Do Moral Codes Fail?

This is a pet peeve of mine: I do not enjoy seeing people fall down and I don't like seeing other people enjoy it either.  And they do it in one of two ways, usually - both of which are uncool.

When folks have some kind of scandal come out and the revelations are nasty, ugly, or embarrassing - why do those of us that follow a similar moral code sometimes stand around clucking at the horror of it all and telling the poor schmuck that they should have done better at living the way he knew he was supposed to.  I mean, we've all done nasty, ugly, and embarrassing things, right?  The only difference is we don't usually get caught and held under some kind of massive spotlight.  Have some compassion and use it as an excuse for self-reflection and self-correction, huh?

That's one side of the human response to seeing someone fail to live up to their ideals that I don't like.  The other side is even worse!  People who normally either ignore, condone, or excuse the bad behavior, when they see it in others, will start crowing that the stupid sap's moral code failed to work - and therefore no one should adhere to it.  This of course, is absurd - it doesn't even qualify as a logical fallacy - that's how much it sucks.  Nope, all this statement reveals is a startling lack of understanding of basic language.

You see, when someone follows a moral code and they make a mistake it is a failure to APPLY the moral code, not a failure OF the moral code. 

That's what caused the trouble.  Not living it.  Duh.  And how is just giving up on a ideal so much better than actually trying for something better?

How do people get that mixed up?!?

The bottom line is this: I hope everyone gets a little bit better (by whatever measure they care to apply) each and every day.  I hope that we all become a bit stronger by learning from our own mistakes.  And I hope that we can learn from other people's mistakes so we don't have to learn everything the hardest way possible!

/rant

Bare Minimum PC Checklist

It amazes me how often I am asked for computer advice.  Being a geek, I guess I don't think about it much.  Like most human beings, I assume that everyone knows the same things that I do.

To save time and in the interests of efficiency, here is a list of the things that should be put on any new computer and some key things to know.  These utilities, tools, and methods will ensure security, enable full access to the power of the machine, and simplify maintenance.

Blog Division!

My blog has ripped into two new entities!  It's amazing!  The Funhouse will remain right here and continue to please and delight you with it's surrealality, but all of the family stuff has moved to a lighter, softer blog.

Be sure to keep up with all the things going on at both locations from now on!

Core American Values (As I See Them)

As I have mentioned in prior posts, I am somewhat active in grassroots politics.  And nowhere have I found a more succinct explanation of what my own ideas about the core American values are (full disclosure: they are quite conservative) than in Bill Whittle's "What We Believe" videos.  Not only does he hit the nail on the head over and over again - he does it in an entertaining and stylish manner.  His sincere love of this country and what it stands for is bold.  I feel inspired by his optimism and vision of the future - not just for America, but for all mankind.  The series talks about seven different topics: Small Government and Free Enterprise, The Problem of Elitism, Wealth Creation, Natural Law, Gun Rights, Immigration, and American Exceptionalism.

Whether you are curious about what those crazy Tea-Partiers are thinking, want to better understand your ideological foes, want some ideas of how to clearly express yourself as a conservative, or you just want to watch something engaging and enjoyable - these videos will satisfy you.  I've been a reader of Bill Whittle's for many years now and he's just an all-around impressive guy.  His written articles are usually quite a bit of writing and take a bit to absorb, but they are all excellently done.  Here's a list of my favorites (Note: Unlike his videos, some of his articles have a bit of 'spicy' language - he's a passionate guy):

• The first article of his that I ever read was about political game theory - and it's awesome!!!
• The power of iconography (the use of images as symbols).  Really cool stuff.
• The destructive influence of tribalism in America and how to turn it into a plus.
• The mutual exclusivity of freedom and justice (it's all about trade-offs in the end).
• Reasonable men - historical tidbits about our founding fathers concerning current topics.

Do a search on youtube or goggle for "Bill Whittle" and you'll find a bunch more - he's smart, clear, inspiring, and entertaining.  Just thought I'd share!

Multi-Part, Mood-Based Gifts

With the approach of Christmas, the giving of gifts is on my mind.  Allow me to share one of my favorite romantic gift-giving strategies with you.  It works well and can make any offering much more meaningful for both you and the one receiving it.

When giving a gift to my wife, I like to break it up into several smaller gifts, each labeled to be opened when she is in a specific mood.  This allows her to select the gift that she feels like opening, depending on how she is feeling at the moment and saving the rest for later.  I call this kind of present a "multi-part, mood-based gift".  There are many advantages to giving a lady this type of gift collection.

The Technological Singularity

The Technological Singularity is an event in human history that will occur in our lifetime.  It will change just about everything for just about everyone.  Those who know me perhaps will have heard me ask, "Are you acceleration aware?"  People who are aware can be a bit more prepared and a bit less fearful of this event.  Unfortunately, most people don't even know what this upcoming event is or what it means.  Let's jump in, shall we?

I think the first half of the term "Technological Singularity" is pretty clear - we're talking about technology.  The singularity part is what is so darn interesting.  A singularity is a black hole.  A warping of normal Einstein space-time by a point so massive that nothing can escape it, not even light.  Anything that gets too close is sucked in and can't escape.  The edge of this point-of-no-return is called the event horizon.  Modern science has some speculation about what goes on past this point, but it is impossible, by definition, to see what really lies beyond it.  Due to the unreal levels of radiation, pressure, and velocity, whatever it is like is agreed to be unlike anything, anywhere else in the known universe.  The normal rules of physics do not apply.  Mathematical models that define reality break down.  Key elements of how we perceive time and space become totally meaningless.

The Technological Singularity is an event of intelligence innovation that we can't see beyond.  No amount of forecasting, study, or research can tell us what anything will be like beyond its development.  As the pace at which invention and the expansion of human knowledge increases, we draw ever nearer to this event.  Life after this event will be different - substantially and fundamentally different.  As The Futurist writes, it is "the event when the rate of technological change becomes human-surpassing, just as the advent of human civilization a few millenia ago surpassed the comprehension of non-human creatures."  In other words, those humans who live in a post-singularity world will be as incomprehensible to us as we are currently to chipmunks.

Given this brief introduction, I'd like to cover four basic points that you need to focus on, at a minimum, in order to take advantage of being acceleration aware:

The McCumber Model

There have been many different methods proposed as a framework for information security.  One that makes the most sense to me is The McCumber Model (created by John McCumber).  The factors to consider are arranged in a cube, with each axis representing a different perspective of any information security problem and each axis having three primary components.  It ends up looking like a Rubik's cube.  27 little cubes all stacked together.

The three axes are: Desired Goals, States of Information, and Counter-measures.

By looking at things from the perspective of the intersection of the three axes, you can be sure to look at all sides of an information security issue.  Pick any of the smaller 27 cubes and think about the problem or concerns from that perspective.

The Great Totalitarian Threat of our Time

I am an open-minded and tolerant person, like most Americans.  However, there is one thing that we can’t safely tolerate.  That is tyranny or totalitarian influences that would destroy the ability to be open-minded or tolerant.

Although some Islamic groups/sects are trying to break away from militant Islam, there are far too many within the faith who either condone or celebrate terrorism committed in the name of their faith.  Since my personal experience with Islam is limited, I began to study it about three years ago.

It's never a good idea to learn about someone or something from their enemies.  (Get your information straight from the source, that’s what I say!)  I read the Qur’an.  I studied Islam in general.  I read the writings of proponents and opponents of the faith and have come to my own conclusions (mostly that the truth is very difficult to find indeed).  The Qur'an is a long read, and I know that not everyone has the time, or the patience, to read it.  Still, I recommend it.

I learned that there are three concepts of Islam that are very important to understand as an American or Westerner.  1) Islam is not fundamentally a peaceful religion that was hijacked by militant members.  The Qur'an encourages violent acts towards non-believers.  2) Instituting world-wide Shari'a Law is a religious duty for all Muslims.  To live under any other form of government is considered a sin.  3) Muslims are allowed (and in some cases encouraged) to deceive non-Muslims if it helps their religion.  This principle is called Taqiyya - a term you might want to remember.  To get a nice overview of these concepts, check out this short video on YouTube.  

A Conflict of Visions

I read a lot of books each year, but most of them are just 'popcorn'.  Light, crunchy snacks for my brain that are more relaxing to consume than educational.  The ones that are really awesome are the more difficult tomes.  Let me tell you about one of the most fantastic books I read last year: "A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles", by Thomas Sowell.

I was first of all pleasantly surprised that the book, although about politics, did not favor one ideology over another.  If you have read political books, then you know that this is as rare as a flying dump truck!  My next surprise was in the depth and ease with with the author reduces hundreds of years of political conflict into such a simple framework.  It helped me to understand those with opposing viewpoints in ways I never thought I would.  With understanding came a softer approach on my part towards people I normally wanted to either A) punch in the face or B) simply ignore.

While professing not to be constructing a rigid dichotomy, Sowell lays out a way of distinguishing people's political perspective in a manner that holds together very well under most conditions.  He describes two visions of human nature which lead to political conflict, arguing that it is the vision of what mankind is and what he can become that drives our choices.

The two visions are the "constrained vision", in which human nature is enduring and self-centered, and the "unconstrained vision", in which human nature is malleable and perfectible.  Interestingly enough, in my own further analysis and study I have found that once someone in my acquaintance is identified by me as seeing humanity by one of these visions, that almost all of the other aspects pointed out by Sowell actually do follow in their attitudes, beliefs, and actions.

Running Compliment Book

Take a notebook.  Write something that you like about your spouse or girlfriend in it.  Then give it to her to read and say, "Your turn!"  It's a running compliment book!

Much like my last post about romance techniques where I talked about love notes, this is a method which can have a very positive impact on relationships.  I guess you could call this a huge running love letter, contained in a single notebook and you wouldn't be too far wrong.

The advantage of this romancing tool is that all prior compliments are easily accessible, creating a built-in mood lifter when it is your turn to write something nice about the other person.  A simple review of a few entries both to you and about the other person will bring a smile to your face.  All too often in life we say more critical things than we mean to - and those criticisms are remembered with much greater alacrity than anything nice we do or say.  This simple love journal can help counteract that tendency and keep that "falling-in-love" feeling alive.

Feeling neglected?  Just drop a few hints that you'd like to see an entry made in the book.  Want to make sure she knows how much you like something?  Write it down.  Steaming after a fight and want to know why you live with that so-and-so?  Take a read down memory lane to remind yourself.  This device can really raise the appreciation level that both people feel, which is a major need for some people and feels nice for everyone.  I highly recommend it!

The 3 World Peace Philosophies

When driving my kids to school the other morning, my daughter asked me why some people think that slapping a peace symbol on their car will do anything to stop war.  The car she pointed to had four or five anti-war bumper stickers on it as well as three that demanded world peace.  I explained that some people want everyone to know how strongly they feel about things - and peace is certainly something good to be wished for.

In pondering this conversation later, I realized something interesting beyond this.  The person who drives that car has a totally different philosophy about peace than I do.  After thinking about it a bit more, I realized that there are actually three different philosophies about how to achieve world peace:

1. Wishful Thinking
2. Destroying Others
3. Tit for Tat

These three ideas, either alone or as a combination of any two of them, can explain any statement or policy of seeking peace.  What's ironic is that if you had three people in a room, each subscribing to one of these different ideas, they would fight like cats and dogs as they argued how to bring about world peace!

Why Should You Vote?

Voting turnout in America has been trending downward for quite some time.  It has enjoyed a modest uptick in recent years and I hope that this will continue.  I believe that it's good for people to be directly involved in their choosing their government representatives.

We are so very blessed to be able to vote!  In the history of the world the number of those who had a voice in shaping their own destiny is ridiculously low.  And that is what voting suffrage represents - the ability to shape your own destiny.

Not having had to live without the rights that we all take for granted in this fair land, it's hard to imagine what life would be like without them.  Every country is different and the reason folks turn out to vote (if they can) are all totally different as well.  Cultural, economic, technological, and institutional factors all play a part in shaping people's choice to vote or not vote.  Here in America, voting is as much a social/traditional thing as a logical one.  If you vote - your children and friends are more likely to vote, too.

I found the article about voter turnout on Wikipedia to be a very interesting (if coldly clinical) discussion:

The basic formula for determining whether someone will vote is:
   PB + D > C
Here, P is the probability that an individual's vote will affect the outcome of an election, and B is the perceived benefit that would be received if that person's favored political party or candidate were elected. D originally stood for democracy or civic duty, but today represents any social or personal gratification an individual gets from voting. C is the time, effort, and financial cost involved in voting. Since P is virtually zero in most elections, PB is also near zero, and D is thus the most important element in motivating people to vote. For a person to vote, these factors must outweigh C.

Riker and Ordeshook developed the modern understanding of D. They listed five major forms of gratification that people receive for voting:

• complying with the social obligation to vote;
• affirming one's allegiance to the political system;
• affirming a partisan preference (also known as expressive voting, or voting for a candidate to express support, not to achieve any outcome);
• affirming one's importance to the political system;
• and, for those who find politics interesting and entertaining, researching and making a decision.

All of these concepts are inherently imprecise, making it difficult to discover exactly why people choose to vote.

Why should you vote?   The answer to that must come from within.  I hope you will ponder the great blessing it is to be able to vote and then to avail yourself of the upcoming opportunity.  Vote!

So Many Ways to Worry

Worry.  It goes hand-in-hand with guilt.  And from my limited experience, it seems that some people seem to feel both these emotions more strongly and more frequently than me.  At least, that is what my wife tells me.  As in, "You never feel guilty or worry about anything!"  I don't think that this is a true statement, but from her perspective it probably is.  My weak and anemic flutters of worry and guilt just don't register on her Richter scale of tectonic emotions at all.

In observing the worries of my wife, mom, sisters, daughters and other people I know, I have come to realize that it goes way deeper than just how much or how often the emotions are felt - I need new terms to accurately identify the classifications of worry and/or guilt.  Here are a few of these new (to me) types of worry and guilt that I have identified thus far:

Mom Guilt/Worry
I think most people have at least seen this one in action.  I assume some Dad's may feel this (indeed, I might if my teenage girls start dating biker gang members or something), but it's mostly the Moms who have this one down pat.  This is the worry that drives Moms to say things like, "Put on a sweater - you might get cold."  If the Mom feels the worry, then inevitably she's going to feel guilt later.  Not about the worry-driven advice - but that she should have given more advice.  "I knew I should have warned him to wear rubber boots!  Now he'll catch the flu!"

The Circle of Guilt
Two or more parties are required for this one to play out.  It all starts when someone does a favor for somebody else (both of whom have high levels of worry/guilt).  Then the circle begins...  Observe:

Person A: "You were so nice to watch my kids for five minutes - I owe you one!"
Person B: "It's the least I could do, when you invited my daughter to play for a couple of hours last week."
Person A: "Oh, that!  My girls love to play with your daughter so that was really a favor you did for me."
Person B: "Well, I wanted to pay you back for watching my kids the other day --"
Person A: "You already paid me back for that with those yummy cookies you shared with me!  I owe you a treat!"
Person B: "I hated to ask you to watch them, since you gave me such a nice Christmas gift last year and I didn't get you anything!"
Person A: "But I owed you for that nice note you wrote me and helping us move my Grandma's stuff."
Person B: "Ooo, now I really owe you one!"

I have observed this one so frequently that I am amazed that it hasn't been codified by Webster.  I don't get it.

Post-Conversation Stress Disorder (PCSD)
Endlessly reviewing what was said in a conversation, looking for nuances that might have some hidden meaning or insult.  Agonizing over the possibility that so-and-so was offended.  Worrying about the fallout such an ill-fated communication will certainly incur.  It's better just not to say anything at all - or maybe an apology is in order?  Surely they will never want to speak to us again...
As Hamlet so wisely said, "Angels and ministers of grace defend us!"  If you are around anyone who is having a PCSD episode, find some way to change the subject - fast!  Any kind of distraction will do!  The life you save could be your own.

Empathetic Guilt/Worry
Feeling guilty or worrying about something that is completely out of your control - sometimes even on a different continent or time period.  "I feel so bad for kids who will grow up on the Lunar base - they won't get to play on the grass with puppies!  And how can I help that?  You can't put that kind of experience in a letter and tell them to open it in 80 years.  Oh, those poor kids..."  People who are good at this method can go all day - check in on them frequently to make sure they are getting some food and sleep.

Quantum Worrying

This results when the emotions and thoughts lead to a macroscopic quantum effect.  It's impressive, really.  Worrying about the consequences of events that can only occur when both options of an either-or choice are selected.  An emotional Schrödinger's cat experience.  "Oh, no - lipgloss!  She must want me to kiss her...  Should I do it or not?  I won't!  And then she'll ask me to so I will.  And what if my breath smells like Doritos?  She'll never want to kiss me again!  She'll hate me for not kissing her and tell all her friends that I think she's ugly.  Crap, I'm not a good kisser and she's going to be disappointed with my poor skills and tell her friends that, too."  Actually, I think this one is kind of cool!  These worriers have no idea that they can think using such abstract theories of physics, I'll bet.

So there you have it.  Five classifications of worry/guilt that those of you who don't participate in can get a firmer grip on.  It will help you to better understand and communicate with worriers.  Maybe.

What Card Will Be Played Next?

I ask for the free press to inform me and what do I get?  Card games.

The Mainstream Media can't pigeonhole the news into a known framework and it's resulted in some very illogical responses.  I still don't see many of the Elites-Who-Intuitively-Understand-Everything-Going-On-In-The-Country actually trying to figure it out or question their own assumptions.  Nope.  What I see is attack after attack being made, usually in the form of a static, baseless, Ad Hominem statement that can only be called some kind of card.  Toss out a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card and hope for the best.  It doesn't matter if the card applies or not.

A helpful tip...

Tossing a card down in an narrative is done either 1) for purely cynical reasons, 2) due to personal or institutional projection, or 3) as a knee-jerk statement of prejudice.  I'm willing to give folks the benefit of the doubt and operate under the assumption that it's the first one most of the time.  No matter the cause, this leads to a credibility gap when it comes to the information we hear and the reality we see. 

And what happens when the card fails to work?  The media completely ignores their own statements and then just throw out another card.  They have done this so many times, I'm beginning to think they are just picking cards at random now, since they obviously don't know what is going on - therefore don't know what insult/accusation might work.  Treating each card as if it were a Joker - able to do whatever they want - is their current strategy and expectation.

Here's a few of the cards that have been played over the last couple of years (in roughly the order in which they were played).  Some are still being thrown down, but the older ones can currently produce laughter and other uncomfortable effects, so their use is becoming less frequent.  The card playing strategy of the media also seems to include the hope that people will helpfully forget any past plays made.

Three Signs of a Miserable Job

I just read a fun little book called "The Three Signs of a Miserable Job" by Patrick Lencioni.  The majority of the principles the author is trying to teach are contained in a fictional story which takes up 90% of the book.  The last 10% is a summary of the principles involved.

He believes that the three signs are: 1) Anonymity, 2) Irrelevance, and 3) Subjective Measurement.  A job's 'Misery Quotient' can be determined by how bad each of these three factors are.  It makes sense to me.  People do not like to be considered part of a vast herd, be treated with disrespect in any way, or have their value determined by how someone else perceives them in an unpredictable way.  Of course, I don't consider it a complete list - it doesn't account for personal/social problems, for example.  However, I think the ideas form a sound baseline.

This was a fun read and gave me a lot to think about as a 'boss', both at work and in the house, as to what things to avoid to increase the chances that my employees/kids will be happy.  I think it would be a fun for anyone to read as a means of evaluating their environment and figuring out what elements are worth fighting for or altering.

One of Our Favorite Books

One of the things Tiffany and I share is a love of books.  So it will come as no surprise that we have a lot of books!  More than some small town libraries, I shouldn't wonder - fifteen 6-foot bookshelves full, with more books in storage.  We hope someday to devote a room in our home to be a library/sitting room, but alas!  That fair dream has not yet materialized...

"The Blue Castle" by L. M. Montgomery is one of the favorite books in our collection.  I recently just finished reading it to my older two girls and they loved it as well.  It is funny, romantic, sweet, and poetic.  It has a very predictable storyline, but so do most fairy tales.

The characters in the book are so richly described and so darn human, that you feel like you know them.  The descriptions of the beauty of North-Eastern Canada are sweeping and obviously written by one who has seen and loved the area personally.

I must confess that this title is considered a 'girlie' book by most people.  It's not my usual fare of book, or a genre that I particularly enjoy either.  I love reading it all the same.  My heart goes out to the main characters.  The woman who decides to live for herself after spending years worrying about pleasing others (and the hysterical reactions of her relatives to this new conduct).  The man who seems so simple on the surface, but turns out to be so very deep.  It's just good stuff all the way around.  Gosh, I want to go re-read my favorite chapters again!

A Perspective on Last Week

Last week was hard.  I spent most of it working like crazy to finish milestones for several different projects.  I usually love working hard - productivity and getting things done are my drugs of choice.  But I didn't get to spend as much time as I like with the family as a result.  I made up for that last night and today!  Last night, Tiffany and the older girls went to see a play at ISU called, "You Can't Take It With You".  They told me all about it when they got home; how it was a wonderful production and that they had a blast.  While they were gone, I held a huge movie party with everyone else - with popcorn everywhere.  Tiffany and I had a nice long date today and that was awesome - as every moment with her is.

Something that I've been thinking about on one of my Back-Burner Processors^TM all week is this:  Most human beings think that what they do is hard and everything anyone else does is easy.  I'm not saying that I'm immune to this way of thinking, either - I believe it comes naturally to all of us.  I am constantly reminding myself that I can't completely understand someone else's perspective, because I'm not them.  It saves a lot of time at work in my dealing with people and it's clearly a winning strategy in relating to my family and wife.  I don't jump to as many conclusions with this thought running around in my brain.

It's almost like we're all a bunch of similar-looking aliens living on the same planet having a totally different experience here, while subconsciously convincing ourselves that everyone else around us is sharing what we see, hear, feel, and think.   Looking at current events, this actually makes a lot of sense to me...  It would explain how groups of people can be so absolutely certain that they know how the world works and that everyone else must be total and complete morons - or else they must be evil or stupid on purpose which is even worse!

Come to think of it - I'd rather be a different species from people who have such a limited perspective anyway.

Argumentum Ad Plausible

I'm a rational guy.  That's how I think.  I look at things from a very logical perspective (well... most of the time).  Cause and effect, process flows, statistical analysis, and temporal contingencies are all intellectual friends of mine.  My enemies are, naturally enough, logical fallacies.

I made a handy and humorous little chart that is a quick overveiw of many common logical fallacies a while ago (you can download it here).  The sad thing is how easy they are to slip into.  And how easy we, as humans, nod our heads when we hear a totally illogical statement.  This is especially true if we hear it as a part of a joke or in defense of something we believe in.  Politicians can't communicate at all without using them...

I just read a little article by Morgan Freeburg as he defines a new class of logical fallacy, "Argumentum Ad Plausible".  Here is how he describes it:

"A logical fallacy that used to occur only sporadically, but requires a name now that we’re living it every single day.
It is a theory of events related to each other by cause-and-effect; the person advancing the theory, who in the realm of reality is not known for respecting cause-and-effect, mistakes its plausibility for its proof. 'See, we sit down with our enemies to talk out our differences with them, and war is avoided. It could happen!'
And when it doesn’t — when reality runs up against theory, and it turns out they disagree — the exuberant demonstrate that sanity has deserted them, or avoided them for the time being, by declaring that reality lost and theory won. 'See, never mind what you saw happen just now, what’s supposed to happen is this…' and then they recite the same sequence of events again.
It is an insistence on engaging in experimentation, coupled with an intellectual disability to engage in true experimentation."

Fantastic!  Basically, this is a sub-set of the good, old standby Argumentum Ad Nauseam, where you just keep saying the same thing over and over as your argument.  Add a dash of Post Hoc and Use/Mention fallacies for flavor...  Poof!  There it is!  I can't tell you how many times I have heard this exact verbal mess from people who should know better - it's nice to have a new name to go with that familiar, yet ugly face...

Grassroots Evolution - Part 2

In my last post about the next level of grassroots evolution, I talked about finding a better class of person to serve us as political leaders.  And that would be great.  But even if everyone did this and we had a higher quality of person running for office, we'd still have a problem.  How do you comparison shop among politicians?

Cruise through your favorite blogs or news sites and you will see all manner of statements and platforms from different political figures.  But how on Earth is the average voter supposed to take all of that unorganized data and compare two choices and not be extremely subjective or even arbitrary about it?  Even during debates, the politicians are not always asked the same questions - and they usually are responding to each other.  In addition, we as voters don't usually get the assistance of a debate during primary elections anyway.

To analyze the problem, I asked myself, "How do people decide who to vote for right now?"  And to answer that question, I had to enter the realm of supposition, since I don't know how other people pick a candidate - I only know how I do it!  A quick brainstorm lead me to the following possibilities:

Offically a Mad Scientist

I just took an online Jung Typology test and came up as an extremely inventive INTJ personality type - also known as a Mastermind.  There's less than 1% of us in any given population sample...

I must embrace my inner mad scientist and firmly face my destiny...

Call me mad, will they?  Fools!  I'll destroy them all!  Bwah-hah-ha!

Grassroots Evolution

I have had the coolest idea!  It's an idea about the evolution of grassroots movements and where I think they will go next.  There's been lots of talk these last few years about grassroots organizations, y'know?  Groups of regular citizens gathering together for some political purpose or another - even if it's just to rant.  Heck, I like to rant!  It's not very productive, but it can be fun.  (More on the productive stuff in a minute.)

I got involved in the Tea Party spirit myself and participated in both of the Tax Day protests held so far in my hometown.  I even got to speak for about ten minutes at one of them about my experiences overseas as an American and what it meant for me to come home to this land I love so well.  I made a couple of signs with my bud Travis and we had some good times.  I am pleased to say that the protests were gloriously un-lead.  Nobody was in charge.  The guys who had bullhorns passed them around and we all had some fun doing that crazy American thing that would get you beat up, thrown in jail, or killed in most other countries.  Saying whatever the heck we wanted to.  Sweet!

As fun as it was, both times, I've been thinking lately that a volume of folks standing up and saying that they feel totally ignored by their would-be lords and masters in Washington isn't really going to change things long-term.  Oh sure, it's had an impact, even a national one all told, but I've been thinking about root causes of the problems.  (I'm a geek.  I do that.)

So what do I think is the root cause of the voter angst and the mess in Washington?

How to Handle Hecklers

I relate poorly with most humans.  I've been this way for my whole life, but it wasn't until I got married and Tiffany started to show me things about myself that I had a glimmer that it was a problem.  Now I find myself in the unenviable position of seeing the lack, but not having a full skill-set to adjust my day-to-day thinking.
Since I am now partially aware of this flaw, I am constantly on the look-out to better myself.  Here are today's tips that I am repeating as a mantra, on one of my Back-Burner Processors^TM, for dealing with people (even if it's the man in the mirror I'm talking to) who want to disrupt my flow and/or presentations:

1. Approach the person(s) in a confident manner.
2. Make and do not lose eye contact.
3. Be direct, but do not talk down to them.
4. Take and maintain control of the situation.
5. Do not engage in a shouting match.
6. Remain in charge.
7. Repeat their words when responding.
8. When finished let them know the conversation is over and they have two choices – leave or sit down and listen.

If I can just internalize this kind of thing, one day I'll be able to not embarrass myself so badly.  Okay, that's not entirely honest...  Mostly I don't want to embarrass my wife - I still don't care that much!

My Love Note Philosophy

If you are in a relationship then you know what a chore it is to keep things going.  It takes a lot of work and skill to be a good 'significant other'.  For me, the labels that I'm the proudest to wear all have to do with my family, and more particularly my wife.
When I was single, even way back when I was a teenager, I spent a lot of time reading, studying, and pondering how to get and keep a woman like the one I'm married to now.  What's really funny is how many things I had to completely scrap once I got to know Tiffany.  That's because she's her own person and totally unique.  I found that there’s no magic formula or secret method to making a relationship work.
I'd like to share some of the tricks of one of my favorite methods of romancing: Love Notes!
You can't write anything too corny for a love note.  You can't send too many love notes.  You just can't go wrong with love notes.  Used correctly, you can write scores in one sitting and have the romantic goodness last all month long!  Here are some of the keys to making love notes work for you:

1. Keep it fun and casual.
2. Dole them out one at a time.
3. Be creative and don't worry about being corny.

Weaponized Worm

I have built my fair share of targeted programs.  Heck, any program written for a specific person can be considered a 'targeted program'.  What's new under this dark sun is the release of a weaponized targeted worm - built to propagate itself everywhere, but only attack a single target.  And then it tries to destroy it.  Really, physically blow it up!

Introduction

And we're off!  This site has launched into the great void that is the blogosphere. I'm not sure what direction this will go in - it's a bit spontaneous on my part, truthfully.
I plan on using this area as a place to rant and rave about whatever comes to mind.  I'll be focusing on the areas I feel most passionate about: my family, my country, and my work.  You can rest assured that there will be interesting family anecdotes, political screed, and that twisted perspective about life that has made so many people call into question my sanity. 
Watch this space for more exciting activities that are sure to amaze, frighten, and/or please you!