Finally! A good weekend day on Oregon

It's kind of funny that I would complain about the weather out here. Corvallis is in a valley, so there is little snow or ice. Of course when there is ice, it's a disaster as they don't pre-treat the roads. Back home, there has been snow, ice flooding rains...here it is just rain, and mostly on the weekends. The office area I work in has one whole wall that is just windows, and it can drive one nuts to see bright sunny days during the week, only to end up with wet, cold weekends. Today was different. Today was perfect. 70 degrees, bright sunshine, low humidity, light breeze. Today was one of those days that causes all kinds of cases of spring fever. It's also one of those days one appreciates living in a coed college town.

It's been 6 weeks since I came out here (technically 7 I guess) and I'm settling in. Today I bought a microwave and a desk chair. I was tired of sitting in that chair that resembles a folding chair that doesn't fold. Now I can rock a bit, stretch a bit, feels nice. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all this stuff when it comes time to move back home, but I suspect someone is going to end up with a nicely accessorized apartment. Well, it's a room more than an apartment. I have a small vanity sink, bureau, bed end table, and I share 11/2 baths and a kitchen with 3 other people. For less than $400 a month including utilities I think it's a good deal.

No rant tonight. It's been a good day, a good week, a good 7 weeks. I think back to the drive out, and with the exception a I-80 being closed in Wyoming, forcing a hundred odd mile detour, it was wonderful, especially once you get past the Mississippi River. Without a doubt, I think it should be mandatory for everyone to drive or ride I-84 from Utah to Portland Oregon, at least when it's not snowing. You will see all that is great about America, and Americans. Not to take anything away from the other states I visited, but the scenery, the people, just the air alone (though I found Colorado air quite nice) is glorious. Definitely worth the price of admission.

All in all, this has been one of my better career adventures. I'm learning, teaching, challenged, and fulfilled. I hope to have more later...for right now, I want to enjoy the sunset and that glorious breeze.

A Slight Change in Location

Dateline Oregon.

I have temporarily relocated to Oregon for a few months, got a contract job that is just to good to pass up. I drove out the last week in February, and once I get settled down a bit more, I'll have much to say about the drive.

I do have one quick rant about Oregon. You are not allowed to pump your own gas here. It must be something about coastal states, they are just too paternalistic for my taste. The only other state that may be worse is Wyoming, which apparently shuts down I-80 (and all its bypasses) at the drop of a hat. I know the weather gets nasty up there, but the webcam images and the traffic reports showed a typical snow swept highway in winter, the kind we in New England see all the time. Why can't I be trusted to pump gas and know how drive in the snow?

Enough rant for now, I need to get ready for work.

Thoughts on the Great Flood

I'm working through some embedded stuff to control an ADF7021 transceiver, and I have the TV on in the background. They are talking about the Great Flood. Well, I'm stuck on a problem, I glanced at it. Worse still, I actually thought about it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized what a preposterous concept the Flood is. A God who created the universe by speaking needs rain to destroy a small piece of it? A God who created the entire universe, down to Man, Woman and the rocks under feet in seven days needs 40 days of rain? Did he suddenly get weak? Did the strain of creating the Universe so drain him he needed help to destroy life on a small fraction of his creation?

This is why I'm an atheist. When you get down to any logical thought process, all religion falls into a maze of irrationality. Think about it, an omnipotent God decides the right way to destroy one of his creations is to flood it out of existence. We've all done this, right? You get a jar, put a bug in it, a little grass, and holes in the cover. Then the neighborhood JERK drops by, grabs the jar and slowly fills it with water till he drowns the bug. THAT is the God of the Bible. He is either not as omnipotent as we all think, or he is a thug that has his creation in a jar, with a water faucet, gas burner and sledge hammer not too far away. Worship such a sadistic weakling if you want, as for me and my house, we live without fear of the capricious actions of a bully.

Oops, there goes another one

Ron Paul, say it ain't so!

Say you didn't run away from questions about you old newsletters, hiding behind the "I was busy and didn't know" argument!

I guess it's time to find another candidate.

And sorry, Fred is just not good without a script. Can you picture him being wheeled into an ER with a gunshot wound? Would he be more likely to say "I hope you're all Republicans" or "Rewrite, get me Rewrite!"

Maybe it's time to look at Ralph Nader again!

Put a Bus Driver in Office

Hear the candidates......I am Change. Change!. I will bring Change! We need Change! I can make Change happen!

So can a bus driver, or a toll booth attendant, or a grocery clerk. Even a fast food cashier! All can make change.

I don't want change, I want courage of conviction (bye bye Romney and Hillary)

I want competence (I'm here, Huckleberry, er, Huckabee, so you can go)

I do want someone not tainted by Washington (farewell, McCain)

I want fiscal conservatism, but social liberalism (nice knowing you Obama)

I guess that leaves Ron Paul....or emigration.

The Hypocritic(al) Oath of the Press

I'll never forget the press conferences of Bill Belichick during the week of Spygate. He issued a statement and refused to comment on it, other than to say, "read the statement". He has been vilified since then for not being forthcoming, but the vilifiers have become fewer and fewer. Well, look at Roger Clemens. He has been forthcoming, he has denied vehemently the charges against him, he play a tape in which his accuser repeatedly asked "what do you want me to do" to which Clemens replied "I need people to tell the truth" (please note, saying anymore could be considered witness tampering). And yet, the press is saying because Clemens did not have McNamee fly down for the press conference (more witness tampering, offering a free flight), Clemens is still holding back. This is what Belichick was avoiding. The more Clemens feed, the more the the press wants. Belichick knew, you cannot feed the hypocritical press enough, therefore you must starve them.

And I said all that to say this, I wish the science channel would stick more to science and less to editorializing. They had a magnificent show "Pandemic:Bird Flu" showing how bird flu could mutate and spread, in a simulation by actors. And yet, at the end what did we have? A wasted, preachy rant "why didn't they tell us more?" Lady, I'll tell you why. Because there are hard truths in a hospital during a pandemic. Decisions are made about who gets what treatment, who is too sick to save, who is likely to get too sick to save, and who will survive with treatment. You know why the medical community will not say that? Because the press would seize on it, dwell on it, twist it and drive it into your skull, maximizing fear, uncertainty and doubt, playing up the dramatic, making sure you tune in. Hell, they will almost lie to make sure you'll tune in. You doubt me? Here are some examples:

The day of the Mitchell report on steroid use, a list of players was supposedly released by Bloomberg (they deny this!) but MSNBC decided to run with it. Now all the other news media can pick it up, saying "MSNBC reports that...." Except, the list was false. Apology on page Z5, sorry, Jason Veritek.

Hurricane Katrina evacuees were told to bring three days supply of food and water. When aid came 2 days later, the question were, why are you so late, we have no supplies? Excuse, but two is less than three, why weren't you prepared?

Iraq, the surge. The past 6 months of report went "FAILURE!FAILURE!FAILURE!FAILURE!FAILURE!well okay its working, IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, OBAMA..... see, no more news of the surge.

Dan Rather and the letters about Bush written on a PC, years before the PC existed.

I can go on, but enough, I think you get the point. The press is too full of themselves. They will decide whether you are innocent or guilty, but not until the story has lost its luridness, or appeal. The Peter Kings of the world, pontificaters from on high, will not let go so long as ratings or accolades increase. I wish Roger Clemens had looked more carefully in the Bill Belichick method of handling the press, he could have saved a lot of ink, trees and bandwidth. Don't feed the beast, let it get hungry and move on. Maybe someday, we can starve it out at last.

How to Lose to the Democrats

It figures that the state which brings us such poppycock ideas like corn ethanol would attempt to give us President Huckabee. The man is the worst kind of religious zealot which is probably why he is so stupid (He APOLOGIZED for the death of Benizir Bhutto, idiot used the wrong word, or he did kill her). He is the WORST kind of Republican, a fiscal spendthrift and a social facist. I will have much more to say if this worthless piece of fecal matter wins anymore primaries or caucuses. I will say this - I would rather have Kucinich in office than Huckleberry