Latest BLOG
12-2-04
Gnawfish 3.0 Project Announcement!

That's right kids. The next version of Gnawfish is coming. What will be different?
1. Full W3C Compliance (I have chosen to be XHTML 1.1 with UTF-8 encoding!)
2. P3P Compliance
3. SPF Compliant
4. New and better code with better use of Templates, etc.
5. Better blogging design/use of engine?
6. Clean up mp3 ID3 tags.
7. Design tweaks? Don't know yet. It may look exactly the same. HE HE!

Tentatively scheduled for launch on 03-01-05. YAY!

<Side note>I have not forgotten the essay I have started on Fact (below). I am still crunching through additional reading on side topics. From hence forth, this discussion will be known as the rationalist versus the empiricist (where I will be attacking the former). </Side note>

12-1-04
Ok, Let Me Try a Fark Headline (in lieu of usual crap way I do things)

Sick of watching millions of its citizens get infected with HIV/AIDS, India begins trial of AIDS vaccine. In other news, there's an AIDS vaccine.  Still no cure for cancer.

11-30-04
So, I Almost Lost to a 10 Year Old

Ok, so on Thanksgiving morning, I particpated in the 27th annual 5 Kilometer Gobble Wobble Run in Charleston, SC (side note: i love the names of these races - last year i ran the Gallop and Gorge 8k in Carborro, NC. Whether its the Sunsent Stampede, the Troy Turkety Trot, or the Chase for Champions, a good use of alliteration is necessary).

I'm not a big fan of a 5K (3.1 mile) race because it is almost always a dead sprint for all who take the race seriously. I am not (nor have i ever really been) fast. I much prefer to compete and beat people with attrition, rather than speed (my favorite race is the half marathon). So about a half mile into the race, i began to look for the finish. I proceded manually forward, down Meeting Street and the 'Four Corners of Law' and down to The Battery and through the ocean's gale force winds.

When I saw the finish approximately a half mile away I was quite relieved and thought quite highly of my efforts thus far. That is, until i looked down in front of me and saw a toddler, no more than 10 years old, effortlessly high stepping as he grinned. Now let me qualify this. While I'm not a "fast runner" I'm no slouch. I mean i ran my first mile of that race in under 6 minutes. And this rotten kid in front of me was no average kid. He was doing something that 90+% of the worlds population could not do (something that 99.999999999999999% of kids his age could do) and that is complete a 5 Kilometer race in under 20 minutes.

But I had to think fast. If i lost to this kid, I would have to lose by enough so that people wouldn't say, look at that kid beating that big dude. And if I beat him, I would have to beat him before the very end or else people were going to be cheering very loud (and not for me). So i did what any normal person would do in that circumstance. I hit the back of the kid's foot into his other foot and tripped him, passed him and beat him by thirty seconds.

Well actually, I just passed him (with the newly found energy of not looking like a total tool in front of hundreds of people). To that outstanding young man, I only have one thing to say -
I BEAT YOU!

In other news, Strongbad tells you all you need to know to make a fake animal gimmicky character.

11-22-04
Ladies and gentlemen, here is what you get PART TWO

When i heard about this story, i was hardly surprised. We are in a reactionary, leave-it-to-beaver cultural climate today. Many people now believe that those who question authority and those who exercise their freedoms are the 'enemy' (especially if they question the government in any way).

Some people feel that those who voted for Kerry didn't 'support the troops'. Some people also enjoy telling other people how to live their lives. Their explanation seems to always comes back to the war on terror. <Sub-thought> Remember when it was a good idea to narrowly define combat and to have clearly defined goals? The lessons from Vietnam? Apparently neither does anyone else.</Sub-thought>.

It's a good time to be King of America, don't you think? So when i read this story, i thought, 'Well they must have something on this guy, right?' Nope, not at all; no laws broken by airing what he did. 'This must be some important event for such extreme action to be taken.' Nope, he's being made an example of for some minor local event. I wouldn't have supported the jailing of Robert Novak, but you know that wasn't going to happen. The reporter getting jailed just pissed the wrong people off. And when the King of the land is not just, beware of his minions and their power. But Beware Beware of OUR REDEMPTION.

Explanation of last sentence: Ok, my dad keeps telling me that he has no idea what I am talking about in my blog. So i decided to end on a very esoteric note (just to confuse him more?). Ok, 'Beware Beware' references Sylvia Plath's poem Lady Lazarus. Its a poem about redemption (using the Biblical character of Lazarus along with the Ancient Greek myth of the Phoenix for emphasis).

The 'OUR' from 'OUR REDEMPTION' above refers to me and people like me. People who feel that the current cultural climate is an unhealthy backlash against all modern socio/economic progress. The 'REDEMPTION' from above references the inevitableness of the rebirth of a tolerant and progressive society. And out of the ashes we shall all be reborn! Ok, that is a bit much even for me. And Ben, no you don't get to comment. Everyone else does though.

11-19-04
Ladies and gentlemen, here is what you get...

Where was the fanfare for this bill? I mean you usually have a stage with a bunch of smiling white guys standing around a smug president bush, sitting at a desk with a banner with some great jivy saying strapped and dripping from the front of it. Probably because the banner would say 'Hypocrite'.

11-18-04
Screw the Indians

The Puritans have landed again in America just in time for Thanksgiving. And boy are they mad about women's bodies. We all know that the devil made women and God invented clothes. Clothes were pretty much the antidote to the devils creation. So once you remove God's work, you're left with nothing but pure evil incarnate.

Now, time was that if you flashed a woman's nipple or bum that was showing off the devil's evil work. But i guess now, if you just show the back of a woman, that is devil too. The rules change quick. Unfortunately for all of us, God created men's asses so its ok to see Dennis Franz's butt.

In other news, we have two quotes of the day. Now how about YOU choose which mentality you feel more comfortable with. If you think about it, they are really antithetical arguments but it may not appear so at first blush:

A. "We were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my friend said 'If you just had a gun for that.' A little light bulb went off in my head." - Source

B. "<Canadian Finance Minister> Goodale said that budget figure <Surplus of $5.9 billion> does not include $3 billion set aside for the government's contingency reserve and additional prudence." - Source

Do fairytale lands of intelligent governments like that of quote 'B' really exist? Yes! Do hellish wastelands like the quote from 'A' really exist? Unfortunately. I don't know about you, but I would do anything to get out of 'A' and into 'B'. I mean anything. Um... I don't know, I gotta think about that. I mean, what's a little debt and violence.

11-15-04
Best SBE EVER

Better than Burnination! Better than Strong Bad's children stories. Today's was the best ever.

11-11-04
A Sad Day Today

In the history of the Internet, few developers have been more important than those working over at Nullsoft. If its on the web and in use today, chances are Justin Frankel invented it. The technology that powers most file sharing programs, audio streaming, internet radio, and most importantly Winamp, the mp3 titan that was the first major mp3 player. Well, today (eleven months after Frankel resigned) the doors are being all but closed on this now small part of the AOL/Time Warner Empire. And how fitting is it that the news comes from another giant of its day, betanews.com. Farewell friend.

11-9-04
Many thanks

The NYC marathon was amazing. Here are my official results (in case you were wondering). Ben and I ran the whole race together. Our time was not what we were hoping for, but we had a blast just the same.

In other news, big weekend this weekend! Saturday afternoon is the sneak peak launch of
Ghost Recon 2! Just head over to GameFrog at the Cary Towne Center between 11am and 5pm on Saturday November 13th. Here is the info for GameFrog (from above site)

GameFrog #1.2
Cary Towne Center
1105 Walnut Street, Suite L3318
Cary, NC 27511
919-460-6002

In case you didn't know (somehow), Wil Wheaton is in this game! Wil Wheaton!

11-4-04
Marathon

Going to NYC this weekend to run the marathon. If you'd like to keep up with how i am doing:
1. Sign up for email alerts of my splits here
- my race number is 5565, birthday jan 2 1978

2. Go here. I think they have real time results for runners:

11-3-04
...

Source

11-1-04
For Real

Ok, here we go. Here are the final election day resources:
1. Login to see your local results.
2. General Results.
3. Plug-in the results to do some 'What if' analysis.

Oh, and new DDA member.

10-29-04
Let's talk more about Facts

Fact: On 10/28/04, Bush announced ''We do not know the facts'.

Fact: On 10/29/04, it is announced that an ABC news team embedded with 101st Airborne Division took video of a stockpile of weapons on April 18 near Al Qaqaa.

Fact: Pentagon says the units of the 101st Airborne Division were near Al Qaqaa "two or three weeks" starting April 10th before moving north to Baghdad, apparently leaving the explosives unguarded.

Fact: Weapons teams returned to Al Qaqaa in May, explosives were apparently gone.

Fact: We now know the facts

All we need now is the spin, shirking of responsibility, and blame game (Kerry blames Bush, Bush claims ignorance, Guliani blames the troops).

10-28-04
Mele Kalikimaka

Do you realize that the biggest swing state could be hawaii? They could potentially go to the polls knowing that their vote actually counted and could elect the next president. That must be cool.

10-27-04
Election Nut

If you're an election nut like me, here are some resources for the big day:

Voting Info:
1. Wake County Ballot
2. 'But which districts am I in?' Go here. Fill in your name. Then click on 'districts'.
3. Still undecided? Here is each presidential candidate and their stance on the issues.
4. November 2nd: 6:30am to 7:30pm. Don't miss it!

Follow along at home Fun:
1. The matchup.
2. The latest polls.
3. The game.
4. Plug the results into the electoral college calculator as its happens.

10-22-04
It's Coming...

A series of debates I've had recently have coincided with a very interesting (if slightly outdated) book I've been reading called Pragmatism by William James. I've been organizing my thoughts around some ideas that I will be posting in the coming days/weeks. But for a preview...

Facts are stubborn things. The late great Senator from my home state, Daniel Patrick Mohnihan once said "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not their own facts". Not everyone shares my love for facts and the scientific method. There are people who follow a different path in how they live their lives and view the world. You may be one of them (and not even realize it). Here's some facts:

1. In December of last year, scientists warned of a flu pandemic that was inevitably coming. Source: CNN.

2. On average, 36,000 people die every year from the flu in the U.S. (that is more than die from AIDS). Source: Washington Post.

3. This average has been trending upward since the 1970s. In 1976-7, 16,263 people died from the flu. In 1998-9, 64,684 people died from the flu. Source: Washington Post.

4. Instead of receiving 48 million doses of flu vaccine, the US will receive approximately half that amount. Source: NPR

5. Americans have gone to Mexico, Canada, and waited in long lines to receive a flu vaccine.

6. An untold number of Senators and Congressman received the flu shot. Source: CNN

7. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said that the shortage of flu vaccine is "not a health crisis". Source: CNN

Here's an example of something that is not a fact:
'The shortage of flu vaccine is not a health crisis.'

But what is it? more...

10-18-04
Bush II Electric Bugaloo

Alright, here we go. My list of predictions for the next Bush term (if it happens). I will keep track and let you know how well I do.

1. Roe vs. Wade overturned. Women are the majority in this country and it's clear which candidate supports Roe vs. Wade. Frankly, I'm sick of this issue. If Bush wins, I will just assume that this is the will of women.

2. You will hear a news story about more loosening of environmental standards.

3. Deficits will continue to get larger. You can only cut taxes and increase spending so long. Oh no wait, you can just keep printing money. Leads too...

4. Inflation will become a problem

5. By all measures, the rich will somehow continue to get richer and the poor get poorer. Tax system still seen as fair.

6. Health care will not be extended to all Americans.

7. No perscription drugs from Canada

8. Sorry conservatives, no gay marriage amendment. I think you may have gotten tooled on this one btw.

9. Current wars will linger.

10. New wars will start.

10-16-04
OH MY GOD WATCH THIS!

If you missed Jon Stewart on Cross Fire yesterday, you HAVE TO WATCH THIS! You'll never see anything like it again.

10-14-04
DDA Redux

I'd like to re-introduce you to the Damn Dirty Apes.

10-13-04
Freedom

Doesn't 'Freedom On the March' sound a little bit like Germany 1938?

10-11-04
I'm Watching YOU!

For those of you concerned that big brother is watching and that the Internet can be used to track your every move, YOU'LL LOVE THIS! Also, if you are reading this, chances are I know you and I will be checking to see if you voted on Nov 2nd. So you better have a good excuse ready. HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAA!

10-10-04
Explains a lot

Oh, he's a cyborg.

10-8-04
Prediction

Here is my pre-debate prediction: Regardless of how well George Bush does, Republicans will hype how well he came back from the last debate. Even the public will say that because Bush didn't trip over his own two feet, he did well. I mean how low do the expectations have to be on a sitting president? Rediculous.

Sign up in the CNN election contest. Basically, you pick the states each candidate will win. Tons of fun. BTW, here is a good resource for those who need some help.

10-7-04
Fact Checkin'

Oh, factcheck dot ORG! You sure you want us to go there instead Mr. Vice President?

'In fact, we did post an article pointing out that Cheney hasn't profited personally while in office from Halliburton's Iraq contracts, as falsely implied by a Kerry TV ad. But Edwards was talking about Cheney's responsibility for earlier Halliburton troubles. And in fact, Edwards was mostly right.'

On a personal note, read this page. Its amazing. I had no idea about this site. I may put a link to it.

10-6-04
Everybody hates M and M

Man oh man! Republicans really hate Michael Moore. God I love him. He really struck a chord or something..

10-4-04
DDA In EFFECT

Be afraid. The Damn Dirty Apes will destroy you! Oh, and much thanks to Mr. Rafael Chandler for the write up. Finally someone who appreciates my genius!

10-1-04
Not Exactly Martin Luther King

"We've climbed the mighty mountain. I see the valley below and it is a valley of peace."
-Dubbya

You mean where we just climbed up from? Why the hell did we climb this mountain then?

9-29-04
World Joke

We suck.

9-27-04
Tangled Up in Blue

So I live in a red state. A red state is a state which voted for Bush in the last election. But as it turns out, it's so much more. There has been endless analysis pitting the 'blue' states versus the 'red' states. People from blue states usually accuse people from red states of being ignorant morons. Reds accuse blues of being big government (aka big tax) wimps. I think its becoming clear that this country is in a lot of trouble.

Anyway, there is a new site (and book?) that really lays it out there (and by lay it out there, I mean is as divisive as possible). Basically it says that blue equals smart and red equals dumb (which is such a blue argument, isn't it?) If we were to conclude that the red = 'dumb', then we would have to add 'like a fox' to this. Here is why:

1. Look at a freaking map!
2. They control the US government COMPLETELY! I mean it, the House, the Senate, the Presidency, the Supreme Court, most of the governorships.
3. The red states are taking all the blue state's money! That's right. Take a look. The red states get much more benefit then they pay in taxes. Where does the money come from? The idiot blue states, that's who!

So in short, call the reds dumb all you want. They control your destiny and they control your money. And btw, talk while you can, the reds dont like free speech and debate.

9-22-04
Where the HELL is the Mainstream Press?

We all know that the public does not directly elect the president. The electoral college is the process by which the president is chosen. The public votes for how their state's electors are to vote (doesn't always happen). Anyway, if electors vote the way they should, they vote the will of that particular state. Therefore, the presidential race breaks down to 50 local races. Knowing who likely voters or eligible voters vote for nationwide is almost unimportant (remember the 12 point lead Bush had last week?) Anyway, what IS important is what the race is like in states that are close (aka battleground states).

I don't know about you, but i haven't seen too much electoral math in the press. That is, until today. Zogby released a comprehensive report yesterday. What is said is shocking (so shocking, that it made zero national news sources).

According to polling done by Zogby (and they do most of these independent polls we usually hear about) John Kerry is not only in a dead heat with dubbya, but the latest poll sugguests that Kerry is ahead in the electoral college totals. In fact, if all else stays the same AND Kerry wins the dumpy state of Arkansas (which is a battleground state again) then he has 270 electoral votes (the total needed to be elected). This article also discusses what would happen if there was a tie in the electoral college (269-269). Basically the House would decide (and since it's Republican owned, it would of course vote Bush in). So tie goes to the president.

9-20-04
Political Logic

Luckily the following are logical fallacies. but i wonder how many americans could tell you about things like modus ponens, modus tollens or other pieces of basic logic. Oh, and that is assuming that their premises are true (which to me seems to be unlikely).

if p->q
~p
~q (is not a logical conclusion)

if i am a terrorist, then i want kerry to win
I am not a terrorist
therefore I do not want Kerry to win (fallacy of Denying the antecedent)

if p->q
q
p (is not a logical conclusion)

if i am a terrorist, then i want kerry to win
i want kerry to win
therefore i am a terrorist (fallacy of Affirming the consequent)

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