Archive for January 2012

The Senator – R.I.P.

Cultural Offering Blog posts that ‘The Senator’, a 3,500-year-old, 118 foot tall cyprus in Florida, burned down after being struck by lightning. Think of the implications, as this is something older than most of the great civilizations of this Earth. A profound loss. RIP.

17 Popular Universities That Are Using WordPress

This article is about three years old now, but I find it to be a good demonstration as to what any organization can do with WordPress. The CMS program just gets better and better, and I’m thrilled to be able to tell anyone who will listen about the virtues of this platform. It’s not hard to learn, very flexible with add-ons, and has a really loyal fan-base who are willing to help other bloggers and website designers perfect their pages.

Scrub SOPA

The Editorial Board at National Review is thoroughly against SOPA, PIPA and any other lame piece of trash that blocks creativity and censors the end user. I understand that Anonymous wants to make a point by shutting down and attacking websites, this will end up backfiring on them in the end. The reality is that conservative (not “Conservative,” per se) voters and lawmakers who understand business are going to be more effective in crafting laws that would be far more equitable for everyone. When an educated voting populace learns how business works, good laws protecting copyright will emerge. You need the laws to protect and motivate businesses to grow, including those in the arts. Still, common sense should also be used regarding sharing files, blogging, getting off of the backs of podcasters, and leaving those people who might download an out-of-print album alone. Do I have a problem going after rogue governments who blatantly rob intellectual property? Hell, no I don’t! But I do have a problem not being able to share an out-of-print album of progressive rock or jazz or classical music because some worm at the RIAA insists I’m stealing something from their organization.

Take the time to read National Review’s commentary here.

‘Dude, Where’s My Lifeboat?’

In terms of good manners and bravery, things have changed for the worse.

I had the honor of being raised by a chivalrous father. He had always let it be known that I’d ‘get it’ if I didn’t hold doors open for women, let the woman walk into a room first (except for German girls, where one should walk in first, to make sure the room is safe), and so on. It became something so deeply ingrained into my psyche that every time I hear a feminist cackle about equality to this day, I wonder about the mind-numbing sludge spilling out of their mouth and ponder their seriousness in anything in life. Is that rough? Perhaps, and it’s not entirely meant to be. The problem is that I decided long ago that it was no longer worth my time or effort to decipher things that made absolutely no sense to me.

The problem seems to be two-fold: first, women demand equality, yet expect deference. To say otherwise is to lie, and everyone who thinks critically about this story knows it. It is not to say that feminism, in and of itself, is such a horrible thing. There will be situations in life where you WILL have to rely on yourself, either for your own benefit or for the benefit of those around you. This should be commended and encouraged. Just don’t complain if, in an emergency, that a man won’t steamroll over you to save his skin while you or your child drowns. When you subscribe to certain theories, think fully of the consequences. The second is far more disturbing to me: cowardice. I included a link to National Review Editor Rich Lowry’s column. It left me feeling sick that men feel absolutely no shame in blatant cowardice anymore. It has become an accepted part of society. The man has nothing to defend, and the woman has nothing to shield her from the harsh realities of natural disasters. Our culture rots every time a story like this comes out. We’re in a truly pitiable state.

Healing Nicely

Me, as of today, healing.

A lot of you knew I had a rather long surgery a few days ago. I’m fine from it, but recovery will be long and annoying. Still, this is how I’m looking these days. Yes, I need a shave, and I look like a combination between Grizzly Adams and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. Yuck. Anyway, all’s well, and I’ll shave eventually.

U2 – New Year’s Day

Can one be any more obvious? Enjoy!