In other news

In this post, like the local news, I will unapologetically jump from one topic to the next in most cases without even the faintest attempt at segue.

So, my lappy finally gave up the ghost. First it was the wireless card which fried, then the sound card, now I think the video card is fried as it fails to display anything on the screen even though it seems to turn on just fine. It also does not show up on the local network however, so I'm not sure but there may be other problems not as simple as just a video card. I have had the roughest time with that piece as it is only a few years old. I am planning on trying to plug it into an external monitor to see if I can fire it up long enough to extricate my precious data from the clutches of it's hard drive, but I assume the worst. Fortunately, I have backed up most of my data, like my pictures, and my music, and my old essays and such, but there were some things - notably my new blog design that I was working on from scratch - and an interactive wallpaper that I was hoping on debuting as my first tutorial on my new blog when it launched. But alas, I could have easily had worse luck.

However, that does provide me with a similarly difficult choice as to another I recently faced. I have been concerned about an exit strategy for returning the nissan 240 back to my uncle Tim who graciously has allowed me to borrow it for the past several years. I cannot explain what a blessing that has been to me to have (generally) reliable transportation through this time. Anyways, I've been growing increasingly concerned that I have been abusing his generosity and should get a plan for getting a new car. However, I run into a problem because I believed that he didn't really want it back, and I couldn't really just up and sell it, so I wasn't sure what to do. » Flash Forward ».

Maybe about two weeks ago, Uncle Tim and his son, Ryan, my cousin, were having dinner at BW3. In the very short time they were having dinner, Ryan's super-old GMC pickup truck was stolen right out of the parking lot leaving Ryan with absolutely no transportation. As Mindy's mom has kindly loaned Mindy a car, we could still have one and a half vehicles including my bike as a half. As much as I was sad to not have a car of my own, I became increasingly confident that I really wanted to be able to help Ryan out as his dad had been there for me when I was in a pinch. It was a hard decision at the time, as many of you reading this blog probably had a conversation about it with my as I was trying to decide what to do. But since I've given Ryan the car, not having it has not been one ounce of trouble and in fact, has helped me to keep a little closer to Mindy as we do more things together. It has actually been kind of nice. Fortunately, the thieves ended up just recently abandoning Ryan's truck at a gas station, just as Uncle Tim predicted they would (upon these grounds I now suspect Uncle Tim of having participated in several "boostings" in his day).

Anyway, that was a very difficult decision for me, as is the decision to by a new computer or not, and whether it should be a notebook or a desktop. Since this rotten luck with my late lappy, and my discontent with the long term performance of the one before that, I had sworn off laptops. I was hoping to build my own desktops from now on so that they were fully upgradable and built to my exact specifications. As I have been learning however, in the face of plummeting manufactured pc costs, building a computer is more of a luxury now where it used to be a good way to save money. So here is my dilemma. At the time of this writing I have the following assets:

• Mindy's two laptops which I hate both of them but they can allow me to at least check my mail on the road
• The old desktop on which I am writing this post running brand spanking new ubuntu distribution with a 2.5 Ghz processor and a 500 Gb hdd but a lowly 512 Mb of RAM
• An empty but exceedingly geeky brand new case which looks like a transformer that I got free with the purchase of a sidewider laser mouse and matching light-up keyboard with removable, magnetically-docking numpad
• And an enigma of a lappy

Now three things are important to note here. First, my job as web designer, graphic artist, software manager and advertising executive means that I literally spend 100% of my time on the computer. If I am not on the computer, I am doing something that I shouldn't be doing. In fact, my graphical and video duties are best performed on a reasonably high performing machine (notably RAM). Second, most things I do for fun, like blogging, reading blogs, and working on at home web-design projects were up until recently performed on my lappy possibly watching tv with Mindy. Third, it has been the case that we have been travelling ceaselessly. We are at the in-laws every weekend for this thing or that. We both like to be home a lot, but even if we didn't between our two or two and a half families there is some family function nearly every weekend. The above circumstances basically necessitate me having a computer, and because of our travel make a laptop an attractive choice.

Also, thanks to an amazingly well-thought out and incredibly effective attempt however well-meaning attempt at saving our economy, yours and my tax dollars have furnished me with an economic stimulus windfall of around $500 of unearned revenue. Go Government(ha)! Therefore, we have roughly enough cash to cover one computer of either type, but it is really, really, really nice having some extra money which allows us to finally get away from literally month to month. Did I mention how nice having even a very small amount of extra money is. I also will be getting somewhere in the neighborhood of $3000 after taxes over the next few months between the profit sharing and bonuses that Kirk is paying out in installments every two weeks. I would love to save that for a car or the wedding instead of buying a computer but we will see. I've decided that I will try it for a month and see how things go which may slow my new blog development, but the only one that's going to bother is me…

To dispatch with that topic I would ask the following (here's looking at you Dan, Jackson, Adam?, Brad, Alex, and Ben). This Dimension 8200 has something called RDRAM or Rambus Kit RAM which is obscenely expensive and quite hard to shop around. While DDR is very popular and can be found very affordably like here on Newegg. I've been looking around to see if it's compatible but I haven't been able to find a definitive answer. More RAM would significantly ease my woes with this desktop and make it much more appealing as a medium term option. If I recall correctly, I believe Jackson might have had this exact model throughout college so maybe he can be of some assistance though my confidence in Dan is pretty high too.

Let's get on with the show with a bit of observationalist ranting. Investigate the diagrams below.

1	2	3
4	5	6
7	8	9
*	0	#

7	8	9
4	5	6
1	2	3
0		.

wtf… are computers and telephones seriously
trying to make my life hell?

As a few of you may remember, I was approached by a videographer on YouTube who had asked me to create a logo for his company, and I had taken on the project and promised to show all of you my work. Take a look and tell me what you think in the comments (remember that criticism is much more helpful than compliments, so don't beat around the bush). I made two possible logos, so that he can choose based on his tastes, as I was not actually able to meet with him to brainstorm. I like them both but I think I might like the energy-wave Z more for his company as there is more vivacity and motion, though the top one is nicely corporate. I also tried to make three copies which is a trick I learned from reading many logo design blogs because in a business setting you are not always able to have your logo in full color, as in faxes or stationary, so you should make it in a grayscale copy and a 2-color copy because there are actually some very minor design changes that should be made to maintain readability for those media.

I also played around for two of my last three posts on the TatStore.com blog with some cool stuff. My favorite was using pre-packaged layer styles to turn our stencils, and one with custom colors designed by yours truly, into pretty cool images which I could see as logos for tat companies or whatever.

Mindy and I had a few weeks ago looked around at athletic clubs to join. I was hoping to find a nice track to run around on, and maybe somewhere to shoot hoops on occasion. We looked at the gym right next door to TAT but the muscle-head who ran it was kind of a turn-off though his gym was very nice, and well priced as I learned. We then went to the YMCA up the road. It's brand new and had a ton of super cool stuff. A few of the stand-outs were a medicine ball up and down put them through the cylinder that lights up game, a two-bike virtual simulator where you pedal and steer through an environment and race against your neighbor and your personal best time, a pool (Y standard), and A BATTING CAGE. Not only that, but this place had a very nice atmosphere that was attractive to both of us. However, gyms are quite pricey and at $78 and $98 per month we will have to put those off for some time.

So instead, Mindy and I have been focusing on exercise on the weekends. For example, last Saturday we went over to KVCC played tennis for a few hours, then ran the track for a while, came home and ate, then played catch with the softball, and then played 9-holes of golf after watching the amazing upset at the Derby jockeyed by that charmingly incomprehensible southerner. I hope that we continue to have such lovely weather on the weekends so that we can plan a rally match for nearly every weekend. That is still in the works for those of you who are interested, which should be all of you living in West Michigan.

So if you are still reading this post it must mean you are very interested in the goings-on of my life. So in that vein, I have a couple of suggestions for you. First, you may have noticed on my sidebar at right, Mindy has made a blog which documents the progress of our upcoming wedding. If you have not read that, make sure to hop over there and get all the hot inside information (wedding.thebam22show.com). If you do, make sure you leave a comment, as she is very excited to show off her blog since she has gotten it all working and installed, picked the theme, customized it, and written every post all on her own, and I think she's doing a fantastic job. The posts are funny and informative, and we plan to be hosting an eRSVP there and dispensing other important information there.

Finally, I have been mulling over writing a post on torture, but as the window has slightly passed. I would like to point you to a couple of wonderful items. First and foremost, please please please check out Jackson's FAQ on torture over at hisConsiderations blog. Also, make sure to watch the Shepherd Smith's passionate response to the topic. As I think is clear from an earlier post of mine, The Worst Show on Television that I couldn't agree more with him. I doubt that we have heard the last of this debate… sadly.

Why I'm Happy I Didn't Go to Harvard

Check this out. A Harvard Economist's explanation of how Twitter caused this economic meltdown.

My response is best explained by the following XKCD comic.

The Worst Show on Television

My very live and let live sensibilities are rarely offended. In fact, I often scoff at arguments which focus on the desensitizing effects of music, movies, video games, television, and other media including the news. The crucifixion of Marylin Manson and games like Doom, as contributors to the senseless violence that occurred at Columbine High School, was obscene and sensationalist. However, I will abandon my normal arguments for one show - one show which I feel truly does more harm to the world than all of the others combine. That show is 24.

Now don't get me wrong. There are a lot of good things going on in 24. Not least of all is the incredibly innovative show structure which makes use of the physical reality of the show (notably that it spans one hour), and mirrors that through the plot and action of the show. Also, 24 does a wonderful job of providing incentive to repeat viewership through cliff-hangers, twists, and playfully incremental character development. No, my problem with the show, is none of these things, but for me actually overrules all of these things. My problem is with the themes of the show which through its hero, Jack Bauer, glorify and thoughtlessly perpetuate some of the most heinous errors from humanity's past. Not least of which when Jack Bauer repeatedly defies international law with one barbaric torture scene after another. The writers sing us a lullaby which reminds us to fear technology, savage foreigners, the rule of law, and just as sad, our friends. 24 drops us in a world, that it tells us is our world, where the only rule that matters is kill or be killed.

Don't get me wrong, I am not so naive so as to believe that everything can be taken care of by talking it out, and not all boo-boos can be healed with Barbie band-aids. Violence, espionage, black opts and the like all play crucial roles in the world we all live. Likewise, I realize that our liberties are threatened more than any of us wish to know by threats like terrorism and war. However, when you exploit the deepest fears of Americans and exaggerate the some of the most corrosive racial / cultural stereotypes unrelentingly and then hand them a messiah of amazing violence, distrust, and lawlessness, I feel that you do humanity a disservice. And I am not the only one who feels this way…

Please take a moment to read an article that Jackson Woods pointed out to me from the New Yorker last year, Whatever it Takes. In it Jane Mayer, explores the possible damage done by the show, and some of the positions of its smug co-creator Joel Surnow. Particularly enlightening is the section dedicated to documenting the personal visits Joel has received from the DEAN of West Point, asking him to limit the torture in the show on account of their very real and perceptible negative affects on prospective military officers. Not only do such scenes spit in the face of international law, but torture in real life has been proven to be very ineffective in garnering accurate intelligence. In fact, he cites several more effective methods that are actually used in the field which could conceivably provide Jack with more reliable information and not trample humanitarian efforts while doing it.

I know it's quite long, but please take a chance to read the article Whatever it Takes.

One thing that occurred to me while watching the newest episodes tonight (I wanted to watch Helvetica on PBS in the same timeslot, but Mindy really likes 24) is that we have rightly thrown shame and venom towards our outgoing President while we hail the throne of the great Jack Bauer, and worship him with the voting voice that is viewership. Honestly, at its core 24 tells us that the ends justify the means, and that liberty and decency should be desecrated when we can protect innocent American lives, but yet we are appalled by Guantanamo, we were outraged at the unconstitutional, causeless tapping of our phones and records, and we will put to trial certain Blackwater operatives who may have overstepped or neglected the rules governing combat. Well I say make up your damned minds. I hate Jack Bauer, and I am saddened by the terrible world it helps to create.

Now I understand that there are times when Jack and the other characters of the show consciously deal with these issues. For example, in this season, Jack is standing in front of a congressional panel where he is forced to answer for his black past. He even sometimes edges towards regret for the things that have to happen for him to keep the world safe. If I remember correctly, I believe Jack was even forced to kill his own brother which he found very regrettable. Unfortunately, the answer built by the writers is resoundingly that these things after all had to be done, and secondly, that there was no other way to produce the results he needs. So in effect, we are left with a Socratic argument which asks questions to which the answer is always pain, violence, and torture. In my opinion, instead of tempering the case the for violence, these moments of thoughtfulness actually strengthen the case and redouble the damage done to society.

I also realize that you may sense some hypocrisy in that my favorite show on tv, Dexter, features a homicidal forensics officer who kills savagely and completely without remorse. He too is the hero, and you might think is an excellent mirror of Jack, who also does "whatever it takes." Additionally one of my favorite movies is the Boondock Saints wherein two brothers and eventually their father go on a rampage of righteous killings, freeing the world from the very worst of our criminals and deviants. However, there are many many good arguments for why these shows are wonderful and 24 is disgusting beyond belief. I shall enumerate just a few of these reasons here:

1. Our heroes don't / rarely torture - killing is legal, and actually deemed appropriate where torture is strictly forbidden by our Constitution and countless other documents
2. Our heroes have clearly developed and explicit codes which means they respect the rule of law
3. Our heroes are much less wreckless - they deal out justice much less trivially
4. Finally, our heroes are not cast as America's last chance - or the only way to safety

I would urge you to consider the multitude of other shows which deal with similar threats completely differently. A 24 contemporary that I like very much for example, that even shares a broadcast night is The Unit.

I understand that these arguments might not hold water for you, and in that case I encourage you to flame me in the comments. But I hope to have at least brought 24's senseless violence one step forward into your consciousness where it is unable to harm your conception of how the world really works.