Knife licking Sep 17, 2007
I've developed the extremely unsafe habit of knife licking.  You see, the residents of our household don't do the dishes nearly as often as they should.  And because of the hardness of our well water, leaving the stainless steel flatware in the sink causes rusting.  I'd rather not have to deal with caked-on food when I actually get around to washing the dishes, so I've found that it's simple and effective to "pre-clean".  So after I use a knife to cut apple pie or something similar, I lick said knife.  I fully expect to sustain a life-threatening mouth injury from this practice. #psychology
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
More on modern wars Aug 30, 2007
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
Communication hierarchy Aug 29, 2007
I've determined that there's a hierarchy of communication methods.  It goes like this: 
  1. Face-to-face.  This is the best method of communication.  It's what you use when you need something right away.  It's effective at getting things done, but it takes time and effort.
  2. Phone.  You use the phone when it's something important but you don't want to go through as many of the normal social interaction guidelines such as greetings, how are things, nice weather, how's your wife, etc.
  3. Text message.  This is probably the most efficient method of communication.  It requires very little time or effort, and it often gets a quick answer.  But it's completely dependent on the person (a) having a cell phone, (b) turning it on, and (c) having it with them.
  4. Email.  This is sadly the most ineffective method of communication most of the time.  It's a great way of getting things done, but it often depends solely on the receiver, the frequency of checking, and the typical speediness of replies.
I've found several times recently that a complex problem had a simple solution, all because of a phone call.  Instead of emailing or text messaging, the problem was solved immediately by picking up the phone.  However, sometimes phone calls are ineffective because people aren't near their phone.  In that case, text messages are also usually worthless.  Emailing can be the best bet, but it depends on the time of the day and which address is used.  For example, if I email Wendy's personal address, I know she only checks it once or twice a day, so she probably won't be responding very quickly.  If I instead email her work address, it'll automatically get sent to her Blackberry, where she usually gives an instantaneous response.  However, I also have to keep in mind that emails I send to Wendy's work address occasionally get lost, so it's not always reliable. 

In conclusion, it's almost like there's a separate hierarchy of communication methods for each individual person.  I recommend not communicating at all. #psychology
Antiques Aug 29, 2007
I'm surprised not only by how little interest I have in antiques, but by how much interest other people have in them.  I was driving home from work yesterday and I was forced to inhale some dirty exhaust from a classic car, a yellow Barracuda.  It was a nice-looking car, and its engine sounded powerful.  But in all honesty, I can't see myself ever owning a classic car like this.  For me, a car is a functional object.  It gets me from point A to point B.  A classic car would be about as useful to me as a classic computer.  Old, obsolete hardware, uncomfortable, poorly ventilated, susceptible to spontaneous fires.  It was almost comical to watch the guy driving the car try to get in a comfortable position in that giant bench seat with no headrest.  He kept himself cool by rolling the windows down.  I wonder what he does when it's in the 90s?  In the 10s?  I appreciate the idea of a classic car.  It's more about the look and the sentimental value.  But honestly, I like my adjustable seat and my headrest. 

That got me thinking:  What antiques would actually be valuable to me?  Most antiques I can think of are functional objects:  Tables, chairs, lamps.  If it's not functional, I would assume it's artsy, and I don't venture into those lands.  I can see the value of antiques if older things were build stronger and made to last.  Certain hand tools, for example, were made to last generations.  And they do.  Hand tools these days are made of cheaper, more readily available materials (e.g. plastic), and the quality isn't nearly what it once was.  But what you gain in durability, you sacrifice in functionality.  I could use a screwdriver from the 1800s, or I could use an electric drill I bought a few years ago.  I could attempt to keep a classic car in running condition, or I could depend on my Toyota Camry.  My Toyota Camry probably won't run in 20 years, but by then, we'll be driving around in personal hovercraft so it won't matter (ha!).  Also, I doubt anyone would want to resurrect a 20-year Camry.  It just doesn't have the same appeal as a typical classic car.  And if antiques are about appeal (visual or psychological), it looks like I won't be getting into them any time soon. #psychology
Two things to do Aug 23, 2007
I keep thinking about two things I'd like to do, but I can't seem to find the time or the proper resources for them: 
  1. Golf.  I used to play golf in high school, and it's a pretty enjoyable thing as long as it's not taken seriously.  The problem, however, is that it's a fairly social game, and most courses don't allow groups of less than four.  I only know about two people who I'd be willing to play golf with, and those people are usually difficult to schedule things with.  Plus, one plus two doesn't add up to four, so some schmuck will have to be inserted into our group to make it a foursome.  And I really hate that.
  2. A band.  I also used to be in a band in high school, but I don't really want to repeat that.  I'd like to do things completely differently and simply get together with some people who have similar musical tastes and abilities.  I have no interest in performing, just playing, experimenting, and creating.  In my opinion, this all starts with a drummer, and I don't know anyone who plays the drums well enough to live up to my standards.  Same with bass.  Oh, and keyboard/piano.  Come to think of it, I don't know many people who are musically capable enough to play without looking at the notes.  I don't believe my abilities are anything out of this world, but I've played with enough "musicians" to understand what's good and what's not.  For several years now, I've been patiently waiting for some people to come along and totally blow my mind.  Still waiting.
#psychology
Hiking alone Aug 23, 2007
I enjoy hiking, and I enjoy hiking alone.  I think I figured out why:  Walking through the woods is one of the very few times I have no distractions.  I'm not at work.  I'm not near a computer.  I don't have my cell phone on.  I'm not in my house, where I might feel compelled to clean or fix things.  I'm not driving.  I'm not visiting or talking to people.  It's just me and the woods.  How much simpler can life get? #psychology
Pool water repossession (2) Aug 22, 2007
Wendy knows a guy from work who was trying to get rid of one of those inflatable, semi-permanent pools.  So she brought it home, we leveled a section of earth, and filled the thing up with about 2500 gallons of water over the course of 3-4 weeks (I didn't want to suck my well dry or break my well pump).  So now we have a relatively large pool in our relatively small backyard, and it's approaching the end of pool season (it's been 55°F for the past 3 days, but that's not normal). 

I've become a bit of a conservationist recently, seeing that I spend some of my free time hiking and I like to travel to places whose main attraction is their natural beauty.  So the thought of dumping 2500 gallons of water down a drain or in the woods doesn't sit right with me, especially since the plan would be to fill the pool again next summer.  I'd like to reuse the water, perhaps by storing it in containers for later use.  But if the water was stored in 55-gallon drums, it would take about 45 drums, and quite simply, my yard is painfully inadequate for that.  I can rationalize the pseudo-fact that water dumped on the ground will eventually end up in my well anyway, so it's almost like I didn't take it in the first place.  But that sounds sort of weaselly.  I could dump it down the town's drains, after which it would travel through a wastewater treatment center and be reused for drinking water.  But that sounds eerily similar to dumping it on the ground. 

My final thought was absolutely brilliant, in my opinion.  Companies exist that bring water to people with pools.  Why wouldn't these same companies also like to buy that water back?  And I'd give them a really good price, maybe $1/gallon.  That's $2500!  I'd even be willing to accept less; I didn't pay for the water in the first place.  Brilliant. 

I called one of these companies yesterday.  That's when I lost all faith in mankind.  It turns out that water truck companies don't have storage tanks.  They fill up their trucks with the town's water and bring it to peoples' houses.  Bad part number 1.  It also turns out that water trucks can't carry anything less than a full load, somewhere in the 10,000 gallon range, because of stability issues.  So even if they could pump the water out of my pool, the truck would fall over, and most likely directly onto my house.  Bad part number 2.  And here's the best/worst part:  When a water truck fills up its tank and goes out to fill a small pool or hot tub (usually in the 500 gallon range), the rest of the water is dumped out on the side of the road or in a parking lot, again because of stability issues.  Bad part number infinity. 

The ground it is.  Who knew pool water repossession would be such a bad business idea. #psychology
Nothing I can do Aug 21, 2007
"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do." 

This has become my least favorite phrase in the English language.  No other statement admits as much weakness, ineptitude, and uselessness as this one.  I often hear it after hours of phone calls to customer support, often after several transfers and several more dead ends. 

The reason this phrase makes me angry is not so much because certain people legitimately don't have the ability to perform certain actions, but because the people who use this phrase often use it as a way to end the conversation, a way to get me off the phone.  It's not that they can't do anything, it's that they don't want to.  And even if they sincerely aren't able to do anything, these types of people are often not even willing to recommend a course of action or a person to contact.  It's the attitude behind the phrase that really gets to me.  "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."  It's more like, "I'm not really sorry, loser jerk, but I have no desire to continue this conversation or to help you in anyway." #psychology
Modern wars (2) Aug 16, 2007
I was watching a show on the History Channel last night, and it was all about the World War II and Cold War efforts in the U.S. to produce nuclear weapons.  That's how wars used to work:  You dump all kinds of money and people into an effort to produce the most advanced, most numerous, and most powerful technology that would cause the most damage to your enemies.  Whoever gets there first, essentially wins. 

Wars these days are quite different.  The U.S. is certainly the leader in terms of military might and defense spending, but somehow the nation hasn't actually won a war since World War II (I don't think conflicts like the Vietnam War count as wins, though this can probably be argued).  Modern wars largely consist of guerrilla efforts led by decentralized, rag-tag groups of unskilled, untrained, uneducated people.  Larger nations with larger weapons can surely drop large bombs from large distances, but this would cause too many innocent civilian deaths.  So fully-equipped, combat-trained soldiers are forced to leave their heavily-armored tanks and fighter jets and drive around cities in lightly-armored vehicles looking for bad guys.  The winner is the side who can last the longest.  And when nations with large defense budgets also have things like bills of rights, the battle becomes more about public opinion than an actual battlefield. #psychology