Digitally Mastered tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1 2008-10-22T12:09:23Z Various mathematical and not so mathematical thoughts... Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.01 Rules For Cell Phone Reviews tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.41 2008-10-17T12:21:51Z 2008-10-22T12:09:23Z I am in the market for a new cell phone or two. In the past, I have been careless and bought a phone that just seemed cool and ended up being an expensive piece of junk. Now when I phone... Amazon.com and Phonescoop are really good sources for these reviews. I just think there should be some rules for reviewers: 1) Reviewers should state their age: teenagers write very different reviews compared to grown up kids adults who write very different reviews compared to nerds gadget geeks. I can usually tell which ones are written by the teenagers because they leave the ubiquitous comment about how fast or slow texting can be accomplished with the reviewed phone. 2) Do not make comments about your service provider's coverage without giving your city. These comments are pretty much useless without the second bit of information. 3) There are a lot of negative comments out there about how lousy the cameras are on cell phones. Here, I would suggest not leaving the comment at all. If you want to take nice pictures, go buy a nice camera. I think that covers the important points. Any other suggestions?]]> A New Ranger tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.40 2008-08-30T04:00:00Z 2008-09-05T04:16:25Z That's right, there's a new walker, Texas Ranger in town. When I got home from work today, Malika walked from in front of the fireplace all the way across the room to the couch where I was sitting (about 12... Texas Ranger in town. When I got home from work today, Malika walked from in front of the fireplace all the way across the room to the couch where I was sitting (about 12 or 13 feet), and then turned around and walked all the way back to the fireplace. So, Malika is officially walking now.]]> Styrofoam Experiment tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.39 2008-08-24T04:45:17Z 2008-08-24T05:09:28Z The other day, I sat in a Taco Bell munching away at my lunch. As I had gone by myself and had no one to talk to, I did my very best to avoid making eye contact with other customers.... Super Size Me now get our Big Macs in cardboard cartons. The argument was that all of those styrofoam cartons do not break down very quickly and would still be present in our land fills something like 100+ years later. Some 20 years later, I wonder if those styrofoam containers really are still lurking around. I personally believe that all God created has an amazing ability to recover from injury and contamination: people, animals, and even the Earth itself. If so, could it be that these styrofoam containers have all broken down? Is there anyone out there brave enough to dig into a landfill to have a look? I wonder what would be found.]]> New Name tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.38 2008-07-11T22:27:12Z 2008-07-11T22:31:51Z I think I finally settled on a name for this site. I had originally used "Chaotically Random Musings," but dropped that because a surprisingly large number of blogs incorporate "random musings" into their names. The new name heralds back to... I think I finally settled on a name for this site. I had originally used "Chaotically Random Musings," but dropped that because a surprisingly large number of blogs incorporate "random musings" into their names. The new name heralds back to a phrase that, to my recollection, came to be in the mid-1990s and was popularized by the return of a bit of pop culture. I will let my readers try to guess the reference... Chick-Fil-A vs. Everyone Else tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.37 2008-06-12T12:27:54Z 2008-06-12T12:35:42Z I had one of McDonald's new chicken biscuits for breakfast yesterday. It was gross. Even a little overcooked. Such has been my experience at most restaurants. I was first introduced to the chicken biscuit at Chick-Fil-A and I must say,... I had one of McDonald's new chicken biscuits for breakfast yesterday. It was gross. Even a little overcooked. Such has been my experience at most restaurants. I was first introduced to the chicken biscuit at Chick-Fil-A and I must say, no other restaurant seems to be able to make these little breakfast treats better than Chick-Fil-A. Their's are never overcooked, and tastefully seasoned. The one from McDonald's and other places are always bland. If you do not have a Chick-Fil-A where you live, I pity you. You're truly missing out. Little Smile tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.36 2008-06-02T11:41:31Z 2008-06-02T11:46:23Z It has been a while since I posted. Life has been extremely busy. Due to requests, I have been working on some updated picture galleries of Malika. I am about half done. So, here is a preview. This is Malika... smile.jpg]]> Hopefully, Lesson Learned tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.35 2008-04-17T03:49:15Z 2008-04-17T03:51:39Z When writing a program, regardless of programming language, one should never use variable names that are identical to functions intrinsic to the programming language of choice. Such a mistake kept me busy for a while this afternoon. Just a friendly... When writing a program, regardless of programming language, one should never use variable names that are identical to functions intrinsic to the programming language of choice. Such a mistake kept me busy for a while this afternoon. Just a friendly reminder. Words That Are Easy To Mispronounce For 400 tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.34 2008-02-26T01:17:20Z 2008-02-26T01:20:21Z A brief list to ponder: colonel resilient epitome That last one has daunted me for years until tonight.... A brief list to ponder: colonel resilient epitome That last one has daunted me for years until tonight. Digitally Restricted Media tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.33 2008-02-11T05:15:31Z 2008-02-11T05:41:38Z I do not know who the genius was that coined the phrase "digitally restricted media," but it is the perfect definition for the acronym "DRM." At present, it is widely known to mean "digital rights management" which is the copy... here.]]> Why Ron Paul? tag:www.thumannator.com,2008://1.32 2008-01-12T02:53:04Z 2008-01-18T04:15:40Z So, I have had this Ron Paul banner over to the right for a while now, but not given much explanation. I will try not bore my readers with too much to say, just some highlights. First of all, after... issues. So, here is what I think is good about Ron Paul: 1) He wants to get rid of the IRS and eliminate the federal income tax. That will put money back in the pockets of every American. Can he pull it off? Seeing has how Congress sets taxes, I admit, he will have a very hard time pulling it off, but it is worth a try. 2) Ron Paul wants the U.S. to stop policing the world. Our biggest fight right now is in Iraq and was started on the premise that terrorists were hiding out under the protection of Saddam Hussein, and he had weapons of mass destruction that could presumably be used against the U.S. As we all now know, there were no such weapons, and in my opinion, the terrorist link between Iraq and 9/11 is weak if not non-existent. Why have we spent so much money fighting in Iraq when the guy who is said to be the mastermind behind 9/11, Osama, is in Afghanistan or Pakistan? A few months ago, most Americans were mostly displeased with the war and wanted troops home. I believe Ron Paul would get them home faster than even the Democratic presidential candidates. Hillary herself has said that she would bring the troops home, but does not know the full situation in Iraq and thus cannot lay out a time table until elected president. I think Ron Paul would start bring our troops back within his first month in office as president. This would be good because... 2a) ...if our troops are here in the U.S., we can actually defend our borders. As the old adage says, the best offense is a good defense, right? Well, not specifically a Ron Paul point, just my personal opinion. 3) Ron Paul wants to return our nation to a gold standard. Again, a constitutional issue. The Constitution allows only for gold and silver to even be used as money in the U.S. Look at our money now. Our dollar is nose-diving against foreign currencies. Returning to a gold standard would strengthen the value of our dollar and likely strengthen our economy. 4) ...I'm getting tired of writing. Basically, Ron Paul wants the federal government interference in the lives of individuals to be set back to the extremely low limits set in the Constitution. Check out what else he has to say here. It only takes about 20 minutes to read through all of the issues Ron Paul discusses on his web site. While you're at it, read the Constitution for yourself and then learn more about it here. I bet most U.S. citizens have never even read the Constitution! I think Ron Paul has some great ideas and I think it would be worthwhile for you to check him out. I back him strongly at this time, but I will caveat my support with this: Ron Paul is a person, and people will always let you down in some capacity. This is more true with politicians. I like what Ron Paul stands for, but I recognize that he will most likely not accomplish all that he plans to do. Even so, I believe he would serve the U.S. far better than any other candidate in the race. So, bearing in mind that he too will have shortcomings, I encourage you to at least check out Ron Paul. Finally, whoever wins, remember whether or not you like the new president and other elected officials, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 reminds us to pray for them:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
]]> Global Hoax tag:www.thumannator.com,2007://1.31 2007-12-11T23:02:18Z 2007-12-17T23:53:48Z I remember watching an Earth Day TV special back in the late 1980s or early 1990s. I do not remember exactly what year this was. It seems like it was maybe the 20th annual Earth Day or so. The thing... Weekly Reader which I had to read in school back then). I used to fall for the global warming propaganda back in those days. How could I not? I would have been about 12, faithfully ingesting everything my government funded public school system threw at me. Why would they have presented anything to me that was not fact? Fast forward to present day. I have long since dismissed man-made global warming as scientific fact. The global warming "movement" has gained substantial momentum since the release of Al Gore's "documentary" on the subject, An Inconvenient Truth. I have not watched this film, but I did take the time to look through the book of the same name. I am told the material in both the movie version and the book is identical or nearly identical. The book presented very little scientific fact, in my opinion. It seemed to largely be a collection of pictures. There were some speculative charts and graphs too. My conclusion after looking through it was this: if you show the right pictures and make the right comments about those pictures, people will believe man is slowly elevating the temperature of Earth. But there was no credible science presented! In fact, the book came across to me as more of a child's picture book. How ironic that in this particular bookstore, the children's section was in the next aisle... I say all that to suggest to my readers that they consider a few other sources that I believe present credible science. First of all, a guy named Marlo Lewis has written an almost point-by-point critique of An Incovenient Truth that I have not personally finished reading, but I found Lewis's presentation much more compelling that Mr. Gore's. You can find this work called "A Skeptic's Guide to An Inconvenient Truth" here. The document is available in PDF format by chapter. Another source is a book called Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 years. I just got this book and have not read much of it, but I heard an interview with the first author, S. Fred Singer and thought he was a very credible scientist. Al Gore as you may recall, is a politician, not a scientist. I especially like these two sources because they have actually cited credible reference material. Now, if you do not feel you have time to read through those two sources, consider a few thoughts and apply some simple logic: carbon dioxide is often pointed to as the leading culprit behind global warming. Our cars and coal/natural gas power plants are pointed to as the major man-made carbon dioxide producers that are causing global warming. Oh yeah, humans and animals exhale carbon dioxide. Are our natural breathing processes causing global warming? No doubt, if successful in limiting carbon dioxide emissions from our cars and power plants, our ridiculous politicians will next try to limit how much we breathe! If you have never been to a true greenhouse, I encourage you to go to one. It will indeed be warmer in the greenhouse than the outside ambient temperature, but I believe the cause has more influence from the higher water vapor concentration (increased humidity) than the carbon dioxide output. I do not have time to provide resources on the influences of water vapor at the moment, but I will try to post more information in the future. Actually, I believe both of the sources I mentioned above talk about it at some point, but you can search the internet for more. Now, do not get me wrong. Obviously, I am not buying the global warming/carbon dioxide connection. However, I do think it is important to take care of our planet. Pollution certainly does not seem to do any good, and in general, I find it pretty gross--especially during those times that I am stuck behind some 20-year old diesel delivery truck and I am driving with my windows down. Yuck! It is hard for me to breathe. I do not know why the global warming thing has taken off and gained such momentum, or what Al Gore's purpose is behind it all. With Mr. Gore's recent Nobel award, he has once again proved what a hypocrite he is: on his journey to accept the prize, he took the train from the airport to his hotel publicly commenting that "trains are symbols of environmental consciousness," while his luggage road in a motorcade. Go here for the news article. Still, from the standpoint of taking care of Earth, I think some good things are coming of it. There is a move in the U.S. to start opening more nuclear power plants (which are safe and clean). And, then there is Tesla Motors. I would love one of these: tesla.jpg Hopefully, as they keep making advancements, they'll get up to 1000+ miles on a single charge. Very cool as it is though, because most other all-electric cars cannot go further than about 40 miles on a single charge. Anyway, I want to encourage my readers to think through things for yourself with a little logic before you eat up everything our media and Hollywood heroes expect us to believe without question.]]> That's Daddy's! tag:www.thumannator.com,2007://1.29 2007-11-10T05:24:42Z 2007-11-10T05:42:07Z However, my favorite hat does look awfully cute on Malika.... DSC_0002a.jpg]]> Comet Holmes tag:www.thumannator.com,2007://1.28 2007-11-10T05:04:55Z 2007-11-10T05:24:07Z If you haven't heard, there is a comet, Comet Holmes, that is currently pretty easy to spot in the Northern Hemisphere. I went out this evening and spotted it. Even without binoculars or a telescope, and within city lights no... here's a good site with some pictures.]]> Break On Three tag:www.thumannator.com,2007://1.27 2007-10-31T04:14:30Z 2007-11-01T04:11:44Z Earlier this year, Spider-Man 3 was released to theaters nationwide. I had managed to get my wife interested in the series a while back, so we were really looking forward to the latest installment. We did not try to see... Earlier this year, Spider-Man 3 was released to theaters nationwide. I had managed to get my wife interested in the series a while back, so we were really looking forward to the latest installment. We did not try to see it opening day, and negative reviews quickly surfaced. Most reviews seem to grumble that the story strayed too far from what was originally presented in the comic books. Having been an avid Spider-Man reader in the mid-1990s, I suspected I knew why folks were downing the altered story. Well, our efforts to see the movie in the theater, and even an attempt at a nearby drive-in, were all thwarted for one reason or another. This happened at least three if not four times. Finally, we gave up and decided to wait until the movie was released to DVD. Today was that day. We rented it, picked up a pizza, put the baby to sleep, and pushed play. Wow! It really was bad! And, being familiar with the original comic book storyline, the changes to the story are not what made this movie so bad in my opinion. I think I would argue it was the poor acting put forth for almost all of the characters, the ridiculous inclusion of numerous gags, and the "favors" that were handed out to non-actors so that they could participate in the movie (I caught three of them: Stan Lee of Marvel Comics fame once again made a pointless cameo, one of the producers was the security guard in the armored van that Sandman filled with sand, and the director's daughter was the one whose camera was purchased by Mr. Jameson for $100). The story was overall a bit weak anyway, not to mention a bit depressing. But there was some good. I thought the final battle had some redeeming elements for characters and storyline--it was good to see a lingering plot line from the first movie finally resolved. But that is all the good I could find. Overall, I think Spider-Man 3 may very well have brought the Spider-Man movie franchise to its end for now. This seems to happen with comic book based movies. The series of Batman movies that began in 1989 had two good ones, and then tanked (though, Batman Begins was an excellent reboot to the series and I look forward to the upcoming Batman flick). I think it is safe to say X-Men will not be making any more theater appearances (though rumors abound of the Wolverine spin-off movie which would be great because I think Wolverine is cool). I never got into Superman much, but I think that series had similar performance. I am sure there are others I am forgetting right now. I guess comic book movies just break down at their third installment. Weird. And disappointing. More Pictures tag:www.thumannator.com,2007://1.25 2007-10-10T03:41:13Z 2007-10-10T03:52:03Z There's more pictures of Malika up here.... here.]]>