Blog: Ramblings and Rants

Reference: Response to “The Gay Marriage Thing”

I have one simple question for President Bush et al: How does the prospect of a same-sex couple marriage affect your life, Mr. President?

Please, someone, answer that question for me. I most sincerely wish to know: How does the prospect of two men or two women marrying oneanother affect heterosexuals? What does it mean to me, as a heterosexual man, if the lesbian couple down the road marries? Of what relevance to my life is the union or marriage of a pair of strangers?

None of my rights and privelages will be impinged upon by the legal union of two men. The IRS won’t yank my wife and my joint filing status if the same is given to two committed spouses of the same sex. My wife’s right to convey my final treatment or diminished capacity wishes won’t be lost or limited if the woman in the next room has the same right for her own wife. I genuinely ask of you: What difference will there be in the lives of heterosexuals should homosexual couples marry?

Before you express any opinion or determine any action of law you should answer that question.

Meme: weeklyLeak - Movies

Memes • Fiction

Saturday Slant: Support Music

Saturday Slant

Help me find songs?

Talent • Tools

Free Blog Makover Contest - 24 Hours Left!

Talent • Tools

Wanted: MP3 Tagger

Mind • Thought

Nothing Much To Say Today

Mind • Thought

Saturday Slant: You’ve Failed

Saturday Slant

1 Week Left For A Free Blog Makeover

Talent • Tools

Family As Clients, A Bad Idea

Talent • Tools

Giant Black Hole Rips Star Apart

News • Info

Wow. All I can say is a stunned “wow”.

Chandra :: Photo Album :: RX J1242-11 :: 18 Feb 04

Illustratoin of star being ripped apart by giant black hole.

Uncanny physics of comic book superheroes

Can you teach a physics class with only comic books to illustrate the principles? University of Minnesota physics professor James Kakalios has been doing it since 1995, when he explained the principle of conservation of momentum by calculating the force of Spider-Man’s web when it snagged the superhero’s girlfriend as she plummeted from a great height. ‘Comic books get their science right more often than one would expect,’ said the gregarious Kakalios.

Today I started a new consulting gig training in Quark. It’s a lot of fun. It’s also profitable, but the fun is the main draw for me. The gig should last about two weeks.

For more on Quark, see these very active discussions on my blog: Quark vs. InDesign

I found the below in a publicly posted job opening. Its good to know exactly what you want in an employee.

If you have experience in the printing, copying and/or kissing ass/Graphic Arts fields please join our ranks.

A glitch this week in Amazon.com’s site software revealed the real names of thousands of people who had posted anonymous reviews of books… And it revealed a whole new world of cutthroat, petty, and often juvenile behavior among published authors and the literary community as a whole.

Amazon glitch unmasks war of reviewers | CNET News.com

Author Katha Pollitt mentioned that she had considered anonymously posting a nasty review on her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend’s Amazon page, but refrained from doing so. In an interview, however, she said she had chastised a friend whose book had no reviews on Amazon when it came out, telling her to have friends post some. The friend followed her advice, but Pollitt was disappointed. ‘I’m thinking what kind of friends are these? They’ve only written one sentence.’

Pagans (from what I am told) don’t get married, they get hand fasted. Is hand fasting even valid according to the state/courts?

No, it’s not legal in and of itself. Couples who become hand-fasted must either use a priestess licensed by the state to marry (not very many of them), or also go to the Justice of the Peace.

I don’t say “must read” very often in any context—much less to the diverse readership of my blog. This time, however, I say it. You must read the below web page.

World of Ends: What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else.

Immediately upon reading “World of Ends” I realized everyone who has a website, everyone who does Web design, everyone involved in her company’s use of networks or the Internet, everyone who surfs, everyone who uses e-mail, Usenet Newsgroups, or does anything whatsoever on the Internet should be required to read to “World of Ends.”

To many, the information contained in this easy to read, humorously informative essay is already common knowledge. To the vast majority of the hundreds of millions of Internet users, however, not all of it is already known or understood. And its information you need to understand.

If it were up to me, I would mandate that every human on the planet read and pass a quiz on the material contained within “World of Ends” prior to being able to access any feature of the Internet by any means. I would make it the opening screen to AOL, MSN, and the other online services that push people by the thousands through their saccarin-coated curtains onto the Internet without fully preparing individuals to handle the Internet. I would hardcode into the chips on modems, routers, and network cards a kill switch that doesn’t unlock until the user reads and successfully passes a quiz on “World of Ends”. I would make IT/IS departments the world over make new employees read and agree to the terms of “World of Ends” simultaneous to the various non-disclosure and system usage contracts employees must sign. I would make domain registrars make the “World of Ends” essay and a passing grade of a subsequent quiz prerequisites before registering or renewing domain names—and all the officers of the entity that owns corporate domain names would be subject to the requirement, not just the IT department registering the name. I would increase Apple’s “1-2-3 and you’re online” process to “1-2-3-4″. I would make every member of Congress begin each and every speech or fillabuster at a hearing regarding an Internet-related bill begin her recitation with an affirmation of the key points of “World of Ends” and swear under oath her understanding and commitment thereto—and repeat the same with each vote on such a bill.

If you’re reading this post, it is my opinion that you are required to read “World of Ends” and understand it.

If you are a blogger or other website owner, I urge you to, at the very least, link to “World of Ends”. You should strongly encourage your site’s visitors to read “World of Ends,” as I have. It might not be a bad idea to even cite “World of Ends” as a requirement in your site’s Terms of Use.

World of Ends: What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else. is categorically required reading material for anyone or any age who makes use of the Internet for fun, profit, work, avocation, education, or any other possible reason, using any device or protocol.

Go! Go and read it now!

I want to re/design your blog.

If you own (or are starting up) a blog, read carefully. I’m giving away a free professional blog makeover (or initial design, as the case may be).

You know I’m a professional graphic and web designer, right? I’ve got over 15 years experience in graphic design, and 9 years specifically in web design. See my portfolio for some recent examples of my work.

Occassionally I do pro bono work. Sometimes its charity work, sometimes its work just because the project piques my interest and looks like fun. Right now, I want to design a blog. I’m happy with my own blog design for now, and I have no reason to startup another blog. So, I want to re/design your blog, no strings attached.

DISCLAIMER: This is not an open invitation to solicit my services fee-free. Nor will I “invest” either my time nor my talent in someone’s “I’m going to get rich on the web” project. I’ve been turning those down for nine years, without exception. And, without exception, each such project offered to me has failed to break even, much less turn a profit. I do pro-bono work that I choose, and I never choose a project that is delivered to me unsolicited.

Clicked continued for the details.