Isaac Asimov on Mysticism

"I wonder how many people go for these mystical, nonsensical things simply because they must go for something, and this is the only thing available.

The same thing bothers me about mysticism that would bother me about con men. It doesn't seem to me to be right to sell a person phony stuff, and take money for it. And this is what mystics are doing. They're selling people phony knowledge, and taking money for it.

Even if people feel good about it; I can well imagine that a person who really believes in astrology is going to have a feeling of security because he knows that this is a bad day, so to stay at home.

But nevertheless, a guy who's got phony stock may look at it, it's nice and shiny, and has scrolls and all gold lettering and stuff, and as long as he doesn't have to do anything with it, he feels real rich looking at it. But that's no excuse; he still has phony stock.

And the person who buys mysticism still has phony knowledge."

(Isaac Asimov)

"Downers Grove" (Emo Phillips)

Lyrics to Emo Phillips' song, "Downers Grove"

-----------

I like to shop in downtown Downers Grove

It doesn't take big bucks, and everyone there really is nice

I went to the bakery just the other day

I said to the girl, "Do you have a zwieback?"

She said, "I always slouch this way"

I went to the pet shop, said, "I want a parrot"

The Guy said, "How 'bout a cockatoo?"

I said, "No thanks, just a bird"

I went into the clothing store and I made up my mind

I wasn't going to let any pushy salesman pressure me into buying

something I didn't need...

So after I bought the kilts

I went to the hardware shop

I said, "This riding lawnmower's stupid"

They said, "Next time, you get on top"

I went to the gas station, said, "Fill 'er up, Harry"

The guy said "Regular?"

I said, "No, put on a gorilla suit

And dance like a fairy"

I went into Gus' Artificial Organ and Taco Stand

Said, "Give me a bladder, por favor"

The guy said, "Is that to go?"

I said, "Well, what else would I want it for?"

I was walking down the street

something caught my eye

and dragged it fifteen feet

That's why I like to shop in downtown Downers Grove!

Class Warfare and a Shrinking Economic Pie

"If there has been class warfare, My class won" (Warren Buffet)


I disagree with his conclusion. Buffet's class got more than its share
of the pie, but the overall size of the pie is shrinking. In absolute
terms, both classes are losing; Buffet's class is just losing at a
slower rate than ours.


Also, the entire pie is shrinking precisely because the rich class
has been preying on the rest of us for the past three decades. Like
termites, they've eaten away at America's economic foundation to the
point where the whole economy is at risk of collapse.

Children and superstition

"You say you're worried about children; I'm not worried about children, I'm worried about 'grown-ups'.


"These are the ones who vote. These are the ones who tell you, 'the world is coming to an end in 2012!' Kids don't say that, grown-ups do.


"Grown-ups say 'read me my horoscope and tell me when I'll find money tomorrow!' Grown-ups say this, not children. Children do not read horoscopes. Children are perfectly happy counting through the number 13. Children aren't afraid to walk under ladders. They see a black cat cross their path and they say 'look! kitty, kitty' and want to pet it, not run in the other direction.


"Children are not the problem here!"


(Neil deGrasse Tyson)

Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky!

When Apollo Mission Astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon,
he not only gave his famous "One small step for man; one giant leap
for mankind" statement, but followed it by several remarks, including
the usual COM traffic between him, the other astronauts, and Mission
Control. Before he re-entered the lander, he made the enigmatic remark
"Good luck, Mr. Gorsky."

Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival
Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, they found there was no Gorsky
in either the Russian or American space programs.


Over the years, many people have questioned him as to what the "Good luck,
Mr. Gorsky" statement meant. On July 5, 1995, in Tampa Bay, FL, while
answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26-
year-old question to Armstrong. He finally responded. It seems that Mr.
Gorsky had died and so Armstrong felt he could answer the question.


In 1942, when he was a 12-year-old kid, Neil was playing baseball with his brother in the
backyard. His brother hit a fly ball which landed in front of his
neighbors' bedroom window. The neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky. As
he leaned down to pick up the ball, he heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at
Mr. Gorsky, "Oral sex? Oral sex you want? You'll get oral sex when the
kid next door walks on the moon!"


(Note: this is an urban legend)

Investment 101

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49.00 today!

If you purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG, you would have $33.00.

If you purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers, you would have $0.00 today.

But, if you purchased $1,000 worth of beer, drank all the beer, turned in the aluminium cans for recycling, you would have $214.00.


Therefore the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle.

Harry S. Truman 1947

"Republica­­­­­­­ns approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke.

They stand four-squar­­­­­­­e for the American home--but not for housing.

They are strong for labor--but they are stronger for restrictin­­­­­­­g labor's rights.

They favor minimum wage--the smaller the minimum wage the better.

They endorse educationa­­­­­­­l opportunit­­­­­­­y for all--but they won't spend money for teachers or for schools.

They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine--for people who can afford them.

They consider electrical power a great blessing--­­­­­­­but only when the private power companies get their rake-off.

They think American standard of living is a fine thing--so long as it doesn't spread to all the people.

And they admire of Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it."

-- Harry S. Truman 1947

Great Italian Sex

The Jewish man said, “Last week, my wife and I had great sex. I rubbed her body all over with schmaltz (chicken fat), we made passionate love, and she screamed for five full minutes at the end!”

The Frenchman boasted, “Last week when my wife and I had sex, I rubbed her body all over with butter. We then made passionate love and she screamed for 10 minutes!”

The Italian man said, “Well, last week my wife and I also had sex. I rubbed her body all over with olive oil. We made love, and she screamed for over six hours!”

The other two were stunned. The amazed Frenchman asked, “What could you have possibly done to make your wife scream for six hours?” The Italian said.............

”I wiped my hands on the bedspread.”

Ya know it's a recession when...

Ya know it's a recession when...

1. I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
2. Wives are having sex with their husbands because they can't afford batteries.
3. CEO's are now playing miniature golf.
4. Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
5. A stripper was killed when her audience showered her with rolls of pennies while she danced.
6. I saw a Mormon with only one wife.
7. If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.
8. McDonald's is selling the 1/4 ouncer.
9. Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America .
10. Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.
11. My cousin had an exorcism but couldn't afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her!
12. A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.
13. A picture is now only worth 200 words.
14. When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.
15. The Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.
16. I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call center in Pakistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.

Evolution of the GOP

"When I was a kid and Eisenhower was the president, my whole family was happily Republican. Then I grew up, and Nixon dragged us through Watergate and Ronald Reagan proved what a disaster Voodoo economics really is, and then George Bush proved it again.

"Now the Tea Party/Repubs believe they are the true voice of America, with paranoia rampant in their fact-free universe. The Republican Party has gone off the deep end and has plunged into some kind of madness. This is not even the party of Bill Buckley…it’s the party of wild-eyed nut jobs like Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin and Herman Cain.

"The Republicans seem to have a death wish. I have often argued that they need to suffer an apocalyptic political defeat in 2012 so they can re-examine what it really mean to be conservative in the reality-based world. We need to have a real, conservative voice in our national dialog, but these guys/gals are not it. They are so deeply irrational, suffused with flagrant hypocrisy, and drunk on the No-New-Taxes Koolaid, that you can’t even have a meaningful discussion with them.

"I wish I could find a reasonable Republican to debate, but I don’t know any."

-- Robert Post

Cannibal Restaurant

A cannibal was walking through the jungle and came upon a restaurant operated by a fellow cannibal. Feeling somewhat hungry, he sat down and looked over the menu...

• Tourist: $5.00
• Broiled Missionary: $10.00
• Fried Explorer: $15.00
• Baked Democrat or Grilled Republican: $100.00

The cannibal called the waiter over and asked, "Why such a price difference for the politicians?"

The cook replied, "Have you ever tried to clean one? They're so full of shit, it takes all morning."

My mother told me to behave...

My mother told me to behave.

How should I do that?

During childhood i saw Tarzan going around naked, Cinderella coming home after midnight, Pinocchio lying, Batman driving 240km/h, Sleeping Beauty staying in bed all day long, Little Red Ridding Hood talking with Wolf even if Mother told her not to, Popeye having weed, Snow White living with seven men, Aladin getting high...

And they all lived happily ever after!!!

(found on Google+)

Little Teeny Eyes

Little Teeny Eyes

1.

Oh we got a new computer but it's quite a disappointment

'Cause it always gave this same insane advice:

"OH YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT

LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY HANDS FOR MILKING MICE."

2.

So we re-read the instruction book that came with the computer

But it kept on printing crazy stuff that reads

Like: "YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT

LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY SHOES FOR CENTIPEDES."

3.

So we got an expert genius and he rewrote all the programs

But we always got results that looked like these:

"OH YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT

LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY LICENSE PLATES FOR BEES."

4.

Then we tested each resistor, every diode and transistor,

But our EElectronic brain just raves and rants:

"OH YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT

LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE BRANDING IRONS FOR BRANDING ANTS."

5.

Now we're looking for a buyer for a crazy mad computer

That will only give out crazy mad advice

Like: "YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY EYES FOR READING LITTLE TEENY PRINT

LIKE YOU NEED LITTLE TEENY HANDS FOR MILKING MICE."

(Tom Digby, written 1/27/66)

A Utah Phillips Tribute

Wood shop interior

1:28 AM.

Lots of interesting 3D art at BlenderArtists.org!

(originally posted on Memories from the Pandorica)

Goodbye, Sarah Jane :-(

I just heard that Elisabeth Sladen died on April 19, of cancer. Elisabeth was the actress who played the role of Sarah Jane Smith, companion of Doctor Who back in the '80's, when Tom Baker was the Doctor.

I loved the 2006 episode "School Reunion" where she ran into the Doctor again, during David Tennant's time, and enjoyed her spinoff series that followed.

Elisabeth was still active up to the end. I will miss her.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: sad
Current Music: Karma Chameleon-Culture Club-Billboard Top Hits: 1984

(originally posted on my LiveJournal site)

Deepest Sender

Another blogging client, implemented as a Firefox plugin. It's called "Deepest Sender", and it appears that it works for Blogger and LiveJournal. So far, so good.

Current Location: Baypath
Current Mood: thirsty
Current Music: Not In Love

(originally posted on my LiveJournal site)

Qumana and Blogger

Trying Qumana as a blogging client, it won't load old posts from this blog. Will it allow posting? Seems to work fine with LiveJournal...

Powered by Qumana

Departure of the Mysterious Non-Smoking Man

He Who Shall Not Be Named came visiting from Another Land for a few days. He's heading home to his Secret Lair this evening, with gifts for his family. Adios, until next time!

The video from Wednesday's BLU meeting was somewhat spotty; the camcorder had been in photo mode, and we didn't catch the error until well into the meeting. Fortunately, we were recording the audio separately, so at the very least we can post the audio.

Current Location: Home
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Welcome To The Jungle-Guns-N-Roses-Greatest Hits

(originally posted on my LiveJournal site)

Google Video, R.I.P.

Last week I received notice that Google Video will no longer host videos, and that my immense archive of BLU meeting videos will be deleted in early May.

I downloaded my archive in it's entirety, to Pegasus, and then proceeded to upload all five of them to YouTube. Alas, YouTube required me to split them into 15- minute segments before it would accept them.

Over the weekend I searched through a bunch of old removable-IDE drives that I had used for backups in the past, and I found several more BLU meeting videos that had never been on Google Video. I copied them to my laptop, then transferred them to Pegasus during this week's BLU meeting.

When I uploaded them to YouTube, I discovered that YouTube now allows me to upload them as a single file, and I no longer have to split them into 15-minute chunks. Hooray!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

(originally posted on my LiveJournal site)