The Flash Rant (1)

Any site that I can't bypass the flash to get to the content is poorly coded. What if, for some reason, I boycotted flash. Perhaps that reason could be that the computer I use has flash locked out because it is known to cause some issues with certain configurations that result in XP SP3 locking in at 100% CPU usage.

It's a shame that the food here is better than average, and the prices are excellent.

in reference to: Asian Bistro Cafe: Best Sushi and Vegetarian restaurant in Silver Spring, MD (view on Google Sidewiki)

I'm not the nicest guy - so what

I play in an online game. (Keyword = Game). In that game I have successfully upset several folk by being myself.

Not a difficult thing for me to do.

One calls me a hypocrite because I'm against PK (Player Killing - when two or more characters controlled by humans attempt kill each other) in general as a way of life. However, at the same time, there is an individual who stole from my better half, and I would like to have some vengence. What's the difference you ask? Simple - I'm not after wholesale murder (they call it war), I'm looking for justice on someone who had a chance to recant their ways and return what was stolen.

Another says that the faith I have in one of my allies is misplaced, and proceeds to be openly hostile about said ally without their presence to defend. I asked them not to speak such in my channel about my companions. They tried to offer evidence, but the evidence is in a text file on their computer. Show of hands - how many people know how to open up a text editor (Windows users think Notepad). Either way, it was my ally who recommended this individual to our coterie. Who did I ask to leave? My ally who has spoken well of this individual, and has come to my aid frequently, or this individual who up until that point had been welcomed with open arms?

You guessed it, the one who slandered was gone. I don't care if everything they said about my ally was true or not. My ally has not given me cause to regret knowing them, and has never spoken ill of a person who was not present to defend their actions. Was I political in how I handled it, no. I reread my logs, I was coming across angrier than I had intended, but had it happened to anyone else in my fellowship, I would have been just as angry. I should have been more calm, and I wasn't - but that does not mean that the other person was in the right. I asked them to leave, they haven't spoken to me but once since.

This is psycho-drama. It's emotional, but only because I have emotions. Do I care about those situations above? In a limited sense, now that I've properly vented.

1) I still see (in game) the concept of killing other players characters to be disturbing as a goal unto itself.
2) Calling for justice on one individual who had a chance to repent and be forgiven is not the same as killing other player characters for sport.
3) I will be much more selective in the future towards who I invite into my circle.
4) When I ask a person to leave it will be in a solid command and not a debate. "*name* you are no longer welcome. Please leave now."

Here's your sign - just not enough...

About a decade or more ago, there was a big move to give out signs to stupid people. I believe Jeff Foxworthy started the "Here's your sign" movement, but it didn't stick around long enough.

So, since stupid people aren't wearing their signs (remember they are stupid, they forget things as basic as warning the rest of us), we need to start doing more to defend the rest of the world from them. Let us seriously consider minimum sentencing for the following acts of stupidity:

1. Failure to use a turn signal to indicate a lane change during rush hour on a crowded highway, or any other time it might piss me off.
2. Failure to use a turn signal when turning from a non-turn-only lane.
3. Failure to realize that something steaming is probably hot.
4. Failure to realize that doing twice the posted speed limit on a highway, while dodging cars on a motorcycle with no turn signals is wrong.
5. Honking your horn at the car in front of you when the light just changed.
6. Being a police officer and NOT following the laws of traffic under normal, non-emergency, routine driving. I'll suspend this one for any officer who puts on their lightbar, uses sirens, or even turns on their grill lights so that we have warning they are going to run that stop sign into the intersection we are crossing.
7. Being a police officer noticing a violation of the law, and NOT reacting because really J-Walking isn't a big deal, and neither is almost hitting a pedestrian in a crosswalk without a light.
8. Being a non-police officer and shouting profanities, or otherwise harassing a police officer in the course of their duties.

Sentencing to follow:
First Offense - Here's your sign, carry it everywhere you go. And MANDATORY 1 week anti-stupidity training.
Second Offense - Here's your sign, please pay the government 200$'s and carry it everywhere you go. And MANDATORY 1 month anti-stupidity training.
Third Offense - Here's your sign, please pay the government 2000$'s and carry it everywhere you go. And MANDATORY 3 months of anti-stupidity training.
Fourth Offense - JAIL, all wages garnished, all property seized, you are too stupid to care for it yourself.

...the phone in the car contraversy...

Blah, blah, blah...

Look folks, it's all good with me if you want to talk on your cell phone while driving, just remember you are doing it WHILE driving. This means DRIVING is what you are doing. There are folks that can not listen to the radio while driving, carry on a conversation while driving, or futz with the temperature controls. Folks, if you can not handle driving and doing something else then do not try to do so.

SAFETY comes before comfort, fun, relaxation, you friend's latest tragic story about the guy that dumped her yesterday (5th one this week)... you get the point.

Now for those of you about to bash me as anti-phone-in-car... My little sister is capable of driving while talking on a cell phone. I am if equiped with the right headset in advance of starting the engine. It is all about ensuring your priorities. We want to live, that is priority number 1, that there's a fire in a building where a friend works at somewhere I can not get to in time to do anything helpful - priority 2. I'll end a conversation before I end a life.

I can't change radio stations except - When doing a constant speed on a straight stretch using cruise control and having the right amount of car lengths in front of me and the radio has a scan/seek option OR at red light that I know I have at least 30 seconds to press the scan/seek button on the radio. Priority 1 - Staying alive. Priority 2 - Listening to the right station.

--WHILE I'M ON MY SOAP BOX--

The beautiful state of Maryland has a wonderful law about crosswalks. ALL TRAFFIC on ALL SIDES must stop if someone is in the crosswalk. This means the second Jane steps into the crosswalk, the motorist in the far lane is legally obligated to stop until Jane has finished her crossing of the street. Let us say that Joe is crossing a street with 4 lanes of traffic (numbered one through four), and there is a car in lane two that comes to a stop. That car in lane 2 can not merely choose to go after Joe crosses the double gold into lane 3, it must wait for Joe to get to the other side. The car in lane two can not merely accelerate to get past the crosswalk while Joe is still in lane one. The law says all vehicles on either side, excepting in instances where there is a raised or 'protected' median.

As a person that enjoys walking I do not appreciate the flagrant disrespect that many motorists are showing to our law makers and pedestrians by breaking this law repeatedly without care or concern. On a daily basis I see more near collisions (vehichle into pedestrian) than I care to discuss. If you see a human in the white lines, STOP.

Now, everyone who hasn't done sone in the past, thank your lucky stars that I am a law abiding citizen and not some maniac that would try to do something violent about your actions. Think about this for a bit... There are more criminals out on our streets than we really know about, and many of them carry firearms. Your zipping along and decide to cut off a pedestrian, they jump backwards out of your way and let off a few rounds into your car, possibly hitting you, do you want to take that chance? Neither would I.

Good Morning

So a normal person would probably welcome you to their blog... blech. Who said I was a normal person?

I'm just one of the many people who have no real desire to care. I'm a tired old man, without much going for me, but I felt this might be a way for me to get back into the habit of writing.

Once, long ago, I thought of myself as a writer that had strong computer skills. Now I think of myself as a Geek who used to write. I've lost my connection to the arts, and this upsets me greatly. When we lose touch with our artistic expression a large part of us begins to decay. Scientist tell us that the right hemisphere of our brain is our artistic side, what happens to this side of the brain if we do not use it?

In my case, that side of the brain is entirely like the old cobwebbed attic that has been abandoned for over a decade. I can barely appreciate art anymore. I've become bitter about this to the point where I don't like myself very much.

I count myself lucky though. I found a reason to clear out some cobwebs, and to at least appreciate art again. I blame it on one artist, though there were more at fault, she has been able to re-ignite a candle in my attic, perhaps with that I'll find the lamps and begin the cleaning.

DragonSong12 whose main graphic novel can be found at http://fireflycross.pensandtales.com/

I recommend taking a trip to her Deviant Art gallery as well, it is worth the time.

Thank you DragonSong12 for making my life brighter.

My Life - Brief Summary

I live with a person that I care about, two ferrets, two cats, and a few fish...

I have a few pieces of computer garbage that could be assembled into about ½ dozen computers with many parts unused. I really used to enjoy computers, didn't matter to me if they were Apple, Windows, Linux, Unix, VAX/VMS, DOS, CPM, or any other operating system/hardware configuration. The mere notion that typing on some plastic buttons would produce changes in the light being radiated back was fascinating. Meh, now we've become lazy about technology, so what does it matter anymore? WHO CARES?

I went back to college recently. I found a college that I could attend entirely online, and was fully accredited. Classes are arranged in 9 week blocks, with each 9 week block consisting of 2 classes worth 3 credits each. Unfortunately, my fellow students are idiots that have mastered the art of butchering English and can not read or write (remember, this is all online, no VERBAL components). My instructors for this 9 week block are more hands off than my previous two 9 week blocks, which is also depressing. I'm looking for a better educational facility at this point. I don't want a degree that is worthless, and once employers start seeing some of my classmates in action, this schools degree program is going to be black listed.

Ok, this is longer than the brief summary I had intended, sorry.