Geek Habitat

I already have three cats, so you’d think the notion of additional pets would be a little, well, alarming. I haven’t gone completely off the deep end, however. The new pets I’m expecting are actually Sea Monkeys, which I’m surprised I never had as a child. I went through numerous caterpillar/butterfly houses, ant farms and even a couple fish tanks (guppies, zebra danios and various tetras, plus an algae-eater or two). But somehow, the Sea Monkey craze passed me by. Well, dammit, I’m an adult now and I’ve got to experience it!

One need look no further than Afghanistan to see the future of Iraq:

“Aid doctors give up on Afghanistan” (CNN)

Let’s think about this. A respected humanitarian aid group (Doctors Without Borders) that has been working in a war-torn country since 1979 is pulling out. They cite increasing concerns about the safety of their people, and the ever-blurring line between military activity and humanitarian aid. Sound familiar? It’s exactly where Iraq is headed, and it’s taking the express train to get there!

If you’ve never encountered the Reverse Speech website in your Net wanderings, you need to check it out. It is more than a little unnerving. The basic premise is our unconscious thoughts or desires are evident in our speech patterns, when examined in reverse of normal speech.

One of the examples is the voice of a purported business man speaking during a meeting. When his speech is reversed and slowed down, however, he clearly says, “I am so full of shit.”

Now I remember why I’d previously avoided watching anything except “highlights” from a political party’s National Convention… It’s like watching an extended version of a low budget television advertisement. They’re over-hyped and largely populated by people who shouldn’t be speaking in public. At least, that’s my impression as I half-heartedly watch the Democratic National Convention on C-SPAN this afternoon.

Unfortunately, I’ve never been particularly impressed with politics. It feels all too often like nothing more than organized lying.

There are times when you marvel at your own eyes and heart — that you are blessed to see a few very special people for all that they are, and all that they can be.

Unfortunately, this joy doesn’t drown your frustration when others won’t see those same qualities and act accordingly.

I do know this — Life has a way of evening all things out. The trouble is you wait a seemingly interminable span before you might see it.

Free cosmetic surgery for all members of the military (CNN)

Ooooo-kay. I’d hate to see the battlefield results when shrapnel hits all that silicone and saline.

I think what freaks me out the most about the whole concept, however, is the simple phrase — repeated several times in the article: “Our surgeons have to have someone to practice on.”

Keep. that. Scalpel. AWAY. Soldier!

Of course, only physicians and lawyers “practice” their profession after they become professionals. When was the last time you heard something like, “She’s a practicing teacher, celebrating 13 years with the school district.” Doesn’t quite instill confidence, eh?