Mustache (4) Jul 6, 2006
Mustaches are a questionable face decoration.  And by "questionable", I mean "absolutely ridiculous".  "Can't take you seriously."  "What'd you say?  I can't hear you through that stupid thing on your face." 

It's unfortunate that mustaches have made a bit of a comeback recently.  Several A-list celebrities have gone around sporting these laughable facial hair creations.  Even A-list bloggers (what does that mean exactly?) have done it.  I work with a guy who went from a little scruff to a full-on mustache in a matter of days.  What a disgrace.  I can't look him in the eye. 

Certain people would look ridiculous without mustaches:  Some fireman and police officers, most plumbers, guys named Mario or Luigi, any Italian restaurant owner/worker, my boss Vince, and Thommy's dad.  For all I know, these people were born with mustaches, and they need to keep them until death (I wonder if God lets you grow a mustache in heaven?).  But these people are the exception, not the rule. 

Every time I see Geraldo Rivera on TV, I can't watch him for more than a few seconds before I get the heebeejeebees.  I mean, look at him.  It's absurd.  That mustache is a good 9 inches long horizontally.  Can he fit that thing through doorways, or does he need to go sideways?  And then there's Arnold Diaz (from CBS's Shame on You).  The picture doesn't do it justice, but that mustache grows exponentially when he smiles.  It's incredible.  And by "incredible", I mean "frightening". 
   
In conclusion, mustaches were cool in the 70s and 80s.  Apparently, they were really cool.  But they're not anymore.  Kudos to the people who were able to give up their mustache addiction in keeping with the times.  Shame on those who weren't. #lifestyle
Math for spam (4) Jul 5, 2006
I just enabled a new plugin:  Math Comment Spam Protection.  It puts a simple math problem before the comment box.  If it's not filled in, a comment can't be posted.  This should effectively eliminate all spam, seeing that it's being used in conjunction with Akismet.  Spam thankfully doesn't get through Akismet's filters, but Akismet occasionally filters out some legitimate comments, so I'm somewhat forced to go through all my spam comments every now and then to make sure there weren't any mistakes.  This should hopefully cut down on the volume of spam comments that comes in.  We'll see. #technology
What's new Jul 5, 2006
My vote for the worst question ever:  "What's new?"  How am I supposed to answer that question?  Do people really want to know the answer?  If so, how long of an answer do they want?  Five minutes?  Five seconds?  How specific should I be?  If I bought something used, does it count as being new?  Doesn't it depend on how long it's been since I've seen the person?  If I haven't seen the person in 10 years, where the heck should I start?  How inclusive should I be?  Should I mention the new white undershirts I just got from Walmart?  Or is that not important enough?  Should I say that I got my car washed the other day?  Technically, it's new ... in a sense.  Should I talk about the new emails I got today?  They're new.  Does that count?  Or should I look at the really big picture and say something along the lines of, "My interest in theoretical physics has subsided mildly as a result of my new-found love for conveyor-based plane takeoffs"? 

I guess I understand the point of the question:  "How do I get this socially inept introvert to tell me something interesting about his life?"  But I'm so unsure of how to answer it that I almost always just end up saying, "Not much." #psychology
Complain Jul 5, 2006
Some people complain a lot.  It can be argued that I complain a lot.  But I know people who complain even more than me.  Sometimes people complain just to say something.  And often times, the complaints aren't real or legitimate; they're just there to be funny.  And that's fine.  Comedy can always be appreciated.  But then some other people complain because they're literally not satisfied with anything.  "My steak has some pink in it, but I wanted more pink."  "There's not enough dressing on my salad."  "My ice is too cold." (made that one up). 

The difference between a good complaint and a bad complaint is that a good one has an action associated with it.  If you have a complaint about your food at a restaurant, do something about it.  Get the waiter to take it back to the chef so he can spit on it.  Get off your butt and get your own salad dressing.  If all you plan to do is sit there and complain about it, don't expect me to listen or care.  (I'm not nice.)

Or get a blog and complain about it to the entire world. #psychology
Animal rubber bands Jul 2, 2006
These animal rubber bands stretch and change shape like normal rubber bands, except that they return to their original animal shape when unstretched.  Awesome.  (via Cute Overload)
#products
Spam comments Jul 2, 2006
Spam comments are funny.  Besides all the ads for viagra/cialis/levitra and gambling/casinos (and the occasional porn), most spam comments are strangely very positive.  I guess this is the spammers' way of making them look like legitimate comments.  They're no match for spam-fighters like Akismet, but they're funny to read over sometimes. 
Your site is very cognitive. I think you will have good future.:)
HI! I love this place!
Great website! Bookmarked! I am impressed at your work!
Very needed information found here, thank you for your work
beautiful online information center. greatest work... thanks
It's good to be appreciated sometimes.  And obviously, these spammers are impressed with what they read.  To them I say this, "You're welcome.  You're very welcome."  I take great pride in my work and it's nice to know that someone sincerely appreciates it. 

Aside from all the encouraging niceness, some spam comments have horrible spelling and/or grammar.  This is a pretty common occurrence on the internet, but don't people know how to use spell check?  If this stuff is coming from overseas, who's the translator?  That person should be fired! 
You have very nice site!
It is nice site!
It is good site!
Best site I see. Thanks.
Yes,it is cool site!
But no matter how it comes to me, I'll take it.  I can see that I'm making a pretty big impression on some people, and I'm glad I can brighten people's days.  Buncha stupid spammers. #technology
Halfway Jul 1, 2006
Today is July 1, which is day 182 of the year 2006.  There are 183 days left in the year.  It's been 6 months since my New Year's resolution, which means I'm approximately halfway through the Bible.  I've kept to the plan pretty well:  I do the daily reading and I write a summary of each chapter.  I doubt I'll ever computerize it because it's a ton of information.  There are 1189 chapters in the Bible, which means I've written a sentence or two about 594 of them. #religion
Respond Jun 30, 2006
I don't quite understand why people don't respond.  I understand you're busy.  I understand you weren't sure what your answer would be.  I understand that certain plans might fall through and you were waiting to hear from someone.  But tell me these things!  If it's a yes, it's a yes.  If it's a no, it's a no.  The answer itself doesn't matter; it's the fact that an answer exists.  You won't be raining on my parade if you say no.  Often times I invite other people to do things in an attempt to be social.  If you don't want to go or can't go, I don't really care.  In fact, I might rather do it without you.  But the bottom line is this:  Respond!  If I leave you a voicemail, respond!  It doesn't need to be the same method of communication.  Call, email, text message, whatever.  And it doesn't even need to be an answer.  Give me a "maybe".  I just like to know that you got my message and that it didn't get lost in the nothingness of internetland. #psychology
No pictures Jun 30, 2006
I'm a jerk. 

#entertainment
Rock music and hell Jun 29, 2006
Ever since that fad called "rock n' roll music" came around, many ultra-conservative Christians (commonly referred to as "wackos"; of which I'm a card-carrying member) have associated it with hell.  With cries like "Rock music is from the devil!" and such, it's been labeled as "evil" and "rebellious".  Rock icons like Jimmy Page and Ozzy Osbourne have long been connected to black magic and devil worship, and the trend has certainly continued in that direction. 

But we as clearly-thinking human beings shrug this off.  So what if Led Zeppelin's guitarist is interested in the occult?  They're a great band, and should be listened to by all.  So what if Black Sabbath's frontman likes Satan?  They were the beginning of hard rock as we know it.  Plus, a band's personal interests can't directly affect a listener.  Music is a means of communication and expression, not a method of mind control and bewitchery. 

But as I drove home from work the other day, windows down, blasting AC/DC, I saw it another way.  AC/DC is an incredible band, and their simplicity and attitude are an amazing combination.  Coincidentally, several of their songs are about hell or at least contain some sort of mention of it.  But their attitude towards hell is kinda interesting: 
Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
.....
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too
.....
No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
.....
Hey Satan, payed my dues
Playing in a rocking band
The way that hell is portrayed is that it's gonna be like a rockstar's life:  Fun, fast, happy, party-filled, rule-free, and full of friends.  All [relatively] positive things.  It sounds like a pretty good deal, and the mention of stop signs and speed limits seems to speak directly to me (slightly kidding). 

The point here is that rock music has made people insensitive to hell.  The fact that the idea of hell exists in our society comes as a direct result of the influence of Christianity.  But the Biblical view of hell is quite different from a rockstar's life.  It speaks of many unpleasant things, the most important of which being separation from God.  There aren't any parties.  There isn't any drinking.  It's not gonna be like a Thursday night out with some friends. 

So maybe rock music is from the devil.  It's certainly made hell look like a great place to visit. #religion