Merry Christmas everyone!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Free Rice?
If you ever wanted to send some money to charity, here's an easy way to do so at the banner ad people's expense.
you can Get Smarter by doing this as well!
Post your highest score below. I've only played for 10 minutes, but I never broke 40. A coworker is at 45.
I hope everyone is having a merry Christmas, and that my willpower stays strong so I don't cave and purchase something like this. I keep wanting to offer $600 for it, but I'm afraid they'd take the offer. Anyway.
Merry Christmas!
you can Get Smarter by doing this as well!
Post your highest score below. I've only played for 10 minutes, but I never broke 40. A coworker is at 45.
I hope everyone is having a merry Christmas, and that my willpower stays strong so I don't cave and purchase something like this. I keep wanting to offer $600 for it, but I'm afraid they'd take the offer. Anyway.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Choice
Wow, look at that. Mile marker twenty two.
I've got a long road ahead of me. Too bad I can't see further than a mile or so in any direction. Often not even that, depending on the scenery. I've not come far.
In the past month or two decisions have been made. Suddenly I'm confused on why those decisions were so difficult in the past. It's not like I don't take a step back now and then. And so I stop and ponder. I've had a number of these moments over the past year or so, but I've not shared them here.
Regardless.
I have a good life. Great even. I'm afforded opportunities that many do not have. Will never have. I lead a life of blessing and comfort.
As I think it is with many, it's easy to think "I want that" and believe that by obtaining a goal, even a heartfelt goal, that your troubles will be over. That if you can reach that end, life will be good. It's too bad that is sold so often ("sold" being the key word here...) because I don't believe that is true. Because there will always be something out there. Something to stretch towards. Something to work for. Regardless of where you're standing. There's always another ridge to cross. There's always someone ahead of you. Better, smarter, more capable people than you succeeding without thinking where you stumble and struggle.
It's not about what you've done. It's not about where you live. It's not about who you're surrounded by. It's not even about where you're going.
Now that's not to say you shouldn't continue forward. That's not to say you shouldn't set goals. That's not to say you shouldn't work.
It's about you.
Nobody can tell you where you are in your journey but you. Be honest with yourself. Figure out where you're going. Where you are. Where you've been. Take a step back. What's really important to you? Why do you spend your leisure time the way you do? What do you spend your "you" time on?
It matters. And I realize today, again, as I write this, that it doesn't matter what you've done, where you've been. It doesn't particularly matter where you're going. It matters that you are. That you are doing (or not doing as the case may be) right now. In the moment.
It matters that you choose.
You are what you make yourself. Yes, everyone has limits. I can't sprout wings and fly away outside. But within my limits, I have choice. I have will. I am. I exist. It doesn't matter where I have been before. It matters where I am now. It matters what I choose to be. The future hasn't happened yet, and the past has simply set my circumstances. Now is what I am. It is when I exist. It is who I am.
The only thing I really, truly am, is an agent of my own will.
And I am making choices. Choices in which I try to be intelligent about.
Are you?
I've got a long road ahead of me. Too bad I can't see further than a mile or so in any direction. Often not even that, depending on the scenery. I've not come far.
In the past month or two decisions have been made. Suddenly I'm confused on why those decisions were so difficult in the past. It's not like I don't take a step back now and then. And so I stop and ponder. I've had a number of these moments over the past year or so, but I've not shared them here.
Regardless.
I have a good life. Great even. I'm afforded opportunities that many do not have. Will never have. I lead a life of blessing and comfort.
As I think it is with many, it's easy to think "I want that" and believe that by obtaining a goal, even a heartfelt goal, that your troubles will be over. That if you can reach that end, life will be good. It's too bad that is sold so often ("sold" being the key word here...) because I don't believe that is true. Because there will always be something out there. Something to stretch towards. Something to work for. Regardless of where you're standing. There's always another ridge to cross. There's always someone ahead of you. Better, smarter, more capable people than you succeeding without thinking where you stumble and struggle.
It's not about what you've done. It's not about where you live. It's not about who you're surrounded by. It's not even about where you're going.
Now that's not to say you shouldn't continue forward. That's not to say you shouldn't set goals. That's not to say you shouldn't work.
It's about you.
Nobody can tell you where you are in your journey but you. Be honest with yourself. Figure out where you're going. Where you are. Where you've been. Take a step back. What's really important to you? Why do you spend your leisure time the way you do? What do you spend your "you" time on?
It matters. And I realize today, again, as I write this, that it doesn't matter what you've done, where you've been. It doesn't particularly matter where you're going. It matters that you are. That you are doing (or not doing as the case may be) right now. In the moment.
It matters that you choose.
You are what you make yourself. Yes, everyone has limits. I can't sprout wings and fly away outside. But within my limits, I have choice. I have will. I am. I exist. It doesn't matter where I have been before. It matters where I am now. It matters what I choose to be. The future hasn't happened yet, and the past has simply set my circumstances. Now is what I am. It is when I exist. It is who I am.
The only thing I really, truly am, is an agent of my own will.
And I am making choices. Choices in which I try to be intelligent about.
Are you?
Monday, November 19, 2007
Cultural Correctness
I read this speech, though there's an audio transcript of it. This was years ago, but rings true today more than ever.
I'm not usually pro-hippie pro-protest and all that. However, the guy has a point. There's a time and place for this kind of thing. I'll leave the protesting to other people, but that doesn't mean I can't live my personal life under this philosophy. Or at least try. (Once I get over my fear of people, though slowly but surely that's going away... but that's for another post)
I'd love to hear thoughts on if you agree or disagree with what he is saying and why.
I'm not usually pro-hippie pro-protest and all that. However, the guy has a point. There's a time and place for this kind of thing. I'll leave the protesting to other people, but that doesn't mean I can't live my personal life under this philosophy. Or at least try. (Once I get over my fear of people, though slowly but surely that's going away... but that's for another post)
I'd love to hear thoughts on if you agree or disagree with what he is saying and why.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Why
I think that this guy's quote from the WWII veteran pretty much nails video game nostalgia.
Yeah, I know, I'm such a loser. Oh well. =)
Until later.
Yeah, I know, I'm such a loser. Oh well. =)
Until later.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Sleep
So, I stumbled across this link a few days ago.
Or this page sums it up better.
Sleep paralysis, or more properly, sleep paralysis with hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations have been singled out as a particularly likely source of beliefs concerning not only alien abductions, but all manner of beliefs in alternative realities and otherworldly creatures. Sleep paralysis is a condition in which someone, most often lying in a supine position, about to drop off to sleep, or just upon waking from sleep realizes that s/he is unable to move, or speak, or cry out. This may last a few seconds or several moments, occasionally longer. People frequently report feeling a "presence" that is often described as malevolent, threatening, or evil. An intense sense of dread and terror is very common. The presence is likely to be vaguely felt or sensed just out of sight but thought to be watching or monitoring, often with intense interest, sometimes standing by, or sitting on, the bed. On some occasions the presence may attack, strangling and exerting crushing pressure on the chest. People also report auditory, visual, proprioceptive, and tactile hallucinations, as well as floating sensations and out-of-body experiences (Hufford, 1982). These various sensory experiences have been referred to collectively as hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences (HHEs). People frequently try, unsuccessfully, to cry out. After seconds or minutes one feels suddenly released from the paralysis, but may be left with a lingering anxiety. Extreme effort to move may even produce phantom movements in which there is proprioceptive feedback of movement that conflicts with visual disconfirmation of any movement of the limb. People may also report severe pain in the limbs when trying to move them. Several recent surveys including our own suggest that between 25-30% of the population reports that they have experienced at least a mild form of sleep paralysis at least once and about 20-30% of these have had the experience on several occasions. A few people may have very elaborate experiences almost nightly (or many times in a night) for years. Aside from many of the very disturbing features of the experience itself (described in succeeding sections) the phenomenon is quite benign.
I've had this happen to me a couple of times, once in the last year. It's quite scary in that you cannot move. Add the "waking dream" portion of this and it can be positively nightmarish.
Has this ever happened to you?
Or this page sums it up better.
Sleep paralysis, or more properly, sleep paralysis with hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations have been singled out as a particularly likely source of beliefs concerning not only alien abductions, but all manner of beliefs in alternative realities and otherworldly creatures. Sleep paralysis is a condition in which someone, most often lying in a supine position, about to drop off to sleep, or just upon waking from sleep realizes that s/he is unable to move, or speak, or cry out. This may last a few seconds or several moments, occasionally longer. People frequently report feeling a "presence" that is often described as malevolent, threatening, or evil. An intense sense of dread and terror is very common. The presence is likely to be vaguely felt or sensed just out of sight but thought to be watching or monitoring, often with intense interest, sometimes standing by, or sitting on, the bed. On some occasions the presence may attack, strangling and exerting crushing pressure on the chest. People also report auditory, visual, proprioceptive, and tactile hallucinations, as well as floating sensations and out-of-body experiences (Hufford, 1982). These various sensory experiences have been referred to collectively as hypnagogic and hypnopompic experiences (HHEs). People frequently try, unsuccessfully, to cry out. After seconds or minutes one feels suddenly released from the paralysis, but may be left with a lingering anxiety. Extreme effort to move may even produce phantom movements in which there is proprioceptive feedback of movement that conflicts with visual disconfirmation of any movement of the limb. People may also report severe pain in the limbs when trying to move them. Several recent surveys including our own suggest that between 25-30% of the population reports that they have experienced at least a mild form of sleep paralysis at least once and about 20-30% of these have had the experience on several occasions. A few people may have very elaborate experiences almost nightly (or many times in a night) for years. Aside from many of the very disturbing features of the experience itself (described in succeeding sections) the phenomenon is quite benign.
I've had this happen to me a couple of times, once in the last year. It's quite scary in that you cannot move. Add the "waking dream" portion of this and it can be positively nightmarish.
Has this ever happened to you?
Friday, November 09, 2007
Atari
So I'm a big atari fan. It's a big part of my early childhood. I've been thinking about starting an atari-based project, but I've not decided if it's worth the effort or not. It depends on a lot of things. I might talk more about that later.
I came across this article two days ago and it's taken me that long to get through it. But it was totally worth it.
For instance... did you know that Williams pinball came out of atari? That steve jobs and steve wozniak (founders of apple computer) worked at atari and even offered atari the opportunity to get into the original apple computer? There are so many early technology ties to this company that it's amazing.
Check it out if you've got any interest.
Until later.
I came across this article two days ago and it's taken me that long to get through it. But it was totally worth it.
For instance... did you know that Williams pinball came out of atari? That steve jobs and steve wozniak (founders of apple computer) worked at atari and even offered atari the opportunity to get into the original apple computer? There are so many early technology ties to this company that it's amazing.
Check it out if you've got any interest.
Until later.
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