Author: matthew

I ran across another interesting tidbit: it’s possible to cook an egg in just three minutes using two cell phones.

My wife and I both have phones, and I work nights and try to keep my schedule (mostly) on the weekends.

New science project for late at night! Yeah!

— Matthew P. Barnson – – – – Thought for the moment: I think my career is ruined!

You know, I came to a bit of a revelation these past couple of weeks. That is that I only seem to be able to juggle a very, very limited set of hobbies. When I look at my time usage, I currently seem to spend my limited free time either online in various forums, working on my planes, or watching Buffy and Angel episodes on DVD with my wife. Exercise has flown out the window, along with composing music, playing City of Heroes (unsubbed this week), Dance Dance Revolution, and others.

Not that I don’t think I can have many hobbies and enjoy them. I just can’t seem to do them all at the same time!

What do you do to manage your time?

So more flash fun for the day. If you’ve worked in Information Technology, I think you’ll get a kick out of getting some revenge. My personal fave is the Piñata Gun!

So today’s diversion is Whack the Pinguin. Yeah, I know it’s spelled wrong. But it’s fun. My record was 322.9. Couldn’t ever beat that, though. How about you?

Ran across this item on Slashdot today:

Independents Push For Second Firefly Season Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wed January 25, 03:47 PM from the anything-to-bring-it-back dept.

ovanklot writes “It seems that Brilliant Screen Entertainment is looking to see if there is an audience for a second season of the science fiction show FireFly. From the article: ‘It’s possible that subscribers may choose one of three playback options; monthly DVD deliveries, TV On-Demand using your cable or satellite provider, or computer viewing via Streaming Download.'” They are asking folks to fill out a short survey to gather demographics for support in their efforts to get Fox to release the show to them. The site also stresses that they want neither money nor confidential personal information.

Now wouldn’t that be a revolutionary idea? A TV series filmed as a direct-to-dvd monthly serial? I LOVE the idea!

You can participate in the survey for how you’d like to watch Firefly. So long to “So Long, Firefly“, eh? I’d happily eat my words.

So tonight, as a result of a discussion with my neighbor Hoss (He reads, but doesn’t write… YO DUDE!), I did some research on the National Debt.

I ran across the National Debt Clock, which keeps a running tally of our current debt. I owe $27,000 today. As does my wife. As does each of my kids.

I have four kids.

So what does this mean? This means that I owe a total of $162,000 to domestic and foreign interests as a result of the spending decisions of my representatives in Washington.

That’s a pile of money. I wonder if I could just pay off my share and opt out of taxes?

But seriously, what is to be done about this? We are talking actual, cold, hard cash which our government is in debt for. Since the government of the USA is us, what are we gonna do about this pile of money we owe? $27,468.48 is a big chunk of a working year for most of us. What will be done in our great-grandchildren’s day when they will be born in debt to the tune of 10 years of their working life?

Justin brought up an interesting point in another thread. All religious end-of-the-world-type questions aside, will humanity be around in a thousand years? Why or why not? What do you think should be done to ensure the survival of our species amidst the threat of pandemics, nuclear proliferation, possible ELE (Extinction Level Event: think of the classic “bullet through an apple” picture, but with Earth as the apple and a hyperkinetic comet or asteroid as the bullet), etc.

Obviously, we humans have a very difficult time grasping probabilities and planning for disaster based upon those probabilities. Hurricane Katrina was proof enough of that. It seems we have enough difficulty coping with logarithmic math: the population of the planet is already at unprecedented levels, and threatens to double or triple again within the next hundred years. Will we have the resources to sustain this kind of growth? What’s the actual most palpable threat to the survival of the entire race — as a species — within the next hundred-fifty years?

Guidelines:

• Appeals to the Millenium, Rapture, or other unprecedented world-saving supernatural event will result in a mandatory lashing with a warm, dead trout.
• Appeals to some as-yet-unknown scientific invention… see trout note above.
• Although abortion will almost certainly arise in any such discussion, please discuss only as a practical matter, leaving questions of whether it’s “right” or “wrong” out of it. For the sake of argument, assume it’s a neutral thing with only societal ramifications (such as devaluation of infant life).
• I do not have a warm trout handy. A frozen one propelled at high velocity may have to suffice.

I wrote an exceptionally long response to yet another rhetoric-filled email today, and didn’t want that effort going to waste. So I’m archiving it here. Warning: religious topic follows!

As this is mostly an archival topic, I did not post it to the front page, but just kept it in my own blog. Those who use the “recent posts” link will see it; those who don’t, probably won’t.

Here’s the original email to which I’m responding:

THE LAW IS THE LAW !

This is one of the better e-mails I have received in a long time! I hope this makes its way around the USA several times over!!!!! So Be It!

THE LAW IS THE LAW

So if the US government determines that it is against the law for the words “under God” to be on our money, then, so be it.

And if that same government decides that the “Ten Commandments” are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

And since they already have prohibited any prayer in the schools, on which they deem their authority, then so be it.

I say, “so be it,” because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.

I say, “so be it,” because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions.

I would like to think that those people have the American Publics’ best interests at heart.

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I’D LIKE?

Since we can’t pray to God, can’t Trust in God and cannot Post His Commandments in Government buildings,

I don’t believe the Government and it’s employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.

I’d like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter. After all, it’s just another day.

I’d like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays. After all, it’s just another day.

I’d like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the “Christmas Break.” After all it’s just another day.

I’m thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter.

It shouldn’t cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be “politically correct.”

In fact….

I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshipping God…) because, after all, our government says that it should be just another day….

What do you all think????

If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected officials will stop giving in to the minority opinions and begin, once again, to represent the ‘m ajority’ of ALL of the American people.

SO BE IT………..

Please Dear Lord, Give us the help needed to keep you in our country!

‘Amen’ and ‘Amen’

And here’s my response.

---

On 1/17/06, SoAndSo wrote: > Aint it the TRUTH!!!

Actually, a lot of it is a lie. Please pardon the length of my response. Yours was just the most recent of many similar emails I’ve received lately, and I’m tired of hearing the same lame half-truths recited as gospel.

> So if the US government determines that it is against the law for the > words “under God” to be on our money, then, so be it.

Actually, the phrase on U.S. currency is “In God We Trust”. This will not be the first of many egregious violations of logic and wisdom in this email.

> And if that same government decides that the “Ten Commandments” are > not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

The issue is not whether the Ten Commandments can be displayed on government property. It is whether we allow our government to do so and not offer equal space to other religious groups. Most proponents of displays of the Ten Commandments on government property take a dim view of Wiccan credos being given equal space.

“The Government”, by the way, is *us*. It’s no an enemy to be fought. It’s a process to be participated in, and shaped through votes, legislation, enforcement, and arbitration. You are a vital part of it, as I am, and as every US citizen is. Every natural-born citizen can hold political offices and vote their beliefs.

> And since they already have prohibited any prayer in the schools, on > which they deem their authority, then so be it.

Prayer has never been prohibited in schools. Those who say it has are lying, pure and simple. The practice of coercing students to pray (that is, *forcing them*) has been successfully challenged in courts, and school districts have varying policies based upon these challenges.

> I say, “so be it,” because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.

To “abide” the law sometimes requires violating it when it is unjust. If you truly believe your religion, you should be willing to live it despite laws prohibiting the full exercise thereof, and work to change those laws.

> I say, “so be it,” because I would like to think that smarter people > than I are in positions to make good decisions.

The people in government are no smarter than the average American. If we’d “like to think” that smart people run things, we’re deluding ourselves.

> I would like to think that those people have the American Publics’ > best interests at heart.

If you think politicians have your best interest at heart, you are cockeyed. They never have, and never will. They have their *own* interests at heart. The fact that they represent you only occurs because they rely on you for re-election, and therefore must curry favor with you by doing what you want. What kind of banal propaganda is this?

> BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I’D LIKE?

I’m sure this forwarded email will tell me.

> Since we can’t pray to God, can’t Trust in God and cannot Post His > Commandments in Government buildings,

Wrong, wrong, wrong. When an argument is built upon several lies, how can you trust the conclusions?

> I don’t believe the Government and it’s employees should participate > in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our > government is eliminating from many facets of American life.

If anything, we are seeing in government a reflection of the increasing secularization of American society. In other words, the government is US, and our makeup is becoming more diverse and pluralistic.

Additionally, The holidays you mention have roots far older than Christianity, and are not necessarily religious celebrations.

> I’d like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & > Easter. After all, it’s just another day.

Thanksgiving is, at its heart, a fall harvest festival. These have been traditional holidays throughout much of Europe and North America for centuries. Modern celebration in the US occurred in 1777, when George Washington declared its celebration on a particular day to note the defeat of the British at Saratoga.

It was Abraham Lincoln who gave the harvest festival religious overtones in 1863, when he set the modern date for Thanksgiving.

> I’d like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good > Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays. After all, it’s just > another day.

The Supreme Court is overwhelmingly Christian, as is the US House of Representatives and the Senate. What point would there be in holding session?

> I’d like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to > worry about getting home for the “Christmas Break.” After all it’s > just another day.

See above religious preferences. You have precisely 4 atheists in all of Congress. Various Winter Solstice celebrations have a long history, like other holidays, predating Christianity by a millenia.

(Note to self: my statistic regarding 4 people seems to be in error. The actual number of “out of the closet” atheists in Congress appears to be zero.)

> I’m thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all > government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & > Easter.

How would it save money if people are working and being paid?

> It shouldn’t cost any overtime since those would be just like any > other day of the week to a government that is trying to be > “politically correct.”

The religious makeup of the USA according to the 2002 census is roughly: Christian: 78% Muslim: 1% Jewish: 1% Nonbelievers: 14% Other: 6%

In what way would scheduling holidays for days which do not coincide with the vast majority of the nation work to our benefit?

And when did attempting to be compassionate and avoid offensive language become “politically correct”? A better word is “gracious”.

> In fact…. > > I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set > aside for worshipping God…) because, after all, our government says > that it should be just another day….

Well, Sunday is not now and never has been the Sabbath. From sunset on Friday night through sunset on Saturday night is. What better day would on propose? The current Saturday/Sunday schedule accomodates the majority of believers, and numerous studies show that work-weeks without at least one day off actually result in *reduced* productivity.

> What do you all think???? > > If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected officials will > stop giving in to the minority opinions and begin, once again, to > represent the ‘majority’ of ALL of the American people.

It’s not a matter of “giving in”. The USA was established as a secular democracy, with specific prohibitions against making laws respecting an establishment of religion. This was because the Founding Fathers, representing a cross-section of religious belief, realized what a divisive issue religion is in politics, and set boundaries to protect your religion from governmental interference.

A policy of only honoring the wishes of the majority, and ignoring those of the minority, is called “tyranny of the majority”. The Bill of Rights and the American electoral process are both structured to protect the rights of the minority while honoring the will of the majority.

I submit that most US Christians would be opposed to mandatory prayer on rugs, facing Mecca five times a day in classes. I submit that most US Jews would be opposed to mandatory daily mass in classrooms. I submit that most US Mormons would object to mandatory placement of statues of Vishnu in each classroom, accompanied by daily recitation of Vishnu’s thousand names by each child.

Our current policy of neutrality toward religions is wholesome, good, and the only sane policy to avoid tyrannical religious despotism, the likes of which we commonly see in the Middle East.

> SO BE IT……….. > Please Dear Lord, Give us the help needed to keep you in our country! > ‘Amen’ and ‘Amen’ > These are definitely things I never thought about but from now on, I > will be sure to questions those, in government, who support these > changes. > At the top, it says “I hope this makes its way around the USA several > times over!!!!!” > Let’s see that it does. Keep it in your mailbox and resend it whenever > someone new comes along

Spam is bad. Forwarded emails are, on the whole, even worse. Particularly when they are as filled with half-truths and outright deception and demagoguery as this one is.

— Matthew P. Barnson – – – – Thought for the moment: “Sometimes insanity is the only alternative” — button at a Science Fiction convention.

I had some lyrics come to mind on my trip into work tonight, and just had to write them somewhere so I don’t lose them. Here they basically are, though I think I’ll need to rewrite in a couple spots. And I know, I never worked at DQ, but it fit the rhyme.

When I think of my Mom Her hair is black and her face is young She liked to wear some tight and shiny clothes She didn’t have those glasses on her nose.

When I think of my life, Where did I get these kids and loving wife? In my mind I’m still just seventeen, Working a summer job at Dairy Queen.

===== Where’s the manual? Where’s the instruction book? Tried to find it, but wasn’t where I thought to look.

The time gone by, the time gone by. Where did it go?

Where’s the end? What’s the game? I think it’s all there is, but now that feels so lame.

As time goes by, the time goes by Where did it go? ======

Now I look at my Mom, She’s kind of frumpy and her wrinkles long. Doesn’t seem knowledgeable or wise, But has an easy laugh and sparkling eyes.

Now I’m looking at thirty-two My hair is gray, but my eyes are blue. Fighting middle-age spread and worse, Trying to find the words for second verse.

(Chorus)

I’m wondering what I’ll be, When I grow up, no longer seventeen. People say it’s too late for that. You’ve grown up, found a job, and gotten fat.

I wonder if this is all? No hanging out at Lakeforest Mall. Gotta be responsible and strong, To make my kids think that I know right from wrong.

I guess they think somebody knows….

(Chorus)

This is just a page because my wife was disappointed that if any of her old friends tried to find her via Google, they couldn’t. Christy Ellis, formerly of K-Town Germany, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and Rexburg/Newdale Idaho, is now Christy Barnson, my gorgeous, superlative, exemplary wife of 11 years.

I’m not promoting it to the front page because, well, the point is for Google to pick it up, not for it to be a blog of public commentary. However, I’m pretty certain that there are people who use the “recent posts” thing religiously that will end up stumbling across it.