Yawning, Explained

This was interesting: dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/15/yawn-brain-head.html
Try to stay awake until the end.

New Year's Resolution #1

2009 is rapidly approaching. I've always made New Year's resolutions, and I manage to keep most of them. Probably because I don't make them unreasonable or unachievable. As much as I'd like to summit Everest, I'm never going to do that, because I don't have the skill set, the physical agility, and most importantly, the money to do that. That's not a resolution, that's a daydream. Lose 25 pounds? Sure, that's attainable.

First on my list this year: buy a DSLR camera outfit. I've always wanted to take up photography, since I was a kid. I've taken plenty of snapshots with a point and shoot, but that's not really very challenging. I'm talking about the kind of photography that requires you to know about such things as f-stops and shutter speeds, depth of field and exposure settings. I've read about photography for years, and I've picked up a fair amount, but I've never actually done it. So, 2009 is the year to finally do it.

I'm looking at the Nikon D-700, and the Canon lineup as well. Really, though, I've been waiting until the full-frame format becomes standard and the prices drop. That time seems to be at hand, with the D-700 below $2500. You can put these things off forever waiting for the next improvement, but I don't want to put it off forever. I may just start off with a D-300 and see how it goes. Sure, it's not full-frame, but it's also about a grand less.

I've been pretty happy with my bird and wildlife photos with my Kodak with it's 12x zoom (the Forster's Tern above was taken with that camera), but it will be nice to have more control of the process. That's going to be my major purchase of 2009.

What's the Deal with Starbucks?

Man, I'm old. I just never understood the appeal of Starbucks. More importantly, I didn't understand the business model. I guess I might if they owned every location, then they're like McDonalds: a real estate company with hamburger stand franchisees. But Starbucks didn't make any sense. An ex-girlfriend used to want me to take her to Starbucks for "coffee". I'm not a coffee drinker, but I took her there because she wanted "coffee". I tried to order a medium coffee of the day. I got asked "what size"? In Italian. Venti, Tall, ah, fuck you, Barista dude. I said a medium, you know what I mean, just work with me. And she ordered a coffee-flavored milkshake. It had like a thousand calories, 900 more than she needed. But to her, it was a cup of coffee.

I remember reading, during the dot com boom, that Starbucks goal was to have a location within walking distance of everyone in the USA. Huh? I mean, it's been done... 7-11 anyone? And the coffee's cheaper, I can get sizes I recognize, and it's just coffee. People are surprised Starbucks isn't doing so well???

I must say, I don't really feel sorry for Starbucks. They rode the crest of a wave of affluence, and now they will pay the price. I think cable TV might, too. I mean, cable started growing during the Reagan recovery, and they have never suffered a serious recession. But wait until the recession settles in for a long vacation: that's an optional expense that will go. Probably the high-speed internet will keep the cable providers afloat, but the expensive digital "packages" might just suffer. We shall see.

Let me be the first to go on the record opposing a bailout for coffee shops.

Prop 8 Hate

I like the tone of this: http://www.nomobveto.org/.
I'm not religious at all, but I have nothing but admiration for religious people, as long as they don't try to proselytize me. I came close to voting against Prop 8. I was ambivalent about the "gay marriage" issue. Until November 5, that is, when a bunch of "activists"(thugs) started violently protesting, targeting especially Mormons. And they're still at it. So now, I'm not ambivalent anymore. Thanks, Activists!

I Hate Leaf Blowers

I mow my own lawn with an "acoustic lawnmower". I have a leaf blower-a Black & Decker battery-powered model. It blows at one speed and doesn't wake up the dead. I'd use a broom, but the blower's faster. But if it was as loud as the gas-powered ones, I'd push the broom.

All the neighbors have gardeners. All of whom use gas-powered leaf blowers that are as loud as a 747. I can blow off the patio, the sidewalks and the driveway in about three minutes. Battery powered tools aren't practical for the traveling gardener working all day on several yards. And the reason there aren't more complaints about the noise is that most people aren't home when the gardener shows up.

I've never heard anyone else discuss this, but it seems that people with asthma, allergies and hay fever are on the rise. I note within my circle that people get hay fever in the wintertime, which, even in California, isn't a high-pollen-index time. I think that the increase in these problems may be due to the atomized particles put into the air by those gas leaf blowers. If they just blew leaves and grass clippings, it wouldn't make much more dust than a vigorous brooming. But they blow at full power at bare dirt in flowerbeds and bare spots in the yard. What is pumped into the air? Mold, pollen, and very fine dust.

At least all I have to complain about is the noise. Even though I had pollen allergies as a kid, I outgrew them. It's just an annoyance to me, but it could be the cause of health problems for many others. Good luck if you want them banned: the city of LA tried that many years ago, and suddenly there was a League of Mexican Gardeners to oppose it. Oh! the hardship of having to push a broom!

As an aside, we wouldn't have such an illegal alien problem if more of us mowed our own lawns.

Sporcle Your Day Away

If you like to test your knowledge, pay a visit to Sporcle http://www.sporcle.com/, a source for a variety of quizzes on various subjects. I came across it via PC Magazine, and the games are addictive. I've concentrated on the geography section, and have become proficient in naming the countries of the world and their capitals. I can also now name all 118 elements on the Periodic Table!

I used the quizzes as I would if cramming for an exam. Each time, I'd study what I'd missed and then repeat the exam. I went from naming 81% of the countries correctly to 96% on the last quiz. I'm not as good at the capitals (who can remember Ouagadougou or Yamoussoukro for long?) but I've gone from 53% to 79% in about two weeks.

The first time I tried the Periodic Table, I got a pathetic 52%. But within a week, I was naming up to around 95%, and missing the same ones. Finally, I got them all right! I waited a week after that feat and tried again, and missed one (Tantalum), but tried again the next day and ran the table.

There are other quizzes from Oscar winners to naming all the Clint Eastwood movies. It's fun and a real timewaster! Perfect...

No Mo OJ

So OJ Simpson is going to jail for at least 9 years. He'd be 70 if he is paroled then, which he likely would be. He, of course, deserved the death penalty for the murders he committed, but the justice system worked in his favor then and he got away with it. Instead of fading away and leading a quiet, private life (and thanking God every day for his LA jury!), he decided to rub the public's collective nose in it. But karma is a bitch...

He's in Las Vegas to attend a wedding, and commits an armed robbery. Uh, dumb ass: Las Vegas is close to California, but is not at all like California when it comes to law enforcement. And he got the same sentence you or I would have gotten, because the judge didn't care about the fact that she was sentencing OJ Simpson. Not like the starstruck fool Lance Ito, who was a major assist for Simpson's defense team. By now, nobody gives a rip about OJ Simpson.

And so, he's off to jail, where he has belonged since 1995. Good riddance! What a pathetic loser.

Republican Recovery Idea #1

Republicans, are you still trying to figure out how to get people to vote for you? Here's a good start: national concealed carry laws making all 50 states "shall issue" states. Even here in California! It's ridiculous that law-abiding citizens who are willing to submit to the permit process, get certified with the weapon, and make themselves familiar with the concealed-carry laws then can't leave the state without making deep investigation into that states' concealed carry laws.

I have no problem with individual states making laws that require their citizens to meet training and proficiency requirements before buying a gun, or even those laws that restrict the number of guns one can buy. I actually believe that licensing or at least requiring a gun safety course assists the cause, because at least there is a minimum knowledge requirement for those who will only keep the gun for self-defense.

Concealed carry should be the right of any adult citizen in the United States. It would make us a safer nation, as is proven every time the issue is studied. While I'd gladly meet stringent requirements for obtaining the permit, once obtained it ought to apply throughout the country in a uniform way.

Okay, Republicans - there's issue #1 for you. National security and gun rights, in a tight little package just for you. Well, if you're not too busy trying to get "Intelligent Design" sneaked into public school curriculum.