http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/janetdaley/6845967/
There’ll -be-nowhere-to-run-from-the-new-world-government.html tl;dr. Read it later.
BAMA.TO Not a URL, though it’s curious.
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12/22
Posted December 22, 2009 By LandisElkhorn, IA – Dane windmill & museum
Manning, IA – German barn museum & restaurant
25 Things (many months later)
Posted December 20, 2009 By Landis VI’ve been tagged a couple of times. It will take approximately six years for me to complete this. During that interval, it will live in my “draft notes” folder.
I’m not tagging anyone. Read them if you want, don’t if you don’t.
1. I find taxes perversely interesting now that I’m (just a little bit) older. I learn something new every year. In 2007 (2006 filing) I learned that you get positively buttraped for “married filing separately.” Last year I filed longform for the first time. This year I discovered a little bit about tax credits for points while refinancing a home. Next year, I’ll learn about dependant deductions and (hopefully) capital gains and losses.
2. I like to publish my music playlists. I’m modestly ecclectic in my tastes and, though I usually have my players set to random, my music will sometimes reflect my mood. I’m quite sure it’s not something that people pay a great deal of attention to, but it’s important enough to me that I seek out audio devices and applications that support it (www.last.fm, www.foobar2000.org, www.rockbox.org).
3. At any given time, the value of my liquor cabinet approximates that of my cars. I don’t like cheap crap, but I like a lot of different things. Reciprocally, I don’t really mind cheap crappy cars 🙂
4. I’m a bit vain. Perhaps not a surprise.
5. I value intelligence, competence, and self-capability more than anything.
6. Re: #5. Except my family. Though I’ve no qualms there.
7. I like quality. Quality clothes, quality booze/beer/wine, quality thought, quality -everything-.
8. I procrastinate. By way of example, when is the last time you remember this survey going around? Yeah, that’s probably close to the time I started it. And it’s iffy whether I’ll finish it tonight even.
9. I am conservative. For the most part. There are two specific examples I can cite that most conservatives would disagree with me upon: abortion and -true- freedom of speech. In regard to abortion, I have no right to decide (as it is a woman’s body and, as such, her right to make that decision – yes, I say this with no qualms after having had a child of my own; I have an undeerstandable bias, but that does not under any circumstances give me the right to profess my will over another person’s body. In regard to freedom of speech, “conservatives” generally need to adopt an atitude of practicing what they preach, especially in regard to speech they disagree with, to avoid hypocrisy. Actions are another story…
10. Ties into “I’m vain”, but I like people to know what I think. How else are they going to form an opinion based upon my ideals? (That’s pseudo-sarcastic.)
11. I believe this country is going straight to hell, just like the EU. Go ahead and ask me why, I could do with a reason to rant.
12. I -love- my family. My daughter amazes me with her curiosity and inquisitiveness, and my wife amazes me with her undsrstanding and true goodness.
13. I like variety. After all, if you keep the same routines for the rest of your life, how are you going to see alll the other things you like? (N.B. Value > variety)
14. I love to better understand what I already know. For example, in #13 I already had an approximate awareness of “N.B.”. Yet it never hurts to further develop context. I looked it up. See here.
15. My daughter can challenge my patience sometimes. It is no fault of hers; it is fault of myself.
16. I feel starved for time. I want to know everything, do everything, and still maintain channels amongst my friends and acquaintances.
17. My wife is, frankly, amazing. She can take me from a near rage to a settled, thoughtful state that reflects my ideal image of myself. In any circumstance.
18. I have weaknesses. Don’t bother asking me about them. If I don’t tell you personally, you’ll never know. Not a big secret, so does everyone, but it’s something. And I’m running out of ideas without resorting to the “I really like spaghetti” style answers. I’m trying to do something deep here, people!
19. Children are exhausting, but perhaps not nearly so much as one might think. At least, mine isn’t 🙂
20. I would like to learn to read and have a workable understanding of Latin. Yes, it’s a dead language. It’s a dead language with vast history and context, however.
21. I can speak a few words of Mandarin. Something I pursued at one time, and something I may get back to at some point in the (distant) future.
22. I’m maybe (more than) a little bit GQ. Big turnaround from high school.
23. I like stout, black coffee. One of the best I’ve ever had was (I believe) a chickory blend from Cafe Du Mond (Du Monde?) in New Orleans.
24. I LOVE to travel. And I finally got my passport this year. Fortunate, considering I have family in Canada and may want to go there again someday soon 🙂
25. I have summed up the complete and total essence of my being in the previous 24 questions. (The real #25: SURPRISE! I have an enormous amount of sarcasm!)
The Unawareness Routine
Posted December 19, 2009 By Landis VThis is something I had published elsewhere a while ago. I read it this evening and thought it worthy of sharing.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
I was watching my dog this evening as he was outside on his very heavy duty cable and equally heavy duty stake. While not suited for constraining an elephant, it definitely leaves no concerns for a 65lb mutt.
There is an ash tree growing in my back yard, which happens to fall within the circumfrence of the area reachable by said dog when attached to said cable. As I watched Flop explore the great outdoors, I became aware of something I had not previously considered. His explorations brought him within the vicinity of the ash tree. Surely you know the near future of the story, as we have all watched in amusement at the canine inability to comprehend cables and trees. He wound around a few times before freeing himself to continue exploring.
It is this few moments of decreasing circle of existence which I now wish to explore. As Flop wrapped and disentangled himself from the ash tree, I considered his lack of understanding, lack of awareness of his environment. A good, relatively intelligent dog, but lacking the comprehension of all characteristics of his environment.
Continuing this to humans, for I believe there are none amongst us with a full comprehension of the myriad aspects, rules, and components that make up the totality of our existence… what, then, are the limitations and/or influences which affect us that we are not aware of simply due to lack of understanding?
I am well aware that this is an open ended question of an epic nature, for if we simply knew and understood… we would understand the effects of these elements upon our daily lives. If we understood them, what more would we be able to accomplish? What obstructions would we remove from our lives? How large would our world become??? I will not attempt to answer it here, only to note that it is something which I will do my best to consider going forward in my life. What more would be possible if we could eliminate the unawareness routine?
Filed in Musings
With Nelson on board, health-care bill could pass by Christmas
Posted December 19, 2009 By Landis VSource: www.washingtonpost.com
Nelson sells out…
One of few Democrats who I respected a great deal. No more.
One of few Democrats who I respected a great deal. No more.
12/18
Posted December 18, 2009 By Landishttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123083704.htm
Had this link saved from before, need to look at it again.
12/15
Posted December 15, 2009 By Landis“It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull.” – H.L. Mencken
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/diy-book-scanner/
DIY book scanner, as stated.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/open_source_hardware_2009_-_the_def.html
http://www.taskcoach.org/
Interesting for desktop software.
http://www.redmine.org/
Also interesting for project management, and possibly even change management depending upon ease and flexibility of workflow configuration.
