Category: General Musings

Conservatives really don’t believe in victims. If they would, it might sound something like they believe you are a “victim” of yourself. I’m pretty sure that is an accurate statement.

Liberals can’t exist without victims. Because of this, Conservatives and Liberals are diametrically opposed to each other. Its kind of like when you try to force two North poles of a magnet together. They repel each other.

Having said that, I’ll say this.

I believe that the democrats did willfully and knowingly try to destroy the U.S. economy before the 2008 presidential election. Why? If life doesn’t suck enough, you won’t vote for a different party. They also think that they are smart enough to fix it. They believe they are smart enough to tell you how to live. They needed disaster. Doom and gloom. Everything they do depends on misery. Someone somewhere has to be miserable. They aren’t needed otherwise. Why would we need the state to intervene if everything is fine? It can’t be fine if you are a Democrat.

Is it such a stretch to wonder as to whether the Democrats or their ilk are responsible for the BP oil spill in the gulf? I think they thought they could easily contain the spill but make a very serious point about off shore drilling. As with the economy, it’s not that simple. It’s not as easy as they thought it would be and we find ourselves in a very serious situation.

The children cannot be allowed to run the candy store any longer. It’s almost funny in that we believe that they might actually behave this time. Every time we do this country takes a serious hit. To quote the movie Animal House “Thank you sir, may we have another?”

How many economic hits? How many personal freedoms? How much federal government? How many man made disasters? How much domestic terrorism? How much taxpayer looting? How many more times do you need someone to tell you that you are a victim? How much longer do we really need a union for anything with all the federal laws protecting workers these days? How many more times do you need the Democratic Party to tell you how stupid you are?

Before you finally wake up.

If you don’t exercise and sit in air conditioning all day long chances are you’ll get fat.

Don’t be surprised when you do.

So when you wake up and find that you no longer have any personal freedoms because you thought Barrack Hussein Obama stood for hope and change…

…don’t be surprised when you have no hope and nothing has changed.

Yes. It looks as though the time may have finally come for my company to move down to the 2nd floor of the CTI building.

I’ve been waiting for a few months for the office space to open up and it could happen as early as today.

Moving a studio is never fun.

We’ve grown in the last couple of months so its necessary.

Yet, its Memorial Day weekend.

Yuck.

(Update 06-04-10: Moving the office has not occurred as of yet. I’m told the official move will be this weekend!)

(Update 06-05-10: I am officially moved to the second floor of the CTI building! )

Quite a bit actually…

Starship Series by Mike Resnick is one of the most entertaining Sci-Fi reads you’ll ever have the pleasure of listening to on Audible. What makes this a great series in my opinion is the fact that Resnick writes in the occasional bathroom scene or repeatedly writes scenes around the mess decks. People have to eat and go to the bathroom and it’s usually always missing from other great series. Stupid? Yes. I think these things add realism to the series and again, Mike Resnick did one hell of a job on this. Highly recommended.

This is a drive by blog entry. I’ll add links to where you can find both the book and audio download later…

Ok. Maybe not “the man” but possibly the IP Police.

Yesterday, I tried to log into one of my websites and failed at least 5 times in a row. I couldn’t remember the password or something like that.

Right after that, I could help but notice that I couldn’t get into any of my own websites. Everything else was fine. YouTube, CNN, and theonion all worked but my sites didn’t. I didn’t really go to the CNN website. I put that on the list for dramatic effect.

Turns out that I suspect that after multiple log in failures, the server farm blacklisted me or blocked my IP or whatever.

So, “the man” isn’t really keeping me down he just kicked me out.

***Update*** The “Man” is really not impressed with me. He gave a bunch of sh** for changing the website that I signed up with and proceeded to yell at me because the domain name was no longer registered. I personally don’t think it’s any of their business anyway. I pay them for a working server farm not a broken one that blocks the owners IP address. The war continues…

*** Resolution *** My IP provider apologized for blocking my IP and restored my access. The reason I was blocked was because I tried to log in unsuccessfully too many times in a short amount of time.

/vent mode on

So, I am working on a short story and I am a big fan of the “snowflake” method. Really I am.

This is one of those mornings where the “snowflake” method is too constraining. I NEED just a touch more than one sentence for an opening synopsis but if I wish to remain true to the method, I must relent and re-write until I can get my idea down to one sentence.

A one sentence synopsis is very similar to the limit placed on Twitter users. Tweets are limited in size and thereby, force you to change the way you would normally write or try to convey an idea. It can be very tough.

My latest short story is called Bystander. If I can get by these limitations placed on me by the “snowflake” method I just may prevail this day.

/vent mode off

*** In unrelated news, Barrack Obama’s healthcare plan still sucks. ***

…my own quote section. Every once in a while, I say something interesting. Who knew?

On daughters…

“Father’s really only require the AM Radio version of any story and not the HD version that the daughter usually wants to offer.” – Mike Williams

The following story is a sad one for any number of reasons.

The couple own their house and their land. It stands to reason that they should be able to do anything they want with it. Ah, not so much.

As long as you own something that can be taken away from you by the government, then it isn’t really yours.

“I own my home.” No. No you do not.

The moment you violate some petty law or ordinance or forget to pay your taxes to the government they can step in and take it from you.

There is no sense in crying about it. You gave the government the authority to do so. How? Because, you didn’t say no. It is the law of unintended consequences. The law was probably meant for some other purpose originally. “We don’t want an eye sore in our community.”

Hence, the story of the day.

Some Southern California cities fine residents for watering their lawns too much during droughts.

But in Orange, officials are locked in a legal battle with a couple accused of violating city ordinances for removing their lawn in an attempt to save water.

The dispute began two years ago, when Quan and Angelina Ha tore out the grass in their frontyard. In drought-plagued Southern California, the couple said, the lush grass had been soaking up tens of thousands of gallons of water — and hundreds of dollars — each year.

They said they were trying to do something good for the environment.

Wow California what is more important to you?

Hippies.

This is why California is green but not really.

Sad but true story via PC World.

If you haven’t changed the default password on your home router, you may be in for an unwanted visit from Chuck Norris — the Chuck Norris botnet, that is.

Discovered by Czech researchers, the botnet has been spreading by taking advantage of poorly configured routers and DSL modems, according to Jan Vykopal, the head of the network security department with Masaryk University’s Institute of Computer Science in Brno, Czech Republic.

Unlike most viruses which attack Windows based machines, this one affects most all of us.

Well, state’s rights got trumped by the federal government a long time ago.

This we know. From now on, I think I’ll refer to the individual states simply as a “franchise” of the federal government because for all intents and purposes, thats precisely what they are.

This story was sent to me by a co-writer via CBS News.

It seems that South Carolina would rather use “real” money rather than federal reserve notes. South Carolina Rep. Mike Pitts is leading the charge and introduced legislation this month to ban the “illegal” notes and also goes on to call the federal reserve note system “unconstitutional.”

The Germans felt their system wouldn’t collapse, but it took a wheelbarrow of money to buy a loaf of bread in the 1930s,” he said. “The Soviet Union didn’t think their system would collapse, but it did. Ours is capable of collapsing also.

I have to give Rep. Pitts credit. He’s doing what he feels is right.

Looking at the federal government and its hold over individual states much like Domino Pizza’s headquarters and its franchise stores would show us that when the corporate office tells you to use a certain type of cheese, you’ll do what they say if you want to keep your franchise.

Imagine if you were sitting in on a conversation taking place in the 1700s. I could see the person bringing up the idea of a federal reserve system being laughed out of the room. He would also probably be the butt of many jokes to come.

Today. That joke has become a reality.

I woke up this morning to some terrible news.

The oldest cat here at “mini-Google” is an older cat named Cinder. He’s dark gray in color hence the name.

Cinder began to breathe irratically this past week. So much so that we all took notice to it.

Cinder’s owner took him to the vet yesterday where they initially found a torn thorax “something or other” and needed to drain fluid out of him. They drained about 350 cc which seems a bit much. Cinder stayed over last night for observation and so that further testing could be done.

Cinder passed away last night.

He will be sorely missed.

Drive by commentary.

Internet Connectivity has become an official oxymoron in this establishment.

When our internet works it works very well.

When it doesn’t it’s ass.

Thank you to the Verizon mobile internet hotspot thingie for allowing me to post about the internet being down.

Quote of the Issue: “Well, when you first noticed that the internet was down, you should have sent me an email.”

Right.

I am sorely lacking in it.

I do have a day off this week so I’m planning on getting a crapload of projects finished.

In the meantime, here’s a funny picture that a co-worker of mine uses as his background or wallpaper.

Hilarious.

This is very stupid but I had my iPod Nano with me yesterday and decided to shoot some video as we were moving yesterday.

Download

This quote was from one of the many shows we produce each week – The Right Doctor with Melissa Clouthier. The guest is Andrew Malcolm from the LA Times blog site “Top of the Ticket.”

(sic) “The numbers that Washington are throwing around right now are so big that they don’t even fit in my calculator. That’s how out of touch Congress is with the American people.”

The link to the exact Take That! podcast is above.

The show was so interesting that I forgot to check on how much time Melissa had left to record. Oops. #producerfail

This weekend, a bunch of the Take That! staff is heading to the Americans for Prosperity conference in Washington, DC.

Steve Schippert and I will be joining Dr. Melissa Clothier and Tabitha Hale this evening (if we can get to DC in time) for a Twitter Meetup at Bailey’s in Arlington, VA.

Throughout the weekend I’ll be posting pictures and taping as much audio as possible.

Take That! Radio is taking on Washington, DC.

Watch it.

These folks are thinkers and doers…

STOCKHOLM – Masked gunmen used a stolen helicopter and explosives to engineer a spectacular raid on a cash depot in Stockholm on Wednesday, breaking into the building through the roof and flying off with bags of cash, police and officials said.
The daring pre-dawn heist stunned police in the Swedish capital, who were unable to deploy their own helicopters to the scene because suspected explosives had been placed at their hangar.
The security company that owns the facility, G4S PLC, said the thieves had made off with “an unconfirmed sum of money” and added it would offer a large reward for information leading to their arrest and the return of the loot. The company did not give an exact amount for the reward.

I suggest you click here and read the whole article. I’m not advocating robbing a bank but just pointing out how well thought out this was.

If robbers can do this just imagine what terrorists could do?

Just a quick post and a reflection on what an elected representative is “supposed” to do.

You shouldn’t care about what a candidate feels about gun control, abortion, taxes, or anything else for that matter.

Yes. I just said that. Why?

Because we live in a Republic and not a Democracy. There is a difference.

Our elected officials (notice I don’t use “leader”) are supposed to do exactly what we tell them to. That’s why we shouldn’t call them leaders. They aren’t supposed to be leading anything. What they should be doing is exactly and precisely what we tell them to and nothing more.

They are supposed to be a servant of the people they represent. If I am concerned about a candidate’s position on gun control then I’m missing the point. We have seriously gotten away from what elected officials are supposed to be and what they are supposed to be doing.

Because we have been doing it wrong all of these years, now I really do have to worry about a candidate’s position on something.

This post is simply a vent. We can’t even get the basics correct and now we want those elected folks to “fix” our healthcare system?

Have we as a society completely lost our freakin’ minds or have we all gotten so lazy that we forget who forged the nation that we now take stewardship of?

If I were running for office, I believe my press conference would go something like this…

Me: Hi. My name is Mike Williams and I’m running for office.

Press: How do you feel about the healthcare debate?

Me: Really doesn’t matter now does it?

Press: I don’t understand.

Me: I’m not running for me. I’m running for you. I’m running to represent you and your neighbors views.

Press: So, you don’t have an opinion on the healthcare debate then?

Me: Why should I? Like I said. I represent you. You’d be better off asking yourself that question.

Press: What about gun control?

Me: Again, how do YOU feel about gun control? I have an opinion and it will be whatever the voters say it is. Have a nice day.

That’s how I describe this week.

When you are so caught up in everyone else’s gig that you don’t even have time to connect with someone or watch the Apple launch yesterday then it’s time to take a break.

Nice.

This week started out bad for not only me but a bunch of friends with whom I work in new media.

Having gotten through most of the week, the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach is still there. Change is hard. This week I was forced into a decision that not only affected me but affected the people I work with as well.

While I’m still blessed to be able to work with most of those folks, it’s a precious few that I worry about losing. I tell myself that I can do without them but the reality is that I don’t want to.

The dust hasn’t settled from the A-Bomb that has been dropped but we are rebuilding and moving on with life.

Sometimes, something like this is precisely the kick in the ass that we all need to do better things; to make a difference; to change the world and be inspired to lead by example.

In all of this, there was a rub that I couldn’t identify and while my eyes were not yet opened nor my mind contemplating, it was my friends old and new who put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and so eloquently stated the bitter obvious. That thing which has eluded me and is an ache I continue to endure is so painfully clear now. It’s a marine named Steve, a writer called Sullivan, a Chiropractor named Melissa, a new friend named Art who have demonstrated a true understanding of the rub.

It is for those people that I give thanks this day.

New media wouldn’t be any fun without them and I’m honored to stand beside them.

As I watch Carolyn Porco on the Science Channel talk about the universe as if we actually know very much about it, I’m reminded of something I saw on Greta Van Susteren’s show on Fox News. It’s something that continues to bug me.

The guest she had on (Friday I believe) corrected another guest (lefty) who kept spewing these numbers out there as far as health care and the uninsured that were patently false and actually wouldn’t really make sense in any reality you happen to find yourself in.

The details of the exchange aren’t important. What upsets me when I watch this is the fact that Van Susteren doesn’t correct the guest. She didn’t even challenge him on his numbers. The right has a real serious problem with this.

Too many times we allow the left to throw a number at us and we don’t challenge them on it. When we do challenge them (rare. very rare) their argument collapses as it should. We just don’t do enough of it.

The conservatives need to start growing a pair and learn to open their mouths when the left throws numbers around. Most of the numbers are skewed or just completely made up.

I love to hear about the “far right” Fox News channel from the left. Let me fill you in on something here. It’s not that Fox News is far right. Because CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and ABC are so far left even the TV Guide Channel looks right leaning.

With my Sunday venting out of the way, let me just say that this week’s Brass Balls Radio is going to be a real treat. Thanks to everyone who participated! Steve Schippert. Jenny Erikson. DNACowboy.

It’s amazing to me. How attitudes and our paradigms change as we get older and hopefully wiser.

For you young people out there, believe it or not there may be a very good reason why you are not in charge of anything.

You don’t have experience. The trouble is that you can have an I.Q. of 175 and be the smartest person in the room but the bottom line is that you lack experience and experience is why people are put in charge.

I’m writing this about one young person in particular.

I saw an opportunity to take a week off from producing and decided to put this young person in charge in my absence.

Needless to say, this quickly took a wrong turn.

So much for some time off for me…