In the news 10/14/2010

From cbs11tv.com

A federal appeals court has rejected a Dallas-area parent's challenge to the Texas pledge of allegiance over the words "under God."
Click here for article while it lasts.

I say, "GOOD!"

I'm not a religious fanatic. Heck, I miss church on a regular basis because "better" plans come along. I know, I'm a sinner.

I think this is a good thing in the sense that some things don't need to be changed because they aren't really harming anybody. God is and has been a fundamental part of the country whether its inhabitants like it or not.

The Constitution says "Year of our Lord" under Article VII where it lists all the witnesses.The Declaration of Independence uses "God," "Creator," and "Divine" within the text.

The Bill of Rights gives Americans the freedom of speech and religion. It doesn't say that America needs to change the historical significance God has played to please the many different religions. It means that you can practice whatever religion you want. It means that you have the right to not say "under God" during the Pledge of the state or nation. Nobody is forcing you to believe in God versus Allah versus Buddha versus Buddy Christ.

The point I'm trying to make is nobody is forcing you to believe in God. IMO, it's a foundational thing that doesn't and shouldn't be changed for the few, if even at all. There are far worse things that need to be "fixed" in the cities, states, nation and abroad. Let's spend our monies wisely on those things versus some asinine thing like "we are Atheists and my kid shouldn't have to say, 'under God,' during the Pledge." Just mouth the word or skip it altogether, ya dumb ass! That's what I do when I don't know the words to something and nobody knows the better.

Besides, as far as I've heard, saying "God" never hurt anybody except for that one time when I was a wee little boy and it started pouring rain like cats and dogs and then hailed. I ran from the backyard to the breezeway and said, "Oh my God!" My dad said, "What did you say?!" And I said it again. That's when he hurt my feelings by yelling at me for saying "God" and ruined my happy excited moment about the harshness of the weather.

Brookhaven Community College

I just visited Brookhaven Community College for the 3rd time (I think) in my life.

The 1st was to drop my niece's husband off for his classes so I could use their truck to haul something I needed a truck to move.

The 2nd time I very vaguely recall. I don't know why but I feel like I've been there once before this time and the 1st time.

The 3rd time, which was today, I had to attend my B&W II photography class at Brookhaven.

This is the first time I was able to walk the campus. I entered the parking lot through the front entrance off Alpha Road. This entrance led me straight to the Student Center building, Building S it is called. I parked. Entered the building and asked where my professor's exhibit was. It was in Building D near the back of the campus. I assume it is the fine arts building but I don't recall if it had a particular name like Building S. So, I was able to journey through at least part of the campus.

I must say that since I was able to do so, I found that the campus is pretty nice. It's not a huge campus. In fact, I think that Tarrant County College Northeast Campus in Hurst is bigger. I'm not sure if the buildings are bigger at TCC or more spread across the campus or what but TCC really seems bigger and I think it is.

Anyway, the campus had some nice architecture, fountains and art. The buildings seemed spacious and cozy at the same time. Some of the hallways and classrooms look like they need to be "modernized" and brought out of the late 80s/early 90s. I did find it sort of empty of a plethora of students. I don't know if it just happened I was there during class time or if it was a typical Wednesday afternoon. The campus has quite a decent-sized parking lot and it seemed fairly empty as well.

So, the reason I had class at Brookhaven is for my professor's exhibit/showing of a few (40) of his prints over five decades of taking photos. I thought his prints were pretty awesome. Some of them I thought were very cool while others I think were good, interesting, thought-provoking in the sense some made me nostalgic but others were just "normal" in the sense that it seemed anyone could have taken them and anyone could think they were awesome, like me. What's nice about him and his work is that he has his own darkroom and plenty of time to print one after the other if need be. I'm not minimizing his work and efforts. I'm just saying that it would be nice to be able to hone a craft in such a way as having the lab, workroom, or darkroom in your own backyard to practice.

Anyway, that's what my afternoon entailed.

Sent on the Super Jay Network from Super Jay's BlackBerry®

Pogoplug Multimedia Sharing Device - Gray

Last week Tuesday, I saw a good deal on a Pogoplug at Buy.com or Pogoplug.com.

I've seen these before when they originally came out. Read the review at CNET and decided, "Eh." The deal at Buy.com was a little to good, for me, to pass. The price for the Pogoplug was $49.99 plus tax but free shipping. When the original price was like $129 and now at least $99 or above, I thought it would be good time to test this little product out on my home network.

I have a couple of SimplePro 500GB USB external hard drives, a couple of Western Digital 120GB portable USB drives and a few notebook hard drives I have pulled from old laptops and put in portable cases. I've dwindled down my computer count from 5-7 desktops to 2: 1 is about a year old with 1TB main drive and an added Hitachi 640GB; the older machine has 4 hard drives that range from 120GB to 200GB and is mainly used as a network backup where I backup all my files to from various notebook/netbook machines in the house.

I have a Belkin 8-port USB hub but sometimes it would intermittently "disappear" when connected to my "backup" machine running WinXP. It's frustrating to set up back up software to run daily/bi-daily and not have the drives available for some freaking reason. The Belkin hub has currently been just a charging station for my various USB-chargeable devices.

Also, the backup machine randomly shuts down which makes me lose those four backup drives. I think it's an overheating issue but I solved that part by using a floor fan to blow constantly into the case. It works but now occasionally the computer will lose video feed. I'm not sure if it's the video card because the machine will turn on although I can't audibly hear the POST. Basically, it powers on and that's it; no video image, no hard drive action. Sometimes I can let it sit, jingle a few things here and there, when it will suddenly work properly...until the next time.

So, longer story shorter, I could use some sort of networked, Internet-accessed, "clouded" access to my files. This may not be the solution but it's a good place to start at a decent price.

Stupid people at work...again

I find some of the best random blogging material by just sitting at my office desk listening or seeing what goes on around me.

I've posted about the stupid people at work and specifically the stupidest girl at work.

So, Monday she called in sick to our boss who has been out of town on recruiting trips for almost a month straight. The boss often has been sickly on the various trips and when she got back in town, she still came into the office. I'm not promoting it. I'm just saying for reference/comparison.

So stupid girl left boss a message saying she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be in until may be later after lunch time...approximately 1pm.

No big deal, right? Wrong! Stupid girl just happened to take off Friday for a three-day weekend where she apparently ventured to Austin, Texas for Austin City Limits. That's like three days of mindless drinking, partying and music listening. I'm sure the boss knew this was where she was going and then stupid girl calls in "sick."

Do you see where and why stupid girl gets her moniker?

Again, I don't care what the fuck stupid girl does. I care that her stupidity will somehow affect me somewhere down the road. What if I want to call in sick on a Monday? Now the boss will think, "Hm, [stupid girl] had a party weekend and called in. I wanted if [Jay] is 'playing' sick." See? It sets a trend for others that really isn't there but because of stupid girl, it's now in the thoughts of the boss.

By the way, I've told a couple of people or they were privy to the information the same time I was but they all say, "Isn't [stupid girl] too old to be doing this shit now?" She's 30...31 in a month or so. I take a more stand-offish approach and say, "30 is really just a number. Yes, maturity-wise you would think she'd be out of the going-somewhere-to-party-and-get-drunk phase but I guess everyone is different."

At the same time, stupid girl seems somewhat immature (mentally) at times. I think she spent more time acting like a frat boy in college than a sorority girl. Nothing wrong with that, but I would think the maturity eventually kind of just naturally occurs. I could be wrong since I purchase my evolutionist degree online.

So, what do you think? Is there an age that people should stop "partying"? I know partying is a very broad idea. For me a few years ago, playing Medal of Honor: Spearhead on my home LAN of seven computers was a party. Should I have grown out of that? Of course, part of your decision could be how much community partying is done (i.e. dance clubs, concerts, bars) versus in-house partying (i.e. LAN parties, house parties with close friends).

I'm a little skewed in my opinion because I don't drink or believe in completely wasting my hard-earned money. If I did drink, I don't see how economically smart it is to pay $5 for a bottle beer at some venue when I can buy a 6-12pk for the same or slightly more. I like listening to music but I don't need to see the band in person, especially from within the mosh pit or the you-got-charged-way-too-much-dumb-ass seats up front. I'm happy with just jamming to the music on my computer or MP3 player.

I'm just easy like that...easy like a Sunday morning!

Email humor 10/12/2010

My ex-wife started taking flying lessons about the time our divorce started and she got her license shortly before our divorce was final, later that same year.

Yesterday afternoon, she narrowly escaped injury in the aircraft she was piloting when she was forced to make an emergency landing in Southern Tennessee because of bad weather.

Thank God our kids were with me this weekend.

The NTSB issued a preliminary report, citing pilot error: Judy was flying a single engine aircraft in IFR (instrument flight rating) conditions while only having obtained a VFR (visual flight rating) rating.

The absence of a post-crash fire was likely due to insufficient fuel on board.

No one on the ground was injured.

The photograph below was taken at the scene and shows the extent of damage to her aircraft.

She was very lucky.

A funny typed review at Amazon

I forget where I found it but I'm on the RSS feed for Free ebooks on Kindle from Amazon and smashwords. They are not always free but I don't know if that is the site's error or I just see the "deals" too late. I think mostly it's the site's but mainly for the books listed from smashwords. All but one book at Amazon was indeed free and I didn't realize the one that wasn't until after I had already purchased it.

Anyway, a book listed today was Relentless (Dominion Trilogy #1). I usually read the reviews to get a feel for the book because even though it's free, I don't want to waste my time on badly written story lines.

So, in Relentless' "Editorial Review" section, the person references the likes of the author to another. The lines starts with:

Gradually, the Dick-like paranoia itself shifts into flourishes...

Now, tell me that ain't funny?

What is Symbian?

Okay, I really don't need to know what it is but every time I see the word it makes me think of another one. I guess it's because of my perverted nature or unusual knowledge of certain aspects of pornography and sex toys. I'm not into either but I think it's innate for boys/men to have a base knowledge of the two by a certain age; no definite age but some earlier bloomers than others.

So, what is the word that always comes to mind for me?

Symbian versus Sybian

You can see why the initial confusion, right?

Speaking of annoying singers

I am listening to some Internet radio via WinAmp. They are currently playing Justin Bieber's U Smile song...video here.

I hate to say it but the song is catchy. It's repetitive but not to the extreme noticeable extent of his song Baby.

He still sounds like his balls need to drop and I can't stand his "act." I know it's a marketing tool but why White singers are told to portray this ghetto image. No, it's not a hip-hop image. It's ghetto! The baggy pants. The too-big sneakers usually untied. Next he'll have a gold chain dangling that has a "J.B." or "Bieber" pendant hanging from it.

Anyway, good for this kid to come (or go) as far as he has. Apparently he and his team are doing something right no matter how much I dislike him overall.

Parents...get off Miley Cyrus already. Sheesh!

In a story over at Evil Beet Gossip,

Miley Cyrus’s New Video and the Backlash it’s Receiving From - Surprise, Surprise - Parents

Click here for article while it lasts.

I usually don't give a shit about shit like this but this just goes to show you the ignorance of today's parents.

Miley Cyrus is trying to leave behind that Disney persona. And who wouldn't when it has made you famous, made you millions, and basically run its course? Why would a 17-yr-old want to continue to play some immature role in a Disney kid show? It's not a teen show as much as it is a kid show.

Oh wait, there is one person who would ride this "success" train until its horrible death...Jaleel White aka Steve Urkel.

Anyhow, she's just like any other teeny-bopper artist that is looking to grow, mature and be relevant to a different audience. I didn't hear so much flack about Justin Timberlake becoming more risque from the teeny-bopper band N'sync to singing Sexy Back.Is it a gender thing? Boys can sing, dress "dirty" as young adults but girls can't? Gimme a break!

Oh well. I just had to chime in because I'm a parent and these parents are ridiculous. As a parent, a damn good one, I have kept my kids from listening to and seeing things that I deem unworthy.

I don't particular have a huge interest in Miley Cyrus. She has pretty decent, catchy songs...even the pre-pubescent ones. She's pretty in a weird kind of way but not striking although she's getting a little better the older she's gotten...so far. And if any marketer is worth their ego, they would tell Miley to continue to accentuate her best asset: her long legs. I mean her voice is pretty decent too but sometimes I find her a little off, more slightly flat than sharp, but it could be the way the song was written and she's supposed to sound like that. I don't know.

So, anyway, parents do your parenting and lay off blaming or pointing the finger at some entertainer.

Move the eff on!

Paramore's The Only Exception

I like Paramore. I actually like just a few of their songs...maybe more. I can't repeat verbatim the lyrics to the songs I do like. I've said it before, "I'm shallow." So, I don't really pay attention to the words so much as the melody. The exception is when I hear a word or phrase repeatedly and then it grates on my nerves because it's like that old vinyl record that's been scratched and repeats and repeats and repeats.

Paramore's song The Only Exception falls into this category. I liked the song. I want to continue to like the song. I currently dislike most of the song because of the repetitiveness of the words, "You are...the only exception. The only exception..." It's enough to make me want to jab dull pencils into my ears.

It's sad really because the lyrics are pretty decent (in between the repeated phrase) and the beat as well. I think Hayley is kind of hot. It's not enough for me to completely be into the song because of the damn repetitiveness. That damn repetitiveness just kills me. It's like having a broken arm in a cast and not being able to reach the itch under the cast to ease your suffering. Ugh, the repetitiveness. It's just repetitive.

Do you see what I mean?

So, if the RIAA would take a look at similar songs across multiple bands and genres, I think they would realize it's NOT the bootlegging/file-sharing. It's that the songs are good, the get played a lot, the repetitive lyrics get noticed more, and people are like, "I'm not buying this shit" or they have buyer's remorse.

I don't know. I'm done.

Oh yeah, by the way, I do hear the lyrics I just don't completely listen to them initially. I don't have to time to jump in and get invested in liking something without testing it out first because it may suck or it will be canceled like my TV shows.

Iron Man 2, a sort of review

I walked into my local Blockbuster to exchange my mail-order movie for an in-store movie last Thursday. I was intent on getting Iron Man 2. All of their copies were rented out. So, now I had a dilemma on my hands: what to watch instead.

I narrowed it down quickly as my kid and her friend were waiting for me in the car. I decided on either Robin Hood(2010) or Get Him to the Greek. There wasn't any other new releases that were "jumping out" at me to say, "Pick me! Pick me!"

I was having difficulty in choosing between the two because I figured "Greek" was more of a stupid humor movie while I felt "Robin Hood" was another telling of an all-too familiar story line.

I walked to the check out counter and said, "So, since you guys don't have Iron Man 2 in stock..." The BB guy said, "You mean this," while holding up a copy of Iron Man 2. I was like, "Dude, I love you man!"

While checking out, I told him I was going to ask him which movie to pick between Robin Hood and Get Him to the Greek. He said that Robin Hood was a better quality movie although Greek was funny. I mentioned that I thought the Robin Hood story was overplayed. He said this was actually a prequel to before he became "Robin Hood." I was like, "Oh." Anyway, I got Iron Man 2 to watch and I'm sure I'll get the others sometime in the near future.

I must say that I'm a little disappointed in the movie. I expected a little more than I was given. It was a decent movie...mayb 3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars. If I recall, I think the first Iron Man had a bit more overall action and better story line. I could be wrong because it has been a while since I saw the first movie.

I'm going to type about things that didn't follow suit for me because that's what I do.

• Howard Stark was so far forward in his genius that he created the schematic for a new element but he just didn't have the technology at the time to create it? But he knew the future enough to share what Tony needed to do to make it?
• Ivan Vanko built an arc reactor-based weapon from his father's notes. When he's on the Grand Prix track in Monaco, he walks down the middle of the track and the driver's are able to avoid him while seemingly driving at least 80-100mph. Why? Plow the guy. He's obviously illegally on the track so MOW...HIM...DOWN.
• Also, Happy plows the Rolls Royce into Vanko and pins him quite harshly to the Grand Prix track perimeter wall. Why didn't Vanko get broken legs or suffer badly before dying? He wasn't wearing super, specialize armor like Iron Man. I hate it when movies make people who have a "gift" invincible...of course, I guess I need to read the comics to realize Vanko's character. Oh well!
• Scarlett Johansson's character, I forget her name because that's how important it was to me, is way hot but c'mon really? I don't think ANY woman could punch me in the face and knock me out or make me lose a fight! Okay, I know it's a movie but still. Now, I'm not saying I'd win a fight against a highly-skilled female fighter. I'm just saying it would take a little more than a punch and kick to the head for me to cry, "Uncle!"
• Samuel L. Jackson is overrated! That's right. I'll say it again, "OVERRATED!" He acts the same in just about every one of his movies (almost like Ashton Kutcher, Steve Carrell, Jack Black, and that dude from Knocked Up. The yelling or loud-volume conversation Nick Fury has with Tony Stark in the restaurant made me think of him in Pulp Fiction and a couple of other roles he's had.

Um, I had more to bitch about but it's been a day or two since I started writing this. So, I'm done. I've lost train of thought. I had to study for a test, develop some film and make some prints. I've got a life besides blogging. Dammit!

The many hats of Chris Fowler

Fowler pregame of Arkansas-Alabama game Sept 25, 2010.
Courtesy of ESPN and my digital camera.

Chris Fowler (ESPN bio or wiki) has got be one of the most versatile sportscasters I've seen. This guy is freaking everywhere on television sports.

My first recognition of him is a commentating on pro tennis matches. I never understood why he was commenting on tennis when he has no formal training or background in the sport. Most of the commentators are professional players that had retired after an actual pro career in tennis whether it was short or long.

When Fowler would comment during a match or even ask questions during player interviews, I would always say to myself, "Who the fuck is this?!" and "Why is HE talking to the player?" I mean I get not every pro has a knack for speaking but John (and Patrick) McEnroe, Jim Courier, Justin Gimelstob, Mary Jo Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, that Corina chick, and even Martina Navratilova speak just fine for the interviews and have an inside, personal knowledge of the game of tennis.

Not Fowler. He seems more like one of those stats or textbook commentators. What he knows is from what he reads and from talking to those that experienced. It seems hollow to me when he commentates or interviews. I guess it's the tennis player in me but that's just the way I see it. Some of his comments (and the pros-turned-commentator's but his more) annoy the crap out of me. It's almost like he's there just to add some difference...I can't think of what that difference is but I'm sure it's something the producers come up with.

I just don't like impostors when it comes to sports. I don't know a lot about football, basketball, rugby, lacrosse, Nascar or golf. I have a working knowledge of some sports and a somewhat deeper knowledge of others. I don't comment on those that I do not faithfully know or follow. Fowler knows his stats although I feel like someone who's lived or played the game over their lifetime is more genuine than those you can read off a sports ticker.

Anyway, I'm not hating (okay, maybe a little) on Fowler. According to his wiki, he's obviously a talent that ESPN loves based on the different sports he's commentated over the years. I'm just a tennis snob and I think only tennis-affiliated people should host/comment at professional tennis events.

Dick Enberg (or Bob Costas, I think) is another one but I won't even get started on him.

In the news 10/01/2010

From the Dallas News:

Dallas woman critically injured when bicycle hits her on Katy Trail

Click here for the article while it lasts.

I'm not sure but I think that the cyclist was going way to effing fast if the woman suffered critical injuries. In the comments, someone said the woman passed away this morning. If that's true, I think there should be some form of prosecution. Cyclists want the respect and authority to ride on the streets. They should be subject to similar laws as automobiles. Basically, it could be something like negligent homicide. Yes, the jogger had on headphones but if it was a car, he'd be cited for the speeding therefore showing negligence.

At the same time, whenever I bike or walk (I hate to jog), I almost always turn to see what is coming behind me, beside me or anywhere around me for my own safety and protection. Like another commenter said, "We are surrounded by foolish people, so arm yourself with that knowledge and always play it safer. Look around you. Pay attention."

In my experience, the cyclist always thinks he/she has some God-given right to be an ass on the road/trails. It could be the cyclist minority but it seems that I am always around that minority. I've also seen tons of cyclists hauling ass on the Katy Trail.

A little tangent: Why is a person a called a cyclist when they ride a bike instead of a rider because they are riding the bike? Why not like a jogger when they jog? A swimmer when they swim or a runner when they run? Do you see the point? When you are a doer doing something the typical add on is "er," but not a cyclist. Is it dependent on the level of expertise that is required to do the activity? Like a pianist, cellist, vocalist, scientist, dentist, protagonist...do these all require some sort of special knowledge, how-to, and skill? I don't think there is something special about a cyclist compared to a runner. I don't know. Just a thought that popped into meesa head while commenting on the story.