tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242237432024-03-13T16:05:26.130-04:00Cranial SoupPeas, carrots, green beans, and gray matter.Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-25540746782581379202008-07-05T11:30:00.010-04:002008-12-11T02:24:12.763-05:00Freedom Sandwich<img style="margin: 20px 10px 10px 0pt; float: left;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SG-cHMTvCCI/AAAAAAAAAWo/h27PGsyrRyc/s400/liberty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219562140522711074" border="0" /><br />Yesterday, on the anniversary of America's indepencence, I wanted to write a piece on freedom, but kind of got stuck.<br /><br />At first I wanted to write about the countries that still are not free, like China, where bloggers are now resorting to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121493163092919829-b_PctCCtBc8gRRAFxiXjVld6hJY_20090702.html">writing backwards</a> in order to beat censorship and report about what is really going on behind the Great Firewall.<br /><br />Or perhaps focusing on <a href="http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2008">who is and isn't totally free</a> yet.<br /><br />Then thinking about the US, the myth of freedom here, and the reality that we aren't totally free as some may believe, maybe focusing on why we are not free, as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0742562905&tag=freeprogeboo-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">this report</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=freeprogeboo-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> may explain.<br /><br />Or go more in depth about the freedom of the press, and what responsibilities come along with it in relation to self-censorship and <a href="http://cranialsoup.blogspot.com/2008/02/mainstream-media-and-censorship.html">its ethical and moral implications</a>, focusing on the list of <a href="http://www.projectcensored.org/censored_2008/index.htm">censored news stories</a>.<br /><br />Or perhaps a piece on economic freedom and what organizations like <a href="http://thegreenchildren.org/tgcf/">The Green Children Foundation</a> are doing to help people living in third world countries overcome poverty, while still keeping their dignity, in the form of microcredit loans.<br /><br />Or perhaps how the <a href="http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-institutions_government/democracy_energy_3637.jsp">price of oil can threaten democracy</a> in places where the whole concept of freedom is still fairly new and still on shakey ground. The article is from 2006, when the price of oil was much lower than it is now, so most likely the situation is much worse today than it was at the time the article was written.<br /><br />Or artistic and educational freedom, and focus on <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.cfm">books that have been banned</a> throughout history, for one reason or another.<br /><br />Or psychological freedom, and how the <a href="http://www.way2hope.org/Illnesses/atychiphobia-fear-failure.htm">fear of failure</a> holds so many people back and prevents them from living up to <a href="http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/2006/04/20.html">their full potential</a>. (Unfortunately, something I have first-hand experience with)<br /><br />Or the desire for financial freedom, and the rising number of "get rich on the internet by blogging about how to <a href="http://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=make+money+blogging">make money blogging</a>" websites that are popping up every day.<br /><br />Or freedom of information, and the threat of censorship from ISP's and their desire to do away with <a href="http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/internet/26829res20070405.html">net neutrality</a> to boost profits, cut costs, and control what you see and do on the internet, and decide who can and will be able to profit online.<br /><br />Since I couldn't make up my mind as to what direction I wanted to go with this freedom piece, I decided to give you a little slice of everything I was thinking about yesterday, just in time for lunch.<br /><br />Enjoy your "freedom sandwich".<br /><br />Take it slow, one bite at a time, don't eat too fast...it's ok to save some for later.Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-46230250899049768342008-06-28T06:01:00.005-04:002008-12-11T02:24:13.724-05:00Bill Gates Cleans Out His Desk and Leaves Behind a Priceless Email<img style="margin: 20px 10px 10px 0pt; float: left;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SGYP3-So54I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/07Q3_lsF5Rg/s400/bill_gates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216874672643696514" border="0" /><br />The internet has been cluttered lately with <a href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bill-gates-cleans-out-his-desk">tributes</a> and <a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23930871-5014239,00.html">articles</a> devoted to Bill Gates and his contributions to the world of computing, on the eve of his retirement from Microsoft.<br /><br />Out of all of these, one in particular stands out...<br /><br />Back in 2003, Bill Gates tried to download and install Windows Movie Maker, unsuccessfully, and then sent a <a href="http://www4.osnews.com/story/19921/Full_Text:_an_Epic_Bill_Gates_e-Mail_Rant">whopper of an email rant</a> to the proper department heads.<br /><br />I chuckled and felt a great sense of satisfaction as I read this, because this is a whole different side of Bill that we have never seen. This is not the smiling Bill you see in all the publicity photos. This is not the Bill you have seen in interviews and videos.<br /><br />This is "Bill the XP user"...one of us. And he was pissed as all hell, at all the crap he had to go through to download & install an application from Microsoft.com, which in the end, he still wasn't able to do.<br /><br />This email rant is a priceless gem.<br /><br />It is the email we all wish we could have written, a million and one times over.<br /><br />Each and every time that we have blamed and cursed out Bill over the years because of some stupid-ass Windows crap that has annoyed or confused the hell out of us, Bill Gates has been annoyed and confused right along with us, and bitching at the people responsible for the bullshit.<br /><br />Thanks, Bill. You changed our lives. And I hope, even though you are retiring, that you plan to keep on bitching.Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24223743.post-50717842342967332402008-05-11T09:08:00.005-04:002008-12-11T02:24:17.209-05:00What does a 13 year old boy from Texas do with hookers?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SCbzJw7pNVI/AAAAAAAAAUM/69qk22bBCtw/s1600-h/SNAG-00027.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qlCAUZtia6Q/SCbzJw7pNVI/AAAAAAAAAUM/69qk22bBCtw/s400/SNAG-00027.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5199110168925254994" border="0" /></a><br />He plays Halo with them, of course!<br /><br />And then grows up to be a politician.<br /><br />This is one of the most hilarious news articles that I have read in awhile.<br /><br />"<a href="http://www.money.co.uk/article/1000390-13-year-old-steals-dads-credit-card-to-buy-hookers.htm">13 Year Old Steals Dad's Credit Card to Buy Hookers</a>"Apphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04973805741360160102noreply@blogger.com0