Looking back, I know when I lost faith; it was pretty much the same, small trigger that it always is, some inconsequential something that, simple as it is, pulls the curtain back from an imponderable truth that is so pervasive and perfect in its revelation that it cannot be avoided. I was very small, I think I was seven years old, possibly eight. We were riding home in a Dodge van; rows of seats and all of us packed in like sardines; Sunday best getting mussed, but it was ok because no one ever cared how dirty your clothes were […]
Suadade, too.
I used to love role-play. From pen and paper and D&D all the way to the MMO, I loved the sense of shaping a character who could be the best of me and, perhaps, benefit others in the process. For a time, it was simply bliss. Then, as with all things, it changed and became one of the most horrific and heart-rending experiences I’ve ever had in the digital domain. The details matter less today than once they did. If you allow yourself to be put upon a pedestal, you will slip, you will fall, and it seems that many […]
Adventures in foundation and basement repair
On November 19th, our basement flooded. Roughly 60% of the downstairs living space was soaked and we had to madly scramble to move everything to the upper floor to avoid water damage. Calls went in to insurance and ServiceMaster (for water extraction) and to work as well as I had to be home to let folk in, coordinate quotes, and receive the information needed to manage the repair process. As it turns out, home owners insurance does not cover ground water intrusion, nor rain water intrusion, nor intrusions due to man-made/caused issues (such as, oh, improper drainage, using improper hardware […]
Open Reply to Tim Stanley re: New Zealand opening of “The Hobbit”
(ref article: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100192299/send-these-horrid-hobbits-back-to-the-shire/) Given your purported educational background, I must admit that I am perplexed by your apparent inability to understand the recent fervor and enthusiasm that greeted the opening of the latest Tolkien classic rendered to film. I will assume for the moment that the bleach from your carefully frosted tips is the culprit; unless of course, you happened to have inadvertently pulled your drawers tighter than expected the morning you decided to write this pitiful expression of selectively blind culturalism. Could it be that your exposure to history is inferior to that which most Ph.D.s experience? Did you […]
Someone please educate our judicial system on technology?
I am horrified by a story I read today that ran on BBC News. It was about the recent LVO key leak, but the horror rested at the end of the article, where the following appeared (sic): “A US judge has thrown out a mass lawsuit brought by users of the PlayStation Network, following a huge security breach in May 2011 which saw the user information of 69 million customers exposed. The suit accused Sony of failing to adequately protect information and exposing users to identity theft. Judge Battaglia from the US District Court of Southern California pointed to a […]
Settling in… making a house “home”
Over the time since we moved into the house, I’ve been hawking eBay and sniping auctions of mid century modern pieces to decorate the place. The way I figure it, each of these are highly collectible, in pristine, vintage condition (original finishes) and thus, just as easily sellable should need or time arise that such is required. (You know me, not attaching to the stuff, but enjoying it as it is, while it is). This weekend, we ventured out to Issaquah and browsed through a little place called “Antique Importers“. Don’t let the outdated website fool you, this place is […]
Meep meep!
Oh, hi there. As you may have noticed, I’ve been a bit busy lately. Well, perhaps you inferred it from the profound lack of posting. (Actually, I suspect it is largely unnoticed except by those precious friends who, checking often from distance, have recently and very kindly reached out to inquire if all is well.) By way of reply, a tangent (of course). I have very recently been enduring the most discomforting shoulder, upper back, and neck spasms; for a time, I was at a loss for any reason or explanation for it. They’ve gotten so bad that I went […]
My first official “fan-dom” – Ricky Gervais
I have long prided myself on not being of that “fannish” mindset; most often, I have thought it a pointless waste of time and energy. After all, here you are, all focused on a human being who (a) doesn’t know you exist, (b) likely will never be otherwise, (c) has an entire universe of life that you can neither experience or know, and (d) is actively presenting a persona, facade, and act that results in said “fannish” behavior. I mean, essentially, you’re indulging in the most arrogant act of all — getting all foamed up over a figment of your […]
Now, I’m the last one in the world to “go for” this kind of thing, but…
… this is the frakking National Press Club, and people who have a good deal of both authority, credibility, and supporting information standing up in this video saying this stuff. Oh, and the FoI disclosures they mention? Yeah… I spent the time to confirm them, which is why you’ll note this item is released May 12th of this year, with a origination date of September, 2010, and I’m only getting to posting it now. I’m the first one to say that I’m skeptical as all get out and yes, there’s a LOT of things to which something like this MIGHT […]