Jagmeister posts –> Life sure gets full when you take two night classes in addition to a full-time job. One nice side effect of this was my old PC couldn’t handle the new Java development environment so I was forced (arm twisted and tied behind my back) to go buy a new one. Dang. What a shame.

It’s truly amazing the computer power you can buy these days for not a whole lot of money. Needless to say I am very pleased with upgrade. Things that used to give me time to go get a cup of coffee now snap right up on the screen. I also dumped my 19″ CRT in favor of a 19″ LCD display and now I have more deskspace to pile up papers!

I do have one negative thing to report. I bought a textbook last fall in anticipation of the course this spring. I ordered the correct edition but when the book arrived I never really looked at it, just put it on the shelf. Now two weeks into the course I discover that they shipped me the wrong edition. And of course they don’t respond to my emails. GRRRR….

What is with these textbooks anyway. I can understand why some of my textbooks would be expensive. I taking graduate courses in a specialized field. But my son just signed up for a basic Algebra course at the local community college and his text book was $100. For an elementary, fundamentals course? That’s absolutely crazy! What are they thinking?

Jagmeister posts –> I hear the govt. is going to revise the No-Fly list. It’s about time. It was a stupid idea to begin with. There’s something distinctly un-American about a secret government blacklist, with no right of appeal or judicial review. Apparently, there has been no recourse for those on the list. There’s no ability to review any evidence against you, or even confirm that you are actually on the list.

People can be put on the list for any reason; no standards exist and, for most people, there’s no way to get off the list or to “prove” once and for all that they’re not whoever the list is really looking for. Fortunately, the Homeland Security Department is going to launch a new program that will give travelers “a clearly-defined process” to report problems. Beginning Feb. 20, the program, dubbed Traveler Redress Inquiry Program, will serve as a central processing point for all inquiries about the list.

That’s a step in the right direction but I think they should drop the whole thing. Do they really think the terrorists are going to fly under their own name? The whole airport security thing has gotten out of hand. Just because one fool tries to put a bomb in his shoe millions of travelers are inconvenienced every day. Now were limited to the amount of fluids we can take onboard. If things keep going in the same direction pretty soon we’ll get to the airport and strip down to don our official travel garment and that will be all we can take on the plane.

James Randi, AKA The Amazing Randi, is cranky.  He is the epitome of the cantankerous old guy.  Old enough to be my grandfather, with a white beard and a grouchy demeanor, he enjoys taking potshots at “woo-woo” people.

He’s what I want to be when I grow up.  See, the man has a right to be cranky.  For almost as long as I have been alive, he’s run the great challenge…starting at $1,000 back in the 70’s, and now $1,000,000 in cool cash, to anyone that can prove they have paranormal abilities.  They don’t have to show how they do it…they just have to show that they CAN do it.  Paranormal is even a wide open subject, and this is done deliberately.  Spoon bending, mind reading, remote viewing, dowsing…even speaking with the dead or detecting the souls of eggs.  Dealing with all this…delusional people, con artists, frauds, thieves, and even decent people that just had a mental lapse…it is enough to make anyone cranky.  Not everyone is polite.  Not everyone that asks for the test actually WANTS to be tested.  Not everyone is coherent.  Not everyone accepts that they failed the test, and on occasion, the safety of those doing the testing is at risk.  Alas, each claim filed must be taken seriously, with exceptions generally only being taken when the health of the person taking the test might be at risk.  For example, a man who claims that he can drink cyanide tea is right out.

Even so, hundreds of claims have been filed.  Hundreds of claims have been investigated.  Hundreds of people have failed.  To date, the $1,000,000 is safe.  The excuses for failure are many, of course, ranging from the polite “Wow…I guess I really don’t have these powers.  Sorry for wasting your time” to the deranged “You’re beaming evil thoughts, killing the aliens that do this for me!?!?!?”  The excuses for not taking the test are also wide and varied.  Some claim that they don’t need the money, some claim the tests are fixed, and some claim that even if they should pass the tests they won’t be paid.  The only excuse that passes merit is the “Nah…this is just a money making scheme and I don’t want to be exposed”.  Most paranormal people just ignore the test, even after accepting.  Sylvia Brown accepted the challenge on the Larry King show, but has yet to take even the preliminary.

My favorite is the one that states the Randi won’t pay out because he refuses to admit he was wrong.  Just as he seems to take delight in pointing out the flaws in others words, actions, and ideas, he seems to also enjoy it when people point out HIS flaws.  Provided, of course, they have sufficient ability to back it up…and he has a large number of people willing to do research into areas he isn’t familiar with.  I HAVE seen retractions of retractions he has made, when he has discovered that he was right all along…

At this point, I should note that these are MY words, not quotes from anyone, although I did borrow heavily from readings from the James Randi Educational Foundation at www.randi.com  and not to be construed as FROM the JREF.

So why the fuss?  Why do I bring this up, instead of just saying “This is a cool place…go here and check it out!”  Because things are changing.  The entry rules are being tightened to weed out a lot of the contestants with no merit for their claims.  Before, anyone could enter, and did…now, the entrants must have a “media profile”.  In other words, they have to have been in the news as news.  No, not in the comedy byline…an actual researched article or report.  Additionally, the entrants must also have the backing of an academic.  A scientist, a professor…someone with the background that they can state that they have seen the paranormal action in question, and support the entrants claims.  In other words, a scientist who says that, due to quantum physics, it should be possible to fly isn’t permissible…but a scientist that says that yes, they saw the man flap his arms and fly around the campus is.

Additionally, the foundation will issue public and well publicized challenges to public paranormal people.  Speak to the dead on tv?  Expect a challenge.  Make predictions about the future to the press?  Expect a challenge.  Use astrology to make business decisions?  Bend spoons?  Faith healing?  Miracles?  Better be able to either prove it, or hire a spin doctor and publicist.

Even better, the foundation will investigate the paranormal people.  Not just their claims, but finances, history, actions…anything.  Anything suspicious goes to the press or the police.  Lawsuits for fraud, libel, tax evasion should be forthcoming.  Personally, I want to see John Edwards sued by the SEC for using the dead for insider trading…

Randi is cranky.  He’s been lied too.  He’s been sued (unsuccessfully) for libel and slander.  People have tried to defraud him.  He has been accused of all kinds of things.  He’s tired of it.  He’s not going to take it any more.

So while I may disagree with him on a few things (never successfully, after research), and we may have different opinions on a few things (and opinions are like…you get the idea) I salute him, and I support him, and most of all, just like him, I accept that hey, I might be wrong…but the person better be able to prove it.

I pulled up behind a beautiful red Pantera on the way home tonight. Why he had it out on day like this (the roads are still in pretty rough shape) I have no idea but it sure did lift my spirits so I can just imagine what it must have done for him! I think the last time I saw a Pantera was on Grissom AFB back in ‘74. For those of you who are uneducated about these things, the Pantera was a joint venture between Ford and DeTomaso to produce a two-seat Italian sports car powered by an off-the-shelf Mustang engine, the venerable 351 Cleveland. It was only imported from 1971-1974. The picture shows a nice example of one.

I’ve seen some interesting vehicles out here in Colorado. There is a Ford GT-40 that parks across the street from where I work every now and then. I saw a new Lotus the other day and last summer I saw a Bentley Continental GT cruising down I-25.

Speaking of red shiny things…Ronda brought home a new snow shovel from hardware store today. The old one developed a hernia (well ok, a split) and isn’t doing too well. How can a hunk of plastic on a wooden stick cost $12? Which was the expensive part? The plastic or the stick?

Last Thursday morning we were treated to an awesome light show in the western sky as the remnants of a Russian Soyuz 2-1b rocket re-entered the atmosphere and broke up high above the mountains. It was an amazing sight to see. Likely a once in a lifetime event. There was also a full moon setting and the debris passed just below it. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was incredible!

The rocket, made in Russia, was launched from Kazakhstan on December 27, carrying the European Space Agency’s COROT space observatory into orbit. Flying high above the Earth’s atmosphere, the Convection Rotation and planetary Transits (COROT) satellite will look for smaller, rocky extrasolar planets beyond our solar system.

Watch the cool video of the rocket re-entry here.

Here I sit in my cube. Well, not really my cube. More like my corner of the cube. Back at work listening to the quiet background noise of half dozen conversations. I had to visit the dentist this morning and I am reflecting on the relationship between pain and healing. It seems that the two are inevitably intertwined. To be healed requires walking through pain. In how many areas of your life have you found this to be true?

The title of this entry mentions New Beginnings. We can all relate to that phrase and intuitively grasp the hope that springs forth but it makes me wonder if there is a counterpart? Old Endings? That sounds too weird. You can say Last Year and that works, but Last Beginnings? Old Finales? History? Now we’re getting somewhere. I think Memories is the best counterpart. We have our memories and we have a new beginning everyday. Every day is a new day. New day, new year, new beginning, new this, new that. It’s not really the subject that counts it is the modifier. New.

My ratty old dictionary has twelve different entries for new. Curiously, only the latter ones fit into the context I’m thinking of;
8. different and better.
9. other than the former or the old.
These two combined summarize my perception of this coming year. I think this is going to be a good year. It has a certain auspicious feel to it.