Wouldn't it be nice...

...To get a job over in the middle east
...To get a job in Colorado
...If the world was a perfect sphere
...If there was only ONE geographical coordinate system
...If I knew everything
...If I knew nothing
...just to be a nice person
...to be me ... hehehe j/k
...if anytime minutes were free
...if the toilet bowl never needed cleaning
...if those dump trucks stopped dumping dirt on my car
...If I had a parking spot
...If there was more happiness in the world
...If love didn't hurt so much
...we lived forever
...if I could remember names
...if politicans remembered that they work for the public good, not their own
...if people put other people first
...if Tricuit's had less salt
...if artists got more than 50 cents off every 15 dollar CD I buy
...it the Midas touch had an on/off switch
...if there really WAS a lightsaber
...because then I wouldnt have to look like an idiot waving my flashlight around in the fog...
...if the force really WAS with me
...if my room was painted black

Why I am not a socialist

During the last 10 days of April 1945, as Hitler’s “Thousand Year Reich” made its last stand against the Soviet army, a quarter-million soldiers and civilians perished in Berlin. Finally, on April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide, bringing more or less to an end a regime of unequaled bestiality. As May Day dawned, Soviet forces were in control of the city. One week later, on May 8, 1945, the remnants of the German General Staff signed the articles of surrender, and the war in Europe, which had begun in September 1939, was over.

-- www.wsws.org

Gotta love the part where the author says "bringing more or less to an end a regime of unequaled bestiality." Let me qualify that statement. I just need to add something like "Except for fill in other atrocity here, bringing an end to a regime of unequaled bestiality."

Few things offend me more than blatent hypocracy. Follow that link and you will see that socialist goverments top the list of bloodletting in the 20th century. In fact, religous idealism and socialist idealism dominate the list. Socialism, like religious zealots, thrive in ignorance. Socialism is an evil that should be contained if not stamped out. While I do not support the Iraq war, I am proud that my country took a stand against the true forces of evil in Korea and Vietnam, and held back the forces of the USSR during the cold war. While the United States has its own share of problems, they pale in comparison to some other popular alternatives.

Interesting....

Now what was that sort of hole man has gotten himself into? He has tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself. In other words, fallen man is not just an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you're sorry, realizing you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor - that is the only way out of a 'hole.' This process of surrender - this movement full speed astern - is what Christians call repentance...

...Only a bad person needs to repent: only a good person can repent perfectly. The worse you are the more you need it and the less you can do it. The only person who could do it perfectly would be a perfect person - and he would not need it.

- C.S. Lewis

Where does this come in? Not too long ago, I felt like I was truly a good person. Being an inherently suspicious person, I was suspicious of this feeling. I really didn't think I was a good person, but I honestly couldn't see anything bad. My conclusion was that I just was not seeing something I should. My solution: pray and ask God to open my eyes to the true condition of my soul. Note to self: DON'T DO THAT EVER AGAIN. The really strange thing about being raised a Christian is that you can sort of 'see' what you are doing as you walk down a path that leads you further from God and further into sin. It is really odd, because the Christian part(the spirit) starts to object to the direction you are heading, and yet is powerless to stop the body from moving down that path. Kind of like an 'out of body' experience. So much for that feeling of being a good person...

The interesting question is this: Did I become a bad person, or was I just more aware of what was going on? I don't really know, and it doesn't really matter right now.

The reality is what used to be only an abstract thought is now real and in the flesh. The abstract thought was the typical Christian doctrine of the need for repentance. Well, it's no longer abstract. I liked it better when it was. Ignorance is truly bliss. While the unexamined life is not worth living, the examined life is no picnic either(Robert Fulgrahm).

Hmm.....interesting

Well, I have made my first template change to my blog - a "Links" side-bar. When I was making the change, I decided to experiment. Thanks to the joys of the 'iframe' tag I can have another page on my blog. I put google there just for kicks(proud stockholder). I could do some intersting stuff with this....

Another C.S. Lewis Quote

I took that quiz, picked up my favorite C.S. Lewis book, and got this gem:

...When a young man who has been going to church in a routine way honestly realizes that he does not believe in Christianity and stops going ... the spirit of Christ is probably nearer to him than it was ever before

I sat in church last week and felt like a complete stranger. A wolf amongst the sheep - if you will. This is not to say that I have never believed in Christianity, or that I don't now. It would be more accurate to say that my experience in the last 2 years has not matched with the experiences of those around me. Perhaps it is because I am further along the path of owning my faith... I hope so. This quote from C.S. Lewis is an optimistic encouragement for me at this moment in time.

My world view

Thanks to Jonny Opinion for bringing me to another quiz site.

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 94% Postmodernist 50% Idealist 50% Existentialist 50% Materialist 31% Romanticist 31% Fundamentalist 25% Modernist 19% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Computers as powerful as a human brain?

Don't believe it...yet. This article references a website that claims this will be possible in 2045. I don't care how fast you make a computer, a modern computer and a human brain are fundamentally different in how they operate. If you want a computer that will have a human like intelliegence, you are going to have to first understand how the human brain works. At the root of the problem is the problem of the non-deterministic nature of the human brain verses the inherent deterministic nature of a modern computer. There would have to be a new 'kind' of computer invented in order for a true 'artificial' intelligence to be invented. I don't care how fast you make the computers we have now, fast won't help you bridge the gap.

Now for the philosphical, can what is created become greater than the creator?

Head Twister: If we succeed in creating a true artificial intelligence, we will only have validated the genius of God. God would have created a brain that is not only self-aware, but has the capability to reverse-engineer itself. This would be the equivalent of writing a computer program that understands how it was written, and having it manipulate its own code. This type of thing is what is described in 'the matrix'.

Favorite Number

I just had a personal epiphany, and I now have a new favorite number. Well, I have never had a favorite number of my own before, I just coined other peoples favorite numbers as my own.

Without further ado, I unveil the world premier of michael dufel's favorite number: .707

The reasonably edumacated mathmaticians amoung you should recognize this number as 1 divided by the square root of two.

If you would combine this number with the formula y=1-e^(-x) you will have the secret to half of my personal philosophy on life. The other half of relates to spirituality and religion.

This is a great example of how I view the world through the eyes of an electical engineer. I will have to further explain the mystery of these numbers in another post. Time for lunch.

Bible Study With a Blog

I had a conversation with a friend of mine, and the concept of "faith as a child" came up. Personally, I have some objections to this concept. I suppose I should state what I take this phrase to mean before I tear into it.

When I hear "faith as a child", I think of one of those tests VJ posted on her blog a while back. How do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator? Children answer this question correctly more frequently than adults. The answer is to open the refrigerator door, put in the giraffe, close the door. DUH!!!!

One major issue I have with this is what happens when you apply this type of faith to other people? Christianity teaches that salvation comes only through Christ. What about the poor soul that has the faith as a child in . Are they going to burn in hell? According to standard Christian doctrine they will. Funny how this kind of faith only helps you if you *happen* to have faith Jesus. One characteristic of this kind of faith is an type of tunnel vision. The child is only interested in putting the animal in the refrigerator and does not concern him/herself with details like the relative size of the typical giraffe/refrigerator. This comes from an ignorance of how the world operates. Another characteristic of children is that they are easily impressionable. This because of a combination of trust in others, and an inherent ignorance.

So, if we have a person with faith as a child, we have someone who is both easily influenced by those in positions of trust, and who simply doesn't know better. This is a recipe for keeping people sucked into a religion and keeping them stuck there. Good if you are a Christian, sucks for you if you aren't??? What the hell? Perhaps we should clarify. If you are not a Christian, DONT have faith as a child. If you are a Christian, it's OK because your are right anyways. It sounds like a shitty way going about things.

Counter Point:

One thing I have discovered is that God has not revealed enough of himself to adequately distinguish between the major religions. I have not been able to find God thorough reason, and I don't think this is possible. I look at is as a system of equations where you have more unknown variables than equations. This system is impossible to solve by mathematics. Yet, this is the position that God has placed us.


Conclusion:
I don't think that faith as a child is a good idea(as in tunnel vision), and I don't think that a faith based on reason is a good idea(eyes wide open). So, where is the compromise? I dunno.... Just working out that salvation in fear and trembling...


Because of my personality, I am likely to live on the side of faith by reason. It is reasonable that others will live on the side of faith as a child because of their personalities. It says in Romans that the righteous will live by faith, and that without faith it is impossible to please God. What kind of faith does he mean? Perhaps I am barking up the wrong tree here. Maybe it's not about what type of faith you are predisposed to. Then what would it be about? That my friend is the million dollar question.

Think outside the blog.

Back to sanity

Florida just passed a new law called the "Stand Your Ground" law. An excerpt from the text of the law:

...has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonable believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.

Finally there is a law that restores balance to the rights between victims and the perpertrators.

Kudos to Florida. May other states follow suit.

Trapped by another puzzle game...

Thérèse, I love your blog, and maybe too much. I am hooked on that puzzle. Minesweeper was my first addiction. After 4 years of playing minesweeper instead of social interaction or homework, I completed the Expert level in 78 seconds. I later owned a beautiful iBook - which does not have minesweeper. Instead I made the tragic mistake of downloading a tetris clone.
Thought 1: I need to go study in the library
Body: Walk to library
Thought 2: I should check my email
Body: open laptop and check email
Thought 3: hmmm, I'll play tetris and try to beat my previous score. I'll just play for 10 minutes.
Body: play tetris for 1.5 hours.
Thought 4: Time to go home, i'll study there...
Body: Go home, repeat at Thought 2.

This did not have a positive effect on my grades...

And now, I am sucked into another tragic hole. I beat that puzzle game in 54 moves and I MUST do better. Argh!!!!

In a random conversation, a random name came up
Spoken from another, with no warning brought
A skip of the heart, old feeling stired up
A memory of old, a sweet pleasant thought


There was this girl I went to school with. She was smart, beautiful, and driven. I was smitten for nearly 5 years. Time and space was the only thing that could free my mind from thoughts of her. This was love unfulfilled. One day she asked me to my face if I liked her - I lied. This was one woman I was not destined for and I was not going to expose my heart. That was one the the few decisions in life that I truly regret. I dated a long-time friend for a couple of months one summer, and that didn't work out. I swore an oath that I would not get involved with someone unless I felt the same depth of emotion I felt for her. That feeling where your heart skips a beat everytime her name was spoken, or she walked in the room. Her name came up in a conversation, and even after all these years her name still causes my heart to skip. Now I am older, and my heart is beaten and scarred. I don't know if I will ever love another in the same way, but hope remains. If nothing else, I am reminded of the oath I made and am encouraged to keep it. Life is long, but this is one oath I just may keep.

My personality is changing...

The enginneer in me is slipping down the charts. The Thinker usually pays more than the Idealist, good thing I got educated as the Thinker...

The first two are me, the last one.....well I can't draw and I certaintly can't play an instrument.

Your #1 Match: INFP

The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

Your #2 Match: INTP

The Thinker You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can. Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge. Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat. A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it. You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.

Your #3 Match: ISFP

The Artist You are a gifted artist or musician (though your talents may be dormant right now). You enjoy spending your free time in nature, and you are good with animals and children. Simply put, you enjoy bueaty in all its forms and live for the simple pleasures in life. Gentle, sensitive, and compassionate - you are good at recognizing people's unspoken needs. You would make a good veterinarian, pediatrician, or composer.

What's Your Personality Type?

Computor humor

There are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those who know binary and those who don't.

Reasons why Bush is a good president

For the sake of completeness I want to put down why I think Bush is a good president.

- The war in Iraq is creating jobs here.
- He doesn't try to please everyone. It is impossible to please everyone and you are better off not trying.
- He is a patriot and a good American.
- Even projects a sense of calm, even if there is anything but.

This blog was a struggle because of my tendancy to see the negative instead of the positive. A tribute to my engineering viewpoint. Mantra for today: Must Think Positive...Must Think Positive...

On a side note:

There was a comic where Bart Simpson had to write "I will not " 100 times on the chalkboard at school. He wrote:

for ( int i = 0; i < 100; i++ ){
System.out.println("I will not ");
}

Things like this give me a chuckle. I don't even know why I remembered this to begin with.

Another reason Bush is a bad president

It seems that Bush and the republicans are headed towards a historic congresional rule change that will eliminate the filibuster. I am a republican who wonders how such a moron(bush) ever got into office. One thing that is critical to a good system of government is a balance of power. Equally important is the concept of a minority party with sufficient power to influence to politics of the majority. This has the effect of moderating extreemist tendancies, which are usually bad. The smart thing for Bush would be to change the rules, get the judges confirmed, and then put the rules back in place. There is no guarantee that the next president will be republican. What happens when the people of the US decide to put the Dems back in power??? On that day, the minority republicans are going to be cursing the idiot who got rid of the filibuster.

On a side note, if you want an efficient governement, get a dictatorship.

Recognizing epic moments

Yesterday I went on a 240 mile motorcycle ride with Brent and Dieter out to Palm Springs. Most of the way there, we were freezing our extremities in 45 degree weather. Palm Springs is in the desert, and as we started descending the mountains into Palm Springs, we were greeted with the beautiful sunshine and beautifully warm air. To top things off, the mountain road has these beautiful turns that you can only truly appreciate on a motorcycle. We had lunch at a little coffee shop and enjoyed the warm air. Riding up that mountain pass was even more fun than the way down. On a motorcycle you have more control in the corners when going up-hill. While on the way down, you have feelings of sheer terror(look a cliff) while enjoying the view. On the way up, I could just have fun with the feeling of leaning the bike into the turn and accelerating out of it.

Such times as these should be appreciated and not taken for granted. I don't know if this was the last ride with Brent, but I will remember each ride because you never know when these times will be over.


P.S. I have now reached the performance limits of my ride. Time for an upgrade....

Props and Flops

Props to Valancy Jane for bringing people to my humble blog.

Props to Mom, who used Google to find my blog.

Props again to Valancy Jane, because I am indexed on Google because of her blog.

Props to Google, because their stock is up :) Jesse, still think that was a bad buy??

Flops to --- nothing. I am trying to be more positive.

I am back after a long absense. While I use two computers at work, I just got my personal computer back from my old roommates. I liked to blog on my iBook(RIP), but the PC will have to do. Blogging at work just doesn't do.

Props to sleep, because I need some now...