On a personally dark and depressing note, I have grown tired and wary of my personal friends getting divorces. Divorces affecting children, no less. A few months ago, a couple (with 2 kids) decided to split up. (More C's friends than mine.) And as of last week, an additional couple (having 2 kids) also filed. (This one being more my friends than C's.)

And in both cases, the symptom of (male) sexual impurity/infidelity is involved. It's as if lust and the sex drive represent a residual evolutionary / biological quality perversion that works like velcro.

If I hear of any misdoings on any of your parts, I'll be coming after you with a baseball bat and Christ's love. And I can only hope that the same goes for me.

In other news, my wife is going in for surgery tomorrow. Apparently, one of the relatively common side effects of pregnancy is a trashed gall bladder. So tomorrow, the gall bladder comes out.

The weird thing is: while she's not excited about the prospect of surgery, she is excited about the scars. Don't ask me, cause I don't understand.

I'm sorry, Greg. I just can't get into the "Hookers for Jesus" phenomenon. Call me a prud, but walking around displaying "booby traps" (as they call their clothing) just annoys the crap out of me. I'm not against the mission. Heck, part of my work in Amsterdam was targeting the same crew. I'm just a little cynical about the methodology.

Surprised I'm not getting any love re: the Hookers for Jesus link. No love?

Here's is an entirely annoying article...

It's a flashlight.
It's a heater.
It's a phaser.

I want one.
The Torch

Hookers for Jesus.

<. Discuss .>

Funny iPhone Parody.

Coming to a theater near you... Teeth.

Here's an interesting article about our economy--and I really think this guy (despite is crazy liberalness) is correct. The market hasn't been allowed to correct, due to political intervention. As a result, we're living on borrowed time--and the inevitable crash will be significantly worse than it could have been w/o the intervention.

At times, I really do wonder how similar our era compares to the roaring 20s...

P.S. How cool is this?

What do you guys think of this? (Some nerds did a DOS attack on the scientology servers, and posted this video.) My thought is that while a DOS attack is wrong, I'm having a hard time really feeling bad about this particular offense...

Giuliani is polling 3rd in FL. But that's OK, because all the world's problems will be solved as a result of Bono's meeting at the Pentagon.

See, this is why I wanted you all to take the quiz. Given the strength of your various political convictions, I wanted to see how well one of these quizzes match up with the reality of what other informed voters are actually thinking.

As for me and my wife, the results were kind of funny. I am a McCain man with a score of 59. Romney is a distant second with a score of 30. The reason I find this amusing is because my top three (or was it four) were all Republican while my bottom candidates (scoring in the very low teens) were Democrats. So much for the registered independent. :-)

As for my wife, she is a Hillary woman with a score of 30. What's really funny about her's is that Romney is in second with a score of 29. The odd thing is, that seems about right for her. She really is split in her sensibilities. Strong concern for the environment, education, and universal health care. Strong concern for limiting abortion rights and embryonic stem cell. And a moderate belief that we should stay in Iraq until the job is done. So she really is a split.

Tom Cruise makes me laugh.

Saw this Presidential quiz online and I thought it might be fun to each take the quiz and post our results.

My wife and I have already taken it, but I'll wait to post our results until you all get the chance.

And now this news from AFP. If McCain edges out Guliani in FL, are we looking at a two horse race between Romney and McCain (assuming that is, that Huckabee (who is skipping FL in favor of GA) is already done)?

Not sure anyone saw this outcome a few months ago when Fred entered trailing only Guliani in the national polls ....

I was wrong about Fred, and I'm bummed about it. It looks like the mormon may be our only hope.

McCain won't get it because he's too libera--er... "moderate". He's the democrat's republican. Just wait till SC and super-Tuesday. My view will be vindicated.
- Greg (1/08)

So ... to recap:

John McCain DID win South Carolina and Fred Thompson has WITHDRAWN from the race -- most likely because he was too dang LAZY!

I'm not saying I wanted McCain. I just gave the predictions of how the party would go.

Anyone care to try to predict from here forward?

Did you guys read how the People's Republic of Maryland, who are spending around 65 million on a computerized voting system, have already scrapped the system--and are now spending another 20 million to revert back to paper ballots and some new hifalutin optical scanning system. This new system will be online by 2010, which is 4 years before the state finishes paying off for the (scrapped) computerized system. Yeah--I miss that state || this much.

So I've finally got my Mac back up and running (Leopard). I've learned a heckuva lot about the Apple OS, after nearly losing all my data and wondering if one could actually brick a laptop. The only thing that I've yet to install is bootcamp (i.e., a partition w/ Win XP)--and just thinking about it makes me sweat a little. (I had no problems installing a (bootcamp) beta version on OSX 10.4, but it's failed every time thus far w/ OSX 10.5.) I've yet to pull the trigger--but I'm a glutton for punishment.

The killer is, I really don't see a huge reason to upgrade. Time Machine is a neat feature, but something like JungleDisk is probably better--as it's an offsite backup. After thinking I lost a month's worth of family photos, I think I'll do both.

*Sigh.* Back up your photos, guys. If you've only got your data on one drive, then it's as if you don't have them at all.

Another brief blog post addressing FDT's purported (*cough Scott cough*) laziness.

I especially identify with this:

It's very frustrating to know that if everyone who would vote for him "if he only had a chance" would actually vote for him, he'd have a chance.

Upgraded to Leopard. It was NOT painless.

It's been quite painful, actually. I don't even want to talk about it. Suffice it to say that I'm just glad I was able to get my data off of a corrupted OS partition.

For all those interested in the Flat Earth Society, here is their FAQ. Interesting read, if you want to waste :30 seconds or so...

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution," Huckabee told a Michigan audience on Monday. "But I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that's what we need to do — to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view."

I know this statement is a little old, but does anyone know what he was making reference to? Secondly, any thoughts about his entire premise?

Romney appears to have won the Michigan primary. So it's entirely conceivable that we could have five different caucus/primary winners before this is all over:

Huckabee: IA
Romney: WY & MI
McCain: NH
Thompson: SC (this Saturday, and I still think it's a longshot)
Giuliani: FL (1/29, if he doesn't win here he's toast)

What's this "brokered convention" phrase I hear being tossed around?

Such a little, little man.

Scott--check out this product. It allows you to convert your digital cable and play it on your computer network. Then, using a software and a MacMini, you've got your own home-theater set-top box. The MacMini becomes a TIVO, and also so much more... DVD player. Computer. Video Podcast player, digital music player. Etc...

This is where the Apple TV needs to go.

Right now, I've got a Tivo Series 2--which is designed for analog TV signals. When the feds can the analog TV spectrum in Feb of 2009, but Tivo will suddenly become a whole lot less useful, so I'm already planning on some type of replacement. Perhaps the AppleTV, MythTV, or the setup described above.

Once you go TIVO, you don't go back... And I'm not going Tivo Series 3, and paying into their stupid pricing system.

Did anyone follow MacWorld? The new MacBook Air is a sub-3 pound really thin laptop. Cost is around $2k.

Meh, I was hoping for something like an EeePc. I don't need or want another laptop, I want something uber-portable.

A couple of things, guys... Inflation rose by 6.3% last year. (And in reality, probably significantly higher--as they've changed the way they measure inflation.) So for all of us with money in the bank--even if it was in a higher yield savings account... We actually lost buying power. The fed is printing money like it's going out of style in hopes to thwart a recession. In reality--my bet is that they're only prolonging the inevitable, and likely making it worse.

In other news, the transit panel wants to increase gas taxes by 40 cents per gallon.

I don't know why our candidates aren't jumping all over this. McCain didn't even know that he supported a bill to ban light bulbs. (It's on tape--hilarious interview on a Michigan radio station.) Inflation is killing what we pay for oil, as well as reduce spending power for those of us who are fiscally responsible... (Seriously--if you look at the true cost of oil (sans our inflation), you'll be shocked.)

And the answer is such gosh-darn common sense. Scrap the income tax. Establish the Fair Tax. Begin drilling for our own damn oil, as anyone with a head knows that conservation won't help energy production--and the biofuel fad is a joke (as it only offers--at best--about a 5:1 energy return). Corn ethanol actually offers a negative EROEI, and drives up food prices--hurting those who need it most. Oil can have up to 30:1 or so. The failures in logic simply astound me. We are hurting ourselves on par with what any foreign country could do at this point.

*Sigh* Damned hippies...

Despite the cognitive dissonance it causes in this country, Fred tells it like it is:

"Christ didn’t tell us to go to the government and pass a bill to get some of these social problems dealt with. He told us to do it," Thompson said.

"The government has its role, but we need to keep firmly in mind the role of the government, and the role of us as individuals and as Christians on the other."

Alright kiddos. You've waited long enough. My predictions ...

On the Democratic side (and this is key to understanding my thoughts on the Repub side), we're looking at either Hillary or Obama. And frankly, that boggles the mind. How can you seriously say that a woman with a 50% disapproval rating might actually get the nomination? But on the other hand, you're looking at Obama, and we're seriously thinking about handing the reigns over to a freshman junior Senator. But what else do the Dems have? Edwards? Not buying it for one moment. So the Dems come down to either Obama or Hillary, which means the Dems have the option of electing either their first woman or their first black President.

So, is the US ready to vote for a woman or a black man? Honestly, I don't think they are. I'm not saying that this is either right or wrong. I'm simply saying that I honestly don't believe that voters will collectively choose to put a woman or a black into office unless the Republicans put up a hard-right candidate.

And that is one reason why I don't believe that Thompson has a shot. He appears to be the only genuine conservative in the bunch; and for that very reason, I'm thinking that he won't get the nomination. Think about it. The Repubs just handed the Congress over to the Dems on the perceived weakness of this Administration. So they can't hand over the Presidency or they loose the whole kit and kaboodle.

That's why I think Huckabee and Thompson are dead. Huckabee is too morally conservative and too polarizing, while Thompson is a true conservative. So that leaves me with Rommey, McCain and Guliani as my options. Now Rommney is a Mormon, and there's no way that he is going to fly in the Bible Belt. So I'm down to McCain and Guiliani. McCain is a "moderate" in many ways, while Guiliani is "America's Mayor" (if you buy the press). In the end, I think Guiliani is a one-trick pony and I think that his schtick will get old. So I'm going with McCain winning the nomination on the strength of (1) war hero status, (2) perception as a "moderate" (while maintaining certain key "moral" voting patterns), and (3) unelectability of the other canddiates.

P.S. Is there still a possibility that a longshot like Blomburg out of New York might enter? I think there might be, but that's really spitballing.

I'm sorry to be clogging the airwaves with presidential campaign stuff, but with the field so wide open on the Republican side, and my own opinions fluctuating almost daily, I'm really finding this whole thing pretty fascinating.

Most of the (conservative) reviews I've read of last night's debate (which I did not watch--no cable) were very positive toward FDT. This could very well be the beginning of a "surge". Most of the other candidates "surged" too early. Fred might be peaking at exactly the right time.

This endorsement is certainly coming at the right time as well.

I am so sick and tired of republican candidates comparing themselves to Reagan, while saying that their GOP opponents aren't like Reagon. Puh-lease. None of these are Reagan-esque. There's no comparison, and I wish they would just stop it.

This ought to be interesting... Thompson is "drawing a line in South Carolina."

I still see it as a long shot, but I really hope I'm wrong--if only to see Fred tell the media where to stick it.

Ok--that's it. I want a robot. Something that can wake me up according to my daily (changing) schedule. Something that, after it wakes me up, tells me about my first appointments and the weather. I can tell it (via speech) to read and reply to emails, as well as make changes to my calendar. Maybe call my office, make reservations, research simple web searches for me... It would also serve as a security system, rolling around and watching my stuff while I'm away. (And this would be a perfect application, as we're nearing the end of our 4 week beach getaway. You think I've wondered at least once if a pipe burst @ home?)

Anyway--I think it's time for us to start embracing robot assistants to make our life easier.

Anyone care to post on how the mainstream media and mainstream pollsters were *so* off on the Dems in NH?

I wish I could be that optimistic about Thompson, Greg, but I'm finding it difficult. At the moment, I'm watching NH primary results, and with 11% of the precincts reporting, we have Thompson at 1%. Write-ins are at 3%.

I just saw on TV that someone named "Crow" received some votes on the Democrat side. So I consulted our handy-dandy list, and found Randy Crow.

It didn't take much poking around before I discovered that... the guy's a Truther. And he got votes. I'm pretty sure it was more than one, too, since they're showing him getting 1%, which has got to be more than 1 vote. That scares me.

For what it's worth, I see the whole Truther thing, first and foremost, as a failure of our educational system. I like this quote by an MIT professor: "These people (in the 9/11 truth movement) use the 'reverse scientific method.' They determine what happened, throw out all the data that doesn't fit their conclusion, and then hail their findings as the only possible conclusion."

1. Tough act to follow, Tim. If you find my copy of the Parenting manual, please send it. I've been looking for thing for years...
2. Is anyone else having a ball watching Hillary squirm? Maybe it's my sadistic side of me, but the way everything is shaking down is simply grand. It certainly seems is if the Clinton-era (or the 60-s generation hippie era?) is over.
3. Anyone want to start a primary pool? Predict the two top dem and repub candidates for big, big prizes? My guess is that Billary will come back to some extent, but that the O will win. Edwards won't be a factor. The Pub side is a bit more difficult: Huckabee and McCain will fizzle. Thompson will surge. Romney will beat out Giuliani. So I'm going with Thompson and Romney. (Note: Megally Megally is noticeably absent from Wikipedia.) Thompson vs. Romney? I gotta go with Thompson here, because people are still freaked out about the whole mormon thing.
4. One of the things I've been thinking about of late is this. The Bible, quite clearly, tells us what to believe--or what to think. The values and belief statements are there, in clear text. Believe in Christ's salvation; have faith in it; follow Biblical principles. But I often get frustrated in that it seems to fail to describe how to think. A decent example comes from this book that I'm currently trudging through--where the author is reconciling two divergent styles of thought (thereby integrating them). This kind of thing is right up my alley, because this process is what I've always done (or tried to do)--integrate idea A with B and see what happens. Now, maybe I've just misread, misinterpreted (or just not read at all) some scriptures that seem to do this...but none readily come to mind. The Bible seems to deal with the destination more than it does the process of getting there. And living is getting there. So perhaps this noticeable absence of how to think suggests that it's ultimately not important, or that I'm missing some rather large piece of the puzzle...

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We are pleased to announce baby Joshua Maddrey was born Friday the 4th at 11:36. We met the birth mother and took placement today around 3pm. I've never been great with words but for once I have an excuse. :)

For those interested in getting on the Megally Z. Megally bandwagon, you can help support our man by mailing your donation to:

Megally Megally for U.S. President
P.O. Box 1403
Duarte, CA 91009

Remember people, if our man stands a chance in New Hampshire, he's gonna need to build that base of support.

Remember the college conversation we had about becoming independent contractors? Well, apparently our calculations were off. It seems that the maximum going rate is about 12k a year--pre-tax. (You're actually issued a 1099; offices are located in Ca and Cambridge, Mass.)

Tangentially, we've spent tons of time here at the local zoo. So much so, that we've actually gotten to know the animals on a bit of a personal level--or at least it feels that way. Perhaps a little too personal... We've also seen more animal sex than I ever thought possible; I don't know if it's the time of year or maybe it's just the randy atmosphere of the place--but dang. They just don't stop it. Donkeys, turtles, monkeys, birds, ducks, rabbits, camels--the list goes on and on... Suffice it to say that it's been an education for me and my daughter alike; I even learned about forms of alternate payment...

I'm sorry to report (read: completely fabricate) that our man Megally Z. Megally came in 235th in Iowa, with 0.00003% of the vote. (I think he has a second cousin in Dubuque.) Never matter! On to New Hampshire! Come, Sancho!

Seriously, if Biden and Dodd are dropping out now... when will these other jokers come to their senses?

We're taking off for Florida tomorrow. If you all could keep us and the birth mother in your prayers over the next 72 hours, we'd really appreciate it. There's still a lot that can happen between now and when the adoption is finalized. (I'm only slightly nervous. :)

Sorry for the double post--but it wouldn't make sense in the previous...

I was kind of pumped for some Chicago style pizza, because there was a CSP restaurant across the street...

So we went there today for lunch--and clearly, these people weren't from Chicago. I doubt they had even gone. To Illinois, for that matter.

It was awful. Terrible. A disgrace. And utterly disappointing for me, as I rarely get the stuff anymore (since leaving the DC metro area)...

Have any of you read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? I started reading the book some 12 years ago, but never finished it. (However, to my credit--I got as far into it as I have any other adult non-school book.) I remember liking it quite a bit, and recently joined Audible so that I could get the audio version. (Audio book renaissance thanks to Matt from a few months back...)

Anyway--In a sense, I feel like I can identify with the author at least superficially... as we share a troubled PhD experience secondary to extra-paradigmatic thought and a department in which we were poorly suited. These issues combined (and perhaps with some inherent personality traits) leads him to "insanity"; he's got me beat on that one, although (at times) I wonder how far off I became...

Apart from that, we've share no commonality; he's got an IQ of 170+ and I am relatively dim witted. The author also does not share our religious values.

In any event, it's a heck of an interesting read. You can read it or listen to it for free, if anyone's interested. (Found the free (illegal?) link after I paid for my audible version.) In any event--wondering what others feel about eastern philosophy, if there's any interest.

I was going to reply under the comments section, but I felt this was too important. I want to put forward a motion that we scrap this site (in its current incarnation) and move forward in utilizing it to promote the campaign of Megally Megally. I don't know about you, but I think its high time we did something!

How many Presidential candidates are there? Take a guess.

Let's see, Giuliani, Thompson, Romney, Huckabee, McCain... Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter... then the Democrats: Clinton, Obama, Edwards... Biden... Richardson... Dodd... Kucinich... and there's probably another one or two I've forgotten, so we'll say... well, to be overly generous, we'll say 20.

Nope.

Oh. 30?

Nope.

50?!?

Not even close.

I give up.

TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR PEOPLE have formed or announced a Presidential exploratory or campaign committee with the Federal Election Commission or filed a statement of candidacy. That absolutely amazes me. I went and looked at some of their websites, and... well... I do wonder what planet many of them live on.

So when will everyone climb aboard the Megally Z. Megally express? Next stop: The White House!!! (PLEASE click "About Us" and check out this guy's "Work Experience".)

Flicking through the TV channels last night and I saw something of interest. Apparently, there is a modeling show that is run by this nasty former model (didn't recognize her post-plastic-surgery). Anyway, what caught my attention was the prayer circle. From what I could tell, some of the contestants were being asked to pose nude, and thus they gathered together with some representatives from Models4Jesus to discuss their quandary. Couldn't care less about the show. I just thought the idea of Models4Jesus was funny ...

You all know those crappy light bulbs that we'll be forced to buy in 2012? Well, they may cause migraines.

$20 bucks says that instead of repealing the law, they'll make another.

On April 29th, 2001, I wrote the following on my blog:

I honestly think that the best president would be a reluctant one. Someone who doesn't want the job. Because the people who could really do the best for this country are simply too humble to admit it.

I was reminded of this when I read this post by Paul Marks at Samizdata.net. I think it explains my affinity for Fred, despite his being an even longer-shot at this point than Huckabee was months ago.

What the media... are saying is that Fred Thompson is too sane to be President. It is not enough to produce detailed policies for dealing with the entitlement program Welfare State... or producing a new optional flat tax... It is not even enough to have a long record of service... No - someone has to enjoy the prospect for office for its own sake, not to reduce the size and scope of government and restore a Federal Republic. One must enjoy the whole process of politics - i.e. be crazy. Or one must pretend to enjoy it - i.e. be a liar.

And then people complain that politicians are either crazy or corrupt.

Do read it all.