Pioneer Plaque Jul 5, 2013
I feel like the Pioneer Plaque, an engraved rectangular plate on a spaceship sent from earth to outer space, is a little dumb.  I get the idea:  Find a way to communicate the existence of human life in our solar system, as well as a few tidbits of our knowledge of universal things, to an unknown civilization that has absolutely no way of understanding our language, culture, or anything about us.  But at the same time, it seems to me that if a relatively intelligent human (myself) can't understand what it means, it kind of misses the point. 

It reminds me of Darwin's Tree of Life illustration, which people get tattooed on their bodies, permanently.  I get that it's a historically significant drawing and all, but there are way better methods of representing that kind of information, especially now that it's not the 1860s and we're not living on a boat.
Rating bias Jun 28, 2013
I've noticed that people tend to rate products or services with either a positive or negative bias, i.e. they either start from the lowest possible rating and work their way up, or they start from the highest possible rating and work their way down.  I tend to be in the latter camp, which means I'll give a positive review unless there's something that really bothers me.  I was reading a review recently that equated to a 5 out of 10, but the commentary was all very positive.  I wasn't really sure what to come away with; was it a good product or not?  Because a 50% is a failing grade in pretty much any metric.
Profit-alyzing Jun 26, 2013
I was at a small conference for a software company, and they started things off by announcing their corporate profits from recent years.  As a user of their software, I wanted to kindly remind them that their ridiculous profits come as a result of the ridiculous amount of money they charge for their product.  If anything, they should leave that part out. #business
Swearing on TV Jun 25, 2013
A recent episode of Mad Men had the f-word, and that made me very happy.  Here's a show on an easily accessible cable channel (AMC), delving not just into strong language, but the strongest.  I have a deep appreciation for expressive speech.  There's often nothing more expressive than a well-placed f-bomb. 

I think there should be more swearing on TV.  The main reason it's so uncommon is because of kids.  Newsflash:  Kids learn how to swear at school, from their neighbors, or from their parents.  TV isn't the problem.  Parents who can't control what their kids watch on TV should learn how to fix their own problems. 

I for one am an adult.  I've waited my whole life to be an adult, and I have to say it's pretty damn good.  Life is created by adults, consumed mostly by adults, and is run mostly by adults.  Why do we let children dictate what words adults are allowed to hear?
Ditching cable (4) Jun 7, 2013
We got rid of cable recently, for a few reasons: 
  1. They keep raising their rates.  Regardless of how much "additional" programming they offer, I'm really not interested in anything more than basic cable and a couple other channels.
  2. Most of the major networks and TV shows recently ended their seasons, so there's not much on.
  3. Football is the only sport I like to watch, and it's the off-season right now.
We kept our high-speed internet and have been trying out a variety of free and paid streaming options.  The jury is still out on them, but I have a few observations about this method and a-la-carte programming in general: 
  1. It's ... different to turn on the TV and not have something show up immediately.  Instead of depending on the whims of broadcasters, we have to choose what we want to watch each time we sit on the couch.  It sounds simple, but it's somehow not.
  2. Streaming is slow sometimes.  And the apps put out by the streaming services are sometimes a little flaky.  So instead of turning on the TV and watching something immediately, or even watching something immediately from the DVR, you have to surf through a series of apps and menus and shows and episodes before you actually see anything.
  3. Deciding whether or not to pay for a show becomes a little more difficult.  When the ball is in your court and you get to see exactly how much a show or episode costs, you tend to think about it a little more.  Do I really want to pay to watch this show?  What if it's terrible?  This problem could be partially avoided by allowing people to subscribe to entire channels instead of simply purchasing individual shows.  But then you'd get a bunch of crap you don't want, which is the whole point of ditching cable.
There's still no viable options for streaming football, so there's a good chance we'll sign back up in the fall.  Plus the Redzone Channel is the best thing that's ever happened to me.  But for now, streaming with Amazon and Hulu isn't bad at all.
Real Vegas May 28, 2013
I wish modern movies gave a more realistic picture of Las Vegas.  Instead of the standard, Hangover-esque classy drinks and fun games and beautiful strippers, it would be cool to see the real Las Vegas:  Old people with oxygen tanks repetitively pressing buttons on never-winning slot machines while being waited on by geriatric women with cankles, all while being offered time shares and horrifying prostitutes.  Vegas, baby.
Common -ectomies May 22, 2013
I think it would be helpful if a hospital offered some common -ectomies -- appendectomy, tonsillectomy, wisdom tooth extraction -- as a package deal.  I have this fear that one of these useless body parts will one day become problematic for me, and it'll happen when I'm hiking in the middle of nowhere or visiting some exotic island whose healthcare consists of rum.  I'd rather just get all that stuff removed before it becomes a problem. #health
Yahoo bought Tumblr May 20, 2013
Yahoo bought Tumblr.  Goodbye Tumblr.
The Bible and slavery May 18, 2013
Whenever the Bible's stance on slavery comes into question, it's usually based on a few verses in the Old Testament that essentially say, "Cut your slaves some slack every now and then," and some verses in the New Testament that essentially say, "If you're a slave, be a good one."  As a Christian, I learned to respond to these objections with such statements as, "Slavery was a fact of that time period," or "At least God supported fair treatment of slaves." 

However, upon further consideration (and insight from some light reading), here's an observation:  The Bible is often considered the focal point of modern ethics.  I mean, without the Bible, we'd all be murdering and raping each other.  The fact that slavery is absolutely and unquestionably wrong is evident to all modern people.  No one these days (aside from some groups in the Middle East and Africa) believes it's even remotely acceptable to own another person.  There's just no doubt about that anymore.  Yet the Bible, the pillar of morality and righteousness, doesn't really make a stand either way. 

If the Bible is considered to be the ultimate set of moral laws handed down by an all-knowing God, why didn't the author have the foresight to condemn a ridiculously evil practice like slavery?  He covered murder, theft, and coveting asses, but the ownership of one human being by another human being was simply accepted. #religion
The Dow Jones is stupid May 3, 2013
A recent Planet Money episode talked about why the Dow Jones Industrial Average is a poor metric of our nation's financial health.  The main point was that you can't compare today's average with the average from 20 years ago without adjusting for inflation, and when you do, today's average isn't that good.  The secondary point was that the DJIA is a group of big companies chosen for secretive reasons and which don't necessarily represent the current state of the economy.  So now every time there's a news headline about the Dow, I ignore it purposefully, instead of just ignoring it because it has absolutely no effect on my life.