This page already (as of 2024-05-27) has a bunch of stuff on it. Most of that stuff I don't think is
worth of the effort to put a link in the Table of Contents. Maybe you will bump into some of it on your
tour of my garden. Hopefully, you will enjoy that stuff if you bump into it.
Of unknown origin, possibly from obsolete Middle English gawren (“to stare”) which is of uncertain
origin,
probably from
Old Norse gá (“to watch, heed”) or gaurr (“rough fellow”) (Proto-Indo-European *gʰow-rós, from *gʰew-
(“to
be
angry”)).
Adjective
garish (comparative more garish, superlative most garish)
1. Overly ostentatious; so colourful as to be in bad taste. [from 1540s]
Synonyms: gaudy
The dress fits her well, but the pattern is rather garish.
A note for the
meticulous: Yes I know the image above is off-centered and I know it is not detailed or
anything. It
is the result of a couple of hours of experimenting, learning, and playing. I am tired and decided
to just show off
rather than redraw it again.
I spent a couple of hours today playing with an SVG file.
For those of you who do not know, svg files are images that can be edited in a text editor. SVG files
are crisp and
clean at any scale. The file above was created in a text editor and in the original iteration was
somewhere between
50 and 75 lines of code.
Originally, everything was plotted out by starting a line at a point and
ending it at another point. Long, boring, tedious and mind numbing was that procedure. If I had to draft
cabinet
plans that way all the time I might have to quit my job or take up heavy drinking.
A few months ago
when I started learning about SVG, or at least the syntax of it, I discovered the <path> element.
I also
discovered that MDN is about as clear as mud on some
things.
While I did played around with <path> a few months ago I did not really understand much of what I
was
doing.
I looked at my 60-odd lines of code today and said there simply has to be a better way to do
this. So to Google I ventured and after a couple of other fruitless pages I found this wonderful page by Chris
Coyier.
About a 1/4 of the way down the page is a table that clearly explains in about 100 words what MDN
couldn't explain
in a few hundred words on their site.
I experimented with for a little while using the above
site as a reference. Low and behold one can use relative distances! I no longer need to go from
point x to point y
on every stinking line in the drawing. I can draw a whole plan relative to the point I started at.
That'll cut my
math down to NOTHING!
At the end of it all today I probably can cut the time it takes to draw a
cabinet in a text editor in half and my 60-odd lines of code was reduced to 24 lines AND 8 of those
lines are
comment lines and 2 more lines (the circles) are wholly unecessary. So, for what is in this picture
there are only
14 lines of code and that can be reduced as well.
For those curious here is the code:
<svg viewBox="0 0 232 232" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
<rect x="100" y="0" width="132" height="139
" fill="white" stroke="black" stroke-width="1" />
<g stroke="black" fill="white" stroke-width="0.5">
<!-- upper unit top -->
<path d="M 222 10 h -96 L 116.9 19.1 h 96 z" />
<!-- backsplash -->
<path d="M 126 76 h 96 v -30 h -96 v 30" />
<!-- upper unit front -->
<path d="M 116.9 19.1 v 36 h 96 v -36" />
<!-- upper unit left side -->
<path d="M 222 10 v 36 l -9.1 9.1 v -36 l 9.1 -9.1" />
<path d="M 126 76 v 0 36 h 0 96 v 0 -36 z" />
<!-- backsplash -->
<circle cx="222" cy="46" r="1" fill="red" />
<circle cx="126" cy="76" r="1" fill="green" />
<!-- 3 edges of counter top -->
<path d="M 126 76 l -16.97 16.97 h 96 l 16.97 -16.97" />
<!-- front of cabinet -->
<path d="M 109.03 92.97 v 36 h 96 v -36 " />
<!-- right side of cabinet -->
<path d="M 222 76 v 36 L 205.03 128.97 v -36 z" />
</g>
</svg> Reply by Email Return to top
The <main> HTML element represents the dominant content of the
<body> of a document. The main content area consists of content that is directly related to or
expands
upon the
central topic of a document, or the central functionality of an application.
A document mustn't have more than one
<main> element that doesn't have the hidden
attribute specified.
The <header> HTML element
represents
introductory content, typically a group of introductory or navigational aids. It
may contain some heading elements but also a logo, a search form, an author name, and other elements.
The <section> HTML> element
represents a
generic standalone section of a document, which doesn't have a more specific
semantic element to represent it. Sections should always have a heading, with very few exceptions.
To put this in Cracker-speak: This here acts just like a <div> so it is kind of redundant but it
works
better with a screen reader.
The
<nav> HTML element represents a section of a page whose purpose is to provide navigation links,
either
within the current document or to other documents. Common examples of navigation sections are menus,
tables
of contents, and indexes.
The <footer> HTML element represents a footer for its nearest ancestor sectioning content or
sectioning
root
element. A <footer> typically contains information about the author of the section, copyright data
or
links
to related documents.
The <article> HTML element represents a self-contained composition in a document, page,
application, or
site, which is intended to be independently distributable or reusable (e.g., in syndication). Examples
include: a forum post, a magazine or newspaper article, or a blog entry, a product card, a
user-submitted
comment, an interactive widget or gadget, or any other independent item of content.
A given document can have multiple articles in it; for example, on a blog that shows the text of each
article
one after
another as the reader scrolls, each post would be contained in an <article> element, possibly with
one
or more <section>
s within.
The
<aside> HTML element represents a portion of a document whose content is only indirectly related
to
the
document's
main content. Asides are frequently presented as sidebars or call-out boxes.
The <summary> HTML element specifies a summary, caption, or legend for a <details>
element's
disclosure box. Clicking
the <summary> element toggles the state of the parent <details> element open and closed.
The <time> HTML element represents a specific period in time. It may include the datetime
attribute to
translate dates
into machine-readable format, allowing for better search engine results or custom features such as
reminders.
It may represent one of the following:
A time on a 24-hour clock.
A precise date in the Gregorian calendar (with optional time and timezone information).
The <figure> HTML element represents self-contained content, potentially with an optional caption,
which is specified
using the <figcaption> element. The figure, its caption, and its contents are referenced as a
single
unit.
Ortolan Bunting perched on a rock Copyright 2013 by Pierre Dalous Licensed CC By-SA 3.0
The <abbr> HTML element represents an abbreviation or acronym.
When including an abbreviation or acronym, provide a full expansion of the term in plain text on first
use,
along
with the <abbr> to mark up the abbreviation. This informs the user what the abbreviation or
acronym
means.
The optional title attribute can provide an expansion for the abbreviation or acronym when a full
expansion
is
not present. This provides a hint to user agents on how to announce/display the content while informing
all
users what the abbreviation means. If present, title must contain this full description and nothing
else.
The <data> HTML element links a given piece of content with a machine-readable translation. If the
content is time- or
date-related, the <time> element must be used.
The <mark> HTML element represents text which is marked or highlighted for reference or notation
purposes, due to the
marked passage's relevance or importance in the enclosing context.
It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a
hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil
Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed
to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon,
the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to
destroy an entire planet.
The <cite> HTML element is used to describe a reference to a cited creative work, and must include
the
title of that
work. The reference may be in an abbreviated form according to context-appropriate conventions related
to
citation
metadata.
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
Ok, I really can not do a better job at this than the wikipedians so let me just quote some of their article:
Emetophobia is a phobia that causes overwhelming, intense anxiety pertaining to vomit. This specific
phobia can also
include subcategories of what causes the anxiety, including a fear of vomiting or seeing others
vomit. Emetephobes
might also avoid the mentions of "barfing", vomiting, "throwing up", or "puking."
It is common for those who suffer from emetophobia to be underweight or malnourished due to strict
diets and
restrictions they make for themselves. The thought of someone possibly vomiting can cause the phobic
person to engage in
extreme behaviors to escape from their anxiety triggers, e.g. going to great lengths to avoid
situations that could be
perceived as "threatening".
Emetophobia is clinically considered an "elusive predicament" because limited research has been done
pertaining to it. The fear of vomiting receives little attention compared to other fears.
The event of vomiting may make anyone with this peculiar phobia flee the scene. Some may fear other
people throwing up,
while others may fear themselves throwing up. Some may fear both. Some may have anxiety that makes
them feel as if they
will throw up when they actually might not. Other possible fears that may come with emetophobia is
not being able to
locate a restroom in a timely manner, not being able to stop throwing up, choking on vomit, being
embarrassed due to the
situation, or having to seek medical attention. People with emetophobia usually experience anxiety;
they often may
scream, cry, or if it is severe, pass out when someone or something has vomited.
The article goes on to show how emtophobia alters the lifestyle of the Emetophobes. Some have some
complicated rituals like washing their food several times while they prepare it to avoid foodborne
illnesses. As a result they do not go out to eat vey often.
They are so afraid of vomit that they will not go to social situations where alcohol might be served. It
says some women avoid pregnancy because they are afraid of the morning sickness of the first trimester.
Email is my absolute preferred way to communicate. Texting
is just crappy email. Well, all other forms of instant messaging are just crappy email too for that
matter. Email is instant and almost universal. I have gpg keys for this address if you want some
privacy.
If you are someone in my meatspace I might give you my phone number if you ask nicely enough. My hearing
is not 20/20 anymore so calling me on the phone is a lot of me struggling to hear you.
The only social media thing that I have is on Mastodon.
Be forewarned that I think that social media is the harbinger of destruction to the world and hardly
ever use my account there.
As I re-read the above about my Mastodon account I remembered that I do have another account here. I cleaned that one out long ago but never
deleted it. It has my "ragamuffinjim" handle. I may move over to that one if the urge to return to
social crap hits me.
Welcome to my little digital garden. Right now it consists of exactly one page, this one that you are
looking at. For the time being I will keep adding to this page. I will add more articles to it and edit
old ones as more stuff is learned. In time this page may get to be rather large. I am not sure what will
happen then. I'll figure something out.
The original iteration for this was a blog but I figured out that is not really what I wanted and working
the
"blog" was becoming
rather cumbersome. After reading about digital gardens in general and How the Blog Broke the Web in
particular it dawned on my rather slow noggin that I wanted a website not a blog. So now that is
the direction that I am going.
This page (which will become a site) will always be a work in progress. Everything is on the table all
the time. Anything can
change as the garden gets tended to.
The topic of this garden is really just about anything. I try to avoid anything that is political,
religious, or sexual
in nature mostly. Those subject are disagreeable to good mental health. I prefer to focus on most
anything else.
Future Features:
An RSS feed for added and/or edited articles
A better way to sort articles than dumping them into one page
Maybe my own styling rather than stealing Kev Quirk's
Figure out a way to have categories
What about me?
Why thank you for asking. You are much too kind. Really I am just a guy. I am one of the great hoi polloi. I am a husband, father, voracious reader, cabinetmaker by
trade, dreamer of being a professional author. I have been getting aggravated at computers since the
days of BBSes, Gopher and Usenet but can't seem to put the damned things on a shelf. Really, I am just a
guy and not any different than you really.
David Marsden has a wonderful personal blog that, in some small way, I hope to
emulate. Unfortunately, his feed is in a .json format and I don't have a reader that can read json
files.
Kev Quirk is the first in my links of other tinkers and thinkers! What a delight
it was to find his
site. He and I share several similarities including homesteading and antipathy towards (anti)social
media. Give him a read and follow his feed.
I'll admit that what first attracted me to Manu's page was the sheer beauty of
the page. It is a beautiful site but as I read his posts I fell in love with the beauty of his words
too. A great site! It made it into my feed reader.
Matthew Graybosch made it into my feed reader on the basis of one post alone. The
post is a critique of Zuck's Threads thingie and how he doesn't really give a shit about it. I put
him in the feed reader and then read other posts where he says many of the same things that I say
about (anti)social media, talks about being a a writer of science fiction, and just generally
displays his coolness.
Scott Nesbitt no longer maintains this wonderful resource on using plain text in
one's daily life
but it remains online as an historical marker. If the above link ever happens to fail try his gitlab repo instead.
Date of post(s) below:
Currently reading: Shōgun by
James S. A. Corey
Currently binging: watched Kill Bill vols 1 & 2 last night
Current music genre: 80s-90s country
Well boys and girls this day ended up a wash in the website department. I ended up going to Lubbock on
family business and wasn't able to pursue what I wanted to today.
Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to recreate where my thoughts were and get some writing done.
I want things to be simple. In the ideal digital world, one should be able to open a text editor, do the
work, hit save and wham-o! th job is done. Of course, as I am a geek, I will automagically find the
hardest possible way to do anything. I always end up with a convoluted mess that is way more work than I
want to go through for what the end product is.
That is part of the reason I created this page. Yes, I have a "website" and blogs and what-have-you, but
this page is is just one page, created in a text editor.
The word that I can't ever seem to remember the definition for today is inchoate. I usually see it in the adjectival form
so let's look at wiktionary has to say:
Inchoate (adjective):
Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature.
Chaotic, disordered, confused; also, incoherent, A lot like this webpage.
(law) Of a crime, imposing criminal liability for an incompleted act.
After a long hard day of work a farmer and his wife are sitting on the porch. Along about sunset they
decide to go into the house and watch some TV. After scanning the TV guide channel the husband announces
that all there is to watch are farming shows and porn and asks the Mrs which one she wants to watch.
"Well," she says, "I guess, we'll watch porn. You already know how to farm."
A 57 year old man who was bored with life and wife called his wife about quitting time one evening. He
told his wife
that he would not be home for dinner and in fact was going to a hotel with his 18 year old secretary. He
informed the
wife that he would not be home much before 11PM.
The 57 year old wife responded by telling him: Ok, but just so you know, I have similar plans with my 18
year old
trainer. If you remember your elementary school math 57 goes into 18 only once. 18 goes into 57 quite a
few times. So I
won't be home much before dawn.
A guy that I know sincerely believes that Apple is a better computer. The hardware might be better I
don't really know
but the software is really just a proprietary version of an operating system known as BSD. BSD is in the
UNIX/GNU-Linux/*nix family of OSes. I have been a Linux user since 2006 so please don't get me wrong-
BSD is nice and
for me it is easier to use than Windows but better? I don't know about that. All OSes pretty much do the
same thing and
for the most part in the same way. I can't help but feel that most Apple product users are only using
Apple because it
is more expensive and by extension they believe that more expensive equals better. In some areas Apple
may be better but
I doubt it in others.
Another guy that I know 40 years ago refused to use Apple products because Apple did not have a "Control"
key on their
keyboard. He to this day refuses to use Apple for this reason. No matter how many times you tell him
that a) the cmd key
does the exact same thing that the ctrl key does so just use the cmd key and b) this ain't 1985 and
hardly anyone these
days uses keystrokes to navigate a computer anymore he still refuses to use Apple.
Now my reason for not using Apple products is far more prosaic and is the only real reason to be against
anything Apple-
even after his passing 13 years ago Steve Jobs still gives me the creeps.
The life of a Japanese woman in the Edo period (1603-1868) depended heavily on her social class. Here's a
breakdown:
Upper Class Women (Samurai):
Limited Freedom: Samurai women were expected to be well-educated and manage theLimited
Freedom: household. Their lives were restricted, with travel permits needed and male escorts often
mandatory.
Education and Duty: They received education in etiquette, arts, and sometimes even martial
arts to defend the household. Their primary duty was to support their husbands and raise strong
children who would uphold family honor.
Appearance: They wore elaborate silk kimonos and distinct hairstyles to signify marital
status. Blackened teeth
signified a married woman.
Lower Class Women (Merchants, Farmers):
Hard Work: Their lives revolved around hard work, supporting their families through farming,
crafts, or running small
businesses alongside their husbands.
Less Restriction: They had more freedom of movement compared to samurai women.
Education: Education was less common, with focus on practical skills needed for their work.
Appearance: Their clothing was simpler, made from cotton or hemp, reflecting their social
status.
Common Threads:
Subordination: Regardless of class, women were expected to be subordinate to men, first to
their fathers and then to
their husbands.
Arranged Marriage: Love matches were rare. Marriages were arranged to strengthen family ties
or social positions.
Geisha Culture:Geisha Culture: The Edo period saw a flourishing of geisha culture. While not
all women became geisha, it offered some a
path to education in the arts and a chance to influence powerful men.
Entertainment vs. Reality:
Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints: These popular prints often depicted idealized images of beautiful
women. They don't
necessarily reflect the daily lives of most women.
Kabuki Theater: Kabuki featured strong, independent female characters, but these were
portrayals, not everyday reality.
Overall, the Edo period was a time of strict social hierarchy for women. Their lives were centered around
family and
duty, with limited choices and freedoms. However, there were variations depending on social class, and
glimpses of
female agency can be found in cultural expressions of the time.
I just got back from the grocery store. It was traumatic enough as I had figured that the store would be
mostly empty by this time of the day and it was chock full of people. But something else was much more
traumatic than the crowds...
...Yoga Pants
Forgive me, ladies, but somebody has to say it. Yoga pants are horribly unflattering to 95% of the women
that wear them. It doesn't matter the body type, yoga pants are just ugly, unflattering, and
unattractive. Most of us guys are embarrassed for you not turned on by your attire.
On the other hand, cutoffs will catch the eye of just about everyone no matter what shape or size you
may have.
Tell me a funny story about a farmer, a UFO, and a leprechaun riding a goat.
Farmer O'Leary, a stout, red-faced man with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, was known for his tall
tales and
outlandish stories. One fine summer evening, as he sat on his porch, puffing on his pipe and watching
the sunset paint
the sky in hues of gold and crimson, he decided to regale his neighbor, young Tommy, with one of his
most fantastical
yarns.
"Tommy, lad," Farmer O'Leary began, his voice laced with a hint of brogue, "did you ever hear tell of the
time I had a
close encounter with a UFO, a leprechaun, and a goat?"
Tommy's eyes widened in disbelief, his imagination already ignited by the prospect of such an
extraordinary tale. "No,
sir," he replied, his voice filled with eagerness. "Tell me, Farmer O'Leary, tell me!"
Farmer O'Leary chuckled, his pipe smoke swirling around his head like a mischievous spirit. "Well, it was
a night like
this one, clear and starry, when I was out tending to my sheep. As I was walking through the fields, I
saw a bright
light in the sky, moving erratically. It grew closer and closer until it was hovering right above me. I
was frozen in
fear, not knowing what to make of it."
"Suddenly, the light beamed down on me, and out stepped a creature I'd never seen before. It was small
and green, with
big pointy ears and a mischievous grin. I knew right away it was a leprechaun, a magical creature of
Irish folklore."
"The leprechaun hopped up and down, his tiny voice squeaking with excitement. 'Farmer O'Leary,' he
said, 'I've come seeking your help. My home, the Land of Leprechauns, is under threat from a band of
mischievous goblins. They're stealing our pots of gold and causing all sorts of havoc.'"
"Well, I couldn't just turn my back on a creature in need, so I agreed to help. The leprechaun climbed
onto my back, and
we set off on a grand adventure to save the Land of Leprechauns."
"As we journeyed through the night, we came across a field where a goat was grazing. The goat was no
ordinary animal; it
had a mischievous twinkle in its eye and a knowing glint in its stare. I knew right away it was no
ordinary goat."
"The goat approached us, its hooves clicking rhythmically on the ground. The leprechaun whispered in my
ear, 'This goat
is a magical creature, too. It can transport us to the Land of Leprechauns in the blink of an eye.'"
"I was hesitant at first, but the leprechaun's urgency convinced me. We climbed onto the goat's back, and
with a leap,
we were whisked away to the Land of Leprechauns."
"The Land of Leprechauns was a sight to behold. Rolling hills dotted with shamrock clover, rainbow
bridges spanning
sparkling rivers, and tiny cottages nestled amidst lush greenery. But the goblins had wreaked havoc,
leaving a trail of
destruction in their wake."
"With the help of the leprechaun and the magical goat, we rallied the leprechauns and drove back the
mischievous
goblins. The Land of Leprechauns was saved, and the leprechaun thanked me profusely for my bravery and
kindness."
"As a reward, the leprechaun led me to a hidden pot of gold, buried deep in the heart of the Land of
Leprechauns. I
filled my pockets with glittering coins, and with a grateful heart, I bid farewell to my newfound
friends."
"The magical goat transported me back to my farm, where I found myself standing in the same field, the
moonlight casting
long shadows across the land. I looked up at the sky, but the UFO had vanished. The leprechaun and the
goat were gone,
but the memory of their adventure would forever be etched in my mind."
Tommy sat wide-eyed, his imagination captivated by Farmer O'Leary's fantastical tale. He knew Farmer
O'Leary had a
reputation for embellishing his stories, but this one, with its leprechauns, UFOs, and magical goats,
was truly out of
this world.
Forgive me for being a late bloomer on this but, to tell the total truth, I have lost a lot of my
interest in "computer" stuff. This AI craze fell into this category. I only started to play with a
few weeks ago. My steps into that realm were more out of curiosity than any desire to learn AI or to
use it.
I asked Google's AI, called Bard or maybe Gemini, to tell me about the Pharisees. Here are the
results.
Please note that I can neither confirm nor deny the truth or factualness of what it came up with but
it did make for an interesting read.
The Pharisees were a powerful and influential Jewish religious group that existed during the Second
Temple period, from
roughly the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. The word "Pharisee" comes from the Hebrew word
"perushim," which
means "separated ones." This name likely refers to the Pharisees' separation from other Jewish groups,
such as the
Sadducees and the Essenes, based on their distinct religious beliefs and practices.
Beliefs and Practices
The Pharisees were known for their emphasis on:
Oral tradition: In addition to the written Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible),
the Pharisees also placed a
high value on oral tradition, which they believed was passed down from Moses to later generations.
This oral tradition
included interpretations of the Torah, as well as additional laws and regulations that were not
explicitly mentioned in
the written text.
Personal piety: The Pharisees believed in the importance of personal piety and living a life
that was faithful to God's
law. They emphasized the importance of prayer, studying the Torah, and observing religious rituals.
Universal observance of Jewish law: The Pharisees believed that all Jews, not just priests or
the wealthy, were
obligated to observe Jewish law. They developed a complex system of interpretation and application
of Jewish law that
applied to all aspects of daily life.
Legacy
After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, the Pharisees emerged as the dominant religious
force in Judaism.
Their beliefs and practices formed the foundation of Rabbinic Judaism, which continues to be the
dominant form of
Judaism today.
It's important to note that the portrayal of the Pharisees in the New Testament is often negative, and
they are
frequently depicted as being critical of Jesus and his teachings.However, it is important to
remember that these
portrayals were written by early Christians who may have had their own biases against the Pharisees.
Modern scholars
caution against relying solely on the New Testament for an accurate understanding of the Pharisees and
their beliefs.
Here are some additional points to consider:
The Pharisees were not a monolithic group, and there was diversity of thought and practice within
the movement.
The Pharisees played an important role in preserving Jewish culture and tradition during a time of
political and social
upheaval.
Their emphasis on education and interpretation of Jewish law helped to lay the foundation for
Rabbinic Judaism.
So I woke up about 7 this morning and slowly went about the business of getting awake and moving and
thinking about what I want to get done today. I didn't even leave the house yesterday and barely even
left the office. I told myself that I needed to behave and get some chores done before I vegged out on
Shogun or whatever else I found on the TV.
All the laundry was gathered and taken to the laundry room and I fired up the washer and nothing. The
washer has needed some repairs and last weekend it started acting rather goofy. It stopped a couple of
times in the middle of it's cycle. When I went in to check on it and found that it wasn't working. I
fiddled with the knobs and gave it a good swift kick and it fired back up. Well today nothing.
As I was alone most of last week my laundry duty is light. I texted Angel and told her the situation and
then decided that all I had was 1 or 2 loads so I would just go to a laundromat and wash them and then
bring them home to dry. I loaded up the laundry and grabbed a crapton of quarters from the coin bucket
and aimed out.
Guess what, laundromats don't take quarters anymore! You now have to go to this kiosk and slip money into
it and it gives you this laundry card that you can use to pay for your washing. Well, aside from doing
laundry when we are camping in Colorado (which still uses coinage) I haven't been in a laundromat in
years. I have no idea what they charge for laundry. I am seeing prices on some of the machines and they
range from around $5 all the way up to $8 or so. I start feeding $1 bills into that machine until I run
out of them. This card costs you a dollar to start with so I think I put $9 in the machine total.
I spent $9. The washing cost me $5.25. There was a $1 charge for getting the card. The balance on the
card right now is $2.75. That is $3.75 that I will probably not ever get back seeing we will get a new
washer when the mother-in-law is out of the hospital.
What a damned rip-off. Firstly, $5 a wash is a ridiculous price anyway and then add the service fee and
left over balance on top of that!
And think about the people that are going to the laundromat! These are mostly poor people who can't
afford to lose any money, much less 1/2 of the cost of a load.
When are we going to quit raping each other and start charging fair prices for crap that ain't going to
last and end hidden fees. Let's go back to cash and privacy.
Let's end the flipping greed. We are somewhere in the middle class and we can't afford to live anymore.
It's not Biden, or Trump, or homosexuality that is going to destroy this country. It is our damned greed
and us stupidly paying for shit that is really just theft.
I think I am ready to tell the whole world to go to hell. We are living ridiculous lives only to enrich
greedy fatcats. It has to stop.
Well I really like blogging, sort of. Sometimes writing out a real blog can be a pain in the butt though.
It requires a crap ton of work for very little reward. Especially if all that you are wanting is a
glorified way of note taking or "Hey look at what I found online." I don't want to go into anything like
Farcebork again, talk about a pain in the butt, so I came up with this idea. Why not just make a running
webpage full of all sorts of crap?
For example, I bump into all sorts of oddball crap online. Things that only nerds would even be
interested in. I always thought that being a nerd was kind of distinguishing mark. Nowadays, however,
nerds are fairly ubiquitous. Seems that everyone is a nerd of some sort. The question is what are they
nerdy about. And as I travel down the highway it dawns on me that what makes one have a nerdgasm will
probably give someone else a nerdgasm too.
This is just going to be a fast and simple page of shit I find online or create myself. There will be no
rss feed as I will probably be the only one to see it. There won't be much editing and there ain't going
to be no damned politically correct shit in here. What you will see is what you're going to get. It will
just be goofy stuff I either bump into or create.
This is just for amusement. That being said let me issue this:
DISCLAIMER: Anyone dumb enough to take me seriously ought to have their heads examined before they
seriously hurt themselves.
I got to looking at World Heritage Sites the other day. I have to admit a certain amount of
American/Texan arrogance
when I saw that the tiny county of Laos had three sites. How could such a tiny little country have so
many sites? I
thought to myself.
Well, even though Laos is about the size of a thumbtack, it does give us a rather interesting World
Heritage Site in the Plain of Jars. If I
understand the story there is a huge field over in Laos that has a bajillion jars, like the one pictured
above, all over the place. The eggheads have decided that these jars are where ancient folk buried their
dead.
Of course, I rather like the alternative explanation provided by legend of a race of giants occupying
what we know of as Laos and these huge stone pots were for the making "huge amounts" of "lau hai"
or rice wine.
Now there is what is missing from the world- a race of giants getting smashed on homebrew!
I suppose that to make this screed worthwhile I ought to provide something of educational merit once in a
while. So here is the word indemnify. Probably
best defined as (straight from wiktionary):
To secure against loss or damage; to insure.
(chiefly law) To compensate or reimburse someone for some expense or injury.
Do you ever get to overpowering urge to smack some people upside the head and tell them to read a book
once in a while? I have that urge just about every time I hear some one say something akin to "Back 40
years ago we were more moral than today. The world is just falling apart." The merest hint of a phrase
like that tells me that the person has NEVER read a book in their lives. They are claiming the moral
high ground and yet they have obviously never read The Bible that they claim to cherish. By the by, for
those who haven't partaken of the word, it is full of sex and violence and allusions to things we in
polite society do not talk about.
After watching the Gal Gadot movies in which she plays Wonder Woman I did a little bit of light reading
on Wonder Woman. She was created by a dude named William Moulton Marston in 1940. So
we're talking 84 years ago. If people 40 years ago were more moral then twice that long back people
must've been on the final step to heaven, right? Now Mr Moulton was married to Elizabeth. Now, the character
Wonder Woman was based on a lady named Olive
Byrne, who was their polyamorous
life partner. William died in 1947 and Olive and
Elizabeth continued living together until Olive died in 1990.
Maybe I am a product of my time or something but as I read those those articles I am struck more by the
fact
that William died at the ripe old age of 54 than the polyamory. The women went on to live to 86 and 100.
Hmm... makes a guy
think that does.
Ok I can hear the oohs and ahhs in the background because, as the title of this post suggests, I actually
am posting this time from my phone. It really is not that big of a deal, aside from the tiny screen on
the phone. It would be an exercise in insanity if I didn't have an external bluetooth keyboard connected
to the phone right now.
I remember during COVID reading an article about three or four major motion pictures being filmed and
edited on smartphones. Now that is impressive! On the TV show Only Murders in the Building our heroes
are recording a podcast on their phones. That is slightly less awe inspiring than the films. Making a
webpage on a cellphone is way down the list of impressive things that one can do on a smartphone. After
all, a smartphone is just a computer with a phone attached and a webpage is really just a fancy text
file. Granted some are fancier than others but this one is a pretty simple setup.
I still want to hear all of the ooohs and ahhs because I might be a touch vain and self-serving so send
in those oohs and ahhs. ;-)
So I started watching the remake of the miniseries Shogun which is playing on Hulu right now. I remember
watching the original starring Richard Chamberlain. That one was made in 1980. Luckily, aside from a
couple of trivial things I remember very little of it.
That has made it easier for me to watch this one. So far, starting episode three, it has kind of grabbed
me. I like the way the Japanese are speaking in Japanese throughout. It enhances Blackthorn's isolation
and the mystery that Japan was at the time.
I have been fascinated by old Japan for a long time. While it is too early to tell if I like this show it
has certainly grabbed my attention.
