The great gas out and other email chain letters
Here we are again. It is spring and the price of gasoline is going up to account for the gas demands of summer travel. Once again we see the "gas-out" email. It says that we should boycott buying gasoline for one day, or we should boycott certain stations or we should sign a petition to President Bush to lower the price of gasoline. Nowhere in the mail does it say, "Lower your gasoline consumption" or "Carpool" or "Ride A Bike" or "get rid of your gas guzzler and buy a car with better gas mileage", the stuff that would really make a difference. ...
When I first saw these emails I bought the idea. It made sense to me, supply and demand, got it. Never did I question the actual business models of oil companies. Never did I think about the fact that my demand doesn't actually change so thus nothing is different. However, after seeing that it had no effect I didn't pay it any attention. Well this year I got forwarded another message, but decided to change some ideas with some facts.
Whenever I get a chain e-mail letter I never forward them on to anyone. When it spreads false information, I try to let the sender know of it. One of the great resources on the net to dispel myths is snopes.com. Snopes is an urban legend reference page who asks the good questions and does some research to find out the truth. I recommend checking them out whenever you hear an urban legend. They make a point that you should never put all your faith in one source of information ( especially email chain letters ). They even make fun of themselves to make this point at their repository of lost legends. In case you don't catch it, each one of those stories is made up. Just click on the 'more information about this page' link at the bottom of each story.
Back to the gas out phenomenon for a second. It has been stated that the United States is addicted to gasoline and the oil companies are our drug dealers. If take one drug dealer off the streets another one takes his place. As long as there are users, there are sellers. The same applies to oil companies and gas hungry Americans. If we can cure ourselves of this addiction, the price of gasoline won't even matter anymore. I just hope the rising price of gas gets us to the clinic :)
Here are some Snopes.com links regarding the gas-out emails:
Uncertain Futures
As much as we hate it, our futures are uncertain. We do our best to figure out ways to keep what we know safe and secure. However some times that security gets shaken and sometimes it gets shattered.
From time to time my boss and I talk about open source software. He doesn't really like to look at it as a solution too often. There are many reasons he states, but one that often comes up is product stability. Will it be supported? Is it still actively developed? Good questions, and unfortunately it looks like some security I envisioned in the open source world is getting shaky around a product I just started using. ...
A little while ago I started a new project for work. In fact it was the first project I got the okay to do in Flex/AS3. While I was at it I thought I would take a look at using AMFPHP remoting for it as well, since it is a very server data centric application framework. I used it and loved it. No more serializing complex data structures into XML. No more deserializing and spending so much time creating specialized parsing engines. There was a small learning curve but otherwise, very easy to integrate and use.
Then I read this article on the 5 et demi blog. It seems Patrick Mineault is retiring from programming and the AMFPHP project. Luckily, he will be finishing AMFPHP 2.0 before he is done. Good luck to him on his new endeavors but what will become of AMFPHP? As far as I can see there is nobody in line to take over the project. Should I do it? I really don't believe that would be beneficial to the community at this juncture in my life. He does make a good point about not getting stuck to one software, and I can easily go back to what I was doing before, but this is a good project.
Here are some answers to my questions, at least for myself. First off, AMFPHP will work for current versions of PHP and the Actionscript Virtual Machine. So no big worries there. It is open source, so any bugs that I do run into after the 2.0 release can still be fixed. If the project does die off, it should still find some usefulness for quite some time. Once it is no longer a viable option, there will obviously be better solutions for me to use anyway. In fact, Flash/Flex/Actionscript may not even be the tool I am using so why sweat it. However, it is a good project and I would like to see it live on and evolve into something greater.
Do you know anyone who could take over this project? Can you? Are you willing to help in some way? If you answered yes to any of these questions it's probably a good idea to contact Patrick at 5 et demi and let him know. I'm sure he would be more than happy to toss you the keys to the project.
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Daryl "Deacon" Ducharme is currently "Code Czar" for the Interactive Agency Provis Media Group, LLC which helps organizations enhance identity, connect with customers and increase productivity.
Words from the past - translated
If you like the history channel, but not history class, I think I have found a link for you. Over at the XKCD Blag ( yep, that's blag not blog ) there is something quite unique, a translation to present day english of President George Washington's farewell letter to the people of the United States of America( colloquialisms and all ). It is both fun and educational. After reading it you might even find yourself wanting to read the original.
Here is a sample:
Sup.
Elections are coming up, and it’s time to figure out who we wanna give the keys to. I figure it might clear things up if I take a sec to explain why I’m not running.
Now, I care about the future, don’t get me wrong, and thanks for your trust so far. I just think me quitting is a good idea on all counts.
I’ve been president twice now, and I didn’t want to do it either time. I tried to quit the first time, but the country was in trouble and every single person around me begged me to stay on.
I’m glad to say we’re pretty much in the clear now and I can get out of here without getting screamed at or letting things fall apart completely.
The Wisdom of Song Lyrics
In my life I have argued for and against the importance of song lyrics. Should they be meaningful? Do vocals even need to contain words we understand, or real words at all? But this week I have had some songs and song lyrics running through my head. So while working out this morning I paid greater attention to the sound coming through my earphones to come up with some song lyrics I thought about or remind me about things I've thought about this week. ...
The format of this post will be lyrics followed by where they are from. After that I will talk about the lyrics in relationship to my thoughts.
Hello world take a look at me.
Well you didn't,
but you should've
so I'm sure you'll agree;
Not paying attention
has cost you greatly...
- High School Dance by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones from the album Pay Attention.
This song was written in 2000 after the Columbine shootings and you can look at it many different ways. It is written in first person and along with the feel of the music you can almost understand why somebody would do such a terrible thing. Almost. In our quest to understand tragedies we often ask the question "Why?". This song seems to try to answer that.
If you want to make the world a better place
take a look at yourself
and make a change
- Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson from the album Bad
This quote is really the basis of the thought process I had when writing my previous article, Who is responsible when tragedy strikes?.
Now we can fight one another
the way they they do on TV
or we can help one another
the way it's suppose to beIf we all give a little
it can really mean a lot
It's a small, small world
but it's the only one we've got
- Small World by Huey Lewis and the News from the album Small World
This quote works in life so often. It's really about choosing the world we want to live in. Do we want to live in a world where we are fighting each other? If we do then we choose to fight. If we want to live in a world where we help each other we choose to help each other. Perception is reality, and we each create our own reality every day. Which reality should we choose today?
Remember, this is just a temporary trip
If you stay down too long you can sometimes lose your grip
- Temporary Trip by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones from the album Pay Attention
While many of the things that have occurred this week will change the world forever by depriving the rest of us of the existence of certain individuals, we need to remember that things can and will get better. Hold on to that hope to help get yourself through the grief without losing it. The last movie I watched was Reign Over Me and it speaks to how easy it is to lose yourself in grief after tragic events like this. I can only speak from the emotion I feel whenever I hear the stories of the people who are gone but this basic idea of hope helps me out a bit.
When I heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But he's nobody's hero
Saves a drowning child
Cures a wasting disease
Hero...
lands the crippled airplane
Solves great mysteries
Hero...
not the handsome actor
Who plays a hero's role
Hero...
not the glamour girl
Who'd love to sell her soul
If anybody's buying
Nobody's hero
- Nobody's Hero by Rush from the album Counterparts
This is an amazing song written about the sadness of losing anybody. We may not be strongly connected to them but just hearing about it brings great sadness to us. I think many people around the world can relate. As time goes by many of us will start to see how we are related to the people who are no longer with us after this week and we will be saddened a little more that day.
Since this week brought us some shocking images of death and how our lives can be cut short so easily I was reminded of two songs that I would like played at my funeral.
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on
My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die
I can fly - my friends
The show must go on
The show must go on
Ill face it with a grin
Im never giving in
On - with the show -
Ill top the bill, Ill overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the -
On with the show
- The Show Must Go On by Queen from the album Innuendo
What a way to take an annoying, trite phrase and turn it into a powerful statement. I always get a little choked up listening to this song, especially at the line I can fly - my friend. Heck, I'm getting a little choked up just writing about it. Knowing what we know about this song and hearing Freddie Mercury sing it makes it extra powerful. It is a song of courage. Courage is not about acting without fear, but rather taking action despite fear. The "show" we put on everyday takes a lot of courage to put on sometimes.
And how I loved how he lived, how he was loved and admired
A knack, a certain flare for life, and how he had it wired
He'd never give up, he'd never give in, he had a wonderful way of livingThere's not been a day, one hasn't gone by
When I don't think about the day he didn't dieOh, I really miss him, he would have loved this, I hope he can hear me
I really miss him, he would have loved this, I hope he can hear me
- The Day He Didn't Die by The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones from the album Pay Attention
I like the idea of celebrating someones life rather than mourning their death. It takes courage but it can give us positive energy to be thankful we we're lucky enough to have them in our lives. Hold on to the good times. And remember waht Earth, Wind and Fire ask in the song September
Do you remember every cloudy day?
Who is responsible when tragedy strikes?
Something terrible happened yesterday. Not to me, but I'm feeling it today. 33 people are dead and 15 injured after somebody started shooting people Virginia Tech. I'm not a fan of President Bush but he said it fairly well when he said,"Schools should be places of safety, sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom in every American community." It captured the feeling pretty well except that it left out a group I am a part of. Parents. As a parent it frightens me. These weren't my kids, but it could easily have been. This event has many people asking, "Who is responsible?" I started at that point but am now on, "How am I responsible?" ...
Let me preface that previous statement with what I mean by responsible. For me, responsibility is being cause in the matter. So the question restated is, "How did I cause this tragedy?". Once stated like that it lends itself to, "How can I prevent this tragedy from happening again". Before we go to that let's stay focused on the first question.
Obviously, the shooter was the one that did the shooting ( poor sentence but simple and accurate ). Who was I being, that had this person decide to kill people before killing himself? How does a person get to the point that a shooting spree and suicide seem to be the only option left in life? The only answers I come up with point to seperateness.
Our society is becoming more seperate every day. Our houses are set up so we never have to see our neighbors. My daily commutes are filled with examples of people being inconsiderate to other drivers, often times breaking the law, because in their car they don't have to think about people in other cars. We hear so many stories about how terrible other people are; so we do our best to not talk, look at or even acknowledge the presence of other people. And yet, here we are. A tragedy has occurred, most likely due to this seperateness that was suppose to protect us.
Perhaps instead of being seperate to protect ourselves, the answer lies in coming together. Many people will blame the shooter's parents for his actions. This helps to let themselves off the hook. The reality is, it takes a village to raise a child and we need to start acting this way. As a parent, I can raise my kids to be the best they can be. However, I can also do this for other kids I meet. I can teach my kids to be respectful of other people, and I can practice what I preach. I can teach my kids many things about how to relate to everyone they will meet. They will also learn a lot from everyone they will meet. I should return that favor by teaching and learning from all the people I meet. But what about the bad, evil monsters who will prey on such social interactions?
Sure, there are people who might take advantage of this, but hopefully I can learn how to protect myself from those situations and teach others as well. There is no need to cut myself off from society all the time because of the minority of terrible actions out there. Time and again we see how great the majority is by their reactions to these tragedies.
In short, yesterday's tragedy was another wakeup call to all humans. Don't just hit snooze on this alarm. I can make a difference, you can make a difference and we can make a difference in so many lives that this type of horrible event does not become so common that we become numb to it. Thank you for reading.
Who killed the electric car
A short post today, pointing you in the direction of a documentary I found today, Who Killed The Electric Car?. If you have read some of my previous posts, you probably know to take these claims with a grain of salt. After all, they are going to be biased towards one viewpoint. One thing I have always hoped for with higher gas prices is that people will move towards more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The website for this movie alone provides quite a bit of information that I didn't know about. ...
Some good parts of the site were the timeline, the suspects and questions & answers but it's a good idea to check them all out. I didn't know that 100 years ago there were more electric cars than gasoline powered cars. Given some of the other stats on the timeline you can really see that the automotive industry chose one direction to go in and that was the main factor leading to electric cars seeming like such a new concept. Obviously, I have only checked out the website, but I found it chock full of interesting information to think about.
Finally Flex 2 & AS3
A few weeks ago I finally got the okay to do a project in Flex 2 / Actionscript 3. While it has been out for a while, and I even downloaded the beta versions of Flex Builder 2 way back in the summer, I found it hard to put enough time into really learning the goodness that is Flex Builder 2 and Actionscript 3. I'm still not done with the project but I've gotten a chance to work with it pretty well and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. ...
At first I approached the project from a pure Actionscript perspective. Coming from my background in Actionscript 2, and reading about it so much for the past several months, it was very easy to get into. Many of the differences are taken care of by the Flex Builder IDE. Now that you need to import all but the top level classes, I thought writing the import statements would be a drag. The developers thought about that and have auto-import statements. It even imports your classes as needed. As long as it can find it in the classpath, it imports it. The few occasions that it doesn't import are a little annoying, because you are so used to it, but very easy to manage since there are so few. By the way auto importing works in Flex/MXML projects.
One of my favorite upgrades is the new display methodology. With most of the stuff I ever wrote in AS2 classes, a MovieClip was overkill for what I needed. The new engine starts with many different types of DisplayObjects before you get to the full functionality of a MovieClip. An even bigger change is the way display objects are handled programmatically. You can have a MovieClip, TextField or Sprite object ( which you can easily create with a 'new' statement ) and you just add it to whatever other DisplayObjectContainer you wish with a simple addChild or addChildAt method call. I haven't run into any depth issues yet either, they are pretty much a thing of the past.
One bit I found annoying though was that you couldn't use any of the flex components and much of the mxml architecture unless you created a flex project. It was annoying at first, but once I surrendered to it I saw why. It's so easy and you can still create a mostly AS3 project if you wish. So this little annoyance was actually a good thing. It got me to start really using the program so I could start programming into the flex architecture rather than just AS3. Once I started things started to go much quicker as well. I actually refactored code that I had been working on for almost 2 weeks in just 2 or 3 hours. Some of it just worked as is and the rest was an easy transition. Very nice.
One big selling point of the new Actionscript Virtual Machine is speed. The only place I've noticed speed increases is in the components. With AS1/AS2 component architecture things were always a few frames behind. So far, these components seem like they are ready to go right out of the gate. I'm sure the new display architecture has a lot to do with that as well as many other improvements.
As of this point be expecting some more posts on Flex Builder 2, AS3 and the new Virtual Machine. Along with approval for this project my boss also purchased a couple of books that so far are very good. Be looking for reviews in the near future.
All Grown Up - Wrestlemania 23
The most important sporting and entertainment event of the year is Wrestlemania. Last night's mania showed us why in spades. The theme was "all grown up" and they showed us how some of their younger stars are grown up by consistantly mixing them with their better established superstars. Come with me as I give you my opinions of the show, match by match. ...
Money In The Bank Ladder Match - What a way to start the show! As usual, a ladder match that involves Edge and the Hardy Boyz is great. But we also saw some great performances by Finlay, the eventual winner Mr. Kennedy, Hornswoggle and the mighty King Booker. Ladder matches are tough. Not only are they physically tough, even to watch, but having been in a few myself I know they are tough to keep interesting for any length of time. How many different ways can you keep someone from climbing up the ladder and getting the prize? How can you set up a highspot without it looking too contrived? How do you handle extreme injuries? Matches like the one last night show you why these people are considered the best of the best. After watching that match I felt sorry for everyone who had to follow it up because it was a lot to live up to. I just hope that Edge isn't hurt too bad from going through that ladder.
United States Championship Match - Chris Benoit vs. MVP - You can always count on a great match out of Chris Benoit. He has proven that no matter what, he will be amazing in the ring. Honestly, I haven't been watching weekly wrestling programming ( because I don't have cable ) but from what I have seen I have thought Montel Vontavious Porter( MVP ) was a joke. After last night, I can easily say MVP deserved to be at Wrestlemania in a match with Chris Benoit. The two of them put on a great wrestling clinic. MVP quickly and easily kept reversing and getting the best of Benoit. It was very smooth, he has the skills. After seeing that match, I could see MVP going a long way.
The Great Khali vs. Kane - This was the snoozer of the night. The Great Khali is big, we get it. He makes Kane look like any other wrestler and he makes other wrestlers look like cruiserweight. He also makes the Big Show look like an olympic sprinter. Big guys don't have to move fast but I would really like it if he had more of a personality in the ring. I don't doubt that a man of his size can take a lot of punishment and give a whole lot more but I didn't feel it, even with Kane doing a tremendous job of selling for him. And I'll be the first one to champion the belief that finishers should be sacred but I thought Kane went down a little too easily. I mean, its Kane! Kane is definately all grown up but even at his size Khali has some more growing to do.
ECW Originals vs. The New Breed - ECW Originals Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer and Sandman in a tag match versus the New Breed comprised of Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Marcus Cor Von & Kevin Thorn with Ariel. This was a wrestling match. Many people don't think about ECW and wrestling unless it has extreme as a prefix. One thing people forget about ECW is that they knew how to wrestle and decided to do it extreme. That is why they have legendary status. Last night's match highlighted the story telling and wrestling ability of these eight men. I was happy to see Elijah Burke in a Wrestlemania match because he was a joy to watch and had a lot to teach back when I was at OVW.
Womens Championship - Melina vs. Ashley - It's tough to watch women's matches. Too much of a gear change. These women worked hard to put on a good match, and succeeded, but I miss wrestling. The WWE has some gorgeous women but I have seen too many good looking women who can wrestle to put up with the psuedo - wrestling done by a lot of the divas that end up in the ring. These two did work hard though and I can easily see them improving as they go along. I remember Trish Stratus's early days and she turned into a great wrestler over time. So, a worthy Wrestlemania match for these two but I guess I've been spoiled by some great women wrestlers.
World Heavyweight Championship - Undertaker vs. Batista - This is the match I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately I missed it do to a baby who did not want to go to bed. But my wife got to see it, which is nice since 'Taker is her favorite ( since Jericho left ). I'll watch it tonight and put in an update shortly. 15 - 0, that's an amazing record.
EDIT: Well, I saw it and it was good. JR would call it a slobberknocker and it was. These 2 are amazing athletes and have great charisma. It was an easy match to be glued to the screen.
Battle of the Billionaires - Hair vs. Hair - Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga w/Stone Cold Steve Austin as guest referee - This match was a lot of fun. They took some expected and unexpected turns. Though I had a suspicion Vince would lose his hair, these entertainers did a great job of keeping me guessing. Were they actually going to shave Donald's head!? This was done extremely well. Having Austin be referee was fun, he doesn't take shit from anyone. Having Umaga give him the Samoan Spike, not once but twice, suprised me. In the end we had a good laugh watching a classic Vince McMahon getting what's coming to him display. I swear, he loves being silly - he is a genious.
Main Event - WWE Championship - John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels - My friend Stro said this would probably be the show stealer. I think Shawn Michaels is great but Cena, I'm luke warm about, especially his in ring skills. The match started slow. Classic wrestling, not a big deal but after some of the excitement we had been witnessing earlier, it felt slow. However, they told a story. In fact it was almost an epic. With each moment that passed the intensity grew. And then came the point when most matches would be over, a spiked piledriver into the metal steps. Piledrivers frighten me so, and this one looked vicious. Instead of ending the match these two seemed to be just ending their warm up. Now it was time for the real match. Stro's prediction about this match would be proven true. This was a great match to the end. I didn't care who won and I was sad when it was over. I wanted an encore, but it was not to be.
Wrestlemania proved that many stars are all grown up. Of course Booker,Edge and the Hardy Boyz but yes Mr. Kennedy and Finlay. Of course ECW Originals but the new breed is definately worth watching. Absolutely to Benoit but wow MVP has some skills. Taker is more than grown up and Batista continues to prove himself. Shawn Michaels doesn't need to grow up any more, but Cena is definately proving to me that he deserves the push that he has been given. Last night proved once again that Wrestlemania is the best sporting and entertainment event in the world and will remain so for a very long time.
Fake is a four letter word
When I was a kid I loved to watch wrestling, Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Junk Yard Dog, etc. Then at some point I learned from other people that not only were Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny fake, but wrestling was fake too. For a long time after that, I thought wrestling was the most stupid thing on TV. I couldn't understand why people would watch something that was fake. It's funny how such a little word can have such an impact on our perceptions. ...
At thesaurus.com the first words that come up as synonyms for the word fake are:
affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, concocted, counterfeit, fabricated, false, fictitious, forged, fraudulent, invented, make-believe, mock, phony, pretended, pseudo*, reproduction, sham*, simulated, spurious
What else in our world is fake? Are movies fake? Yes, even documentaries to a certain extent. TV, yes. What about reality tv? You can't get much more artificial, fabricated and phony than that - just because it calls itself reality and has very little to do with reality. There is plenty more in life that is in some way fake. In fact, the famous wrestler and seemingly:) good guy wrote a book called "Foley is Good: And the Real World is Faker Than Wrestling." It is a fun read and it deals with many of the perceptions we have about what is fake in comparison to wrestling.
Of course, I became a wrestler and now know how real professional wrestling is. What I would like to focus on today is the power of word choice on language. And instead of fake we will choose a synonym artificial. Today I read an article where President George W. Bush again talked about, and I quote,"an artificial timetable for withdrawal." If you take out the word artificial you have, "a timetable for withdrawal" or a deadline to get the troops out of Iraq.
In my experience there are no artificial deadlines and all deadlines are artificial. There are no artificial deadlines because the nature of a deadline is a made up time when things need to be done. Sure, sometimes they coincide with real world events that if not completed by could be detrimental to your goals, but that is about making up a deadline based on your goals ( which may include staying alive, well fed, having a roof over your head, etc. ). Yes, deadlines are artificial in nature, but they have been proven powerful in getting stuff done.
Many books on productivity talk about the importance of setting deadlines. The reason? If you don't set a deadline you will keep putting the task, or a part of a task off for another day. Set a deadline and you are more likely to do what it takes to get it done.
Obviously, war is more complex than me getting a project done at work or in my life. People die at war. More so than otherwise. However, I have enough respect in the capabilities of our armed forces to think that with a timetable for withdrawal, they could be more focused on getting what needs to be done completed on time. Of course, for that to work, they would need a clear idea of what needs to be completed as well. I think most people would like a clear idea of what victory looks like.
So the next time you are flipping through the channels and you see a movie, a tv show ( reality or otherwise ) and of course wrestling, sit back and enjoy it. Just because it is fake, doesn't mean it isn't fun to watch. In some cases, its very nature is to be artificial, and thank goodness.
Good ole W
Members of Congress need to stop making political statements
43rd President of the USA, George W. Bush ...
What kind of statements are politicians suppose to make?
In other news a majority of Americans wish George W. Bush would stop butchering his own political statements.