Oh, the pressure of a blog - indeed, at the heart of this bemoanment, is the bane of any writers's existence - the pressure of words. The pressure to have all these ideas swimming round one's mind, hurling themselves and crashing into your psyche on a daily basis; the pressure to know that you NEED to write, that you NEED to be creative, that you NEED to tell the world something, ANYTHING, and do so in precious, intelligent, specific manner - to achieve that which is driving you inside, this mysterious pulse of creativity. The pressure of needing to be read, to be heard, to be profound, to be insightful, to be humorous, to be loved, to be crazy, to be lauded - the pressure to write well.
I feel this pressure like I feel my own skin, wound snare-drum tight around me, creaking and stretching with each breathe, needing to be caressed, needing to be released, needing to be sloughed off this writer's skin, and poored onto a page. Not in some horrific wax-museum-gone-wrong meltdown, not some shellacking of the page with a bombardment of random synopses firing at record speed, but in carefully constructed pieces of composition latched down, so when viewed from afar, the seemingly myopic pieces of wisdom and wretchedness form not a seared landscape of half-assed ramblings and utterences, but a kaleidescope of beauty, a stained-glass version of poetic arrangement of the written word, suffused with a kernal of wisdom and truth.
Oh, the pressure of a blog.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
My Nazi-slaying lust has hit a snag:
'Tis not an admirable predicament I face, fellow Bloggers - I can no longer smote down the mighty fascist war machine that was Nazi Germany circa 1930's/40's - that is, until I fix that which is currently broken. The bane of my current existence? The pc game version of "Call of Duty 2."
Like my many brothers (and sisters) in arms before me, I answered the mighty call of duty when freedom and oppression cried "Save me!", albeit in an incredibly cowardly and geeky fashion. Nonetheless, I picked up the puissant power of the daunting six-disc install of this recent WWII shooter, and began my Russian campaign in earnest lo the other night. A thunderous clap of shelling did ensue as I led my squad through the trenches and razed buildings of our beloved Motherland, Russia, to a bloody but substantial victory in our once-proud Town Square. But arrive we did, with nary a moment to spare, as we crushed the would-be oppressors who dared venture into our domain, testing the unbending mettle of us fellow "солдат"s (soldiers).
Yet before I could transmit the Allied campaign to the African theatre, those officious gremlins stole into my machine, and via their collective and prodigious skill with all things mechanical, my diminutive green goblin wannabees did wreak havoc upon my precious game install, to the point where it no longer functions as desired. In short: me no kill bad Nazis - me no like.
Worry not, I shall keep freedom and liberation's bell a ringin', circa 1942 - 44, in but a few days. I just need to insert myself digitally back into the gaming world and pulverize the enemy to dusty, mite-sized bits, after I negotiate a playable ".exe" file from the grips of my currently non-function game. How will I achieve such a desirable end? Simple - I just need to think like a gremlin. Starting, of course, with munchin' some chicken after Midnight.
'Scuze me.
Like my many brothers (and sisters) in arms before me, I answered the mighty call of duty when freedom and oppression cried "Save me!", albeit in an incredibly cowardly and geeky fashion. Nonetheless, I picked up the puissant power of the daunting six-disc install of this recent WWII shooter, and began my Russian campaign in earnest lo the other night. A thunderous clap of shelling did ensue as I led my squad through the trenches and razed buildings of our beloved Motherland, Russia, to a bloody but substantial victory in our once-proud Town Square. But arrive we did, with nary a moment to spare, as we crushed the would-be oppressors who dared venture into our domain, testing the unbending mettle of us fellow "солдат"s (soldiers).
Yet before I could transmit the Allied campaign to the African theatre, those officious gremlins stole into my machine, and via their collective and prodigious skill with all things mechanical, my diminutive green goblin wannabees did wreak havoc upon my precious game install, to the point where it no longer functions as desired. In short: me no kill bad Nazis - me no like.
Worry not, I shall keep freedom and liberation's bell a ringin', circa 1942 - 44, in but a few days. I just need to insert myself digitally back into the gaming world and pulverize the enemy to dusty, mite-sized bits, after I negotiate a playable ".exe" file from the grips of my currently non-function game. How will I achieve such a desirable end? Simple - I just need to think like a gremlin. Starting, of course, with munchin' some chicken after Midnight.
'Scuze me.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Warning: Asteroid closer than it appears!
Look out all you land-lovers! In 2029, we're going to have a visit from an extremely close cosmic object - (da da daaa!) The asteroid "aphosis" (1,400 feet in length!) will approach the Earth on the ominous date of Friday, April 13th, 2029, and will come within 40,000 miles of our beloved planet, incredibly close in cosmic-terms. However, initially rated at an unprecedented "yellow alert" level, this mighty space-rock has since been downgraded, and will absolutely not strike the Earth in its passing. However, since it will be flying by at such a close range, its orbit will change due to the Earth's gravitational pull, making any future strikes an unpredictable possibility.
So set your calendars, mark your clocks, and head on over to Africa, Europe, or East Asia, for it'll be viewable with the naked eye, but only from those locations. Unless, of course, it chooses a much closer location, like, say, the continental crust. We shall see, my friends, we shall see!
So set your calendars, mark your clocks, and head on over to Africa, Europe, or East Asia, for it'll be viewable with the naked eye, but only from those locations. Unless, of course, it chooses a much closer location, like, say, the continental crust. We shall see, my friends, we shall see!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Living within ones means:
It always kills me when people find themselves ensconced within layer upon layer of debt (purchasing a house, which is ridiculously expensive in American notwithstanding) - why does it happen, when the "secret" to avoid it is literally a four-sentence doctrine: "Live within your means."
Let's be clear about one thing upfront - I have fallen off the wagon as well. I am not some "untouchable" individual avoiding debt's potent grip. Though I own my car, I too carry a balance on a credit card, as well as student loans. Unfortunately, it's all too easy.
However, they are both relatively minimal, all things considered. No, what I'm referring to seems to be a far larger plague upon this Western society of ours - our collective inability to live within our means, and as a consequence, build a life leadened with debilitating debt, instead of successfully navigating the consumption waters of society.
What's so easy about the doctrine? Simple - do not spend more than you have; it's that simple. If you make "x" amount of income per month, whether single or with a partner, then you may spend upwards of "x" in that month. It doesn't matter how much you decide to put towards a savings account, or retirement (hopefully some to both), or car payments, or student loans, or dinners, CD's, entertainment, clothing, baby food, etc - it just simply can NOT go beyond the amount that "x" is. And there you have it - you're living within your means. You are literally living within the boundaries that your income provides to you. It is honestly that simple, and that easy.
What's so hard about it, then? Many external factors, to be sure. There's our own desires and wants, of course (and note the very important distinction between "want" and "need" - our needs are roughly all the same, and it's a very short list - our wants are another beast entirely). There are the ideas and suggestions opined by our closest friends and relatives, informing us that we should/need/have "this thing here". And most dangerous of all, there's the ubiquitous marketing and advertisements of our daily lives that surround us everywhere, demanding we pay attention, and crave said product or lifestyle - this is arguable the most dangerous of all, for it is these advertisements that pull us away from logical thought, and prey upon our internal cravings for happiness and satisfaction. Therein lies the fallacy, of course - we cannot complement internal desire for peace, safety, happiness, and desire with external components; but nonetheless, we try and quelsh those very primordial desires with our external products, and marketers are only too happy to help. This is not to imply these people or corporations are inherently "evil", however (except for various tobacco and alcoholic methods, perhaps) - but they've hit on a good thing, and aren't about to stop.
Think about it - so many people I know simply "must have": cell phones; high-speed internet access; digital cable TV; services such as "Netflix", etc.; high-profile, expensive, new vehicles (usually SUV's); designer clothing; dining out evenings; high-priced entertainment, and so on. These things are not bad, or morally "wrong" - but how many people stop to consider if they can be AFFORDED? That is the rub, and it all goes back to the quintessential point of the maxim "live within your means" - are they in fact doing so, by adding on all these external costly components? If you can live comfortably while doing so, great! I'm pleased for you. But if you CANNOT, then guess what - though you may desire and crave them, if you cannot pay for them from the stash of "x", then you simply cannot have them. Not yet, anyway.
There are other ways to achieve comfortable living within a lower amount of "x", of course, without cutting out all of the "pleasure" additions, but for some reason, they tend to be frowned upon, or scoffed. There seems to be a social stigma to avoid thrift stores, garage sales, smaller houses, or old, used, "not-as-fancy" vehicles. Why? What are wrong with any of these things? If they are functional, nice, and cheap, then by all means - enjoy them. If a vehicle is perhaps older, dented, rusty, or simply not "minty fresh" and new, but has all structural components in the "green zone" for safety, why not purchase that and have it paid for, rather than fork over hundreds of dollars a month for a vehicle with the same safety rating, but that is thousands of dollars more?
Living within ones means is within the reach of all of us - it's right there, outlined in black and white, in our checkbooks and savings records. It's our weekly, monthly, and annual income after taxes, and it shall define exactly what we have at our disposal to meet all our monthly bill requirements, as well as entertainment frivolties (for myself, that would be DVD's, video games, and books). All we have to do is make financial choices, and stick with them.
That, or win the lottery.
Let's be clear about one thing upfront - I have fallen off the wagon as well. I am not some "untouchable" individual avoiding debt's potent grip. Though I own my car, I too carry a balance on a credit card, as well as student loans. Unfortunately, it's all too easy.
However, they are both relatively minimal, all things considered. No, what I'm referring to seems to be a far larger plague upon this Western society of ours - our collective inability to live within our means, and as a consequence, build a life leadened with debilitating debt, instead of successfully navigating the consumption waters of society.
What's so easy about the doctrine? Simple - do not spend more than you have; it's that simple. If you make "x" amount of income per month, whether single or with a partner, then you may spend upwards of "x" in that month. It doesn't matter how much you decide to put towards a savings account, or retirement (hopefully some to both), or car payments, or student loans, or dinners, CD's, entertainment, clothing, baby food, etc - it just simply can NOT go beyond the amount that "x" is. And there you have it - you're living within your means. You are literally living within the boundaries that your income provides to you. It is honestly that simple, and that easy.
What's so hard about it, then? Many external factors, to be sure. There's our own desires and wants, of course (and note the very important distinction between "want" and "need" - our needs are roughly all the same, and it's a very short list - our wants are another beast entirely). There are the ideas and suggestions opined by our closest friends and relatives, informing us that we should/need/have "this thing here". And most dangerous of all, there's the ubiquitous marketing and advertisements of our daily lives that surround us everywhere, demanding we pay attention, and crave said product or lifestyle - this is arguable the most dangerous of all, for it is these advertisements that pull us away from logical thought, and prey upon our internal cravings for happiness and satisfaction. Therein lies the fallacy, of course - we cannot complement internal desire for peace, safety, happiness, and desire with external components; but nonetheless, we try and quelsh those very primordial desires with our external products, and marketers are only too happy to help. This is not to imply these people or corporations are inherently "evil", however (except for various tobacco and alcoholic methods, perhaps) - but they've hit on a good thing, and aren't about to stop.
Think about it - so many people I know simply "must have": cell phones; high-speed internet access; digital cable TV; services such as "Netflix", etc.; high-profile, expensive, new vehicles (usually SUV's); designer clothing; dining out evenings; high-priced entertainment, and so on. These things are not bad, or morally "wrong" - but how many people stop to consider if they can be AFFORDED? That is the rub, and it all goes back to the quintessential point of the maxim "live within your means" - are they in fact doing so, by adding on all these external costly components? If you can live comfortably while doing so, great! I'm pleased for you. But if you CANNOT, then guess what - though you may desire and crave them, if you cannot pay for them from the stash of "x", then you simply cannot have them. Not yet, anyway.
There are other ways to achieve comfortable living within a lower amount of "x", of course, without cutting out all of the "pleasure" additions, but for some reason, they tend to be frowned upon, or scoffed. There seems to be a social stigma to avoid thrift stores, garage sales, smaller houses, or old, used, "not-as-fancy" vehicles. Why? What are wrong with any of these things? If they are functional, nice, and cheap, then by all means - enjoy them. If a vehicle is perhaps older, dented, rusty, or simply not "minty fresh" and new, but has all structural components in the "green zone" for safety, why not purchase that and have it paid for, rather than fork over hundreds of dollars a month for a vehicle with the same safety rating, but that is thousands of dollars more?
Living within ones means is within the reach of all of us - it's right there, outlined in black and white, in our checkbooks and savings records. It's our weekly, monthly, and annual income after taxes, and it shall define exactly what we have at our disposal to meet all our monthly bill requirements, as well as entertainment frivolties (for myself, that would be DVD's, video games, and books). All we have to do is make financial choices, and stick with them.
That, or win the lottery.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Where in the hell have I been?
Wow - it's been well over one month since my last post - so much for keeping up any semblance of exhibiting prolificacy. Well, that just means I keep my fans waiting with baited breath at my next literate release of erudition. Wait, fans? I mean fan, of course - you know who you are.
Today finds me sitting around the ol' casa with ample amounts of distractions to keep me busy, all the while avoiding any true commitment to actual work. Instead of researching and applying to various Korean business to teach English at next year, I find myself preparing to play various Star Wars video games, compose elegant emails, and "hunker down" (a scholarly Midwest term, to be sure) with a good book. Ah, but heck, is that not what weekends are for?
It is my aim and goal to establish a pattern of composition with greater frequency than has been displayed here as of late, so please do not abandon this humble author just yet, ok folks? I promise I shall wrestle various existential gems loose from the very fabric of time and space itself, burnish them to a veriable sheen, and then extrapolate the pragmatic wisdom for the masses and post them here upon this very site, this quixotic arena of philosophical musings, for one and all.
And I'll do it without too many references to Star Wars to boot.
Today finds me sitting around the ol' casa with ample amounts of distractions to keep me busy, all the while avoiding any true commitment to actual work. Instead of researching and applying to various Korean business to teach English at next year, I find myself preparing to play various Star Wars video games, compose elegant emails, and "hunker down" (a scholarly Midwest term, to be sure) with a good book. Ah, but heck, is that not what weekends are for?
It is my aim and goal to establish a pattern of composition with greater frequency than has been displayed here as of late, so please do not abandon this humble author just yet, ok folks? I promise I shall wrestle various existential gems loose from the very fabric of time and space itself, burnish them to a veriable sheen, and then extrapolate the pragmatic wisdom for the masses and post them here upon this very site, this quixotic arena of philosophical musings, for one and all.
And I'll do it without too many references to Star Wars to boot.
Friday, January 12, 2007
7 Wonders: Vote It Up!
Of the original Seven Wonders of the World, all but one are gone forever - the only remaining participants are the great Egyptian Pyramids. The rest, like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, or the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, have all been washed away by the hands of time.
But now you have a chance to PERSONALLY be involved in the naming of the NEXT Seven Wonders of the World! How cool is that? A global initiative is underway, where anyone from around the world can vote for seven new WOTW, from a list of 21 candidates, including Chichen Itza, the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island statues, Angor Wat in Cambodia, and Petra in Jordan.
I think this is a wonderful idea, and to have a chance to have a personal voice in the next list seems uber-geeky and cool. So whatcha waitin' for? Get out and Rock the Vote! Here's the website: http://www.new7wonders.com
But now you have a chance to PERSONALLY be involved in the naming of the NEXT Seven Wonders of the World! How cool is that? A global initiative is underway, where anyone from around the world can vote for seven new WOTW, from a list of 21 candidates, including Chichen Itza, the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island statues, Angor Wat in Cambodia, and Petra in Jordan.
I think this is a wonderful idea, and to have a chance to have a personal voice in the next list seems uber-geeky and cool. So whatcha waitin' for? Get out and Rock the Vote! Here's the website: http://www.new7wonders.com
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Hydrogen-Peroxide Martians From Space!
Recently in the news, a sexily named scientist by the moniker Dirk Schulze-Makuch has begun to attract the interest of a National Research Council panel (self-nicknamed the "Weird Life" council) with his theory that there may have been, and may still be, hydrogen-peroxide life existing on Mars. In a word: COOL!
Back in the 1970's, when the US-launched "Viking" missions landed probes on Mars, its directive was to seek out Earthlike life, in which saltwater would be an internal key component of cellular structure. However, with Mars' cold, dry atmosphere, the existence of a water and hydroden-peroxide cellular organism would be a much more likely candidate, since this structure stays liquid even at very low temperatures, doesn't destroy cells when it freezes, and can gather water vapor out of the thin atmosphere there. If this is true, the Viking probe would've destroyed any such life it came in contact with of this nature by its pre-programmed responses to both flood areas of land with water, and to bake the land with overheating.
Based on this new theory, NASA might begin a new search for a different form of life when the new "Phoenix" mission to Mars launches this summer.
So, the only question that remains now is: How big will the microbes' Ray Gun be, and will they be benevolent Overlords, or shall we break under the iron boot of our new-found minuscule rulers? Oh, the humanity!
Back in the 1970's, when the US-launched "Viking" missions landed probes on Mars, its directive was to seek out Earthlike life, in which saltwater would be an internal key component of cellular structure. However, with Mars' cold, dry atmosphere, the existence of a water and hydroden-peroxide cellular organism would be a much more likely candidate, since this structure stays liquid even at very low temperatures, doesn't destroy cells when it freezes, and can gather water vapor out of the thin atmosphere there. If this is true, the Viking probe would've destroyed any such life it came in contact with of this nature by its pre-programmed responses to both flood areas of land with water, and to bake the land with overheating.
Based on this new theory, NASA might begin a new search for a different form of life when the new "Phoenix" mission to Mars launches this summer.
So, the only question that remains now is: How big will the microbes' Ray Gun be, and will they be benevolent Overlords, or shall we break under the iron boot of our new-found minuscule rulers? Oh, the humanity!
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