Is there any one race or culture of people who seem more violent than others?
Certainly, whenever one watches, listens to, or reads the news, just a few groups of people dominate the stories involving crime, violence, and war. Middle Eastern cultures seem to have a tendency to gravitate toward violence. Whenever there's an act of violence, hordes of people fill the streets making matters worse, often causing events to escalate into something even larger and worse than it was. You never see news accounts of the Danish attacking another country, or reports of a band of renegade Canadians descending on the United States, raping women and burning houses as they invade.
Are black, or Hispanic cultures or countries more likely to cause the destruction of property and commit crimes against others, or is it a matter of selective recall that we view them that way?
Is it nature, or nurture? Are angry, violent people predisposed genetically to upset the world and cause trouble wherever they go, or is it the conditions of poverty and discrimination that leave them with no option?
Saturday, April 01, 2006
The Man in the Coffee Beans
Someone sent this to me and I thought it was interesting, so I'm passing it along. The text below came with it, and since there's no real way of verifying the claims, I doubt what it says about the time it takes. I want to know who these doctors are and where they're from. I suspect they're Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard.
_____
Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of your brain is developed normally.
If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger.
And, yes, the man is really there.
_____
Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in the coffee beans in 3 seconds, the right half of your brain is better developed than most people. If you find the man between 3 seconds and 1 minute, the right half of your brain is developed normally.
If you find the man between 1 minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein. If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, the advice is to look for more of this type of exercise to make that part of the brain stronger.
And, yes, the man is really there.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Losing the Message
A while ago I became involved in something called chatbots. I’d had my fill of chatrooms, but I still wanted to chat. I started searching for programs you can have on your computer where you type messages as though it was an imaginary friend, or perhaps even a psychiatrist, but basically they just repeat back to you, in a different form, some of the things you’ve already said. Along with that, you can expect to receive replies such as, “Yes, I understand...” or “Please continue.” Remember the 1971 George Lucas film, THX 1138, and the scene where Robert Duvall's character enters a "Prayer Booth?”
I came across several different kinds of chatbots, but I found one that I could play with online without downloading anything to my computer. I could name it, make changes in the program and alter what and how it answered, and others could chat with too… all for free.
The odd thing is, so many people are unable to have a conversation with it, because they either can’t spell correctly, or because they are unable to type in any form other than “chatspeak,” the shorthand way that people use to communicate when text messaging on their cell phone and instant messaging programs on the Internet.
If you’d like to chat with a variety of chatbots, click the link below.
CLICK HERE for CHATBOTS!
I came across several different kinds of chatbots, but I found one that I could play with online without downloading anything to my computer. I could name it, make changes in the program and alter what and how it answered, and others could chat with too… all for free.
The odd thing is, so many people are unable to have a conversation with it, because they either can’t spell correctly, or because they are unable to type in any form other than “chatspeak,” the shorthand way that people use to communicate when text messaging on their cell phone and instant messaging programs on the Internet.
If you’d like to chat with a variety of chatbots, click the link below.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Goodies.
I like to sprinkle some bits of humor, fun, and just plain joy in between the seriousness. If, like me, you are fond of animation, you'll be interested in this amazing sample of "thoughtful" CG work. Turn up the sound, and relax for a few minutes by clicking the link below.
Pipe Dream
Spin and the Talking Points Memo
I'm tired of spin.
I'm a minor political junkie. That is to say, I know less than I want to, and not as much as I should, so I'm always listening... trying to learn more. I watch all the news channels, and the big broadcast TV networks on Sunday mornings. But, long ago, it reached the point to where I knew what was going to be said as soon as I saw the guest's face on the screen. It's been a good while since any of them surprised me with something they've said.
Whenever there's an event, a meeting, a catastrophe, or just an opportunity, out come the "spin doctors," putting their side's twist on things. I'm tired of spin doctors and their phony rhetoric. If I was ill, and really needed a doctor, I'd want someone who would be honest, and not sugar-coat it, or make it seem more bleak than it actually was. Just the truth, thank you... hold the spin.
Change the channel, and there's another face, spouting the same "talking points" from the memo sent to every spin doctor. It doesn't matter which side, or what the issue. They've memorized the responses, and they deliver them without even having the courtesy to put it into their own words. Often, the answer doesn't come close to being a response to the question... it was just one of the talking points, so let's get it out there.
They think we're stupid. They think we're sheep, and they can guide the flock back and forth across the pasture whenever it suits them. Well, there are sheep out there, but I think the flock is not as large as the shepherds imagine. And I think it's time we start to heed George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four warnings. After all, Big Brother is watching... now more than ever.
I'm a minor political junkie. That is to say, I know less than I want to, and not as much as I should, so I'm always listening... trying to learn more. I watch all the news channels, and the big broadcast TV networks on Sunday mornings. But, long ago, it reached the point to where I knew what was going to be said as soon as I saw the guest's face on the screen. It's been a good while since any of them surprised me with something they've said.
Whenever there's an event, a meeting, a catastrophe, or just an opportunity, out come the "spin doctors," putting their side's twist on things. I'm tired of spin doctors and their phony rhetoric. If I was ill, and really needed a doctor, I'd want someone who would be honest, and not sugar-coat it, or make it seem more bleak than it actually was. Just the truth, thank you... hold the spin.
Change the channel, and there's another face, spouting the same "talking points" from the memo sent to every spin doctor. It doesn't matter which side, or what the issue. They've memorized the responses, and they deliver them without even having the courtesy to put it into their own words. Often, the answer doesn't come close to being a response to the question... it was just one of the talking points, so let's get it out there.
They think we're stupid. They think we're sheep, and they can guide the flock back and forth across the pasture whenever it suits them. Well, there are sheep out there, but I think the flock is not as large as the shepherds imagine. And I think it's time we start to heed George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four warnings. After all, Big Brother is watching... now more than ever.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Favorite Web Site
From time to time, we all get asked if we have a favorite web site and this is mine, hands down. "You can do anything at Zombo.com."
CLICK HERE!
Do you have a favorite web site?
Do you have a favorite web site?
It's the Poverty, Stupid.
Anyone paying attention to politics will remember the phrase, made famous by political strategist James Carville during the 1992 presidential campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Frequently, I find myself at odds with a political commentator or news program guest on TV, the radio, or in print, when they casually toss around crime statistics, the illegitimate birth rate, divorce, drug usage, and a host of other issues sprinkled with a dash of racism. And, over and over again, I think to myself, "It's the poverty, stupid."
There isn't a man or woman alive who would rather rob a bank or the local convenience store, than go to work in the morning for a decent livable wage. The reason for crime, illegitimate birth, divorce, drug use, and even racism, is the lack of available jobs, or jobs that offer a decent wage and health benefits. Anything else they say is all B.S.
Frequently, I find myself at odds with a political commentator or news program guest on TV, the radio, or in print, when they casually toss around crime statistics, the illegitimate birth rate, divorce, drug usage, and a host of other issues sprinkled with a dash of racism. And, over and over again, I think to myself, "It's the poverty, stupid."
There isn't a man or woman alive who would rather rob a bank or the local convenience store, than go to work in the morning for a decent livable wage. The reason for crime, illegitimate birth, divorce, drug use, and even racism, is the lack of available jobs, or jobs that offer a decent wage and health benefits. Anything else they say is all B.S.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Anyone can blog.
I didn't want to start a blog because everyone else was already doing it. Nevertheless, here I am.
Jobs Americans Won't Do.
With all that's in the news lately, regarding "illegal immigrants," and "guest workers," I keep hearing the justification that there is value to having such people come here because they will perform the tasks that we're just too good for.
Sort of a bizarre thing to claim, but I've seen how people on the School Debating Team had learned to argue almost any point of view from any side and make it sound convincing, or at least palatable. But, this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
No argues that the people who pick our produce, baby-sit our children, and clean our toilets are not given a fair living wage. It's a given that those same workers are not afforded the guarantee of safe and clean working conditions, adequate employer sponsored health care, or the job security and protection offered by organized labor and government oversight.
The simple truth about illegal immigrant workers is, they come here because they'll take any job, even a bad one, because low pay for us is a higher pay for them. And... the simple truth about us is, Americans won't take those jobs because they don't pay enough to make it worth the effort, given our cost of living. It's basic, personal living issues -- not some lofty plan to help those less fortunate than us, not a design for preserving the economy, not a way of providing a workforce to replace all of us who have gone on to bigger and better things.
I've been thinking about the sort of jobs I wouldn't do. I wouldn't have a job that required harming people, or that would force me to leave some behind while others advanced. I wouldn't take a job that caused me to create rules and compromises that were not in the best interest of "all" others. And, I don't think I'd want a job that placed me in front of vast audiences, making claims that my side had a solution that would make things better soon -- and that, although it looked bad, it was actually a good thing, even if it would only slightly help some people, some of the time. No, I wouldn't ever become a professional politician, no matter what it paid.
Sort of a bizarre thing to claim, but I've seen how people on the School Debating Team had learned to argue almost any point of view from any side and make it sound convincing, or at least palatable. But, this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
No argues that the people who pick our produce, baby-sit our children, and clean our toilets are not given a fair living wage. It's a given that those same workers are not afforded the guarantee of safe and clean working conditions, adequate employer sponsored health care, or the job security and protection offered by organized labor and government oversight.
The simple truth about illegal immigrant workers is, they come here because they'll take any job, even a bad one, because low pay for us is a higher pay for them. And... the simple truth about us is, Americans won't take those jobs because they don't pay enough to make it worth the effort, given our cost of living. It's basic, personal living issues -- not some lofty plan to help those less fortunate than us, not a design for preserving the economy, not a way of providing a workforce to replace all of us who have gone on to bigger and better things.
I've been thinking about the sort of jobs I wouldn't do. I wouldn't have a job that required harming people, or that would force me to leave some behind while others advanced. I wouldn't take a job that caused me to create rules and compromises that were not in the best interest of "all" others. And, I don't think I'd want a job that placed me in front of vast audiences, making claims that my side had a solution that would make things better soon -- and that, although it looked bad, it was actually a good thing, even if it would only slightly help some people, some of the time. No, I wouldn't ever become a professional politician, no matter what it paid.
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