My Dinner With PZ Myers…

…okay, it was actually pizza and beer with approximately 20 other people – I was kinda going for the ‘My Dinner With Andre’ motif.

On Sunday January 24th, I drove down to De Anza college (about 9 minutes away from where I live) to see the good professor speak on Creationism And Complexity. And a good time was had by all. PZ spoke at length on a variety of topics dealing with creationism, deftly illustrating how they tend to cherry pick selected highlights to cast evolution in a poor light. One such example was the Stickleback fish – it turns out that there’s an off/on switch (yes, I’m simplifying it here) in the genome that activates whether or not they have the protective spines. Meyer and Behe dismissed this as ‘breaking and neutralizing’, not realizing the profound significance of this achievement.

The good professor also discussed the Banana Man (Dis)Comfort, and the word  ‘obtuse’ was used profusely on that topic. He also addressed the ‘no missing link’ argument, illustrating the many, many transitional fossil forms (including the seemingly unquestionable proof of whale evolution). He spoke on complex molecular models (at this point, unfortunately, the post-lunch drowsiness started to seep in, and I had to shake the glaze out).

PZ Myers handles his subjects well, both topical as well as audience. He speaks in that calm authoritative manner that comes from years of public speaking and being an educator, and it’s hard to picture him as the fire-breathing dragon his detractors portray him as.

The Q&A was interesting. One fellow brought up the concept of ‘using the bible to defeat the bible’, which I wanted to interject on (because when you tell a believer “The bible says it’s okay to kill this guy” or “the bible okays stoning disobedient children”, it comes out “The bible says it’s okay/okays blah-de-blah blah”), but I held my tongue. One fellow stood up, and asked a 5 minute question that, by the end of it, lost us all, and PZ had to ask what the question was. It boiled down to “What do you want US to do?” (Like we’re soldiers in an army, and PZ’s the general.) I asked him for a 15 to 30 second elevator speech for a response to the creationist trope, “how is the cell so complex?” The professor offered to sit down for an hour on the topic. Darn. I think elevator speeches are a distinct possibility for use, inasmuch as long involved talks aren’t really an American habit – we do so love sound bites. There were other questions to be sure, but they were mostly from the front row, and I was up in the 15th, and crane as I might, I didn’t catch them all.

(I’m doing this all from memory, so apologies if I’ve missed anything or in error.)

The turnout was somewhere in the vicinity of 50 people, and it was a nice mix, there was more older people (some snow on the mountain, and a few were missing shrubbery on the top), but there was enough young people, students, who attended.

We adjourned to B.J’s in Cupertino, a sports bar during a football game, perhaps not too strategic (a lot of roaring going on), but it wasn’t too bad. I introduced myself, adding that I’m also the Krystalline Apostate and mentioning this blog, to which the professor said (diplomatically) “Oh, yeah, sure.” Like he keeps track of everybody on the internet. (Facepalm)

I sat at the end of the table with 2 other fellows, and PZ gravitated over to us, probably because we were telling jokes and laughing uproariously (most of the rest were engaged in some somber discussion). I was corrected at least once, and I likely made a bit of a fool of myself  more than once (which is par for the course). We did talk of many serious matters as well, and the fellow who sat next to me spoke quite passionately about ‘spreading the word’ (my phrase, not his), and PZ addressed the popularization of our particular worldview. We spoke about Richard Dawkins for a while, his new children’s book, and other things.

In summation, I had fun. It’s nice to rub shoulders with people of like mind, and take the time to press the flesh (like in the picture, no smarmy comments please), and I need to go out and do this more often.

As a side note, for a liberal professor, PZ’s got some grip on him.

Thanks, professor.

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My Year In Review

So, it’s going on what? Holy crap, four years. It flies, does time, regardless of having fun or not.

I am going to title 2009 (for myself) as the Year Of Living Lazily.

I was laid off in February, and have been surviving off a small inheritance. I thought to myself, hey, learn Chinese, write more, go out and be more social, but all those hard intense training sessions of Tai Chi have made me – more laconic. I was warned about this, so no complaints.

I have now been a non-smoker since October of 2008, so it’s about 14 months since I’ve smoked a cigarette. Mind you it’s not since I’ve touched a cigarette, but put it in my mouth and smoked one. There’s been moments where I scrounged a butt outta an ashtray (hey, addiction’s addiction. I maintain Cocaine is the only drug that makes people eat their boogers), looked at the thing, and tossed it. I tried to bum one, but a real friend who smokes said, “You’ve gotten this far – why waste it?” I even broke down and almost bought a pack 4-5 months in – the cashier plopped it down, I looked at it, announced “I quit!” and left. I am, however, popping Commit lozenges, but I can now go to sleep without listening to the phlegm rattle about in my lungs. On the down side, I picked up some weight which I still haven’t gotten rid of.

I hit a lot of tournaments in the spring and summer months, and I’m now up to 31 medals, and 9 plaques (the medals are rotting away in a drawer somewhere). It’s a nice feeling to know that I have a few gold medals (and some silver and bronze as well) in my martial art of choice.

Chances are strong that I’m going to get another shot at a position that I didn’t get in 2006. Therein lies a tale:

In 2006, I was hired by a job placement agency to work at a big telephone company (I’m not naming names, don’t ask) as a technical support person. So I went in for two weeks of training. Little was I to know, that this would be the equivalent of a boot camp and a shining example of social Darwinism. Swim or drown, baby. They pounded info into a group of about a hundred people, and then we had to take tests – and no squeakers (or mulligans) allowed. I’ve always been a squeaker – I do well in classroom environments, but tests, they ain’t my thing. So I scored around 65-70%, they said sorry. The agency then sent me to work for the Registrar of Voters for the 2006 election. I did okay, they made me Precinct Director in Berkeley (which consisted of me visiting polls, and staring stupidly when asked questions). After that, they shipped me off to Long’s Drugs to tie Xmas trees to people’s cars in the pouring rain and refuse tips. Seriously. Long’s management has this thing where you don’t take money people throw at you. Three days, and I had to beg off. It was too wet, and it was definitely a young man’s game (I was having serious physical issues – pounding a base onto one tree isn’t so much, but you do that 20-30 times, and cramps set in right quick). They then shipped me off to the Chabot college book store as a parking attendant monitor. Everything was fine – I threw a little freight (and felt extremely old around all those yowwens) right up until I caught a horrible flu. It was so bad, I could barely keep broth down. Two days, I called in sick. Then the weekend. I called in Monday, weak as a kitten, ready to work, and was told the client ‘wanted someone reliable’. I protested that I’d gotten ill, not my fault. I tried to pester them to give me more work, but I’d become persona non grata. Sadly, a lot of agencies will do this. Fast forward to this month. I sent off an old resume, to the same guy who brought me on 3 years back. We talked on the phone, he asked me to come in, and yes, he remembered me. We went over the technical stuff, and then he asked me why I wanted to try again. I told him that A. I’ve always wanted a second crack at this, B. I still have my notes from 3 years ago, and C. I know exactly what I’m getting into. I’m still awaiting confirmation for my eligibility (the guy said if the company doesn’t mind, I’m in), but given how they treated me last time, I’m withholding bragging rights until I know for sure.

I tried out for my black belt, but didn’t get it (about 80% – again, no squeakers allowed). Maybe I’ll try again.

It’s now been two years since I’ve disowned my family. I’m managing okay, I don’t get in the holiday spirit like I used to, but I tell people, hey, the big trick is getting along with yourself, which is (in my opinion) a big problem in the world today. I’ve gotten the odd email – I’m usually terse and to the point, but it doesn’t look like reconciliation will happen any time soon.

As for the blog, I should apologize to my regular and long time readers. I’ve been terribly lazy, and I average about 2 posts per week, when I could be rattling my sabers more regularly. 2010 may be the year that I start getting stoked up again, but we’ll see.

Questions, comments, or general natter will be acceptable.

L’chaim.

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Platitudinal Retreat – Invoking The Void For Victory

As of yesterday, I called out a religious person on his view on atheistic morality. Sadly, it’s as I’ve stated prior: the claim doesn’t withstand actual scrutiny. But wait! His response is as follows:

And, for the atheist, what, after that? Nothing. No consciousness, no nothing. No seeing what has happened to your descendants. No caring about anything. No existence. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. In an atheistic universe, the dead cannot care. Therefore, any caring they may do must be done in this life, the only life they have.

Newsflash: Yep, the dead don’t care. Yes, the caring needs to be done in the here and now, seeing as there’s no afterlife.

And why might they care? About anything? To whom do their lives matter? And for how long? Does the cold, atheistic universe into which they arrived by complete accident care? Does that same universe have a purpose for them? The very thought provokes laughter. Even if someone misses them once they're gone, that will matter for less than a hundred years, too, probably less than fifty, since those people will die and not care about anything, either. And eventually, their country will pass away, then the planet, then everything, and none of it will have mattered, none of it at all. Their morality, such as it is, will have served no purpose other than to perpetuate the species before the planet is scorched when the sun turns red, and that, for no reason at all, it simply being what happened by sheer accident.

I’m not too crazy about an uncaring universe either, to be honest. That weird evolutionary mechanism makes me care about me a little too much for comfort, and it makes us all way too introverted. But the fact remains, that the religious have this incredible hubris about existence. They think the whole of reality was put here as a tribute to their own existence, and Dog forbid you should take that special fuzzy wuzzy feeling from them – because as miserably as we are designed, we not only think the universe revolves around us, but that anything that makes us happy is to be defended to the death against the ravages of reality.

Atheists have a limited, very limited window of opportunity, a very short time in which to enjoy the accidentally-animated sack of protoplasm they walk around in, and absolutely no reason whatever not to do whatever they please, as long as they can get away with it.

As opposed to a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card that any serial killer, child molester, or any other slavering sub-human can employ at the last minute? “Oh, I feel genuine remorse, lemmee in heaven!” One might note that atheists tend to be better behaved than the religious lot, regardless of the old tired canard “Just seek sybaritic pleasure!” As if somehow, those of us not invested or entrenched enough in the supernatural seem to find less value in others. No, actual reality shows us that we obviously imbue others with more intrinsic value, not less.

And what do they choose to do with that limited period of time? An astonishing number seem to have arrived at the absurd conclusion that the best, most enjoyable (apparently) use of their limited time is to try convincing theists that they're wrong. That's right: their mission in life seems to have become convincing people about whom they will shortly cease to care, people who will, in turn, shortly cease to care about anything themselves, that there is no God.

Well, it is a fun diversion, but it’s hardly something I lose sleep over, or wrestle with regularly. I am more concerned that there are Dominionists who want to turn the USA into UST (the United States of Theocracy), and that End-Timers are trying to jumpstart what they view as Armageddon because of their book of fables (that’s all three ‘people of the book’ not just Christians), the religious are trying to tell adults what adults they can and cannot marry, and the intrusion of non-science into our already beleaguered and financially strapped public schools. So, no, I’ve got no problem with people and their fantasies. I’d be more than happy to leave them to their own devices. But the actual enforcement of their religious beliefs in my life? Yeah, I don’t think so. Time to be vocal. Time to let them know they can’t just shove their way to the front of the line for consideration.

Good luck with that one, atheists. Last time I checked, though they disagreed on much about God, you have a couple of billion people, at least, to convince of His non-existence. And for what? So that they will have--you think--better lives in the short period of time remaining to them on this miserable mudball? In the most literal sense possible, why care? It will matter to any particular individual for a maximum of 115 years, and then--poof.

“If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” – Anatole France. Really? An argument from numbers? How numb. Because the here and now do matter, and despite the void that swallows us all, I was constructed (no, not designed in the religious sense, it’s obvious to anyone with a critical eye that we’re very poorly put together) to give a flying damn about others in my species.

And that’s not a bad thing. That there’s no afterlife? Why should the lack of such a thing make me any less of a decent person? The answer is no…it doesn’t.

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The Multiple Attractions Of Atheism

I recall when I first began exploring the concept of ‘believing in nothing’ (how very Zen that sounds, no?). I have (or have been told that I have) some little bit of talent in the critique department, at least when it comes to analyzing the actions of others. So I fit right in.

The other major attraction for me, was the honesty. Shorn of glitter, flensed of driftwood, atheists tend to go for the metaphorical jugular, and tell it like it is, not how someone wants it to be (read: religious).

Honesty is a big thing for me. Aside from the fact that most folks don’t enjoy being lied to (regardless of the Fleetwood Mac song), I make a stalwart effort to not lie. I can’t say that I’ve never ever done so, but I’m a WYSIWIG sort of guy. Now we could go into the specifics (a knowing lie versus an unknowing lie), but let’s save that for the comment section. I can very much guarantee that I’ve never, ever knowingly lied to anyone online. Ever. And I’m very much like that in person. If you ask me a question, I’ll give you the answer to the best of my knowledge. If you say something idiotic, I can 100% guarantee I’ll laugh in your face, usually followed by some trenchant, bombastic commentary. Yep, that’s right: I’ll not say a thing here that I’d not say in person. You can bet the rent on that, baby.

Surprisingly, I don’t get swung on a lot, but then I don’t get out much.

Anyways, the other attraction is being free of all that superstitious pap. You know the drill: the three=one deal, the crazy UFO crap, the Yeti apologists, all those bogus brainsick, crazy, daft, demented, disordered, distraught, dotty, insane, lunatic, mad, maniac, maniacal, mentally ill, moonstruck, off, touched, unbalanced, unsound, wrong, cracked, daffy, gaga, loony, bananas, batty, buggy, cuckoo, fruity, loco, nuts, nutty, screwy, wacky or to sum it up in two words, ‘mentally irregular’ epistemologies that make for great reading but not such great reality.

There are, of course, minor downsides. The realization that I’m not immortal is slightly depressing. One of the other downsides is that when I take some rhetorical liberties, my comrades-in-arms (who are somewhat invested in pedantry, but I love ‘em anyways) go to great pains to point out if I’m off target on the facts. That’s all good and fine, but when I need to go on a poetic flourish, I do tend to take a few liberties. For instance: I’m a regular reader at Pharyngula, but (and I kid you NOT) the last dozen times that I’ve commented there, I’ve been corrected. Which I don’t mind usually, except that the last 12 times, I was right, but I still got corrected. Not to say I’ve always been right, but lately I have been (oops, my swollen ego is tipping me over, timber!). I’m not nearly anal enough to track down the entire dozen, so since I’m an honest guy, take me at my word.

Anyways, there’s my nickel’s worth. Please feel free to toss in your own observations (because while I’m blaringly honest, I’m also fallible and creeping past 50, so I miss a thing or two on occasion).

Cheers.

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The Things That Grind My Gears These Days, I Could Write An Entire Encyclopedia...

But who'd listen, anyways?

So I was just getting out of therapy (physical, so stop right there), and I saw the bumper sticker on your right on an (guess what? Drum roll, please…)
SUV. Sans the SEE ALSO bottom line.

Good thing that person wasn’t in the car. Had they been getting out, they’d have heard me say “Fuck you!” in a very loud voice.

I get a little tired of the same old stupid platitudes. Hey, have you heard this one? Chances are, if you’ve been blogging for around 3-6 months, and said anything defamatory or insulting about religion, or anything resembling a conservative opinion that was horseshit, the response (5 out of 10 times) will be ‘Wow, that’s pretty intolerant for a liberal ’. (You can almost imagine them spitting the word out like insult.)

Why should I be tolerant of stupidity? If someone tells me that they should be able to survive a 40 story drop off a building if they simply believe it strongly enough, I’m going to call bullshit. Likewise, if someone tells me that dropping an atomic bomb should take care of the problems in the Middle East, what am I to do? Nod vacuously, and respect an asshole’s opinion? Not on your life.

So let’s look up a few words, and see what the semantics say.

Liberalism is defined as:

Liberalism emphasizes individual rights and equality of opportunity. Within liberalism, there are various streams of thought which compete over the use of the term "liberal" and may propose very different policies, but they are generally united by their support for constitutional liberalism, which encompasses support for: freedom of thought and speech, limitations on the power of governments, the rule of law, an individual's right to private property, and a transparent system of government. All liberals, as well as some adherents of other political ideologies, support some variant of the form of government known as liberal democracy, with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.

There I am, an American Liberal (I lean more towards the Social Liberal than most of the other definitions, but I’m just keeping it brief here).

Now let’s define Tolerance:

Toleration and tolerance are terms used in social, cultural and religious contexts to describe attitudes which are "tolerant" (or moderately respectful) of practices or group memberships that may be disapproved of by those in the majority. In practice, "tolerance" indicates support for practices that prohibit ethnic and religious discrimination. Conversely, 'intolerance' may be used to refer to the discriminatory practices sought to be prohibited. Though developed to refer to the religious toleration of minority religious sects following the Protestant Reformation, these terms are increasingly used to refer to a wider range of tolerated practices and groups, or of political parties or ideas widely considered objectionable.

The concept of toleration is controversial. For one, "toleration" does not raise the level of an actual principle or ethic, such as other concepts (respect, reciprocity, love) do. Liberal critics may see in it an inappropriate implication that the "tolerated" custom or behavior is an aberration or that authorities have a right to punish difference; such critics may instead emphasize notions such as civility, pluralism, or respect. Other critics may regard a narrow definition of 'tolerance' as more useful, since it does not require a false expression of enthusiasm for groups or practices which are genuinely disapproved of.

(Yeah, I’ve been on about that before, too.)

I’m going in favor of the narrower definition. Your culture celebrates infant sacrifice, random pillaging, rape? YOUR CULTURE IS WRONG, ASSHOLE! There, that simple.

Any questions?

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The Bane Of Bloggery – Wandering Witless Minstrels Named ‘Anonymous’

I’ve had to shut off the mechanism that allows anonymous posters. I have come to detest these sanctimonious little turds with a bright blue flame.

On my blog, they all seem to gravitate to this post. One that’s well over 2 years old.

Among the idiotic pronouncements are:

(Latest idiocy is….)

If this person was truly an atheist there wouldn't be a need for all this personal bashing...most atheist just don't care at all whether a God exists or not

Translation: you’re not a real atheist if you have an outspoken opinion. Same idiot:

if you were to do more research on this the logical thinking behind this is actually SOUND and PROVABLE.

This is just one of the many naked assertions some of these whiny little toads make: none of these faceless lack wits EVER BRING ANYTHING TO THE TABLE outside of some stupid comment. Obviously all that’s needed is an opinion, uninformed though it may be, it’s still valid! What horseshit.

You can read the rest of the egregious crap if you’d like – but if you want to post on my blog and tell me I’m not a ‘true atheist’, or some other such rot, at the very least, you should have another name than ‘anonymous’, and be able to respond to something resembling debate (I use that verb loosely, since most anonymous posters are grade-school kids that are all mouth and trousers and little else). If this inconveniences anyone else, I’m truly sorry, but I’m really sick of my inbox becoming a litter box.

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If You Are After Empty Blogging Calories, Then Don’t Feed Here

I keep watching that feedburner just beneath my profile and all my shameless requests to have folks subscribe – and frankly, it burns me up a bit. It stays at a steady number of 12, jumps up, then sometimes it whittles down, or it’ll plummet.

I’ve noticed that this occurs most often when I actually post something that I realize most atheists would disapprove of.

I realize it’s sheer folly to rail at the readers, given the fluidity of the blogosphere – how many millions of amateur raconteurs are appearing per week, after all? But the issue as I see it, is that most folks, regardless of any ideology, tend to flock to the places that pander to them. However, attention whore that I am, I draw the line at sticking my nose up anyone’s backside.

So, thanks again steady readers. Your loyalty is appreciated. Those of you who would subscribe today, only to go frittering off somewhere else, well, go fritter off today.

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Constantly Evolving...The Year In Review, Part Deus

My dear friend Stardust tagged me with this meme, and I am now getting around to it (Yeesh, nearly four months...I'm too laconic for my own damn good sometimes).

This is Year Two, Anno Dominatrix, In The Year Of Our Pain (I of course am joking - submission's never been my thing. So some of you can put away the dog collars, whips and bowls. Hehehehe).

I've gone into my 'exegesis' here, here and here, outlining my personal journey to this monumental decision that runs contrary to the consensus in this country. As with any new road, there are some elements of discomfort, nervousness, isolation.

1. I started googling on atheism, and found the Nogodblog. I threw in my 2¢ worth in (which thread? I don't quite recall), and a blogger there (name of Heathenz) told me my opinion was worth a whole lot more.

I began with my first post on December 24th, 2005, titled OF BLACK EYES, BASTARD CHILDREN, AND BAD KARMA - where I raged against double standards, advised my readers against the adoption of such, etc, etc, et al.

2. I began as most atheists do: examining core concepts of exegesis (AKA biblical higher criticism) as well as the archeological aspects. I still do this on occasion.

3. Being an avid fan of human nature, I also began examining the more prevalent behavior patterns among the faithful. Augustine's injunction of "Never judge a philosophy by its abuse" is a load of crap from where I sit - by that logic, we should play nicey-nice with the KKK or the freakin' Nazis. How else ARE we to judge it then?

4. I began branching out from there - quickly becoming a champion (or at least a voice in the clarion call) for gay rights, Original Intent, abortion, both defending and bashing Islam (not to mention Scientology, Mor(m)onology and various other religions), defending atheism (I'd link some more, but there's a nice column on your left outlining all my labels), smacking creationism, defending evolution, and in general, kvetching about bullshit in general. Walking this path, I've managed to upgrade my knowledge on scientific matters to a great degree (without getting a degree - I'm an autodidact in these matters).

5. By March of 2007, I was invited by Stardust to join the ranks of the Gifsters -and it's confession time. I began hanging about there somewhere in late 2006, and I felt a twinge of jealousy that I'd not been invited on. I kept my peace on that subject - I never asked, not once. Build on that as you like, or just ask. In the meantime, I'd begun challenging believers right and left. To the date of this writing, nobody's come to bat on any of the subjects I've challenged them on. Hell, I've even gone after Chuckles Ignoris. I've received some emails - one from this bozo about this post - I was told he'd 'pray' for me, and I replied with the pat, "I'll do the thinking for the both of us". The other one was this extremely polite Muslim, who'd promised to get back to me on these three posts back in September. He's redirected me here - it's fairly ridiculous (more on this soon!).

It's gotten a wee bit frenzied lately, what with the job and all. So much so, that I'm not around at my hang-outs as much, I post once a week (cross posting at GifS on Sundays), whereas I used to do 3-5 posts a week, and for those of you who have received no comments in response to your own - multiple and profuse apologies. Lately, it seems that I've said my peace, and if you comment during the week, I'm usually tuckered out by the time I get home (around sevenish or so), so I've been an exceptionally poor host.

I average somewhere between 50-100 visitors a day, but commentary has been sparse (or non-existent).

As for anti-atheist emails, I receive none. Seriously. No one's tried to convert me, no drooling Jukes and Kalikaks (although that particular study's been deflated - I can't use that obscure, esoteric phrase ever again) threatening me with hellfire or raised fists.

I'm still ambivalent about being pleased or nonplussed by that.

Be that as it may, wish me a happy bloggo-versary. And my thanks to the few, the proud, the readers of this tiny crest on the oceans of the blogosphere.

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I Will Be Incommunicado For The Next Day Or So...

...as my room is getting painted. It may be 24 hours (likely) or more till I can respond to comments, chit-chat, or even post something.
In the meantime, there is a wealth (less than a small fortune, more than a piggy bank's worth) of content, so feel free to read, cavort naked amongst the metaphorical lilies, have discussions among yourselves, as you please.
Normal programming will resume shortly. We thank you for your patience.
(I always hate that announcement: as if you've a CHOICE in being patient?).

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...A Wage Slave Yet Again...

- Green Day Lyrics

As some of you may have noticed, I'm not making my rounds like I used to, my comments are somewhat less scintillating than they have been in the past, and I'm not posting as often as I used to. So an explanation seems to be in order, and I'm a little overdue, so apologies.

I am now working full time (excuses, excuses, yeah, I know) at Google (key word here is at - I'm a contractor via an outsource).

It's mostly in a warehouse environment, which means as a rule, I tend to come home somewhat exhausted. Not to mention that I'm usually drowsy from all the good food that's served there (all free - whatever costs I incur from driving and toll fees is frayed by saving a bundle on groceries. I'm fairly sure I've gained a pound or two, as I adore eating).

So I intend to keep on blogging (I hear that Grateful Dead tune when I say that), but be advised that I may (and am) doing three to four posts a week, as opposed to my old standard five-to-seven.

Such is the nature of blogging, that I've noted a distinct drop in my readership as well as comments left. Between the nature of the beast (is there anything new and shiny?) and the constant barrage of new content (what is it, a thousand new blogs every single day? Something like that), that it's difficult to overcome what I'm beginning to think should be termed the Prat Race (I'm generalizing here, gimmee a break).

I find this somewhat daunting, not to mention irksome, as I've provided more than enough past content to keep many readers occupied for hours, let alone days, were they to search my archives.

Granted, I do this myself, and it's a habit I need to break. I swing by some of my blogging friends, and if it's not a new post, I hopscotch over to wherever there's a new post - and while I realize there's much of other people's content that is well worth backtracking to read, there's also the measured growth of a person's thought processes as they flesh out the unique philosophies that make them worth reading just as much as the brand-spanking new post that shows their perspective on this bank and shoal of time (nods to Shakespeare).

So bear with me. I fully intend to keep on providing my dervish dance of the deranged for your entertainment, punctuated by my unusual spin on the worldview we all share, but the minutes in the day have taken a new pattern, and as such, there is a finite amount of time I have per day, just as there is a finite amount of heartbeats in a given life.

So, I ask of my dear readers, is that they spare a few pulse beats to give me a read, and feel free to start some blogversations. I'll make an effort to participate when (and if) I can.

Bear in mind that I am not ignoring thee, nor have I forgotten thee - I am just busy.

Thanks for reading.

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The Blogging Code of Conduct Is Out - Whooo, boy!

Due to a lady blogger's death threats (I reported on that here), a gentleman named Tim O'Reilly has his first draft out on the Blogger's Code of Conduct.

So, as usual, it takes the actions of a few eggsuckers to wreck it for everyone else. Here's the badge:

Here's the draft:

We celebrate the blogosphere because it embraces frank and open conversation. But frankness does not have to mean lack of civility. We present this Blogger Code of Conduct in hopes that it helps create a culture that encourages both personal expression and constructive conversation.

1. We take responsibility for our own words and for the comments we allow on our blog.

We are committed to the "Civility Enforced" standard: we will not post unacceptable content, and we'll delete comments that contain it.

We define unacceptable content as anything included or linked to that:
- is being used to abuse, harass, stalk, or threaten others
- is libelous, knowingly false, ad-hominem, or misrepresents another person,
- infringes upon a copyright or trademark
- violates an obligation of confidentiality
- violates the privacy of others

We define and determine what is "unacceptable content" on a case-by-case basis, and our definitions are not limited to this list. If we delete a comment or link, we will say so and explain why. [We reserve the right to change these standards at any time with no notice.]

2. We won't say anything online that we wouldn't say in person.

3. We connect privately before we respond publicly.

When we encounter conflicts and misrepresentation in the blogosphere, we make every effort to talk privately and directly to the person(s) involved--or find an intermediary who can do so--before we publish any posts or comments about the issue.

4. When we believe someone is unfairly attacking another, we take action.

When someone who is publishing comments or blog postings that are offensive, we'll tell them so (privately, if possible--see above) and ask them to publicly make amends.
If those published comments could be construed as a threat, and the perpetrator doesn't withdraw them and apologize, we will cooperate with law enforcement to protect the target of the threat.

5. We do not allow anonymous comments.

We require commenters to supply a valid email address before they can post, though we allow commenters to identify themselves with an alias, rather than their real name.

6. We ignore the trolls.

We prefer not to respond to nasty comments about us or our blog, as long as they don't veer into abuse or libel. We believe that feeding the trolls only encourages them--"Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it." Ignoring public attacks is often the best way to contain them.

I doubt that I'll adhere to much of it.

#1 - I'm big on taking responsibility, but I can't really 'control' commenters. Presently, I'm moderating (again), since some mentally defective yahoo decides to drop by sporadically and make asinine commentary (poo-poo pee-pee, I said boobie! I can hear Beavis 'n Butthead sniggering in the background), but I intend to turn it back off at some date in time (hopefully, my 'nemesis' will have passed puberty by then). Hmmm...I'll have to think on that.

#2 - Yes, I'm big on that. You betcha, I'd not say it online without saying it face-to-face.

#3 - See, I don't get an email address on 'other' or anonymous, so that's out.

#4 - That depends. Most of my readers are pretty capable of defending themselves.

#5 - This is sounding better as I think about it.

#6 - Nuh-uh. I actually enjoy wrestling in the mud with trolls (I fancy that most of them cry 'uncle' by the time I'm done with them, but they rarely bother me here).

So, any thoughts?

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Terrorist Trolls in the Blogosphere - Codes of Conduct and Free Speech Issues

I came across this on the BBC News - and I'm utterly horrified by it.

"The support for a blogger hounded by death threats has intensified with some high profile web experts calling for a code of conduct in the blogosphere.

"The female blogger at the Centrex of the row has been shocked to discover that hers is not an isolated incident.

"It has led her and others to question some of the unwritten rules of blogging. "

As I've said before, Free Speech isn't free - it's not some luxury granted to us simply because we exist: there are limits to all things. I've discussed this before, and I repeat myself - you simply do not get to burble or blurt out whatever you damn well please. Say like, threatening bodily harm to the president, or shouting 'fire!' in a crowded theater.

Kathy Sierra is a Java Programmer, fer cryin' out loud, whose blog is anything but political (not that that has any bearing anyways), who has written or co-authored books on Java...but some of the commentary she's been subjected to is more than borderline disgusting. Indicative of some sociopathic fucktard who thinks the Marquise de Sade was a poseur, or probably has watched the Hills Have Eyes so many times, their already slim grip on reality has blurred.

The other problem I have, is that I was raised (loosely) Irish Roman Catholic - and one never, ever lays a hand on a woman. Chauvinistic as this sounds, on the physical level, women usually can't compete in hand-to-hand combat: there are exceptions to the rule, true, but overall, a woman is at a distinct disadvantage in a physical confrontation. It's just a fact, folks, and no amount of debate will change that. Granted, these were just verbal threats - even if Pegeen said, "...the blow of a loy, have taught me that there's a great gap between a gallous story and a dirty deed", still, there are limits, there's a point of no return even on a verbal level.

As to the complete morons in question, well, if you go around threatening women, you're coward, pure and simple. Unworthy of the mantle of masculinity you fancy you wear. If you're a bully well into adulthood, then it's time for some serious therapy, bucko.

Personally, I'd like an hour in a room with these assholes, and see how they feel about the phrase, 'Turnabout is fair play'. Maybe to find out if that one assbite is any damn good with his foam-flex bat, or to quote Bud White from L.A Confidential: "You're pretty tough with the ladies. Do you dance with the boys?"

And I don't want to hear some crap about 'violence is the first refuge of a coward', or any of that other schmaltz. For the most part, people will listen to reason: but there are those among us, the walking wounded, who are beyond the level of civilized discourse, who only understand one language well, who delight in the scent of fear that they monger, who are too weak or too feeble-minded to feel that twinge of empathy that separates us from the reptiles. In short, feral atavisms- reversions to type, who understand only the language of fear.

Pardon me if I went off in a bit of a rant there, but my ex-girlfriend left her husband of 18 years for me, because he was a drunken abusive wackjob, so this is a point of major contention for me. Bullies tend to make me see red.

In her own words:
"I have cancelled all speaking engagements.

"I am afraid to leave my yard.

"I will never feel the same. I will never be the same. "

Something like this leaves me white-knuckled. Testosterone in full throttle.

Now, I myself have actually spoken harsh words to other blogger's: I have called more than one male out onto the matt, I have been abusive on occasion - but to threaten a lady in such a manner...well, I've made myself sufficiently clear on that point.

So, where is the line drawn? I've been known to play moderator on the NGB, and have edited or deleted posts that were hateful or abusive (these are extreme cases). I myself, on the other hand, have been accused of being hateful and intolerant. As a rule, I tend to be more respectful towards women than others of my gender - but I maintain that I'll not say something online that I wouldn't say to the other blogger's' face - and that if I treat someone with respect, I expect to receive it in return. I'm a fairly friendly fellow.

An opinion, however, is another thing entire: and while other people are entitled to theirs, I feel entitled to call it foolish if I deem it so, in no unequivocal manner. On that point, there is no debate: unless I can be proven to be wrong.

The sad likelihood that this occurrence will force us all to walk upon eggshells: that general consensuses will collectively twist our arms to mince our words, and that PC pedantry will dilute the language to the extreme where we cannot call the shots the way we see them.

"All humanity is one undivided and indivisible family, and each one of us is responsible for the misdeeds of all the others. I cannot detach myself from the wickedest soul." - Gandhi

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SOME SPRING CLEANING

Some of you may have noticed, that links are disappearing off both the blogroll and the 'friends of mine' columns.
Presently, I am trying to streamline this blog. It loads a little more slowly than I'd like.
The reason some folks have vanished off the Blogroll/Friends columns, is that they're already blogrolled via the Atheist Blogroll (herein referred to as the AB), and it makes little sense (to me at least), to have them 'rolled' twice or more times (yes, we're still friends: just trying to be economical). I am unclear as to whether or not Google will index them once or twice (logically, it should only be once).
As per Mojoey (who began the project some time ago), I used this yardstick: if you haven't updated your blog at least in the last 3 months, I take it off the independent Blogroll. If you're already on the AB, it comes off (I've made an exception for The Friendly Atheist, as he contacted me via email).
For instance, I have noticed that the Martian Anthropologist (aka the Town of Autumn) isn't on the AB, and he updates regularly, so it stays on. Etc, etc, et al. Why Richard Carrier isn't on the AB, I have no idea. The same goes for Bay of Fundie, and Fundie-watch.

I realize that the AB is a work-in-progress, so I am in no way slighting any omissions: it's a big blogosphere, and growing exponentially daily.

Anyways, those folks are still counted among my friends, there's no shady undertones for it, it's pretty much cut-'n-dried. I'm just trying to make it easier for my readers, be-dee, be-dee, be-dee, that's all, folks.

Normal programming is hereby resumed. Please carry on.

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TEMPLATE UPDATING

I will be switching over to a new, improved template. The new Blogger doesn't allow the new layout GUI feature on a template chosen in the old blogger. The HTML has changed radically, enough so that it's a real bear to implement the expanding/collapsing post options. So this blog will seem a tad...askew as I put items in the places I desire most. This will be temporary only (probably in the course of a few hours), and I should have a finished product by today. I have saved a backup of the old HTML/template, and have been fiddling with a test blog, to acquaint myself with the newer features (and the shortcuts I can implement).
For the nonce, you should be able to read freely, and comment.
Multiple and profuse apologies if the remodeling inconveniences anyone.

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HEY, I'VE CONVERTED!...

...to the new blogger software.

Fooled ya? Made ya flinch?

I became tired of blogger.com always needling me to 'convert'. Problem is, I tried to do so several times, and received an error message about too many posts/comments. Oh, the problems with prolificity!

Finally, I was able to switch over (once the Beta was gone).
There are, as always, pluses and minuses.

Pluses:

1. Labels. Now I can organize my items via labels (kinda like tags). I've been meaning to do this, but shied away from tags. Once I switched, blogger provide a very easy-to-use GUI by which the blog owner is able to ferret out select posts, create new labels, etc. It's pretty darn neat. I will, in the near future, provide a sidebar for anyone interested in looking up a specific topic. It provides a neat little interface, via which you can select specific posts (checkboxes), and apply labels. You can also remove labels as well, on a per post, global, or select grouping (as well as add them). Also, if you're at a post, and click on the lable, it'll take you to a page full of the posts that are labelled similarly.
   
2. Posting. I can now make comments on my own posts without being regaled by that irksome random lettering schema.
3. Former format. It kept all my stuff. Cool!
4. Publishing. Hey, none o' that old '3% finished, 13% finished' crapola, it does it automatically. Sweeeet! (I ran into the occasional disconnect, where if Blogger disconnected during the indexing, it truncated the post. It would keep the entire post, but you'd need to re-publish for ALL of it to appear.)
5. Now it emails the blog owner with not only the blog name and comment, but also which post! WHEEE! So if someone posts a comment, I can figure out (easily) which post it's in, as opposed to the old way, where I had to A. Wait for Google to index, and B. run a search on the blog for said poster. So comment away on any ole thread you like: I'll be able to get back to you in a timely manner.
   
6. Editing posts. Right underneath, there's a little box, that says 'Labels for this post:' Click on 'Show all' , and it shows all the labels you've created, and allows you to click on each applicable one. Also, if you click on Post Options, it gives you per post options, i.e., Readers Comments and Backlinks. I haven't experimented much yet, but with this post, I chose 'Don't allow, hide existing' (Reader comments) and the same for Backlinks. Afterwards, I checked the global settings. It seems as if it's per post.
   

Minuses:

1. Software: once converted, I now have TWO logons, TWO passwords (I think). As a result, I can't use my preferred editors, Word for Blogger and Bloggar. I can copy and paste (I use Word), but it's an extra step, where there was none. It's a pain, and I don't want to have to dig into the API to diddle around with it.
   
2. Posting on other blogs: if said blog ISN'T on the new Blogger, I run into a loop, where it keeps on prompting me for that irksome random lettering schema ad infinitum. This is sporadic, by the way, and doesn't apply to EVERY older Blogger.
3. While the label interface is very nice, it shows how many comments per post. However, if you click on this, it just opens up a screen showing name, time/date stamp, etc. not the commentary made. Minor nuisance, but nuisance nonetheless.
   
4. The new drag 'n drop only applies to choosing a new template: the old one consists of the same old HTML editing. In other words, if you go to the new, but keep your old template, you're stuck.
   
5. Multiple blogs: if you have a blog that's still the OLD blogger, occasionally (post login), I'll see the message 'Can't connect to [blogname]'.
   
6. Remember Me? If you have a blog, you go to blogger.com, you'll see this up in your right-hand corner. I used to have the checkbox checked, but one day, it became an infinite loop, and so I had to clear out my cache (firefox). Talk about a buttpain!
7. The CSS style sheets have changed, the only hacks I can find for expandable posts are few and hardwired into skins (templates).

Just about everything else (looks like it) is the same. Feel free to let me know if you run into any problems, weirdness (posting or browsing), etc.

My biggest kvetch, is that semi-incompatibility with the old blogger. Select blogs (like beepbeep's) give me nothing but grief, and I have to post anonymously (both user and other choke). Others (like the bacon eater's) are no trouble at all.

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FOUND A NEAT, NEW POSTING SOFTWARE

Let's get off the beaten path here. I'm now using w.bloggar.
While I'm something of a technophile, I'm currently avoiding installing SQL, Wordpress and PHP on my PC. Why? A few reasons:

1. It's a 750 Mghz slogger, &


2. I'm trying to save on disk space, &


3. If I do install these neat programs, I'll spend way more time learning them than posting, &


4. I'm trying to streamline my blog.
   

As to 4, well, it's all well & good to fine-tune one's blog, but I find advertisements, flashing lights, & other bells & whistles very distracting. Luckily, I'm not epileptic, but I am gettin' on in years, & Occam's razor is playing a role in my life more & more, it seems.

Originally, I was using Blogger for Word, as MS Word is my favorite word processor (yeah, yeah, I know, 'Leper, outcast, unclean' & all that: it's all a matter of taste, really).

In a prior post (here), I talked about screwing with the jackals who try to hijack your stats. After doing so myself, I flushed my cache, cleared out a pile of detritus (using Norton Cleansweep), & guess what? Blogger for Word started giving me login problems (error #401, which Blogger doesn't have an answer to). Performancing had issues over the weekend (couldn't get 'em to accept my password, got an answer today, another issue resolved).

So I started to hunt around for a freeware alternative this weekend. Found this: http://wbloggar.com/

Easy to use. The spell-check didn't recognize 'blog' (which is a minor amusement, but no big whoop), but is fairly simple to fix.

Downsides:
It doesn't do the 1-2-3 bulleting thing very well. It also doesn't seem to update the prior post (if you make changes to the post: Blogger for Word did this nicely).


Thus far, 2 thumbs up: custom-made for those of us who'd rather spend more time writing and less time fiddling with the default configurations so many software programs seem to come with.

Try it out. It's a little bit of all right.

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