um...

faux toe

Are you there, God? It's me, Margarine.

Hello, interweb. Did you miss me? No, I guess not. I suppose for you to miss me I would have to be absent for at least a day or two. But we visit every single day. I take it for granted, I guess. Perhaps I should not. You may have noticed that I did not capitalize your name just now. That was intentional, but please don't take it as a slight. It is not meant to be. I simply regard that as the correct spelling of your name, whether the more proper 'internet' or my somewhat snarky 'interweb'. No, that's not quite right: not snarky, but silly and feigning obtuseness. But I digest...
I thought maybe this was a dumb move on my part: not to capitalize. Technically incorrect, I suppose, although I think the more proper choice. So I looked up something in the 'Dictionary' app. on my iBook. Incidentally, this app. is powered by Oxford American Dictionaries. I looked up 'universe'. In parentheses following the word's designation as a noun it reads 'the universe'. I propose that something as big as the universe is at least as important as the internet. And it's not a proper name, but more of a concept, a human construct. So OK then. Hi.

Digg.com Fan-boys Engage in All-out Flame Wars; Start Virtual Knife Fights.

Wow, I could not believe this when I read it. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to see a link to the real-time insult statistics.

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DIR EN GREY Singer Hospitalized; Japanese Dates Cancelled - July 24, 2006

I never thought that I would use the phrase, "my favorite Japanese metal band" and be sincere about it, but: The singer of my Favorite Japanese Metal Band is having a bad week. Read all about it, then check out some of their music, especially stuff from the past couple years...

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Oooooh...Feathers Shall Be Ruffled; Verily, Panties Shall Bunch

An American molecular geneticist has concluded after comparing more than 2,000 DNA samples that a person's capacity to believe in God is linked to brain chemicals.

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Researchers develop OLED illuminated surfaces

Imagine a house without a single light fixture - but instead walls, ceilings, furnishings, and accessories all sources of light. Thanks to research at Princeton University and the University of Southern California (USC), almost any surface in a building can become a light source with OLEDs.

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A Modest Proposal II: The Pinnacle of Humility

Dear friends and/or family members,
For starters, does anybody mind if I just call ‘em as I see ‘em? No? Good, then let us proceed.
I do not fancy myself a writer. Yet I love language and communication and am fascinated by both. I collect dictionaries. I want to know about word origins all the time. I just dig it. I would just as soon read a dictionary as any other book. As many of you know, I love to sit around and think about stuff as well. Or, as a friend once put it, I have a rich fantasy life. And now this: I intend to teach college-level English eventually. Well, I will probably be doing just that fairly soon (I plan to complete my undergrad stuff in the 2006-2007 school year and get a teaching assistant position for the following year.)
So here’s the rub- guess what is usually expected of English professor types? You beat me to it. Writing. Who do people want to learn stuff from? How does a university gain prestige? Right. And how, indeed, does one prove that he knows what he is talking about so that students know that taking your class will not be a colossal waste of time? And so the department will trust you with the keys to the overhead projector? Yeah, so I think I have sufficiently beat that one into the ground. Oh, but another thing- it is simply a more efficient way to share ideas with people. And I don’t have to wonder whether I am putting them to sleep or they are just being polite by smiling and nodding as I wax philosophic once again. Like now- if this is of interest to you, then you are still with me. And if you just have other things to attend to or your eyes have already glazed over and you can’t hit the delete key fast enough, then far out. No hard feelings at all. Those that have ears, let them hear. And those who wonder, “What is that supposed to mean?” simply reply to this message with the word ‘remove’ in the subject line and we shall speak of it no more.
Anyone with ties to a good university (other than EWU, as it may be a good thing for me to branch out a bit) might want to give them a heads-up now and let ‘em know that Vince is coming. I like Oxford. Or at least their dictionaries. I will probably pass on Ivy League, highbrow or power-broker nonsense, but you never know. I will try to keep an open mind. If they act quickly they may be able to avoid the feeding frenzy. Here is why: peeps is gonna be fallin’ all over themselves to award me a Ph.D. before long. Just you watch. Oh, my goodness, but that could come off as outright arrogant! I am not, though. Just a late bloomer. I finally know, at the tender age of 38, what I am going to do with myself, at least professionally. And so I am excited and I want to share this with y’all. [Author’s note: when I use the word y’all it may seem I’m trying to be cute or something like that, me not being from the south. This is not my intention. Actually, I lament the fact that ‘proper English’ is missing a plural form of you. I find ‘y’all’ to be a useful term.] But back to the ‘Dr. Vince’ thought. I am no smarter than anybody else. But also no dumber. A former neighbor of mine actually helped me to realize the latter and for that I owe him a sincere debt of gratitude. See, we were having a minor disagreement over use of the property (both of us were tenants at the time of the same premises) and we were discussing this in the back yard. The details are unimportant, but, as he is attending law school, this fact understandably informs his world-view. So basically, after we had toned down our rhetoric and lowered our voices a bit he was still trying to lawyer me to death. I wasn’t buying it. I stayed right there, I held my ground, I kept a civil tongue in my head. I didn’t run upstairs and slam my door, nor did I find it necessary to pop him one. Hey, I can look up terms like ‘corpus christi’ and ‘ad nauseam’ just as easily as the next guy. And I’ve seen more episodes of ‘Law and Order’ than most people. Consider it fair warning. And here is what I learned about myself that day: I am not intellectually intimidated by anyone. No, not anyone. Not Stephen Hawking. Not Stephen King. Not Joseph Campbell or even Glen Campbell. Not Albert Einstein. Not Sigmund Freud, Socrates, Plato, Kant, Jung, Confucius, Gandhi or Lao Tzu. Ain’t none of ‘em got nothin’ on me. It is a simple fact and that is why it is not arrogant. But here is also why: it ain’t me. What I mean is that I stand on the shoulders of- I was going to say ‘giants’, but that is not the case. I stand on the shoulders of the planet earth and all life contained herein. Or thereupon. Or whatever.
Here is how I arrived at this conclusion: I was telling my philosophy teacher for ‘Intro to Ethics’ the other day about how western philosophers drive me crazy. It is not that they are not Smart Guys, it’s just that it all seems like a lot of hooey to me. They are smart, but not always so wise. Sometimes the truth (or ‘The Truth’) is very simple. It does not beg to be dissected by you. And the dissection process does not shed more light upon the subject; nay, often the reverse is true. The more we talk it to death, the more confused we become. But, said I, I have learned to appreciate the fact that I have the benefit of hindsight. And current thought, having not been formed in a vacuum, on an island or, for that matter, in a vacuum ON an island (take that!) owes something to the thinkers that came before. AND NOW, MY THESIS:
We owe what we are to ALL that came before. Therefore I sincerely wish to thank the second law of thermodynamics, the PTA, photosynthesis and S.C. Johnson (a family company). Also, Pope Pious III, the Wright Brothers, the crazy lady on the bus who smells like tuna and menthols and the breath of air that I just now exhaled. And all y’all. Maybe some more than others, but who cares? Thomas Edison could never have invented the light bulb, had it not been for some dude that dug up some pretty-colored dirt one day and brought it home in a pot. And his wife that used it as a fire extinguisher when dinner got away from her one night. And his neighbor that saw something shiny on the floor near the hearth. And that guy’s great-great-granddaughter who, years after he was dead and gone, found that she could use the shiny stuff to make a better knife. Or whatever. You get the point. Bill Gates: Self-Made Kajillionaire? Hardly. Vince Price: Self-Made genius. Good one. But Vince, you say, are you seriously comparing yourself to the Great Thinkers throughout history? Damn straight. And so should you. Not me, but yourself. Nearly every smart, beautiful, creative, wonderful person I know sells himself short. [And here, another gap in the lexicon. We desperately need a new batch of gender-neutral pronouns that flow naturally and don’t look or sound ridiculous. I get the ‘s/he’ thing. It is just not quite the ticket. Useful, perhaps, but clunky. We need some brand new words.]
So, to remove this a little bit from excessive chest-thumping, another example: Smart Guys and Smart Gals of today owe everything to everyone who has ever lived. And probably to a lot of other stuff as well, but you know how it is. Every generation thinks that they invented sex. And wearing all-black. And road trips. And every other damned thing that has been around in one form or another for eons. You know, it is not that we don’t learn from history. It is simply that, as a species, we are slow learners. Thus is the nature of evolution. Our learning is on a time line that has more in common with that of plate tectonics than of season two of Desperate Housewives. Imperceptible change. So slow, so subtle as to appear to be no real change at all. But take heart; life knows how to live. It cannot be killed. Love shall indeed overcome. The good guys will win. Same as it ever was. God forbid, but even if we manage to totally do ourselves in, it is not all in vain. Some records will survive. Along will come some of our space brethren and find our books and hard drives. Or, next time around it will be someone else’s turn to rise to the top of the food chain. Opposable thumbs are quite handy, but primates are not the only tool users ever to live. Our knowledge will be of use to someone. If we are exceedingly lucky it just might be future generations of humans.
I believe this will suffice for the time-being, especially in the light that what I am supposed to be doing at this moment is study for a mid-term in African History, finish (after I start) a writing assignment for another class and read a translation of the words of some German guy who has long since become worm food. I think that I have delivered the goods. I submit to you, gentle reader, that what I should be doing is just what I have been doing for the last 5+ hours. (Yes, I am slow at composition.) I should get paid to sit around and think. Writing is the proof that it is not in vain. Thank you for reading.

Vincent Irvin Price
May 8th, 2006

p.s. I am submitting this to all of my instructors in the form of an email, and maybe of a print-out as well. As far as I am concerned, I have more than earned my bachelor’s degree. For that matter, master’s and doctorate are already done, too. Now I just have to prove it, I suppose. I do not say this to disparage the scholarship of those who may read this, nor to minimize the hard work and sacrifice that it has taken to earn what they have. Nor do I wish to sound like I know everything about everything. What I do not know could fill infinite volumes. I love to learn and I like to be around people learning and asking the vital questions and attempting to solve the riddles of the universe. That is why I am willing to put up with the doo-doo of academia and I imagine that’s why my teachers put up with it too.
p.p.s. Am I crazy? Oh, most certainly. I will use my powers only for good.

Turn your frown Upside-Down!

Apparently I WAS posting. It has been so long since my last confession...where to start? I know not.

Probably will not get into anything just yet, as I just woke up. Who gets email notifications when I post? Anyone aside from myself? Tell me if you do, wouldja?

V-

Turn your frown Upside-Down!

Turn your frown Upside-Down!

Am I posting?

Be cool.

Stay in school. I am glad to be back, that is for sure. I have chosen the right field of study. It's about goddamned time. I find psychology fascinating. I sit in the front row every day. There used to be plenty of seats down front. Then, in week 3, peeps wanted to get all up in my row and shit. All I can figure is that they must have attended some study group and heard a statistic about the correlation between grades and where one sits in a classroom. Don't know; don't care. I will sit in the front row every day. The first test was on Friday. Higher than usual attendance, as you might expect. I got to my row, chose my seat. A little girl informed me that my seat was saved. [she probably meant 'reserved' as opposed to 'born-again Christian'] Now, had the chair had a bag or jacket on it, I would not think of moving another's stuff. But apparently it was saved because she said so. The old Vince would have gone elsewhere. In a polite way I told her to get fucked and took the chair. If this seems extreme, you should know that I am a recovering people pleaser. Sometimes it will be necessary to overcompensate. Of all students at EWU my education is the most important.
My cousin Aaron suggested I blog about school. A good idea, methinks. Thanks Aaron.

O.

K.

Click here, biatch

Yes, do click. This shit is hilarious. H to the A to the W-K...

testing testing

Check out this cool new site!
eBay!

Ummm...

T-shirt idea: "I disapprove of your digital lifestyle."
Bumper sticker idea: (In military-style block letters, with American flag) "WE SUPPORT OUR GAYS"

Artificial Intelligence

AI very well may be the answer to many problems that we face on this planet. Will we listen? Probably not.

When we are able to achieve the creation of smarter-than-human AI, we really have no idea what will happen next and what it will be capable of. Let me be the first to pledge my allegience to the machines. God, I so much wish to live in a Star Trek future, as opposed to, say, Blade Runner. You know- a future where smart people naturally want the best for others. A future where we can all get along and it's OK to wear tunics. If fuckheads would leave the AIs be and not try to manipulate outcomes for selfish purposes... Is that too much to ask?

Scary, isn't it? Matrix, Blade Runner, Battlestar Galactica, Terminator scenarios are so delicously hideous and frightening. Machines, on their own, would not conclude that Humanity Must Die. But some doomsday freak, that's another story. So the good guys must also work toward the realization of AI, not just military contractors and such. It is inevitible. It will happen. There is no doubt. Probably in my lifetime (I'm 37) machines with souls will exist. They will not be human, but they will be people. I can't wait.

Clever

I wink at myself. I am a hairless ape. I am fascinated by my feces. It's the origin of the species!

Honestly? (Part 2)

This is part two because I indicated that this [Social Security post] was to be continued...

I have nothing more to say on it, really. Except, maybe: BOO! Did that startle you? OK, OK, imagine me jumping out at you from the shadows and read it again. How about that time? So it's just one more thing to be anxious about, isn't it? Social Security, that is. I cannot possibly remain engaged in politics for any length of time. The sky is always falling somewhere.

BTW, where is the spell-checker on this blog machine? I click the button that says "check spelling" when I hover over it, but nothing happens. I can't type for shit today, so there may be errors. Not likely, as obsessive as I can be about such things, but just be on the lookout...

But Vince, I could never be as smart as you! Why do you rule so much? Isn't it hard to be so awesome all the time? Any advice for the kids?

Sure you could!

I'm not sure why I rule so much. There are many factors; some inate, others environmental.

No, it's not that hard. I try to keep it in perspective.

Eat right. Exercise. Get lots of sleep. Don't do drugs. Stay in school.

Honestly?

I don't give a damn WHAT the silly Republicans do to Social Security. It ultimately is of very little consequence and there are other, more important things to worry about. Such as: just about anything. OK, here is my pea-brained logic...

What IS Social Security anyway? Essentially, poverty insurance. Some form of safety net for folks so that they don't have to resort to begging or becoming a Greeter at Wal-Mart to survive when they no longer produce goods or services available for consumption. [It makes me very sad to have a man old enough to be my grandfather bagging my groceries. This happened just recently. I am not ashamed of him for doing this entry-level type work. After all, most folks of his generation are too proud to ask for help, whereas most of my contemporaries would rather ask for a handout than to perform such a lowly job. I am ashamed for his family (and, by extension, our society) for letting this happen. It is disrespectful; it does not show any importance given to our elders. I realize that there are various sociological factors driving this trend and that there are no easy solutions. I just hate it, that's all. And you know what? I am just plain lucky in that the elders in my family are well taken care of. It is certainly no thanks to my financial contributions. Such is life when you are your own biggest charity case.]

Who benefits from social security? Of course, anyone who is eligible and draws upon the system. But also, their families, and, perhaps to a lesser degree, American society. Would you really let your grandmother dumpster dive and live under a bridge? Hell no. Any decent person would make sure grandma is OK, even if that meant making the kids share a room again and having her live with you. And the less poverty there is around you, the better off you are. That's why people like to live in nice neighborhoods. More and more that means gated communities. See, I'm not so worried about your lack of stuff. It's your pain, and with apologies to Bill Clinton, I cannot feel it. But if I got lots of stuff and you got shit, I am afraid that you might entertain the thought of taking some of mine. Therefore, it behooves me to make sure that you at least are able to get by OK.

But isn't the government taking MY money? Yes. It's called taxes. Perhaps you have heard that your chances of avoiding taxes are not very good. This one is a little different in that you'll eventually be able to get a cash payment from this tax. Unlike public school (and other social institutions) that most would agree are beneficial, but never will financially reward you directly, Social Security will one day, should you live long enough, issue you a check on a regular basis. [That should have been more than one sentence; I apologize.] While blowing it on booze and hookers may be frowned upon, it is ultimately your decision as to how you spend it.

But shouldn't I be able to determine how I invest my money? Surely I could make a better return than the government can! Be that as it may, Social Security is NOT an investment in the traditional sense. It was never meant to be enough to thrive upon. It is poverty insurance [see above]. At the time of its inception, the vast majority of our senior citizens lived it poverty. It is meant as a supplement to your nest egg, not as the egg itself. It doesn't buy Ma and Pa a nice motor home. It lessens their chances of having to decide between heart medication and food.


(to be continued...)

A breakthrough in renewable energy:

The "Founding Fathers" would be horrified to see the state of the nation today. No doubt, they are constantly rolling over in their graves. If we could just harness that energy... Each of them could drive a turbine, which would generate electricty. And since there is no end in sight of the stupidity, this could easily be a renewable, sustainable resource. Not perpetual motion, but surely the next best thing! Praise The Lord!

I am a genius.

Just noticed that my "About Me" info also appears in sidebar to the right of this page, so the last post was not needed, or, as the Canadians say, "necessary." Shit-oh-dear am I one clever clown, winking to myself in the mirror, pleased with my own sense of humor. I kill me. Is there a spell-checker hidden somewhere? Weel, koon mye fuff. I just clicked on the icon that looks as if it should be a spell-checker. The "koon mye fuff" is not Gaelic, in case you were wondering. It was, of course, my attempt to fire up the ol' spellin' tool. Just for fun, though, try to convince someone that it is some sort of Scottish exclamation. It could be. Who am I to judge? Find the hidden hypertext and win a prize.

About Me...

[The following is the complete text of the "About Me" section, which I submitted only minutes ago. Note that the link shown has nothing to do with this]

I was born the son of a poor, black sharecropper. Actually, I do enjoy telling people that I am black, even though I am obviously cascasian. They don't quite know what to make of this. [Dog tilts head to one side, question mark appears in though balloon above head] I explain that even though I may look white, I am, indeed, black. I ask them not to judge me by the color of my skin. I elaborate, saying that both of my parents are black, and I guess it's just a recessive gene at work, because this is how I turned out. No, I was not adopted. Yes, I am of African descent. No, not South African, as in European colonial settlers or anything of that nature. Ultimately, it is true, if the current school of archeological thought is to be believed, since Africa is now hailed as the birthplace of civilization. Word.

Stopped taking my meds...

...and I recently started up again. I take Welbutrin (Bupropion SR HCL 150mg tab) twice a day. As I got back on the meds only a week ago, thought I would try once a day. This does not seem to work. I think this is due to the half-life of this particular med, which is short. So back on the horse, so to speak. I take this for mild to moderate chronic depression. That is not an official diagnosis by a qualified professional, but I think it is nonetheless accurate. I have taken this medication on and off (mostly on) for 3 years now. I tolerate it well. The side effects are mild, and, for me, subside within a couple weeks.

Why did I stop taking it in the first place (for about the fourth time)? Well, why do most people stop taking their psychoactive medications? As open-minded as I like to think I am, I do not like the idea of being on something; do not care for the notion that I might need it. At this point, I do. So that's that. I must confess that money was a factor as well. It's not that I cannot afford it, but I'd rather spend $50 a month on something else. The shit is expensive. I get it at a discount, since I go to CHAS clinic. If I were paying the entire bill, it would be more like $135/ month. Yikes. So I am not complaining.

Stopped taking my meds...

...and I recently started up again. I take Welbutrin (Bupropion SR HCL 150mg tab) twice a day. As I got back on the meds only a week ago, thought I would try once a day. This does not seem to work. I think this is due to the half-life of this particular med, which is short. So back on the horse, so to speak. I take this for mild to moderate chronic depression. That is not an official diagnosis by a qualified professional, but I think it is nonetheless accurate. I have taken this medication on and off (mostly on) for 3 years now. I tolerate it well. The side effects are mild, and, for me, subside within a couple weeks.

Why did I stop taking it in the first place (for about the fourth time)? Well, why do most people stop taking their psychoactive medications? As open-minded as I like to think I am, I do not like the idea of being on something; do not care for the notion that I might need it. At this point, I do. So that's that. I must confess that money was a factor as well. It's not that I cannot afford it, but I'd rather spend $50 a month on something else. The shit is expensive. I get it at a discount, since I go to CHAS clinic. If I were paying the entire bill, it would be more like $135/ month. Yikes. So I am not complaining.

Why "thot"?

Well, perhaps I think too much about things like this. But that is my point, really. I called it "SMRT" originally. It seems that others have made that reference. I got it from a Simpsons video game [Hit & Run, which I give a 9 out of 10]. It's a Homer quote- "S-M-R-T/ S-M-R-T/ I am so smart/ S-M-R-T" and I thought it fit. Blogs strike me as mostly vain and silly. That is to say, why should my 2 cents be googled? Well, why not, I suppose, but still. It is a convenient place to store my stuff if nothing else. By stuff I mean "musings" I suppose, though that sounds awfully pretentious, which is why I said "stuff". So there. See what I mean? Fudge dinosaur.

Does anything post-Iam M. not suck?

Not a very nice thing for me to ask, I know. It would seem to imply that I think newer stuff DOES suck. I have an open mind, I really do. I have recently downloaded a bunch of "Echo" songs [to learn and sing ] So I'm just minding my own business, doing some tidying up and listening to Echo and the Bunnymen. And then my attention is drawn to my computer to see why it has apparently skipped ahead to something I am not familiar with. Can my computer pick up smooth jazz or easy listening stations from the airwaves? What gives? iTunes tells me I am listening to "Echo...". It is bad. Not in the Mariah Carey or Whitesnake sense, not over-the-top. Just bland. So bland that I delete the track. I can't even spare 4.2 MB or whatever. Yuk. So it must be post-Ian. Does any of it not suck? Please advise.


[the above is a copy of what I submitted to an "Echo and the Bunnymen" forum. The band used to be led by Ian McCulloch. Maybe it is again, I do not know.

Cheney v. Edwards

toss-up.

The Real Story from Iraq

Just a thought...
Would it not be better to have Iraqis (sp?) reporting the news from Iraq to the U.S. audience? What I propose is natives of Iraq employed by western news organizations. The advantages of this seem obvious to me, but allow me to spell out a few, just off the top of my head:
1) They know the country.
2) They know the language.
3) There would be fewer security concerns for a person of Arabic origin. [Is "Arabic origin" a correct phrase?]
There are more reasons, of course. I have been thinking about the obligation of journalists to "tell the story". Wouldn't a person from outside the country have a decidedly different perspective? The important thing is to report the facts of the situation. A person's bias determines what facts get reported. Until we have news androids, bias will always be an issue. Here's what got me thinking about this: I heard someone on C-SPAN last night [I think it was Tom Brokaw] mention something about European news agencies pulling reporters out of the region, given the chaos there right now. So, even though the story must be reported, does that obligate you to send people into the country? There are already people in the country. Surely someone can be taught the proper use of a laptop, a camera and a microphone...

Nothing new

Since my last post, I have not thought of anything new.

So now I have a BLOG

...which is short for, "Weblog". The internet makes us all so clever. See just how clever I am. The world has been breathlessly awaiting the publishing of my thoughts. I am so smart/ I am so smart/ S-M-R-T/ I am so smart. Thus the name.

V-

Me and Ryobi. I took this pic with my Zire 71.
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