that other guy’s thoughts

Saddam Hussein is dead. The world is a slightly better place for it. It’s a rarity to see a dictator served justice by a court of his own people, and that is where the betterment lies. Surly there will be retribution, but that doesn’t make it any less than justice.

But I’ve got to ask, What kind of a perverse life are we living when I have to act as a moral compass?

From Forbes:

U.S. troops cheered as news of Saddam’s execution appeared on television at the mess hall at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in eastern Baghdad

Photographs and video footage were taken, al-Rubaie said.

From Reuters:

Shi’ite Muslims, oppressed under Saddam, celebrated in the streets.

President Bush hailed a “milestone” for Iraqi democracy

State broadcaster Iraqiya…promised to air film of the execution later.

I can’t help but feel as though its a sad day for humanity when there is so much joy over death. It is a just fate. But we shouldn’t gloat, we should never gloat. Such revelry seems inappropriate; it had to be done, but that should put us all in a sober mood. A man of such cruel acts and heart existed, that near unanimity concedes that he should be ended. We live in that kind of world.

Not my kind of cause for celebration.

Somebody please for the love of God stop Phil Kline from being such a douche bag.

Phil Kline is an embarrassment to the Republican Party, the state of Kansas, and sensibility everywhere. His behavior is a pox on the house of Christianity and represents everything that wrong about the GOP. It’s almost enough to make this little indy join the democratic party.

almost…but seriously this guy is a horrible excuse for a public servant.

My Car: 119997
My Car: 119998
My Car: 119999
My Car: 120000

Me: Good Job.

Just what exactly does a Nintendo Wii, a mountain bike, 14 pairs of socks, Nerf gun, new basketball, and a 13-pound tin of caramelized popcorn show? “Look at me I don’t have willpower” that’s what it shows.

Yeah, I know I’m in the minority here, a malicious capitalist extolling against the virtues of consumerism. But I’m not about to suggest any sort of laws, regulations, or ordinances to fix this though, merely a beneficial change of mindset. If the world wants to degenerate into a frothing mass of consumption, that’s fine by me. But I’m certainly going to look down on it, because it’s retarded.

The power of true acts, whether they are of love, hate appreciation, or disdain comes from the thought. The real power of gift isn’t the gift it’s the idea behind it. Just because you say something or buy something 8 times doesn’t make it any more or less true than the instant you had the thought.

Quite sad actually, an entire generation of Christmas celebrations dedicated to quantifying emotion.

Apparently, I’m the guy who apparently knows stuff. This past weekend I explained the relative densities of water in a liquid and solid state with respect to temperature. Earlier today I explained to my co-workers why the NFL Network is carrying the K-State bowl game, followed by a general explanation of the way network/cable company agreements work.

Does this make me a genius, or just the Nerd King? I don’t know, but it’s been this way my entire life. When we were kids, my little brother used to mockingly call me “knowledge boy” Later I would forcefully bury his face in the carpet. It was a special relationship.

Most of the time I’m just amazed that others don’t have the same thought processes I do and don’t seem to comprehend the same vast territory of mundane crap.

Today I had to deal with some funky hydraulic tubing. I can hold my own in a conversation about stress, stiffness, and the always popular modulus effect. But as soon as you start talking unions, nitrogen pre-charge, and deutschlite fittings I’m lost. But since something when wrong with that particular system today I had to send out an SOS email the head-engineering-honcho in charge of all hydraulic systems trying to explain why his design was silly, what problems it has caused, and how I think we should fix it.

If you’re coming to the realization that I have to lecture a senior engineering about a subject in which he is presumably an expert, and which I didn’t know existed up until a few hours ago, you have begun to understand my discomfort.

it’s 2 in the a.m. and I haven’t posted in 5 days. I think it’s about time I went randomly off the handle don’t you?

Let me give a brief synopsis of every financial news article of the last 4 years:

2001: Every company is losing millions and absolutely everyone in the world is unemployed.
2002: It’s all China’s fault…hey wait a sec, we’re making money now.
2003: Company’s are making money but nobody has a job
2004: Some people have jobs but they are all for minimum wage…it’s all India’s fault.
2005: OMG real estate w00t!!!11!!!
2006: Okay fine, everybody has jobs. But wages are stagnant.

I could go on, but I’m going to trim that down a bit and concentration on this:

When Companies don’t make money, everyone is poor.
When Companies makes money, workers don’t.

Often I’ve seen the claim of “stagnant” wages. Wannabe reporters quote snipits like “wages only gained .1% last month” or “the American worker makes less now that he/she did 5 year ago”

It’s absurd, and it needs to stop. These statistics are misleading, they don’t think what you think they mean.
When somebody throws a statistic at you about “American Wages” they aren’t comparing anything tangible. You might think is a good barometer of what the average person is making this year compared to last. And it is, but it’s not the same person.

The problem is that the workforce is a shifting medium. Every year there are millions of people retiring and millions of people getting their 1st job. The 5% of people retiring all got paid way more than 5% of new hires are getting, so on aggregate the wage would go down. Except, the 90% in the middle all got raises.

So from a workers perspective who’s getting screwed? The retiring people decide they have enough money and go lie on a beach in Florida to enjoy the free time, the new guys go from zero salary to real money, and everybody in between got a raise. Nobody is getting screwed.

But wait, what about the .1% wage growth? No you weren’t lied to. On aggregate, wages did go up .1%. So if you fired up a flux-capacitor equipped Delorean 1 year ago, and jumped to today with identical age, skill, education, and experience; you would command a .1% higher wage, for nothing but existing 1-year later in time. Everything about you is identical, and you just got a raise for nothing. Not too shabby.

The statistic isn’t wrong, you just weren’t thinking about it right.

Most of the time, Kansas weather will slap you senseless with chaotic wonder, but not today.

Today, the 15th of December, it was 67 degrees with calm winds, and moderate sunshine.

Today I golfed. Tomorrow it should be 67 again, and again I shall golf.

Because of this aberration I’m declaring a 1-month moratorium on complaining about the weather. It has done me right, so I’m giving it a break. The TOG is not above a little compassion.

I’m not above copying a premise

Dear Cessna,

You know how you’re always complaining about turnover in your engineering department? Well, from what I hear, you’re salaries have always been a smidge lower than the other airplane companies, but I don’t think that’s your problem.

The problem is you’re an asshole. At the tail end of your greatest year as a company you proudly proclaim the greatness of every employee. At a time when you are making money hand over fist, you announce that you will be showing gratification and appreciation. You wanted to make clear that we all understood our worth. With what token of appreciation did you grant us cogs of money-making machines?

A Kroger frozen turkey and a 50-cent wall calendar.

Thanks but no thanks. Keep your appreciation and show me the money.

Piss off.

It was fun, you should try it sometime:

Money Quote:

“Think of an experience from your childhood, something you can remember clearly, something you can see, feel, maybe even smell as if you were really there. After all you really were there at the time weren’t you? How else would you remember it?

But here is the bombshell, you weren’t there. Not a single atom that is in your body today was there when that event took place. Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you. Whatever you are therefore, you are not the stuff of which you are made.”