Sunday Blasphemy - Cheerleaders

Makes me think of the Star Trek V:

Kirk: What does God need with a starship?
McCoy: Jim, what are you doing?
Kirk: I'm asking a question.
"God": Who is this creature?
Kirk: Who am I? Don't you know? Aren't you God?
Sybok: He has his doubts.
"God": You doubt me?
Kirk: I seek proof.
McCoy: Jim! You don't ask the Almighty for his ID!
"God": Then here is the proof you seek.
[Hits Kirk with lightning]
Kirk: Why is God angry?
Sybok: Why? Why have you done this to my friend?
"God": He doubts me.
Spock: You have not answered his question. What does God need with a starship?
"God": [hits Spock with lightning; then addresses McCoy] Do you doubt me?
McCoy: I doubt any God who inflicts pain for his own pleasure.

Your future laptop?

I love the look, but will it catch on?  Thinking about the downfalls with various types of computers – too bulky to carry around – so we make them smaller, but no one likes a small screen or squishing up on a tiny keyboard.  This gives you a larger screen and a different style of input.  Does it force you to have legible handwriting?  I’m assuming you can plug a USB keyboard into it – but could you also display a keyboard layout on the screen and use the touch as input?  Will the display be as vibrant as a colour monitor and as easy to read as a Kindle?  Oh yeah, it’s got to be affordable as well. 

The personal computer has grown incredibly in capability over the years but the basic design of monitor, keyboard, case has held mostly steady for a couple decades.  The substantial variations (like a “wearable pc”) have either been proof of concept or for a very specialized customer.  I think at some point we’ll see a significant shift in the input/output (keyboard/screen) portion of the computer that will grab a significant share of the market in a relatively short time.  I wonder what it will be.

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Something in the air

We woke up this morning and asked each other – is it orange outside?  It looked a little sepia out there.  Then we noticed the thick dust on the neighbour’s car.  It rained heavily last night so the car should have been cleaner.  The windshield on our car was just as dirty and we used the wipers last night so we know it was clean then. 

At first I thought it was some sort of major pollen bloom, but it turns out it’s dust.

In the garden

The yard used to be so overgrown that we didn’t notice a couple of jade plants growing in containers.  Between infrequent rains and crowding from other plants – they aren’t much to write home about.  I wonder if the best thing to do would be to put them out of their misery, but in the meantime I’ll grab a few cuttings and see about making some smaller plants that would have a better chance.  I doubt I’ll ever grow a jade that looks as nice as the one up the street, but something to sit on the desk would work.

In back, the orange tree has been in full bloom.  It smells wonderful.  I promise to use more of the oranges this year.  They don’t peel apart as easily as the navels from the grocer, but they taste good.  We’re thinking that next time we’re in the off season, we’re going to trim the tree back a bit.

In front I’ve tried to fill in some of the empty space in the front beds with 15 orange chilli plants.  I got the seeds from a chilli I bought at the store to use with dinner.  (Just like the red bell peppers I’ve planted in an empty bed in back and the butternut squash growing in the back corner).  I’d wondered if the seeds would work – either from some process they used or by the way many fruits and veggies are harvested before they are fully ripe so they have a longer shelf life.  We’ll see if I have similar luck with jalapenos and red Thai chillis.  I haven’t seen any seeds for sale or fresh habaneras so I guess I’ll be passing on them this year.  While I was looking I saw some seeds for razzmatazz peppers and figured if I didn’t like them, they’d at least add some colour.

Last week I picked up 3 new plants from the local nursery.  The fushcia will hopefully cover the cheap planter before too long.  We saw some white flamingo flowers at the David Jones flower show and thought they were fake at first because they were so smooth and waxy.  They had red and white, but I liked the purple best.  I’d seen the pink cordyline on a gardening show and really liked how it contrasts with other plants.

The other big change over the weekend was the addition of some new furniture for the back porch.  We’ve been talking about getting something nicer than the folding chairs for more than 2 years.  I think we’ll be spending more time out in our yard this summer.

Sunday Blasphemy - “The Birthers”

I agree that we should have some sort of proof that Obama (or anyone running for President) meets the definition for eligibility – but we’ve seen it!  Maybe your conspiracy theory can explain away the photos of Obama’s mother in Hawaii being very pregnant – or the State of Hawaii colluding in a plot to issue a birth certificate, or even the newspaper announcements of the birth – but if they do, you really should be wearing the tinfoil hat.

This other Hussein guy (pictured above) – absolutely no proof of birth, much less a divine one.  King Harod never demanded a culling of Hebrew children, Nazareth didn’t even exist when people claim big J was born.  I don’t think the myth holds any water (or wine).

Law & Order UK

Most of the TV I watch is still made for the US.  Really big hits will be shown here the same week as in the US.  We even had an episode of Dollhouse that they said hadn’t been broadcast in the US yet.  When I mentioned enjoying the new Law and Order series to a friend in the States, he thought I was joking.  Law and Order is almost 20 years old…, but yes, they’re out with a new flavour.  I admit, I started watching it because it had Lee Adama in one of the starring roles.  It also has Martha Jones for all the Dr. Who/Torchwood fans.  It came along at a time when most of the series I would normally watch had either rapped up or hadn’t started yet – but I’m enjoying it.

That's a party...

Thieves managed to get away with 17,400 bottles of vodka valued at around $600,000. They must have been smaller bottles since that would put the average price at only $35. (Currently, Woolworths is listing 700ml Smirnoff for $36). The heist took place in the early morning hours on Sunday on Sydney's west side.

Still, drinking a bottle a day, it would last almost 50 years (certainly longer than your liver would hold out). I'll be sure to call crime stoppers if anyone offers to sell me a few thousand bottles at 1/2 price.

Sunday Blasphemy – To hate or not to hate…

There are people in Texas who are up in arms about more than 'Obama bin Laden' wanting to make grandma into Soylent Green.  A church has dared to suggest that the Xian bible doesn’t have to be interpreted through an anti-gay lens. 

All denominations have somewhat different beliefs.  Some stress faith, some stress works, some stress grace – but many Xian radicals would like you to believe the unifying tenant of Xian faith is hating gay people.  With many of the major denominations in the news debating the place for gays in their congregations and clergy, it seems we’re at a tipping point where close to 1/2 the members are rethinking.  “The Church” has had many interpretations of scripture they’ve decided mean something else.  My mother was taught as a child that god made an Adam and Eve for each race and put them on different continents.  Most people today would think that is a ridiculous interpretation (and my mom doesn’t believe that). 

Some denominations have even come out with their own versions of the bible to reinforce their views.  The story of King David and Jonathan reads like a love story in the King James version, but in newer versions it seems they are just buddies and the kissing and tearful goodbye in Sam. 20 becomes a simple handshake.

It seems every person of faith (or at least their clergy) seem to think they know better than anyone else what their god really meant.  God hates left handed (sinister) people, hates fortune tellers, hates uppity women, hate shrimp.  I’ve always thought that many people first decide what type of people they don’t like, and then find a church that supports their viewpoint.

Mouse Calibration

You should actually do this every year.  Even more often if you spend a lot of time on the computer. This is recommended by Kim Komando (the computer guru) in one of her recent emails.

I was shocked to see how well this works, and how far off mine was!

To re-calibrate your mouse, click and hold on the capital G below, then drag it toward the small g. 

If it doesn't work immediately, you might want to clean your mouse, as the calibration is off.

Good lord!! You'll believe anything

I’m sure you’ll recommend this to your friends when you see how much smoother the mouse works after being calibrated.

Science regarding healthcare reform

You can check this out on the New Scientist website as well.

The David Jones Floral Show

Last week one of my officemates brought in some fresh cut flowers.  They were extremely fragrant.  I started talking to the receptionist about what flower they looked like, etc, etc and she mentioned that David Jones (a dept store) has a flower show each year around this time that was nice.

A quick internet search gave me the location and times.  John took the day off work and we planned a little trip.  We decided to take the train in since it was in downtown Sydney and parking can be difficult and/or expensive.  Taking the train cost us less than lunch at Subway.

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We went a little early so we could take a quick walk around Hyde Park.  I uploaded a bunch of photos to my Skydrive.  We saw ibises and a kookaburra – plants, statues, water features.  The giant chess set was interesting.  We’ve been around Hyde Park on several occasions but this was my first time walking through it.  I saw some plants that looked like ones my mother used to grow as houseplants, only these were eight feet tall.

I really enjoyed the David Jones displays.  The guide told us how it started many years ago (well before the 15 years he’s been giving the tours).  As it’s entering spring, employees would start bringing in their own fresh cut flowers for their departments.  Over time they got more competitive and more extravagant. Eventually management took it over and now it’s outsourced to a separate company.

It wasn’t the best conditions for photos.  The window displays had… windows and the common reflection problems (and I let the camera handle focusing so it sometimes has a little trouble figuring out what to focus on).  Inside, the light wasn’t always the best.  Most of the flowers were Australian natives.  Some were African, there are some very similar flowers  in the two continents since they were joined “several” years ago and still share the growing conditions common to the general latitudes.  We added a couple names to the list of plants we’d like to have in the yard eventually.

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Week 6

It wasn’t an easy week.  Last weekend we went to a party and there were all sorts of things to snack on and as the night passed by, so did my resistance.  This week we’re having grill and picnic food for Labour Day.  I just need to remember portion control…

The “Truth” About Glenn Beck

(click the picture)

Sunday Blasphemy - Joke

A little boy was waiting for his mother to come out of the grocery store.  As he waited, he was approached by a man who asked, "Son, can you tell me where the Post Office is?"

The little boy replied, "Sure! Just go straight down this street a coupla blocks and turn to your right."

The man thanked the boy and said, "I'm the new pastor in town.  I'd like for you to come to church on Sunday. I'll show you how to get to Heaven."

The little boy replied with a chuckle. "Awww, come on... You don't even know the way to the Post Office."