because of the cough, hopefully it's not anything real bad. Isn't he cute?

Hershey

Hershey,
originally uploaded by JoeMoab.

We're taking a short trip Saturday to go adopt this little guy at an animal shelter. They named him "Mini Hershey", we think we're going to shorten that to Hershey. Isn't he the cutest? (Visit petfinder.com to find other animals to adopt.)

Audio Books Galore!

I've made a recent personal discovery: audio books. It's not like I never heard of them before, nor was it a recent discovery to find free audio books... it's just that I had the occasion to try them out. Recently my company started pushing excercise classes, and offers incentive to go to them. I got tired of listening to the same old music on my mp3 player, so I thought I would try out an audiobook. Once I tried, I found out I loved them and now I can't get enough of them! I've found Librivox, and audio books on Project Gutenberg. I'm currently finishing up Robinson Crusoe. Go ahead, download some, and if you don't have an mp3 player then burn a CD and listen to them that way. (Note that Project Gutenberg has ebooks as well, but I just linked to the Audio Book category.)

My first tomato!

My tomato plants are doing great! They’re about two and a half feet tall now, and I’ve got my first tomatoes forming! The tomatoes are about the same size as the tip of my little finger, but they’re there. I can’t wait until they’re ready to pick and eat.

See more progress on: grow tomatoes

Cookies!

Lifehacker had a link to this article about stress management today, and I like it. I already used to keep in mind that the situation is temporary whenever I'm under stress, but this article stated it well.

Ave Maria, FL

I just heard about the "Catholic Town" being built in Florida. According to some reports, the Domino's pizza founder is building a town which will be strictly catholic. Of course, the ACLU is sticking their nose in, and stirring up controversy. So, I ask, what is the big deal?

They're building a catholic university, and plan to build a town around it based off of traditional family values. First comes the university. Won't most (if not all) the students there be catholic, and hold to strict moral and traditional values? In theory, they will comprise most of the population anyway. So, they won't have a problem with it.

Next comes the town. I just saw an interview with the principal investors on the Today show. They say that it's a misconception that certain things (contraception) will be banned. Yes, it will be discouraged, but not banned. Again, in a town comprised of mostly catholic people, it stands to reason that it would be discouraged by belief alone, not by some governmental statement. Also, anyone can move there of course, you don't have to be catholic.

So, again, I ask... what's the big deal? If I wanted to start a community where everyone is a movie star, or works with movie stars, then more than likely the whole community will hold to similar values and have similar views on things. No governmental restrictions are needed because nobody else would want to live there very long anyway... oh wait, that's Hollywood huh?

I think as the cell phone became more prevalent in our society, people's attitudes have changed. I was at a stop light yesterday and I noticed a "Hang Up and Drive" bumper sticker on the truck in front of me. As the light turned green, I happed to notice the driver in his side view mirror... an old gray haired man gabbing away... with a cell phone stuck to his ear. So, does this mean that it's gradually getting more acceptable to talk on the phone and drive at the same time?

The answer to life, the universe, and everything is forty-two. I thought of this tonight while reading Matthew chapter 1:

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

Yup... the answer is forty-two... the number of generations from Abraham to Christ. That's the answer to life, the universe, and everything. (Reading the Bible is one of my 43 Things goals, I'm starting with the New Testament for now.)

One of my 43 things goals (click on the "My 43 things" link to the right to see my goals) is to take more photographs. I also thought it would be fun to take photos regarding each of my goals I've set for myself. So, here is a photo of me accomplishing my goal of taking more photographs! I know... I'm kinda weird... but then again, I like me that way. Visit my photo stream to see more interesting photos I've taken lately. (Note: I can't figure out which I like better, Flickr or Zoto, but for quick photos I like Flickr and for lots of photos with the same subject [i.e. albums] I like Zoto. That's why in my links to the right, when you click on "My Photo Galleries" you'll go to Zoto, but if you click on "My Photo Stream" you'll go to Flickr.)

Come on. You know you want some. Everybody does. If you can resist these puppies, either you have some sort of weird gene that makes sugar hurt your tongue or you have the willpower of the Dalai Lama. I always end up buying a bunch and eating them all up within a week.

I was on the phone with my dad today, and he asked about my tomatoes I'm growing. He also asked about the bell peppers and why I was growing those. I said that we use them a lot, they're good sauteed with onions on hot turkey wraps, and we also eat them stuffed with taco meat and potatoes and topped with cheese. He just groaned... obviously he hates bell peppers.

Anyway, this got me to thinking... I've heard before that they're not all that nutritious anyway, and that pigs won't even eat them! So I looked 'em up (gotta love the internet!) Well, bell peppers do have nutrients, but they're not as good as broccoli, or lima beans, but they do have onions beat! And about the pig thing, it's not true according to this site about potbellied pigs.

My step-daughter... the bike rider!

Last weekend she was able to start and stop by herself, but she couldn’t do it consistently and she had not attempted to make a turn more than turning a corner. This weekend she has been able to consistently start, stop, and turn around in the street! She can ride a bike by herself now! Of course, she’s not going to be riding by herself, she’s still too young to be riding all by herself. I just have to get my bike’s flat tires pumped up, and we’ll ride together now! I’m so proud of her!

See more progress on: teach my daughter to ride a bike

Going paddling...

While working out this morning, my wife asked about the shirt I was wearing. It was a Chatooga river t-shirt, which I got while white-water rafting with friends a few years ago. I told her about it and said we should go sometime, but first we should probably go canoeing to get her feet wet (no pun intended.) Also, our step-daughter could go with us on a canoeing trip. Now I’ve added this as a goal that I want to do this year!

See more progress on: take my wife and step-daughter canoeing this summer

I have sprouts!

My tomatoes are sprouting! The grape tomatoes appear to be growing faster than the regular, but all are now pushing out of the peat pellets. The packages for the tomatoes say they sprout in about 7 days, they’re a little early, but I’m also using a little greenhouse type contraption. The bell peppers are slower, the package says it could take them 10-12 days, but I do see little feelers poking out of a couple of those seeds.

Oh, and I also got my 6 yr old step-daughter a little “grow your own sunflower” pot at the same time as when I got my tomatoes. It’s already about two inches high, and she’s excited. We’ll have to transplant it sooner than the tomatoes.

See more progress on: grow tomatoes

All by herself now!

She can now start, ride, and stop by herself!  She's not consistent yet (in that she can't always start, or stop), but she's doing great!

Deepest Sender Firefox Extension

I've switched over to using Firefox now for all my web surfing. I like the whole tabbed browsing thing, and the fact that I can download extensions for all sorts of little things. Like this one I'm using now, Deepest Sender. It allows me to post to my blog without going to Blogger.com first. Just a little bonus... oh, and I like how 43 things will post to my blog too when I make an entry under one of my goals. Now I'm truly starting to understand the hype around web 2.0.

Went around the block today...

Well, I’ve been trying to teach my step daughter to ride her bike for a few weeks now. We do a little each weekend.

Last weekend we met the milestone of her being able to ride more than a few seconds without me holding onto her. I think I was more excited than she was! I snatched her up and hugged her and told her I was so proud of her. She just smiled sheepishly and giggled.

This weekend she’s gotten even better. She was able to ride all the way around the block only stopping once to take a rest. During the stop she looked over at me, smiled, and said what was probably the best “thank you” I’ve ever received. Life is good.

See more progress on: teach my daughter to ride a bike

Today I took steps toward accomplishing a couple of my smaller goals I set on my 43 things! I had a workout with my wife, and I started growing some tomatoes! The workout was fun, and I hope to have my wife as a workout buddy more often. The tomatoes I'm not so sure about, I worry that I didn't put the seeds down far enough in the peat pellets but only time will tell!

I found this cool site the other day, 43 things. It allows anybody to keep up with 43 goals they'd like to attain in life. Both my wife and I have set up our goals (not yet 43 though), and now we're off! It's pretty cool, and the link to my list is http://www.43things.com/person/Joemoab , some of which will never be attained, and some of which I can never mark off the list, but could be attained.

Stalkers rejoice! In an era when personal privacy is being eroded everywhere we look, and many people are raving mad about it, it's refreshing to see that some people just don't give a damn. Never mind that this could give a mentally unstable ex the information they need track down their prey, it's great that they don't have to sit next to a perfect stranger.

Just testing blogging using Flock with Flickr photos! That's me... in Detroit... after sledding downhill in the snow last month. It was fun, but as you see the hat messed up my hair.

Our memories are such funny things. Why is it that every time I hear "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice, I think of the first time I heard it? I was at my girlfriend's house (well before she became my wife), it was late, and she had fallen asleep in my arms as we watched the Late Show. Damien Rice came on and performed "The Blower's Daughter." His performance was really haunting, and caused me to go out and buy the CD the next day. Why does this song stick out in my memory so much? Possibly Damien Rice's haunting performance? More likely the fact that this is when I realized I was hopelessly in love with the woman in my arms.

I just read about bedbugs in New York. I've read about them before, but I can't remember why or when. This past September when my wife and I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week I was slightly worried about them. When we got to the hotel, I remember pulling the sheets back and looking around the bed carefully... although I'm not sure this inspection would have netted any results even if they were present.

Our main problem at our house are mosquitos. I don't know why, but they are ALWAYS hanging around our front door area, and invariably find their way into the house. Each night my wife and I see one in our bedroom while watching TV before going to sleep. Now and again I notice one in the bathroom, and go into mosquito hunt mode. I run around slapping the air like a maniac for a while, and usually kill two or three. I've got to figure out how to reduce the population around the front door.

By the way, I was kind of amused while reading the wikipedia article about mosquitos. I noticed that there was a link to another article labeled tin can. I couldn't believe that there is an entry in the wikipedia about tin cans! I guess when the aliens come, they can just access the wikipedia to learn about anything and everything.

Sculpture on the Malecon

Jen and I just returned from our vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The boardwalk in PV is called the Malecon, and there are quite a few sculptures along it. This one, titled "In Search of Reason" shows two children on a ladder, with the mother calling out to them below. I liked it, but my picture doesn't do it justice. Click here to view most of the photos from our trip.

I work now for a very old and conservative company. It's kind of strange in that they have rules and regulations for everything. Dress codes are stringent and well-defined, as are the consequences if you break the dress code. I kind of like these clear rules and regs, but in one place I think they went a little too far:

You must not park your vehicle in a front-in manner; pulling through the parking spaces is not permitted.

The other day, my wife and I were going through the books on our daughter's bookshelf (in order to get rid of older ones or ones that she had outgrown.) We got to this one set which had a series of books, some about pets, and I started laughing uncontrollably when I noticed this one.

Five things I'd like to accomplish/do before I die:

1. Visit Rome. I think I've always considered Rome as the place I'd most like to visit. There's so much history there, plus it's quite romantic.
2. Learn to speak Italian. If I'm going to Rome, I'd like to be able to speak Italian.
3. Learn to sail/Get a sailboat. Ever since I sailed on a catamaran with friends, I've wanted a small sailboat. It doesn't have to be big, but large enough for two at least.
4. Learn to fly. Ohhhhhh yeah! Since I was a small boy this has been on my list.
5. Climb a rock. Technically, I've already done this in Pisgah National Forest... but it was just a 20 foot tall rock. I'd like to climb something larger.

I just loaded some photo albums to the web. View them here.

$521 billion deficit? Send Treasury Department employees door to door selling those $2 boxes of chocolate covered almonds. That will give us a surplus in no time!

I'm not sure I want a chip in my brain to allow me to control my computer with my thoughts, but it sure is cool when you think about it. Or maybe not... Oops, I just did a search for Hot Women in Bikinis... Oops, I just did a search for Pizza and Beer... Oops, just because a picture of a Donkey showed up doesn't mean I was thinking you are an ass...

What is this world coming to?

And that was how the dirty little secret of Wharram Percy was uncovered after centuries of rumor. Frederick Percy (cousin of the village's namesake) was known as "Mad Percy" because of his dalliances in the occult. He kept slaves and regularly experimented on them in various ways. Sometimes starving them to study the results, sometimes purposely exposing them to diseases, and regularly knocking them on the head in order to practice brain surgery. Soon after he exposed his slaves to the Black Death, Frederick met his end in a bar fight.

Today was historic, we are now in the "commercial space flight" era. I like how the guy made fun of NASA.

Also today, John Kerry spent time kissing babies and children...

It's amazing how one thing can jog your brain into association with another completely different thing. One look at this article: BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Science cracks killer bug's code made my brain launch into remembering all of The Plague by Albert Camus.

One of the employees on my team is going home to Hyderabad, India for a month, and asked me if I would like anything from India. This took my by surprise, and the only thing I could think of was a tiny Ganesh statue. I knew from my college years and religion class that Ganesh was one of the major gods in the Hindu religion, although I couldn't remember for what. Anyway, it turns out that he's the lord of success and is worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom, and wealth.

After some research, it turns out that a statue of Ganesh is quite an appropriate gift from Hyderabad. Hyderabad seems to be a progressive city and is viewed as a center of education. My spur of the moment request seems to have been a good choice.

My wife was somewhat distraught to learn of my choice of gifts from India, however. At first she was concerned about my requesting a statue of a Hindu god. I explained to her that to me it wasn't a god, just a symbol of a culture, and since I wouldn't be praying to it or anything there shouldn't be anything to worry about. I likened it to an action figure, just a conversation piece. At least I hope so... the Christian God was pretty clear when He said "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"... I don't plan to put Ganesh before Him, I just view the trinket as a neat little piece of a culture on the other side of the world. (btw... now that I think of it, Hinduism isn't relegated to "the other side of the world", there's a growing community here in Jackson now as well as all over the world. Also, they don't think there are many gods, they think there are many facets of the same supreme being.)

It's been a while since I last posted. I've been a busy bee... I've gotten more responsibility at work, plus I've gotten more responsibility at home. Despite these changes, I plan to start blogging more again.

At work I have been working in a supervisory position until such time as they deem fit to either promote me for good or hire someone else. I think I'd like the position, but it has so many downsides that I'm not totally sure I really want it. I applied for it, and I'm doing it, but it won't kill me if they decide to keep me in my current position. I'm a techie, and as a supervisor I'd lose some of my mad skilz. ;-)

At home things have changed drastically. I got married. Again, upsides and downsides. But I think the upsides far outweigh the downsides in this case! I married a beautiful woman, and got a cute five-year old daughter as well. It's been an adjustment, but it's worth it.

Basic hits 40 - Computerworld The computer language that I first learned is now 40 years old. It's what got me interested in becoming a programmer.

No IT job, no spot at Home Depot So, so depressing. Makes me wonder if I should start saving every little penny I can.

This will really make you think. Your brain will go in circles for a bit trying to sort it out: a US Navy base, holding foreign prisoners, on foreign soil. Whose law applies? Should the US court system be able to hear complaints and act on them? The following statement is what got me:

..more than 600 men from 44 countries who have been held for more than two years at the Guantanamo camp, and about the underlying questions concerning presidential powers in wartime.

Wow... more than two years. To me, it's time for the government to shit or get off the pot.

I'm glad to see this. Finally, a black student-athlete saying that there is no reason to lower admission standards. I've heard of colleges lowering their standards, I've heard of the NAACP saying standardized tests are biased, and I've heard of players dumb as a rock... but finally there's a student-athlete speaking out, all because of a stupid statement by Hornung.

Yahoo! News - At Least 21 Killed in Uzbekistan Clashes I'm so glad I live in the US.

This is news? Oh come on... there isn't a large corporation in America that doesn't contribute thousands of dollars each year to both Republican and Democratic campaigns. This isn't anything new either.

Rhetoric from the left proclaims that the Bush administration is catering to private interests. The fact is, this is done by every politician and the spin-doctors should get over it. In my opinion, it's best to appoint industry insiders to government positions... government could benefit from the streamlined practices of private industry. Admittedly, this could lead to preference in government, but I think this would be small enough that the benefits outweigh the problems.

I was watching the news last night, and one segement called "News in Black & White" came on. In this segment, news stories were shown separately to a group of white people and a group of black people. The two groups were asked about their feelings after watching each story. Not surprisingly, the white and black groups had different feelings, and the black group had feelings related to race whereas the white group did not. I felt that I needed to comment on this.

First off, as a group of people, whites are trained now from an early age not to try to draw any racial inferences from situations. Even if they do, they should not at any cost talk about it. So they wouldn't say anything about race even if they thought about it. Pretty much, we suppress those feelings and don't talk about them often.

I remember seeing one of the news stories they showed to the groups, and I remember what I was thinking. It was about a kid who claims he was harrassed by the cops when they questioned him about a nearby robbery. I agree with the black group... it shouldn't have been news. My reasoning was that the kid (by his own admission) did not respond to the cops when they first asked him over to their car. The dumbass should learn not to ignore a cop. The black group's reasoning, however, stemmed from racial issues. They reasoned it happens every day to black people and you don't hear about it, but since this was a white kid it made the news.

My real point here is that if you dwell on a topic enough, and keep it in your mind enough, eventually everything seems to relate. A devout Jew who is constantly studying Jewish/Christian relations might always see things that seem to point to bad feelings toward Judaism. A devout Christian who is constantly studying sex in the media might always see things that really aren't sexual in nature as bad. A person who is always studying racial tension might see something racial in an innocuous media item. My point is, if you're always looking for conspiracies, conspiracies are all you'll see.

Oh, and this article is what got me to thinking of this... if Japanese people can play a game where they "fight" against their forefathers, why does America have a hang up with racism? The difference is that Japan has left the past where it should be, in the past.

Good illustration of the way politics work. Say you want to cut taxes and get backed by everyone, say you want to up benefits, and get backed by everyone. But point out that doing both of those is impossible, and everyone distances themselves from you.

I agree with Bush, that a marriage should be between a man and woman, but really... is this a matter that needs a Constitutional Amendment?

Damn right this woman should be fired!

One of these days, people will learn that our law enforcement agencies are not infallible.

Science Fiction becoming reality... BBC NEWS | Technology | US military creates second Earth

A group of scientists, including 12 Nobel Prize winners, charged President Bush's administration with "suppressing and distorting scientific findings that run counter to its own political beliefs." US scientists tax Bush on climate. According to one report, cataclysmic global change could push us all into chaos within 20 years. Did this report come from some left-wing liberal tree-hugging group? No, this report was commissioned by the Pentagon. Will Bush listen to it and make his administration take steps to ensure our future? Or will he ignore it like the Kyoto Protocol?

I think this is a cool idea. I would love to do something like this, just to improve my photography skills.

This report is a little off kilter. For one thing, it points out that "the creation of new jobs always overwhelms the destruction of old jobs by a huge margin." True, but misleading. The number of jobs isn't what's important here, it's the jobs themselves. For instance, in my job, one must be a worker for a while before being a manager. That route gets cut when the worker jobs move overseas.

I also found this article about robots interesting.

I'm bored. I wish I didn't have to work today... [clicking heels together three times and chanting there's no place like home, there's no place like home...] HRRUMPH! Didn't work.

Ah.... is it mud-slinging season already?

It was never really a question of should we or shouldn't we, it was only a matter of time.

People, please read your software disclosure statements when you install software. You never know what that corporation really wants to do.

Can the Mouse be bought? This would create another entity to rival Time Warner maybe, but I don't think it will happen.

Next time I'm on the phone with an automated phone system, I'll just yell a few obscenities into the handset in order to get a real person. Wired News: A Way Out of Automated Phone Hell

Please, Please, Please protect your computer, for everyone's sake! Wired News: Cheapskate's Guide to a Safe PC

DOH! I forgot to call my mom on her birthday! I'm such a dumb-ass.

Sign of the apocalypse #2,378,981: Wired News: Popping Pills in Preschool

A very good, balanced discussion of offshoring. I am personally against offshoring for a few reasons.
1- tax money going to another country's work force
2- jobs going to another country
3- quality of work is lower because of translation issues

Speaking from personal experience, the company I work for has used and is still using offshore programmers (India.) I believe you get what you pay for... my manager has said he can get two of them for one of us. That's all well and good, but let's put it in different terms. Our system is like a baby... it takes great care and attention to keep it in good health. When you take that baby to a day care center, cost wouldn't be your top concern, care would.

Another Bad Idea from the Bush administration. Don't get me wrong, I think Bush is much better than Clinton, but he tries to circumvent too many checks and balances.

Another Bad Idea from the Bush administration. Don't get me wrong, I think Bush is much better than Clinton, but he tries to circumvent too many checks and balances.

A strong argument for traffic light cameras and speed monitoring cameras.

Yeah, the boob shot wasn't planned, it's just coincidence thatMTV promised shocking moments.

There are some very sick people out there.

These days, even a company can be based on a lawsuit. Or at least brought back from the brink of death.

Behold! The power of beer. I admire the Russian Army's dedication to that most holy of beverages.

Easiest to Misunderstand Quote of the Month:"'In the end, we are going to do everything within our power to eliminate the practice of 'driving while black,'' [Mass. Attorney General] Reilly said."

A friend showed this to me today. It explains a lot.
Update: found what I think is the original here.

Check out this blog: the cheating culture.

Bush Administration Targets O'Neill After Criticism Imagine that! Well, my take on the situation is that O'Neill is bordering on treason. Any officer of the government in that high of a position and has access to top secret documents needs to keep their mouth shut unless it's a matter of endangerment to the people. The White House's denial of the pre-conceived intent to oust Saddam is their business, it's not hurting anyone. And, I agree that the policy was formed before Bush was ever in office.

That's not to say I'm totally behind Bush. I just think O'Neill is on thin ice. A past member of the National Security Council should only come forward with information they are privy to if they are sure it's for the national good. I can't see how this is for the national good.

It's a sad day:Levi's Closes Last Two U.S. Sewing Plants. Of course, before long, there won't be much production going on in the U.S.

My dad and I were discussing Saddam's capture last night, and the topic came up about how we had both heard that Kurdish rebels had found him first but brokered a deal with the U.S. to "find" him. My dad was skeptical, and his question was "But why?". Well, it turns out that on the same day that he was "found", President Bush signed a controversial new law that gives the FBI power to circumvent the traditional checks and balances and get information from financial institutions without a warrant signed by a judge. Some excerpts:

Dempsey said the Intelligence Authorization Act is a favorite vehicle of politicians for expanding government powers without careful scrutiny. The bill, because of its sensitive nature, is generally drafted in relative secrecy and approved without extensive debate because it is viewed as a "must-pass" piece of legislation. The act provides funding for intelligence agencies.

"In our fight to protect America and our people, to make our world a safer place, we must never turn our backs on our freedoms," said Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-Idaho) in a November press release. "Expanding the use of administrative subpoenas and threatening our system of checks and balances is a step in the wrong direction."

I received some spam from MyShopper.net today. The email came from a MyShopper.net representative of sorts, and states that I ordered something from Factorydirectdeals.net. They would like me to call them to take a survey, yada, yada, yada.

First, I never ordered anything from Factorydirectdeals.net and I never would... their products and web site appear to be crap which makes me highly suspicious of the company in the first place.

Second, the inclusion of a phone number in the email led me to believe they really want to get me on the phone. Possibly to try some telemarketing of some sort, or to confirm my email address is good, or even to try to get personal info from me (credit card number for instance) in some sort of fraud scheme.

When I realized these two things, I did a little research. I find that the FactoryDirectDeals web site is run by In USA Group, Inc. which also runs some other relatively low class shopping web sites. (ShippingOnly.com and ThankUGift.com to name a couple.) Then I recognize a couple of these sites as "Trusted Retailers" on MyShopper.net's web site. This really got my "bullshit-o-meter" revving.

On the web site for In USA Group, Inc, I found this scathing statement on the use of spam as well as this revision. Interesting... very interesting.

But wait... there's more!!! MyShopper.net has a link in the top of their shopping sites list, linking to the National Consumers Alliance. This entity purports to be "America's foremost consumer organization" dealing with consumer rights and advocacy issues. Supposedly, they provide the consumer with discounts and consumer information. Then the kicker... I realize that the 1-888 number in the email is almost identical to the 1-888 number on NCA's web site except for the last two digits. Which probably means the two companies (MyShopper and NCA) are run from the same offices. A little more research reveals it: In USA Group, Inc and National Consumers Alliance are based in the same exact office. 9165 Roe Street in Pensacola Florida. All three companies are based in the same offices.

So, a spam email arrived for me, stating I had ordered something from FactoryDirectDeals.net and that I should call MyShopper.net for a survey. I had not ordered anything (which they know), and the purpose was just to get me to call them. Unfortunately for them, I did research. I plan to call MyShopper.net posing as a gullible citizen to see what they try to do to me. Then I'll call NCA and confront them about their connection with MyShopper.net and the spam I received. Spam from a third party company designed as a front to drum up business for the NCA which is supposed to help the consumer trust online businesses. Priceless!

Stay tuned for more when I get them on the phone Monday!

(UPDATE - 10 minutes later:
AHA! NCA involved in fraud. And I'm going to clue thewriter of this article in to what I found about the NCA as well. )

Ugh. USDA Stands by Mad Cow Detection System: "meat from cows that were too sick or injured to stand or walk unassisted would continue to be allowed to be sold for human consumption". That just makes you wonder doesn't it?

I agree with this article: PowerPoint is dangerous. There are two reasons why I believe this:

1) People tend not to listen to the speaker when a PowerPoint presentation is there. They tend just to stare at the presentation and only take in the points included within.

2) Speakers tend to spend more time on the PowerPoint presentation than what its worth. If an outline were provided to the attendees, the result would be the same and hours wouldn't have been spent on a useless PowerPoint slide show.

I know this from personal experience, both as an speaker and as an attendee. I just recently worked on developing part of a completely new computer system for the company I work for. After it was implemented, a lot of the developers had to give training sessions to the other programmers who were to maintain the system. I sat in some others' sessions before getting mine together, and found that the maintenance programmers weren't paying hardly any attention to the speaker. They were all staring blankly at printed PowerPoint presentations and idly making notes now and again. I didn't use PowerPoint, so most of my attendees stayed awake, took good notes, and I'm hoping the subject sank in better.

I recently went to the movies with a group of friends (LOTR: The Return of the King - VERY good), and came out to find some pizza coupons and an ad on my truck. The coupons were for Domino's Pizza (thanks!) and the ad was for "Semester Break Work". With just one look at the ad, I was sure it was a scam, and I decided I would do some research.

I found that the company has multiple web sites, all geared toward the recruitment of students as sales reps. This, in my eyes, pointed to a scam. (Why would a corporation need so many different web sites?)

I also found web sites and online forums devoted to trying to warn people about Vector's tactics. I have since emailed a couple of university professors who are quoted on a Vector Marketing web site, and hope to receive some more insight into what I am afraid is a company trying to take advantage of students who don't quite yet know the ways of the world.

There's a billboard on a very busy road (County Line Rd.) in our city that catches everyone's attention: We have the way! My girlfriend and I were curious about it, and decided to check it out. We guessed it was religious, and we were right. My question is: why do they assume that the person who has everything doesn't have salvation already?

It's good to see our system of government still works as it should:Yahoo! News - Court Rulings Slam Bush's Terror Strategy. Checks and balances is what it's called. The legislative branch (Congress) enacts laws, while the executive branch (President) enforces laws, and the judicial branch (Supreme Court) interprets laws. Each one can override portions of the others, in a system designed to keep any one person or group from enacting a totalitarian government. Basically, the federal courts are sending a message to Bush: "Respect My Authoritah!" (from South Park)

I've come to realize something which is at first quite simple, but then gets complex and controversial... so brace yourself for what you're about to read. Natural selection doesn't work any more in humans. Natural selection is the process whereby the strongest, most attractive, and smartest mates are chosen to further the species. In nature, the animals that live to maturity are the ones that mate. In civilization, modern medicine allows many more people to live to maturity and mate, unlike thousands of years ago. The gene pool, in my opinion, is actually degrading. People with genetic problems are able to live to maturity and mate. People with mental problems are able to counter balance these problems with medicine and mate. This, coupled with the fact that the term casual sex is a familiar term, leads me to the conclusion that the gene pool is degrading.

Consider a phenomenon that I'm quite familiar with: deer population. In the 1940's in Mississippi, the deer population was almost entirely wiped out from overhunting. The government stepped in, and introduced controls whereby hunting was restricted. Eventually, the deer population made a comeback, and in the late 20th century the hunting controls were relaxed because of overpopulation. I don't think it's coincidence that the percentage of diseased and malnourished deer is also on the rise. With less hunters, and virtually no natural predators in Mississippi, there was no natural selection pressure on the herd. In short, the gene quality of the deer in this region has been degraded by overprotection.

Back a couple of years ago, anger at the terrorist attacks bordered on racism and/or religious persecution. Generally, people talked down about muslims and made reference to their traditional clothing and such. Then, when we moved into Iraq and France wouldn't help, those same people talked down about the french people and government. Well, It's ironic to see that those people who talked bad about both have something in common with the french:
Chirac Seeks Law Banning Head Scarves.

Apparently, the french are afraid that traditional muslim clothing has no place in the public schools. They're afraid that it symbolizes muslim militancy and fear that muslim fundamentalists are getting too commonplace in France. I can hear it now... some folks saying "Well, France finally got something right!" I'm sure some people agree with this... until they find out that the ban covers jewish skullcaps and large crucifixes as well.

This points out a fundamental reason difference between the U.S. and other places of the world. In some places (such as Iran) usually one religion dominates the government, and that leads to persecution (or at least suppression) of people who believe differently. Some places (such as France) suppress all religions equally, trying to stamp out strong believers so they won't cause trouble. In the U.S., our forefathers thought ahead, and although many of them believed in the christian way, they realized that the government shouldn't interfere with peoples' beliefs. In the U.S. you are free to believe what you want, wear what you want, and say what you want - so long as it doesn't hurt or endanger others.

I find this article quite interesting. I think I agree with Steven Lewis who is quoted in the article as saying: "Nerds are highly intelligent but they have no social skills whatsoever. ... Geeks are intelligent too, but a geek can hold a conversation, and have a girlfriend and an active social life." So next time my girlfriend calls me a nerd I'll have to correct her.

WOOT! I just got some phat lewt from a class action settlement from MBNA! (Broder vs. MBNA - misleading cash promotional APR practices)

So, credit cards are evil, eh? Well, I don't really think so. The corporations certainly are, but a tool isn't evil in and of itself, it can always be used for good or evil. For instance, blaming the rampant overextension of credit by Americans on the credit cards themselves is wrong. It's our propensity to spend, spend, spend that is the problem. People need to learn how to manage their money wisely, and also to learn how to curb their spending. A new stereo or blouse are not necessities, food and shelter are the only two necessities.

The handyman's dream site: ThisToThat

Just added comments... got any?

The perfect weekend: good champagne, a bed and breakfast with a view, dinner, a show, and the love of my life.

My girlfriend and I enjoyed a beautiful weekend together. We stayed at the Father Ryan House, which is considered one of the best B&B's on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The room we got had a scenic view of the beach where you could just sit in bed and enjoy some fine champagne while taking in the view. After enjoying the champagne and view, we enjoyed some of the finest dining available on the coast at Mary Mahoney's Ole French House. Delicious! Then, it was off to see the Moscow Ballet's performance of the nutcracker at Grand Casino. The show was quite nice, but the weekend was spectacular.

According to this web page, all good christian men should have short hair. I really don't think God cares what I wear or how I cut my hair, as long as I believe in him and act accordingly. But then again, we all know that long hair eventually leads to womanizing, drug use, and satan worship... right? j/k

I had a conversation about the Patriot Act a while back with a friend. I was worried that the government was going in the wrong way, that over time they would continue to erode the laws that protect U.S. citizens from unreasonable search and seizure. He adamantly maintained that it was nothing like that, that the immediate need overrode any concern about loss of privacy, and that nothing would come of it... and who would be worried besides a terrorist? Well, it is getting worse. Congress just approved a bill that broadened the "financial institutions" that the FBI could subpoena business documents from without judicial review. And what's worse, is that they did it in secret.

Yahoo! News - Dearborn, Mich., Arabs Cited More Often Yes, that's right... rampant discrimination going on under our very noses! Ye gods, what made the percentage of middle easterners being prosecuted jump from a measly 32 percent to a staggering 36 percent in a short three year period???? I thought that past statistics were a sure-fire prediction of future happenings! Never mind the fact that an ethnic type that accounts for a third of the population has about a third of the prosecutions... they're getting prosecuted a whole 4 percent more from September 2002 through 2003 than in the year prior to September 11, 2001. Wait... er... what happened from September 11, 2001 through 2002? Hmmm... apparently those statistics don't matter. Oh well, what a travesty for them to be prosecuted a whole 4 percent more than a year in the past, there's no reasoning in a statistic changing at all!

I hereby establish The Center for Statistical Normality to rally against statistics ever changing! We will petition God to prevent such abnormalities as the number of people struck by lightning in Florida from ever rising above their average per year. I'm sure we can get funding from insurance companies, who would just love to make statistics a sure prediction of the future.

'Spyware' steps out of the shadows | CNET News.com Quote: "We have vendors waiting in wings to see what we come up with. They want to see what's ethical." That's the business world these days for you... the corporations with all of their top brass who have business degrees and lawyers backing them up still can't decide for themselves what's ethical and what's not. Here's a simple guideline: if you wouldn't want it done to your daughter, son, wife, husband, siblings, or parents, then it's probably not ethical.

Hawaiians-only policy at school upheld. That's right... a federal judge ruled that a school could base admissions on race. Here's the ruling. Part of the reasoning for the ruling is the historical nature of the school, and the fact that the school receives no federal funding. So? I do believe that in the past there have been rulings against private schools, and against private clubs when it comes to civil rights. But I'm no judge.

My girlfriend and I were snuggled up watching that most romantic of shows The O'Reilly Factor a few nights ago, and the topic of the night was "Is Gangsta Rap Hurting America's Children? On the show, they had a principal of a Philadelphia elementary school, a rapper (Cam'ron), and a rap producer (Damon Dash.)

During the introductions, the principal said he was a fan of hip-hop and how he spoke to students about his being on the show and that they were excited about how he would be "conversating with you guys". At this point my girlfriend and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing. The principal had just used a non-word. Maybe he picked it up from the song "Conversate" by Case.