The Casual Christian

The 12 Dynamics of People

2008-07-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

In my history of living on this planet, I have come to a realization that there are 12 distinct dynamics in which people can be categorized. This is based off their mental intellect and their overall moral compass. Two notes: grammatical errors have no weight on intelligence and if you need to ask questions about any of these classes....then you just fell to bottom 4.

1) Genius + Neutral
“Live long and prosper.”
. Science and logic rule. That’s right. This class of people is relatively Vulcan in thought. Any direction is solely for the sake of knowledge itself. Scientifically speaking, any destruction is as natural as any sign of compassion. They can, oddly, remove themselves from others and view life with a non-condescending presence. Over time they tend to lean towards the evil side.
Probable professions: Scientist, Professor, Professional Chess Players
Pros: Incredibly smart (duh!), witty, probably employed.
Cons: Weak, prone to getting Cancer, probably single.

2) Genius + Evil
“With such large intellect, you would be foolish to not use it against mankind.”
Probably a fair portion of Geniuses walk the earth plotting not its demise but, more than likely, their pursuit for personal gain. Having thought out the consequences and planned accordingly, they have little to lose and really no one who would stand in their way.
Probable professions: CEO, Computer Programmers, Specialized Doctor or surgeon, Lawyer, Unabomber
Pros: More than likely super-rich; world travel; long-life
Cons: 5-inch thick glasses; deal with sinister mustache; paranoia

3) Smart + Good
“Here’s how it works.”
These guys are the most helpful around you. Always willing to work with you, they are the backbone to the upward spiral of mankind. Thank God they far outnumber the Genius + Evil or we would have been doomed already. Quick and vast enough, as a group with diverse fields of training and interests, they can prove to create many great theories, inventions, and laws to make this a long-lasting domination of this planet. Should they dwindle…the race will dwindle with them.
Probable professions: Teacher, Plumber, Entry level computer programmer, Family Doctor
Pros: Liked by everyone, great for conversation, good lovers
Cons: A lot of work and it never ends; fighting a greater evil; realizing the recklessness of society in general

4) Smart + Neutral
“It goes and goes.”
A large group, the members in this group sways as their life sways. If things go well, then so be it and they are more than willing to help. Things go south, though, and it’s each man for himself. Often, members don’t feel powerful enough to conquer the bigger problems in life but powerful enough to maintain a good lifestyle. These are the best consumers.
Probable Professions: CEO, Small Business Owner, IT workers, Seasoned Family Doctors, Jaded Lawyers, Politicians.
Pros: Potential for an easy life, usually has all the cool toys, dates hot chicks
Cons: Usually overweight; has trouble sleeping at night; guaranteed to get Jury Duty once.

5) Smart + Evil
“Did you hear about…?”
A common lot, they are probably the worst of the bunch. These bastards tend to create dissention, mistrust, and a general unharmonious feeling in any group. By themselves, they are not that challenging and easier to ferret out. As a group, they can be formidable. They tend to dislike each other, though, so groups are rare.
Probable Professions: CEO, Retiring Doctor, IT Directors, Salespersons, Politicians, City Planners, Toy Manufacturers.
Pros: They always seem to get ahead; real work bounces off them
Cons: They don’t sleep at all; bad livers from heavy drinking; will hook on the fairway

6) Normal + Good
“And a good day to you sir”
This group is not the largest but can seem so on holidays. Most of these people wade through their lives complacent in knowing that other groups are responsible for both creating and correcting the large messes that make up this world. They are the worker bees of the humans. They build, fix, mend, package, and assist in making products and services that the world uses. They are the largest consumers however they are limited in what they can purchase compared to the smart and genius groups.
Probable professions: Mechanic, IT worker, Customer Service Rep, Interns, Day-care owners, Public servants
Pros: can blend in with crowds; good party people; competent to get cool projects and/or toys
Cons: Never gets credit; the first to get laid off; will get divorced at least once in a lifetime

7) Normal + Neutral
“Please move forward”
This is the largest of the groups. The only true difference between this one and Normal + Good is that these people tend to dislike their daily routines. Be it their job or life, they are unhappy in the direction but knowledgeable enough to realize they cannot change it. The only thing these people do well is procreate. Even though they are the largest group, they are not the best consumers. They tend to steal or bargain-shop and take their time in buying large purchases.
Probable professions: day-care worker, Customer Service Rep, City/State employee, unemployed, student, stay-at-home mom
Pros: just too many of you to blame; make great crowds; can find shortcuts in tasks quickly
Cons: gets a lot of tasks to find shortcuts too; never the first one picked; people take your lunches

8) Knowingly Dumb + Good
“Hello. My name is…”
They make the best parents. Almost child-like on their own, they can and will gravitate towards children. Always happy and content, they see their lives as fulfilling whether it is spending a day playing volleyball outside in their backyard or working the assembly line talking about the Mets. They would be the worker bees of the world if they didn’t make so many d@mn mistakes. They take and accept blame like it was a compliment.
Probable Professions: Welder, Landscaping, Graphic Designer, Circus Animal trainer.
Pros: drives muscle cars; dates super-models; outside Genius+Evil, they are the next in line to be super-rich
Cons: known to die early; will go through one trauma as a child; cannot swim

9) Knowingly Dumb + Evil
“It wasn’t me.”
These are the most opportunistic of all the groups. They feed of everyone including each other. They realize, with hatred, their limitations and lash out in frustration at local taverns, malls, and golf courses. Deceptively cunning, they hang around crowded areas as to become one of a crowd. When singled out and focused upon, they become frightened and may attack like a cornered animal.
Probable Professions: Apple Employee, Mall cops, lower-level management
Pros: Surprisingly quick; heightened sense of awareness; very good at smelling money
Cons: Cops hate you; your face is easy to pick out in a crowd; gets drunk too easy and too often

10) Unknowingly Dumb + Good
“Hello, I think my name is…”
The friendliest and most outgoing, they are the world’s comedians. Often young and new to almost everything…they attempt to soak up all that’s around them. Unfortunately, the information, like water, falls off them like the wings of a Mallard. The comedy continues in watching them try.
Probable Professions: Bouncer, Ball-room Dancer, My kids.
Pros: Amazingly strong; will have a large-screen LCD TV and great stereo; dogs love you
Cons: Dogs will try to make love to you; you like classic rock; your hair-line is going backward like your career

11) Unknowingly Dumb + Evil
“Gimme all your...!”
Everyone hears about this bunch. Their works are typically all over the news. Most happen, unfortunately, when one of them attempts some fatalistic feat. They appear to be waning as the rest of civilization has little tolerance for them. No doubt, this is the only group which has almost no contribution to society and, if destroyed, would not disturb the natural order of things.
Probable professions: Criminal, Taxi Driver, referee
Pros: You get everything you want; in your world—you kick ass; you’re unaware of the cops tailing you
Cons: 8-by-8 cell; fatalistic events are supernaturally drawn to you; the opposite sex finds you disgusting

12) Dead
“…finally…”
We all get to this point eventually. In reality, this is the largest group and just keeps getting bigger. It is the easiest group to be a member of although there really is no benefit once attained. This is the most mysterious group and each member appears to have sworn an oath of silence.
Probable Professions: food.
Pros: All the answers become known; no more tiring work; so much food…..
Cons: The answers you found…are not the ones you wanted; moving 30lbs of shaved glass with your mouth from Hades Ring 1 to Hades Ring 8; the frickin heat…..

I'm Certified.

2008-04-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Certifications seem rampant out there. No one's taken mine yet. hmmm.

Jason Hunt certification:

You will be hit repeatedly in the face at one point during the next 5 minutes but you will not know when. When being hit, the technician will throw out a question. Answer it correctly within the first 5 seconds after the striking stops. You will receive no credit for this question if answered, even correct, after the 5 seconds have lapsed.
Sprint a half mile. at the end of the race you will find a 12-foot deep pool. Assemble a computer submerged at the bottom of the pool and make sure it boots. you have 3 minutes to complete this.
Write a program that can count the number of hairs on your head. You can use bar-coding, OCR, and a kodak camera to accomplish this task. At the end we will shave your head and count the hairs ourselves. You can be off by 10 hairs max. Begin.
Below you is a teddy bear. On it, we have attached a GPS device that includes an altimeter. Get this teddy bear into upper orbit. We don't care how you accomplish this but you cannot involve NASA. One caveat....attached is an explosive. Any descent greater than 1 meter and it will explode so you must keep moving it up. We will verify its location within 2 hours.
Put $385,000 into my account. You have no idea which bank I use and/or under what name. I will check my account in the next 10 minutes.
Attain some political office that is widely known. It can be at the local level. You have 3 months to get this done and assassination can be used.

Worn down -- Another "24" Post 4/4/2006

2006-04-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

First of all, let's go through last night's episode shall we? In this one, Jack obviously came out unscathed from the blast from last week's episode to hand over Bierko. Another given really. As quickly as he was the mainstay Lex Luther of this group he turns to a small time player. I've gotta say that any terrorist group doesn't need that many members as they have as many government people as they need right here in the good 'ol USA. I wonder what a typical goon gets paid doing the dirty work. I'm talking the henchmen. For example, the sniper at the meeting location. Probably a good shot and more than likely military trained. I wonder what he gets paid a week. I'm rambling. Anyway, we find that Homeland has taken over CTU and Bill is kicked out. Also, we learn that the secret service chick is in on something as well with her daughter kidnapped.
This really wasn't a great episode in my book. A lot of loose ends were filled in (or seemed to be) and one gaping one was exposed. This is where I get the title of this post. Worn. Like an old sweater that's unravelling. Fox is trying to make each episode seem like a page-turner and this one may be a little too much. By far the worst President on record, now he's in league with Henderson. Too much. I'm interested in seeing how they'll tie it together. Off topic, why is Chloe's face always so contorted. She looks like she's battling a bout of constipation and she's just about to conquer it. Wierd. For this week's post, I'll put together my prediction so far of chance of a villan and/or death.

Character chance of being villan chance of dying
Jack 0% 2%
Chloe 5% 9%
Bill 10% 14%
Audrey 17% 23%
Wayne 21% 36%
Secret Service Dude 22% 49%
Homeland Chief 30% 51%
Homeland Assistant 43% 64%
Secret Service Chick 44% 69%
Mike 52% 23%
Vice President 60% 18%
President 85% 4%
Bierko 92% 89%
French Agent 32% 74%
Hot Traitor chick 97% 70%
Unknown Villan in car 67% 95%
Henderson 100% 100%

"24" prediction 3-28-06

2006-03-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

In desperation for blogging material, I thought I'd give my predictions of the next coming hours of perhaps the best show on the planet "24". I'll start with a recap of the previous episode and then tell you what I expect are insights to be shown in the future hours.

Last night's show: 9pm-10pm. Last night, they had the explosion at the natural gas powerplant. In the final minutes of the hour, rubble was slamming against the cop car in which Baur and Beirko were battling. Wayne Palmer was heading to the retreat with the Secret Service dude. Audrey was interrogated thoroughly by Jack and some other schmuck and turned out to be on the right side.

Here's my predictions:

Bierko will be captured. Problem is we'll find out he's only another rung in the ladder of this never-ending list of bad guys. That's the problem with this show. Villians will be played with some soulful wrath only to later learn that they inturn are pawns. Don't worry, Jack will interrogate the frickin' shit out of this guy. I'm sure He'll take a shit too. On the floor right in the room. That's one job I wouldn't want. To be the janitor of that place. Feces, vomit, pee, blood, and any other fluid the body can generate is on the floor there. Of course you need to have Level Alpha-omega Class double X clearance to even mop the floor. I'd have a better chance doing a space walk than trot through there with a mop. Of course any bad guy can easily walk in there. That's because any bad guy on the show has a quadruple major of Computer Science, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering so they can easily be familar with any foreign device, element, or blueprint that crosses their path.
Wayne Palmer will learn than the Vice President is connected to all of this somehow. He has been behind this from the get go. Trouble is Palmer is a nobody and basically the equivalent of crewman Shepard on Star Trek episode #45. That means he's a goner. Bye-bye. Of course, he'll have some secret paper that will be taken from him at his dying moment from another top-level government agent working for our enemies.
That Homeland Security guy is bad news. Not the main chick but her right-hand jackoff buddy of hers. I don't know about the Sexual Harrassment thing but he just doesn't read right with me. He's got the same mental wiring as the dead Hobbit who was running the joint. His side agenda superscedes the emergency and people like that need to take a big breath of the gas that's been stolen. I hate people like that.

You know you'd think that after all the damn moles in the place, they'd run an extensive background check of everyone but that just doesn't seem to happen. It appears that Chloe, Jack, and a few others must go against a team of villians that have more thought out plans and are better at executing them than we are. Thank God we can always throw a bad guy or two into a closed room with Jack, some needles, a .45 and we'll catch up in a hurry.

No "Easy" Goodbye

2005-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

As I look to the South, I am reminded of the VooDoo bar. I still have their business card at home. Plain, essentially, it carries more value to me now as I wonder if it is still there. New Orleans was like a fleeting affair which would and could never last. It's lasting allure was that there was so much more to see and do and my time was limited. Now, it is a sad reminder of how some things in life will be lost and never regained.
I know they are going to rebuild it and I want to see it again but it just won't be the same. The people won't be the same. Tragically, some history was lost in the currents which also took some of the civility in the people. It won't be the same. As a queen, she enters a twilight dance filled with emotion and attention until the next headline reduces her to page 6 on the newspapers.
I've heard both the Garden and French district went mostly unscathed but nothing and no person who lives there can say they were "unscathed".
Never a fan of a po' boy and certainly not one of crawfish, I found a dark facination in the bayou and the general laziness of the landscape. You just moved slower when you were down there. To me, every event both sour and sweet was glazed in this "it's all good" attitude. Hurricanes, I mean the drink, you gotta love 'em. There was too much to do. Like any woman who grabs your heart you know there was just too much about them that you never got to see. Wait another day and you'll find more. As we all appear two dimensional, these people posses a depth that can only be savored in jealousy. Thus, it is the same for New Orleans. There was another woman who I never got to say bye to. I won't make that mistake again. There is only one "Big Easy." That's why it is so hard to say:

Rest in Peace, New Orleans. (1718-2005)

You falling makes me laugh.

2005-08-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Seems right. I guess I'm a dick.

A Jedi could give you a close shave but I'd never let him watch my kids.

2005-05-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. A Jedi makes the worst parent. After seeing 'Revenge of the Sith' I have to blame the Jedi for the whole problem. They started it. I've always said, the biggest and strongest bond for any child is with the one raising him/her. Their strength, fortitude, convictions pass in some shape to the one being raised. That being said, Ben was a pretty good guy. So, who the Hell did Anakin fall so quickly and so hard? It's like this:
"I'm on the good side. I'm on the good side. I'm on the good side. I'm on the good side. I'm on the go..."
"Hey Anakin, wanna come to the dark side?"
(quick pause)
"I'm on the dark side. I'm on the dark side. I'm on the dark side. I'm on the dark side."
It was that fast. Let's base it on Christianity shall we? Besides, many of Lucas and Spielberg's movies are based on WWII and the Holocaust. Okay, a Priest who is taught of the Divine ways to live may learn the ways of the Devil and evil as well. He's at least aware of them and what they stand for. Okay, now let's say you're a priest. Not a good one either. Other Priests think you're not so strong and you haven't even heard one confession yet. Along comes a Politician who communicates with the Priests fairly regularly. He's telling you that the other Priests are fools and you should be giving Masses let alone hearing Confessions. Are you immediately going to sway? Would you even think about it? Now, disagreement is human and I'm sure it's no different for Jedi. But, the code Man! The Oath! The principles of the Sith and Jedi are pretty much laid out. I'm sure even non-Jedi people running around know to be wary of the Sith. My God Anakin, get a frickin' backbone. Even worse, come on Ben. Wake up! His attitude was lacking in Episode 2. Didn't you see that! Bad parent! Bad parent! Don't they have boarding schools for wayward Jedi someplace? Anyway, I guess I'm a little upset that he didn't see the lie coming. Maybe Christianity isn't the best analogy. Karate is better. Almost everyone past the age of 10 knows about the existence of karate. Not everyone knows it and it can be used both ways. Offensively and defensively. Some bully might be using it to steal lunch money and gain power where there is some softspoken chick on Biology class who has kicked ass during recess to help out another kid. Every knows it. Now, the kid who uses it bad....who is to blame? Mom and Dad that's who. They're too busy working on computers or the lawn to care. Kids go awry. Same thing with the Jedi. Too busy meddling with political crap or finding Sith Lords.
One last note. It appears that all the other Jedi went through some training of some sort at the Headquarters. There were "younglings" running everywhere in Episode II and III. It appears to me that Ben did the raising and teaching on his own for Anakin. That was a bad experiment if it were true. They paid for it in the end. Stormtroopers rioted in the streets raping and pillaging the Wookie while Ben was eating camel in the Gobi desert while Yoda was eating fish and crawdads in the jungles of the Congo. If James Tiberius Kirk were there, he would have cleaned it all up by the end of Episode I. But, he probably would have impregnated 3 of the female jedi in the process.

A Jedi In Motion

2005-05-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. Now, I've never seen the Midnight showing of any movie before so this is going to be new to me. I've seen many movies that premiered that night but nothing so big as this one. The whole Star Wars saga is special to me in so many ways. Let's start with the merchandising. I had everything. DeathStar, Millenium Falcon, all the action figures,etc. The Star Wars toys were certainly a mainstay for several Christmas mornings and certainly paved the way for the cruel, Hellborn, creative mind to take shape. Let's face it. If I were directing a film with the scenarios I'd play in my head with those toys....Faces of Death would be a PBS After School special.
In reality, The Empire Strikes Back holds a special place in my heart. Oh, it's in the deepest, blackest recesses of my heart but it's there nonetheless. Let me explain. Let's see....I'm...umm...8 years old. My mother is married to a surgeon at the time and I was to have surgery on my knee that I knew nothing about. So, they take me to "Empire" on Friday night and we go out to eat. Nothing special. Not my birthday or anything but they are playing it up like it is. So, afterwards I go to sleep and am suddenly awakened at 4 in the morning with my Mother and Step-Father hovering over my bed...in Stormtrooper outfits!!!! Just kidding. No outfits but there they are with a chocolate milkshake they want me to drink. I must say and can now confess that it tasted like shit. They kept making me drink it because it had some sedative in it. So, after I finish that, they had my bags all packed and take me to the hospital. It's 4:20-4:30am and to this day I can still remember the ride in from Brandon to Sioux Falls. No idea what was happening and didn't really care as all I can think about is the movie the night before. Seeing all the scenes in my head, I remember the battle between Darth and Luke most.
I'm at the hospital and now in a frenzy 'cause I know something's going down that I don't really like. I go the the first door. The frown is immense on my face. I see a troop of Imperials...err doctors..waiting to torture me. One yells out from behind the surgical mask..."Where's the rebel base!"
I cry and look for the nearest door.
"CLOSE THE BLAST DOORS...CLOSE THE BLAST DOORS!"...A medical tech screams out.
I have now confused the movie with reality in a surreal image of deception and depravity. How ironic that a dark movie about fragile truth has now come to life in an antiseptic hallway at 5am.
The drugs start to work and I tell them that I have important things to do like go potty on Tatooine. I am useless against this surgeon and as sleep takes over....his last words?
"I am your father."
All went well though. With their lightsabers in hand, the doctors did excellent work cutting me up and took care of everything.
As I was wheeled out, I took one last parting shot and with the power of the Force I was able to destroy the west wing of Sioux Valley.
To this day, I can never watch "Empire" and drink a chocolate mikshake at the same time.

I'm going to live forever...just ask Ray Kurzweil.

2005-02-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

I must be a prophet. Or minds think alike. Remember my post of our intelligence becoming "Godlike" a couple of weeks ago? Well, apparently CNN was also in a deep discussion and came up with similar results. Who's Ray Kurzweil? He's an auther and scientist who believes that immortality is a mere 20 years away. Now you can scoff at him all you want but keep in mind he is no qwack. He's a recipient of the Lemelson-MIT award. He's a 1999 National Medal of Technology award winner. He was inducted into the Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2002. He developed one of MIT's most successful inventions....it's a reading machine for the blind which can read any typeface. He predicted in 1990 that a computer would beat a human at chess for the Chess Championship of the World. In that same year, he also predicted a world wide computer system with everything connected. Keep in mind, in the computer word this was no far vision. A lot of others thought the same way. He also believes that there will be small "nanobots" which will correct the human body and sustain life. Exactly. He and I...two peas in a pod. Okay, keep in mind I never thought we would be Gods but that we'd just live forever. Now, in the end I don't agree with him. Why? It's not in our nature. We are animals and at the whim of nature like everything else. I like was Lee Silver said and I'll quote him here: "The instinct to preserve individuality, and to gain advantage for yourself and children, would survive any breakthrough into biological immortality. The gap between the haves and have-nots would widen and Kurzweil's vision of a united humanity would become ever more elusive." I would love to be immortal on one condition. As long as I was the only one. Imagine a world will only the rich lived forever and the poor didn't. Death was simply a sign of being poor.

A testament to pomposity

2005-02-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Reading some other blogs, I can't help but become both disgusted and amused at how some use it in what appears to be very pretentious ways. I guess some will use their power for evil. I read one where a guy basically wrote in that he was sick and staying home from work. That's it. Now, don't get me wrong. I know the beginnings of blogs was tailored to teenagers with angst writing to the world all their daily delimmas. What did Bobbi Sue mean when she wouldn't go to lunch? Jimmy didn't look at me once today? blah blah blah. But now grown adults are using them too. So, all these adults are writing their inner hopes, dreams, and fears to the world not for some sort of solace or peace but for mere pride. Look what I'm going through world!!! Look at me!!! I'm sick and not at work!!! My car just died and I don't have a way to Chicago!!! I just passed my Bar exam and I'm a lawyer!!! Big fuckin' deal.
You know those movies where people read other people's thoughts but the power consumes them? They can't turn it off. They go mad. Yeah, those movies. I hate em'.
There will come a day when TV will deliver its promised "500 channels" to everyone. The web is already there. It is filled with all this fodder and little content. Think about this....some would say you just wasted a couple of minutes of your life reading this crap. Go live you bastard!

New fans welcome

2005-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Why is it that when you have a winning team and they do win the Championship that some fans walk around feeling almost ashamed or even embarrassed? You shouldn't be. It appears the trendy thing to do is be a fan of a mediocre or even failing team. It shows that you have "heart" and are "true" to your team. God forbid your team develop into a winning organization such as the Patriots and you continue to wear your jersey. You'd be labeled a bandwagon fan by most except those that truly know you. You'd where your team's colors, shirt, or jersey and most would see you as a one-season fan. Suddenly, never watching a game, you show up in full dress to show your "faith" to your team.
Such is the case for me. For those who don't know, one of my best friends said that I should pick a team and follow them throughout eternity. Now, I love football but never really followed a particular team. Being from the upper midwest, I had a few local options but the most dominate one was Vikings. So, I can attest that my mother does have pictures of me in Viking jerseys when I was 5. Five. A long time ago and a forgotten one. I've repented from them but surely will visit Hell for my wrongdoing there. (had to get the religious moniker in there)
Anyway, so I had just come back from Boston on a tech conference and just fell in love with the place. If I could live anywhere it would be there. So, night after night, I watched the news cover the Patriots and I just got to know the players, coach, and well, the essence of the team. Underdogs at the time and well on their way to last place in their division, I chose New England as my Champions amid a lot of laughter and jeering. Bledsoe helmed the team and so far it was heading for a 2-6 season. Yep. That's my team. See, I was starting the trend almost 4 years ago. I was rooting for a team that was 5-11 the year before and going to match it this year. But...wait? I was now their solidifed fan. That would change everthing right?
Indeed.
Now, only a close circle really knew that was my following at the time. I didn't have one item of clothing. Nothing to signify I was a fan. I just had my mouth. Talk. Talk. Talk. That's all I could do.
So, I kept learning about the team. I began to learn their most evil rivals in and out of their division. And you know what? Football became more exciting. More personal. That friend...the one who encourage me to pick a team? He's a Steelers fan and by far a more experienced, knowledgable, and long time follower of his team than I am of mine. My God, you should see this shrine for his team. A lot of money down the drain. Oh well, not everyone can be saved. Anyway, I took extra joy in polishing his team off season after season. It still makes my eyes water knowing it was my team that destroyed the hopes of his team. (time out while I weep with joy).
Ok, I'm back. So, here I am. A true fan. I have several items of clothing and I wear them with pride knowing that I was a fan before they were a success. I get a Patriots calendar. I'm on their newsletter and get routine updates. I am definitely going to a game in Foxboro next year. I like to think it was me that propelled them on this winning journey. A journey not even close to ending.

New England Patriots---2001 XXXVI Superbowl Champs.
New England Patriots---2003XXXVIII Superbowl Champs.
New England Patriots---2004 XXXIX Superbowl Champs.
New England Patriots---2005 XXXX Superbowl Champs.

I wonder if the alter "me" is doing better than I am.

2005-01-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

Or any of the alter "me's" out there in the other dimensions. Think about it. There's probably over a million of "you's" out there. Some probably run a business or are movie stars. Others, on the run from the law or have already been executed. In some parallel universe there is another "me" taking calls or sacking groceries. He's stupid, like me. He's ugly, like me. He's just another person. I'm hoping that if you lumped all the "me's" together, I'd be batting par. I hope I'm not on the low end of the stick and all the other "me's" are success stories far beyond my own. I really wish I could see some of the other ones. I'd like to see myself take a bullet for the president. Maybe I'm a porn star in some dimension. Or, I'd like to see myself order a platoon to invade Chile over a toxic red sky as I battle for the coast. Of course, it would be nice to be a mastermind criminal. Not the one doing 2 to 10 for check fraud. Now, like I said, most are probably doing entry level jobs or are in a low management position but I can dream, can't I? errr, I should say all of the "me's" out there can dream, can't we?

...I've got this burning sensation...right...here.

2005-01-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

I've got to be sick. Really. Thinking about it and surveying my surroundings as I write, I have electronic equipment not 2 feet from my face. Rays from a couple of monitors are bouncing off my cube walls and slamming me in the face. Not to mention all the cell phone calls, microwaves, wireless transmissions, etc. If we could see through "special" glasses all the waves being sent back and forth continuously, I think I wouldn't be the only nauseous. Now, radio has been around for quite some time and, yes, no one I think has been directly affected by it adversely..but...keep in mind that this is really the 3rd generation of radio. We are actually in the 2nd generation of TV and, yes, my generation is the 1st for video games. Overall, not a long time and science certainly may not have been observing social, genetic, and cultural mutations from this. Who can say that radio perhaps has mutated some gene which science will soon discover relates to allergic reaction. I have allergies. I listen to the radio. hmmmm. The talk and threat of 2nd hand smoke is not more than 5-7 years old. I can't tell you how many thick, fog-like bars I've been into. I've easily smoked a carton in my life just from the smoke. So, there you are...in your room...and you don't have a computer. You don' t have a cell. You're mutating nonetheless. My internet connection is bombarding you know as we speak. And that meaningless call I'm having with friends...? Those waves are going right through you. I'm all science in this post so I won't even touch the social, mental, and cultural ramifications of these new mediums. Genetic mutation. I'm just talking to you from one man to another. More like from one X-man to another. Until I can read your thoughts....see you.

-Arnold Friend

I could fix this world with a little Bisquick, Lysol, and some Duct Tape

2005-01-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

In a heated debate last night, we were discussing the realm of technology and how it is encompassing the landscape of a God. Are we really on the verge of immortality? Are bio-engineered nanobots going to race through our bodies killing off germs and mutations, purifying and cleaning our bloodstream, enhancing our muscles, joints, and organs. Imagine a person who is 400 years old, fathering over 20 offspring and living a youthful existance with most of them. Death would be a great adventure only those most daring would take. I would be the most jaded, paranoid, evil person if I lived to be 200 let alone 400. We were never meant to exist forever like this.
Of course, in our argument, I had to "enlighten" them as to their downfall. We are not even a fraction of the way there to anything of what I would call my God's power. And I proved it. Here is my thinking:
Let's take a simple, often never used, example of God's power as used in the Bible. It is told that He knows the number of all the hairs in your head. At any given time. Okay, that's the power we'll use. Small, inocuous, overlooked, and seemingly frail. Who cares? Well, apparently God does or He wouldn't know it. To make things easier on Him, we'll take only living people. Dead need not apply and we don't care how many hairs are on your head and I'm sure you don't care either 'cause you're dead.
So, how could we do the same thing? Can we know the number of hairs on a human head? Every human's head? Hmmm.
1) We'd have to know the exact number of people on the planet at all times.
2) We'd have to know when they are born and when they died at any given time.
3) We'd have to be able to know exactly how many hairs are still living and connected to the skull and growing. Not the ones just hanging waiting to fall off.

Let's tackle this and raise a temple to ourselves shall we? Okay. We'd first need a worldwide number of "biological" satellites in lower orbits which continually monitor life signs for everyone. Capable of discovering new brain waves as well as heartbeats and comparing it to others, these satellites would continually monitor the existance of all human life. These satellites would send/receive information from towers located throughout the planet. The towers would, likewise, send and receive information from microscopic, air-travelling nanobots which we would digest when we breath. A large manufacturing plant in each continent continually produces these nanobots throughout the day and night, flooding our sky with them. Totally harmless, these nanobots would be inhaled in the human body. Once there, the task would be different for some but we'll focus on one particular unit. This unit would travel to the head and extract information. One would be folicules on the human skull. Numbering them and sending the information to other nanobots, the information would eventually travel back to the tower and then back to the satellite. Once there are recorded continuously, the information could be indexed by ethnic, location, age, weight,etc. Basically any way you like. That's it. All that just to count human hairs. How about if we wanted to have a camel crawl through the eye of a needle? That'll be another post.

You want some of this?

2005-01-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

I read that poverty could be eliminated by 2025. It would require that everyone give just a little more. Well, a lot more. Think about it. No poverty and no wanting. It's more than a John Lennon song. Perhaps the best and most peaceful version of the future is Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. Take away the Klingons, Romulans, and any hostile race and you would have an almost perfect utopian society. Do you think there is a grassroots society on the Enterprise? Probably not. I've always chosen the Gene Roddenberry mode of thinking in believing that humans help humans just for the sake of humanity. In his version of the future, every person is striving for perfection for the sake of knowledge and nothing more. Greed, power, and even money have been conquered themselves. We are one world. Now, I like to believe that it was his vision for that perfection and would probably be a boring story so, yep, you need conflict. Bring on the Klingons. In our world, and if we could incoporate Gene's future, we may still be alone in this universe however we would be together as one world. One race. "I have a dream." Hey, it was MLK day yesterday so I've got that unity feeling going on. Don't worry, it doesn't last long. In the end, I'd still want to plant a bullet in your brain.

And it was talent that saved them all

2005-01-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

So, you think you have talent? I'm sure you do. We all do. Many anonymous people who have lived before you had talent and most went untapped throughout their lives. Now, we can blame all around us...the events that unfolded; the circumstances of the time; our burdens and responsibilities; even the weather...for not using or even discovering it. In the end, we have no one to blame. As I read this, I am discovering for myself that I am not a good writer. I think I once was but, like all gifts, it is fleeting and has strayed to another's fingers and thoughts. Perhaps it is my mindset that has changed. More defined by my place in life...a father, a husband. More bound to my current life...computers, 1 and 0's, logic in direction, etc. Am I a prisoner? Is my only knowledge of my prison the fact that I wrote something someday? I have no longer a desire for something greater than me. I should have never bitten into the apple.