tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59607384598726678972024-03-13T14:31:34.320-04:00Random CanyonRickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-9434878656688053332017-03-24T21:26:00.000-04:002017-03-24T22:08:13.627-04:00<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="400" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/209998394?loop=1" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/209998394">Mardi Gras flower</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user12239377">Rick Montgomery</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.
This "flower" was produced by a genetic modeling algorithm that creates random shapes, then makes a lot of slightly inaccurate copies of them and scores the second generation for various characteristics of color, size and shape. Then a few of the top scoring members of the second generation are selected as the progenitors of the third generation, and the process is repeated. After a few hundred or a few thousand generations, you wind up with some interesting shapes.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-41795188370665406582012-11-07T23:22:00.000-05:002012-11-11T00:15:23.985-05:00My most memorable poker game<br />
It was a few years ago, before the US government started banning online poker for cash. There was a site, now defunct, where I used to play for play money and "bonus points" that could be used in lieu of cash to enter some tournaments.<br />
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As an inducement to get in in on the action, the site offered 800-player freeroll tournaments with a prize pool of $100. The top prize was $10. I cashed in a few of these tourneys, usually to the tune of ten or fifteen cents for finishing in maybe 25th place.<br />
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One evening I signed up for a $100 freeroll, but before the tournament started, my wife said "Let's go out for dinner." I left myself signed up for the tourney, hoping to get home before all my chips had been blinded off. As luck would have it, I got home with about two big blinds left. If I'd been five minutes later, I'd probably have been out of the game. But I wasn't quite.<br />
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I got K-10 off suit, and moved in behind two limpers for my two big blinds. I got three calls, and hit top pair to win the hand and quadruple up. A few more lucky hands, a few well-timed bluffs - it's amazing how many people think that because you've been on a rush for three or four hands, you're more likely to have the goods on the next - and I was back up to ten, then fifteen, then twenty big blinds. Still well below average but no longer short stacked, I was encouraged by my comeback and determined to give it my best shot.<br />
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By the next hourly break, I was up to a slightly below average stack. Before it was over, I found myself at the final table; I watched players bust out one by one, more than one of them by my own hand, until there were three of us left - and I was sitting there with the chip lead.<br />
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I'd like to tell you that I won that tournament, but I'd be lying. I finished second, maybe third; but I was there at the end with a chance to win it. You've probably heard that all you need is "a chip and a chair;" I've experienced it first hand. I won three dollars and change in that freeroll, and over the next few months I parlayed it into a $90 bankroll. Alas, I had not learned the art of bankroll management, and I soon got cocky and started playing for higher stakes than I should have. The first time I hit a cold streak, my bankroll dwindled to nothing. But I learned two valuable lessons from that tourney: it's really true, you aren't out of a tournament until there's nothing in front of you but felt; and no matter how small your chip stack, you have to play aggressively to make a deep run.<br />
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I still haven't played for anything approaching real money, but I'm going to someday; and when I do, I'll have a wealth of knowledge gained from my experiences online. But the game that I learned the best lessons from is the one I was almost out of before I even started playing.<br />
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<i>This story is participating in <a href="http://www.pokerlistings.com/battle-of-malta-freeroll" target="_blank">PokerListings “My Most Memorable Poker Game” story</a> freeroll.</i><br />
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Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-29445583672443763222012-11-07T23:00:00.000-05:002012-11-07T23:00:03.303-05:00Well, that's over<br />
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I spent the last three days before the election avoiding facebook, twitter, YouTube, radio, and commercial TV. I just couldn't take any more of the negativity, the name-calling, and the vitriol.</div>
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Next election cycle, please remember this: you have friends whose political views don't match yours. And when you post hateful things about the people on the other side, those friends see what you say. When you say the people that disagree with you are stupid, unpatriotic, or evil - you're talking about your friends. And it's hurtful to have your friends call you those things.</div>
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There was a time when people on opposite sides of the aisle could admit that many of those on the other side were well-meaning, reasonable people, who happened to disagree on the best way to solve the problems of the day. They acknowledged each other's patriotism even when they vehemently disagreed on matters of policy. They discussed their differences without calling each other Nazis or communists. They found compromise, and sometimes even common ground. And they made progress.</div>
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We can't go back to those days, but I hope we can regain some of that ethic. You don't have all the answers and neither do I; we can't get anywhere until we learn to listen to each other. And to do that, we need to stop listening to those on our own side who demonize those on the other side.</div>
Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-91683696627280533082012-10-06T15:40:00.001-04:002012-10-06T15:40:23.697-04:00They should all be named PeggyYou've seen the commercials where the guy calls the help line and gets a middle-aged man with a vague foreign accent who identifies himself as "Peggy."<br />
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Well they're ALL Peggy in my book.<br />
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A month or two ago, I got a piece of (paper) mail from Comcast saying I ought to upgrade my cable modem to get the best performance I could get. My old modem, they told me, might not be taking advantage of everything that was available. Probably horse shit, I thought, but no harm in getting up-to-date hardware. They said it wasn't going to cost me anything. So I ordered the new modem, and it arrived a week ago.<br />
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Yesterday I opened the package and read the instructions. It said I needed to go to www.comcast.com/activate in order to activate my new modem, and that I would need my account number and the MAC address of the new modem, both of which were helpfully included on a sheet that came with the instructions.<br />
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I was a little apprehensive about installing the new modem and <i>then</i> trying to activate it - if it wouldn't work until it was activated, I obviously wouldn't be able to get to the activation web site. So, before installing the new modem, I went to www.comcast.com/activate. I was prompted for my account number and phone number, which I supplied. When I clicked the "next" button, I got an error message: "Oops, something went wrong. We are unable to connect to our server. Please try again or click here for assistance."<br />
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I tried again. Same result. I clicked for assistance. Below is the chat session that ensued (you may have to open the image in a separate window in order to read it). The log, since it is not timestamped, does not show the interminable wait I had before each and every line of text from the customer service representative. It does, however, show him impatiently prompting me on one occasion when I took longer than he liked in typing an answer to his question.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I0D6bhvv8jEzx6PYEP0AWmRxtA3Y6iE31B_Sydgcab3x1jn74onpYIf2RgNNIoWaAaVkRUQ0hkDKsIIXPecv9gb1sjcyOefG4yW7AcpGwE6a2IlSXeLIlI_54nzUeCPYRmSryE5p6DA/s1600/hello+peggy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I0D6bhvv8jEzx6PYEP0AWmRxtA3Y6iE31B_Sydgcab3x1jn74onpYIf2RgNNIoWaAaVkRUQ0hkDKsIIXPecv9gb1sjcyOefG4yW7AcpGwE6a2IlSXeLIlI_54nzUeCPYRmSryE5p6DA/s1600/hello+peggy.png" /></a></div>
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So I hooked up the new modem and, to no great surprise, found that I had no internet connection. My router, which is supposed to get a DHCP address from Comcsst, was getting a local address from the modem (which sets itself up as a DHCP server at 192.168.100.1 when it can't connect to the cable network).<br />
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I called the 800 number above. They asked for my name and account number. I gave them. For security purposes, they said, they also needed my street address. OK. Thanks, they said, and now for security purposes, could I please give them my phone number. Sure. Wonderful, they said, now for security purposes (I am not making this up), they needed the last four digits of my Social Security number. I feel so much more secure now, knowing that not just anyone can call them and have them GET MY FUCKING CABLE MODEM TO WORK.<br />
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Finally satisfied that I was not an impostor trying to get the cable modem working for some nefarious purpose, and after asking me for the manufacturer, model number, and serial number of the new modem, they decided they would send the refresh signal and then it would work. They did.<br />
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It didn't.<br />
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After another refresh and about 15 minutes of power cycling, startup self-tests, and rebooting of both my router and my computer, I was back online. But this whole process was needlessly and ridiculously complicated. The instructions were ludicrous: how was I supposed to go to a web site to activate the modem that would be connecting me to the internet? Had they made it clear from the beginning that (a) I would need to either have an alternate internet connection or call the 800 number to activate my new modem, and (b) the modem would require 10-15 minutes to get itself working once it was activated, this whole mess (which took an hour or so to unfold) could have been avoided. Had "Herbert" been able to give me a straight answer, it would have been relatively painless. Had he eventually given me a correct answer, I would have known what I had to do. Had the people I finally spoke with via the 800 number been aware of the time required for the refresh to work, I would have had at least some consolation and less confusion. But this is Comcast I'm dealing with. Their CSRs are all Peggy.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-51723650032989672772010-05-15T10:17:00.000-04:002010-05-15T10:17:03.661-04:00What's next?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is funny.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://reason.com/assets/mc/psuderman/2010_05/government_takeover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://reason.com/assets/mc/psuderman/2010_05/government_takeover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-45603657623574083832009-11-06T21:07:00.005-05:002009-11-06T21:15:10.775-05:00Who said it?"The national government will maintain and defend the foundations on which the power of our nation rests. It will offer strong protection to Christianity as the very basis of our collective morality.... We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit. We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theatre, and in the press-in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess during recent years."<br /><br />Who said it?<br /><br />A. Sarah Palin.<br />B. Glenn Beck.<br />C. Michelle Bachman.<br />D. Rush Limbaugh.<br />E. None of the above.<br /><br /><span style='color:#333333'><br />Answer:<br /><br />E. None of the above. It is from a radio address that aired on July 22,1933. The speaker was Adolf Hitler.</span>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-85655227189946284502009-07-11T09:24:00.003-04:002009-07-11T09:40:12.686-04:00Former CIGNA exec: Michael Moore was rightWendell Potter is former head of communications for CIGNA, one of Amrica's biggest health insurance companies. On tonight's Bill Moyers Journal (PBS), Potter says Michael Moore's health-insurance documentary <span style="font-style:italic;">Sicko</span> "hit the nail on the head" and contains "a great truth" "that we shouldn't fear government involvement in our health care system, that there is an appropriate role for government, and that it's been proven in the countries that were in that movie."<br /><br />Moyers reveals the secret industry plan which successfully blunted the film's message by "radicaliz[ing]" Moore and threatening Democrats with political retaliation if they embraced him or his film. Here's a clip:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mv1FwOCNoZ8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mv1FwOCNoZ8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-16184272492711858682009-07-02T10:29:00.002-04:002009-07-02T11:11:11.764-04:00It was a dark and stormy night...The 2009 winners in the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, the annual competition to write the worst opening line for a novel, have been announced.<br /><br />I won't spoil the surprise and give you the winner, but here are some of my favorites from among the runners-up and dishonorable mentions:<br /><br /><blockquote>It could have been no more than midnight's icy incipit when Clifford, stumbling in hitherto sanguine emprise through the tombstone teeth of the raven lit Kirk-yard like some well-performed but lichen-hushed human bullet-catch, heard the manifest bactrian vociferation which betrayed with desperate flourish the inexplicably wretched fact that his camel was out there, out on the ice - and she was in mortal peril. (Mr. S. J. Crawford, Redlynch, QLD, Australia)<br /><br />On a lovely day during one of the finest Indian summers anyone could remember--a season the Germans call "old wives' summer," obviously never having had Native Americans to name things after, but plenty of old wives, and "Indian summer" in German would refer to the natives of India in any case, which would make even less sense than the current naming system--on such a day, however named, John Baxter fell in the creek and drowned. (Deanna Stewart, Heidelberg, Germany)<br /><br />If she wasn't the poster girl for the word voluptuous, with her not exactly "bedroom," but definitely "walking-down-that-hallway" eyes, her hair a palomino mane rather than platinum blond, lips reminding me of Marilyn Monroe not Angelina Jolie, and that slow hip-swaying walk that sweet-talks a man's thoughts into dim, smoky rooms where R & B is played, she should've been. (Sandra Trentz, Yakima, WA)</blockquote><br /><br />Read the rest, and see the best - er, worst - <a href="http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2009.htm">here</a>.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-5853220745226480642009-06-30T16:47:00.003-04:002009-06-30T17:19:29.503-04:00To the slaughter"They are hauled in crowded trailers as far as 1,000 miles from auctions and feedlots to abattoirs across the border. Many end up in unregulated slaughterhouses, where they are sometimes paralyzed with knife stabs in their backs, leaving them conscious as their throats are slit." <br /><br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2009/06/30/horse_slaughter/index.html">They are horses</a>, and upwards of 72,000 were slaughtered in Canada and Mexico last year. Many of those came from the U. S. Washed-up racehorses, unwanted foals, horses and ponies whose owners can no longer afford to keep them - sold for a few hundred dollars or less, to be shipped across the border and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Xs-OGOnNI&feature=related">slaughtered</a> in "unspeakable" conditions.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-40155018013412925752009-06-30T16:05:00.002-04:002009-06-30T16:05:53.333-04:00Coleman concedes!Welcome, Senator-elect Al Franken.<br /><br />Note to Harry Reid: you've got 60 votes now. Get off your butt.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-47496970548131323962009-06-27T12:28:00.003-04:002009-06-27T12:44:33.275-04:00I reckon notTexas governor Rick Perry recently told the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce that Texans will keep driving pickup trucks no matter how high the cost of gasoline goes, because "You can't put a bale of hay in the back of a Prius. It don't work."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22572">Over at CleanMPG.com</a>, Austin American-Statesman columnist John Kelso relates how he decided to test Perry's statement. Turns out you can't fit a bale of hay in the back of a Prius: you can fit five.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-45358855275119102122009-06-18T20:45:00.003-04:002009-06-18T20:49:36.908-04:00Unprecedented!A network is given "unprecedented" access to the White House. Is this a good or bad thing?<br><br /><object width="448" height="368"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailykostv.com/flv/player.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="flashvars" value="config=http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001852/vxml.php?448"></param><embed src="http://www.dailykostv.com/flv/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="448" height="368" flashvars="config=http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001852/vxml.php?448"></embed></object><br><br />I guess the answer depends on which network it is.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-53529770103095182592009-06-16T21:41:00.002-04:002009-06-16T21:50:04.037-04:00Quote of the weekAndy Ostroy, <a href="http://ostroyreport.blogspot.com/2009/06/freedom-cruise-newt-and-gay-piano.html">writing about the "Freedom Cruise"</a> co-sponsored by Ollie North's <span style="font-style:italic;">Freedom Alliance</span> and the National Rifle Association:<br /><blockquote>So who exactly is the Freedom Alliance? On its website, it states that its mission "is to advance the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States and promoting a strong national defense." As for the NRA, well, that's just an organization of he-man wannabes with small dicks who like to shoot shit up.</blockquote>Who says liberals have no sense of humor?Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-66560287015744609062009-06-13T10:54:00.002-04:002009-06-13T11:16:19.719-04:00Yet anther domestic terrorist attackThe head of a so-called "minuteman" vigilante group is among <a href="http://heraldnet.com/article/20090613/NEWS01/706139922">three suspects arrested</a> for the May 30 murder of a man and his eight-year-old daughter when the suspects allegedly <a href="http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=10526106&nav=HMO5ZryK">invaded their home</a> in Arizona. <br /><br />Yet another case where right-wing activists are obviously engaging in terrorism by any definition of the word. <br /><br />Yet another case where the terrorists are not charged as terrorists. It seems that distinction is reserved for those who <a href="http://rnc8.org/tag/furtherance-of-terrorism/">protest at political conventions</a>.<br /><br />Yet another case where talking heads in the media (are you listening, Lou Dobbs? Sean Hannity? Rush Limbaugh? Genn Beck? Beuhler?) incite the wingnuts to commit violence and go scot-free.<br /><br />I fear for my country's future.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-15742280901332965032009-06-11T10:31:00.004-04:002009-06-11T11:33:17.461-04:00And this is surprising because...?You mean he's not the Messiah? O Noes!<br /><blockquote>"The Obama administration is not going to represent an abrupt departure from Bush-era [secretive government] policy," Steven Aftergood, who runs the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy, told <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06/cia_stance_on_torture_tape_docs_suggests_obamas_ne.php?ref=n">TPMmuckraker</a>. "If we thought they were, we were mistaken."<br /><br />He added that it's no longer realistic to think that Obama's administration will take a strong stand in favor of openness on national security issues. "We have to recalibrate our expectations."</blockquote><br />Recalibrate our expectations? Only if we had unreasonable expectations to begin with. What we have to do is redouble our efforts. Reform does not come from the top - it bubbles up from below. FDR asked the people to make him do the right thing, and eventually he did it; in the same vein, we have to keep the pressure on Obama and make him be the president we hoped he could be.<br /><br />I don't know what Aftergood's expectations were. My expectation, campaign rhetoric notwithstanding, was not that Obama would step in and fix everything. My hope was that with Obama in office, we had at least some chance to have our voices heard. But voices can't be heard if they're silent. We have to write Obama. We have to write our legislators. We must demand open government as policy and as law. Then we should write them again on health care reform, and then on corporate influence in government. We have to write them letters and call their offices and demand they do the right thing on every issue. Then we have to tell our friends what we've done and encourage them to speak up too.<br /><br />I haven't been doing nearly enough along those lines, but I plan - no, I pledge - to start today.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-24961179282589652772009-06-05T15:13:00.001-04:002009-06-05T15:14:40.256-04:00You Bet Your Health!<a href="http://youbetyourhealth.com/">Here</a> is a pretty good model of how for-profit health insurance works. Pretend it's a game show and see if you can win.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-8096539621516120672009-05-28T14:51:00.002-04:002009-05-28T15:24:42.979-04:00Smiles outlawed in VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles has declared smiling <span style="font-style:italic;">verboten</span> when sitting for your driver's license photo. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/27/AR2009052703627.html">I am not making this up.</a><br /><blockquote>As part of the DMV's effort to develop super-secure driver's licenses and foolproof identification cards, the agency has issued a smile ban, directing customers to adopt a "neutral expression" in their portraits, thereby extinguishing whatever happiness comes with finally hearing one's number called.</blockquote><br />And Virginia is not alone, nor first, in forbidding smiles at the DMV. Indiana disallowed smiles - as well as hats, scarves, spectacles, and certain hair styles - <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/1608527/smiles_banned_on_indiana_drivers_license/">last year</a> when it joined about 20 other states that use facial recognition software "to detect fraud in drivers' licenses." It seems Big Brother's machines have trouble distinguishing your smiling face from someone else's, but do a better job if you're deadpan. <br /><br />Ah, the land of liberty!<br /><br />The founding fathers held that among the inalienable rights bestowed on us all is the "pursuit of happiness" - but in today's paranoid society, there's no recognition of an inalienable right to <span style="font-style:italic;">show</span> happiness.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-12395969574407636082009-05-08T11:15:00.003-04:002009-05-08T11:38:50.971-04:0030 Reasons to be a vegetarianHow many reasons do you need to stop eating animals? <br /><br /><embed src="http://www.goveg.com/feat/chewonthis/swf/320-COT.swf" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="335" height="255" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed><br /><br><br /><br />I also recommend this video, if you can stomach it: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4"> <span style="font-style:italic;">Meet Your Meat</span></a> focuses on the unspeakable animal cruelty that is integral to the factory farming industry. I made the decision to go vegan for purely selfish reasons, but I'm pretty sure if I'm ever tempted to go back to eating meat, all I'll have to do is watch this 12-minute documentary again and I'll lose all appetite for animal flesh.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-73049765278100654872009-05-07T14:55:00.002-04:002009-05-07T15:19:43.411-04:00Blackmail in the SenateHow can <a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/05/07/1925394.aspx">this</a> be construed as anything but blackmail?<br /><br />Basically, the message from these Republican senators to the Attorney General is this: <span style="font-style:italic;">So you want to investigate torture in the Bush administration? Step lightly. We know a thing or two about your past.</span><br /><br />These senators deserve to be brought up on ethics charges. If it isn't out-and-out blackmail, it is certainly an unmistakable threat.<br /><br />That said, if there was "extraordinary rendition" by the CIA under the Clinton administration, and Eric Holder approved it, let's by all means get to the bottom of it. And whether it started yesterday or goes back to Warren Gamaliel Harding, the American people - and the nations of world - deserve to know the truth. If America is to be the beacon of justice and democracy we like to pretend it is, there is really no other choice. <br /><br />It's time to appoint a special prosecutor, and let the chips fall where they may. The people should be demanding as much.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-62356395497407781202009-05-05T12:50:00.004-04:002009-05-05T16:47:25.755-04:00It's Nature's Way<blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong<br />It's nature's way of telling you in a song<br />It's nature's way of receiving you<br />It's nature's way of retrieving you<br />It's nature's way of telling you something's wrong</span><br /><br />["<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kknbg7xquQ">Nature's Way</a>", from<span style="font-style:italic;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Dreams_of_Dr._Sardonicus">Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus</a></span> by <a href="http://www.randycaliforniaandspirit.com/spirit.html">Spirit</a>]</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/the-swine-flu-and-worldwi_b_195816.html">Kathy Freston writes</a> that the swine flu and the economy might constitute a wake-up call for humanity, a message that we need to change our ways. "What can we do, as individuals," she asks, "to create a sea change, to halt the mutation of deadly viruses, to say no to out-of-control business practices, to stop creating environmental havoc, and to bring our health up to a better level?" Her solution:<br /><blockquote>A diet high in animal protein bloats us physically by clogging our bodies with saturated fat, growth hormones, and antibiotics; it has been proven conclusively to cause <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/conscious-eating-okay-but_b_104502.html">cancer, heart disease, and obesity</a>.<br /><br />And the meat industry <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html">poisons and depletes our clean air, potable water, and fertile topsoil </a>almost more than any other sector of business. As just one example, the meat industry is responsible for about 18 percent of all global warming--that's almost half again as much as all cars, planes, and trucks combined.<br /><br />And now it's become all too clear that factory farms are breeding grounds for viruses to mutate and become deadly.<br /><br />Basically, our current food choices (the average American eats about 200 pounds of meat annually) are killing us on a host of different levels. Perhaps now more than ever, it's time to clear out old, tired, uninformed ways of eating and opt instead for food that nourishes us, is easy on the planet, and gives the animals some breathing room. </blockquote><br /><br />She also quotes <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=1&th&emc=th">Thomas Friedman</a>: "What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if it's telling us that the whole growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically...?"<br /><br />This echoes a theme from a <a href="http://randomcanyon.blogspot.com/2008/11/last-week-futurist-gerald-celente-man.html">post of mine</a> back in November: global economic collapse might be the thing that saves humanity from itself by forcing us to live small. We can heed the message and live in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living">voluntary simplicity</a>, or we can wait for Mother Nature to smack us down.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-35974336010458392522009-04-28T15:29:00.003-04:002009-04-28T15:49:18.893-04:00Blogroll Addition: AllCarsElectric.comMy old gas guzzler's odometer just flipped over the sixth digit, and I'm still waiting for an Electric Vehicle that fits three criteria:<br /><br />1. I can afford it;<br />2. It will get me to work (~35 miles) and home reliably on a single charge; and<br />3. It is available for purchase on the east coast.<br /><br />While I'm waiting, I read everything I can find that passes for EV news. Today I found a link from one of my favorite sites, <a href="http://www.autobloggreen.com/">autobloggreen.com</a>, to a blog called <a href="http://www.allcarselectric.com/">allcarselectric.com</a> - and I've added the latter to the blogroll. If you know of any other good electric-car or green-driving sites, leave a comment!Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-31332043409237957072009-04-22T16:15:00.004-04:002009-04-22T17:09:08.741-04:00On the road to the new meTwo recent events have led me to make some pretty significant lifestyle changes.<br /><br />One was the personal story of a friend and musical colleague, a retired geneticist who spent years studying cancer, who read a book called <a href="http://www.thechinastudy.com/"><span style="font-style:italic;">The China Study</span></a> and immediately stopped consuming animal protein. He convinced another friend and musical colleague, an MD, to read the same book... and the latter went vegan too! Both of them report that they feel better, they're losing weight, and they're never hungry. Well, I'm about halfway through the book now, and I am avoiding animal protein - especially casein (goodbye, beloved cheese!) - as much as possible. <br /><br />The other event, which came at about the same time, was that my doctor advised me my blood sugar is way too high. It's in the range she said we'll call Impaired Glucose Tolerance or hyperglycemia - "but between you and me," she added, "it's diabetes." So I'm giving up sweets, including sodas and other sweetened beverages; and I've joined a health club.The plan is to do <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_training">circuit training</a> three times a week, and swim twice a week.<br /><br />So far I've been on my low-sugar, not-quite-vegan diet for a couple of weeks, and I started working out just 6 days ago. My (very rough) estimate is that I've lost about six or seven pounds so far. I feel great, and while I can't say I'm <span style="font-style:italic;">never</span> hungry, that is primarily due to the paucity of 100% plant-based food options in downtown Richmond. I'm already getting hooked on this workout thing, and enjoying vegetarian foods when I can get them. And I can't wait until my next visit to the doctor, to see what changes I'm wreaking in my cholesterol, triglyceride and blood glucose levels.<br /><br />I'll post more about all of this as I go, including progress reports. For now, I gotta go. It's time to hit the lap pool.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-10092989056101431342009-03-20T12:54:00.002-04:002009-03-20T13:04:35.708-04:00Audacity has a new name...and its <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/business/20aig.html?_r=1&hp">name is AIG</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>While the American International Group comes under fire from Congress over executive bonuses, it is quietly fighting the federal government for the return of $306 million in tax payments, some related to deals that were conducted through offshore tax havens.<br /><br />A.I.G. sued the government last month in a bid to force it to return the payments, which stemmed in large part from its use of aggressive tax deals, some involving entities controlled by the company’s financial products unit in the Cayman Islands, Ireland, the Dutch Antilles and other offshore havens.<br /><br />A.I.G. is effectively suing its majority owner, the government, which has an 80 percent stake and has poured nearly $200 billion into the insurer in a bid to avert its collapse and avoid troubling the global financial markets. The company is in effect asking for even more money, in the form of tax refunds. The suit also suggests that A.I.G. is spending taxpayer money to pursue its case, something it is legally entitled to do. Its initial claim was denied by the Internal Revenue Service last year.</blockquote><br />This, of course, is the same company that infamously gave executives and others seven-figure bonuses after accepting the aforementioned billions of taxpayer dollars. Apparently the company's management does not subscribe to the adage "don't bite the hand that feeds you."<br /><br />I have one question: why doesn't the new majority shareholder replace the current board of directors with someone more responsive to said shareholder's interests?Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-14035707476260051472009-02-24T15:48:00.001-05:002009-02-24T15:50:13.519-05:00Uncaptioned LOLcatI hate cute cat pictures. But <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYpmzxOkojDQ1rlZfLx9E51XEsE4IJ6A3rfto5I0YLQcQLsfR_ebKJ1gryB-4jh13D9KrUN6j78Etl37u7xOg9ChvOQYQhC7jS4KWOcOg9Dn9DC-Cpnbf7JMPknQ3NM9LLxt2_Dxn6sA/s1600-h/copy_cat.jpg">this one</a> made me laugh anyway. (Tip of the hat to <a href="http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2009/02/former-head-of-fdic-dont-nationalize.html">George Washington's Blog</a>)Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5960738459872667897.post-12535011448709679332009-02-13T11:57:00.002-05:002009-02-13T13:35:13.430-05:00I was listening to NPR's <em><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2">All Things Considered</a></em> yesterday when a <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100620024">passing comment</a> by movie critic Bob Mondello struck a nerve. What presumably was intended as a review of <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963178/">The International</a></em> turned into a dismissal of movies that portray corporations behaving amorally in the pursuit of profits.<br /><br />"In <em>Michael Clayton</em>," he for-exampled, "a lawyer played by Tom Wilkinson despairs, saying he's spent 12 percent of his life 'defending the reputation of a deadly weed killer.'<br /><br />"Outside the multiplex, though, we tend to think of most of these corporate entities as necessary pillars of society. We need our weed killers, after all; though that doesn't mean we trust the chemical companies that make them."<br /><br />We need weed killers? Well of course we do. Freedom from dandelions is one of the basic necessities of our modern life. We need weed killers like we need bottled water and disposable razors. Without them we might be reduced to drinking from the tap, sharpening and reusing our straight razors, and even pulling weeds with our own hands!<br /><br />Therein lies the problem with our modern society. The toxic memes planted in our unsuspecting minds by the subliminal hucksters of Mad Ave (never was there a more appropriate moniker) have driven us to such a constant state of psychological neediness that we can no longer distinguish mere conveniences from real needs. We think it's more important to know which starlet is dating her former gardener than to understand what the <a href="http://www.projectcensored.org/static/1987/1987-story22.htm">chemicals we apply to our own gardens and lawns</a> do to our health and that of our children.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18220365086092153364noreply@blogger.com0