Tailgating (2) Sep 6, 2007
[This is about driving, not eating food in the parking lot of a football game.]

I learned this weekend that some people can be ravenous tailgaters without even knowing it.  Their habit is to ride uncomfortably close to the car in front of them, for no other reason than to ride uncomfortably close to the car in front of them.  I'm a believer in the idea that certain types of tailgating can have a purpose.  Sometimes you want to send somebody a message because they're driving 20 in a 25.  Ok, that's really the only time tailgating has a purpose.  All other times are unnecessary, and usually result in angry violence.  When somebody's tailgating me, I wish I finally got around to installing that rocket launcher I've been promising myself for years.  Or I at least wish I had a few overly ripe tomatoes in my passenger seat.  I especially hate being tailgated when there's a specific reason for driving the speed I'm driving.  Perhaps I got a speeding ticket there or ... really that's it.  I got a speeding ticket there three years ago on my sixth day of work, and I don't feel like getting another one, especially in the same exact place.  As they always say, insanity is defined as repeating a certain action and expecting different results. 

Anyway, my friend has a tailgating problem.  I mentioned it to him several times during our 6-hour car ride.  You realize you're riding that guy's butt, right?  "I am?"  He was surprised each time I told him.  I tried to explain the "one car length for each 10 mph" but it didn't seem to get through.  His rationale, offered kiddingly yet somewhat truthfully, was that he was so impressed by the driving ability of the person in front of him, he wanted to be as close as possible.  He backed off his gas for a few seconds and got a good 15 feet behind the person in front of him.  "This better?"  Keep going.  When he got to about 40 feet, I said that was good.  He quickly forgot about our conversation and went back to riding the tail of the poor person in front of him.  It meant a 6-hour, white-knuckled, herky-jerky ride. #travel
Prescription drug addiction Sep 5, 2007
I keep reading stories about the vast number of people addicted to prescription drugs.  To be honest, it's not surprising in the least.  We as humans are great at finding ways to enjoy ourselves while simultaneously destroying our bodies. 

But I think it also has something to do with the plethora of billion-dollar drug companies in our country and their legitimate desire to make money.  Companies exist to make a profit, and drug companies happen to do that by inventing drugs.  The problem is, I think their practices are sometimes a little questionable, especially since they're leveraging peoples' health for a profit.  Plus, their advertising is a little overboard.  Walk into any doctor's office in the country; what do you see?  Pens, pads, clipboards, magnets, clocks, and a host of other objects with prescription drug advertising on them.  While these objects are generally trivial and are used merely for promotion and marketing, it's naive to think a doctor can be completely neutral when they're obviously so heavily influenced by drug companies.  In addition to the marketing materials, doctors get all kinds of free samples.  I know this because I've been given a free sample in lieu of a prescription.  I appreciated it because it saved me some money, but it scared me because of how simple it was to obtain. 

Another problem is that doctors have an eager willingness to push pills.  The main reason I hate going to doctors is because they always focus on the symptoms and never on the problem.  Symptoms can be easily eliminated with drugs, and that's what doctors try to give me.  "I'll just give you a cortisone injection and then a prescription for pain killers."  No, idiot, I said my shoulder hurts, which means I should stretch it and exercise, not fill my body with pills so I won't feel any more pain.  I find it hard to believe doctors don't receive some sort of kickback for so readily pushing pills. 

Perhaps it has something to do with many Americans' mindset that simply seeks a quick fix.  They want a drug to lower their cholesterol so they don't have to change their diet.  They want a pill to make them feel better after they get drunk so they can continue getting drunk.  But I also have a hard time believing the overabundance of pills is entirely due to human stupidity and greed. 

I think the cause of prescription drug addiction is some sort of combination of the three:  People are human, humans are stupid, drug companies want money, and doctors want money too. #health
The fall of our nation Sep 5, 2007
America will eventually crumble and fall.  All great nations do.  There's no such thing as an everlasting nation or kingdom.  The Romans, the Greeks, the Arabs, the Chinese, and the British died out after decades or even centuries of success and prosperity. 

You have to wonder how our nation will fall.  Will it be because of an outside attack, such as from the Russians or the Iranians?  Or will it be from within?  People in our country used to work hard and take responsibility for their actions.  These days, people sit around and play video games and then blame their problems on those same video games (Note:  I'm not blaming video games).  People eat food at McDonald's and then sue McDonald's for getting fat.  And then they sue the video game creators for making them compulsive eaters.  And all this is protected by our rights and liberties, which are enforced by groups like the ACLU.  Anybody can do anything, and they can get away with it legally, and usually with considerable gain. 

I can easily envision our nation crumbling from within, and it'll most likely have something to do with our rights (Note:  I don't think we should have less rights).  Perhaps a certain people group will take over the government and protect their actions with litigation.  Perhaps riots will break out and a group will form that protects the civil liberties of the rioters.  Or maybe our economy will simply fail because our nation is in so much debt and our corporations have to fund the health benefits and retirement programs of countless early retirees while competing with harder-working nations that produce quality products and services quicker and cheaper (Note:  I don't feel bad for corporations). 

Whatever the case may be, I plan to stake a claim of land in the middle of some mountains and defend my fortress with automatic weapons and explosives, which are probably legal in the states I'd like to move to.  God bless America while it's still around. #psychology
Miss Teen SC Sep 5, 2007
I don't usually like to talk about current events because they're overdone to begin with.  But that Miss Teen South Carolina thing makes me laugh every time I hear it.  If you haven't seen the video, here it is.  My favorite part about the whole thing is reading it written down.  It's just so eye-opening and fascinating. 

Q:  Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the United States on a world map. Why do you think this is?
A:  I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as in, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children. #entertainment
Best shoes ever Sep 5, 2007
The best shoes ever in the history of the universe are gray New Balance 477s.  They're comfortable, roomy, attractive, and cheap.  I went and bought a second pair for when the current pair dies.  That's a first for me.  New Balance shoes are kinda tricky because one size is usually too small and the next size up is usually too big.  But these shoes came in the appropriate half-size, so they fit perfectly.  They're actually a little big, but for me, that's perfect. #lifestyle
Long passwords are less secure (6) Sep 4, 2007
Pick a random string of 10 letters, numbers, and symbols, making sure at least two of the letters are capitalized and the entire 10-character string doesn't spell any kind of recognizable word or phrase.  Now memorize that 10-character password and use it to log into important websites and things like that. 

That's the stupidest thing in the history of the universe.  Yet more and more, I'm forced to do exactly that.  I truly believe longer passwords are less secure than shorter, more memorable passwords.  What do I do with all my stupidly long passwords?  I write them down, thus committing the cardinal sin of passwording.  I keep all those passwords in a password-protected document, so there's at least some amount of security.  But honestly, it defeats the purpose of having a password in the first place.  There's no way I can remember these passwords, and it would be stupid to use the same password for everything.  I'm forced to write them down or click on that link that says "Forgot password?" every time I login to a website. 

I'll take a wild guess and assume my method for storing passwords is actually more secure than the method used by most other people.  I've seen passwords written on pieces of paper, stored in a desk drawer, or carried around in a wallet.  This obviously isn't a viable solution, but it has solid rationale:  What if you forget the password to the computer where your password-protected document of passwords is stored?  You can't argue with that. 

To you nameless, faceless people who invent password requirements:  I can assure you, longer passwords are less secure. #technology
Anonymous comments (2) Sep 4, 2007
Sometimes people read my website and later tell me, "I'd like to leave comments, but [insert rationale here]."  I personally usually don't leave comments on other peoples' websites because I'm not very sociable and don't really like to share my opinion with people who might not care. 

If you, the reader, are the type of person who sometimes thinks about leaving a comment but doesn't, I encourage you to leave an anonymous comment.  Just enter any old name and email you'd like and inject some sort of witty comment or cutting remark.  I'll probably know who you are because your IP address is tracked and usually shows what area of the country (or world) you're from.  But it's not always completely accurate, and there's a good chance I won't know who you are.  But the important thing is that no one else will know who you are.  Thus, relative anonymity. 

For example, if you'd like to comment on this post, enter something like the following.  Just make sure you enter some name (any name) and a valid email address (something@something.something). 
[Image: anoncomment.png]
#technology