tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11696703164928528692012-01-30T14:36:01.856-08:00Sacramento, California USASteve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.comBlogger1111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-77661031369397681772011-12-02T22:40:00.001-08:002011-12-02T23:20:50.452-08:00

I love my SheevaPlug. It is the geek's dream gadget. You can flash linux kernel images onto this thing's internal memory and leave it always on due low-watt consumption (low power ARM processor, and lack of moving parts... no fans, no drives). There's a network port. I prefer to SSH in for some shell command-line action, but you could connect install VNC and remote GUI (if you're a pussy). It

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-17503533335218969922011-11-10T22:23:00.001-08:002011-11-11T12:41:07.733-08:00

When we moved into our new house in March it was nice to have a bigger yard, but it was 90% weeds - those nasty prickly kind too. So my goal was to have the yard transformed and family friendly before the next winter. Libby was scared of the lawn at first... stickies! ouch! Planning the yard seemed nearly as much effort as all the digging and hauling involved. I drove my wife crazy

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-73586711558062369502011-11-07T22:45:00.000-08:002011-11-08T23:52:11.506-08:00

I have sent the notice below. Since Jerry Brown has made open carry illegal in California, if I carry a weapon I will exercise my 2nd Amendment right via concealed carry. Furthermore, I will not be applying for a permit to exercise my constitutionally protected right. -------------------------------------------------- TO:  SupervisorSerna@saccounty.net,  JYee@saccounty.net,  SusanPeters@

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-51426124963091170532011-10-27T23:42:00.000-07:002011-11-09T00:57:51.413-08:00

9 out of 10 americans believe in God. Then again, only 4 in 10 believe in evolution, so you can't put faith in numbers. So, what's the truth about religion? Is there one true faith, or are they all bunk? There's so many variations... polytheism, or monotheism which could involve theism, deism or pantheism. Most people seem to adopt their parent's faith. Other people call themselves "agnostic",

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-4007072293763126622011-09-18T23:05:00.000-07:002011-09-20T00:30:43.654-07:00

My brother and I agreed to take my father skydiving a few months ago. We booked Saturday, Sept 17th at Skydance in Davis, and the day seemed to sneak up on me.  Around 48 hours ahead, I started realizing that I would soon be jumping out of an airplane. My first mistake was googling "skydance deaths", which caused me to seriously contemplate whether my affairs were in order. While statistically, I

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-68193820774000165652011-09-02T00:26:00.000-07:002011-09-07T23:36:03.923-07:00

I recently read this article, and appreciated it because I've heard people attack libertarians with a 'hypocrisy' label or the 'love it or leave it' argument. For example, hearing: "If you are a libertarian then why don't you stop using the freeways/emergency services/library/post office/public transit/schools/etc?", or "Why don't you move to Somalia, they have no government?". I've replied with 

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-32414813134459955222011-07-15T23:21:00.000-07:002011-07-16T00:10:14.731-07:00

I've felt about Facebook like many people feel about Microsoft or Wal-Mart.... a company you dislike, but used anyways due to lack of alternatives. I just don't trust that Zuckerberg twerp. Facebook's relationship with it's users was exemplified by his infamous leaked IM chat referring to his users as "dumb fucks". On the contrary, I admire Google. I prefer their products and I buy their stock

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-65879072963386577202011-06-22T23:50:00.000-07:002011-06-24T20:28:26.204-07:00

Since we moved, we've been pestered by ADT salesmen. They offer to install a security system, then want to make you pay $30+ per month for "monitoring" service. I found that ridiculous, so decided to do it myself. I'm not worried about intruders while I'm home. That's what Smith & Wesson is for. I wanted a system I could customize, extend, and monitor remotely. After doing some research, I

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-24959115355143437362011-05-28T00:45:00.000-07:002011-07-16T23:23:56.568-07:00

That is the gayest title I've ever given a blog. So, I just watched the movie Death Race, which was similar to Running Man. They are both about prison inmates playing deadly sport for televised entertainment. I think that is a great concept. Now, let's be clear on one matter first. Our prison system is f*cked up. They say public prisons cost nearly $50,000/year on average to incarcerate

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-78200394999641916522011-03-11T00:30:00.000-08:002011-03-11T23:51:35.802-08:00

This will be my last week living in downtown Sacramento. We are moving to the 'burbs for more space and yard for the younglings. I've lived downtown for 6+ years, and will miss it. I thought I would capture some experiences that I look back at fondly (in no particular order): Biking or cabbing it to bars. Stumbling hungover to Waffle Square, or Fox & Goose (if the line wasn't too long). Catching

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-15477468979155891702011-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:002011-01-29T09:37:27.005-08:00

Yeah, I don't plan to die right away and this topic sounds morbid, but hey I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, so never say 'never' right?  So here it is... my legally binding last will & testament, because I haven't gone to the trouble of doing the official lawyer-estate thing yet. My organs go on eBay. Oh wait, that's not legal... okay so anyone who needs them can have them, if I haven't abused

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-35279699370583175172011-01-15T22:58:00.000-08:002011-01-16T00:21:14.520-08:00

Everyone learned the Golden Rule as a child. It is the ethic of reciprocity. It may be worded different ways, but always means: "Treat others how you'd like others to treat you". It's called "golden" for the value in it's universality and simplicity. A child can understand it, because it captures all of humanity's virtues: fairness, equality, empathy, justice. Sometimes, we take simple things

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-45115117203221298542010-12-06T00:20:00.000-08:002010-12-06T01:09:18.069-08:00

I've started putting together a "bug-out bag". I am an Eagle Scout... and you know what they say: "Be Prepared.". A bug-out bag is something you pack for an emergency, when the shit really hits the fan. Whether it's an earthquake, flood, tsunami, mega-volcano, zombie outbreak, alien attack, electromagnetic pulse, meteor, nuclear or civil war - you don't want to be waiting in line at REI when it

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-60099680559772500572010-11-20T23:05:00.000-08:002010-11-20T23:27:06.075-08:00

I put the shaving cream away this morning. The plan is to go full beard, and then trim back to "friendly mutton chops". My father had facial hair all my life until a few years ago, alternating between phases of a Sonny Bono moustache and Chuck Norris beard. Maybe I will carry on the legacy, or just put on a winter coat... I'm not sure yet. I expect it should fill in nicely. In my high school

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-12705343648544041582010-11-20T01:17:00.000-08:002010-11-20T11:57:02.191-08:00

What is the difference? Well, I'm not going by a dictionary... but there is a clear difference between: A) "You must not commit violence." vs B) "You must apply for a license, so an official can evaluate whether violence may be committed by your desired action." I'd categorize laws as part of a justice system, where someone reacts after the fact when the law has been violated. I categorize

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-30201210278038303502010-11-13T00:21:00.000-08:002010-11-13T00:40:21.008-08:00

So, we are at Fanny Ann's Saloon for divebar last night and there is a group of folks dressed up in 19th century garb. I say "Hey, did you just get off work from the Railroad Museum?". A guy says "No, we are the Steampunk Society." Steampunk? When I told Brandie, she asked "Stinkpump?".. haha. So, he explained that it's like Sci-Fi for the 19th Century. Think... H.G Wells, or Wild Wild West (with

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-54999642053412779642010-09-29T23:19:00.000-07:002010-09-29T23:59:39.396-07:00

This is how I'm voting on the upcoming election, and how you should too! The proposiitions: YES on 19: If you don't know whats wrong with prohibition, you must be high. Legalizes Marijuana Under California but Not Federal Law. Permits Local Governments to Regulate and Tax Commercial Production, Distribution, and Sale of Marijuana. Initiative Statute. YES on 20: Don't let legislators design

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-56193923385312511382010-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:002010-07-25T11:05:57.805-07:00

I've always liked fields of study that lead to bigger questions. I got my B.S. in Psychology (cognitive/biology emphasis). and I almost chose Anthropology (evolutionary emphasis). The 'human condition' was a big question for me when younger (but that's another blog post). I've also liked Physics and Economics which seek answers to big questions on rules defining our surroundings. I've never had

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-53177927212140134962010-06-19T13:50:00.000-07:002010-06-20T13:55:57.169-07:00

(Note: by "libertarian" I refer to the princples and ideals of free-market and limited government, not the political party. As Duverger's Law describes, political third-parties are neither practical nor sustainable.) As one of my favorite thinkers, Ayn Rand, so often repeated: There is one objective reality. That means we human beings interpret and perceive reality, and when two people disagree

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-74558122107809252422010-05-30T00:32:00.000-07:002010-05-30T11:51:35.935-07:00

This is how I voted... and of course, how you should too!Proposition 13 - Limits on property tax assessment - seismic retrofitting of existing buildings. Legislative constitutional amendment. YES... a straightforward fix to existing law.Proposition 14 - Elections. Increases right to participate in primary elections NO... will favor incumbents and limit voter choice.Proposition 15 -

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-45961102844161287642010-04-25T15:29:00.000-07:002010-04-25T15:56:29.573-07:00

Google Translate added this new language, "Bullshit", as a beta feature. Cool! I pasted Obama's April 21st 2010 speech on financial reform in... translating from bullshit to english. This is what came out:--------------------"Since I last spoke here two years ago, our country has been through a terrible trial. More than 8 million people have lost their jobs. Countless small businesses have had to

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-4845707260852059472010-04-23T00:25:00.000-07:002010-04-23T23:59:01.481-07:00

Today was Earth Day. I guess its all about saving the environment. To most people, pollution means contamination of air, land, or water… anything that “hurts” the Earth. Of course, with Climate-Gate... "An Inconvenient Truth" is looking more like "An Inconvenient Maybe". The debate on climate change apparently isn't over, and the entire discussion on pollution needs a reboot. There is better way

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-23752313286923530222010-04-19T23:28:00.000-07:002010-04-20T00:07:35.960-07:00

Examining history, one sees that mixing religion with government has often led to nasty outcomes. You've had pharaohs declaring themselves descendant of Ra and demanding worship. You've had the Spanish Inquisition. You've had human sacrifices to the Sun God. You've had the Crusades. You've had persecution of (fill-in-blank). You've had the Dark Ages. Even recently in the U.S., Sarah Palin divines

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-28232750317212706442010-04-09T23:27:00.000-07:002010-04-09T23:34:06.026-07:00

Well, it is kind of awesome that they sell "inventors kits". I laughed so hard when I saw that ad...like all you need is a kit to bust out your inner inventor. Ha!I had some ideas recently of things I wish someone would invent. Here they are... with extremely terrible visuals. (Yeah, it ain't easy to draw on a computer. I put Pictionary effort into these.)----------------------Last-BitesDon't you

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-84827327877131132432010-04-05T22:43:00.000-07:002010-04-09T19:32:02.786-07:00

It's my body, not yours.While the GOP may be an ally fighting ObamaCare for fiscal and economic reasons, they include the religious-right. So they have a poor record defending freedom with one's body. The 'social conservatives' tell you "No drugs", "No abortion", "No prostitution". The pièce de résistance was in Footloose, where they told Kevin Bacon "No dancing". This is one concept that

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-50002143636280978332010-03-18T15:38:00.000-07:002010-03-21T18:12:55.526-07:00

It’s the final countdown in a drawn out saga over government’s role in health care. The majority of Americans are against it. They will probably vote this Sunday, with democrats twisting arms to get the two more votes it needs for a majority. At this point, I’m assuming it will pass… not because of what reporters or bloggers write, but because of what OBAMACARE.PASS is currently trading at on the

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-22523790358705236212010-01-25T16:02:00.000-08:002010-01-26T00:29:21.822-08:00

They say "Justice is blind". She's blind-folded carrying a scale and sword, because she enforces the rule of law consistently to all. Justice, equality, and liberty are the three pinnacles of a moral society. None of these can exist without the others. Without justice, there cannot be liberty since one's rights and property can be violated. Without equality, there cannot be justice since there is

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-62689237742528383502009-12-30T23:58:00.001-08:002009-12-31T18:45:20.997-08:00

Today was Liberty's 1-week birthday. We were definitely ready for Liberty to be born. Her due date was December 24th. I was looking forward to two weeks vacation, and Brandie was feeling big. After trying all the 'old wives tales' (spicy food, sex, walking, etc.) to no avail... who knows what triggered it? Maybe it was the doctors appointment earlier that day with a cervix check, or probably it

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-36386003683591344382009-12-11T12:20:00.000-08:002009-12-12T00:42:59.498-08:00

Why do parents lie to their kids, telling them there is a magic man who gives gifts to all the good children in the world? Is Santa just religion for kids? (religion being a set of supernatural beliefs designed to encourage specific attitudes and behavior) Perhaps topics like the soul, creation, and afterlife are too serious for children - so Jesus was reinvented as grandpa in a fuzzy red suit

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-67422650379166956792009-11-21T13:21:00.000-08:002009-11-21T13:33:14.254-08:00

So, I live in Southside Park neighborhood. I like the area a lot... and since I've lived here, I've kept in the loop with the neighborhood association (SPNA). I even volunteered for the board of SPNA one year. I'm going to vent a bit here about my experiences with this organization. I suppose someone from SPNA may somehow come across this blog post & have issue with it. So be it. I've voiced

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-78636429652392790892009-11-21T12:29:00.000-08:002009-11-21T15:18:49.498-08:00

I was thinking about the concept of parenting... probably since I'll have to face that role soon. My thought is: parenting is analogous to any relationship in society where one person/group (the guardian) is responsible for another person/group (the subjects).Parent-Child:The parent is responsible for the behavior of the child and for providing for its basic needs. Supervisor-Employee:The

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-54778044544628568132009-10-23T16:55:00.000-07:002009-11-07T16:13:19.632-08:00

A person owns their own life and property.To initiate force upon another is immoral.Force is denying another a choice for their own life or property, whether by aggression or fraud.A right is something you have naturally, not something given to you.Equality means equal rights, not equal property.A free market drives competition and innovation, benefitting all.Government intrusion in trade creates

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-60951895010730771402009-10-05T23:00:00.000-07:002009-10-05T23:02:54.515-07:00

I read this in the news today. I just wanted to announce to any companies out there... send me some freebies. I'll be your product whore in the name of free speech. (I prefer shiny new techno-gadgets please). If I could be the first blogger to be fined $11,000 for blogging...I think that's a good one to go down for in the name of civil disobedience.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-35428092902531717122009-09-29T23:23:00.000-07:002009-09-30T00:18:43.634-07:00

Brandie & I had a beautiful weekend in Carmel celebrating our 1-year anniversary. Friday we put our name in for lunch at Dametra Cafe. Another couple ("Lara", photo right) put their name in after us. Without going into detail.. they knew we were ahead of them, but when a table cleared she asked the waitress "Can we have this table?" as she started to sit down. I said "Actually, I'll take this

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-26653509789690991052009-08-14T12:01:00.000-07:002009-08-16T18:40:46.036-07:00

I just don't think people understand this health care issue. Radical reform is being pushed so hard so fast by the left, that no one has even had time to educate the public on the facts. I watched Michael Moore's "Sicko" a few years ago, and I have to admit I found it a compelling case for socialized health care. He painted a picture of greedy private health care providers robbing dying Americans

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-41472700743658772992009-08-09T23:09:00.000-07:002009-08-10T08:22:25.872-07:00

I'm sure there were some really stupid songs before I was born... even as I was a tot growing up (e.g. "Barracuda" by Heart). However, these are the songs that scarred me & made my brain shrink. I couldn't escape them on the radio/MTV during their hay day.I still hate them... yet for some masochistic reason I listen to them and laugh whenever they come on (especially if Brandie is in the car...

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-87863137314895499002009-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:002009-08-08T13:21:03.953-07:00

One of the things I liked about Obama during his campaign were his promises for transparency, accountability, and "open government". What a refreshing change from Bush's closed, secretive, and non-inclusive adminstration. Unfortunately, Obama has not stuck to his word - whether it be classified documents or lobbying. I guess it's still "business as usual"... even when our congresswoman Matsui

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-37294803249932642132009-07-20T23:17:00.000-07:002009-09-09T18:25:13.162-07:00

So Brandie is 17 1/2 weeks pregnant.. nearly halfway along.First - a product review of Intelligender. To be a good netizen consumer, I hereby submit to the Google Index that this product doesn't work. Brandie and I tried it out of curiousity. It says it is "urine analysis with a proprietary mix of chemicals reacting with hormones to determine the gender of your baby" (sounds kinda pseudo-science

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-43755962399535443552009-06-26T23:38:00.000-07:002009-06-27T11:42:58.277-07:00

The news media loves showing how "hip" they are these days by constantly talking about Twitter. It's kind of funny actually, because we almost don't need the news anymore since you can track current events and memes in the blogosphere and twittersphere. Yesterday Michael Jackson died, and within minutes the tag "#michaeljackson" was at the top of the website's Rising Trends list.The Internet

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-20768016562825027292009-05-30T23:51:00.000-07:002009-05-31T00:27:49.997-07:00

Ok, I watched this weird time travel movie tonight on the Roku, called Truecrimes. It got me thinking about how many different flavors of time-travel movies are out there. Time-travel movies are cool, because they must make philosophical assumptions about fate, paradox, and even plural realities.A great line from a South Park episode:[at the time portal. News vans, reporters and scientists, one

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-56675574927379347432009-05-26T19:56:00.000-07:002009-05-26T23:58:53.511-07:00

Equal rights! Equal rights!Those who are at a disadvantage should get special help!Everything must be fair. We can all agree slavery is evil. No one should be forced to act behind the barrel of a gun. Life, liberty, property - these are the rights every person must have equal protection of. However, our culture and media are always debating 'equal rights' issues. At what point does it all go too

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-36698747721501820302009-05-04T23:40:00.000-07:002009-05-05T00:09:11.046-07:00

What do Jesus Christ, vampire bats, and Ayn Rand all have in common? No, there isn't a bad punchline.. and no, I'm not blogging about Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. What they have in common is... they all say something about altruism.First, let's examine two differing moral philosophies: Jesus' Christianity & Rand's Objectivism.Jesus Christ taught 'the meek shall inherit the earth', and 'to turn

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-8683402162055514732009-04-22T23:55:00.000-07:002009-04-23T00:14:41.444-07:00

I recall watching a documentary about the 1970's on History Channel or somewhere recently. One of the interesting aspects of that decade was the birth and death of disco music. Disco must have started out as a great dancing, upbeat, positive, new sound to celebrate. The interesting cultural transition happened with the Disco Sucks movement, and the restoration of rock & roll by angry macho white

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-54413128052146638522009-03-11T23:18:00.000-07:002009-03-12T00:07:06.294-07:00

For a long time, I've felt torn whenever elections come along. I never lean strictly Republican, nor Democrat. I've always felt like I'm voting for the lesser of two evils. After learning more about political philosophy, I've realized this conflict comes from my convictions as a Libertarian. Libertarians are the black sheep of our two-party system. There are few libertarians in elected office,

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-85981223687074907002009-03-06T00:55:00.000-08:002009-03-06T01:09:13.382-08:00

You'd think the above proposal is preposterous, but there are those who would actually make arguments to restrict your liberties for your own protection. Maybe it's not french fries... maybe it's forcing you to wear a helmet when you ride a motorcycle. Maybe it's censoring what you can watch on T.V. Maybe it's preventing you from ending your life if you are painfully ill. So why not outlaw

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-87587358388646891122009-02-28T13:55:00.000-08:002009-02-28T17:46:13.408-08:00

I was just upstairs and saw my copy of "Tao Te Ching" looking up at me. Brandie wanted some bedtime reading... so I gave her my copy last week. I picked it up & started flipping it's pages. It had been a while since I've read it.When I first read "Tao Te Ching", something struck me that is still true today. The Tao describes the perfect form of philosophy, religion, and spirituality for me. There

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-51479655412909126742009-02-16T21:08:00.000-08:002011-12-09T09:35:30.975-08:00

It's been a bit wet and dreary out this week. For many, that's a good time to catch up on an old book. For a technophile like myself... it's a good time to deep dive into a new project. I've been wanting to toy around and learn the Android OS since I got my G1 phone a couple months ago. All the Google services work great on Android: GMail, Calendar, Maps, etc. However, Google has thus far

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-37433834338657068282009-01-27T00:09:00.000-08:002009-01-27T00:36:41.635-08:00

I don't usually write about personal/social events on here... but I turned 35 this Saturday. It was a wonderful time. I've wanted to try Mulvaney's restaurant for a while, so we made reservations for my birthday. I was happy friends could join. I think Mulvaney's has mostly small tables, but we managed to get a room that held ten (a weird trek through the kitchen to get there, but it was nice to

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-64629600076529412642009-01-17T00:04:00.001-08:002009-03-08T16:14:25.157-07:00

Subtitle: Why do gay people exist?Just two words for you Tom: "Bosom Buddies". You were in "Philedelphia" too, but who cares if you're gay? I'll tell you what Tom Hank's problem is though: Tom Hanks Calls Mormon Prop 8 Supporters "Un-American". I'll tell you what's un-american... giving up on democracy. Anyways, enough about Prop 8 already... that's another blog entry. My actual topic for this

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-86091679637155107342009-01-04T23:58:00.000-08:002009-01-05T00:09:25.599-08:00

Alright... I love living downtown. It's very pedestrian friendly. I live a block away from a park, which means I'm on the dog-walk path for a lot of urbanites who have to walk their dog every day because they don't have big suburban yards.I've reached the breaking point with the dog poop though. Something about the little strip of lawn in front of my house really screams "Shit on me" to doggies.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-69700773323860673492008-12-28T14:10:00.000-08:002009-01-02T17:50:25.607-08:00

I'd bet at least half of all blockbuster Hollywood films include gunfire in their scenes. It's funny that we all become engrossed in these films when the average person rarely sees a gun in their day-to-day life, let alone fires one. Well, yesterday was not your average day for me. After a mandatory 10-day waiting period I picked up my Rossi 971 357 magnum revolver from River City Gun Exchange

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-5934780236886469142008-12-23T10:37:00.000-08:002008-12-23T17:54:08.180-08:00

So what is Christmas really about?For christians - it's a holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, revered as the son of God & savior of mankind.For families - it's a time to gather, share gifts, and celebrate.For retail - it's a time to advertise, encouraging people to spend liberally.Like most western holidays, Christmas is an amalgam of Christian and pagan traditions collected over

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-51912773652127277592008-12-15T20:04:00.000-08:002008-12-16T09:56:09.212-08:00

Ok, I've never been much of a sports fan. The most popular american team sports (baseball, baseketball, football) have always been extremely boring to me. I would watch the Superbowl, or the Kings in playoffs - because these are good party events to drink beer & chow down. I sometimes watch world sporting events, like the Olympics or Wimbledon (simply because they are international events). I'll

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-26705735914557406352008-12-12T13:15:00.000-08:002008-12-12T16:07:18.051-08:00

So I was watching TV the other day and this hilarious commercial comes on: "Do you have an idea for an invention? Have you ever wanted to be an inventor but didn't know how to start? Call now for your free Inventors Kit, and we'll help you get started." I told Brandie.. 'Hey, I wanna quit my job & be an inventor!" Seriously though, these guys represent everything wrong with the spirit of

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-57480849194372456302008-12-09T19:59:00.000-08:002008-12-11T18:39:28.915-08:00

In a previous post, I summarized what I consider to be the major milestones in time that have led to humanity on Earth today... an intelligent species inhabiting & dominating this planet. I'm going to continue that post here, not about the past... but about the future. You may have heard of a concept called "the singularity". If you haven't, it's very intriguing... as it ponders the future of

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-37949769381775210722008-12-07T18:27:00.000-08:002008-12-07T23:50:43.657-08:00

Google Trends is a pretty cool site. According to their website: "you can compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics. Enter up to five topics and see how often they’ve been searched on Google over time". Their data goes back abour 4 years now. You can compare different search terms - so it's all about what you ask. (It's important to remember, search terms are often variable... e.g. '

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-31258571421303910132008-11-18T20:30:00.000-08:002008-11-19T00:18:57.892-08:00

Whoohoo – thank god the Nov 4 election is over! The people have spoken with their votes & we can give these issues a rest for a bit now, right? Wait… what’s this? Prop 8 is still in the news as much as ever. I’m still being bombarded on Facebook with “No on 8” invites. I see people picketing at the Capitol on a Saturday night. There is vandalism of mormon churches & gay supported boycotts of

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-32711077493463569242008-10-23T16:54:00.000-07:002008-10-23T17:01:41.201-07:00

So what exactly is a crisis? Here's Webster's take on it:"a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change."You hear the word "crisis" in the press a lot these days. Over the past decade, you've heard about an 'environmental crisis' (i.e. global warming). Recently, you hear about the global 'financial crisis'. Human

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-2358465450518463602008-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:002010-03-01T22:22:17.532-08:00

President/Vice-PresidentVoted: Obama/BidenReason: Ron Paul wasn't running. McCain is a grumpy old neo-con. Obama will help restore America's international reputation by ending the Iraq occupation.US Representative, District 5 Voted: Linda RobertsReason: WIth all due respect to Doris Matsui, I don't think being a widower is good enough job experience... so I voted Libertarian (yeah, I know there's

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-84071651485853187102008-09-23T23:20:00.000-07:002008-09-24T00:06:16.850-07:00

So, I'm getting married this Saturday.I think it's appropriate that I save any personal thoughts & words for family and friends at the wedding, rather than 'blog' about that... especially since I've soiled this blog with talk of politics, boogers, & batman. I'll just say - goodbye to bachelorhood. That first half of life has been a prelude to a new second half to be shared with my wife.Well, it

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-38931116907920975362008-09-04T00:08:00.000-07:002009-01-05T16:50:06.729-08:00

This past Labor Day weekend wasn't the best time for Batman to leave Gotham...We went to Tahoe for our friends' Ed & Beckys wedding at The Ridge. Much fun was had at the wedding & I must say casino karaoke at the Lakeside Inn was good fun as well. It was also helpful to watch another wedding a few weeks before my own.I got home from Tahoe after a 4 hour drive. Asking passerbys in the

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-41430698542848998422008-08-22T15:58:00.000-07:002008-08-22T16:22:41.925-07:00

The greatest singing performances of all time weren't seen on American Idol, MTV, or on Broadway. They had an audience of one (myself), and they took place in the porcelain amphitheater that is my shower and the felt-padded sound chamber cabin of my automobile. Of course, the singer didn't know all the words... but the audience fully appreciated the embellishment of non-sensical rhyming

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-51862976786702988232008-08-15T12:26:00.000-07:002008-08-16T15:13:13.781-07:00

Blogging is a strange phenomenon of this new information age. Like the printing press revolutionized the publishing of ideas, the internet transformed it competely. While you needed to be hired by a newspaper or signed with a publisher to reach the literate masses of the 20th century, today anyone can do so regardless of the content's quality or popularity.Many people have kept journals or

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-29131909908097706242008-08-14T17:53:00.000-07:002008-08-14T17:54:50.829-07:00

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-30078397060358236732008-08-02T11:30:00.000-07:002008-10-23T22:37:51.543-07:00

Look around you. We are human & we've overtaken this planet. How did this happen? Let's take a look by highlighting the major natural & manmade events in time which have led to what we are today...14,000,000,000,000 years ago - This Universe. Our universe comes into existence in a massive explosion of energy everywhere, possibly due to the resonations of two 'branes' (parallel universes or

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-2501264591917842822008-07-19T11:09:00.000-07:002008-07-19T14:08:15.060-07:00

I thought Chris Nolan's "Batman Begins" finally captured the spirit of batman on the big screen. It shook off the unbelievable comic-book surrealism of the film series started by Tim Burton. I hated the stiff, rubbery bat-suit. I hated how the villians had color-coordinated costumes and weapons for no explicable reason. Most of all, I hated how Michal Keaton's lips puckered out from under his

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-79851085895125693012008-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:002008-07-15T23:51:09.324-07:00

Yeah baby... the economy is big news right now. We've gone through some intense housing, oil, currency, stock, and credit/interest fluctuations in the past decade. What does it all mean & what will happen next? There's a lot of buzz & speculation about that right now...I've said this before. I love charts & I created the graph below from data I scraped off the web.I used nominal prices for oil

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-78051025712201522032008-06-27T14:38:00.000-07:002008-07-12T16:52:19.827-07:00

Star Stryder » Blog Archive » Dark Energy is Real- by Pamela L. GayI believe dark matter & dark energy exist.I think they may be poorly named however... and 'dark matter' may not end up being matter at all.Perhaps we'll end up seeing it as a side-effect of gravity.E.g. String theory describes our universe made up a fabric of strings. Gravity is created when matter displaces space-time, creating a

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-15980195779464691342008-06-25T23:07:00.000-07:002008-06-25T23:34:34.698-07:00

If I am addicted to the web, then Google Reader is crack cocaine.I don't think the whole 'feed reader' concept has become a mainstream habit - but those who try it will get it & those who haven't yet should.Below is my formatted OPML file (feed subscription list) as it stands today, exported from Google Reader. My categories (work, webdev, geek-news, fun, sacto, & biz-news) aren't very standard..

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-83633381904535802982008-06-13T16:23:00.000-07:002008-07-13T18:27:01.478-07:00

I got this data from http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/PRIME.txt and dropped in into a Google Docs spreadsheet with a time-based chart. There are some nifty tools in gDocs for sure!You always hear that rates are at an all time low... but it's not so extreme if you consider that rates could have been abnormally high in the 70's. We'll never know what normal is so long as the Feds keep

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-55756992805577808192008-06-11T20:03:00.000-07:002008-06-11T23:55:21.771-07:00

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since I left Japan.I graduated from UC Davis in the summer of 1996, and found a brochure for the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program in the career counseling office. While applying for techie jobs, this opportunity called out to me 'Steve, you will never have a better time in your life to do something like this.'I became interested in Japan because of

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-73348048671367388242008-06-06T10:44:00.000-07:002008-06-06T11:24:53.487-07:00

So, everybody knows about YouTube. It’s a great timewaster… you can find everything on there from HR PuffnStuff to tours of the Large Hadron Collider. That’s the ultimate video-on-demand. If you have your PC hooked up to your HDTV like me, YouTube is a great alternative to the boob-tube – especially nowadays when there is nothing but crap on cable.Now what I really want is the best of both worlds

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-68108904205097408172008-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:002008-05-09T13:03:44.167-07:00

Here it is:http://sav74sac.googlepages.com/radio.plsI've gotten to the point where I'm not much of a music snob.When I want to listen to some tunes at home... it's pretty easy since there is a solid selection of streaming music out there from collections like SkyFM & SomaFM to cool dudes like the guy who runs RadioParadise. (I think it's neat that I spent much of my childhood up the hill in

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-82361231368796210012008-04-28T12:27:00.000-07:002008-04-28T12:51:43.971-07:00

I'm decided. Between Hillary, Obama, & McCain - Obama is clearly the best choice for next leader of our country. I decided to show my support and buy a $3 "Obama '08" bumper sticker at the local campaign office (on 65th & Folsom).Well, within 48 hours... my car was violently vandalized. Someone smashed in the back window. Nothing was stolen - and it's pretty obvious this wasn't a robbery

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-247152084733062752008-04-17T23:43:00.001-07:002008-04-17T23:44:31.674-07:00

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-33105810106387221962008-04-17T23:07:00.001-07:002008-04-17T23:08:19.636-07:00

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-59851968779262184792008-04-16T23:12:00.000-07:002008-04-16T23:37:39.383-07:00

It's either that... or maybe these personality tests aren't all that great. I took the the personality test (not sure if it's called Keirsey or Myers-Briggs, but I think it's somehow based on Jungian psychology).A couple years ago when I took it, I was INFP ("the idealist/healer").Today I took it for again and came out ENTP ("the rationalist/inventor").I guess I'm on the fence on the I/E (

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-77492003301447079722008-03-19T19:51:00.000-07:002008-03-20T00:35:26.788-07:00

I remember watching the Republican Party Presidential debates a few months back & was dumb-founded that every one of the nominees (except for my main-man, Ron Paul) was for staying in Iraq. In fact, they accused eachother of wanting to pull out of Iraq... like it was a bad thing.Here we are - the dollar is approaching the peso in value, and we're officially in a 'recession'. Hmm, could this have

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-71662928229964038852008-03-09T17:26:00.000-07:002008-03-10T00:15:54.307-07:00

I'm a fan of the new Fox TV series "Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles". Film series like "The Terminator", "2001", & "The Matrix" were great because they rested their plots on the chilling premise that speaks to geeks & technophobes alike: Artificial Intelligence/Life will eventually surpass humans and nature... leading to our own extinction. (of course, that is only if we don't destroy

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-18997037205143607162008-02-24T16:10:00.000-08:002008-02-24T16:56:25.519-08:00

This show is kind of a guilty pleasure for me... but in my defense, I always DVR it so I can skim through 90 minutes in about 15 minutes. Those highlights usually include a minute of each performance and Simon's Cowell's original & creative ways to insult the performers.This year, I think the contestants suck even more than in previous years. I have been a supporter of http://votefortheworst.com

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-67381780516694522432008-02-08T15:35:00.000-08:002008-02-08T15:39:14.733-08:00

I switched to Geico car insurance.Hehe, I never thought I'd mock that commercial... but is it just me, or do insurance agencies creep up prices on you over time? It's such a pain in the butt to switch - so they get away with it.Well, we'll see if GEICO does it to me... I'll keep switching if so. So far they gave a way better price than my old company 21st Century.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-73746568232376634032008-01-12T01:41:00.000-08:002008-01-12T12:29:49.280-08:00

This is my new project.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-82241166617645406532008-01-06T21:32:00.000-08:002008-01-06T21:39:27.311-08:00

So Sacramento saw it's worst storm in a decade on Friday. There are plenty of blown down fences & damage from fallen tree branches. After all, this is the "City of Trees". The buillding next door to me had a branch the size of a telephone pole crash down on it from an old giant.I got my share of trouble, as shown in this picture. My dad came by today to help cut this tree to pieces with a

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-53756425943304683552007-12-07T12:34:00.000-08:002007-12-12T18:58:05.490-08:00

I posted on here a bit ago about the future of the OS & the web. Time to take my own medicine...When my old PC met it's maker last week in a grinding hard-drive failure, I figured it was an opportunity to free myself from the $100 Microsoft surcharge I pay every time I get a new computer. Time to see what all the Ubuntu buzz is about...I looked at building my own PC - never done that, but heard

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-63496219764201219792007-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:002007-12-02T11:05:21.974-08:00

Yep, that's right.We aren't going to even talk about wedding-anything until after the holidays, but Brandie & I have made it official.We were driving home from shopping yesterday and I stopped us by the riverwalk where one of those horse carriages was waiting. We got on board and I pulled a blanket off the box of a dozen roses with the ring inside and some chilled champagne...

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-53643255201349972162007-12-01T13:00:00.000-08:002007-12-03T11:46:04.680-08:00

Back in September 2002, I decided to start a hobby project. I'd been into web development since the early days and I felt there was a scarcity of good 'community owned' local content out there for Sacramento. Sure, there were sites like the SacBee, CitySearch, and AOL - but nothing that had a really honest local flavor. I decided I would take a stab at getting a local community site built. I

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-21915338412599163692007-11-05T19:17:00.000-08:002007-11-09T00:56:10.969-08:00

I wonder if one 'social network' will eventually reign supreme, or if these sites will come & go like any trend. Web 2.0 schmoo-point-oh... everything that is in a 'social network' has evolved with the web. Public profiles have been around since Yahoo. Guestbooks allowed people to comment on personal homepages. These sites have just wrapped up these services around a 'friends list' & provided

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-17901246694903348692007-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:002007-10-30T21:09:50.601-07:00

When it comes to computers - some of the best things in life are free. These are some of the most useful software I keep installed on my PC and use frequently. You may have heard of them - if not, give them a try.My favorite apps:Open Office - Gotta love these guys for trying to make the world a better place... less dependent upon $99 software. However, their timing is worse than a 1989 glamrock

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-1723122422875049562007-10-27T15:55:00.001-07:002007-10-27T18:21:08.356-07:00

This guy is a true fan of superheros. The image was on Flickr tagged 'superhero'... and it's definitely the kind of photoshopping I would have done when I was a kid (or maybe still). I especially like the Spiderman constume & Wolverine shaped fro.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-64812053951015582202007-10-23T18:42:00.000-07:002007-10-23T23:55:12.017-07:00

Cool... pointless, but cool.7 Windows Wallpaper Tricks That Don’t DisappointMy personal choice is #4, the Flickr Wallpaper Rotater. I configure it with tags "crazy, sexy, cool" and use Flickrs 'interestingness' rating to pick the best. Now I never know what I'll see next on my desktop.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-69601798959973026282007-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:002007-10-21T20:01:50.195-07:00

I have coined a new term, 'shooping', to describe an odd phenomenon involving human digestion and psychology. I've observed the phenomenon in myself for years, but only recently have discussed it with other people to realize it is a common experience.Why does nature call when it does? You would think it's simple. Fluids + time will fill the bladder and create the need to urinate. Solids would do

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-15334399869847706382007-10-20T16:28:00.000-07:002007-10-20T16:33:36.749-07:00

I have given IE 7 every last chance, but after freezing up on me & breaking one too many sites... I've given up.Firefox seems to load faster, be more customizable, handle tabs better, and even lets me place every button & box exactly where I want it.Thanks to Google Bookmarks & the toolbar letting me keep my favorites in one place - switching browsers was never easier.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-82465537970409710582007-10-11T23:50:00.000-07:002009-05-20T15:00:42.705-07:00

My neighborhood is Southside Park. In the early years of Sacramento, this neighborhood filled in as industry drove growth along the riverfront and north of the R st railroad. A natural inlet of water followed the lower elevation along 7th St, where Southside Pond exists today. Many immigrants settled in the area as industry flourished in the downtown area (and because minorities could buy land in

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-29042999870845796852007-10-11T23:34:00.000-07:002007-10-11T23:36:43.625-07:00

Have you ever known one of those people that always has a funny saying or phrase for situations? A childhood friend's dad actuallly would use 'It's colder than a witches tit in a brass bra'.Where do people learn this stuff? I think it's hilarious. Maybe if you read enough funny sayings and learn old proverbs and euphemisms, then you can whip 'em out next time colorful language is required.

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-16016263224682513332007-10-09T21:27:00.000-07:002007-10-09T21:27:32.164-07:00

Fun with charts!I've always been a visual learner. I know graphs & charts are one of the easiest ways to misconstrue facts.... just take any page from USA Today (aka 'McNews'). Still, a picture is worth a thousand words as they say - and this site provides a lot of easily digestible useless or partially useful knowledge!Tasty Data Goodies - Swivel

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-61414534717151088802007-10-08T21:39:00.000-07:002007-10-09T00:13:35.838-07:00

So as mentioned in the 'Fishing with Steve' post... I've been looking at different options for portable boats. As an urbanite, I don't have space to park a boat/trailer. I live very close to the river & have wanted something portable to take on fishing/camping trips or just when I get the itch.Inflatables looked like the best option for me - but still somewhat of a pain to inflate/deflate every

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-54890148029243343532007-10-08T19:57:00.000-07:002007-10-08T21:06:09.287-07:00

So I went to SF on Saturday for Fleet Week.A friend Christine has a place with rooftop access right in North Beach... what a show! The Blue Angels blasting right over your head in formation... with BBQ & a spectacular view to boot.There were quite a lot of other rooftop suares happening simulataneously, which made it quite fun.Now for the title of my post...Needless to say, North Beach + Fleet

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-36563613731632464622007-10-03T23:26:00.001-07:002007-10-05T00:35:09.637-07:00

So we all know that 'the universe' was created from a singularity, as an instantaneous expansion of all matter. Or do we?It's human nature we explain the world in the simplest way we can. In earlier times, people thought the world was flat.... seemed to make sense at the time. Now, in the age of Hubble deep field telescopes, quantum physics, and general relativity... our observations are more

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-62714685967548806462007-10-03T00:08:00.000-07:002007-10-03T00:08:08.438-07:00

This is something I built for my own use... as I like to keep track of my investments by earnings.It's amusing how many people grabbed it for their own page & many apparently weren't happy with it. To those gripers, I'd suggest they pick up some javascript skills & fix it themself (it's very easy).Notably, (despite the gripes) my gadget has nearly 60,000 users... which is more than many of the

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1169670316492852869.post-40190110243407036092007-10-02T23:30:00.000-07:002007-10-23T18:20:52.817-07:00

So I may be on hiatus from my cooking hobby... I bought me a fishin' pole & decided to give it an honest try. I like the outdoors, low impact activities, and water.. what more could I ask for? If I get hooked, maybe I'll get myself an inflateable outboard dinghy & have some fun with that...I fished as a kid with my uncle - but apparently forgot entirely how. Last week on my first day with my new

Steve Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565019754471484968noreply@blogger.com0