Further Poor Luck

HaloScan is offline due to server difficulties. Just in case anyone attempted to post a comment--and I'm SURE you did--that's the reason it didn't work.

Boredom Can Be Inspiration, Too

I have little else going on just now, so I just thought I'd open a blank text window and see what happened. Nothing much, would be the short answer. So, since I'm already here, I may as well note that I am FINALLY almost through with Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance. A great read, for the most part. Addresses, among other things, the philosophy of the scientific method and the essential dichotomy of modern thought and the differing ways in which man interacts intellectually with the world about him. Obviously, this is not the entire tale, but to tell more would be to give away a large portion of it, and would ruin the effect. It is, honestly, fairly deep, so proceed carefully.

Consider, If You Will

You are on your way home to your new spouse--who is waiting in your new home--after a long first day at your dream job. Life is, in short, perfect. Imagine that you are all alone, in a secluded, unpopulated area. It's late at night, and you stop and get out of your vehicle for a few minutes. While you're having your break, a figure lurches from the darkness and threatens you with a knife. In your extremity of panic, you retalliate with great force. In the exchange, the attacking figure falls. Hurriedly investigating, you find thatthe form on the ground is in fact a horribly dishevelled elderly man. From his dress, you assume he is homeless, most likely transient. To your horror, you realize that not only is he badly injured, he is now quite clearly dead. Assume further that you KNOW, with utmost certainty, that there are no witnesses, and no one will ever know what has happened.
Do you do the right thing?
What is the right thing?
Are you sure?

The Doctor Is In (Town)

I just had the privilege of witnessing one of the greats in the world of artistic billiards do what he does best. Tonight, for one night only, the internationally-known Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman was in town. Now, being an enthusiast of the game, if not, strictly speaking, possessing any actual skill or playing ability, I decided that I needed to see this. I must say that both show and man turned out to be dramatically different than anything I'd expected. For those of you with little knowledge of the sport, it might be helpful to note that, at least in my admittedly limited experience, the average billiards professional is every bit as charismatic and engaging as a toaster oven: grim, silent, and studious almost to distraction, arranging shots to demonstrate their technical prowess and "artistic" flair, signing a few autographs, and that's it. But Dr. Cue was not only the diametric opposite of all of this, he was totally beyond classification. A winner of more championships than I could reasonably hope to remember, Mr. Rossman was boisterous and exuberant to a fault, bounding about the table as if he were having more fun than his audience. The whole evening, he maintained an endless stream of jovial banter with everyone present, even going so far as to say that the talking helped his shooting. His sense of humour is one of a kind. That's all I can call it. Sharp wit, perfect timing, and not a small amount of good old-fashioned prop comedy all combined well with his rambunctious manner--he spent a great deal of the time in shouting and laughing giddily and leaping about the room. None of this outshone his true skill though. Suffice it to say that many of the techniques and shots that he made look easy utterly baffled myself and many players of significantly greater experience. It was a fast-paced show, only about three hours altogether. But he devoted some time at the end to demonstrating bits of his various techniques (which are available in full in either book or VHS format). His sheer talent makes for a spectacular exhibition for fans and players of the game, and his extraordinary showmanship and side-splitting humour should leave even novices and non-players wanting more. I would heartily recommend taking in a show if ever you have the chance.
Dr. Cue performs all over the United States, Europe, and other selected venues throughout the year. For a full tour schedule, as well as information on artistic billiards, training techniques/systems, and much more, please visit Dr. Cue Promotions.

Dubious Linkmongering

I just recently came across a site that is simultaneously disturbing and disturbingly addictive. I have absolutely no idea how to describe this. But, if you have the courage, it's worth a look, even if only for morbid curiousity's sake.
Be warned: Not suitable for children, Baptists, or any others whose sensibilities are apt to be injured by the more repugnant facets of the human condition.

Random Idealism

This short bit of raving was inspired by a rebuttal formed to a conversation I had some time ago with a friend, antagonist, and self-made philosopher. Said rebuttal itself has long hidden away in some personal (offline) writings, but I present here the gist of it.
Would someone kindly explain to me why standardization of Web browser platforms (and concurrently, Web design) is necessarily a bad thing? The people who oppose this idea do so on the grounds that being restricted to a single browser/design platform is detrimental to their creative freedom. They go on to say--or shout, more often than not--that, basically, they should be free to disseminate whatever data they possess in any manner that they see fit. The uniform compatibility policy is seen as an attempt at control, and thus a threat. And, in a broad sense, it is a very strict form of control. As a proponent of free speech, an advocate of public domain data, and a self-proclaimed, self-dubbed "Knowledge Communist", I can begin to understand the negative responses. However, it occurred to me a long time ago that having a common standardized vehicle for distribution of data is our only chance for a free information society. I can sum up my stance in one sentence:

What is the use of dispensing information in a form that only a few people can access?

If you're not reaching the public with your data, then all your idealistic posturing over your right to reach them on your own terms is moot. It is possible to become so militant in your defense of a principle that you lose sight of the idea on which that principle was founded.

What do you think?

FUBAR, apparently

I would like to thank those of you who've taken time out of your busy lives to read my little sapling of a blog. I realize that, as of right this moment, it more or less an exercise in electronic boredom, but with any luck other than what I've had, it will get better. Notice I said: "I would like to thank..." I would like to thank my readers, but, for all I can determine, I may not even have any. Apparently my Blogger source code undergoes frequent, random metamorphosis, presumably in response to some arcane and unfathomable binary Circadian rhythm all its own. As a result, several times a day the code that is responsible for controlling the comment/response apparatus is inexplicably subtly altered, so that, in short, it enthusiastically fails to do anything much at all. Ah, well. As I have yet to post anything worthy of remark, it seems to be of little import at this time. Come back frequently, as I hope to have this thing continue to develop on something at least slightly smaller than a cosmic time scale.