Evolutionary Justification for Political Incorrectness

I'm trying to post regularly again, but the internet gods don't seem to be looking favorably on my plan. I'm moving tomorrow, and I'm not sure when I'll get the intarwebz hooked up at the new place. Hopefully I'll be back within a week.

Anyway, this article is probably the most interesting thing I've read in at least the last few months. It's called "Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature," and, as you would imagine, it discusses ten politically incorrect truths about human nature. For example, the article discusses why men prefer blonds, why almost all suicide bombers are Muslims, why beautiful people are more likely to have daughters, and why sexual harassment happens in the workplace.

A word of warning, though. Some of the views in the article could be considered offensive at first glance, but if you can keep an open mind, it's a good read.

C is for Censored

Sex, violence, and dirty language get shown on TV so much these days that we are completely desensitized to them. It's just unacceptable. I've decided that something needs to be done. And for my part, I've decided to censor everything I can get my hands on. Take this clip, for example:

If it doesn't display properly in your browser window, go here to listen!
Some of my finest work, I'd say...

1+1=2

People often come up to me on the street, obviously concerned about the fact that 1+1 may not actually equal 2. As a public service to such concerned people, I have decided to prove to you that 1+1 does, in fact, equal 2, in order to allay this common fear.

The Natural Numbers:

We first must define the set of natural numbers, N. To do this, we use the Peano Axioms, which define N as the smallest set satisfying the following criteria:

1. 1 is in N.
2. If an integer x is in N, then its "successor" S(x) is also in N.
3. There is no x such that S(x) = 1.
4. If x is not equal to 1, then there exists a y in N such that S(y) = x.
5. If M is a subset of N, 1 is in M, and the implication
(if x is in M, then S(x) is in M) holds,
then M includes all of the natural numbers.

Addition:

Now that we have defined the set of natural numbers, N, we can define addition for two integers in the set of natural numbers.

Let a and b be integers in N.

If b equals 1, then define a + b = S(a)

If b does not equal 1, then let c be a number in N such that
S(c) = b. and a + b = S(a + c).

(Note: This is a recursive definition.)

The Number Two:

Now we define the number 2:
2 = S(1)

Note that because 1 is in N (by axiom 1), and because 2 = S(1), then by axiom 2, 2 is also in N.

Now we can actually prove that 1+1=2.

Proof:

Theorem: 1 + 1 = 2

Proof:
We simply use our definition of addition with a = b = 1.
Since b = 1,
a + b = S(a)
1 + 1 = S(1)
and by our definition of 2, S(1) = 2.

Therefore, 1 + 1 is equal to 2.

So rest easy, concerned citizens. 1+1 does, in fact, equal 2.

My Girlfriend

My Girlfriend told me I had to choose between video games and her.

I'm sure going to miss her.

That is all.

Geektography

After reading Kelly's (a.k.a. Full Metal Attorney/Photographer) newest blog, An Open-Ended Course in Photography, I was inspired to take a few pictures myself and see how things went. I started with lesson 1, and since it was dark outside at the time I decided to just take a few pictures inside my house.

The first lesson is on composition and the rule of thirds. Check it out on Kelly's blog if you don't know what it is!





I had some dirty glasses sitting on my table. Seemed like a reasonable thing to take some photos of. I took a couple with the flash on before I realized what I was doing. After almost deleting them, I decided not to, and they actually kind of looked cool once I transferred them to my computer. I like the shadows that the flash casts on the wall in the background, as well as the lines of light that it throws down the shot.



My Rubik's cube on the left third, and a keg cup on the right. Kelly advises not to use color unless it enhances the image. I couldn't very well shoot a Rubik's cube in black and white, could I? How else would you know that it's completed?



Two keg cups on my table. I think the color helps them stand out against my mostly black and white kitchen.



This is the same setup as number three, only from the opposite angle. Again, my kitchen is pretty plain, color-wise, so I like how the blue stands out.

What do you think? I'll probably try lesson 2 sometime next week, or whenever I get a chance. You know how things go. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

Grab Your Pocket Protectors!

I'm back! I finally convinced the cable company to run tubes to my new house. They really didn't want to, but after I showed them some photos I took involving them, 3 goats, a 9-iron, and a 1/10 size replica of the General Lee they caved.

Anyway, I've got some catching up to do later, but for now, I'm going to go drink some beer in honor of the fact that I don't have to go to school or work on Monday. w00t!

Honestly, Honey! I Read it for the Articles!

I'm not gay, but I didn't look at a single picture from this month's (July's) edition of Playboy.

The articles were so well-written that I didn't have time. Be sure to check out the article about the future of what it means to be human (with a great Q & A by one of my favorite author/inventor/futurist/computer gurus, Ray Kurzweil).

I also recommend you check out the article on the state of our country in light of Intelligent Design proponents.

Both articles are well-written, logical, and thought provoking. I'll try to post some selected passages in the next few days, but I don't have internet, since I've once again moved. It's hard to bring a Playboy into the University library!

See you next time!

The Internet is Made of Tubes

Here is a fun quote from Senator Ted Stevens, explaining how the intarwebs work. The short answer: With tubes. Emphasis added.

There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.

But this service is now going to go through the internet and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.

Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?

I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?

Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.

So you want to talk about the consumer? Let's talk about you and me. We use this internet to communicate and we aren't using it for commercial purposes.

We aren't earning anything by going on that internet. Now I'm not saying you have to or you want to discrimnate against those people.

The regulatory approach is wrong. Your approach is regulatory in the sense that it says "No one can charge anyone for massively invading this world of the internet". No, I'm not finished. I want people to understand my position, I'm not going to take a lot of time.

They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the internet. And again, the internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

It's a series of tubes.

And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and its going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.

Now we have a separate Department of Defense internet now, did you know that?

Do you know why?

Because they have to have theirs delivered immediately. They can't afford getting delayed by other people.

Now I think these people are arguing whether they should be able to dump all that stuff on the internet ought to consider if they should develop a system themselves.

Maybe there is a place for a commercial net but it's not using what consumers use every day.

It's not using the messaging service that is essential to small businesses, to our operation of families.

The whole concept is that we should not go into this until someone shows that there is something that has been done that really is a viloation of net neutraility that hits you and me.

So there you have it.

1. Senator Stevens has his own personal internet, which he tries to send to his office, but it gets tangled.

2. The internet is NOT, in fact, a truck.

3. The internet is made of tubes.