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title: "Why? Why? Why? Question Everything!"
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date: 2014-10-20 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Maybe the kids have it right.
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<em>Can I have juice?
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No.
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Why?
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Because you might pee the bed.</em>
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The child has learned that (s)he might wet the bed. This is valuable information. Always ask why. Question everything. Why not? Every question potentially brings in valuable insight. In this case the child may be able to understand why drinking juice near bed time is a bad idea.
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The same applies for everyone. When an employee is told to do something in a specific way, it is always worth while to ask why. Learning why a job is performed in a certain way can motivate the employee now that it makes sense.
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Perhaps an infantry soldier, let us call him "Jack", wants to know why he has to learn his sergeant's job. He is told that he might have to perform his sergeant's job should something happen in the line of duty. Now Jack is motivated to pay attention, considering that he could be forced into leadership if something horrible happens.
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Later in life Jack gets a corporate job. Having learned in the military why it's useful to know your boss's job, he was able to fill in when his boss had to miss an important meeting due to a family emergency, which resulted in Jack getting a nice bonus that year.
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Knowing why is useful for understanding the world around you. Why is cannabis illegal? A <a href="http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/15/ECH15_03.HTM">study</a> says monkeys suffered brain damage from cannabis smoke.
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Okay, how was the test performed? They pumped insane amounts of smoke into monkeys. Oh, cannabis wasn't the problem, a lack of oxygen was the problem. Interesting.
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So instead of just hearing "STUDY SAYS BRAIN DAMAGE FROM POT", we look deeper into it and realize that the monkeys were actually suffocated. So we circle back, why is cannabis illegal?
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Government is perhaps the most important place to ask why. Why do you watch everything everyone is doing on the Internet? Why do you need to track everyone? Why are we invading Iraq? Why are we funding rebels in other countries that have ties to our enemies in Afghanistan? Why are we keeping the Middle East in turmoil? Why don't we do anything about North Korea?
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Sadly the true answer to all those questions is the same. Money. However, we get a plethora of interesting answers. To catch terrorists. To protect children. Oh wait, that's it for answers.
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Why do we need to destroy privacy to fight terrorism? Not sure we have an answer for that one, but here is another: Why do we care about the children?
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Why should we care about children more than others? More children can be produced rather easily, and children are not very useful. However, the children answer plays on the heart strings.
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Somehow, in our infinite wisdom as a country, we have decided that our rights are up for grabs if it comes to protecting children. This is a demographic that very well might "be the future", but without the present, the future is lost. So which is more important? The adults or their children?
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<hr />
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Seriously, always ask why. If your bosses or politicians don't like it, do you really want them in charge? Knowing the why and how will allow you to have educated opinions instead of simply rattling off whatever happened on the twitters this week.
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So what do you think? Any good reasons not to ask why? Am I just bat-shit insane? Please send your thoughts below.
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layout: post
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title: "On The Internet Becomming A Utility"
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date: 2014-11-23 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Why regulate the Internet? Especially as a utility. It is doubtful many people even knows what this means.
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It is entirely possible that the Internet will be fully regulated by the government. Oh, hi ma Bell, ready to come back?
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Government sponsored monopoly isn't the only option on the table.
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People have hinted at only reclassifying certain parts of the Internet as utility, which may be the best way to do it.
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Way back in the days of dial-up we had phone lines all over the country. Anyone who wanted to could get into the ISP market by simply setting up some servers and connecting out via the old phone network. There were dozens of ISPs to choose from in any town.
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What happened? Why has cable suddenly dominated the area? More importantly, why are only a few select companies using these lines?
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Perhaps that's what we need to regulate; we could transfer all private cable/fiber/etc lines in the ground to the public. The taxpayer would, over several years, buy the lines at a fair market value from private companies who currently have infrastructure in the ground.
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The taxpayer would also take over some of the maintenance costs. Any company wanting to use the lines to become an ISP would be free to do so, however like other utilities, these companies will be charged a fee, or a percentage of their profits, for access which will be used to fund infrastructure growth and maintenance.
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Net neutrality, as it is, is not the problem. The problem is all the local monopolies that certain companies hold. What makes it worse is that they are sponsored by the local governments.
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What we really need to do is stop these monopolies and foster some honest to goodness competition.
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According to <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/googles-fiber-effect-fuel-for-a-broadband-explosion/">this</a> article by Marguerite Reardon on cnet, in Austin "Google Fiber ... was announced in April 2013." Soon after this, a local resident who complained of "spotty performance of the 20Mbps connection available through his AT&T U-Verse" was suddenly offered 300Mbps service. All because competition appeared.
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Regulation almost always cripples innovation (See: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_System#Nationwide_Monopoly">Ma Bell</a>), and bureaucracy is always slow. There are also concerns that the government will have an easier time recording all Internet traffic once they have their grubby paws on the infrastructure.
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<hr />
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What do you think? Should we just take over the lines so we can foster better competition? Should we regulate it till it dies of starvation? Will Internet regulation happen and become another failure such as the Affordable Health Care Act? Comment below.
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layout: post
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title: "Please? Fuck You!"
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date: 2014-10-27 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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---
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<em>a.) Will you please grab me a soda?</em>
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<em> b.) Will you grab me a soda?</em>
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<em> c.) Grab me a soda.</em>
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<em> d.) Please grab me a soda.</em>
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Which one is the most pleasant to hear? Let us discuss each one.
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<strong>Will you please grab me a soda?</strong>
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What's going on here? Someone is asking you to grab them a soda which is fine, but they added the word <em>please</em>. Why would they do that? Perhaps it is just to be polite because that is how they have been indoctrinated throughout their lives, but more likely reason for people will say words like that simply because it could increase the likelihood of their desires to be met. In other words, they tend to get what they want more often if they ask with <em>please</em>.
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<strong>Will you grab me a soda?</strong>
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Seems pretty straight forward, no words added to trick or <em>brown nose</em> anyone into performing an action for them. Awesome.
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<strong> Grab me a soda.</strong>
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Most people respond rather poorly to this style. It is clearly a command and people tend to dislike being ordered to do things. The first thing that most people likely think will be around the lines of <em> You can go fuck yourself.</em> Which leads us to our next little devious ploy.
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<strong>Please grab me a soda.</strong>
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For some strange reason, the same people angered about being ordered around by the last option, have no issue with this one. Hell, many people will even argue that this is actually a question and not a command. Why? Why does saying <em>please</em> suddenly make it okay to order people around? This is ludicrous.
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So what's the point? Let's stop using silly words like <em>please</em> to order people around. Let's just ask questions like humans and avoid the extra brown-nosing bullshit.
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<hr />
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So what do you think? Should we do away with saying please? Again, I might simply be bat shit insane. Saying please is just a bullshitty way of sugar coating a command, or trying to con someone with an under handed slight in a question. Let me know below.
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layout: post
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title: "For The Shareholders!"
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date: 2014-11-03 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Our society may owe a huge debt to capitalism for our our economic successes, but it has also pushed corporations to seem <em>evil.</em>
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People like to mention how XYZ corporation is bad because all they want to do is make more and more money. This seems like a reasonable complaint, but it is not always some greedy top dog raking in the money. Often times it's the investors.
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Fiduciary Responsibility is a bit of a double edged sword. The idea, in this case, is that a corporation is beholden to its investors which gives the investors confidence in taking risk and ultimately investing in the company.
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Unfortunately for progress, these investors are typically only looking to make money and watch their portfolios grow. What does this lead to? Companies bowing to the investors' demands of a greater and greater return on their investments. While it makes sense for investors to want their money to grow, it tends to lead towards risk-adverse decisions.
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Companies can get in trouble for not protecting the investor's <em>best interests</em> to the point where they need to worry about the amount of extra profit they make each year.
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If this year we make an extra $100,000 and $200,000 the next, shit really hits the fan when year three only brought in $250,000. That increase was much smaller than the year before. Something must be wrong with the company.
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<em>How dare they only make a 25% increase in profits this year? Last year they made a 100% increase. This is bullshit.</em>
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Investors don't like extra risk, and if the company takes a big risk that fails, investors become unhappy. So instead of taking strides to the future, we are forced to take baby steps.
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This is assuming that the company isn't involved with the record industry which choose to keep its feet firmly planted in the ground, not even taking baby steps. Going so far as to sue their own customers so they could maintain their failing business model. Yay lawyers.
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The real problem is the way a lot of corporations are funded. If a corporation owes investors and shareholders, they are more beholden to make a steady increase of profits rather than taking risks, leaping into the future.
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Seriously, the <em>investor is god</em> mentality needs to be fixed. I admit that it would be scary not knowing what will happen with my investment if the company wasn't beholden to me, but at least the company could choose to do something risky without worrying about getting in trouble with the law because the shareholders didn't make enough profit. Then again ,I suppose I've already invested in quite a few things on crowd funding platforms that I have no idea what will actually happen
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with my money. Oh well. Please comment below.
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---
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layout: post
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title: "I'm Sorry? No, You're Not."
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date: 2014-11-09 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Why do people apologize so often? Apologies should be reserved only for things that weren't intended, but even then... Why the hell would you say "sorry" for an accident?
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When would someone apologize for something? There are two situations that people tend to feel the need to say <em>I'm sorry</em>:
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<ul>
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<li>When something is done intentionally that also happens to make someone else feel bad.</li>
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<li>When something is done unintentionally that makes someone feel bad.</li>
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</ul>
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In either case, it is said so people can feel better about themselves and attempt to absolve themselves from guilt.
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<em>I'm sorry, but you're an asshole.</em>
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No, you are the asshole. If you want to attack someone, why take it back?
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<em>Oh, shit, sorry. I didn't mean to kick you in the face</em>.
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Assuming the person speaking is honest, why would (s)he say "sorry"? No harm was intended, intent is king, so what is there to say sorry for? Doing some unintentional thing? Someone getting hit in the [em]crossfire[/em]?
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This is really the only time an apology can actually mean anything, and it is still someone pointless considering the intent was not to hurt. It would be much better to simply inform the other person that it was unintended.
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Back to the question of when people decide they need to apologize. A lot of times people like to voice their opinion and try to take it back before anyone can complain by saying <em>sorry</em>.
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Like the first situation above, this asshole actually apologizes before voicing his shitty opinion. Many people will say something along the lines of "I'm sorry, but [insert bullshit opinion here.]"
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No, you are not sorry asshole. If you feel you should be sorry about something before you say it, you wouldn't fucking say it.
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An honest apology would be a regret. Something you wish to take back. Regretting is a silly thing to even consider. What is the old saying? Never regret because at some point you wanted to do it? This leads straight into another problem.
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<em>I don't regret telling you that you suck at guitar. I'm sorry, but it's true.</em>
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Holy shit, that is the biggest bullshit of them all that people might say. Let's rip this apart:
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<em>I don't regret telling you...</em> Well no shit, you're giving me your opinion.
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<em>I'm sorry, but it's true</em>. What? Didn't you just tell me you didn't regret voicing your opinion? But still you apologize? So you regret saying the thing? But you already said you don't?
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Oh I get it, you are just trying to feel good about yourself giving <em> non-constructive</em> criticism of someone else's ability and get away with it. You're just being an asshole, yet still look like the good guy.
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Apologies can never be sincere. Either something happened that was an accident (which isn't the apologizer's fault), or it was intentional, in which case the person apologizing is just a dick.
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Perhaps there is a bit of a theme here. I'm not a fan of many words that are <em>polite</em>. People either use them to get away with shit, or simply because they were taught that they are supposed to say these things, in which case it is useless extra words. The only polite words I'm ok with involve gratitude. Even then it is simply a ploy to get someone to think better of you. Tell me how I'm wrong below!
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layout: post
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title: "My Partner… Fuck You. That’s Not Your Partner."
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date: 2014-11-16 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Partner? Don't say <em>partner</em>, just tell me what the hell you're talking about.
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<em>Parter</em> is a terrible word that seems to be used more and more as time goes on. It is especially terrible when it is referencing a girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other.
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It is confusing and terrible that <em>partner</em> can relate to a sex life. Back when Glen Greenwald released the NSA documents, there was a lot of talk about his <em>partner</em>.
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This was confusing considering that this was the journalist who released insanely sensitive information. When someone hears about his partner they would expect it to be a business partner. This, however, was not true. For whatever reason the media decided they need to talk about his homosexual lover, which for the most part, had nothing to do what so ever with the story at hand.
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We need to go back to the days of keeping private life private. I miss the old <em>don't ask don't tell</em> mantra of the army. Not because it was a backhanded way of letting homosexuals into the Army, but because I don't want to know about your homo/hetro/bisexual life.
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Now if someone says, <em> My partner and I made an extra $100 working overtime today </em> There is no way to tell what the hell is going on. Is that your skydiving partner where you give lessons? Is it your business partner? Is it your fellow dancers at the strip club? Is it your lover? A combination of these?
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The emphasis on saying <em>partner</em> to cover up homo/bisexual status is silly. It is not much of an issue in this country, prejudice be damned, but we still don't need to hear about it.
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Another increasingly annoying use of the word is for when two people are together (hetro or homo), they don't want to say girl/boyfriend, and they are not married. Seriously, we can just saying friend, or someone's name. We don't need to know the intimacy level, we just need to know what is being referenced.
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Unfortunately, other methods people tend to be using are almost equally annoying, but for different reasons. <em> Oh my dw is at work right now. </em> or <em>My dh is a lumberjack.</em>. Lumberjacks are pretty fucking spiffy, but holy shit, who the hell says dear husband/wife? Type like you speak, and don't speak like an idiot.
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I do believe I've rambled on enough about this. The <em>partner</em> thing has me really annoyed. When I heard Glenn Greenwald's partner was intercepted at an airport, I thought it was a business partner related to the NSA documents. Couldn't they just have used a better word for that situation? Anyway, comment below and teach me how to write.
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layout: post
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title: "What? You Were Offended?"
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date: 2014-12-01 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Accusing someone of offending is downright stupid. How the hell can someone offend someone else? As a piss poor metaphor, if one were to yell, smack, and crush a rock for his entire life, that rock would still not be offended.
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It is not possible to offend someone. If someone calls someone a <em>faggot</em>, a whole range of people could be offended. The person being called such might not care, while someone who overheard suddenly throws up a fit.
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People <em>choose</em> to be offended. It very well may be subliminal, but it is still that person's own fault.
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<em>Retard</em> is a common word people choose to be offended by. What does <em>retard</em> really mean? Well according to Dictionary.com, " noun 3. a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance." While it also goes on to say it is used as offensive slang against those that are "cognitively impaired," couldn't they just have easily said cognitively retarded?
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<em>Retard</em> is just a word that means to slow something. To retard weed growth. Fire/flame retardant. Mentally retarded. The only people who are offended are those that decide that people shouldn't say such things. Anyone who thinks we should <em>ever</em> force an agenda of censorship does not deserve to be in the USA, or any other country that claims to be free.
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Complaining or objecting to <em>offensive terms</em> merely gives them power. If Joe calls Tony a nigger, yes it is true that Joe is being a dick, but it is up to Tony to whether the word has any power or not.
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This leads to the biggest problem with being offended. If someone is offended by a word, then other people have power over that person. So in the case above, if Tony ends up feeling hurt at the end, that means that Joe has power over him.
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<hr>
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If I were to be offended by something someone said, I would be pissed that I don't have control over my own mind. Anyone out there offended by mere words? Harden the fuck up. Don't bottle it up, just learn how to control your own emotions, and the world (yours) will be a better place.
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layout: post
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title: "Oh, The Outernet"
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date: 2014-12-07 12:00:00 -0700
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categories: philosophic
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Outernet is an interesting concept. Free information to all peoples in the world without censorship. They are currently <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lantern-one-device-free-data-from-space-forever/x/4265425"> running a campaign </a> to launch more cubesats, produce this <em>lantern device</em>, and general funding.
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Why is Outernet interesting? The technological concept behind it all is essentially broadcast Internet. Devices such as the <em>lantern</em>, as well as <a href="https://www.outernet.is/en/receive">diy satellite dish setups</a>, receive the broadcast information and store it locally.
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The data stored on the device is able to rebroadcast this content via wifi. Any device close enough to connect will be able to browse all of the stored data. This will allow for <em>a library in every village</em>, or in the case of the lantern, <em>a library in every home</em>.
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While, in theory, anything could be broadcast with a setup like this, they claim that they will be focusing on what is most important. At the moment, they find things such as Wikipedia, farming information, and the weather to fit that criteria. As they progress they intend to have a democratic system on what else to broadcast from the Internet in addition to news, weather, etc.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Living in first world nations, where everyone is connected, some may ask: <em>Why bother? Why not just use the Internet?</em> Anonymity. Outernet is a one way system. If I collect information in my lantern device, and then browse it with my Firefox phone, no one can track that. This really is the most amazing part of the system, unfortunately it's likely not to be all that useful.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
There are many flaws in the Outernet plan and I would like to highlight a couple:
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<em>No censorship.</em>
|
|
||||||
Any country that doesn't want their people viewing the information could easily jam the signal. Also, if the data is sent to the satellites by one company, Outernet, that makes them the gate keepers. Outernet gets to decide what information people get, and what information people don't get. Even if Outernet is forever the benevolent gate keeper, governments don't seem to have much trouble yanking the keys from any company it fancies, so that's a bit of a bust.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<em>Anonymity</em>
|
|
||||||
It is true, there is no way to track who receives the data, but... In the remote <em>third world</em> village people are starting to get smart phones. Chances are that they don't have any satellite dishes lying around so they connect to the village Outernet receiver to gain information. Those base stations could potentially track individual phones that connect to it. It is possible for a system to remember which mac addresses connect to it, the data it typically seeks, and the times that data is referenced. If someone was looking at a lot of anti-government propaganda, it wouldn't be hard for the local government to out that person based on the meta data alone.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr />
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So I funded the Outernet Indie go go. I'm skeptical that it'll work all that well, but I'm still hopeful. Worst case scenario, assuming the device ships, I have a fun little solar object for me to dissect. I would also like to direct you to a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/2a8jzn/how_the_outernet_will_free_the_internet_from/">Nay sayer</a> about the project as well as the <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/2a8jzn/how_the_outernet_will_free_the_internet_from/ciufjyk"> response from an Outernet employee</a>.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So how about you? Would you <a href="http://igg.me/at/outernet/x/4265425">risk an investment with Outernet?</a> Comment below! (or wherever)
|
|
||||||
@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Throw-Away Society"
|
|
||||||
date: 2014-12-14 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
What happened to our society? We used to fix things, but now we don't. We just throw it away. Hell, we usually don't even recycle it.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Everything you buy, that you end up throwing away, you should ask yourself: <em>Why am I buying this if I'm just going to throw it away?</em> Shoes are a great example of this.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<em> My shoes seems to be falling apart; guess it's time to get a new pair.</em> No you jackass. Maybe you shouldn't buy shitty shoes that fall apart right away. <em> Dude, these shoes lasted me like, all year.</em> Oh? Well that's great, so now you are just going to throw them away? Maybe, if you bought decent shoes, you could have someone repair them for a few bucks instead of having to shop around like an idiot every year for shoes. Those yearly shoes probably suck for comfort anyway. Get a real pair of shoes made from real materials that can be easily repaired. Buy it for life.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We really do need to think about this. Why am I buying something to throw it away? Garbage bags. Well that somewhat makes sense, it's easier than using all those grocery bags that are lying around. Better yet, let's spend $40 on 20 garbage bags that don't tear so I can stuff em full.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Hmm, better idea. Get the cheapest garbage bags you can find and just take a little care in your life. 15 garbage bags costs around a dollar if you don't get all the bells and whistles. Sure, still buying something just to throw away, but at least it's not breaking the bank as well.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Toilet paper. Hmm. While there are plenty of alternatives, such as towels or pine cones, the only alternative that isn't horrible is the bidet. Toilet paper is another one of those things you can get rather cheap, but for some reason everyone seems to want that fluffy shit which probably leaves more on your body than you throw in the toilet. The bidet easily replaces toiletry; however, it can be too expensive for some folks. May as well get the single ply man-style toilet paper and be done with it.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Tampons. That's a fun subject. There are special cups that suction onto the woman which will happily collect blood. Tampons are bloody expensive, light to moderate bleeders could probably save a small fortune a year switching to just a cup. Heavier bleeders may still need pads.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Shaving razer. The best way to avoid throwing anything away would probably be the straight edge, but that's too much effort/danger for most people so how about the next best thing?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Enter the safety razor. Safety razors are those old school metal razors that use actual razor blades. All those modern razors with all their plastics and/or 20 dollar replacement blades have nothing compared to safety razors.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
A quick look at amazon shows 100 double edge razors blades for a mere $23.29. Running through about one blade a week, that would be almost two years of daily shaving. Bonus, the razor blades are stainless steel and can be sold back to scrap yards.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Do yourself a favor, stop throwing everything away.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Seriously, I love my razorblades. I'm looking into buying new boots that can be easily repaired. My current boots are sadly dying, but I hope to find a cobbler who will repair them. Much cheaper than throwing another $120 on a pair of work boots.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So how about you all? Do you think we, as a throw away society, is a problem? If so, what are you doing about it? Why type of buy it for life items do you enjoy? Comment away!
|
|
||||||
@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Kickstarter: Depth-VR"
|
|
||||||
date: 2014-12-22 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: crowdsource
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
Over at the Kickstarters they have a little project called <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ncf/depth-vr-3d-world-jumping-out-of-your-screen" target="_blank">Depth-VR: 3D world jumping out of your screen</a>.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
According to NCF Group, the people who created this project, the "Depth-VR is a 3D head tracking device that brings unprecedented realism to 3D objects on your computer screen."
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
VR/3D technology has always been interesting, even back during the Nintendo days of pressing select and watching the screen go all wonky as you put on your red/blue glasses. VR projects have come much further than that over the past couple of decades.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The Depth-VR team aims to turn any TV into a 3D experience. For standard displays red/blue glasses will still be needed, but for 3d/120hz displays, polarized glasses will be used.
|
|
||||||
<h3>How does it work?</h3>
|
|
||||||
The Depth-VR system will consist of three parts:
|
|
||||||
<ul>
|
|
||||||
<li>Monitoring tower</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>Glasses</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>A motion controller.</li>
|
|
||||||
</ul>
|
|
||||||
The Monitoring tower is attached to the top of a TV and connected to a PC via USB. The glasses, of course, are worn by the user which respond with the monitoring tower to track position. The motion controller is used to interact with whatever program is being run.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Watching the video on their homepage is the only way to do it justice; however, the basic idea is that the glasses, paired with the monitoring station, will move perspective around on the screen, as well as displaying 3D aspects.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So pretty neat idea. Although it works quite a bit different, it does reminds me of the <a href="http://technicalillusions.com/" target="_blank">CastAR</a> project which also uses head tracking and perspective for VR, but they use a special sheet instead of a monitor.
|
|
||||||
<h3>How much will it cost?</h3>
|
|
||||||
They are asking for $50,000 and so far have only accumulated $12,155 with 17 days to go. It's not looking like they will be meeting their goal, but you never know.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
$50,000 doesn't seem like it is enough to start production anyway. However, I know very little about NCF Group; it is possible that they already have money and are simply using Kickstarter for marketing purposes. However, this seems unlikely.
|
|
||||||
<h3>Pledge Levels</h3>
|
|
||||||
Starting off they have two early backer pledges of $60 (red/blue glasses or polarized) which will include the basic VR set which includes the two main parts of the system, but no motion controller. This seems like a really low price point; I may not be a hardware designer, but I have heard plenty of horror stories about working with manufactures. Minimum order quantities leads to the death of many small projects.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The non-early backer versions start at the $99 price point. This seems quite a bit more reasonable, but still rather low considering that it seems to be a small company trying to make it happen.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
If you want that motion controller you need to pay at least $115, which will get you the whole set. It seems like a good price point, from a consumer point of view, but it again must be noted that this seems to be a small company. They simply can't order millions of units, like Samsung can, or sell the units at cost, like Google can, and stay afloat as a company.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Their last pledge level is for $310. This level will still give you the full three-part system, but also includes an AOC 3D display. Sounds pretty nifty, but they don't give any information other that the manufacture, AOC, and that it will be a 3D display. Again, this level seems a bit under-priced. Unless this monitor is tiny, it will cost the majority of that pledge level, and let's not forget shipping. It seems to be included.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
Wow, the Depth-VR seems like a neat piece of tech, and for $100 I'd be on board, but not as an investor. I fear this project won't meet it's funding goals, it's too ambitious for only $50,000, and that it will get stuck in <em>Manufacturing hell</em> if it does manage to meet funding. Well, good luck NCF Group.
|
|
||||||
@ -1,96 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Kickstarter: VPEX"
|
|
||||||
date: 2014-12-23 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: crowdsource
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1221503813/protect-your-computer-from-wi-fi-hacks-with-vpex" target="_blank"> VPEx</a> is a hardware based VPN solution with the idea that you can make any open wifi access point more secure, or as the project itself states, " Connect to the Internet from anywhere with the same security you have at home, without anyone holding your keys and charging you fees."
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The VPEx seems to be a legitimate way to make things a bit more secure when you are out in the wild with your computer. The hardware based solution makes is more secure than using simply software methods in the case that the computer happens to be compromised. However, if there is malware on the computer there is a chance all data coming in and out will be watched, but it should protect your home/office network from becoming vulnerable.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h2> How does it work? </h2>
|
|
||||||
There are two parts to this system: the <em>ExoKey</em> that you need to keep with your computer, and the <em>ExoNet</em> which is connected to your home or office netowork.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The initial setup of the network is quite easy. After connecting your ExoNet to your home/office network, you plug the ExoKey into it, fireup a computer on the LAN, go to the websever provided by the ExoNet, and then register the devices with each other and set a password. Not too much effort at all.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The next time you are at your local coffee shop that has open wifi, plug in your ExoKey, run the app, and put in your password. Congratulations, now all your data is being routed to the ExoKey, which then encrypts it, sends it out to whichever ExoNet you choose, which then in turn decrypts it and sends it out to its destination.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Now it's time for the data to come back, the ExoNet receives the data, encrypts it, sends it back to your ExoKey, which then decrypts it, and now your data is displayed on your computer. Completely safe from any attacks other people in the coffee shop, or indeed the coffee shop itself, may try against you.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h2>How much? Take my money!</h2>
|
|
||||||
A mere $99 will get you one ExoKey and one ExoNet for a very quick and easy VPN setup. For people who travel a lot, and are concerned about their privacy/security, this is an amazing starting point. Not only is this price point great for the consumer, but it shows that the project leaders are not trying to under bid themselves and may actually know what they are doing.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
There are several other pledge levels beyond that, with the exception of one that will sell you two gateways and one key, which simply increase the number of ExoKeys that will ship with your ExoNet. In the case that you have a family that uses open wifi a lot, these other pledge levels may be more appropriate.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h2>Will they actually make it?</h2>
|
|
||||||
Who knows? At the time of this writing, they still have 39 days to go with 12 backers. If they get their funding level of $50,000, I could see this product becoming a reality. $99 seems more than reasonable so long as they are able to get the parts from manufactures. There is not much to these units, they claim that there will not be any hand soldered parts, everything will be automated. Even the enclosures will simply snap together around the boards.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h2>So should I buy this?</h2>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
This device will make it ridiculously easy to setup a VPN. That alone is worth the $99 entry point. As mentioned before, if you use public wifi, even if it's not technically <em>open</em> and they give you a password at the desk or something, you need to be able to trust them.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
If a hotel offers wifi and gives you the password, your data should be encrypted and protected from other people trying to listen in on your data signals, but if the hotel is trying to steal your data... well they won't be able to if you are using this setup.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h2>Will it actually ship?</h2>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
x.o.ware, inc, the company behind the VPEx, claims that everything is almost ready to start production. By the time their campaign ends, they should be able to have accurate numbers to give to their manufactures. They seem really confident that they are ready to ship. It wouldn't surprise me if this Kickstarter actually delivers on time.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
In the future they plan to include mobile phone support, right now you just plug the thing into a USB slot on a laptop. Not sure how they plan on supporting mobile, but it should be interesting. Mobile hotspot maybe? They also want to allow ExoNets to register with each other. This will basically make it possible to join multiple networks together to make one big VPN.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<b>Example:</b>
|
|
||||||
My friend and I have ExoNets setup and registered with each other. I trust my friend so we have one big VPN where we can share devices. In our homes we decided we want security and setup some cameras. We don't want to use any over the Internet solutions where the company who sold me the camera also gets to watch us in our homes.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I'm out and about and connect to one of our ExoNets. Now my computer is directly connected to our VPN which means I can directly access the cameras as if I was actually there on one of our local networks. Bypassing any possible security/privacy issues I may have with the camera vendors or other software.
|
|
||||||
<b>Example end</b>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
There are tons of services and devices that people run on their LAN and don't allow access directly over the Internet. Using something like this will allow you to easily setup a VPN and have secure access no matter where you are in the world.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
Wow, this is a big one. Haven't written a post this big in a long time, but this is a really cool device. I haven't yet put any money down on one of these, but I am seriously considering it. A quick and easy VPN solution, which seems to be what this really is, would be amazing to have on hand.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h3> COMMENTS: </h3>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
x.o.ware
|
|
||||||
December 28, 2014 at 8:05 pm Edit
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Thanks for the post about VPEx – it isn’t easy to describe it, but you did a great job.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We
|
|
||||||
will most definitely ship these products, as we mentioned on today’s
|
|
||||||
update on Kickstarter, regardless of whether or nor we meet our goal
|
|
||||||
there. We don’t need the campaign to fund development or get us into
|
|
||||||
manufacturing, but getting people to financially commit to us is a huge
|
|
||||||
help, and is greatly appreciated, as a vote of confidence and an
|
|
||||||
endorsement of our approach.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
As for mobile, we want to let you
|
|
||||||
plug the ExoKey into a phone or tablet, so you can use its wi-fi
|
|
||||||
connection with the same security you have on a laptop. The ExoKey is
|
|
||||||
small enough to slap on the back of a phone, although we will have to
|
|
||||||
provide a custom adapter so it fits reliably and without sinificantly
|
|
||||||
increasing the space the phone takes up. The bigger challenge, however,
|
|
||||||
will be making the mobile OS’s work with the ExoKey.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We don’t
|
|
||||||
expect this to be a problem for Android 4.3 or newer (just some custom
|
|
||||||
driver development), but iOS will be more complicated. While the
|
|
||||||
latest versions of Android support a VPN device like ours, iOS does not.
|
|
||||||
We don’t like the idea of copying encryption keys from the ExoKey to an
|
|
||||||
iPhone, even if they are just temporarily stored there, for then it
|
|
||||||
creates a mechanism for reading keys from our device (and any computer
|
|
||||||
that emulates the user’s phone could extract keys from the ExoKey). If
|
|
||||||
Apple does not allow us to send unecrypted packets to the ExoKey for
|
|
||||||
encryption, we won’t have much choice.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We may also add the
|
|
||||||
capability to provide local encryption (between an ExoKey and the wi-fi
|
|
||||||
access point) on the ExoNet, so that any wi-fi operator can add VPEx
|
|
||||||
security to their network, by just plugging an ExoNet into their
|
|
||||||
network. However, to make this useful, we need to provide a way for
|
|
||||||
people to securely register their ExoKey with an ExoNet they don’t have
|
|
||||||
physical access to, and that will take a little more time.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Thanks again for your support.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Think For Yourself"
|
|
||||||
date: 2014-12-28 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
I think the stoics had it right:
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<blockquote>"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
|
|
||||||
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations </blockquote>
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Too often are people horribly distressed by this or that <em>external force</em>. Typically these same people will lay the blame solely on that <em>external force</em> completely ignoring the fact that the <em>negative feelings</em> are coming from within.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Being offended is a prime example of people not being in control of their own emotions. However, this topic was discussed in greater detail in an earlier article, <a href="http://sudotask.com/?p=113" target="_blank">What? You Were Offended?</a>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
It's one hell of a philosophy for many people to get their head around. People seem ingrained to place blame on others before themselves. What they fail to realize is that they have no way to control other people. They only can control themselves and hope others act in ways that they interpret as <em>good</em>.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
David Foster Wallace gave a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI" target="_blank">commencement speech </a> that touches somewhat on the stoic belief system. While this is a man who ended up falling to his own emotions, there is no doubt that he valued the concept of choosing how or what to think.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Anyone who is distressed by many external factors should really look into practicing stoicism. For many it is very hard to do, but any person who values logic should be able to wrap his head around it.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
An extreme example:
|
|
||||||
You lose your arm from the elbow down in a car wreck. You are likely angry about the car wreck and depressed about the missing arm. The stoic would remind you that you are only angry and depressed because that's how you interrupt the situation. This is your reaction to past events that is causing this distress. Therefore it is up to you to realize your emotions and control them for the better.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
There are people who suffer more extreme situations than the above example and still manage to be happy well adjusted individuals.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
There was a lady who thought it would be a good idea to drive drunk. Well, she ended up in a wheel chair. Paralyzed from the waste down.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
After some time of depression and sadness she realized that she was only depressed and sad because she was not in control of her emotions. Now she is a <em>motivational speaker</em>, speaking in front of large audiences of teenagers and adults to share her story.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
She has managed to turn her incident into happiness. Her story will not only provide a career for her, but also may save people from making the same mistakes that she has.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Keep your emotions in check; it is up to you too choose how you feel.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
I must admit that I have only recently begun studying the stoic philosophy, but I feel as though I've been practicing it all my life. It really is a great way to be happy about whatever comes your way. Yourself you can control, others you cannot.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I highly recommend listening to David Wallace's speech. He cites many examples of automatic judgments that most people make on a day to day basis, and gives examples on how to actually think for yourself instead. His goal may not have been to talk about stoic beliefs, but his speech certainly highlights the stoic way of thinking.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Lastly, I have to admit something else, I'm not really sure what my blog <em>niche</em> is (sans the crowdfunding posts of course). If someone can tell me what the hell I'm writing about I would really appreciate it. How can I find other blogs like mine?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Now go, keep your thoughts in check.
|
|
||||||
@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Freewrite: I Failed Today"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-01-4 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: freewrite
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So it seems as though I've failed today for my weekly post. Not only did I fail to research things all week when I've had plenty of time, the universe didn't hand anything to me either.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
Typically, ideas wander by me in my day to day life; however, I have to notice them to be of any use to me in a post. Yet, as mentioned at the end of my last post, I'm also not really sure what my niche is. I actually like writing about crowd-funding projects and criticizing them a bit, but looking in the tech sections of Indegogo and Kickstarter failed to peak my interest.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So what do I do? Well I have a deadline to follow so the show must go on right? Freewrite! Free-writing tends to be fun anyway. Nevermind the fact that what I'm doing right now is more of a <em>Stream of Consciousness</em> than a traditional freewrite. I suppose this writing does have a dedicated subject, it's still a bit all over the place.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So what do I do next week? Well, I suppose I should really focus on what the hell my niche is. Considering, as I mentioned earlier, I like writing about crowd-funding; perhaps I should focus my efforts there.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
While I throughly enjoy reading about psychology, philosophy, and the daily ridiculousness that is the way humans go about their very lives, I don't seem to be very good at researching it. It is a bit hard to research people without actually going out there and doing it. Perhaps in the future I'll start interviewing people as they buy things.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So perhaps from now until I change my mind, I shall write about crowd-funding one way or another. Promoting projects that are interesting is a fun way of using critical thinking.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Why is this project cool? Will they make funding? Are they too ambitious? Will they leave people with more faith in crowd-funding? Or will they destroy it by overspending like DoubleFine has done with one of their <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/03/double-fine-kickstarter-debacle/" target="_blank">campaigns</a>?
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||||||
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|
||||||
I suppose I'll leave you all with that, a bit short for me, but I'm sure only a few have made it this far through my ramble anyway. Ta.
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||||||
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|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
tl;dr today I freewrite about failing this week.
|
|
||||||
Does anyone here enjoy freewriting? Or perhaps <em>Stream Of Consciousness</em>? If you haven't tried it before, I highly recommend it. Hmm. Perhaps I should start freewrite Fridays as well as crowd-funded Sundays... Hmm.
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|
||||||
@ -1,65 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Indiegogo: Beggars Welcome!"
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|
||||||
date: 2015-01-11 12:00:00 -0700
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|
||||||
categories: crowdsource
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|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
There are plenty of crowd-funding platforms designed for obtaining personal goals such as <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/" target="_blank">gofundme</a> which also happens to annoyingly own the domain <a href="http://crowdfunding.com" target="_blank">crowdfunding.com</a>. That alone is reason enough to avoid investing in their platform.
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|
||||||
<!--more-->
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|
||||||
Indiegogo seems to be attracting beggars to their system, and for the sake of humanity, let's pray these people fail. Just on the first page of the Indegogo gaming section there are five people begging for money. Only two of them are remotely worthy funding.
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|
||||||
<h3>Need a new computer</h3>
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|
||||||
First up, <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/9540589" target="_blank">Jordan Abbott</a> who decided he needed a new computer. So what does he do? He claims that he made $1000 from selling his "old items on Ebay," and that he wants another $500.
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||||||
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|
||||||
<em> Hmm... How should I make that last $500? I know! <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/need-a-new-computer--8" target="_blank">I'll beg for it on Indiegogo</a></em>
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|
||||||
<h3>A new computer because why not?</h3>
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|
||||||
Next! <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/9540820" target="_blank">Warchief Ketcheson</a>. His <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-new-computer-because-why-not" target="_blank">campaign</a> is even more embarrassing.
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|
||||||
<blockquote>"My computer sucks, and makes me feel sucky, and I'd love to not feel sucky!"</blockquote>
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|
||||||
That's phase one of his campaign, phase two? Complain about how his computer "is really loud and keeps [his] dog and [his] family awake at night, and keeps bluescreening."
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Seriously, what the fuck? Warchief Ketcheson, enjoy your shitty computer in the magical lands of "Blackfalds, Alberta, United States" as pulled from your profile. If I'm not mistaken, Alberta is a bit more north than the U.S.
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|
||||||
<h3>Get me started creating games</h3>
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|
||||||
<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/9540052" target="_blank">David Prindle</a> is a bit more borderline. His <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/get-me-started-creating-games" target="_blank">campaign</a> is almost worth consideration, but who the hell is David Prindle and why should I trust him with such a vague project?
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|
||||||
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|
||||||
Prindle claims he would like to start a career making games and that we should all give him money. In return he will be sure to create:
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|
||||||
<ul>
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|
||||||
<li>A 2D Fighting game.</li>
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|
||||||
<li>An adventure game with dark comedy.</li>
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|
||||||
<li>2 survival horror games based on movies.</li>
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|
||||||
</ul>
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|
||||||
Bastard can't even bother writing out "two" properly. If you are going to ask for money, you need to be at least a bit professional. The one thing this campaign has going for it is promise of YouTube videos:
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|
||||||
<ul>
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|
||||||
<li>Character creation.</li>
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|
||||||
<li>Animation creation.</li>
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|
||||||
<li>Level creation.</li>
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|
||||||
<li>Let's plays (in my free time)</li>
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|
||||||
<li>My son playing games.</li>
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|
||||||
</ul>
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|
||||||
Animation and level creation could actually be neat to watch. However, I give a rats ass about your son, and how dare you claim that you <em>might</em> do let's plays? That's what "in my free time" really means doesn't it? If you are asking for money, don't say what you <em>might</em> do, say what you <em>will</em> do. If it's something you are not sure you'll do, don't mention it at all in your campaign.
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|
||||||
<h3>New computer for streaming on twitch.tv for HDHR</h3>
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|
||||||
<a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/9539822" target="_blank">Gábor Balázs</a> is running the first <em>begging</em> <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/new-computer-for-streaming-on-twitch-tv-for-hdhr" target="_blank">campaign</a> to be somewhat legit.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
In fact, this campaign doesn't even seem to be begging. The funds are being raised to purchase a better computer for someone "who is currently top 5 in the game called osu!"
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
This person may legitimately have a fan base that wants to see him twitch streaming, but he has a crap computer that can't handle it. This campaign is for his fans to fund, not for random people exploring Indiegogo.
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|
||||||
<h3>Rather smash my ps4 than deal with Sony Cust.supt.</h3>
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|
||||||
Well, <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/9541719" target="_blank">el diablo</a>, of all the people that seem to be screaming <em>Give me stuff!</em>, you have the most legitimate <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rather-smash-my-ps4-than-deal-with-sony-cust-supt" target="_blank"">campaign</a> of the roundup. While, el diablo, hardly seems to be a credible name, his story is that he is "just a guy mad at big bad sony taking my money and running from their broken product."
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
He wants video equipment in order to pursue other interests, and in return, depending on the amount of cash raised, he will destroy his Playstation 4 in amusing ways and video tape it. Direct excerpt:
|
|
||||||
<blockquote>£1000 = ps4 gets a bath before bieng[sic] smashed up with a selection of hammers, from regular claw hammer up to sledgehammer.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
£1500 = ps4 gets soaked in petrol , set alight and then smashed with sledgehammer.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
£2000 = ps4 gets soaked with petrol, then i will fire lit arrows at it until it is on fire, then proceed to smash it to pieces with an axe.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
£2500 = ps4 shredded with a chainsaw then set on fire.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Im[sic] open to suggestions, on how best to destroy this excuse of a console.</blockquote>
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr />
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
For the record, I wouldn't fund any of these, except perhaps the twitch.tv campaign. Even then, only if I knew who he was and cared about the game. These are all from only the <em>gaming</em> section this week. Do we want this kind of crap on Indiegogo? Should Indiegogo police their platform a bit more? I believe obvious beggars should not be allowed.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
What do you all think? Feel free to comment below. Disqus is gone and open commenting is in ^_^
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
The comment spam quickly came as soon as I allowed open posting. Comments will be moderated, but no account should be needed.
|
|
||||||
@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Kickstarter: Dillenger E-Bike For Under $400 AUD"
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|
||||||
date: 2015-01-19 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: crowdsource
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|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
Evidently Dillenger decided to redesign their <a href="https://dillengerelectricbikes.com/shop/electric-bikes/cheetah-folding-electric-bike/" target="_blank">Cheetah folding ebike</a> and decided to run a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1182676007/a-quality-dillenger-folding-electric-bike-for-unde?ref=category" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> for it. It seems like they are only using Kickstarter as a marketing stunt, but nothing wrong with that. Dillinger wants to make an electric bike for the masses, and this fits the bill at $400 (329.02 USD as of 18/Jan/15).
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|
||||||
<!--more-->
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|
||||||
<h3>Fold up electric bikes are awesome</h3>
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|
||||||
For transportation, fold up electric bikes just make life easier. Just think, instead of using that gas guzzler for running errands around town, just hop on the electric bike and go (weather permitting). Perhaps take a trip into the city, the fold up features will let the bike be easily transported to the city and avoid expensive cabs or stressful driving conditions.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
With a sub $400 vehicle, this opens up the market for anyone to have cheap, reliable transportation. Sure, no one will likely tour the country on an E-bike, but with its claimed 45K(~28mi) range, a person can go a pretty good distance, especially for those who live in cities.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Better yet, e-bikes under a certain speed typically don't need to be licensed, plated, or insured (at least in the USA) which drives costs down even further. Some states of course, may charge fees for any electric vehicle, and given time the taxes will eventually come as electric bikes become more popular.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Dillenger's Cheetah reaches speeds up to 20km/h (~12mp/h) with peddle assist, meaning most state laws shouldn't require a motorcycle license. Thinking of peddle assist, the Cheetah does come with pedals, so if the battery dies while out and about, one can always peddle to safety.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Vandwellers, boatdwellers, and other alternate home lifestylers will love the convenience of the fold up bike. Park the van near the city; explore the city on bike. When tiredness sets in, start using the electric motor. The biggest problem for these people? Lugging the 28kg(~62LBS) bike in an out of the vehicle.
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|
||||||
<h3>Will this ship?</h3>
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|
||||||
The bike will ship. As noted above, Dillinger already sells the Cheetah, and this redesign is funded already. Dillinger sells many different electric bikes, and they are an already established business. If for some reason, Dillinger were to fail to ship, it would be a horrible black mark on their business that they may have trouble recovering from.
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Dillinger ships worldwide, and through Kickstarter, according to Dillenger, the bike will cost $399 AUD or "Approx. $323USD, 212GBP, 270EUR."
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Kickstarter levels are all mostly the same. A $1AUD donation style, $19AUD get a t-shirt, the $399AUD as a limited run, another limited run at $409AUD, and a wholesale option for $3990AUD. The wholesale option nets 10 bikes at the $399AUD price, and they will pay half the cost on shipping. Shipping rates do not seem to be disclosed, assuming they are not included in the pledge levels.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
NOTE: To ship a current model Cheetah to Illinois, the cost is about $68 via USPS from their US website.
|
|
||||||
<hr />
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Yea this thing is going to ship. Why wouldn't it? They are an established company and it would look terrible if they were to botch this. I believe there are shipping costs they will ask for on top of any pledges, but I don't see any mention of this. If this sounds interesting to you go support them on their <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1182676007/a-quality-dillenger-folding-electric-bike-for-unde?ref=category" target="_blank">kickstarter</a>. So what do you all think? At $350ish USD, are you ready to take the plunge?
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|
||||||
|
|
||||||
@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Perhaps Hiatus"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-01-25 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: General
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
Turns out that I don't care too much for writing about crowdfunding every week. This week, I'm simply going to take a Hiatus. Next week? Probably another "stream of consciousness" style post, and then probably back something new in crowdfunding. That said, I do want to give an honorable mention to a Kickstarter that looks pretty cool.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1908899476/avas-demon-book-two?ref=category_popular" target="_blank">Ava's Demon</a>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I don't know much about it, but apparently this is book two and <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/1908899476/" target="_blank">Michelle Czajkowski</a> has already published the first book via Kickstarter. Upon reaching 250K in funds she will be able to hire Studio Yotta, whose animation talents are featured in the kickstarter video, to do awesome.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
Nope, nothin' today. Enjoy!
|
|
||||||
@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Freewrite: Snow Snow Snow"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-02-01 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: freewrite
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
"Well, it's time to go to bed", I thought. So I decide to let the dog out one last time.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
It's probably around 5 in the morning. Still pretty dark, but the suns coming up. It was beautiful out. Unfortunately though, it was beautiful because snow was pouring out of the clouds in droves. The last time I was outside it looked like winter was over. Now there is 15cm of snow on the ground. Fuuuuuckkk. It's going to suck when I wake up.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Around noon I lay awake. Thinking about this great idea I have for an article, thinking about how much getting out of bed to go to the bathroom is going to suck.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
"I have some bad news," I hear someone say. "We need to plow the driveway." Fuck, that's right. Snow.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I get dressed and put on my warm under-layers and set to work. Thank the lord for plows.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
This particular plow has a plastic <em>cage</em> that attaches to the plow to protect the driver. Shortly after getting the plow going it's too warm and I start sweating, my under-layers are awesome. The plow can handle everything the sky was throwing at it, but not when the road plows trap everything in with 1.5 meter drifts.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
My poor truck, that had no snow around it yesterday, was now blocked in thanks to the plows. I suppose I should be happy they didn't hit my truck. I saw the plows plow someone in who was trying to shovel out her truck. The plow blade came within a half meter of her. Fuck you city.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
After 45 minutes my plastic cage is becoming too difficult to see through, fuck it. I took the cage off, and discarded my coat. I was too well dressed for this anyway.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I don't usually mind snow, but when suddenly everything is buried, I'm glad I've decided to move someplace where it doesn't snow quite so much. Even without the move, this is more incentive to work from home. Where so long as I have electricity and internet, I can pay the bills.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So I thought of a couple great articles to write, so next week is a crowd project. But the next week... Back to something real to write about. Enjoy all.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Note: Despite this being a freewrite, I still run a spell check. No use in leaving typos in.
|
|
||||||
@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Should Cooks Wash Their Hands? A Preferred Indifferent"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-02-08 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
Discovered via <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/108290759057490500986/posts/cN5yh2WoaZU" target="_blank">this</a> google+ post, senator Thom Tillis is questioning whether government should regulate food service hand washing policies.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Most people take one look at this idea and think, "What the fuck is wrong with our government," but we must look deeper into it. Should people wash their hands before serving food? For safety? Yes. Should employers enforce that their employees wash their hands before serving food? To keep customers happy? Of course. However, government shouldn't be forcing the hand. The market should.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Senator Tillis apparently believes that it should be up to the establishment, but they should still post a sign in the case that they choose not to enforce their employees to wash their hands. As Jon Stewart says, if you take away the regulation for hand washing, but then go ahead and enforce regulation to have a sign... That doesn't help the problem of regulation. It is still regulation.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Many establishments will likely continue to have hand washing policies, but some places may choose to relax, or remove, these policies. What is the result? People will likely get sick. Dysentery is a horrible thing to have.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So enough negative, what positive effects could this have? When John gets sick after eating at "The Rusty Bucket", chances are he will tell all his friends to avoid that place like the plague. Market balance.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Companies will likely enforce hand washing policies regardless of regulation. Is this the same result as have regulation in effect? No. The end result perhaps, but at least this way it's taken care of with freedom. Not with the exchange of freedom for the illusion of safety.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Remember the Jack in the box e. coli outbreak of 1993? While they were in compliance with the law, undercooked meat was still responsible for at least four deaths. The response? Many law suits and regulatory change in required temperatures for beef.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Were the regulations necessary? Jack in the Box lost many customers, money in lawsuits, and nearly went bankrupt. However, while the new regulations were first only in Washington state, what did Jack in the Box do? They mandated a new cooking temperature nation wide. Why would they do that? To prepare for future federal regulation? Hell no. They wanted to stay in business.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
What if we get rid of the regulations? What about the customers? How many people need to get sick before we give up and go back to regulations?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Freedom should never be given up for safety. As in the Jack in the Box reference, people will boycott companies who get people sick. People will become more aware of what they eat, and who they let prepare it.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Having to worry about whether or not company xyz might get us sick, would at least give us back one level of consciousness. Even better, perhaps more people will go back to eating at home. If people were more aware of what they were doing to themselves, chances are they would eat fast food a lot less often.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
So this is a bit of a touchy subject, because people die. Should we regulate to prevent loss of life? Do we exchange freedom for life? I don't think so. Market forces are more than able to take care of any issues that arise. What if I'm wrong? Then the people who choose not to be aware of life around them die. That's part of life. Being aware. If you choose not to do it, you risk yourself and others around you. What do you think about regulation? Are market forces not enough? Comment below.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
If you want to see a more raw response from me, feel free to look at the comments of the google plus post introduced at the beginning of this article.
|
|
||||||
@ -1,51 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Attack People, Not Ideals"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-02-15 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
Quite a lot of people choose to attack people for their ideals, instead of the ideals themselves. Why?
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
An obvious example would be <a href="http://conservativetribune.com/famous-rocker-humiliates-kanye/" target="_blank">extreemeist media</a>, but we see this everywhere. People who are against Catholics attack the people following it for things of history such as the crusades. Why not attack the ideal? Tell the people, "Hey, these people did some messed up stuff. Why do you follow them?" instead of the more common, "You follow the catholic way of life? You're stupid."
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The same thing happens outside of politics and religion of course, it happens anywhere people have differing opinions.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
“Why would you give that game a 6/10? What's wrong with you? “
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
“You don't vaccinate your kids? You kill people. You're fucking stupid. You should vaccinate your kids.”
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
“How the fuck can you say it's not ok for homosexuals to marry? You're a pretentious asshole.”
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We hear these things all the time. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual (LGBT) movement likes to do shit like this. They attack people for having ideological difference from their own.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
To be clear, they do not attack the idea of not allowing LGBT to marry or to have equal rights, they attack the person for not believing it should be ok for LGBT to marry. That's fucked up, and we need, as a country, to stop attacking people foolishly.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Best case scenario? A person is attacked, they become defensive, no chance of gainful argument. If you feel vaccinations are important, argue against their ideals. Don't attack them and call them <em>killers</em> because they feel they are doing what is best for their children.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Or as the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/14/us/colorado-gay-woman-funeral-service/" target="_blank">LGBT community</a>...
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
In summary, the church decided they didn't want to perform a funeral for a lesbian. What happens in response? Outrage.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Why? Why is there outrage? Most people already know the church doesn't like homosexuality, so why would this be an outrage? It's like getting pissed off that jalapenos are spicy and not sour. It's a bloody fucking stupid way to think. What's worse? They want apologies. That's fucked up. Most people probably think an apology is warrant, but this is what is going on.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The LGBT community is asking the church to apologize for what it believes in. That is way overkill compared to what the church is doing. The LGBT community and supporters want the people to apologize for their ideals. Just let that sink in before you jump on the apology bandwagon.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
What the fuck people? Stop trying to force your beliefs on others. Stop saying that your beliefs are right and others are wrong. If one person thinks homosexuality is wrong... is he the one that is wrong? No. And neither are you.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Homosexuality is neither right nor wrong, it just is. Right and wrong are simply attributes people add to ideas. Stop telling people they are wrong simply because your ideals are different from theirs. That's fucked up.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<h3> COMMENTS </h3>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Lindsay
|
|
||||||
February 17, 2015 at 2:30 am Edit
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Great post. I found two typos. The second time you mention the word “Catholic” you didn’t capitalize it. The last sentence in the second paragraph after the LGBT Community link says “warrant” instead of “warranted.” I figured you’d appreciate the pedantry.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
logen
|
|
||||||
February 18, 2015 at 7:34 pm Edit
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Looks like you are correct, two’s not too bad though.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "More Studies Please. Mincome."
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-02-22 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
In the United States, we have far too many social services. All these social services cost money in terms of actual money spent on the services, as well as administration.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Social security alone in 2013 cost the taxpayer approximately $814 billion. In 2012, welfare, not including social security or medicare, cost about $950 billion. By 2024 the Affordable Care Act is expect to cost over $200 billion in today's dollars (currently $38 billion in 2014).
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
These numbers are pretty big. With only about 316 million people(2013 estimate), why are we spending over $1.1 trillion on these services?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
For those unfamiliar with the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/12/23/mincome-in-dauphin-manitoba_n_6335682.html" target="_blank">Canadian Mincome Experiment</a>. Back in the 1970's, the Canadian government funded an experiment to study the effects of simply giving poor people money. They took the city of Dauphin's poor and provided them with a basic level of income.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Unfortunately, due to changes in government, the project was shut down early, and no one studied the results until 2005. Without going into too much detail, Mincome was a success.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We need to fund more studies like Mincome in order to find solutions to our growing social programs. What if we simply gave every American citizen over the age of 18, who meets certain low income requirements, $15,000 a year? If every American over 18 qualified, that would be approximately 243 million people, so about 3.6 trillion.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
That sounds like a lot of tax dollars, but remember that we are already spending more than 1.1 trillion, and that doesn't include every American. The advantages, however, could be amazing. All of that $1.1 trillion of social services could easily be replaced by a system such as this, and probably cost less to administer.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
How much paperwork, government jobs, court costs, and other administrative expenses could be removed by rolling all these programs into one service? How many loopholes will be closed?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Why apply for (and employ people to run) food stamps, housing, income credits, welfare, social security, energy assistance, and whatever else we have when we could apply for one benefit that gives you a base income to cover it all?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
It's hard to find numbers on administration expenses, but at least social security made it easy. They claim to have spent about $3 billion on admin expenses in 2014.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr />
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The amount and complexity of benefits is astounding. So much money is spent on simply having a hundred different service that all are trying to do one part of the same basic thing: provide a way for the downtrodden to get a leg up. Having less systems also makes it easier to focus resources on helping people.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So what do you think? Should we start funding studies so we can find better alternatives to social services? Perhaps even minimum wage itself could be abolished if we had a minimum base income. The job market would easily balance itself. How many people would work at fast food for low wages if they would get $15,000 by not working at all? The job market would have to compete with the base minimum income in order to stay in business.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Sources:
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/admin.html" target="_blank">http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/admin.html</a>
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/12/federal-spending-by-the-numbers-2014" target="_blank">http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/12/federal-spending-by-the-numbers-2014</a>
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html" target="_blank">http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html</a>
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/12/23/mincome-in-dauphin-manitoba_n_6335682.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/12/23/mincome-in-dauphin-manitoba_n_6335682.html</a>
|
|
||||||
@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "REVIEW: Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-03-01 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: Review
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
I was rather skeptical that I would enjoy a trackball style mouse at all, but not wanting to limit my experiences (and who doesn't like getting new tech?), I picked up the Logitech M570.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mouse_top.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-305" src="http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mouse_top-300x202.jpg" alt="mouse_top" width="300" height="202" /></a>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I've been using this trackball for about a month now and I have had no issues with the wireless. Better yet, Logitech claims 18 months of battery life, so you don't have to worry about it going out on you at the worst possible moment. Well, actually you probably still do, but at least it will only happen once a year.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The M570 is surprisingly comfortable to hold, but if you are new to trackballs, like I am, then it may take a few days before you find what grip works best for you.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
On the second day of using this device I started noticing some pain in my thumb. I was considering returning it at this point, I don't want a RSI in my thumb, but I decided to switch back to my good ole mouse and wait it out for a bit.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Something new that I hadn't noticed before. Now that I've had a taste of what it was like to not use my wrist to control my pointer, I started to notice quite a bit of discomfort.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I went back to the M570 and still had a bit of pain in my thumb, but instead of switching back to the mouse, I decided to simply take more breaks from the computer until my thumb could get used to using it for longer periods of time.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
This worked well for me, but if you experience any pain while using a mouse or anything else, pay attention. You don't want to mess up your hands or wrists.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So yes, Logitec made a good device, surprise surprise right? Well, I believe it's important to talk about trackballs in general, since they are foreign to many people.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Things I've learned since using the trackball:
|
|
||||||
<ul>
|
|
||||||
<li>Mice hurt my wrist, guess I just didn't notice it before</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>A lot of skin comes off on trackballs, they need to be cleaned fairly often. Especially those of us with dirty hands</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>My mouse accuracy is terrible. I am still much faster with a mouse when it comes to a general area, but the trackball feels easier for precise movements</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>Buying a trackball makes me want to buy more trackballs. Looking forward to picking up a finger style trackball when I have the spare funds</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>Being able to have my laptop on my lap and a mouse on the arm of a recliner is amazing</li>
|
|
||||||
</ul>
|
|
||||||
Thankfully cleaning isn't too terribly difficult.
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mouse_bottom.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-304" src="http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/mouse_bottom-300x203.jpg" alt="mouse_bottom" width="300" height="203" /></a>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I just use a pen to press the ball out and then clean off all the little bearings with a finger. When I'm satisfied I just stick the ball back in and remember how amazing it is when its clean.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Would I recommend a trackball? Anyone who has access to a track ball, both thumb and figure style, should try them out. I wouldn't tell a guy he should drop $40 on a new device if he is happy with what he has.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
That said, if you find that a standard mouse is uncomfortable or inconvenient, give the M570 a try. There are not a lot of options in the trackball world these days, but for $40... I'm satisfied.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Hmm. Being a review where I let myself use words such as "you" and "I" it feels awkward even bothering with my end of article commentary. Anyway, trackballs are pretty awesome. Try em out if you can, but if you can't, and you are still interested in one, the M570 is pretty awesome.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So what do you think? Do you see a trackball in your future? Discuss below!
|
|
||||||
@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Ye Olde Bait And Switch"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-03-08 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
<em>They Might Be Giants is going on tour in your area!</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>Awesome! How much are tickets?</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>$26</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>Cool, I'll take two.</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>That'll be $75 please.</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>What the fuck?</em>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Is entertainment so special that it's ok for the inudstry to fuck us at every turn?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Want to go to a concert? Well, the ticket price is $30, but we will be adding in another $10 in bullshit fees.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
With the prior mentioned band, the ticket was ~$25, a venue fee of $1, and a convenience fee of $7. Much better than some venues, but this form of advertising is fucked up, and no amount is justified.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<b><em>*At the grocery store*</em></b>
|
|
||||||
<em>Three packs of $1 hot dogs sounds good.</em>
|
|
||||||
<b><em>*Head to checkout counter*</em></b>
|
|
||||||
<em>Yes ma'am. That will be $32.<em>
|
|
||||||
<em>How?</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>Well, all those hot dogs come to $3, and then we have a convenience charge of $10 per item since we are located in a small town. Then taxes account for the rest.</em>
|
|
||||||
<em>What the fuck?</em></em></em>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Imagine the situation above happened. People would outrage.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Information on where the money from the ticket price ends up is hard to find, aside from hearsay. However, all the bullshit fees should be contained in a single advertised cost.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
What the fuck is $1 going to do? This venue is in a major city. There is no way a venue would host a concert for only $1 per ticket, just include that shit in the regular ticket price. The $7 convenience fee was claimed to be an <em>online</em> fee, but in 2006 Ticketmaster locations charged a convenience fee. To make things worse, they were usually hidden in some scummy location (in this author's experience). Not very convenient.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
A few years ago, Fleetwood Mac concerts had a $30 convenience fee. Let's see what Ticketmaster charges today.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<a href="http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/fleetwoodmac.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-327" src="http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/fleetwoodmac-300x262.png" alt="fleetwoodmac" width="300" height="262" /></a>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The above is simply the first seat found. Ticketmaster's site is more confusing than it needs to be.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<b><em>Me:</b> Ticketmaster, just find a seat for me.</em>
|
|
||||||
<b><em>Ticketmaster:</b> Okay, please select a seat map.</em>
|
|
||||||
<b><em>Me:</b> What? I wanted you to... whatever. Wait... Miley Cyrus is a seat map?</em>
|
|
||||||
<b><em>me:</b> What the fuck?</em></em>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
But yes, just shy of $30 for a service fee. What makes that venue so special? Oh, perhaps it's not, perhaps you simply charge higher service fees for bigger name bands. However, there is something special about this Ticketmaster page. All fees are included in the first place a total is shown, not after the fact.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
It's much more comfortable when all fees are included in the first total shown with the option to see a break down. None of this bullshit where the first total is $30 less than the second.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
I ended up missing out on a TMBG's show because I refused to buy tickets that were listed in a <em>bait and switch</em> manner. Sure I would have loved to see the show, hell, I probably would have bought them if they were $40 a ticket with all costs included, but ethics come first. I can't very well say "I hate Walmart" and then shop there the next day and be an ethical person can I?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
The bait and switch bullshit has to stop. Glad to see Ticketmaster isn't doing it anymore.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So what do you think? Would you rather eat the fees when they are presented to you after the fact? Would you be willing to boycott these misleading practices?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Let me know below ^_^
|
|
||||||
@ -1,48 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "College Is A Horrible Thing"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-03-15 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
College is a terrible thing. Growing up we're told about the glories of college. College will help you get a job. College is a place of free thought. College will make your dreams come true. This is bullshit.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
What's so great about college? It helps you get a job? The purpose of college was to foster the growth of intelligence among the elite who could afford it.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Why does it seem like everyone needs college to do well in life these days? This author currently goes to college, but he does so for self improvement, not some grand idea of landing a great job.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
This begs the questions:
|
|
||||||
<ul>
|
|
||||||
<li>Does (s)he who earns the most money win?</li>
|
|
||||||
<li>Is making more money the only way to be comfortable?</li>
|
|
||||||
</ul>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
There is another option. Consume less.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
At least in the United States, outside of expensive cities, living on $1000 a month (assuming no debt) is entirely practical. So long as the money isn't wasted, $1000 a month allows for plenty of excess income for fancy gadgets and pretty meals.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
So is college really the only way? Will we immediately make $3000 a month straight out of college? Probably not going to happen.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
College is for those who don't know what to do, want a very specific job that requires formal education, or those who simply wish to learn.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Hell, college probably makes it harder to get a decent job if student loans are involved. Employers like to look at credit ratings these days, student loans don't make for a good credit rating.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
College is a business. As a business they sold to the wealthy in order to help bolster the separation of the rich and poor. To play on their ego that they are better. The rich are smart and the poor are dumb.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Now college realizes it is able to target everyone. Why not? It's easy to get a loan for college, we can target everyone in the country and raise prices to boot. This reminds me of insurance companies. As soon as it's required... Prices skyrocket. College is becoming required.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
All of this could be forgiven, if only college was actually an institution of free thought. Oh, you have a problem with Times New Roman or Microsoft? You don't want to support the destruction of freedom? Well too bad. Do it or you get a zero.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr>
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Yea, I attend a Jr. College. I use Linux/OpenBSD for my school work along with libreoffice. When I ask if I can use a font that's not proprietary but is still metrically compatible with Times New Roman (liberation serif) I'm told, "I require Times New Roman. However, I don't want my students to be uncomfortable, so if this is a problem I suggest you drop my class."
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
She suggested I drop the class instead of letting me use free fonts. What the fuck? This is an affront to freedom. "Use this anti-freedom device, or get out of class."
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I don't blame the teachers, I'm sure they are not well versed in such facets of technology and they shouldn't have to be. However, I believe it is the responsibility of the schools to allow for free alternatives.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Even if liberation serif is the only Times New Roman alternative, at least it allows us, as students, to choose to support freedom.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Instead of teaching us how to open our minds and be free, we are being taught to open our minds, but still be subservient. Think all you want, think well, think grandious, but you are only allowed to do this my way.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Anyway, what do you think of college? My perception is based on my experiences from one college, and a Jr. College at that. So please, share your experiences below!
|
|
||||||
@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
|
|||||||
---
|
|
||||||
layout: post
|
|
||||||
title: "Freewrite: Wut Just Happened? I Suppose I Hate"
|
|
||||||
date: 2015-03-22 12:00:00 -0700
|
|
||||||
categories: freewrite,philosophic
|
|
||||||
---
|
|
||||||
*New audio format! Enjoy my horrible voiceover of my own work!
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
[AUDIO](http://sudotask.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Freewrite_wut_just_happened.ogg)
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Well, there I was. All ready to write about something else that irritates me, but then... I didn't feel like it. I suddenly felt it was time for a freewrite, well, perhaps a stream of consciousness, but whatever.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
What do I hate? I suppose more things than I should. Why hate anything? How silly is that? I suppose I could begrudge someone... but I don't. I never do. However, I do feel hate towards actions people make.
|
|
||||||
<!--more-->
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
If someone is recklessly endangering lives, I feel hate. That's about it. Sure, I might be annoyed by someone, but I'll only hate their actions.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I suppose I also hate ideals. My last article, <a href="http://sudotask.com/2015/03/college-is-a-horrible-thing/" target="_blank">College Is A Horrible Thing</a> I mentioned schools not embracing freedom. That's something I feel a hate for. Hell, it encourages me to try to figure out who to talk to, and perhaps try to make some change in the system.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Of course, my experience is only with one Jr. College. Before I go on a freedom rampage, I should first go to various schools in a particular district and see what the teachers allow, and how the schools handle these requests. School!= free thought and it saddens me. Oh well. On to something else....
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Drivers who recklessly endanger lives. I'm willing to believe there are a few people who speed, weaving through traffic that feel they need to, but I fear that most of them simply want to be in front of the pack. Perhaps not even that, maybe they simply want to be home second earlier. I don't know.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I hate socialist movements. I do not agree with the suffering of all in place of the suffering of few. The taxpayer should not be forced into helping people who won't/can't help themselves. Especially when those programs are in desperate need of reform.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
How much money is wasted due to stupid bureaucratical bullshit? The only welfare option that makes since is a basic income. Hell, giving everyone free money would probably cost less than just the infrastructure that could be replaced by that. No forum. No contacting 10 different agencies. No 50 different forums for each benefit. No shame. Just the basic income.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
Gotta love freewrites, I clearly contradicted my point above by supporting the argument for socialist movements. Well, oh well. My above suggestion is simply a way to fix what we already have, not create new socialist programs.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
We can be organ donors. We can choose not to be. Opt in. That's how socialist programs should be run. But what if the program only works if everyone contributes? Well, then the program is wrong. It's the program that's the problem, not the people who want to be in control of their own destiny.
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
I am a believer in absolute freedom. At least up to the point of harming others. Want to use cocaine? Fine. That's your choice. Who am I to say you can't put that in your body? However, when you are driving on the road strung out, you are risking my freedom. So no, you cannot drive with your mind all fucked up, but if you want to fuck up your mind, who am I?
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
<hr />
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||||||
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||||||
Well, enough of that ramble. Yay hate! But only in moderation.
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||||||
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||||||
So what do you hate? Can you justify this hate? Is any hate justifiable? Clearly I feel it is, but only if it's ideological... apparently.
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||||||
<h3>Comments</h3>
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Mollusk
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March 28, 2015 at 3:28 am Edit
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||||||
I enjoy reading these, and the added audio is nice when I don’t feel like reading. I look forward to seeing and hearing more of these.
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||||||
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|
||||||
41
_posts/2016-09-11-starting-over.md
Normal file
41
_posts/2016-09-11-starting-over.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
|
|||||||
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---
|
||||||
|
layout: post
|
||||||
|
title: "Starting Over"
|
||||||
|
date: 2016-09-11 12:00:00 -0700
|
||||||
|
categories: Meta
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
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|
||||||
|
Well, it was a good run with WordPress.
|
||||||
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|
||||||
|
Over time I noticed it was getting slower and slower as my WordPress install upgraded, and my Ubuntu server over on Digital Ocean continued to be an old LTS on a $5 rig.
|
||||||
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|
||||||
|
Not only that, but mySQL database errors were becoming more and more common. I almost switched at the beginning of this year when the database errors started to become frequent. I would have to reboot every day or so just to keep the site up.
|
||||||
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|
||||||
|
Then one day I found the culprit. Not enough ram on the Digital Ocean server. So, did I upgrade? Ha, no I just created a nice big swap file, and everything was good to go for a few months.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Then the errors came back. The site was slower, and I would have to restart it every month or so. Then it was every day. That's when I decided it was time to switch to another platform.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
In my infinite laziness I was taking a long time to switch the site over. Why? Because the tools used to automate the process didn't work, and I had to recreate every post. I got about halfway through over the course of a month or so and then yesterday I couldn't get the site to load.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Can I get my data out of Digital Ocean? Probably, but I'm not sure it's worth it, and even if I do, I've decided to start fresh with the site.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
A lot of my writing was forced ramblings, and not very appropriate now that SudoTask LLC is a thing. Perhaps I'll try to bring them back, and put them somewhere buried on the website, or on some other domain.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Now I'm using a combination of Jekyll (static web site) and git with vultr.com as my host. Why vultr and ditch Digital Ocean? Simple. They let me use my own custom ISO. Which is amazing because that means I get to use my favorite Linux distribution (Void Linux), on my server.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I hate to shill out on my first post, but if you'd like to check them out please consider using [this referral link](1). Using [my referral link](1) will net you $20 in credits (4 months of their cheapest offering) and I'll get $30.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Don't want to support me? Don't want the discount? Then just go to [vultr.com (non-ref link)](2) to sign up. So far I'm happy with the service. It has a bit more memory than Digital Ocean's cheapest offering, not that it really helps me now that I'm going full static, but it could be important for someone running server applications.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Might even be able to get away with hosting a Minecraft server. From what I remember, Minecraft is a fantastic memory hog. So maybe. Should be a bit better than Digital Ocean in either case.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
By using git I'll be able to work on posts locally (something that always irked me about WordPress) and push them to the server when they are ready, as well as another backup git server.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Avoiding a database structure will make it a lot easier to back up. It's all beautiful plain text. Though, it is a bit annoying how I have to create posts, so I'll probably write a tool to make file creation a bit less annoying, but I'm sure I won't bother till I get fed up with it.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
So yea, welcome to the new site. I'm sure it looks a bit bare at the moment, as I haven't looked into themes yet, but I'll get there. If anyone has suggestions feel free to email me at <contact@sudotask.com>.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Enjoy!
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
[1][http://www.vultr.com/?ref=6980276-3B]
|
||||||
|
[2][http://www.vultr.com]
|
||||||
Loading…
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Reference in New Issue
Block a user