Waxing politcal

Ahhh. The great month of November is almost upon us. November is annually filled with many days of importance (e.g. the best holiday ever created by man and the only holiday ever created by me). This year however, November becomes even more power packed with the upcoming General Election. Here is some discombobulated commentary on the matter:

• Thought #1: Democracy rules! (actually not as trite a statement as you may have first thought)

• Thought 2: Im disappointed that John McCain's campaign has degenerated into a mud sling. The best effects of general elections are generated by multiple open-minded and forward thinking individuals trying to put their resources into telling us why we should vote for them and their policies/viewpoints. Not by shallow (and in many cases deeply skewed) character attack advertisements shouting to why NOT vote for the other. Let me be frank. I admire Sen. McCain's robust past history of public service. But at this point, he needs to start spitting out some plausible ideas to address the key issues of the United States and not spitting on Sen. Obama's reputation. Both of the men have their own vices. Lets look past their faults for the answers they can help create and implement.

• Thought 3: I'm also disappointed at Tom Brokaw's less-than-best moderation of Tuesday's debate. C'mon Tom Brokaw..."Yes, or No is Russia the Evil Empire?" What a very foolish and very loaded question (which did NOT come per the supposed "town hall format" I might add) to pose to the two candidates about a very serious situation that should be handled with care.

• Thought 4: Have you registered to vote yet? If yes: Way to go! If no: Repent...now.

• Thought 5: No, seriously. If you haven't registered yet, go to your state website and print out a form ASAP. Registering to vote is easy and fast in our modern world. If you are blessed to be a Californian, but cursed to living in another state register to vote absentee today. This election is absolutely critical.

• Thought 6: YES on Prop 8. If you don't know about this one you should. I will post soon specifically about this one. It has weight not only to CA residents but to the rest of the nation as well.

• Thought 7: Four state judges should NEVER be able to negate what 61% (or 4 Million) of the voting population in CA voted for. Need I remind them of Thought #1? For more on the ruling see the source.

• Thought 8: Here is what gets me wondering. Both POTUS candidates are suggesting some very important measures to take in terms of national and foreign policy. I am wondering how much they really will be able to accomplish with such a partisan congress. Will the congressional makeup (or the ability to incite more bi-partisan cooperation) change with this election in a way that will help passing these important measures? Lets hope for the best.

Note: Sorry for all the hyperlinks if that bothers you. My nature (and academic training) tends to regular sourcing and practical application of knowledge. Be it known that many of the referenced sources in this post are not entirely clean of bias, but lets not forget the adage, "Just because I am biased, doesn't mean I am wrong."

assigning my own homework

My life has taken off to a different route in the last few weeks. My internship with BYU finished off nicely, and I have deferred my graduate program for a while so my available time has expanded and my possibilities with it.

I have found that it is necessary to assign myself tasks to keep me occupied with things to do and prevent the early onset of dementia (assuming I don't already have it).

Here are some things that I have assigned myself to do in the last few weeks:

1. Join an ultimate frisbee team
2. Replace my defunct cell phone
3. Eat healthier food
   
4. Climb Cascade Mtn.
5. Find out how to replace a car starter
6. Listen to BYU football domination
   
7. Take my sister out for lunch
8. Play more chess
9. Think about getting a job
10. Attend a missionary lesson with a friend
11. Hike a slot canyon
12. Save money
13. Spend money
14. Visit my grandparents
15. Go to the temple
    
16. Digest some In N Out Burger
17. Pray more often
    
18. Visit old friends
19. Visit new friends

So, thats the glory of assigning your own homework. Its a blast, I highly recommend retirement to other single males that aren't using their college degrees at the moment.

Holy Amazingness!

All I have to say is wow. I'm really glad that Microsoft has finally delivered on a really super idea with lots of practical applications. Lets hope that it only takes a few years to take hold.

First, a little background on the previous statement. For those of you who are not familiar, TED Talks are pretty much one of the premier prophetic voices in the world of technology. If you want to keep up with the emerging developments, read lots of blogs, and watch videos from the annual TED conference.

Below is a link to a really cool one about a tool called Seadragon that has been developed with some help from Microsoft and holds some amazing potential. The other application that is discussed after it is pretty cool too, but is no way as exciting to me.

Check it out:
Seadragon/Photosynth TED Talk

I have only one suggestion for immediate application: restaurant menus. Trust me, it will be big someday. Maybe I will blog this "consumer prophecy" later.

quote of the yesterday

Yesterday was a good day. I enjoyed a delicious lunch with a friend of mine which included a salad and conversation that incited some much needed New England mission nostalgia.

As the food induced coma was beginning to take effect, the word "nerdy" came up in the conversation. These days words like that can have slightly different connotations depending on who uses them. Naturally, I asked her what the word nerdy meant. She responded with one of the greatest definitions I have heard all summer:

"Nerdy: Loving the pursuit of knowledge to the point of ignoring and/or violating multiple social conventions." -Rachel K