Archive for the Blatherings Category
- Of Banks and Whore Houses - October 12th, 2008
- Welcome To Corner Gas Online - March 5th, 2008
- The Belt Means Nothing - September 28th, 2007
- Real Life - September 19th, 2007
- Some Things I Haven’t Written About In A While … - August 17th, 2007
- What Does That Have To Do With Racing?!? - May 11th, 2007
- Science: Just Another Word for Mythology? - April 29th, 2007
- Finally, Some Common Sense — Bill Would Overturn Increase In Internet Radio Royalities - April 29th, 2007
- Profundity - April 23rd, 2007
- Overly Optimistic? - April 13th, 2007
- And I Thought They Were Just Neat Wooden Toys - April 12th, 2007
- This Has Been Driving Me Crazy… - March 28th, 2007
- George v. Tim - February 22nd, 2007
- Philosophy - January 25th, 2007
- Peace on Earth? - December 12th, 2006
- Random Thought - September 12th, 2006
- So, Now We are Eight … - August 24th, 2006
- Ya Gotta Luv It! - July 11th, 2006
- FredFlare - April 5th, 2006
- Why Zacarias Moussaoui Should Be Kept Alive - April 4th, 2006
- Looking for Lost Things - April 2nd, 2006
- Things We Love to Hate - February 28th, 2006
- Bush? Right? - January 27th, 2006
- Top Secret - January 13th, 2006
- Maryland Senate Seeks to Change Eminent Domain Law - January 13th, 2006
- Challenger - January 11th, 2006
- Synthetic Life Forms - January 1st, 2006
- Another Round of Tires? - December 28th, 2005
- emo - December 16th, 2005
- If I Do Say So Myself … - December 9th, 2005
- I Knew It! - December 2nd, 2005
- Advanced Robotics - December 1st, 2005
- More Tires! - October 31st, 2005
- The Sinking Ship - October 25th, 2005
- My Religious Fit … - October 19th, 2005
- Going to The Moon: Orphans Preferred - September 22nd, 2005
- Donate for Katrina Relief - September 10th, 2005
- Funny Because it’s True? - September 2nd, 2005
- Nowhere to Go… - August 31st, 2005
- Katrina … and The Waves - August 31st, 2005
- Repent and ye shall be saved … Maybe. - August 29th, 2005
- Storm Watch - August 27th, 2005
- East Coast Earthquakes - August 25th, 2005
- For my friend Jack - August 23rd, 2005
- In Case of Emergency - August 6th, 2005
- Black Vote - August 6th, 2005
- Is It A Word? - July 28th, 2005
- It Flies! - July 26th, 2005
- Excuse me, when am I? - July 26th, 2005
- Should it Stay or Should it Go? - July 14th, 2005
- Quiet - June 29th, 2005
- 15 Hours, 7 Minutes … - June 17th, 2005
- Post Secret - June 17th, 2005
- Battlestar Friday - June 10th, 2005
- Old Billboards Never Die - June 1st, 2005
- ZoomQuilt - June 1st, 2005
- Productivity? Hah! - May 24th, 2005
- Zoom Wars — Optical v. Digital - May 22nd, 2005
- It’s the New Math - May 19th, 2005
- Read Any Good Books Lately? - May 10th, 2005
- A Minor Issue - May 3rd, 2005
Probably more than a bit over-simplified, but a sobering thought none-the-less …
Back in 1990, the Government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, tried to run it. They failed and it closed. Now we are trusting the economy of our country to a pack of nit-wits who [...]
I regularly complain about the crap that US television networks throw at us, and that Americans accept as good television.
Meanwhile CTV (those folks up north) turn out programming that is, well, not crap.
Fortunately, if you have cable, you can probably get WGN out of Chicago. WGN carries a CTV show called Corner Gas. Check it [...]
For those of you who have been wondering … the collection of rune symbols on my belt says absolutely nothing. If I use alphabetic translations, no words emerge. If I use symbolic translations, it’s utter gibberish. I guess it just looked good to the artist who made the belt.
That said, I found a really neat [...]
In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.
– Fran Lebowitz
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Kiah – The bird. Remember her? Shortly after we got her, I took her down to the avian vet for a check-out. It seemed to the vet that she was generally healthy, but, a bit under-weight. She weighed about 76 grams that day, and a bird her age should weigh at least 85 grams. Well, [...]
So, I’m skimming my Google news page, and I see this headline:
Musgrave challenges Bush on veto threat
And all that comes to mind is, “Why the heck are Ted Musgrave and Kurt Bush arguing about a veto? What’s NASCAR up to now?
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Mythos is a Greek word, meaning story, or legend. And, every culture has stories, or myths or legends, attempting to explain the forming of the Earth, and animals and man. Science attempts the same thing. Does it not follow that science, then, is myth?
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A few weeks ago, I commented on a story about the Copyright Royalty Board sticking it to non-traditional broadcasters with regards to music royalties, setting rules that would force internet and cellular “radio stations” to pay up to 300% more than traditional over-the-air broadcasters.
Fortunately, there are some in congress who have some common sense.
U.S. Reps. [...]
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.
Niels Bohr
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NEW YORK (AP) — Pledging to rebuild “the competence of government and the confidence of the American people,” Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she wants to streamline the functions of the federal government and boost its accountability to taxpayers.
[Full story here]
That’s a pretty tall order, considering just how long our government has been in [...]
brio \BREE-oh\, noun:Enthusiastic vigor; vivacity; liveliness; spirit.
Though my judgment was no doubt affected by all the wine we’d consumed, I remember being elated by our performance that night: our inspired spur-of-the-moment dialogue, the actors fleshing out their roles with such brio.– Gail Godwin, Evensong
For him, life must be a party, a ball, an [...]
…But, I finally figured it out.
See, I have this problem, of sorts — once I see a face, I never forget it.
You all seen the new e-Harmony commercials. You know, the “bad first date” series. Specifically, the one with Apollonia Kotero as one of the goofy girls. Yeah, that’s Apollonia, Prince’s hottie in Purple [...]
via Friend Will
I’m not sure where to classify this, so I’ll just embed the clip, and let you figure it out.
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Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a night.Set a man on file, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.
– overheard in the book store
This is really a pretty deep thought. Sure, on a frigid night in January, the first thing to come to mind involves wood, matches, and [...]
PEACE ON EARTH: Lisa Jensen hung a Christmas wreath on the outside wall of her home in Pagosa Springs, Colo. The pine boughs were arranged into a peace sign because she “wanted to put a message of peace out there,” Jensen said. But Bob Kearns, the president of her homeowner’s association, ordered her to remove [...]
If you’re last name is Cane (or Kane, or Caine or anything like that), and you have a daughter, please don’t name her Candy…
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And the Plutonians are sure gonna be pissed!
It’s a really strange feeling when things of astronomical proportions change. The International Astronomical Union has decided, after serious wrangling for the past couple of weeks, that Pluto just doesn’t cut the mustard as a planet. Too small, too far away and too cold.
Sounds to me like it’s just [...]
— from shutterblog - (?)
get out - YOU took all those naked baby butt shots of me hanging on the walls?
Found this on flickr. Man, I love this shot and the caption!
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FredFlare.com has got some really cool junque, including this retro cell phone receiver, and this funky 35mm cardboard pinhole camera.
Fun stuff, and not horrendously expensive.
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Think abou this for a moment. If Zacarias Moussaoui is put to death for his role in the 9/11 attacks, he attains, what he and his people believe to be the ultimate reward for his actions — a glorious death. We play into the hands of Muslim extremists, and Moussaoui becomes an instant martyr. Keeping [...]
Donna read yesterday that the average woman spends one year of her life looking for things she’s misplaced. So, if a woman spends more than that, is she above or below average?
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Brookside Gardens
Uploaded by gerenm.
I hate flowers. I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move. - Georgia O’Keeffe
What an interesting comment on compromise. I think a lot of us do things we dislike, simply because they’re easier or cheaper or make us more money.
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I never thought I’d hear myself say this, and I really never thought I’d actually type something like this, but George W. Bush, our President, actually said something that made sense this week.
It was only one thing. But that’s a start.
He was addressing the “big three” US auto makers, who are complaining about poor sales [...]
Top Secret
Uploaded by gerenm.
Found this on the web. No wonder security is so tight around Newport News these days!
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Go to Rob’s site and read this. It is very important to you if you live in Maryland, and it’s of some importance no matter where you live.
READ IT! READ IT NOW!
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Now, this is a car! The only thing that would make it better would be to call it by it’s old Plymouth name — Baracuda!
I thought Ford had nailed the muscle car resurgence with the new Mustang, but this beats that right to Hell! Damn! I want one of these puppies!
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One word: Scary.
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Here we go … again!
It’s another Wednesday morning her a the Mortensen mansion, and yet another flat tire on the Cavvie. This is the car, BTW, that needs almost $1K worth of fuel injector work (that it’s not getting — the damned thing isn’t even worth more than $2K in excellent shape — which it’s [...]
I remember when you said “emo” and people thought you were talking about Keith Emerson.
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I knew it then, and I really know it now.
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via e-mail
A man enters a bar and orders a drink. The bar has a robot bartender.
The robot serves him a perfectly prepared cocktail, and then asks him, “What’s your IQ?”
The man replies “150″ and the robot proceeds to make conversation about global warming factors, quantum physics and spirituality, biomimicry, environmental interconnectedness, string theory, nano-technology, and [...]
What the hell is up with us and tires?!?
On the way home from her consulting gig last night, Donna found something on the road that not only punctured one of her tires — side wall, of course — but also bent the rim! I haven’t even gotten the van tires dealt with yet (the appointment [...]
Take from it what you will, but the MTH building is up for lease! Things can’t be good if can’t even afford to run your business from a building you own!
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You fit in with:Spiritualism
Your ideals are mostly spiritual, but in an individualistic way. While spirituality is very important in your life, organized religion itself may not be for you. It is best for you to seek these things on your own terms.
60% spiritual.40% reason-oriented.
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com
I think I already knew this, [...]
Yes, it’s true. NASA plans to go back to the moon, and beyond to Mars, with a target set for sometime in 2018. ABC News’ Michael Malone shares his insights …
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You may notice the little America Red Cross donation “bug” in the upper right of each page of this site (if you have javascript enabled). Clicking on it will take you to the American Red Cross web site, where you can make a donation for the relief effort in the Gulf Coast region.
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Donna sent me this link today….
http://toccionline.kizash.com/films/1001/178/index.php
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via Halley
Residents of New Orleans are being told to get out, and stay out. And, they’re being told it will be months before they can return.
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Bober, if you read this, let me know you’re okay!
Wherein Geren waxes theological … Some of you may want to skip this.
“Repent and you will be saved,” the Bible tells us. It’s so easy to repent one’s sins. It only takes a few moments.
Assuming for the moment that you believe in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, say, “Lord, I have sinned [...]
/geren/oceancity/Storm Watch 600.jpg
I’ve been taking a corespondence photography course from the New York Institute of Photography. Well, taking is a loose term. I’ve been paying for and receiving the course materials for some time now. But, it’s just been too hectic around here to do anything with them.
Well, yesterday (or was it Thursday?), I’d finally [...]
Is it me, or are there more “reportable” earthquakes occuring on the East Coast of the United States? I’ve known for years that we have, on average, 150 minor tremors a year here, most of which no one even notices.
For instance, there have been small earthquakes in Tennessee both yesterday and the day before, [...]
Hi-ya, Jack! Please see the new gallery — “For my friend Jack — Eastern Shore.” Hope these will keep you linked to home…
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via Will
I snagged the following from Will’s blog. Sounded like a good idea, and I couldn’t have written it any better. So, read it. Now.
A campaign encouraging people to enter emergency contact numbers in their mobile phone’s memory under the heading ICE (In Case of Emergency), is rapidly spreading as a particular consequence of the [...]
Politmode on.
As you know, I usually do not cover anything of political nature here.
But, I heard an interesting story on CNN Headline News this morning. It seems that blacks could conceivably lose the right to vote in 2007. That’s because the act originally passed in 1965, and extended in 1982, does not make voting [...]
So, Donna mentioned to me this morning that she had told a friend last night that she and I were doing something “dedicatedly.” She then began to doubt if it was actually a word. Well, hon, according to Webster, it’s the adverb form of dedicated:
Main Entry: ded·i·cat·ed
Function: adjective
1 : devoted to a cause, ideal, or [...]
Photo: BILL SIKES/ORLANDO SENTINEL
Discovery’s launch was on time and picture perfect! Go NASA!
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I’ve always wondered why our calendar works the way it does (I wonder about a lot of things that don’t really matter, by the way). This morning, I stumbled upon this link: http://linkster.port5.com/#calendar. Must read and learn more.
So, why is dish called a dish? And who decided that the same word we use for tableware [...]
In two-and-one-half weeks, the hosting contract for gerenm.net is again up for renewal. And again this year, as in years past, I have to ask myself, is this really worth it to me, and to any readers that may be out there.
Obviously, we’ve had little time to write latetly. What we have written recently [...]
Hi, folks. It’s going to be pretty quiet here while we (mostly I) get caught up. Here’s a very short update:
We had a great time on the honeymoon. Pictures will follow. Soon. We promise.
I’m working double at the TV station this week, and probably (hopefully) into next, as some of the production people are on [...]
It’s 15 hours and 7 minutes until The Moment. It’s going to be an interesting and different day. There’s still a small load of stuff to do — including painting a door we forgot!
And, after all the festivities of our day, we’ll be going to … a funeral. Yes, that’s right. My aunt passed [...]
via Halley
Post Secret is an interesting place on the web. Write your darkest secret on a postcard, and mail it in. Hmm…
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Well, yes, I know that’s one of Will’s titles. But, last night, I finally got a viewable version of the pilot miniseries. We sat down, just planning to rest for a couple of minutes and check to make sure that my crappy DVD player would play the silly thing back. An hour later…
I missed the [...]
via e-mail
Just what everyone needs in their living room — old billboards!
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via Jancology
This is just too cool. Clickie on the picture to play…
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According to a national study, your highest rate of productivity occurs on Tuesday, between 10 a.m. and noon.
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I thought I might try an experiment today, and see if the “digital zoom” capability of the DiMAGE A2 was worth messing with. In theory, the 2X digital zoom would give me the equivalent of a 56-400mm lens. I figured the best way to do this would be to pop the camera on the tripod, [...]
Today in TV-land, I directed another hearing on the new plans by the local department on aging. Not real exciting television, but, someone’s got to do it. During teardown, I over heard part of a conversation between two older women, which went something like this:
“…I don’t understand. Years ago, we graduated after eleventh grade, and [...]
I’ve known about Project Gutenberg for some time, but never really looked closely at the site. I did get a text copy of Wind in the Willows there sometime back for my old boatbuilding site, but that was about it. I’ve since learned that they have books on just about any topic, and some interesting [...]
I’m having a minor issue with WordPress, which I’m certain I’ll get figured out sooner or later. The problem is that I can’t get WordPress to sort the categories correctly. By default, it sorts them by the “ID” number assigned when a category is created. I want the categories sorted by name. I’ve what I’ve [...]
