Charlie Sheen and 911
A couple people at work were talking about the actor Charlie Sheen, because this past week he did a radio interview where he basically states his stance on the 911 attacks. This stance being that there are too many unanswered questions. Buildings came down too fast perhaps.
One of the people who was in my training group said, (referring to Sheen) “I don’t even want to see that guy’s face ever again.”
It was funny that he was so disgusted that Sheen would imply that we weren’t given the whole truth about these incidents. I on the other hand am not trusting of the government. Nor should anyone be in my opinion. Thomas Jefferson wasn’t trusting of the government and that’s why our founding documents were written the way they were. Regarding 911 though, there are plenty of missing materials being witheld from the public. We have Pentagon security camera footage that hasn’t been fully released We have security cameras from a nearby Sheraton hotel that still hasn’t surfaced.
We also have WTC Building 7 which has an extremely suspicious air around it. One being the beneficiary of the insurance policy on WTC says on a PBS documentary referring to the collapse of building 7, said “We had such terrible loss of life and the chief said he was having trouble containing the fire that I made the decision to just ‘pull it.’” Early evening that building came down, after having suffered some fires from debris of the other towers.
I haven’t read the 911 Commission at this moment in time, though it’s on my list. I have heard that the topic of WTC7 was kind of glazed over. This might make sense to some because it didn’t get hit by airplanes, and was certainly a dwarfed by the other destruction. But the statement made by that gentleman who collected the insurance policy is a bit annoying to say the least. That building apparently contained government offices. These are offices that We the people own. A decision to pull, if referring to a demolition, is a huge crime, as it’s destroying government property. Our property, our records. Do you know what was housed in Building 7? What were those offices.
I’ve enjoyed watching a lot of the alternative movies on 911. It’s really fascinating to see points of view that weren’t really available at the time. It is an unarguable fact that there is a coverup of 911. We are missing these videos. We are missing cockpit record data. At that level, there is a cover-up. Uncover these materials, and then more citizens and families of victims can rest easier. Until they uncover it, these government agencies deserve all of the flack, all of the litigation, all of the cries of conspiracy, all of the suspicion they are getting.
Were these buildings demolished by airplanes alone? Built to withstand an airplane hitting them, and both having been built to withstand 2500 degree heat, these buildings came down 30 minutes apart, disintegrated, and at freefall speed. Darn the luck you might say right? These airplanes sure were the magic bullets. Now if some of the building engineers are lying and actually the building was not up to that standard, they are responsible for defects in the building.
As much as I love the adventure of conspiracy, I’m not going to remain unswayed here. I’m looking out for more evidence that proves the official story is correct. I want the official story to be correct for many reasons. Right now though, I think that those buildings came down too fast for logic, faster than melted metal and pancaking of floors should do. They came down so perfect, too impossibly perfect. Building 7 is shrouded in mystery. The pentagon is full of missing pieces.
If the government and the agencies were more transparent you wouldn’t have these questions, you wouldn’t have so many conspiracy theories. It’s the lack of transparency that is our downfall here in the United States. The War on Terror is not a reason to withold the things that we withold.
April 1, 2006 at 11:04 am | 911, conspiracy, media, politics, rants | No comment
Stadium woes
In the news again is a vote about renovating the stadiums here in Kansas City. I’ve been living with this crap my whole life, being from St. Louis and all the stadium BS that has gone on there. Now here in KC, they want to spend 700 million or more on a stadium overhaul which will mostly be paid by Missouri sales tax increases.
Meanwhile, citizens of Johnson County laugh at our school district. All would nearly die before subjecting their kids to our Missouri schools. Therefore, all would nearly die before living in KC metro area. And I don’t completely disagree. I live here, but I don’t have kids. You can say all you want about stadiums improving quality of life, but here in Kansas City, I’m not seeing any more quality of life. I’m seeing the beautiful smaller shops closing out for the big dogs who move in. I’m seeing a decayed swope park, which should be a highlight of the city for all it’s spaciousness.
Overall, crime has gone down. This has nothing to do with the Stadiums. Whenever these issues come up, people always talk about these major improvements. Very little happens from this. And it’s not about the money for me. The sales tax will be invisible. It’s about priority. KC schools are doing terrible. Johnson County schools are doing great. Kid’s are our future. I think the priority is clear. And you can count on that most, if not all of our Kansas City kids won’t be playing in those stadiums. They might be working there, but that’s not something that makes me feel good. I’ve worked at a stadium before, I know what it’s like.
March 28, 2006 at 1:36 am | rants | No comment
Are you ready for some……thing else?
Read my Ten Things I’d rather do than watch the Superbowl
February 5, 2006 at 2:34 pm | rants | 1 comment
12 Things I love
I’m going to write a little bit about the things I love. Because some things kick ass and some things don’t, and I think it’s time to mention the good ones for today. I’m not in a wierd mood, just been wanting to post this for a while.
- WordPress I orginally had Mark Cuban here in this list, but I realized that despite Mark’s coolness, I do not always think he kicks ass. But if I get to know him better, perhaps he’ll be back on the list. WordPress beats him though, and this includes the developers. Wordpress is this fantastic publishing server software that is supereasy to configure and highly customizeable. See Designorati.com for their highly customized version. Blogs can be lame, but WordPress is awesome if you want to set up a website. There are a bunch of themes out there to use and it’s easy to communicate.
- Xara Xtreme is one of the most badass drawing programs out there. It’s one of the only vector drawing programs where the tools behave as you would expect. The commercial version on Windows is 80 bucks and well worth it for what you can do. They also have opensourced it in hopes that at Linux and Mac version will be close to follow. Some libraries aren’t available in the free version, but it will be robust I’m sure. The fabulous thing is they have the best movies for this program. When you go to the help menu, you can permanently install a whole list of short movie tutorials on how to use it. This is exactly how software should be. It’s faster with large digital image handling than any other program. Xara
- Apple Computer oops, wrong list
- My Wife The reason my wife is third on this list is that she is my third wife. Just kidding. She is quite possibly the most hilarious person I know. No one would ever say that who knows her because she’s so quiet to everyone but me and her immediate family, but trust me there are many many layers to her, and most of them are funny. The most funny thing is she spends 5 hours a day on a computer, but hates computer, and she knows her husband has a website, but has no desire to ever go there.
- Fran Lemery When I was younger, I would never expect to have a best friend who is 35 years older than me, but I do. Fran is such a neat guy. He’s good at everything important, like building, gardening, speaking, computers, remembering names, and fine wines. He’s really wise and definitely my best friend in Kansas City. Really a cool person to know and learn from.
- Wired Magazine Years ago, I remember thinking that Wired was one of the many faux tech magazines full of computer buyer’s guide ads. Was I wrong. This magazine is perhaps the most intelligent read that a magazine can be. It’s entertaining, and full of good tech / political articles. The writers really seem to deserve to be there, as all of them are good. They even have sex articles, which rules. Seems like all their articles are free on their website too. wired.com
- My friend Susan is the reason why I finished my book. She is best wordsmith I know. Not in the form of poetry, but just being an expert in English. Her vocabulary is unmatched at the office, and I get the feeling she actually knows what she’s saying, unlike other coworkers who often misuse the big words more than I would admit to them. Susan is also a very honest person and is more funny than she gives herself credit. Actually she’s more everything than she probably will give herself credit. Yes Susan, you beat Blender on the list.persimmonsmith.com
- Blender 3D is a 3D graphics program and is completely free and open source. So you can use it, program your own version if you like. But as it is the interface is the best I’ve seen for such a detailed program. Each part is organized in panels that fit together and can be resized. An easy keystroke will pop your panel to full screen and back again. The actual purpose of the program is to create 3D models and worlds and render still images, videos, or create games or some other multimedia experience. Adobe, is just now getting into the interface design that Blender has had for years. Blender
- Mary Roach wrote the books Spook and Stiff and is such a fun person to read. Her books are entertaining and are science based, but really end up being books about adventure, culture and mystery. As she puts it, she starts her books knowing nothing of the subject. Then she takes you on her learning adventure. Mary, if you ever make it to Kansas City, we need to go to the Kona Grill or something to hang out. Mary Roach
- The Public Library can you get any better than a place that holds the information of the world that encourages you and supports you in any endeavor. Your librarians even protect your rights and do their best to make sure you have access to the free flow of information. Plus it’s fun to sit back and read / people watch, browse what other people are doing. Some libraries let you take out video games even and DVD movies are the norm now at pretty much any library. And here’s the crazy thing. You can go to the library’s website in a lot of places, and put holds on books. Then when they are available, several librarians will find your book and set it aside, and send you an email to come pick it up. Thank you Ben Franklin! my library
- Jon Stewart freaking rules. Why the heck isn’t his logic taken beyond it’s masterful comedic exploits to being applied in our lives. He is quite possibly the most important commentator today. I have no reason to watch TV news if I can download his clips off the internet. I get the important take on world news as it is. His take on the media is razor sharp.
- the guy from The STRAIGHT DOPE is another great guy. Actually come to think of it, I don’t know if he is a guy, but I’m pretty sure Cecil is always a guy. Anyway, read his site and how he answers the questions that you didn’t know you wanted answered, but were sitting in your unconscious somewhere.”
February 3, 2006 at 7:26 am | humor, rants | No comment
I feel like this guy today
This is me during the holidays.
December 20, 2005 at 9:00 am | humor, rants | No comment
Weekend in Springfield
We went to Springfield, Missouri for the weekend and had a good time. While there, we attended some homecoming events from my Alma Mater. We were able to crash at my friend, fraternity brother, and former housemate Kris’s house for two nights. Now I must contrast the word “crash” from being a temporary “house guest.” A house guest means that the guest’s arrival was anticipated by some preparations. Things were cleaned, linens and towels readied, room was prepared. Crashing means that the person who comes to stay fends for themselves, brings their own linens and pretty much make do with the mess in the bathroom. This is not so much a complaint, as it is a humorous reality that fraternity life never ends. It was fun and Juri was definitely a trooper.
I ran a 5k Saturday morning, but unfortunately my time was about 27 minutes. Many ten-year old girls beat me that morning. Afterwards we went to the MSU homecoming parade and then went to breakfast at a place called Gailey’s. Later, we went to the Japanese Stroll Garden and shopped around the city. I was disappointed not to find my book at the Barne’s and Noble. Either they were out, or never ordered any. While in the store though, I met a guy who was perusing L*a*b color, the Canyon Conundrum and we started chatting. Turns out he had a great contact for an online photo printer Millers Lab that does great work on large size prints. I think between Walgreens and Millers Lab one can really enjoy getting prints from digital cameras.
Sunday morning, we visited with an old partner in crime, John H. He and I used to collaborate on projects and now serve as sounding boards for the various ideas we have in film, design, or home maintenance. Despite all the fun, getting back felt great. We gained a daylight savings hour and I am able to relax a little before jumping into freelance work.
October 30, 2005 at 3:01 pm | friends, rants | No comment
I’m an idiot
Why is it that every time I send a mean email, it always backfires? I’ve sent about four mean emails in my life. Normally things don’t aggravate me. Today, I sent an email to this company Jotspot because I was aggravated with their free two weeks plans.Jotspot is a wiki. They have plans that let you collaborate on publishing via their wiki server. And the plans read, try it for two weeks. What really annoyed me is, how are you going to get a group of people to even begin to collaborate and test this service in two weeks? Two weeks is enough for normal desktop software, but for a collaborative wiki? I can’t even convince 20 people to respond to an email much less test out an online service within two weeks.
Ok, anyway so I was mean today and send them a sarcastic email because two weeks isn’t even a satisfactory trial period at all. We’ve all become accustomed to 30 days at least. I sent this mean email today to their catch-all info mailbox thinking, somebody will pick it up and sense my sarcasm, or just delete it.
What happens? The CEO emails me back (again this is Sunday) and is kinda mad about the email, turns out they have a free subscription version which I hadn’t realized. Red faced now, and obviously an idiot. Damnit Joe, why did you have to be cool and email me back? Now I’ll be shamelessly promoting your company and services to make amends.
Update: Joe Kraus at JotSpot emailed be back and said everything was cool. When the CEO of a company does that, you know they are gonna be a good company to deal with. So everyone out there who wants to publish something right now. Consider JotSpot to publish online. 50 pages for free, or one of their plans for collaborative works are affordable. (even though I bitched about because it wasn’t free. I’m seriously a cheap bastard.) I’ll tell you something right now, dump your cable bill and you can afford their plans. It’s a better company for your money anyway.
July 31, 2005 at 12:23 am | rants | No comment
CSI
So there is a television show that a lot of people like, it’s called CSI. I’ve probably seen it four times this year. I’m not really sure why I haven’t noticed it until now, but that show is extremely cheesy. I enjoy the show because my favorite stories revolve detectives and solving the crimes. However people in the show are really overly dramatic. Forensic science is already cool. They have quick flashbacks and they even do a little finching in the show, for example, to show when needles or knife blades puncturing skin or maggots eating through flesh, or bullets burning through wood on a microscopic level.
These techniques make the show cool, but the drama, the overacting that I’m noticing, particularly by Horatio Caine makes it seem kind of stupid. Also is there any adherence to police style dress code? I suspect that the shows creators think that medical and police uniforms are way too boring. CSI gets a D+ from me tonight.
July 24, 2005 at 12:29 am | rants | No comment
extreme sportscasting
I don’t know how stuff like this slips by me. It was on ESPN and some other news. A skateboarder named Danny Way made a jump over the Great Wall of China on July 9. After searching for a minute, the video of the event was easy to find. Danny’s website shows all five jumps, and fortunately each one of them is from a slightly different camera angle so you get enough to really see the sheer mass of this ramp.
I know this event was covered by ESPN but I wonder if it was shown live. I’m thinking probably not because, well frankly it’s not in America and it’s not football or sports talk, so it probably didn’t even make it on the 4am segment. This leads me to what I hate about American TV and sports in general (major commercial sports). All the cool stuff is ignored and replaced by uselessness banter. You get ten seconds of the actual play and then 15 minutes of people’s bullshit about it. They talk about it beforehand, then they don’t shut up during the event. Then afterwards all of the people wearing ties with their shirtsleeves rolled up want to talk to each other some more about it. In the million of interviews I’ve seen with athletes after a game for “press conferences” I have never seen anything valuable said. Things like “We had a goal and we worked hard out there.” Wow, that’s realistic. Why not show me the coach busting somebody’s balls in the locker room for totally blowing that play.
Dear ESPN (CC all local news channels), I’m really tired of two things. 1. You are not the goddamn radio. You are TV. How dumb must your viewers be to you that you must talk us through everything. If I took my wife and a friend to a game and the entire time my friend sat there and talked in my ear, telling me what I was seeing, guess who is losing a testicle that day? Answer me this question ESPN. If you go out and buy a DVD and put it in your player to watch a movie, is the commentary on or off by default? And why is that do you think?
2. The only thing worse than men sportscasting is women. In fact, the more knowledgeable the women is at her banter the more stupid she sounds. Because no matter what degree she has, no matter how clear, cute or funny her voice is, she has absolutely no relation to the five black guys on the court. To talk about their feelings, their political moves within the organization, their strategy, wouldn’t it help if this 5′2″ woman was actually one of them?
And before you start getting pissed off, this is not about rights, equality or anything that degrades another person. This is about the consistency of a moment. Sports is a moment in time for people. People in this country schedule their lives around it. People beat their kids for it. People alter their brain chemistry and damage their livers for it. I’d say that’s an important moment for people. The moment requires preparation. You must set up the environment, get appropriate supplies. In fact, to enjoy these moment, billions are spent each year. Stadiums, AM radios, flags, TVs, jerseys, the money is sucked away.
So when you have a moment like this, it’s like you are at a movie theater. The environment darkens around you the screen lights up, you are pulled into this world. You are part of the moment of the event. Then what happens? A baby starts crying, burning popcorn sets off the smoke alarm, telemarketers ring your phone, anything that can take you out of the moment will occur.
This is what a women sportscaster does, she takes you out of the moment. Most television sports are mens sports. Disagree? Football, baseball, soccer, hockey, Nascar, golf. Should I go on? One fine day somebody put a women in the box with the microphone thinking she’d do a fine job talking, narrating, giving her opinion, bantering. I don’t care that she played in college. I don’t care if she has some cute story about going to games with her dad.
The need for a commentator to help us watch the action is difficult to swallow anyway, but I’ll forgive this because frankly TV is a small viewing medium for the expanse of a sporting event. I’ll forgive the man who must tell me about the necessary details of this game. But I want this man to sound like the game, to seamlessly fit in the moment. He should be a former player, a coach, former coach, players father. Someone who has something to do with it. Basically it shouldn’t be this guy.
Just like I wouldn’t expect to turn on NASCAR and expect the commentator to be black. (unfortunately, but true) I also wouldn’t expect him to speak with a Russian, British or German accent either. They aren’t part of the sport, nor of the moment. I don’t watch a training video and expect a five year old to describe the process of lithographic printing to me. It doesn’t fit the character. My expectations require certain things to maintain the moment, so why are ESPN and other broadcasters inserting things that break the moment? I don’t even love sports like other people but I think this is still just plain stupid.
Now on the other hand, if I’m watching Women’s sports. Swimming, diving, basketball or anything else, the broadcaster better be a woman. If not, they are breaking the fourth wall. It’s 2:40, time for bed.
July 20, 2005 at 12:32 am | freestyle, rants | No comment
The golden age of children’s television
I just have a few moments but I wanted to write a little bit about television. When I was growing up I feel like I experienced the golden age of children’s television. Back then, we had Sesame Street, Mister Rogers, Letter People Land, and a few more that I kind of remeber, one example is Electric Company which had some strange skits. Anyway I feel those shows were the product of the times before child pop psychology and the rise of political correctedness. My days we enjoyed folk songs, grainy animations, burlap and mop like puppets. It felt down to earth. In St. Louis, it’s channel 9 PBS that I grew up watching. These days you have shows made in 3D which appear to me to be overly cheesy. But then again I may be wrong.
I also remember whenever I’d go to my Aunt Judy’s house she would always have Bob Ross on television. Bob Ross was a painter with a soothing cool voice and a curly fro. The guy you’d want to have in your family. His show, The Joy of Painting, was one of the best learning demonstrations of painting. Some would argue that his treatments of landscapes that he always seemed to do weren’t really art. To that I’d respond with a bat to their foreheads.
His show was lighthearted, focused and original in the sense that I’m not sure if I’ve seen since any production house with that amount of coverage of a single topic, especially in the United States. In other countries you do see shows of that quality on language learning or piano practice. Hopefully the internet will change this in the next 3-7 years. Hopefully in the next 10 years we can call up a long video series of scratching on turntables or how to take care of reptiles.
Watching Bob Ross I always loved the sound of the palette knives scrapping against the palette and the paint canvas. All the sounds really meant something. It was all the more real. I don’t remember any sample sound bed or anything. Also just the creation of the landscape painting in front of you and watching the techniques.
Here’s to Bob Ross who passed away in 1995 of lymphoma. Thanks so much for the memories. Even though I never learned to paint, I definitely learned from you.
