New Bar Tonight - Sinners and Saints

Going to try some hip bar up the street tonight. I must admit I like the name but it's supposedly very small. We'll see.

Useless Trivia - Subway BMT

I am happy to finally be able to say that the BMT sandwitch stand for the Brooklyn-Mannhattan Transfer, a section of the New York subway system named after the private company (Brooklyn-Mannhattan Transit) that owned the subway system before the city of New York took it over. Probably also has some city neighborhood connotations as far as the ingredients as relates to the cultures of that section of New York and subway now being politicly correct now says it stands for "Biggest, Meanest, Tastiest".

Civil Liberties

'There's no way to rule [over] innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with'.

- Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"

Procrastination - The root of it for me

Both of these resonate with me...

The fear of successful achievement in school leading to underachievement has already been described in great detail in the last section on motivation. (1) Such a student may avoid trying in school for fear of doing well...and then being expected to continue to achieve, be responsible, leave home or friends, and be mature. That is so scary that they hide their ambition, act like they don't care, and may really want to do poorly. (2) Likewise, other students may avoid being successful for fear they will lose friends or become a threat to others. It is commonly thought that "men don't like women who are too smart...or can beat them in tennis." Some conservative people may also be uncomfortable if a woman were successful in a masculine role--executive, pilot, priest--or if a man were successful in a feminine role--nurse, hair stylist, homemaker. (3) Others refuse to give up procrastinating and refuse to strive for success for fear of becoming a workaholic...or of becoming arrogant, competitive, demanding, or boring and isolated socially. They may feel that work is endless, that it will never be done. (4) A few procrastinators may fear success because they'd feel guilty, as though they didn't deserve it...or "I'd be an entirely different person, I'd have to admit I'm capable, I'd lose my identity."

A second version of the anxiety-based procrastinator is afraid of failing. (1) Of course, if we are self-critical and feel inferior, we will avoid doing many things, especially competitive activities. Not trying is a form of failure but not as painful as actually trying and failing. (2) If you have set very high or impossible goals--like a perfectionist, you are likely to feel overwhelmed. Perhaps that is why, strange as it seems, perfectionist procrastinators often have low confidence in their ability. By procrastinating, such a person avoids, for the moment, the dreaded expected failure (and guarantees doing poorly in the long run). (3) If you dread finding out just how able you are (and having others find out too!), it might seem wiser to put off putting yourself to the test than to run the risk of trying one's best and only being average. This is especially crucial if you believe a person is more worthwhile and lovable if he/she is real smart or talented. Procrastination, in this special case, may enable us to believe we are superior in ability (while another part of us fears being inferior), regardless of our performance. So, as you can see, procrastination may strengthen a person's feelings of inferiority or superiority.

The Drive by Ice Cream Tease Strikes Again

Twice today already...

Tech Idea (Nerds Only) - Proxy Win Update

You know that automatic update feature of XP? What if it were rerouted by a firewall to a proxy? A sys admin could then review all updates as well as add his own... It would also be a neat way to schedule and deploy virus checks as well as other automated admin tasks.

Undoubtedly XP must use digital signatures for the mechanics but there is always a way. Maybe alternatively it's time to create a windows update application not controlled by Microsoft.

P.S. For all the criminals and terrorists (i.e. anyone Bush or his friends don't like) Microsoft is in their back pocket. I'd be willing to bet money (if it were possible to verify) that Microsoft facilitates the installation of spyware through windows update on a targeted basis; bugging a specific computer much the same as bugging a specific phone line. Forget not that bush declared truce in the MS antitrust case after the battle had already been won.

Go Figure - Women

Why is it that when you show honest emotional interest they run away like your damaged goods? Yet when you come up to them and stick your tongue in their ear they are all over you and a week later planning the wedding...

Being Too Hygienic is Bad

I knew it. A theory of mine is currently being confirmed in research studies.

Send the kids out to play in the dirt and you'll be doing them a favor. Exposure to small amounts of environmental toxins during childhood strengthens a persons immune system. Keep them in a sanitized environment and they are far more likely to develop allergies to harmless environmental substances.

And I'm pretty sure they will soon discover women exposed to natural levels of environmental toxins (country girls) have healthier children with fewer allergies due both to exposure during fetal development and exposure from mothers milk after birth. A mother passes an immunological cheat sheet to her child. So if her immune system is weak so will her child's be.

Of course it's no reason to have poor hygiene. It just another example of too much of a good thing is actually bad.

Drag racing ice cream man

What the heck is up with the ice cream vendors on my block? As soon I hear the alluring ice cream bell I grab my wallet and run outside. Takes me no more than about 10 seconds at worst. I run out the door and he's either halfway down the block or tuned the corner. A man pushing an ice box shouldn't be able to move that fast! He's nothing more than an ice cream tease I tell you!

Making Internet Gambling Illegal...

What the big deal is with stopping Internet gambling I just don't know. Just make gamblers themselves not responsible for their losses. The gamblers that overextend themselves will themselves come forward to get their money back and their money will be refunded to them though whichever bank or credit card processed the transaction. The burden then is on the gambling sites to not do business with individuals that are not legally responsible for gambling debts.

Storage Condo's?

Just had a great idea. Both the price of property and rent are sky high in LA. And storage units cost a fortune too. Everyone in LA pretty much moves regularly. So what if people actually could buy storage space like a condo? About fifty to a hundred miles outside LA is farm and desert country so the land would be cheap to develop for a business. If you owned the rental unit then the only cost of moving is the rental truck and gas. You know you would use it. Besides, units here are so small we need some place to store all the crap we collect over the years.

Myspace AD Games

Just curious if I'm the only one that actually falls for these?

Lonely

Hard days work. I worked all day in the sun and I'm beat red and tired. I would give almost anything at this moment to have a girlfriend to spoon and fall asleep with right now. To smell her shanpoo and lingering perfume. The sound of her breathing. The smoothness of her skin with my arm wrapped around her. Holding her to my heart forever... to dream...

Hard Work Does Not Pay

Friday night I was on the promenade waiting on a truck to unload. A pretty girl came out of no where and uncased her guitar and started singing. She had a very pretty voice but what stuck me was she was out there, doing it. She had such courage. I had very little money and was ashamed I could only toss in a couple dollars. She sang out in the cold night air for a couple hours and probably only made about eight dollars total, less than minimum wage. There are drug addicts on the street and crazy homeless people that make $200 a day begging; way more than either of us made. And when I come home and check my inbox I find at least 5 bands have spammed my inbox as well as probably hundreds if not thousands of others. But she was out there doing it.

Computers are taken way too Seriously

Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to access your computer and plant evidence that would get you thrown in jail? Granted I don't do it every day so I couldn't do it overnight but I could probably come up with a fairly undetectable scheme in a couple weeks.

I could plant evidence of anything from credit card scams and identity theft to child pornography. And the vast majority of people are so ignorant of how vulnerable computers are everyone automatically assumes the charges are true since it's on a computer.

We have all heard the story of how this or that government official got caught with child porn on his computer. But do you realize we are talking about a government official which inevitably has enemies that might want him pushed out or disgraced. Files on a computer mean nothing. The only real evidence is catching a person sitting in front of the computer while he is committing the act.

With bush and the right wingers clamoring about cracking down on civil liberties under the guise of protecting children, it scares me. Sounds to me like pedophiles are being groomed as witches in a new witch hunt. It's too horrific a crime so we'll presume he's guilty until he proves himself innocent. We are talking children here! No red blooded American would dare put a child at risk over something as trivial as civil liberties!

Genetics and Alien Life

Anywhere from 200 to a 1000 years from now natural selection will come to a halt for humans. Ironically intelligent design will replace it. If that isn't funny then I don't know what is. Sure there will still be random procreation but all mutations and defective genes will be eliminated and replaced. And enhanced genes will be introduced. There being only so much we can imagine it seems quite logical that we will still rely on nature to surprise us with novelty and take from it only that which we find useful. I imagine it would be quite likely that in the future that when we are able to travel to other planets we will terraform some and introduce life there only to let it develop like a wild garden. We will even likely create a primate species similar to ourselves to see what evolution produces in them. This is more than mere speculation, I just can't see it not happening. But I have to wonder thinking about all the alien abduction stories, if some are true, could earth not be a wild genetic garden for aliens?

Speaking of aliens and alien life, what would impress me most about space travel is not meeting another intelligent species. It would be seeing all the diverse ecosystems on other planets. It boggles the mind to think of all the creatures, plants, and life forms we can't imagine that must exist now. Quite probably, right this very instant, on some planet, there exists huge dinosaur like creatures. If that isn't an awesome thought I don't know what is.

Advice for all the Hollywood Wannabe's

There are people out here that will kill for speaking roles. No one comes out here and just makes it no matter how talented they are. Before the advent of the digital camera, photographers use to be able to make a living out here just doing head shots just to give you a clue as to how many attractive-talented and slit-your-throat determined people we are talking about. No one ever gets a role from a casting couch in multi million dollar movies, that's why casting directors exist, you fuck anyone and everyone in hopes that they will remember you.

Your best and only chance is to join a group and do indie films. This is where you actually have to contribute a couple grand to the cost of making the movie yourself and as a consequence will actually take an interest in production and writing and get a clue about the profession.

Oh well, out for now, I'm in the mood for a bike ride and a philly cheese steak for lunch.

Paranoia

Wild crazy thought.

The United States has never been closer to a takeover. If certain people in power were to decide to detonate a nuclear bomb in this country and blame terrorism then elections would probably be suspended until the threat of terrorism is eliminated which means never.

The real reason we have a right to bear arms, is so we can quickly build an informal army aka a militia and (though it's not explicitly stated) to theoretically make a revolution possible when the number of people dissatisfied reaches a critical mass. Militias of the people, by the people, and for the people.

But these aren't colonial times. If the reins of power were seized there is no imaginable way citizens could rise up when whole cities and armies can be destroyed in seconds.

These are interesting times.