Fatigue

Iranians say Israel spat is really about nukes - Mideast/N. Africa - MSNBC.com

Fatigue is a relatively common consequence of the constant barrage of news the media feels fit to present to us. My fatigue runs deeper than that. It is born of the epidemic spread of ignorance and stupidity that come from our leaders, media and even our neighbors. Nobody (well, the vast majority of people) bothers to look past what is offered to them, and take everything as gospel. In my world, I'd ensure that every man, woman and child were always made to keep up-to-date with current events. It would be an integral part of the education system. And they'd be required to form opinions based off of what they learned, and then defend them.

I know not all of my opinions are correct, and that many of them are biased. But understanding this is the first step to wisdom. So few ever seem to take that first step. And so few really seem to grasp the ultimate consequence of ignorance.

People are always giving me shit!

Log of Poo

Yes. It is exactly what you think it is. So be warned.

And if you are thinking something other than "it's a blog of a guy who takes pictures of his turds," then, well, it's a blog of a guy who takes pictures of his turds. And posts them.

Some people need a better hobby. Or a job. Or a lobotomy. Or (D) all of the above. Like me! *drool*

I am such a Star Wars geek

CNN.com

I scored 10 of 10, and some of these questions are pretty obscure.

Nothing says "Happy Halloween" quite like this:

CNN.com - Body hanging from tree mistaken for Halloween decoration - Oct 28, 2005

Don't get me wrong. I feel for the woman's family (etc) and all. But this is funny...in a very gallow's-humor sort of way (pun intended). People at work heard about this and laughed. Maybe I just work with a bunch of psychopaths. I don't know. Always wondered why I fit right in.

Not your typical science fair project.

CNN.com - Students launch satellite into space - Oct 27, 2005

There's only one word that can accurately sum up this entire article and the events described therein:

COOL!!

Circumcision: Cutting the HIV Rate?

Circumcision: Cutting the HIV Rate? - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

These people are citing studies that say the chance of HIV infection is reduced by 60% if you are circumcized. They, however, do not tell you WHY this is. They throw numbers at you and expect you to think that a circumcized penis is somehow more resistant to HIV transmission. Why? Why, why, why?

They so far remain silent.

This kind of statement is akin to, "The vast majority of Lower Slobovian citizens vocally approve of the dictatorship." No statement as to why, but you can probably guess why.

In regards to circumcision, I can make an educated guess as to "why:" the foreskin is to the penis as the clitoris is to the vagina. The amount of nerve endings in the foreskin is very dense compared to the rest of the penis. You remove the foreskin, you remove most of the sensitivity of the penis. Therefore, it is less enjoyable, and therefore you have sex less often. Sounds kind of strange considering men are pictured as wanting to be as active a rabbits, but it still makes sense. Why do something if there isn't as much enjoyment in it? Or, perhaps the lack of sensitivity is what leads to sexually-related "issues," such as stamina, erectile dysfunction (can't transmit HIV if there's no semen...blood on the other hand...), and simply not being able to "get off" because of a lack of sensitivity.

So I'm willing to bet the biggest reason why circumcision helps control HIV is because of these sensitivity issues. Until the medical world is ready to enlighten us with another plausible reason, I'm sticking with this theory.

Wah wah wah bankruptcy reform wah wah.

Bankruptcy Blues

I find it mildly humorous that we have all these political cartoonists slamming the Republicans, corporate interests, credit card companies, etc, on the issue of bankruptcy reform. To what purpose does all this cartooning serve? Has it changed the law? No. Will it? No. Not unless Americans get off their lazy asses and vote out the knuckleheads that are in office. Will we?

If the 2004 election is any indicator, probably not.

Surprised, I am.

Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?



Yet another nugget I picked up from WWdN (in exile).

"I thought I was living in America."

CNN.com - Officials seize sex offender's baby - Oct 22, 2005

You are. Haven't you noticed? You can kill tons of people, steal their money, threaten the government with terrorist acts...but plead guilty to rape and sodomy and damned if you can ever be a parent.

Now, if the guy was a pedophile, I would support the court's decision to keep the *father* away. But they also took the baby from the mother (who has a history of drug abuse). She gets "visitation" rights.

So. Instead of giving the mother counseling (if she's still on drugs, which the article fails to indicate), let's just destroy a family coz, hey, we're Big Brother, and we can do whatever we damn well feel like.

Anyone remember my post about licensing parents to have kids? I'm telling you, it's coming. I didn't say so in my previous post, but I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the government would LOVE to take this next step. Soon they'll not just be issuing licenses to consenting adults, they'll be telling us WHO we can breed with. "Hand Picked by your government!" the tag will say.

Just like in 1984. It's just coming a few decades late, that's all.

Whole new levels of stupid

CNN.com - Hospital patient taken to face U.S. marijuana charge - Oct 13, 2005: "The Supreme Court ruled in June that people who smoke marijuana because their doctors recommend it to ease pain can be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws, even in states like California that have laws permitting medical marijuana use."

I find it no wonder that this country is slowly circling the drain. We have forgotten the virtue of mercy. Why do lawmakers think it is THEIR God-given right to know what's best for a medical patient!? Why the fuck do we even have doctors if they cannot do their jobs.

And to essentially torture this guy who was only trying to make his life better is beyond asinine. I have to live with pain daily (though not as bad as this guy I'm sure), so I can completely empathise with him and his situation. As I've said before (in a much, MUCH earlier post), I don't understand why we Americans (as a majority, apparently) are so against marijuana; when there are more destructive things out there than a little whacky terbacky.

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Has Hugo Chavez performed well?

BBC NEWS | Have Your Say | Has Hugo Chavez performed well?: "Is partisan politics distracting us from more pressing social issues? Would we achieve more if we threw off the bonds of ideology and instead attacked things from a neutral perspective addressing only the issues at hand?" (spelling corrected by me)

Couldn't have said it better myself, Pedro.

Maybe they need a USA over there...

Abducted Saddam trial lawyer found dead - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

I'm not talking about a "United States of America," but a United States of Arabia. These Middle-Eastern countries ought to band together, at least in an EU fashion. Cooperate in intelligence, economy and security matters. Perhaps this would (a) ease insurgency amongst the Muslim countries and (b) reinforce the unity that is supposed to exist amongst all Muslims (there's a Muslim word for this unity that I cannot recall). This USA should be based on common tenets of Islam, and really should consist of every single Muslim state in the area--Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, etc.

Anyway, there's a random thought for you. I linked to this article because of this piece from the article: "For months, the Shaab district where al-Janabi was captured has been the scene of attacks by insurgents and violence between its mixed population of Sunnis and Shiites." It seems to me that the entire Middle East and not just Iraq is heading towards Balkanization.

That sucks. It means that not only will oil be negatively affected, but the human cost will also be high. Perhaps that is what the Powers That Be want: keep oil prices high so they can get even more money. Fucking ridiculous.

Appropriate and proportional sentencing

'Zombie' ring allegedly hit 1.5 million computers - Security - MSNBC.com

Yeah, I know. These guys haven't gone to court yet. But I thought I'd take the moment to explore "appropriate and proportional" punishment should these yahoos be convicted.

Let's say, for example, for each infected computer, it costs the victim $5000 in lost money and stolen credit (plus additional damages from trying to repair victims' credit, law enforcement, etc). Multiply this by 1.5 million and you're talking about $7.5 billion in losses and damages.

Now, let's take a human life. Yes, I mean what it sounds like. Let's say our murder victim is 35 years old and would've worked for another 30 years at $30,000 a year. That's $9 million per person, NOT including the intangible value of life in general.

So. These people are (approximately) responsible for $7.5 billion in losses and damages. One murder is tangibly worth $9 million. So, $7.5 billion / $9 million per murder = 833 counts of murder.

These people should receive a sentence equivalent to a person that has committed 833 acts of murder.

I realize this number is probably far from accurate, but do you see my suggested idea? We need to drop the hammer on people like this. There are thousands--nay, millions of people affected by this kind of crime. They all work their asses off to get the little bit of money they get, just to have some jolly ass jerk-off come along, type at a computer for a short bit, and walk away with their personal info and money. I think the justice system in the Western world is way too soft on shit like this. Cut their fucking hands off, like they do in the Muslim world. Then shove an Ethernet card up their ass and plug it in.

This is so wrong.

Survivor: Tatooine

So wrong. So very, very wrong.

Wow. We DIDN'T elect a bunch of knuckleheads!

CNN.com - 'Cheeseburger bill'�puts bite on lawsuits - Oct 20, 2005

AMEN! I hate it when people can't take responsibility for their own actions. When it comes to drug addiction, sure, the person is dominated by the addiction. But the person didn't get addicted in the first place without making a choice. Choose wisely. And if things go wrong because of your choice, don't fucking blame it on McDonalds or Phillip Morris (outside of the fact that they allegedly lied to consumers in the past--that's a whole different animal) or Slimy Joe the dealer on 5th and Main. YOU chose to start that habit. YOU are responsible for its consequences. Take some fucking responsibility for yourself and then MAYBE things will improve in your life. Nobody's gonna save you.

Except Jesus. But that's on a different plane. I'm talking about the physical you. Actually, when you think about it, when you accept Jesus into your life, that IS one way of taking action in your life. You subscribe to a faith system that promotes faith, love and (strangely enough) self-responsibility. And, therefore, you begin to take charge of your life, for the better.

Okay. So. Long story short: kwitcherbellyachin'!

Time for a little sociological thought experiment.

CNN.com - Mother accused of tossing�children into San Francisco�bay - Oct 20, 2005

How do you stop something like this from happening? Was there something in her psyche--or even DNA--that made her predisposed to being such a psychopath!? Shouldn't there be some kind of screening method to prevent this from happening?

A train of thought like this would make the hairs on the backs of the necks of every card-carrying ACLU member stand straight up. Because what I'm talking about here is licensing people to have kids. If you have a predisposition towards KILLING your children, for example, you should get sterilized.

Now those hairs have probably shot into orbit.

Seriously, though. I don't SUPPORT such a drastic measure. But it leads to this one thing. People who know better have at least said "Are you f*cking KIDDING me?" when I mentioned parenting licenses. The general reaction would be that such a thing should not be allowed.

But that doesn't answer my very first question. How do you stop something like this from happening!? You can't just flat-out reject an idea without having a new one. Here's a conversation. It's kind of like a thought experiment. It's more like a artificial dialogue:

"We should pre-screen people for dispositions to harming their children in some way. If they are predisposed to these traits, they should be sterilized."

"You can't do that! It's a violation of basic human rights!"

"So what do YOU suggest to prevent nutjobs from hurling their children into the bay?"

"Uhhhhh...." *long silence* "...uhhhh..."

Exactly.

So how do you prevent something like this from happening without playing God? In fact, when it comes to protesting ANYTHING in general, don't just say, "That's No Good." Suggest an alternative. Otherwise, the "no good" ideas will end up passing for a lack of a better alternative.

Think!

...and Elvis Presley is really Jesus reincarnated as an alien from the planet Clarion.

The Sun Online - News: Squirrels go nuts on crack

It must be true... I read about it in the Sun!

Note: This is a JOKE if you haven't figured it out.

The majority rules.

Saddam villain to some, hero to others - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

Here are the facts, as I have seen them:

1. The Sunnis (a majority of them, anyway) reject the new Iraqi constitution (although the vote count isn't official yet).
2. The Sunnis (a large number of them, anyway, base off of the above article) support Hussein.

There is more going on here than just trying a war criminal and/or creating a new democracy. These Sunnis we're talking about aren't foreign, nor are they insurgents. They're Iraqis. And yet, it seems to me that the Sunnis are the two-time losers in this campaign in Iraq. Something is not quite right here. I don't believe it is engineered to be this way, but this is a serious situation that needs to be addressed. We're setting things up for a great fall; and with each passing day as I read these things, I hope--not believe--that President Bush knows what he's doing.

5 myths about nude vacations - Travel Tips - MSNBC.com

5 myths about nude vacations - Travel Tips - MSNBC.com

I'm lazy today. I thought I'd post a relevant link for those out there "uneducated" on the realities of nudists. No further comments. Enjoy!

A whole new meaning to "drive-thru" dining.

After Burger King Crash, Man Parks, Eats - Yahoo! News

They probably didn't press charges on the guy because he was a paying customer. Never dis the customer. Or press charges. Coz then other piss-poor drivers will boycott your restaurant. And God knows how many of them (bad drivers) there are on the roads! Can you say "loss of revenue?"

My baby's first words were...

ABC News: Can Dolphins Stimulate Brain Growth in Babies?

..."So long, and thanks for all the fish."

Democracy truly in action

Large turnout for Iraq constitution vote - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

Quote: "Sunnis appeared to have turned out in surprisingly large numbers Saturday, many of them saying they were voting to reject, suggesting the final results could be close."

So what if the constitution gets rejected? That's part of the process of democracy. If a less-than-adequate constitution gets "voted" in, then democracy has truly failed. If, instead, the constitution is not what it should be, and if all Iraqis get together and actually try again; then democracy has truly succeeded.

Personally, I think the people of Iraq should reject the charter. I say this, why? Not because I've read the charter and thought it is wrong; but because it is apparent that support of the charter is divided amongst ethnic lines. THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM! The Sunnis are right to reject the charter; not solely because it has the potential of relegating them to second-class citizens (or whatever), but because it has the potential of dividing Iraq. Politically and geographically. It is in the best interest of democracy to try, try again until there is adequate support amongst all ethnic lines. The last thing we need is the Balkans in Iraq.

My greatest wish is that God--or Allah--watches over this process and allows for the best outcome for all of the Iraqi people.

Her nose is too pink.

Will laughter be death knell for Miers? - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

Read the last paragraph in this article. I think she needs a darker shade of some color on her nose. It's too pink. (rub rub)

In my opinion, this is the first truly laughable selection that President Bush has made. Generally, everyone else he nominated to whatever post (Cabinet, court...) has had something to bring to the table. Miers just likes to kiss ass.

Sigh.

"Easier Said Than Done"

BELLACIAO - Poll: Americans Want Bush Impeached - David Swanson - Collective Bellaciao

My comment is number 3. It begins with "Easier said than done." Go read.

In addendum, I believe the Powers That Be mollify us not just with material trappings, but with violence on TV and in the media. We get to watch these violent acts and see some kind of solution to the situation (as is common on TV, for example, when the cops get the bad guys). From that, we feel some level of vindication in our lives, because the "bad guys" on TV were at least stopped. But the "bad guys" in real life continue doing what they're doing. But as long as they can maintain this illusion of vindication, we Americans will sit happily by and let our world go to hell.

If this is, in fact, true...

BELLACIAO - Iraqis apprehend two Americans disguised as Arabs trying to detonate a car bomb - iraqwar - Collective Bellaciao (emphasis added)

What. The. Fuck!??!? If this is true, then one has to wonder if everything--Saddam, al Qaeda, 9/11--EVERYTHING is just one big show. Let's not forget that we (supposedly) knew the Japanese Navy was coming for Pearl Harbor; yet we did nothing so we COULD have that war.

This falls under the category of "It wouldn't surprise me."

Dear Mr. Alien,

I don't care what kind of wierd experiments you do to me, just GET ME THE FUCK OFFA THIS ROCK!

Sincerely,

Blogger.

B'tzelem Elohim

What God Made Us Good At - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com

Update: I see that several people have come to this site because of this blog entry. MSNBC has a link to here. I imagine people come here looking for some kind of sage commentary on the article by the rabbi. Sorry. I have nothing better to say than what the rabbi has already said.

That having been said, though, I should note that part of the reason I write on Why is to explore what does make me happy. I spend a lot of time wondering what my purpose is; and I know for a fact that I have completely forgotten what it is that I actually enjoy doing. So I think about it, and think about it. I still don't have a good answer. The rabbi's article threw this fact into sharp relief, and the realization was rather painful.

The past few posts have had to do with space-type things; and I've been spending a lot of time on American Antigravity. There's no doubt in my mind that being in space would make me ecstatic, but like the rabbi said, being able to do what makes you really happy is like winning the lottery.

Anyway, enough of the "wah wah wah." I will continue to look for that substitute to the dream I lost from when I was a little child. I don't know if I'll ever find anything, though, but you never know.

groovin' baby!

Pandora

I got turned on to this by (guess who) Wil Wheaton dot Net (in exile). Essentially, you give it a song, and it searches its database for songs that are similar to the one you suggested. It then plays them for you. You get 10 hours free, then it's $36 a year after that.

I suggested "Sunrise" by Simply Red. Pandora barfed back "Lady" by Modjo, probably one of my favorite house songs ever. Far fucking out, maaaaaaan!

Oh boy. You won't even GUESS how I got to THIS web site.

MYSTERY LINK! Don't even MOUSE over this yet. Go to Google.com, and enter "failure" in the Search box. Then click, "I'm feeling lucky."

Betcha this guy doesn't feel too lucky! Mua ha ha ha!!! (laughing like Dr. Evil here)

May still not work by the time you read this. Got this from Wil Wheaton dot Net (in exile).

The "crackpot" makes a logical statement

: "Such a policy, of course, is directly due to 'Brookings' -- the official NASA report of almost 50 years ago (1959) -- which warned the U. S. Government that any scientific evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence 'could be destabilizing to terrestrial governmental institutions, if not the future of civilization ... '"

This is logical. I don't know how many people here are aware of the panic induced by the radio airing of "War of the Worlds" back in the 1930's, but that would be a test case proving that what the web author (and NASA in general) had said would be true--the official announcement that we are not alone could prove disastrous.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say. And considering the herd mind of humans, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone went in a mass panic if the government DID say, "Yep. There are aliens out there." So they keep it hush-hush.

Fuzzy images--the first and last resort of the quasi-scientific crackpot

Iapetus

On this link, you'll find "evidence" suggesting intelligent life was once on one of Saturn's moons, Iapetus. Now, the straight line girding the globe of the moon (well, about half of it) is definitely uncanny. But then the author purports that this image proves there were buildings on the moon.

Note how fuzzy the picture is. Just like all that "proof" of UFOs, Bigfoot, etc.

Sorry, but I remain unconvinced. Once there are crisp, clear images of this terrain will I say there were cities on Iapetus.

But that mountain range/wall is still uncanny.

Why our universe continues to expand at an ever faster rate (?)

What is Bose Einstein Condensate?

Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC) is a "fifth" form of matter. It is matter cooled to absolute zero (see the link). Now, if you search around on this same website, it will discuss the size of the universe and that it is expanding ever faster. Why would all the matter in the universe (dark, normal and strange) force itself to accelerate? Something beyond the boundary of our universe should be pulling, by all logic.

What if "outside" of our universe, it is all BEC? No energy has hit it yet, so it must be at absolute zero. Once the universe expands to that point, the BEC "warms up" a bit and becomes space as we know it. Does that mean that there's an infinite amount of BEC out there? What if there is "space" beyond the BEC, from a former universe that cooled out of existance? Then it would be like the ripples on the surface of a pond...waves of BEC interspersed with normal space.

Anyway. There's a highly-caffienated thought for the morning.

meenee meenee blip! blip! woo woo woo...

What is Cydonia?

No major comments from me on this. Read for yourself and see what you think. I've seen pictures of "the Face" when the Sun hits it at different angles, and it looks nothing like a face. But the discovery of the repetition of 19.5 degree angles in the area is kind of uncanny.

Can't do it sober...

I play World of Warcraft. If you've never heard of it before, then I have to ask, "What rock have you been hiding under?" No, but seriously. It's a kick-ass online RPG game. They have this thing called "PvP", which stands for "Player versus Player." You fight other players.

I've found that if I'm completely sober, I'm all stressed out, can't find my "hotkeys" (keyboard shortcuts that make your character do things to kill your opponent), and suck in general. After about 4-6 shots of Jack Daniels, I'm calm and completely whoopin' ass.

I have a cousin who cannot drive sober. He swerves, his reaction time sucks. Got into accidents that way. After 2 beers, though, he's perfectly fine. I don't advocate drinking and driving...but don't you find that kind of odd?

Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you.

Cheers!

Net traffic resumes between feuding providers - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Net traffic resumes between feuding providers - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com: "Roughly 15 percent to 17 percent of the Internet was affected"

You'd think the government would've stepped in immediately. At least it was only two days (Wednesday through Friday afternoon). Still. And the thing is, Congress could've stepped in and told these two companies to stop being dicks, because they have the Constitutional power to regulate commerce (Article I, Section 8). I'd wager that if this "feud" had lasted longer than a couple days, Congress would've taken action.

If they woudn't have, then for shame.

Waiting for a rooster to crow

Palestinian: Bush said God guided him on war - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

The jist: A Palestinian leader is quoted as saying he heard Bush say that God told him to go to war on Iraq and Afghanistan, and to push for a Palesitinian state. The Palestinian leader inferred that nobody believed that Bush was actually hearing voices. Excerpt:

Shaath said he stood by his recollection of Bush saying he had been “driven with a mission from God” when he sent U.S. troops into Iraq and Afghanistan and also lent his support to the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.

But Shaath told Reuters on Friday, “We never thought that he literally had God speaking to him.”

In advance excerpts from the television series “Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs” to be broadcast this month, Shaath says: “President Bush said to all of us: ’I’m driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, ’George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan’.

“And I did, and then God would tell me, ’George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq.’ And I did.

“And now, again, I feel God’s words coming to me, ’Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East’. And by God I’m gonna do it’,” Shaath quotes him as saying.

The White House claimed that "he's never made such comments," and that the remarks made by Shaath were "absurd."

Cock-a-doodle-do!

So what? So what if God is leading President Bush by the nose, telling him to do this and that in the world?

...

Okay, so it does make him out to be a nut bar. But still. If the above comments allegedly made by the president were solely allegorical, I would stand by it. But then, I guess people would start seeing Bush as a religious nut, not just your run-of-the-mill sociopath. But, I mean, c'mon, Mr. President. You're in your last term! Who gives a fuck!? What are the voters gonna do? Not vote you in next term? Be crazy. Let it all hang out (err...no, not literally).

Or maybe some people will see it as grounds to have you removed from office...a crazy person in the presidency? Wonder if people will charge that it's grounds for being incapacitated. Think about it: someone just about through the looking glass with their finger on the button. Eeeek.

So even if the alleged statements were nothing more than a figure-of-speech, people would still use it against Bush. This is politics after all.

I still think stabilizing the Middle East and toppling tyrants is noble in thought, at least.

UPDATE: 3/22/06. Heh, I just found out I only saved this as a draft and never posted it. Duh. Anyway, just above there I stated there'd be people trying to remove Bush from office? Well, this isn't quite it, but there has been talk of censure and even some talk of IMPEACHMENT.

What if Bush is smarter than he looks?

Gateway Pundit: Brits & Saudi Arabia Join to Attack Iran

Let's face it. President Bush is not a popular president. His invasion of Iraq, and the quagmire we find ourselve in because of it, has got to be one of the biggest boondoggles of his political career.

But history may prove him right.

Read the link I posted, then read my comment. Think about it. Allegedly, al Qaeda is funded in a major way by prominent people in Saudi Arabia. The US is dependent on Saudi Arabia because of its oil. Bush wants to not be dependent on "foreign oil," so he wants to do exploratory oil drilling in the natural preserve in Alaska. Tax bills have been passed to help promote fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrid cars. We're also doggedly trying to stabilize Iraq (a leading exporter of oil, behind Saudi Arabia and--I think--Venezuela).

Why? Is it simply because of the oil? Recent history should show that our invasion of Iraq has disrupted the oil industry (oh, okay, it's made the oil barons even richer). So I'm not so sure it has to do with oil money.

Let's take it the next step. We're no longer on Saudi Arabia. We have found gangs of oil in Alaska, and Iraq is relatively stable (despite the foreign militants still bombing places, many of which are from Saudi Arabia, apparently--why would Saudi militants want Iraq unstable--they're not just killing American soldiers--they're predominantly killing IRAQIS). We have only admonished Iran for its nuclear program, so Iran is stable.

We take out Saudi Arabia, becuase it IS a huge supporter of al Qaeda.

Surprise!

If this is true, or something close to it, and it cripples al Qaeda so horribly, President Bush will go down as one of the most strategic and wise presidents of history. Unpopular as hell, but maybe Bush knows something we don't. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Quick comment on DRM

Boing Boing: Reporter vows to fight DRM

Microsoft and Apple, apparently, modify digital music files that are downloaded to your computer so that they can only be played with MS/Apple technology. I can understand modifying digital music files to prevent pirating, but forcing consumers to HAVE to buy your product to listen to their legally-purchased music is just one more step towards digital hegemony.

so alone...

I stumbled upon a feature that Google has that allows you to see who links to your site (http://www.google.com/help/features.html#link). Nobody links to my site but me. Sniff. So alone... nobody likes me. I mean, come on, do I suck that badly?

Don't...don't answer that.

Wake-up

waiterrant.net � Legion

Reading this recent post by Waiter brought some things into sharp relief. The biggest thing that has been gnawing at me lately is the fact that I'm in a relationship that, as it appears to me, is devoid of love. What's even worse is that I'm sure my partner feels the same way (and has said so in so many words). So we're both guilty and deserving of what we're getting.

Well...no, we don't deserve it. It is just a consequence of our actions--or inactions. We're not to blame, in so much. But we're responsible for our situation. I don't think we can ever get back what we once had. I just hope she can find what she's looking for, because she DOES deserve it.

And so do I.

Victoria gets even wilder

Thong hung blue? - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "'I walk the mall. I've been walking the mall for nine years,' said Jana Spencer, 53, of Vienna, who said she has three grown children. 'This is shocking. This is semi-pornographic. This is insulting.'"

Three words: Wah, wah, wah. God God, woman: they're mannequins in underwear. It's not like Superbowl halftime or anything like that.

Or is it? Hmm...

Okay, I looked at the MSNBC.com video feed. Four words: Whoo Pah Dee Doo. Man, some people need lives. There are people starving in the streets, others who will be without (or with very little thankyouverymuch) heat this winter, people are getting killed here and abroad...and people are all bent out of shape over mannequins???

GET A CLUE, PEOPLE! There are MUCH more important things in life than racy lingerie displays.

Sheesh.

THE BOOK ITSELF

Blog-happy am I? Apparently so.

You can now find Voyage to Xanadu, in its entirety (eventually, bit by bit), at http://freexanadu.blogspot.com/ It's called "free Xanadu"...not like some kind of mob chant outside a prison, but because the reading of the book is free. Read it as you like. I also will throw in bits of trivia and history, as well.

Okay, NOW this is the last Voyage-related post here. No. Seriously. What, don't you trust me???

Feeling Lost, or, This May Be More Than You Want To Know

It's breaktime. I've stumbled across blogs of people either having to go through heartbreak or having to witness it. Things were once so wonderful, but now have gone oh-so-wrong. It's like some kind of woeful old country song. Insert your standard cliche here. You get the drift.

It got me to thinking about the relationship I'm in. She was once wonderful, and I mean "air that I breathe" kind of wonderful. When we had sex, it was like taking in a breath of the freshest air imaginable. We used to just hang out together and talk about anything and everything.

Three years later, we seem to find more fun finding fault in each other. I think it must be almost two weeks since we last shared any kind of intimate moment together. And (if she ever reads this) it's not because I don't "want" her (as she stated last night), because I do. But, more specifically, I want her as I knew her once before; and I'm sure the same could be said towards me. It also doesn't help that she seems so much more interested in other people. It makes me feel like I'm not wanted either, and that just compounds things for me.

For one thing, comments like her blatantly stating that I don't want her is a turn-off. I've said it before: attitude is very important. Another thing that drives me bonkers is when she asks me to get her something when she could very well take the 30 seconds to go get it herself. Or she will have just BEEN in the kitchen and ask me to get her something from there. She also likes to generalize, saying I "always" do this or that; or to put a different spin on it, she'll say how she always has to pick up after me. She has no clue how often I pick up after her, since I just do it and say nothing about it (which I guess I should).

So I find myself as the days pass focusing more on the negative, and wondering if I really DO want her. Then there will be times we'll just be talking and she'll say something totally witty and funny. Or we'll get into a play-fight (last one involved pillows, and thrilled our son to death to watch us). Glimpses of what I'd like more.

The more I think about how rare the good times are, the more I feel like I'm going to break down. Boys don't cry my ass. Wah wah wah sob wah. The last thing she did to really piss me off was we got into a play-fight near her computer and spilled her tea. Instead of "us" having spilled her tea, it was me. She reported it thus to her friends, that *I* spilled the tea. Took two to tango, hon. And I made comments in that regards, and how it must make her feel better to shift all the blame to someone else. When she pisses me off, yeah, it's more than I don't want her. I don't even want to be anywhere NEAR her.

And it's usually a couple hours later I remember the good things and wonder what the fuck happened. It's no wonder I feel so depressed so often, and why she's seen little attention from me in the romance department. Not coming to bed until after 3 AM doesn't help, either. Kind of hard to get excited when you're asleep.

Now any brain-dead monkey would automagically know that the person I really should be telling this to would be her. Easier said than done. One, I'm much better at writing something down than trying to say it while keeping all my thoughts in order. I try verbally telling her and I'll just sound like a blabbering idiot. Two, I'm more than likely to make her defensive, because I don't know where to start or how to be eloquent enough to express my feelings. I suck at it. Period.

I also know she spends so much time on the computer because she's depressed. Probably for many of the same reasons I am. So the cycle becomes even more vicious, and we both just mope around the house, instead of trying to find comfort in each other.

It fucking sucks.

I need to now go to the gym and work off this frustration. Bye.

Wonder what's gonna happen when they figure out who this guy is...

Mini-Microsoft

This is a blog of a person who not only works for Microsoft, but is apparently in the management infrastructure. The blog links to someone who purports that the blogger that runs Mini-Microsoft may be the CEO (he gives his reasons for his logic). Or he could just be screwing with us. Regardless. It's interesting to come across a blog from someone at Microsoft. Guess it was bound to happen.

Final notice here regarding Voyage...

I will refrain from any additonal posts containing news regarding my book. This blog will now return to the random ramblings of a reader's reject (I needed to practice some alliteration, to blow off some steam). If you are interested in the latest HOT JUICY GOSSIP (or not) regarding Voyage to Xanadu, you can go to that blog.

Also, rants regarding my book can be found there, too. No more Voyage mentioned here, unless the news is REALLY HOT. Then I'll post a link to the entry.

Cheers.

This just in...

I told everyone that I asked my friend about how satisfied/unsatisfied she was working with PA. Here's that response (apparently, she thought she was talking to my father):

How satisfied was I? Very dissatisfied to be honest. They cheated me out of many royalties and gave me no help at all as far as promoting the book. I told Andrew to beware when I told him about the company. I also told him that I used it as a stepping stone only to other publications where I would go elsewhere. If you go online and put in their name, you will find different websites for complaints, which are many. They have suits against them and all that good stuff. If Andrew wants his book sold, he's got to do all the work. He has to get on radio shows, call and get them interested enough to have him on, go to book stores with his own books that he gets from the company and arrange for book signings in the area, etc. Get hold of the newspapers in the area and have an article about local author. I have done all of this, but the book didn't do a whole lot because it isn't put out there like most are with other publishers. They are a POD (print on demand) company so they only print a book if it's ordered. Therefore book stores and companies don't want to work with them. I was going to write a sequel, but have yet to do so as I've gotten tied up writing a non fiction book on medical issues and do have an agent for that one, so I'm never going near PA again. They are really something, but if Andrew can find something in the contract, which he should have read carefully, that is against what they are actually doing, have him go after them. There are Yahoo groups out there that are just for this purpose regarding this company.

I don't recall my friend telling me to "beware," but she DID tell me everything else I already knew (or thought I knew): you publicize yourself, etc. That she was also cheated out of royalties (as mentioned in the below links) is additionally troubling.

This is gonna sound really, REALLY wierd coming from me, but DON'T BUY MY BOOK. Not until I get all the facts.

More news in a bit as I decide what course of action I will take.

The more I think about it...

...the more I wonder if all of the complaints from PA authors are due to their inability to TRY to push their own book. How many of these PA authors bothered to actually READ the contract? I read it. I understood that I had to do my own marketing, and that it was going to be overpriced (with the hope that someone in the mainstream industry would see it and buy the rights from PA--which was probably a fool's hope). There were some things I read on the below links that made me shudder, no doubt. But I haven't had trouble with their editing. In fact, they FOUND grammatical errors I missed that I'm sure a regular spell-checker would not have found. The print wasn't all crammed into 300 pages. The book is actually very nice to look at, and VERY easy to read--better than those $10 trade paperbacks in my opinion. I have NOT, that I have seen, been mistreated by PA.

I also haven't had a lot of experience with dealing with the final product that is my book--namely, trying to publicize it. I've done my own press releases to local papers, including the Portland Phoenix. Nothing either negative or positive has come of it. And I emailed my friend who steered me towards PA to see what kind of success or failure she's had. No response yet.

The jury's still out.

The fact of the matter is this: I knew at least most of the implications of having PA print my work. There were things I didn't know. And I wonder how much of the bad press PA received was because of authors who did NOT read their contracts and just "assumed" everything would be handed to them on a silver platter.

Did PA's advertising mislead authors? That's a distinct possibility. They threw numbers at potential authors (see the below links for examples) making authors think that they'd sell tons of books, which is apparently not true.

What worries me the most when it comes to pushing my book is that, because of previous authors voicing discontent and the media giving PA bad press, nobody will WANT to stock my book due to all the bad press that PA received. If PA's bad press and the prevailing price for my book becomes such a touchy issue with people, I may (or may not, depending on how much legal grief I get into due to my contract) release the book chapter by chapter on a separate website. The money isn't the biggest deal when it comes to getting my book out there. I just want people to share my vision. I should've just done like I did in the old days and leave it out in the open (i.e. on the web for download) for people to peruse at their leisure.

Regardless, I have a ton of other manuscripts at different stages of completion that I can share with you all. Voyage to Xanadu, Book Two would've normally been the next release. It can be (and I've been rewriting it to be so) a standalone novel, not relying on people to have ever read its prequel.

So, today I'm feeling a little more optimistic. I think I just needed to get hammered, then pick up the next day and carry on. Stay tuned here for anything new.

Going from disturbed to irate

When I signed the contract, I went through it with a fine-tooth comb (or thought I did). I knew I'd have hurdles I'd have to face. I knew I'd be my own publicist, and I knew the price had the chance (apparently more than a chance) of being too high.

This, though, I did NOT know:

The main reason I recommend against signing with PublishAmerica is that PA's contract is specifically written for the purpose of deceiving authors who don't know what to watch out for before signing with them.

The infamous Paragraph 24, which on the surface refers to buying back materials supposedly needed for printing copies of one's book -- never mind the fact PA doesn't use the technologies mentioned in the said Paragraph -- also insinuates that the author must buy back the copyrights for their own book, which they have paid for themselves already to the Copyright office in Washington D.C., according to PublishAmerica policy.

This is done by surgically inserting the word 'Copyrights' into a list of materials 'needed' to print the book. According to Paragraph 24, if the author does not buy back the materials and the copyright, the Publisher may dispose of said materials and copyright however they wish.

This is deceptive language at best, because the contract signer -- even if they read it thoroughly -- will many times not see the word 'Copyrights' inserted with materials needed to print their books. This is just one of several deceptively written paragraphs within the PublishAmerica contract, and again the main reason I recommend against signing with PublishAmerica.

If I go and find my contract, somehow I won't be surprised to find that Paragraph 24 says exactly such. Clever wording.

I'm finding the truth to be a bitter pill. On the other hand, though, there are several manuscripts (mostly done) that they have NO control over. Mua ha ha.

Honestly, I do not want to start a smear campaign against PA. I'm still in a "wait and see" mode; but if PA has such a terrible reputation, even if PA did straighten up their act, there's still a snowball's chance in hell the book will sell. I, however, am very interested in seeing what DOES happen. If I find PA has been less than honest with me, they're going to learn a very powerful truth about me:

When it comes to something near and dear to my heart, I have NO FEAR. Fuck with my kid (especially my kid)? Your ass is mine. Fuck with my family? Your ass is mine. Fuck with my life's work?

What's the worst they can do, anyway? Here's how I see it, if all the bad press is true: I find out I've been Royally Fucked (tm). I then post my entire book for free on the Internet (and rest assured I will). PA comes along and says, "uh, uh, you can't do that." I tell them to get bent. They threaten me with jail, fines, etc. I tell them to STILL get bent. So they throw me into prison.

What a story THAT would make. NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION! 20/20, Dateline, you name it. Let the Media Ass Fucking commence! Everybody would know them for who they are (assuming they ARE this way).

Like I said... fuck with my life's work? YOUR ASS IS MINE!

For now, though, I'll play the game and see what happens. Rest assured, I'll keep everyone posted.

NOTE: Now that I've calmed down a bit, I'd like to emphasize that all the stuff I read online was essentially he-said-she-said stuff. But there was a LOT of it. I have a friend (one of the people who introduced me to PublishAmerica) who I will contact and see how SHE feels she has been treated. I'll post her response here. So stay tuned! Film at 11! That kind of thing.

Deeply disturbing

For those who have been following this blog, you are probably well aware that I've published a book (duh). It was published through PublishAmerica. I posted announcements on Usenet and Google Groups. One person responded thusly:

Excuse me, but $24.95 for a 316 paged paperback from an unknown author
is about $19 more than I would possibly willing to pay. That and it's
a PublishAmerica book, and from my research into that company, I
couldn't purchase that book and still feel morally sound.

Good luck selling your book. I certainly hope you have many friends
willing to part with $25 for your average length paperback.

If you click on the title to this entry, it will take you to one such website that decries the scandal that is PublishAmerica (PA). However, interestingly enough, it seems that authors fail when they aren't aggressive enough pushing their own book. At the very end of the post (linked above), it seems that there is one person who DID push their book and "got the three-star treatment" through Amazon, etc. They seemed quite pleased with PA.

Here is another link warning people away from PA. The first item on the list is also decried in the linked post above: authors are misled into believing that their book will be put into bookstores. This is not true. Any author who believed that did NOT read the contract or the FAQ. I already KNEW it wasn't going to be in bookstores. Do I feel victimized? Not yet, anyway.

Here's how I see it: PA removed one hurdle...getting your book published. Now, if I had my book published through a mainstream publishing house (i.e. Bantam), it would be very likely to be stocked in SOME bookstores somewhere, because the book had already gone through a "screening process" as it were. However, PA doesn't use that process; so the book gets published. Now, with hardcopy in hand, the author not only has a book but a marketing tool to sell to bookstores.

Yes, it's extra work. I guess anyone interested enough in their own work would do this extra work to see some success.

Now the price, on the other hand, may be a touchy issue with bookstore managers. $25 per book is cheap...if it is an O'Reilly technical book or something like that (Voyage to Xanadu is as big as a typical O'Reilly technical/computer book). For a paperback, it is about $5 over what one would expect in a bookstore for something of similar quality...it is $15 to $20 more than a "trade paperback" (the books where the ink always comes off on your hands).

Finally, something that has been mentioned is that bookstores are reluctant to buy these titles because they are nonreturnable. PA claims that their books are NOW returnable (bookstores can sell unsold copies back). What this entails, I don't know.

Ultimately, I've seen some good press but a hell of a lot of bad press in regards to PA. What I'd like to know is, why didn't I find all this out sooner? The more I read, the more disturbed I am. It took fourteen years to refine this book to the state it is in now. I went with PA from what I had heard from friends who claimed they had a good relationship with PA. Now, I'm concerned.

Beer, tempura or pancake?

October is National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month.

I sometimes like to joke about "awareness" months. Such as drug abuse awareness. "Yes," I say, "I'm aware there's drug abuse. I think I need more of it, thank you." I mean, DUH, of COURSE there's drug abuse. Unless you've spent your entire life hidden under a rock, you're aware of the existence of drug abuse, also.

Here's something most people AREN'T aware of when it comes to domestic abuse: Not all domestic abuse is physical. Hence, my tongue-in-cheek title. What's beer, tempura and pancake have in common? Batter. Abused people aren't just "battered." There's sexual (which still falls under "battered" I guess), emotional, verbal and mental abuse. This includes name-calling, demeaning, neglecting, etc.

I'm "aware" of this because not only have I borne witness to it (abuse), I've been a victim of it. People who see this kind of crap going on and say, "it's none of my business," should have their heads slammed in a door. Repeatedly. Until they get some sense knocked into their skulls.

With that in mind, the Infrequent Song of the Week (tm) is "What's the Matter Here" by Ten Thousand Maniacs.

Side note: Despite my cheeky title, I take domestic abuse VERY SERIOUSLY. It's my number one Hot Button.

Finding a new sales pitch...

Sales have fallen on my recent release, Voyage to Xanadu...not like many have sold anyway. I know why it’s not selling like hotcakes: there’s no publicity. I’m not sure what’s the best way to properly get people to notice my book…

Well, as I think about it, there is a way…

Okay. In the same vein as Save Toby, I hereby announce that if I don’t sell 1,000 books by the end of the year, I will eat… I … will eat…

THIS BIRD!



I don’t want to eat this bird (her name is Delilah by the way). She has been my companion for over eight years. She’s sweet and funny, and I love to hear her whistle and chirp in the morning. But as God is my witness, I will pluck, stuff and roast her if I don’t have 1,000 books sold before December 31, 2005. I’ll have to use the little forks, though. … And eat very, very slowly. She’s small.

Rescue Delilah! Buy my book!