Aeromondo

More Like This Please

2010-02-06T08:22:00.000-06:00

Garbage needs to be called garbage everywhere it is found, at work or play in school and at home. EVERYWHERE!

A Thin Red Thread of Life

2010-01-29T12:53:00.002-06:00

@@$%$#$%$period&^&((*&

2010-01-27T10:03:00.000-06:00

I despise using periods in phone numbers. It makes them useless and makes me think people who do it are lazy jerks. I just got a list of contacts to work on and all the phone and fax numbers were period separated like 123.456.7890.
I spent half an hour trying to salvage the mess before I sent it back and told the guy to fix it if he wanted me to work on it.

Life is very interesting some days.

2010-01-20T20:48:00.000-06:00

I was cruising along the internet a few days ago and saw a WikiHow titled How to Create a Realistic Fiction Character so I checked it out. These are the items in the list:

Create a basic profile for your character.
Create goals, treasures, and banes.
Based on goal, treasure, and bane, create background.
Create idiosyncrasies.
Define what it would take to make your character cry.
Finish fleshing out the character's flaws.
Get to know your character really well.
Create the character's appearance, background, and personality.

That all made me think a little bit about the non fiction characters in my life and how hard pressed I would be to write down or verbalize most of those things about my closest loved ones and friends... or about myself for that matter. I think it might make for a better world if more of us could actually name those traits at least semi-accurately about not only the people we know but about ourselves too and talk more about all those things. But that's just me.

I also wonder if the world would be a lot more fun and better place if everyone had seen Sandel and Gilberrt and "The Secret Life of Chaos" and "What Darwin Never Knew" and "The Human Spark". Then maybe more people would stop thinking people like Robertson, Warren and the guy in the local pulpit or their followers know anything at all. They sure as hell don't know how to do the research and have never ever discovered anything. Since laughter is good for us we could benefit greatly by laughing out loud at them. I know, it's hard to see how I got here from that first sentence. But you didn't hear what I did on the radio this afternoon.

Best Paragraphs About Haiti So Far

2010-01-19T08:48:00.001-06:00

"What worries me most about Haiti’s future is the unintended lesson of cargo comfort (delivering stuff, no matter how essential and useful water, food and shelter obviously are now) and remittances both: when people get stuff they didn’t make (or buy with what they make) it’s terribly easy to subconsciously infer that they can’t do for themselves, and easier when stuff is delivered by white people to blacks in a world with precious little evidence of blacks delivering to whites from prosperity rather than extortion. This (not the race part) is the curse of a resource-extraction-based economy (one Haiti doesn’t have to worry about, having nothing to dig up and sell). Remittances from emigrants are a little different, but villages like the ones in Mexico with no men and everyone living on money from people working in the US are at the least in a very fragile sociological state, and I’m not aware that their local economies are creating much value where the kids can see it happen.

“White man’s burden” movies like the Indiana Jones series play this message out: the cookie-cutter plot is that a bunch of brown people are having a terrible time and can’t do anything about it until a white guy comes into town and saves them (I haven’t seen it, but have the impression Avatar follows this template). Not too different from the parfait gentil knight saving the helpless peasants from the dragon up the valley; since David and Jeanne d’Arc, I don’t remember a lot of stories about the farm boy (or the Puerto Rican on the loading dock) saving a roomful of bankers and generals from something; it was Robert Gould Shaw who made it possible for the black soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts to get their licks in. Toussaint L’Ouverture is a glorious Haitian exception to this meme, but it was a long time ago and the docs running the rural medical centers, and the guys handing out the water and biscuits at the airport, seem to be all white now." - Michael O'Hare

Go read the whole thing. >>>

Pat Robertson To Hatians

2010-01-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

Read This

Haiti Needs Your Help Now For A very Long Time

2010-01-14T10:15:00.000-06:00

Haitians are in desperate need of your help. Donate now to the organizations helping there. This tragedy will not be over in a week or a month or a year or two - it has destroyed much of a whole generation. Here are links directly to just a few of the organizations that need your help now but sign on for the long haul and don't forget the people of Haiti.
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.pih.org/home.html
http://www.mercycorps.org/haiti?sourc...
More links and resources
Geolocation aid request system: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewf...
News:
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/
Fox: http://www.foxnews.com/
Current news from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8...
Arikia Millikan's twitter feed. Arikia has relatives in the area, and is tweeting current news: http://twitter.com/arikia
Help:
US citizens seeking information on your relatives in Haiti, call this number: 888 407 4747
UNICEF page for Haiti: Information and link to donate: http://www.unicefusa.org/news/release...
Direct Relief International: Web page and link for donations: http://www.directrelief.org/Emergency...
American Red Cross International Response Fund: https://american.redcross.org/site/Do...
Science and other info:
Tectonics of the Haitian earthquake: http://scienceblogs.com/highlyallocht...
Global Seismic Monitor: http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

Copy edit add to and re-post everywhere.

Snake Oil Fraud and Government

2010-01-11T09:31:00.000-06:00

"Here's what we get in American government: a room full of morons, eyes squeezed shut, bobbing their heads back and forth as they beg an invisible man in the sky to smite health care reform. Witness this and realize that religion is a pathology, an evil mind-rot that makes the stupid even more stupid." - P Z Myers

Pure fraud and no one ever challenges them.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Guilty For Living

2010-01-09T16:50:00.000-06:00

Life is short and tenuous. My close call this year did not worry me for myself very much as I was out of it most of the time I was sick and because I just don't seem to have the gene that makes me worry about it for myself too much anyway. Other than not wanting to leave a mess, I don't have much dread of dying. But I don't like it when it happens to someone else. I was surrounded by loved ones who cared greatly for me and got me on my feet pronto. I can never pay them back.

I was far more saddened that just this year seven pretty good friends of mine died and a couple more had close calls. Some others are in trouble with diseases now and that is always hard when we find out about it. It is just a fact of living that we all die too soon. That fact alone should make life the most totally amazing, thrilling important and respected thing in human experience. There is nothing anyone can do about it not lasting forever but we should revere it above all things in our fellow travelers on this ship. It all makes me feel a little guilty to be so lucky as to have made it this far. Thankyou, everyone that helped.

Minor Things Wish List

2010-01-09T13:07:00.001-06:00

I had the nastiest notebook on the planet. We have been almost inseparable since Susan gave it to me near the end of July '09. The keys are getting a polished look, some food crumbs along with lots of skin and body parts have fallen through the cracks in the keyboard. The screen got covered in smudges and there were several yucky finger and palm prints on the outside in several places. I cleaned it last night so there is just one buttery finger print on it now. But, I still have two other computers. They have been separate worlds until last night. Then came Microsoft Windows Live Sync.

I had considerable trepidation about letting something 'sync' files between computers. I could not imagine it getting it right and I was sure it would take longer than the time/space left in the known universe seeing as how the My Documents folder on each of my desktop computers are a fat 20-25 gigs each. But I reasoned it would not be that hard to reload my laptop disk image if the try got out of hand. So I tested the idea with a couple of folders and it seemed to work okay and much faster than I estimated it would. I also tested and highly recommend SkyDrive and SkyDrive Explorer for a handy 25 gig online, accessible from anywhere storage drive. But that's another story.

So I started up the sync between one of my desk top machines and my laptop. I watched over the process while I browsed the net and watched a couple of short videos and such. Later, I got through the 10 o'clock news and gave it up for the night.

I expected the synch process to be still chugging along when I got up this morning and maybe for the rest of the week if everything was still working at all. But surprise - it was done with no signs of injury or smoke anywhere. I checked out a good number of files and folder on the laptop and all seems just fine and a perfect copy of my desktop. While I was looking through it all, I remembered some bad picture files and sure enough they were copied to the laptop. I went to the desktop computer to tidy up and shut it off and I deleted those files and shut down the computer. I walked across the room and picked up the laptop to delete those files on it because I didn't think the delete had had time to sync on the laptop before I shut down the desktop. I was wrong. They were already in the recycle bin.

So I have only two things in my minor things wish list this morning. I wish SkyDrive would allow whole folders to be copied to and from it and I wish they would remove the 50Mb per file limit. GDrive may do that if they ever get it done at all.

Lucky Lady

2009-12-30T16:48:00.000-06:00

Watch CBS News Videos Online

It's time for a reality check and here are the definitions.

2009-12-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

liberal
- 6 dictionary results

lib⋅er⋅al
[lib-er-uhl, lib-ruhl] Show IPA

–adjective
1.
favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

2.
(often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.

3.
of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.

4.
favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.

5.
favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.

6.
of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.

7.
free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.

8.
open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

9.
characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts: a liberal donor.

10.
given freely or abundantly; generous: a liberal donation.

11.
not strict or rigorous; free; not literal: a liberal interpretation of a rule.

12.
of, pertaining to, or based on the liberal arts.

13.
of, pertaining to, or befitting a freeman.

–noun
14.
a person of liberal principles or views, esp. in politics or religion.

15.
(often initial capital letter) a member of a liberal party in politics, esp. of the Liberal party in Great Britain.

Origin:
1325–75; ME < L līberālis of freedom, befitting the free, equiv. to līber free + -ālis -al ¹

Related forms:
lib⋅er⋅al⋅ly, adverb
lib⋅er⋅al⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. progressive. 7. broad-minded, unprejudiced. 9. beneficent, charitable, openhanded, munificent, unstinting, lavish. See generous. 10. See ample.

Antonyms:
1. reactionary. 8. intolerant. 9, 10. niggardly.

What's not to like?

Then there is this:

Conservative

con·ser·va·tive (kən-sûr'və-tĭv)
adj.
Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
Traditional or restrained in style: a conservative dark suit.
Moderate; cautious: a conservative estimate.

Of or relating to the political philosophy of conservatism.
Belonging to a conservative party, group, or movement.

Conservative Of or belonging to the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.
Conservative Of or adhering to Conservative Judaism.
Tending to conserve; preservative: the conservative use of natural resources.
n.
One favoring traditional views and values.
A supporter of political conservatism.
Conservative A member or supporter of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.
Archaic A preservative agent or principle.
con·ser'va·tive·ly adv., con·ser'va·tive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

conservative

A descriptive term for persons, policies, and beliefs associated with conservatism.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

conservative
as a modern political tradition, conservatism traces to Edmund Burke's opposition to the Fr. Revolution (1790), but the word conservative is not found in his writing. It was coined by his Fr. disciples, (e.g. Chateaubriand, who titled his journal defending clerical and political restoration "Le Conservateur"). Conservative as the name of a British political faction it first appeared in an 1830 issue of the "Quarterly Review," in an unsigned article sometimes attributed to John Wilson Croker. It replaced Tory (q.v.) by 1843, reflecting both a change from the pejorative name (in use for 150 years) and repudiation of some reactionary policies. Extended to similar spirits in other parties from 1845.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

Easy for me to pick what I want to be and it don't start with a C.

See almost everything in 6 minutes 31 seconds

2009-12-19T18:23:00.000-06:00

Car Wrecks

2009-12-15T17:26:00.002-06:00

I've already mentioned the great waste and swindle that is hybrid and electric cars. I'm not alone in thinking they are a waste of money so far. There is a lot of hype to get you to buy a hybrid or electric car but no matter how good marketing is it does not overcome physics. An electric car will not come even close to the efficiency or cleanliness of gas and diesel powered cars and trucks until a 200 pound battery pack will drive a loaded pickup 400 miles at fast highway speeds with the air conditioning keeping you frosty on a 100 degree F. day in Texas for about the same cost that a gasoline powered truck or car will today. There is nothing even close to that today.

What Makes Happy?

2009-12-12T15:58:00.002-06:00

Insights into short-term satisfaction (happiness) and long-term benefit (meaning). Now if I could just get somebody to do my chores. Not really, I like doing chores espcially when I am helping someone else do theirs.... or mine. But I don't do that much with anyone else any more. Oh well it's an interesting article anyway.

From amoeba to brain and nervous system in ten minutes.

2009-12-05T17:17:00.002-06:00

One cell and a little electricity and !ZAP! there be brains. I like this story better than the one about all the dirt and spit even though the truth of the matter didn't depend on what we think.

created in God's image, not.

2009-12-01T20:53:00.001-06:00

Duh. I can't believe someone got paid to do these studies.

Sunday Night Blues

2009-11-29T20:58:00.003-06:00

I stumbled onto this tonight. I never knew it existed and that is a long time (a little over 66 years and two days). I guess I'm not normal. It looks mostly like bullshit to me, but I'll play along just for something to say.

I never ever had a job that I dreaded taking up on Mondays or any other day even when I had stuff to do at work I didn't want to do. I guess it was and still is that I really do want to see what's going to happen next. Someone somewhere always comes up with something really, really interesting no matter how much crap may be flying around wherever I happen to be at any given time. Even on Sundays. I did dread Sundays when I was little bitty but that was because I had to go to church then. But that just made all the rest of the days that much better. Now they are all good.

Happy Birthday to the world's most powerful idea.

2009-11-24T14:21:00.003-06:00

On this day 150 years ago Charles Darwin' s On the Origin Of Species was published for the first time. Although very few people today, especially it's most vocal critics, have ever bothered to actually read it, it turned out to be what is widely regarded as the most powerful idea of all time. It is so simple it is dangerous. It was an ideas that not only changed the way we think about biology it changed the way we think about thinking,

Life is good.

2009-11-22T21:38:00.002-06:00

I had chile relleno here for lunch yesterday and the left-overs today.

More of this please!

2009-11-08T17:51:00.005-06:00

This is worth every minute of all five parts not the least to see Zeinab Badawi run the show. How I wish there would be debates like this in this country with Hitchens and Fry doing the honors on say, Baptist or just about any televangelical. I love it when they measure and keep score and present the results while everyone is still on stage. You would never see anything like this in the states if it weren't for the net.

The Chosen Ones?

2009-10-23T13:22:00.001-05:00

Billions

2009-10-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

I love autotune!

Grandma Gambit Fail

2009-10-14T12:08:00.002-05:00

You do not have an education until you have read this whole thing including grandma's letter and grandson's reply. This grandma is articulate and wrong. Her arguments against her grandson's unbelief in superstition are as non-sequitur as they are typical. Grandson respectfully cuts through the fog with his reply and gives his grandma a chance to learn. I hope she does and I would love to see her reply.

Fact Check

2009-10-13T22:06:00.002-05:00

I've always heard that one of the reasons we should keep religions around is because they do all this wonderful work like rushing in to rescue people in times of disaster and because they have built all those hospitals. Well, I don't know about the disaster relief but the hospital story is crap. The percentage of Church funding for Church-run hospitals comes to a grand total of 0.0015 percent. Take it away PZ Meyers.>>>>