 |
|
|
|
50 coolest websites
D | Sunday, September 25, 2005
Time has posted their 50 Coolest Websites for 2005. Sadly, derekwalden.com is not on the list. I did read the whole thing and here are the links to a few of my favorites.
Orisinal
-Simple and fun online games - incredibly well illustrated. I've played about 10 and they are all great. Not in any sort of witty pun kind of way, I suggest the dogs and the cats. Annoyingly simple - frustratingly addictive.
Overheard in NYC
-Having lived in there (brief as it was), this site is a fabulous idea - people submit overheard conversations and the editors post the funny ones. (Also, check this out this image  which is one of their rotating banners. Can anyone identify the locale? I can. ) The quotes - here is my favorite off the front page:
Russian counterlady: You want coffee?
Mexican guy: No coffee. Juice.
Russian counterlady: What?
Mexican guy: Please...juice?
Russian counterlady: Here we are all juice.
--Midwood Kosher bakery
PostSecret
-Nothing to say. Simple and classic.
Opus1 Classicall
-A searchable global database for upcoming classical concerts. Surprisingly, Cincinnati and Cleveland are in the database. The search only netted each local symphony, but for a global database, I didn't think that wasn't too shabby.
TVWOP
-Another classic (not directly mentioned in the Time 50, but too good not to throw up another link). Try last night's WW Recap-let and watch for the summary later in the week. Look up your own favorite show, I dare you.
SushiFinder
-I found a link to this page, and although it doesn't not include any Ohio cities, I still thought it was a neat site. The amount of sushi in NYC is impressive.
Livingto100
-I'm only going to live to be 78.8 years old. If you can finish the 3,000 questions (3/4 which I marked "I don't know") the end number is kinda neat to finally get. Apparently, I should floss more. And not drink beer.
Clusty
-A new search engine which breaks down results into categories on the right hand side of the screen. Interesting idea.
D | 9/25/2005 11:45:00 PM
| 4 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sally, I shall call thee Bradley
D | Friday, September 23, 2005
AH HA! Mystery SOLVED.
The infamous "Sally" is BRADLEY (you bee-otch!). Imagine my utter surprise... How do I know? "I've discovered there's no amount of money, manpower, or knowledge that can equal the person you're looking for being stupid." (WW, Season 3, Ep 9)
Observe the comment stream here. Just so you all know, I still recieve deleted comments even if you (or I) remove them from the webpage. The email for this deleted comment was as follows:
> From: Brad, noreply-comment@blogger.com
> To: derek@derekwalden.com
> Subject: [derekwalden.com] 9/23/2005 06:48:27 PM
> Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 15:50:48 -0700 (PDT)
>
---------------------------------
Sorry, that was me.
-Sally
--
Posted by Brad to derekwalden.com at 9/23/2005 06:48:27 PM
So sorry Bradley - YOU are Sally. You screwed up and forgot to sign out before posting as Sally. Either that or somehow, "Sally" has Brad's username and password. Hmm, troublesome.
So to answer your question, No, even if I were going to be in Cbus this weekend, I don't think I would want to hit any golf balls with you or Sally.
D | 9/23/2005 08:42:00 PM
| 0 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TDM - Steven E. Landsburg
D | Thursday, September 22, 2005
I think I am going to start another posting category similar to my QOTD (Quote of the Day). This would be called the TDM, or The Daily Moe (moe, short for moron). The Daily Moe would allow me to A. publicly ridicule this particular person and B. if I so choose, present my opposing view on a current issue. And so I present...
Steven E. Landsburg, congratulations you are today's Daily Moe.
As per this article on Slate.com, Mr. Landsburg advocates just giving each American citizen affected by hurricane Katrina a check for their share of the money we have allocated for hurricane relief; by his math this comes out to be $200k per person.
While we're at it, can we take the amount we spend on national defense and just divide that by 280 million citizens? That way we can all go out, buy our own individual guns, and defend ourselves against China, North Korea, and Iraq.
Am I the only one who sees how retarded you are? Am I showing my Democratic tendencies when I say that we need a central government to help orchestrate a monumental rebuilding project like we now face in New Orleans? Lets imagine for one moment, the government adopted this Moe's plan. Your family of 4 receives a check for $800k. The first thing you have to do is get the water out of your house. But that requires a pump (expensive, I hear). And you can't pump water out of your house if the levies aren't fixed. Don't forget the pump is gonna require electricity which means you might need to fork over some cash to fix the powerlines, boxes, generates, etc. And by the way, having just discovered the nature of water, you can't pump water out of just ONE HOUSE, you have to pump it out of the ENTIRE CITY. And that means someone else is getting the benefit of my $800k I used to buy a pump. Well damn it - that is not fair!
Landsburg, you are a Moe. I say we adopt a new plan. Put Landsburg on a plane to NO and when he gets there let him fix all their problems with the $200k he personally asked for. Good luck, Moe.
A political post on derekwalden.com wouldn't be complete without a West Wing quote so here you go:
BARTLET: Well, first of all, let's clear up a couple of things. "Unfunded mandate" is two words, not one "big word." (cheers) There are times when we're fifty states and there are times when we're one country, and have national needs. And the way I know this is that Florida didn't fight Germany in World War II or establish civil rights. You think states should do the governing wall-to-wall. That's a perfectly valid opinion. But your state of Florida got $12.6 billion in federal money last year-- from Nebraskans, and Virginians, and New Yorkers, and Alaskans, with their Eskimo poetry. 12.6 out of a state budget of $50 billion, and I'm supposed to be using this time for a question, so here it is: Can we have it back, please?
D | 9/22/2005 02:43:00 PM
| 2 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Belay on window-washer
D
This morning two window-washers were outside of my building. I wouldn't have given it a second thought but as I was walking in one of the guys dropped about 4 stories in half a second, stopping just before the ground. The rope made that zipping noise that you hear when it burns through your 8 during a big bound. Our Rappellmasters always hated that noise because it meant we were tearing up their ropes.
One singular noise had me reminiscing like crazy - took me back to my days of rappelling at Hocking Hills with my scout troop. Mr. D, Go-go-gadget-kick-your-ass, and the entire leadership crew running the rappel site. Those were some good times. At OSU when I had my own equipment, some friends and I went out and had a day of rappelling. Most recently I went out last November and coached our local scout troop. Still, it's been a long time since I was out rappelling. There is nothing more exhilarating than sticking your ass out over a cliff, with your feet pivoting on the edge, and knowing that the only thing saving you is a half inch piece of rope.
I wanted to find this picture of Travis and I screwing around while rappelling (not to be advised), but I don't know what I did with it. For now, here is a picture of me working with one of the scouts as he negotiates the lip.
PS: For those uninitiated, "belay" is a climbing/rappelling term for the act of making sure your partner does not fall and die. Noun or verb and often used as a question before acting, here what the dictionary has to say.
D | 9/21/2005 12:09:00 PM
| 8 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hurricane Derek
D | Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Will there ever be a Hurricane Derek? No. I am sad and relieved all at the same time. Sad because I'll probably never hear a local news person say the following, "That's right Greg, I'm standing on the pier and we are simply being bombarded by Derek's unimaginable strength and power." Relieved because I'll never hear this statement, "Derek destroyed my house, wrecked my car, and took everything I own - Derek ruined my life." (There's a not funny joke here about the women I've dated...).
Here's something I did not know. When naming hurricanes there is a pre-approved cyclical regionally based list which includes every letter in order save Q, U, X, Y, and Z. If, as is possibly the case this year, we have more than 21 hurricanes in the Atlantic, we start using the Greek alphabet. Are you a hurricane?
My Blogroll
Name- Yes or No (if no, closest match)
Derek- N (Frederic)
Alex- Y
Brad- N (Bret)
Lisa- Y
Kate- Y
Brendan- N (Bret)
Beth- N (Becky or Bessi)
Brooke- N (Bonnie)
Jack- N (Jacob)
Ruvym- N (Rusa or Rugare maybe Rumbia)
Chris- Y (also Walter)
Ash- N (Washi)
Teresa- Y
Honor- N (Rhonda)
Greg- Y
Ari- N (Nari)
Pam- Y
D | 9/20/2005 05:05:00 PM
| 3 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops
D | Monday, September 19, 2005
We're going back to the moon. At least that is what NASA is trying to get us to do. My comments:
1. We've already been there. We've already done that. Let's go to Mars (Alex: "Well, you have to feed the soul, too. Ever look through a telescope?" Josh: "In school. Uh, a guy on my floor liked to aim one at the women's dorm.", WW Season 5, Ep13). Now that; that's something I'll be really excited about (Mars, not the dorm thing (well, the dorm thing too)).
2. In 40 years, the theory for how to get to and from the Moon is almost exactly the same. Watch the video and look at the pictures. A rocket takes up the equipment which is the pod thing and the lander, the crew then docks with the equipment and heads over to the moon, the lander lands, the top blasts off, they reconnect, then they fall back to Earth. BAH! George Lucas figured out how to land the Millennium Falcon inside an earthworm living in an asteroid all while being chased by The Imperial Empire. Come on NASA, get on the ball here.
D | 9/19/2005 06:36:00 PM
| 3 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beat SDSU
D | Sunday, September 18, 2005
I can see my house from here.....This game had some truly entertaining moments, none of which were related to football.
-An elderly woman was slowly treking up to her seat with her husband close behind. At one point she stopped to take a breather and adjust her purse. When she adjusted her purse, she swung it over her shoulder and it smashed into her husband's coffee, spilling the coffee all down his front. He just stood there and smiled as if to say, "53 years of marriage and she's still knocking my shit over."
-A really wasted man (probably about 45) couldn't make it to his seat and crashed down about three rows over 2 little kids and into some poor ladys back.
-An old grandpa behind us kept saying things like, "Well that didn't look like pass interference to me, but I guess those refs are a lot closer than I am." This of course was painfully obvious being that we were sitting on the roof of the library (see picture).
-Again commenting on the height of our seats, we could see the two water towers on Henderson Rd out by Ashley's house. When I pointed them out to Ashley and said we could basically see her house from our seats she said, "What water towers near my house?" "Um, the two huges ones you drive past on Henderson everyday." "I've never seen them." On the way home, after the game...."Oh those water towers."
D | 9/18/2005 05:28:00 PM
| 1 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roberts, Chief Umpire SCOTUS
D | Monday, September 12, 2005
I haven't yet made up my mind what I think about the use of the baseball analogy to describe the roll of a judge (read his full text here). This is an excerpt:Judges and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around. Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ball game to see the umpire.
Damn straight, Mr. Chief Justice Nominee. Also here:
And I will remember that it's my job to call balls and strikes and not to pitch or bat. Personally, I like the guy so far. Granted he hasn't opened his mouth to say 10 words til today, and the next few days may tell a different story, but so far I think he is a steadfast public servant who seems to me like a stand up guy.
My concern is more about the role of a judge compared to the role of an umpire. Now lets all take a moment to realize that I am not the King of Analogies. True, people in glass analogy houses shouldn't throw stones, but here I go anyway.
As much as we might not like it, often times it is up a judge "write the law." Yes, like an umpire a judge must weigh each case against a standard and see if the outcome is proper, but often times the judge defines what constitues a "strike" or defines how far the first base is away from the plate. Umpires opperate within a permanently established set of parameters. At no point can an umpire say, "I think it is unconstitutional for the foul pole to be 315 yards away. We should shorten it to 300 yards." As I understand the checks and balances system, one of the roles of a judge (at least a SC judge) is to tell the legislature when they have passed a law which is unconstitutional. I agree that nine times out of ten a judge should just call balls and strikes, but every now and then they come to deciding a case where they have to say that the previously accepted definiton of a strike is no longer valid. On an even simpler note, judges are constantly fine tuning case law with tests and standards to help clarify the application of the law. Why else do law students spend hours reading case after case as opposed to simply reading the applicable statutues? Surely those instances are judges "making law."
I guess my ultimate point is two fold - 1. judicial activism (much like "liberal" or "Muslim") isn't always a dirty word. Let's calm down and realize that what we mean to say is "extremist judicial activism" or "extreme liberalism" or "Muslim extremist." That point leads nicely into my second point - 2. From time to time, it is indeed part of a judge's job to "write the law" or at least say to a governing body "this is a bad law, go try again." The umpire analogy only works to a point and anyone who says or tries to convince us otherwise is not being entirely truthful.
D | 9/12/2005 05:21:00 PM
| 5 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
V6 Foreplay
D
An old friend always said that he wanted to meet a woman in a bookstore. They both reach for the same book, laugh, and exchange "Hello"s. Or they they pass cautious glances through the shelving units. For me, although not really possible, I always wanted to meet a woman while driving. Friday night on my drive from Cincy to Cbus, I did just that.
Coming up on Exit 25 (Kings Island) I was passed by another Mitsubishi Eclipse going about 20 over the speed limit. Naturally, once I get passed by someone I accelerate and match speeds so that I can trail them and they'll get nailed by the cops. Once I caught up to this car, I realized it was a young attractive woman who I think was from British Columbia (I didn't recognize the license plate, but it said "BC" vertically and only had four numbers). After trailing her for about 5 minutes, I knew this chick could really drive. She was passing in the slow lane and consistently pushing 90. Even just matching her moves, I was already having fun.
Around Ceasar's Creek (Exit 45), I decided I would mess around and see if she was game. Pulling my own passing-in-the-slow-lane move, I cut her off before we caught up to some semis. As soon as we cleared this line of trucks, she flew back around me and I knew it was on. For the next 60 miles we traded places about 10 times, cleared 100 mph at least 3 times, and passed probably 200 slower drivers. Every now and then when we would pass each other, we'd shoot the knowing smile of two adversaries locked in battle. God, I love to drive and this was one of those great drives you always hope for - gorgeous day, windows down, sunroof open, engine racing, music blasting Metallica and Williams, and all while challenging a worth opponent.
We'd been racing for about an hour and as we approached Columbus I was wondering if our paths would divide. At the 70-71 merge, we both picked up 315 and a few miles later I bailed at Henderson. When I moved over to exit, she even followed behind me thinking I was about to pass the semi in the center lane. I shot her a big wave to which she responded in kind - acknowledgement of a well fought match. When I finally got to my destination it was like I had just finished an hour of foreplay. I needed a beer and a shower. I think I should post my story to Craig'sList Missed Connections board.
D | 9/11/2005 03:45:00 PM
| 7 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Junk Mail
D | Friday, September 09, 2005
I am conducting an experiment in spam. As of midnight tonight, I will be saving every single piece of junk e-mail I recieve in the next 7 day period. Next week at this time I will post a comprehensive list of all the crap I've recieved. I think I am going to run some analysis on the information I collect: time, date, subject mater category, length of text, inserted pictures, jokes, etc? I should recieve quite a large selection because I have at least 3 individual addresses that flow to one Inbox. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to post a comment.
This post was originally written on Friday around 5:30PM. Due to Blogger maintenance, it didn't get posted until Sunday. The 7 day collection period will run from Saturday September 10th 12:01AM - Friday September 11:59PM.
D | 9/09/2005 05:32:00 PM
| 0 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Temptation
D | Thursday, September 08, 2005
Once again, Ruvym has inspired me to greater things. I was planning a counter argument to a post he wrote about temptation. Ruvym was responding to a quote from Oscar Wilde who stated that his was an act of courage and strength when he finally admitted to being gay.
People ask me why were you so weak to yield to such temptation. Weak! I am sick of hearing that word. Weak? Do they really think that it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you there are terrible temptations that it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to. To stake all one's life on a single moment, to risk everything on one throw, there is no weakness in that. There is a horrible, terrible courage. I had that courage. Although Wilde's particular circumstances may have indeed called for courage, Ruvym feels that giving in to temptation is an act of cowardice and that it is, in fact, weakness that leads us to temptation, not bravery or strength. My rebuttal was made up of tangentially relevant examples and was rooted in a merry-go-round style of semantic nonsense revolving around the word temptation. Shockingly, I decided to take this post in a different direction thanks to this evening's reality check provided by my girlfriend. Here's to having people in your life who love you enough to tell you when you're being perfectly asinine.
Temptation? I've had experience. And damned if I haven't fucked up each time. Honestly it all comes down to a lack of control. Nearly every experience in my life involving even the remotest shades of temptation only serves to demonstrate the absolute worst aspects of my character. Without question I've made some bad decisions by simply failing to choose the path I know to be right. And what do I have to show for it? The courage or strength which Wilde speaks of? Perhaps a real life example which helps me counter Ruvym's argument - anything to not feel cowardly and weak? Nope. Just a long list of opportunities I've lost, relationships I've ruined, and people I've hurt.
I'd rather not spend the remainder of this post, and the remainder of your patience, rehashing all my personal shortcomings. This isn't an open-door counseling session, nor some plot to gain your sympathy; besides which, you and I both know that there's a good possibility I'm full of crap. So let me simply say this: I've got to do better. We've all got to do better. There are a lot of things I would like to be in my life - a husband, a father, a lawyer - and there isn't a single part of my life that wouldn't immediately and significantly improve if I could eliminate my susceptibility to temptation. As for walking the walk, that's the hard part, but to point me in the right direction there's an old quote that I love...
May God grant me the wisdom to discover the right, the will to choose it, and the strength to make it endure.
-King Arthur
D | 9/08/2005 11:36:00 PM
| 2 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Atlas Shurgged: The Movie
D | Wednesday, September 07, 2005
It surprised me that I had never heard of this before today: Atlas Shurgged may become a movie. There was an article on Boxofficemojo.com a few days ago.
This is one of my favorite novels of all time - I won't bore you with the plot details or character portraits. I will say if you enjoy philosophical discussion and intelligently written fiction, give it a look. After you realize it is well over 1,000 pages, muster your courage and pick it up again. I read it while at Philmont and immediately knew it would be one of my favorite reads of all time. I would love to see a movie adaptation that remains true Ayn Rand's original work and original intent (a la Crichton's Jurassic Park or Sagan's Contact) but I think that is a near impossibility.
Apparently this project has been in the works for a long while, so I best not get my hopes up too much for any release in the immediate future. There was an original press release that a producer had bought the rights to the story back in May of 2003, so who knows when, or if, this will ever happen.
Out of all my readers, how many have read Atlas Shrugged? How many have started Atlas Shrugged? Opinions or comments?
D | 9/07/2005 03:38:00 PM
| 3 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Big Ten Brouhaha
D | Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Aftern the first week of the college football season, four Big Ten teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 (Michigan,3; Ohio State,4; Iowa,8; Purdue,13). Beyond that, 4 more Big Ten teams received votes (Wisc, Minn, Penn St., and Mich St.).
That's 8 out of 11 - a pretty strong showing the the Big Ten.
D | 9/06/2005 04:16:00 PM
| 0 comments | Post your comment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
