Scientific fact (2) Apr 24, 2007
Scott Adams wrote an interesting thing about scientific fact a few weeks ago.  One of his points was that scientific facts sometimes change based on how much "science" we know. 
But is a scientific fact the same as being true?

Sometimes a scientific fact is falsified by newer and better science. That's how science works. So while we assume it is rare, a scientific fact can be false in reality, especially in the short run.
I really don't like getting into that whole "evolution isn't a fact, it's a theory" argument, but I think it's worth noting that several widely held beliefs were later disproved: 
  1. Letting leeches suck your blood will cure disease
  2. The earth is flat
  3. The sun revolves around the earth
  4. Pluto is a planet
So while certain bits of information are considered facts or theories (depending on who you ask), those bits can change depending on what we know or how we define them. #religion
Internationals Apr 24, 2007
One thing I've noticed about people who've lived in a foreign country for an extended amount of time is that every minute detail of daily life is forever compared with a similar experience in that foreign country.  And most comparisons portray American life in a bad light, causing people like me to think things like, "Well, if you like your foreign country so much, why don't you just move there?"  The social life in Brazil is more friendly.  The family life in Ireland is more loving.  The historic sites in Italy are more ... historic.  While any of these statements are most likely true, it gets a little annoying sometimes to always hear comparisons between your country and my country.  And although I'm sure I would constantly preach about the greatness of America if I was a resident of a foreign land, that situation hasn't happened yet, so I can continue to hold my air of contempt towards people who currently do this. #sociology
ING security Apr 19, 2007
Several months ago, ING started using a new security technology to allow users to login to their site.  The new system requires users to identify a previously selected image and phrase or else be asked any of several security questions.  Once the image and phrase are correctly identified, the user's computer is semi-permanently paired to ING's system, which means the security questions will no longer be asked.  Ever since this system has been in place, I've been confused by it.  I don't understand how it's any more secure than what they previously had.  This guy agrees with me, saying Bank of America uses a similar technology that can be somewhat easily cracked. #technology
In the city Apr 19, 2007
Every time I visit NYC, I have a slight desire to live there.  It's really the center of the universe.  No other place on earth compares to it.  It literally has anything and everything.  Whatever you could ever possibly want to do, you could do it in the city.  Whatever you want to see, experience, taste, etc., you can do it in the city.  I'm thankful I went to school in Hoboken, where the city was always just a quick train ride away.  Although I didn't hang out there all the time, I went enough to learn my way around and experience some great things. 

But there's this other part of me (the bigger part) that wants to live in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothingness.  No buildings.  No coffee shops.  No subways.  No people.  This is the part of me that's won most of the battles up to this point.  It's not because "that's all I've ever known".  I've experienced enough of big city life, small city life, big town life, and small town life to know which one I like the best. 

The problem with living in the city is that it's prohibitively expensive.  To make it non-prohibitive, you have to make substantial cuts in your quality of life.  Or get a damn good job.  A closet-sized basement apartment will cost about $2000 per month, and that's not a cut I'm willing to make. 

There's also the issue of downsizing from a house in rural New Jersey to an apartment in NYC:  There's no need for quite a few objects, including a lawn mower, weed whacker, power tools, etc. 

So I think I've come up with a compromise:  Two separate dwellings (and a job with double the income).  I like where I live right now.  I take pleasure in the small joys of [minimal] land ownership.  But I also like visiting the city and spending the night.  I would be ok with a closet-sized basement apartment as long as I could quickly and easily get out of there and back into something a little roomier and nicer.  Plus, if the closet-sized basement apartment isn't the primary residence, it doesn't need to be quite as nice or have any/many amenities.  All you really need is a bed and a bathroom.  Everything else can be easily found and bought around the city. #psychology
Undelivered email Apr 19, 2007
Did you ever send an email that the supposed recipient didn't receive?  Here's what happened to it: 
(via The Cartoon Blog) #technology
Firefox spell check everything Apr 18, 2007
Quite possibly the best thing about Firefox 2.0 is its spell checking abilities.  However, by default, it only automatically spell checks textareas (text boxes with multiple lines) and not text inputs (single line).  By right-clicking on a text-input, you can select "Spell check this field", but I wanted something more permanent.  Here it is:  Go to about:config, search for "layout.spellcheckDefault" and set the value to "2". #technology
Christian group attendance (2) Apr 18, 2007
I've found from my ongoing experience with Christianity that most groups (i.e. Bible studies, age-specific groups, location-specific groups, etc.) have a mentality suggesting that they think attendance is mandatory for a properly functioning Christian.  This belief evidences itself with statements like, "We have this group that meets every week; I can't understand why that person doesn't come."  While this belief is usually well-meaning and non-confrontational, it almost always looks and comes across negatively.  Many leaders, in their zeal to encourage attendance and build personal relationships with God (both are great things), overlook the fact that different people practice Christianity differently.  For one person, it could mean attending your Bible study.  For another person, it could mean not attending your Bible study and instead doing something else.  For the record, I would say most leaders acknowledge this fact and mainly want to encourage people to do something in their relationship with God.  But some leaders think their group is the group to attend, which makes it sound like it's the only way to get to God.  And this is obviously untrue.  Christian groups exist to bring people together and closer to God.  If a person doesn't see these effects in their life and wants to try something different, who are we (as group leaders) to stand in their way? #religion
Linux problems Apr 18, 2007
I really want to get into Linux.  I have the time, the resources, and the ability.  My computer skills are far above novice.  I know what distribution I want to try (Ubuntu), I know what I need to do, and I can easily complete several steps of the installation process. 

But that's where it ends for me.  There's a problem during installation where the installer can't resize a partition.  Why not?  I don't know.  The internet is obviously a huge source of troubleshooting information and how-tos.  There's all kinds of information about this specific problem.  But nothing works.  Nothing ever works with me and Linux, and that's why it sucks. 

I'm pretty good when it comes to computers.  I know how to program.  I know about web servers and domain names.  I know how to use a command line.  I know what a regular expression is.  I know stuff. 

So if someone like me can't figure out how to install Linux on a brand new computer, there's definitely something wrong.  Fix this, Linux gods! 

Update (2007-04-18 2:44pm):  Thank you, Linux gods (a.k.a. Ubuntu documentation and Google search)!  Although neither of those links provide an accurate solution, here's what I figured out: 
  1. The Linux partition editor (GParted) only has read access to Windows XP's partition, but it needs read/write access.
  2. Through a random combination of Defrag, Chkdsk, and a number of restarts, GParted is able to get read/write access.
  3. Using the System Rescue CD, run "ntfs-3g /dev/hda1 /mnt/windows".  This will result in an error, but apparently that's ok.
  4. Run "startx" and run GParted from within the X.Org GUI.  Create a partition from the main Windows XP partition.
  5. Restart the computer with the Ubuntu LiveCD and format the partitions like the directions say.
So the main problem is that Ubuntu couldn't edit the Windows partition because it didn't have read/write access.  My solution sounds a little shaky, but it magically worked.  I'm now running a clean install of Ubuntu 6.10 on the same computer as Windows XP, and none of my data was lost.  If the Linux/Ubuntu people made this a little more clear, it would've turned a 4-hour headache into a 20-minute breeze. #technology
Quantity of news outlets Apr 18, 2007
I think we as Americans are absolutely bombarded and overwhelmed by the unbelievably vast quantity of news outlets.  And while the current major news item is certainly newsworthy, I think there are simply way too many outlets that broadcast the exact same news.  Of the 5 daily talk shows on a major New York FM radio station, exactly 100% of them talked about the major news item to no end.  Of the 4 major cable networks, exactly 100% of them devoted entire segments of their 6pm and 10pm news shows to the major news item.  Of the 3 major cable news networks, exactly 100% of them have designed a graphic and come up with a catchy title for the major news item.  I haven't researched it, but I wouldn't doubt that exactly 100% of the newspapers in the entire country have a front page story about the major news item. 

And again, the current major news item is definitely newsworthy.  But what about the stupid crap last week?  And what about the stupid crap from before that?  It just seems like every "story" is deemed a "breaking story", which means every news outlet in the country covers it until it literally can't be covered any more. 

But besides the content, there is just simply an overabundance of coverage.  Sometimes I just want a break from it all, but the traditional venue for taking a break is filled with all the same stuff.  There's just no way to get away from it except by shutting off all connections to media. #entertainment
Warm morning drink Apr 17, 2007
I really enjoy drinking something warm in the morning.  Whether it's coffee or tea, there's just something about the feel of a warm liquid that makes me happy.  It's not about the caffeine, because as I've mentioned before, I don't do too well with caffeine coursing through my veins.  It's also not a function of the weather, because I like it in the winter as well as in the summer.  I probably wouldn't like it in the summer if it was 100° and humid, but most mornings in NJ are in the 60s.  I think the warmth in my stomach makes me feel like the world is a little less painful and threatening, especially since I'm not a morning person. #food