More on modern wars
Following up on my previous post about modern wars, I have these additional (and mostly unrelated) thoughts: 
  1. Generally speaking, I believe that violence defeats violence.  The stronger guy wins the fight.  Often the best way to defeat an opponent is with force.
  2. However, sometimes this isn't true, such as when the violence is terroristic in nature.  Most terrorist action is fueled by beliefs and emotion, thus largely disregarding logic.  A history (or maybe psychology) professor in college once said, "You can't rationalize with irrational people."  So no amount of force or violence will convince terrorists that they're in the wrong.
  3. In situations where violence won't work, diplomatic and/or economic sanctions seem to work quite well.  Money is an extremely powerful motivator.
#psychology

GPS sucks
Despite the booming industry created by the newly utilized global positioning system satellites, I have one thing to say:  GPS devices suck. 

For one, they're phenomenally expensive.  Even the most basic device costs around $200, and that's only because it's using outdated technology and competing with hundreds of knockoffs.  I think it's safe to assume the plastic casing of a GPS device doesn't cost much, and I would assume neither does the software.  So basically, you're paying for a little radio transmitter/receiver chip.  Why hasn't demand for these things driven down prices?  It's not like it's a new technology.  It's been around since the 1970s and operational since the early 90s. 

Second, GPS devices are incredibly unintuitive and extremely user unfriendly.  Why are there functions to name marked points and input data if there's no keyboard?  And why is the onscreen keyboard like those Nintendo games from 1987, organized in alphabetical order?  Keyboards haven't been organized in alphabetical order since the invention of the typewriter!  A touchscreen would be a vast improvement, as would a bigger display and a move intuitive menu system.  Honestly, for $200 you'd think I could get a device with a screen larger than a 10-year-old cell phone.  And full-color! 

Third, battery power for handheld devices is generally laughable.  Twelve hours between charges?  That won't even last a moderate weekend hike!  The last thing I need when I'm lost in the middle of the woods is an expensive chunk of plastic and silicon with a dead battery. 

Finally, although I'm impressed by vehicle navigation models that give turn-by-turn directions and tell you where the closest McDonald's is, I don't really need turn-by-turn directions or the location of the closest McDonald's.  I'm pretty good at finding my way around places, even if I've never been there before.  And to find the nearest McDonald's, I can probably just turn in a circle and find two or three. 

P.S. - "Recalculating route" shouldn't take 60 seconds to complete.  Even MapQuest loads faster than that. #technology

Snake in the bathroom
I have a few fears involving animals in unlikely locations.  There's the whole "spider under the toilet seat" story usually affecting people on overseas flights.  There's the "alligators in the sewer" story, usually involving a city with an underground sewer system.  And now there's a new one:  A snake in the bathroom.  The problem is, that last one just happened to me about 5 minutes ago. 

Actually, it happened to a guy I work with, but I went in the bathroom and confirmed that there was indeed a 4-foot-long black snake curled around a pipe under the sink.  As if I didn't have enough things to fear, now I have to worry about this one.  Some puzzling facts about this incident: 
  1. A snake got in the building.  It's not a bug or a mouse or any other relatively small creature.  It's a 4-foot-long black snake.  In comparison to a mouse, it's gigantic.
  2. The snake went into the bathroom.  Of course it couldn't have just stayed in the lobby or near the door.  It couldn't have slithered around the hallway or anything like that.  It went into the bathroom, where people are the most vulnerable.
  3. The snake reached the second floor bathroom.  Oh, did I forget to mention that part?  Yes, the snake somehow managed to climb 20 stairs.  I would like to call attention to the fact that snakes have neither arms nor legs.  Please, God, explain to me how a snake climbed stairs.
So there you have it.  A brand new fear, based on a real-life event that happened to me.  Thanks. #entertainment