A couple of the funniest beer ads...ever!

Rock, Paper Scissors



Swear Jar

Using the iPhone to blog

I've been on vacation now for almost a week. We've been blogging the
entire vacation the whole time.
The phone works great!
I can send photos in a snap. Since we made it to Virginia, we haven't
had an Internet connection except EDGE.
That's been spotty at times, but we've rarely missed a post.
Check it out @ http://TwoVans.blogspot.com

This is why you don't leave it to the consultants

In a recent article in the Post-Bulletin, taken from the AP, it details the actions of our Governor Tim Pawlenty in the minutes and days following the collapse of the I35 W Bridge. I must say, except for the comments of the consultant worried about making the GOP leaders happy, the response seemed appropriate and showed an excellent grasp of leadership. They cleared his schedule and set up to both rescue, clean-up and rebuild in a most professional manner.

Great Job!

Vacation - Vacation - Vacation

9 days until I'm on vacation!



I tried to find video of Homer doing the excited/happy dance, but no one seems to have it!

We need to stopping tinkering with Darwinism

I just read this article today. "Survey Shows Support For Bans On E-Mail, Texting While Driving", written by K.C. Jones of InformationWeek.

Enough already. The idea behind Darwinism, is that the strong gene set will go on to populate the earth. If we keep making it harder for the truly stupid to kill themselves, we will be encouraging them to breed and thus, the human population will continue to become more and more stupid.

Why is important for the U.S. Government to protect us from ourselves? If people want to do stupid things that will kill them...I say let them. Mother Government is a horrible idea. I know, I know, they might kill others in their wake, but why on God's Green Earth would you want the government to tell you how to live your life?

People piss and moan all the time that they hate the government taking money out of our wallets through taxes, yet we demand that they tell us what we can and can't do. They need all that money to enforce the stupid programs we demand from them. People need to the right to as moronic as they want to be.

This is just one more piece of stupid legistlation that will get all the press it wants. “Will someone please think of the children?” How are people ever going to learn that doing stupid things can have bad results. They won't. Next...we need to find a way to mandate that everyone has rails on their beds so that no one will fall out...again.

Photos and the iPhone

Since this is my first phone with a camera, I was pretty excited to have one with a camera. I had no expectations as to how well it would work.

I have one complain...the lens is right where my left index finger rests when I'm taking on the phone and holding it in my left hand.

The tiny lens and camera do an pretty good job.

Here's Ashlea playing in the rain at River City Days taken with the iPhone.

Tis the season of worry

Whitetail just sent me a link to this article on Engadget. Our politicians, not wanting to offend the vendors, don't get it. The act of voting and the act of an accurate count are the corner stones of a democracy. Our politicians seem to think that if we spend enough money on voting machines and keep the manufacturers happy, we can have democracy.

B as in B and S as in S!

I know there are flaws in the paper ballot system and no system is perfect. But at least paper ballots have some checks to ensure that they are there, they exist and the haven't been manipulated.

No matter what the tech industry says about these systems, we will send them back to the manufacturer with the request that if they try just a little harder, we will send the millions of dollars.

We, as a nation of people, need to find a voice that tells our elected officials that this isn't there show, but OUR show. Democracy only works if the people's voice is heard loud and clear.

Now, I'm not overly optimistic that anyone will care. Must people trust there government. That thought makes me shiver, and I haven't bought land in Montana yet, but I'm getting there. How do I not give up on a society that hires police officers that SHOOTS SNAKE IN TREES! But I have to believe that the common will will eventually wake up and the spirit that founded our nation will be revived.

As our biggest election approaches, we can only hope that people start to think about what's best for their nation. As my friends know, I'm difficult to pin a party affiliation on. In fact, I detest the political party system, but I do believe strongly in the Constitution and our representive democracy.

Looking for answers...must be in all the wrong places

OK. I am by no great stretch of the imagination...a tree hugger. Whitetail has been giving me reasons to contemplate this whole global warming phenomenon. I keep reading lots of different information on the subject and I grow more and more confused all the time.
I would basically be described as a pragmatist. I like to find the solution that best fits a problem or solves it most expediently. Taking into account the solutions impact on the surroundings. Basically...I like to think things through. I'm and ENTP for Pete's sake.
So explain to me this...according to wikipedia, "On Earth, the major natural greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%; and ozone, which causes 3–7%.[13][14]"
Wouldn't lowering the water vapor level in the atmosphere have the biggest bang? Sure seems like summers in Minnesota are much more humid now than they have ever been.
Next. I understand that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has been raising steadily due to BOTH fossil fuel combustion AND deforestation. Why is it that, for the most part, tree huggers love the idea that we need to really cut the cars from buring gas. Why is the other side of the equation igored? In this problem, the number trees and forest land is shrinking...why don't we plant more trees? I see plenty of push to stop burning things...but why don't we plant more trees? Seems like it would be cheaper and easier to plant tons of new trees. Not to mention, they also help to absorb huge quantities of water vapor. And their cooling effect on civilization can not be denied. Plus, if you believe in chaos theory, this might even have a positive change on the weather.
Oh...and lastly...kill all the cows...looks like their toots also a problem....mmmmm fresh meat....aaaaarrrrrrgggggggggg.....

OK Twins fan...now there's more to watch than just baseball!

The Minnesota Twins announce that they have a web cam of the construction site for all of us to watch their progress!

Not much going on yet, but I'll checking on the progress with eager anticipation!

Habeas Corpus

Protecting the liberties and freedoms our nation enjoys, should be everyone's top priority. I realize, that most Americans assume that they freedoms they enjoy will always be there. Why shouldn't they, our own government is there to protect them, besides, things are good right now.

It's both naive and shortsighted to make these assumptions, but Americans do it any way. Each and every day, the Federal government looks for ways to make things easier to ensure that they stay in power. The U.S. Constitution be damned. It stands in the way of our benevolent leaders from doing their job of protecting us from the enemies they themselves created.

If we believe that the government must have the power to remove our rights to protect us in a time of war, our government will keep us in a constant state of war. (Sound familiar).

We are currently in the "War on Terror." This "War", as no clear enemy and no clear resolution. We can stay in this state for as long as someone feels that someone on the planet intends to cause harm to Americans. This is the most convenient war ever devised by a government that derives it's special powers from being in a state of war.

One of my favorite lines from the movie "V for Vendetta" is "People should not fear their government, the government should fear the people." In this movie, a Conservative government consolidates power and removes rights of the people in order to protect them from terrorists. V, the title character, sparks a rebellion of the people to return the business of governing to the people. We need to ensure, we protect our rights.

I read a fantastic explanation today of Habeas Corpus by Jacob R. Hornberger. The Bush administration has actively sought to have The Great Writ suspended. Many legal scholars believe that this is the key to all of our other freedoms. It is the great neutralizer of power in our legal system. Without it, there is no checks and balances. It provides everyone the right to question the governments ability to incarcerate them. Without it, you can not ask a court to protect any of your constitutional rights.

A humorous rendition of this was done by Keith Oberman. Check it out...it's some dang fine political satire.

Wake up America. We need to be diligent and keep our own leaders in check. Don't give up your rights in the name of security. If you give up freedom for security, in the end, you will have neither.

You can trust us, we the goverment for Pete's sake!

In a glorious upholding of our constitutional rights, 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the notion that email are the same as phone calls and snail mail. The government can not just ask the ISP to hand over email to be scanned with a warrent and notifying the people involved.

In this day of "Global Terror," we can not let the terrorists, Facists, dictators and fear mongers push us into giving up our freedom for security. They win if we do. We have a thriving republic based on the rule of law and protected by a Constitution. This document is still the most important document we've ever created.

Fighting crime and terror is not supposed to be easy. The government is to defend the Constitution. The people are to defend the Constitution.

Apple Safari - Bugs sure, yawns? Plenty

I'm really suprised that the biggest press about Apple's Safari browser for the PC is that there a bugs. Sure, it's beta code. There's bound to be bugs, why isn't anybody reporting that the browser is just plain boring and lacks any real functions?

I tried Safari, I gotta admit, it's fast. But that's all it has going for it. It looks like iTunes with the shiny aluminum finish, which is great if you like that, but that's getting old too.

The browser's tabbing system is really confusing. I still don't have it working like I like it. Firefox and IE are vastly superior in this category. I think Safari's tabbing was just added in so they can say they have tabs.

The biggest thing you will notice is that its almost not customizable. I'm not sure if this will be fixed in later releases, but anyone that is used to tricking out the browser need not apply for this one. Like iTunes, you get what you get. No extensions. No skins. No real settings to play with.

Maybe this will work for some, but I really doubt this will cause any mass migration. Let the yawns begin.

The wicked witch is dead!

As reported by Fox News, Mike Nifong has been disbarred in North Carolina.

As a big fan of the legal system we have here in the US, I couldn't be happier with this.
It's a tough problem we have here. Electing officials to positions such as this, but pressure on them to serve their constituancy, but on the other hand, puts pressure on them to get re-elected. Sometimes, justice is set aside so that someone can be re-elected.

For the most part the system works. Justice finds a way.

Now don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for Mike. He chose the path of being re-elected. And now he's paying the penalty, his life is slow being destroyed. He's can't practice law and the civil penalties will take everything he owns. I'd doubt anyone would hire him. He's show a lapse in ethics so great that most won't trust him. He chose to prosecute and destroy people to make his own career last a little longer. Who will chose to destroy next? He chose himself. May God have mercy on his soul.

Spread it loud, spread it proud - Censorship Update!

Amnesty International's report on the state of the internet is quite disturbing. As more governments setup filtering of the web content from their citizens, the idea of free speech disappears.

It's really sad that more people don't realize that Freedom of Speech is the single most important freedom humans have. It is the foundation on which all other freedoms rest. Governments don't impose restrictions on Free Speech to protect their citizens, they do it to protect themselves. To ensure that they stay in power.

Government censorship has always failed in the past to achieve its goal, because human communication always seems to find a way, but we can't assume that this will be true. We must be vigilant and demand our freedom. It's certainly not going to be protected by those people who get the advantage with it's restriction.

Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are complicit in this and should be held accountable. In order to preserve their large rivers of cash, they have chosen to cozy up to these governments. History shows us that when sleep with the snakes, they do eventually bite you. I hope they have some secret plan, easter egg, or backdoor that can't be fixed to let the words flow. If not, hang your head low and enjoy the company you keep. The will kill you. I've linked to the companies stated values. Let's hold them to it. We are all in this together.

If you give up your rights for security, in the end you will have neither.

...we walk in the shadow of death...Palm

I just read the review of the new product Palm is creating...a $500 add-on to the Treo. Holy Cow! Now that is funny. If I was a sharehold, I'd be heading for the hills cause this ship is sinking and sinking fast. The only real hope for your share price is to hope for someone to buy this clunker.

FOXNews.com - Riots Break Out in Venezuelan Capital After Chavez Pulls Plug on Opposition TV Station - International News | News of the World | Middle

It's sad to know that there are people out there that didn't see this coming. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. There has never been a benevolent dictator in the history of our planet that didn't seek to create a cult of personality. Chavez is becoming the next dictator of South America. He will be no different then Fidell Castro.

How can you believe that giving up your freedom is ever a way to reach equality for all? Why is equality for all a good thing? Humans are by their very nature competitive. Hugo will do all he can to stay in power. You are fool to believe that all of the changes he's implemented are for the benefit of Venezuela.

Equality at the price of freedom will get you neither.

FOXNews.com - Riots Break Out in Venezuelan Capital After Chavez Pulls Plug on Opposition TV Station - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

Photographing Lilacs

This weekend, we went to my brother's house to celebrate my nephews 5th birthday. I got a lot of cute kid pictures. He lives in an area of the Twin Cities that's got lots of great small lakes. While I was there, my allergies were really enjoying the fact that lilacs were producing pollen like crazy (please note my allergies were enjoying...I wasn't). I really hated them having that kind of control on me, so I decided to steal their soul and take some pictures!

Lilac Photo 1
Lilac Photo 2




This one is my favorite. I liked the balance and to me, it's really interesting.
Lilac Photo 3




I liked this one, but I think the leaves are too heavy on the left side of the picture.

Technology headaches

I've tried twice now to use Picasa to upload a few pictures I took over the weekend. No love. I'll keep trying because I like to share, but this is getting very frustrating.

Creating traffic to your blog...

Here's my Technorati Profile. My favorite tech blog Good Morning Silicone Valley, highlights the new features this table is bringing to market. Supposedly...these guys will revolutionize the way we search for content...well see. It's hard to give up Google.

Gotta love a skeptic

As many people know, I'm pretty much a skeptic. Probably the card player in me, but I really don't trust most claims. I like to see the evidence for my self and love asking questions. The Amazing Randi - a magician and debunker of claims of the supernatural, demonstrates in this video how Uri Geller is a fraud. The really sad part of being a skeptic is knowing the people you love and care about are sucked in to this garbage all the time.



I've never really found a good way to help open people's eyes, and in someways, I think some are better off believing. Watch the video, judge for yourself, and always keep your mind open. Look beyond the message and see the world around you. Just don't see what you are told to see...use YOUR eyes.