All Kinds of Nifty

I don't think I'll ever use TinyURL again. This site is too awesome.

heh: http://5z8.info/fake-gmail-login-page_z8b2v_pornnow

Much evil has come from the Internet, but much good has as well.

Fast Ford Love

New video of a Ford we can not get here in the home of Ford Motor Co....

The Front Fell Off-Interview

Just perfect.

Born of Hope - Full Movie

This is an amateur (home made) movie. Just amazing...

More Finnish Music

The band is Korpiklaani. The song is 'Wooden Pints'. I think it's about dwarves. Or gnomes.

It's kinda Ren Faire meets heavy metal.

Finland rivals Japan in national weirdness...

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man

Just Because

Andy Williams- Moon River

Such a smooth, smooth voice....

I'm Doing My Part

How 'bout you?

Best Explanation of Economics I've Seen

H/T Peter Ould

Walk Like An Eqyptian- Modern Version

The first line in the song references the 'sand dance'.

Walk Like An Eqyptian- The Original

Wilson, Keppel and Betty,. Music Hall legends.

Snapshot of Life Lately

What We Need Today

I just came across this Wikipedia entry. Until today I had never heard of this project. These songs need to be remastered and released on CD pronto!

I've heard Burl Ives quite a lot. I've even heard him sing some of these songs. This compilation must be incredible.

Channeling My Inner Geek

I know it's not Halloween. But Mal Reynolds/Nathan Fillion is always awesome

What I want for Christmas

From here.

December

I haven't posted in a while.

Business has been horrifically off this year. I've made less money than I did when I was 29, which at 49 years and 263 days old is extraordinarily depressing. I'm very good at what I do. My peers generally recognize that fact. My firm has had more business than many others in our field.

It still hasn't been enough. Add to that, despite all of the free time that lack of work has afforded me, I've accomplished nothing. I really could not tell you what I did last Monday.

One thought keeps going round and round in my head. Should I see a doctor about getting medicated? There are some excellent non-addictive anti-depressants out there. But I have seen too many doctors this year, I don't think I could bear seeing another one. Add to that, if business turns around, I will not continue being depressed. Anti-depressants are great if there's an organic reason for being depressed. They are not such a good idea if the depression has other causes.

The other part to that is that despite inflation and an overall rise in real estate prices since I started doing this, our fees have actually gone down. When I first started doing this most title examiners in Georgia were either law students (like me) or lawyers. These days only a small minority have a legal background. The prospects for my field are not great.

At age (almost) 50, I need to make a move. I need to generate more business or I need to switch fields. My problem is that I hate practising law. If I have to, I will, but the whole wearing a suit and tie and giving advice that will be ignored and not getting paid for said ignored advice palled two decades ago. I have excellent computer skills and I am a great researcher. But my l33t compy skillz are non-academic and graduate students are the preferred researchers. We all know how well paid grad students are as well.

I'm a decent writer in a job market flooded with writers who have proven work records.

So I'm stuck. One consolation is that there have been others who have been mired in much the same place. I have been reading St Augustine recently. He battled with depression as well. Boethius, who wrote the first self-help bestseller, had similar problems. Actually his were worse what with the whole imprisoned and executed thing. John Bunyan wrote about the 'Slough of Despond'. He knew its geography well.

The trick is finding the path through the mire. The problem is the silence when I ask for help.

/rambling

Mordred's Lullaby - Heather Dale

You Can't Teach A....

Just a blast from the past.

It's Caturday!

What Repentance Looks Like

Some Hillary supporters have seen the light. And the country is better for it.

My problem with an awful lot of those who backed Obama is the need for them to deify the man. It's one thing to say "I support X because he is for more of the policies I support than the other guy is". It's another to speak of X as embodying hope and change.

Obama did bring change on some levels. But the stuff I hoped he would change (the selling of American government, throwing money at problems, deficit spending, general wastefulness and extravangance) he did not. And what he did change is what I hoped he would not (appeasement as the basis for foreign policy, resurrection of health care as a federal issue, higher taxes, stupid (ie corrupt) stimulus, Keynesian economics).

For the sake of our country, I hope he learns fast. But his instinctual coddling of dictators (Castro, Kim, Chavez) tells me that such behaviour is not easily unlearned.

{H/T Clifford}

Abandoned Places

This is eerie, neat and a bit disturbing. Well worth taking a gander at. The site is safe for work.

The Country's In The Very Best of Hands

For Clifford, who lacks faith. Why when those Chicago brainy types get through fixing things, we won't even reognize our own country.

;)

A More Humane Mikado

I think this would win the approval of Sir Arthur and Mr. Gilbert.

Dede Scozzafava

The Fox and the Grapes

A FAMISHED FOX saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging
from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at
them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them.
At last she turned away, hiding her disappointment and saying:
"The Grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought."

Dont Copy Europes Mistakes

Some good points.

Time For a Coffee Break

Some Motivation

Latest Addition to the Hymnal

The Diocese of LA mentions the ongoing litigation twice on its top webpage.

In Honour of Reformation Day

There's a holiday for everything apparently.....

A Very Scary Idea

I admit Linux is very customizable. But this crosses the line. Some things are not meant to be.

This is just cute- and informative!

Foody goodness from a local celebrity.

Cap And Trade Bedtime Story

I love these guys...

Home Remedy

We were at a wedding this past weekend down in Charleston SC. A grand time was had by all, but I came home with my own wedding present, a cold. I know it's a cold because I had a scheduled doctor's appointment this morning and the doctor told me in a voice redolent with medical authority that I had a cold.

I've already had quite a few wasabi peas. Chicken soup is incoming.

The True Story of a Linux Virus

Well, sort of. It is true, and it was a virus.

Core of Personal Theology

Currently there are two forms of theology loose in the world.

The first is what I call personal relativism. This is most popular in the US. It can be summed up as "I define who God is, and therefore what the world is like." A lot of the self-help, empowerment crowd seem to believe this.

The second, and this is popular in the modern Episcopal Church, is corporate relativism. "We define who and what God is, and therefore the nature of the world."

My view: "God defines me. What I know about the world is what He has told me."

I'm not humble. But I do know pride is a sin.

Political Quote For the Year

Sen. Everett Dirksen: "When I feel the heat, I see the light."

We need more like him.

Our Tax Dollars At Work

The ATF has announced a new task force. Is it to find thieves? no. Put a stop to illegal gun sales? no. Keep explosives out of the hands of terrorists? no.

The job of the new task force is to find out which ATF employee is vandalising the headquarters bathrooms.

You really can't make this stuff up.

An Interesting Sermon

I think this sermon by the Rev. Dr George Regas says a great deal about not only the state of the Episcopal Church, but also of the United States. It's an interesting view of who we are, who God is and what God expects from us. Of course, he's wrong on every point, but it's interesting to see how such a denial of reality can even temporarily triumph.

The Rev. Dr Regas is the former long time rector of All Saints, Pasadena, home of Ed Bacon and Susan Russell.

There Have Been Complaints

About the music featured on this blog.

Just this once, I'm yielding to the mob. Here's a nice video featuring three lovely ladies (all clad), two violins and one set of drums. Enjoy!

Goverment Insanity (XVII)

Depending upon where you live, you may be able to buy a golf cart for free. That is, the tax credits you get for buying an electric vehicle could be equal to or greater than the cost of the cart.

This is what you get when you ram through giant money bills through Congress without any sort of review. It's great news for golf cart manufacturers, not so great news for those of us who are paying for it all.

A Good Grudge

As my friends and relations know, I yield to no one when it comes to harbouring resentment and nursing grudges.

Which is why this post by the Anchoress hit one out of the park today. Loving your enemies is truly where the rubber hits the road for us Christians. It is also the hardest thing for me to do, by a long shot.

The problem is that you can not just say, once, "I forgive" and move on. The loser who unjustly vilified my wife still causes flashes of extreme anger in me, and she has been retired now for three years. Letting go the blind fury, not giving into it, is easily the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Even though it is the right thing to do.

Song for a Gray Friday

October Computer Building

One of my hobbies is building computers, so from time to time I like to build concept machines. This being October, a young man's fancy turns to computer gaming. I generally price things out at Newegg. Their prices are generally competitive and the reviews are top notch.

Much like the divide between Windows and Macs, computer builders are divided between those who like Intel processors and those who like AMD processors. Because I am a CPU agnostic, I have described a build for each denomination.

The Intel Build
I7-860 Lynnfield 2.8 GHz CPU $289.99
Asus P7P55D LGA motherboard $149.99
EVGA Geforce 260 GTX video $189.99
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HD $79.99
NZXT Alpha case $59.99
Corsair 750w power supply $119.99
Sony DVD player $31.99
OCZ memory (4 gigs) $71.99

Total: $993.92

The AMD Build
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb CPU $169.99
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 motherboard $74.99
EVGA Geforce 260 GTX video $189.99
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HD $79.99
NZXT Alpha case $59.99
Corsair 750w power supply $119.99
Sony DVD player $31.99
OCZ memory (4 gigs) $71.99

Total: $798.92

I recommend Ubuntu as an OS, but if you must have Windows, you can find Windows Vista Home Premium for around $109. This includes the free upgrade to Win 7 when it ships (later this month).

There is also a divide between NVidia and ATI for video cards. I do not like ATI, for a variety of reasons, right now. So I did not include their cards in my consideration. That will likely change in the near future.

Right now, the AMD build is more affordable, but IMHO the Intel build offers better upgrade potential for the future. Both builds have some nice rebates hidden away. I never include mail-in rebates as part of the cost as there is no certainty that you will ever get the money.

Health Insurance Tax

Am I the only one who has a problem with fining/taxing people who have no insurance or insurance deemed inadequate?

While there may very well be a small number of contrary minded scofflaws, the vast majority of people who will be liable for the tax will be the working poor. That is, the hard-working people who just miss the cut-off for government assistance.

Just who exactly does such a tax help?

Bonnie Anderson's Vision of Standing Firm

From here.

New Fave

Sam Nielsen is my new favourite artist. Here's why. And he is apparently coming out with a book. I've already started saving my shekels....

Unkind Theory

I was reading the Anglican Curmudgeon's blog the other day when this thought struck me. One of the catch phrases of the modern Episcopal Church is that you do not need to 'check your brain at the door'. However, very few of the leadership actually seem to be employing their brains for thought. Common sense and logic are typically not welcome

What sort of person wants others to bring their brains but not use them?

The only answer that fits is of course zombies.

Captain!

The monitor canna take any more cuteness, the pixels they're going ta overload!

Congrats to all Chicagoans

No sarcasm either. As an Atlantan believe me when I tell you that you really didn't want the Olympics. The Olympics are great for pols and media flacks, but not so for normal people.

Y'all really dodged a bullet.

Friday Palate Cleanser

Fun with legos. Just amazing.

The Gentle Art of Disagreement

From StandFirm:

A poster named BabyBlue: "Oh yes he is our friend, Matt."

The rejoinder by Matt Kennedy: " Hi bb, oh no he’s not"

This struck me as the entire Internet summed into two lines.

Astroturf vs Grass Roots

Here is a useful link to lefty organisations, some real; grass roots, most only astro turf.

Best Fisking Ever

Please view the other three on Youtube.

Modern Compromise

Just a little ditty by Jonathan Coulton that summarizes how compromise works these days.

There Is A Reason

Fark has a separate category entitled Florida.

Note the use of one of my favourite words in the comments. Any post that generates the word 'lollygag' in a comment is a win.

And Fark has the video!

Lovestruck

Oh This Will End Well

Because catering to dictators and appeasing tyrants always works. The hallmark of a diplomatic clown is when the sole benefit of a deal is that it will make the aggressor feel better.

Because the only thing

that will defeat hot air is more hot air.

Best Music Video About Marriage

John Prine and Iris DeMent

Made a Difference

Norman Borlaug died. He was one of the few great men. His impact on our world was profound. He will be missed.

Why

We were invited to a cook out. In all due modesty I make decent brownies, so they asked me to bring brownies. For reasons I'm not going to explain we aren't going to the cook out. I still made the brownies.

My excuse is that I had already melted the butter and choclate by the time we knew we were not going. But still......

I'm using the 'Brownies Cockaigne' recipe from the good edition of the Joy of Cooking.

Modern Ghost Towns

Some striking images from Russia.

Resistance is futile

You will be assimilated.

Retro Eye Candy

From 1966. When I saw this movie in re-runs on television a few years later, I realized that women were nifty.

Gluttony

Inspired by Top Chef, we ate at the Woodfire Grill tonight. Sally and I both agreed that the scallop was the single best scallop we had ever had. I had the tasting menu and Sally had the chicken.

We waddled out replete. I'm still burping the candied bacon (that is a good thing).

One of the essentials to forgiveness of sins is repentance.

I think Edith Piaf summed up our current frame of mind quite well:

Lesson in Important Life Skills

Here at Billy Ockham we strive ceaselessly to help improve the quality of life for everyone. With that in mind this link is to an important instructional video.

Linux Rocks!

Literally.

{H/T Peter Ould}

Cry Like A Man

There's one line in one movie that can get me misty in an instant.

"Stand up, Miss Jean Louise. Your father's passing."

That will be all.

Mom Was Right

Comics books lead to a bad end.

From Tam

The Purpose of Theology

I posted the following as a comment over at Wannabe's.

Modern theology does not consist of valuing modern thought above ancient, rather it values the conclusion first and foremost. Reason, Scripture and Tradition are valued only to the extent they enable the seeker to reach the desired conclusion.

So if Scripture helps you reach the conclusion that man made global warming is the number one priority for the modern church, then Scripture is of value. If modern thought does not help, or hinders, then it is of no worth.

Theology has been reduced to rationalizing decisions reached by other means.

Smile of the Day

From here.

The Manliness of Minivans

James Joyner asks "Can a real man drive a minivan?" and rightly answers that masculinity has nothing to do with possessions. Manliness has to do with responsibility first and foremost.

Which brings up a good point. All too often I hear adolescents equate their self worth with the stuff they own. As we get older most of us figure out just how shallow that is. But I know adults that still derive part of their identity from their possessions. You may tell how sensitive and caring they are by the high percentage of recyclable materials they wear or because their new ride is a hybrid. An aging man may buy a fancy sports car to prop up his self esteem. An aging woman indulges in plastic surgery to prove to herself that she still has it.

I'm conflicted because I'm a huge fan of capitalism. But I am not a fan of its evil twin materialism. The free market has been and remains the single best way to distribute goods and services. Materialism is in its essence the worship of Mammon.

Classic theology tells us that there are no unmixed blessings in this mortal coil. Where there is love, jealousy and envy follow. Where there is honesty, pride and stubbornness accompany. Our villains have great virtues and our heroes have hidden vices. So the question isn't whether the free market is bad (it isn't). The question is how do we wean ourselves away from the desire of material possessions?

The failure to decouple the one from the other is a historical failure of the Church writ large in recent decades by the ubiquity of marxist thought. It is this failure that has resulted in great damage done by the modern church. More on that later.

In The Beginning...

For BabyBlue & Katherine Jefferts Schori

It's the only song that seems to fit the General Convention 2009.

I Was Glad

Saturday Spiffy

This day in history

Banastre Tarleton was born today.

Two notes about Francis Marion.

I really dislike the Disney show.

Here in Georgia folks are prone to claiming descent from a Cherokee princess. In South Carolina the same sort make the same claim about Francis Marion. The Cherokee had no royalty, so they didn't have princesses. Francis Marion had no known descendants. Oddly enough, neither did Banastre Tarleton.

On a side note, several people on a mailing list I read were claiming some sort of connection with William Porcher DuBose. What made that amusing was how tenuous and strained their reaching became. I went to high school and college with Dede Dubose, who happens to be his granddaughter. Her brother Billy graduated from Sewanee in 1977 and lives in South Carolina.
That's a legitimate connection, if you will.

Much Needed Video

I first learned this hymn at an Urbana conference when I was in college. We sang it a capella then. Every time I hear this it brings back so many memories.

Amazing Art

from Samizdata

Monopoly

Really nice guitar instrumental by Leo Kottke.

One Game to Rule Them All

Best MMORPG video ever

I Wish I Had Seen This in November

Best Recipe for Sunday Chicken

God Bless Ernie Kovacs

High Church Rock Band?

"Boys Can Cry" by the Catholic Girls

The High Standard of Journalism

The Washington Post has a story today about a town hall meeting at Towson University in Maryland. What's striking is that the reporter's voice purports to be objective until this sentence in the fourth paragraph "I, being an outspoken sort, carried a sign backing health-care reform and decided to mix with the opposition crowd."

The reporter, of course, accuses his opponents of spreading lies and misinformation, while he of course speaks with straight tongue.

I do not object to a partisan press. I do object, strongly, to a press that wants to have it both ways, as advocates and as disinterested observers.

Artist at work

The picture is the cover of Warbreaker, a novel by Brandon Sanderson.

Saturday DYI

From here.

Good Citizenship

Absolutely Brilliant!

Some Fundie Wisdom

It's about as opposite of the modern Episcopal Church as can be, isn't it?

Friday Sing-A-Long

But is it a power for good?

My Friend Albie is Scary

Yankee Cowards

It seems that Yale University Press is printing a book about the Danish Mohammed cartoons that doesn't actually have the cartoons themselves in it. Normally, that's a book I'd consider buying, but as it now stands, not so.

What do they do with all those gonads after they remove them in New Haven? How do they recycle them?

On a side note, it's a testament to free enterprise that Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams can sell so much yellow paint in Connecticut and still keep the rest of the country supplied with all the other colours of the visible spectrum.

Best Political Comment So Far

Our downtown commuter university, Georgia State is opening a freshman dorm. Red State mogul Erick Erickson wrote: "On the bright side, the freshmen will be able to take their keg parties inside now and not have legislators drink all the booze on the street."

From here.

Best Author Blurb Ever

Chuck Norris has an editorial about Obamacare over at Townhall. Go and read it if you feel inclined. The 'About the author' blurb at the bottom reads, and I quote: "Chuck Norris is a columnist and impossible to kill."

I think that says it all, right there.

A Song About Reason and Compromise with Middle Management

Addendum: Cliff apparently knows the same people I do. It really is a small world after all.

Tuesday Jazz

Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin

Part 1


and part 2

Public Plan Proposal

It's not about choice. It was never about choice. It's about eliminating choice.

Cara mio ben