Of all the primitive behaviours people engage in the one that fascinates me the most is staring. Why do humans do this so much? Animals, I can understand, as they will pay attention to see of we are a threat or just another living thing walking by. People, however, have been lulled into a false sense of security over the last few centuries as our species has flexed it's industrial muscle to dominate most of the planet. Why stare at all?
Talking With Jesus
May 21, 2013 By
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Many years ago I was on the fast track to become a religious leader, complete with a congregation and place to practice. I knew the books backwards and forwards. I could debate the contexts and meanings of parables with the best of them. People could ask me about different belief systems and I could answer intelligently without resorting to incorrect or flawed fear-mongering explanations of the other religions. What's the difference between Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and Calvinism? I could explain this in excruciating detail to the people who really wanted to know. Who was Lucian Pulvermacher and why did he make his own church? I could tell you that, too … not that I wanted anything to do with his order. Religion was very exciting many years ago, but it's also very dangerous when used inappropriately. My goal (back then) was to bring some balance to the table and show people that we could appreciate everyone's belief system without being stupid about it.
A Lifetime of Frustration
May 20, 2013 By
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Frustration is a normal part of life for many of us and it can lead to some incredibly useful creations. Necessity is often attributed to be the mother of invention, and there's no better fertiliser for necessity than frustration. Yet when frustration occurs on a daily basis it's often a signal that we need to introspect and determine the root cause of the issues. Are the problems coming from without, or are they completely from within?
New Trek Is Sort Of Like New Coke
May 18, 2013 By
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Growing up I loved Star Trek. I loved sharing Star Trek with other people. I could read the books cover to cover and tell you what was great about the stories and where the information contained within clashed with other books. As each movie came out I would impatiently wait in line to see it and, when I did, I'd recommend it to everyone that had even a passing interest in science fiction. What people are seeing in the theatres, however, I wouldn't recommend to anyone who has ever enjoyed Trek. The only people who should watch it are people who thought the various TV shows were too slow or boring. People who want their Star Trek to look no different than Fast & Furious1, Transformers, or some other apocalyptic flick.
0001softbank
May 18, 2013 By
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Don't trust anything a SoftBank representative tells you. If it's not on paper and in your hand, assume everything they say is something they (or one of their superiors) spontaneously created in an attempt to appear knowledgeable. I've written at length on here, on Twitter, and in other places about how little the people at SoftBank tend to know about their own services, but it came to a boiling point when the wife and I went to the place where we bought our cell phones last week to try and resolve our outstanding issues … neither of which were resolved when we left the store.
