A Time To Lay Down Arms

If you've drudged through the archives, you might get the impression that I'm a strict 'evolutionist'. And you'd be right. It's fact, people. I can't really tolerate the general stupidity which says otherwise. I've often gotten into large debates over this, and I haven't seen anything to sway me otherwise.

That being said, I don't generally bring it up, especially in real life, unless provoked. I don't run into family gatherings and preach the Good News. I'm definitely more reactive than proactive, which is sure to irk my evolutionist brethren who believe each and every person should be corrected.

I believe, though, that there is a time and place where you should, no, you must lay down the guns and just let people on their way. It's just not worth it and more than a little rude.

Case in point: today, it is raining. It's miserable. And two Jehovah's Witnesses come to the door, handing out their literature. It's pouring, they're soaked and huddled under two dinky umbrellas, and I'm letting heat out by holding the door open and chatting with them. No one wants to debate evolution. Not that it would do any good, since neither of us would sway the other. Best to just take their magazine, thank them, and wave them off.

Live and let live.

Happy Endings

I find it funny that most movies end with everyone pairing up like the nuclear apocalypse has rained down upon us and they need to repopulate the planet.

It may seem strange and bizarre, but two people can work together and not hook up. It happens quite often. Half of my class of sixty or seventy people are single, after being in the same classes for the past five years. And most of the rest are with people they happened across one day.

I came to this revelation while watching 'Toy Story 2' on Disney the other day. Woody the cowboy had Bo Peep. And suddenly, Buzz had the Jessie the cowgirl, and Mr. Potato Head got the Miss Potato Head. Looking at the third in the series, we get the irritating pairing of a Barbie doll (a character which had little if any exposure in the previous movies outside of cameos) and Ken. I say irritating because almost all commercials focus on this, as if 'love at first sight' is completely new to writing.

It would be refreshing to see one movie where the leading actor and actress do not fall in love. Doubly so for movies where the two only just meet for a few days and share maybe three pages worth of dialogue.

Men in Skirts

Some newspaper recently decided that the best way to lampoon the Philadelphia Flyers (who are off at the moment chasing the hockey championship) was to [poorly] photoshop one of the players in a skirt. With the caption, "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane."

The initial reaction will probably be, "oh, but who cares about that ol' rag?" Well, that 'rag' just happens to be the Chicago Tribune, which just so happens to be eighth largest newspaper circulation in the United States. And this article managed to slip between the collective cracks of quite a few editors. The writers, the editors, and god knows who others looked at this article, and gave it the seal of approval.

Are we really in an age where it's still considered an insult and a slur to call someone a woman? The worst way that this paper could think of to debase the man's athletic ability is that... he plays like a woman? Oooo, scary. 'Plays like Jane' ignores the fact that women do play hockey, and with a good amount of skill.

Their apology reeks of the tired 'it was just a joke, loosen up!' excuse. It's so damn easy to sit from your position of privilege, where your gender, race, and sexuality isn't used as a general epithet for weakness or deviance or what have you, and say unto others that it's just a joke. You don't have to live with it and deal with it every day of your life.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I know most of my readers are not low watt bulbs, no, you guys are like those fancy new ones which are 50% brighter while using 30% less power. But that here, 2010, the staff of a large newspaper saw no inherent problem with using sex as a means to insult someone, and then apologised half-assed, shocks me.

Almost as bad as the completely stupid coverage of what Elena Kagan was wearing and whether she crossed her legs or not.

The Ol' South

Is it so wrong to love the Old South?

Uh... lemme think.

YES.

Do you know what the Confederates were? Do you know who instigated the entire revolt? I know the word they use for such people: traitors. Yes, they were traitors. When you try to rend the country in two and actively attack it (and yes, you idiots fired first at Fort Sumter), you are a traitor.

Do you feel pride in that?

Trek Annoyance #3

I mentioned last post that having the warp pods/nacelles/emitters/rockets exposed on weak struts is clear evidence that Star Fleet's engineering and design sector were lobotomized by the medical department next door. Now I'm going to thrash the entire Warp Engine itself.

The warp engines are about as well designed as the Chernobyl reactor.

Trek Annoyance #2

Continuing my mini-series...

Someone in Starfleet really wants to see his or her ship designs fail easily and in spectacular explosions. There is no other explanation for the fact that the warp engine pods are projected out from the protected main hull on thin and likely weak struts.

Not just Starfleet. Everyone else in the known galaxy places the engines well clear of the body as well. Except for the Borg, but then again, the Borg are the exception to a lot of the ship designs in Trek. That's not particularly difficult when your ship is a cube of hobbled together parts.

Trek Annoyance #1

Star Trek (TNG) is in reruns every so often on the SciFi (sorry, 'Syfy' sounds dumb, I'm not using that name) channel.

I like Star Trek. It's interesting. But too often, I'll shake my head at some of the more idiotic oversights or actions taken by the crew. Or some of the glaring oversights in technological or social applications. There are many. For lack of anything better to write about, I'll talk about this.

The first major brick to my senses involves the crew's family.

In Star Trek, on most if not all starships, the crew's family tags along for the ride. I don't recall the specific reason given for this, although I'm willing to bet it will have something to do with ship's morale. There's no need for anxiety about one's family thousands of light years away when they're in your cabin. No more "Dear John" letters. You don't have your children grow up while only seeing their father or mother every few years.

Movies are Bad

"Cop Out"

I've only seen the commercials and I already know that this will be a terrible film. I feel as if directors think we (or at least I) are stupid and have the memory span of a jellyfish. The entire concept of 'white guy and black guy work together' has been done to death. Perhaps it wouldn't be so boring if they did not adhere to the same tired stereotypes, dialogue, and plotlines.

Hate mails!

Today I got hate mail!

"I think you r a communist stifling the free speech and expression that is our God given rights. maybe you shuld try listening to WE THE PEOPLe who do not agree with your stupid agenda. Tath's why we voted Obama in! To get rid of stupid communists like you!

And why do you hate linden labs? Oh, becuz you r a communist that is why. What is next? Are you going to hate Intel? HP? Electronic arts? Linux? Just becuz they make money that you and your pityful nobody blog canot make? Hahah

go with Christ "

Bibles n' Rifles!

Why does anyone care about this? Seriously.

Everybody Loves Yemen

Why is there a seeming torrent of people who think invading or attacking Yemen is a good idea?

Should I?

Every time I consider making a twitter account, I ask myself a fundamental question:

Are you guys honestly that interested in the mindless details of my life? Do you need to know that I read so-and-so article and you should too? Do you really care that I bought a burrito from Taco Bell and thought it was delicious? Do you require reading every 140 word facet of my inane existence??

No?

Didn't think so. Screw it.

Waiting

They perused the manuals, discussing frantically in the beige hall the intimate details of electrons and physics.

Health Insurance and Me

Around the end of the year, I'll be too old to continue coverage under my mother's plan. Yes, I had to dare venture into the world and sign up with someone to make sure I don't add hospital bills to my already crushing debt of student loans.

Why We Write in Bulk

I write with far more words than are necessary. I am not a concise writer.

I'm not particular focused either, but that's a post for another day.

Open Eyes

People rushed past it all.

Entitlement

People whine about 'entitlement'. "Why do some people expect everything for nothing?" But what is at the heart of entitlement? What lies at the very depth of the concept?

I Like The News

I like mainstream media.

Please Do Your Research, Movie Peoples

The other day I was watching the movie 'Mission to Mars'. Most people hate the movie for its cheezy plot, over-the-top acting, and just in general a terrible trainwreck. However, what offends me the most is the flat out idiocy presented as 'science' in this movie.

Anecdotes are not Evidence

Anecdotes make for entertaining or frightening stories. They add spice to life and help give others a sense of what you, personally, have gone through. I'm all for anecdotes. The world would be sorrier for lack of them.

Where we run into trouble is when an anecdote is held help as evidence to support a hypothesis.