tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154252532024-03-20T03:25:19.777-05:00Reality CheckSometimes the truth hurts.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.comBlogger418125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-39265359137186195062010-11-08T12:59:00.000-06:002010-11-09T09:15:18.662-06:00OK, now it's personal...<div>I have MS.</div><div>No, you don’t know what that is. You may know the dictionary definition of it, but you can’t ever actually know the affects or the consequences. Most do not.</div><div>You may have it or be close to someone who does. Even then, they will hold out on you about certain things. No, not because they want to, there’s just too damn much. </div><div>It can never be fully explained because it is constantly evolving. Consistently messing up different parts of your life.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is no cure. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is difficult for some to accept. No colored porch-light or trendy colored ribbon will hasten a cure. There isn’t a “magic pill”, either - even to make the symptoms go away or get better. None. </div><div>Get used to it – I certainly had to. No, the tsunami just keeps on coming without end. </div><div>Oh, I’m on meds: IV injections, once per month – costing ~$14K each (yes, you read that right) in order to minimize ‘exacerbations.’ </div><div>Oops! Minimize not eliminate. No, after 3,000+ milligrams of Solumedrol and 7 pills per day to treat the Trigeminal Neuralgia later…..the current exacerbation continues – although, thankfully, the TN pain has tapered greatly. No, never completely gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Example…when you wish to move from point A to point B, a hundred things *have* to go through your mind (What are the things in my way? What can I hold on to next? Will that hold me?- being just a small sampling). Every move needs to be planned out before you can even think of going mobile. </div><div>So what happens if there is nothing for you to hold on to? Well, one of two things: 1) you don’t go or 2) you go and hope your momentum will be stopped by something soon – as you play it off like you’re just being goofy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I walk funny.</div><div>Wow do I walk funny. I know this. People ask me “why don’t you just use a cane?” Well, the 2 main reasons are that my hands are mostly numb so I really can’t tell where the cane is most of the time. And I can’t guarantee that I won’t fall more with a cane by tripping over it.</div><div>Eh, such is life.</div><div><br /></div><div>So why am I talking about this here? Well mostly because I know no one reads this blog anyway and let's face it: blogs are mostly cathartic - political or not. But more importantly, I am really tired of people telling me “I look fine” as I’m sitting. </div><div>I swear, if I hear that just one more time, I’m going to….....what? Try to stand quickly so I can try to fall on them? No, my options are quite limited these days. </div><div>But know this: even though I walk like the drunkest man on earth, my brain has not been invited to that party and continues to be sober. </div><div>What, you thought I was going to say sharp? Nah, even though sarcasm is my weapon of choice, I don’t like it to be common knowledge. I still want some surprises. Oops.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Reality:</u></i></b></div><div>I know we will never see (I think) orange ribbons at any of those trendy Hollywood award shows. I understand that the disease, for the most part, is not fatal. I’ve always said that it wouldn’t kill me just piss me off even more….like the world needs that.</div><div>Isn’t it great though, that we finally live in a world without AIDS? </div><div>I mean….it must be gone. How many of those ribbons did you count at the last Hollywood pat-yourself-on-the-back show? It must not be a problem anymore.</div><div>Or perhaps it’s just not trendy anymore. </div><div>After all, that’s how you know people really care, right?</div><div><br /></div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-19896745965252309822010-05-22T07:56:00.004-05:002010-05-22T08:21:43.644-05:00Kooky.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyy-ubiGbm8Q4MkAIGO36Ckd83JQx2GEe95R2r07zHpsxX2ZnhK1PsInwZSq2rNJjzB46BZFQ66O1FPmI6PHyTe5IOsJtgS-yjjshsY-QQqZpRLChxMPTc_5T4a1JuXQyWtCzf/s1600/bigbang.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyy-ubiGbm8Q4MkAIGO36Ckd83JQx2GEe95R2r07zHpsxX2ZnhK1PsInwZSq2rNJjzB46BZFQ66O1FPmI6PHyTe5IOsJtgS-yjjshsY-QQqZpRLChxMPTc_5T4a1JuXQyWtCzf/s200/bigbang.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474078456697313122" /></a>OK, so by now we all know how extrapolation works. You take a limited amount of data and assume what will happen if the trend continues the exact same way in perpetuity. I mean, really, the “science” doesn’t even need to be accurate, just show a perceived trend (see: global warming). But I digress….<br /><br />One of the themes that is pervasive through all the shows I’ve been watching (see below) is the Big Bang. Now, I understand that I’m a bit of a heretic when it comes to this theory – not that I do not buy it, I just have too many questions to swallow it with my eyes closed.<br />For instance, as I was growing up I recall hearing about one of the possible ends to the universe – the Big Crunch. That was the accepted consensus – that after all that expansion, gravity would pull it all back together into a crunch. <b>Now </b>the consensus is that because the universe is constantly expanding, what is likely to happen after <i>trillions </i>of years...is that we will all be torn apart - all the way to the atomic level.<br />And you should all know how I feel about consensus.<br /><br />I get that science moves on, discovers new things and evolves, but this is the complete opposite of what was firmly accepted not that long ago (I would have said within my lifetime, but I’m old now and it doesn’t sound as impressive). The thing that bothers me is that scientists (heretofore referred to as ‘they’) come up with new and exciting theories to justify the Big Bang.<br />Have you heard of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_speed_of_light"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><u>VSL</u></span></i></b></a>? Neither had Einstein.<br />How ‘bout <a href="http://timespaceandgravity.com/"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><u>Hyper-expansion</u></span></i></b></a> of space? No?<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><u>Dark matter</u></span></i></b></a>? And to offset that, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><u>Dark energy</u></span></i></b></a>? <div>Question: if the Big Bang is <b><i>so</i></b> right, why does it need so many theories and unprovable hypotheses in order to make it work?<br /><br /><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Reality:</u></i></b><br />I saw and heard one physicist say that if you don’t buy the Big Bang theory, then you are considered a ‘kook’ by the scientific community.<br />Like Copernicus, Keppler and Galileo?<br />Yeah, I’ve been called worse and associated with worse.<br /></div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-37001348623949074692010-05-15T08:41:00.004-05:002010-05-15T16:41:34.552-05:00ScaleAs a massive geek, one of the perks of being incapacitated is endless viewing of SciChan/DiscChan/NatGeo space & astrophysics shows. They tend to throw out little nuggets that I happen to find infinitely interesting.<div>I while back I mentioned that space is HUGE (I won a Pulitzer for that one). Just how big?</div><div>One astronomer put it thus:</div><div>First, start by thinking about how many people are on Earth. Alot, huh?</div><div>Well, as big as the Earth is, you can fit <i><b>a million</b></i> Earths in the Sun. </div><div>Now look at the period of this sentence.</div><div>If the Sun was the size of that period, then the Milky Way would be the size of the United States.</div><div>!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight:bold;"><i><u>Reality:</u></i><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></span></div><div>More to the point, as another astronomer put it, the size and scope of space is really beyond human comprehension.</div><div>Pretty much.</div><div>More ridiculously absurd nuggets to follow.</div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-48557295569958807302010-04-09T08:01:00.002-05:002010-04-09T08:11:03.675-05:00Dream a little dream.Sadly, probably the ONLY <b><i><a href="http://store.ferrari.com/en/accessories/electronics-hi-tech/hi-tech/segway-pt-i2-ferrari-limited-edition.html"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Ferrari</span></u></a></i></b> I have a chance of owning.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Reality:</u></i></b></div><div>Even sadder, it will <b><i>still </i></b>take me close to forever to save for this gimmick.</div><div>Sigh....</div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-3279499668046624952010-03-28T09:37:00.003-05:002010-03-28T09:45:30.156-05:00Sick.Everyone in the stadium knew what was coming.<div>And it did:</div><div><br /><object width="400" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wzr_jiggoNI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wzr_jiggoNI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><b><i>Reality:</i></b></u></div><div>At first, even I thought "too far."</div><div>Fast forward to the 1 minute mark to watch the goal, watch from the 1:50 mark to see the skill.</div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-24962990990704417882010-03-24T09:07:00.005-05:002010-09-17T19:29:15.507-05:00I don't get it.Late to the party to be sure, but as one comedian I heard said:<div>"It's like he cheated on the girl next door with Marilyn Manson."</div><div>You decide.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLU7CBAUVSigKMiNxvJZZNygyb_UERozHH46TXIH9U0blM923fJl_6SCX-U4juM9JXaugddMHJSJPPUfvEvz1YrVF9tH2gk4Sq2Go5CIxoBbgyKnpzXqiY3OKLlLcQ8svH3n-/s1600/sandra.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLU7CBAUVSigKMiNxvJZZNygyb_UERozHH46TXIH9U0blM923fJl_6SCX-U4juM9JXaugddMHJSJPPUfvEvz1YrVF9tH2gk4Sq2Go5CIxoBbgyKnpzXqiY3OKLlLcQ8svH3n-/s320/sandra.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452205097424270962" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 304px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><u>Reality:</u></i></b></div><div>Now I've never been a head-over-heels fan, but I always thought she was attractive.</div><div>Looking at the pics, however, its like having your favorite food every day of your life and then one day deciding to have [<i>insert least favorite food here</i>].</div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-28439030899472248922010-02-21T09:00:00.005-06:002010-02-21T09:10:36.210-06:00Take care of it yourself!!<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFL34w4kp5NQuh_96OaDLjZcgXxqyzfM9JWw0C6v11A9BH9sdTjHUCAlfIdJPx2x7HWTlbTY-j2RdNEXjXZrcSzmpndMG59r87UXrxk1fyImVPIyZx-W5im59Z39w8jOShJiqh/s1600-h/batman.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440713027337666562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFL34w4kp5NQuh_96OaDLjZcgXxqyzfM9JWw0C6v11A9BH9sdTjHUCAlfIdJPx2x7HWTlbTY-j2RdNEXjXZrcSzmpndMG59r87UXrxk1fyImVPIyZx-W5im59Z39w8jOShJiqh/s400/batman.jpg" /></a></p>Totally swiped from <a href="http://www.geekologie.com/"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>Big Geek</u></span></em></strong></a>.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />Sometimes, he's just got a thing.<br />(BTW, that is futbal he's watching Fred)still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-24047017122344658002010-02-19T09:24:00.004-06:002010-02-19T09:37:54.924-06:00You really want science?I am so tired of the Goreistas telling me that the Sun (that large H-bomb hovering in our sky) plays only an insignificant part in our climate change.<br />After all, it has nothing we can tax or regulate, so it has to be insignificant!<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u><br /></span></em></strong>That ball of fire produces more energy in one <em>second</em> than <em>ALL OF HUMANITY SINCE ITS EXISTENCE</em>. Whether your are a creationist or an evolutionist.<br />~98,000,000 miles away and it still can kill you.<br />But hardly any affect to our climate. Sure.<br />Idiots.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-57549366750472022102010-02-14T14:34:00.002-06:002010-02-14T14:37:33.177-06:00InactiveWell apparently shut down due to inactivity is real.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />Maybe its time to rethink the "I'll get to it when I get to it" approach.<br />Eh..still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-9735999029113517872009-10-15T08:30:00.003-05:002009-10-15T08:34:32.896-05:00Section 21+I miss Monty.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wdoGVgj1MtY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wdoGVgj1MtY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />I only meant to watch the first 2 minutes, 'cause it cracks me up.....but I ended up watching until the flagrant violation.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-13604516098888184272009-10-04T18:20:00.008-05:002009-10-04T18:30:16.054-05:00Believe.I don't believe in ghosts, but this is difficult to explain away....<br />Keep your eyes on the far doorway.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/abRCag9wxpw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/abRCag9wxpw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />I guess we see unexplained things everyday.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-932661531619431032009-09-24T08:47:00.005-05:002009-09-24T09:42:52.114-05:00Power, redefined.<div><div>Wow, still in the reader, huh? Ok, welcome back.<br />First, a primer.<br />This used to be the fastest production car in the world:</div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-zKbTZiV6S_4yysv8QCGJC7N4wMkjjfNfprswEy8dQiptAm3neFxFawC2VYNYhNiO2fUCqRkXspUlwG0iYJ67R-qUxOVTw4Dqz3QI3URWR06f1t3rpZTw1RzGYAUaXcnxKdX/s1600-h/mclaren.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385038893956530130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-zKbTZiV6S_4yysv8QCGJC7N4wMkjjfNfprswEy8dQiptAm3neFxFawC2VYNYhNiO2fUCqRkXspUlwG0iYJ67R-qUxOVTw4Dqz3QI3URWR06f1t3rpZTw1RzGYAUaXcnxKdX/s320/mclaren.jpg" /></a></p><div>0-60 mph: 3.2 seconds<br />Top speed: 240 MPH<br />“It” is the McLaren F1. Produced by the same McLaren that sponsors Formula One cars (duh) and aptly named the “F1” – hey, these guys are engineers not highly paid creative guys.<br />It even looks like its speeding standing still, doesn’t it?<br /><br />Meet its successor to the top speed throne – The Bugatti Veyron:<br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-IwEFWQBoxk1IrQ3ZcTpiIwBa3AKDHfexTKm5cYkx2WetiqSPF6f4Me7XOuFtfyfSMH6f4MW8W3V8r_5ewmJUbaMbK4H-vY5rQpNScFKpV-k5OwzcoOYxlhzZ_RYkGiP5Z3I/s1600-h/vey.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 186px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385039341297042658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-IwEFWQBoxk1IrQ3ZcTpiIwBa3AKDHfexTKm5cYkx2WetiqSPF6f4Me7XOuFtfyfSMH6f4MW8W3V8r_5ewmJUbaMbK4H-vY5rQpNScFKpV-k5OwzcoOYxlhzZ_RYkGiP5Z3I/s320/vey.jpg" /></a></p><div>0-60 mph: ~2.5 seconds.<br />Top speed: 253 MPH<br /><br />“So what” you say, “its not THAT much faster.”<br /><br />That is until you realize that if you are in a drag race to 200 MPH, and you are driving a Veyron, you can give the F1 a head start to 120 MPH and <strong><em>you’ll still beat it to 200!!</em></strong><br /><br />Whoa.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><u>Reality:</u><br /></em></strong>As an extra added bonus for you enviro types:<br />The Veyron has a 26.4 gallon gas tank.<br />Which means, if you run it at full throttle, the tank will run dry in just 12 minutes.<br />Suck on that, <a href="http://realdebatewisconsin.blogspot.com/2009/09/peace-lovng-poop-dumping.html"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">treehuggers</span></em></strong></a>. </div><div>Jeremy said it best:</div><div><blockquote><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">[</span></strong> <strong>"</strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">(This is) the greatest piece of engineering ever. No, I'm sorry, this is the greatest car ever made and the greatest car we will ever see in our lifetime.</span></em><strong>"</strong> <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">]</span></strong></blockquote></div></div>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-41375023702885752852009-09-06T12:27:00.004-05:002009-09-06T12:49:46.937-05:00I don't get it.How many reasons can there be to not make this movie?<br />Is it greed over contractual minutia or the quest to appease and sate the hardcore gamers with a quality, worthy product that leads Hollyweird to miss the boat entirely?<br /><br />‘cause I’ve been wanting to see this movie for a while now…and this "preview" is as good as it gets.<br /><br /><embed src='http://videomedia.ign.com/ev/ev.swf' flashvars='object_ID=852871&downloadURL=http://xbox360movies.ign.com/xbox360/video/article/102/1021269/haloodst_liveaction_trl_090409_flvlowwide.flv&allownetworking="all"' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='433' height='360' ></embed><br /><br /><u><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;">Reality:</span></em></strong></u><br />Do I really need another reason to buy an XBox360?<br />This game was the only reason I was going to buy it.<br />T-minus 24 days to B-day....still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-75947124979423310242009-08-31T15:58:00.002-05:002009-08-31T16:16:05.469-05:00For Fred & Jimi...Good news/bad news<br /><br />Yes, “<a href="http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/homepage.asp"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>my</u></span></em></strong></a>” team won and yes, Fred, “<a href="http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/homepage.asp"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>my</u></span></em></strong></a>” team is a futbal team.<br /><br />So what’s the bad news, you say?<br />Well, my guy didn’t play at all (age and back problems are apparently not desirable in top-tier sports) but more than that….<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u> </span></em></strong><br />Their 3 best players – <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=672234&sec=europe&cc=5901"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>who were ridiculously impressive</u></span></em></strong></a> – were Brazilian nationals.<br />These guys aren't even stars on the team.<br />Rut Roh!….looking reeeeally bad for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_world_cup_2006"><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;"><u>Azzurri</u></span></em></strong></a> to defend, I must say.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-78889249718724823272009-08-22T12:18:00.006-05:002009-08-22T12:35:36.627-05:00Hey, Packer fans...Don't you wish Mike McCarthy would give an interview at the beginning of the season and said some thing like:<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><blockquote><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">[</span> <span style="color:#000000;">"</span></strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">We are Green Bay Packers and must live up to this name</span></em><strong><span style="color:#000000;">"</span> <span style="color:#ff0000;">]</span></strong></blockquote></span>Well, my coach <strong><em><u><a href="http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/NEWS_newsseriea_11335CAD742F48DF9C50253813246C6E.asp"><span style="color:#cc0000;">did just that</span></a></u></em></strong>.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />All you anti-soccer types, sorry.<br />Kickoff is tomorrow.<br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;">FORZA JUVE!!</span></em></strong>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-9605693496599917222009-07-28T08:48:00.003-05:002009-07-28T09:12:44.041-05:00Yikes!!A month....ugh...<br />I've been too political at <a href="http://realdebatewisconsin.blogspot.com/"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>RDW</u></span></em></strong></a> lately. Apologies to the 3 readers (yes, I know one is me).<br />I think I'll go hard-geek on this blog. Eh, its a release.<br />With that said...<br /><br />Since this blog is called “Reality Check” I’m going to make a prediction that is based on a simple observation derived from extreme geekatude and my inability to NOT watch Discovery/History channel shows rooted in astrophysics:<br /><br />You and I, nor or children nor our children’s children will travel anywhere near say….Uranus (insert joke here).<br /><br />It’s simple math really (and anyone that knows me knows how I feel about math).<br />Right now our fastest rocket ship goes about 17,000 miles per hour. Granted, I’ve gotten speeding tickets for less but in reality, this is a snails pace.<br /><br />Space is big (I expect a call from Stockholm after that brilliant piece of insight).<br />If we were able to shoot “straight at Mars”, at 17,000 mph it would take you roughly 130 days.<br />Great.<br />Then there’s the trip back.<br />And the supplies.<br />And the fuel.<br />Oh, and then there’s the nagging “cant really shoot straight there because of the whole motion of planets” thing.<br />And what if we went rediculoulsy faster? Say…..1,000,000 miles per hour?<br />Yup, about 35 hour trip.<br />Anyone think we’re close to achieving this speed?<br /><br />The universal speed limit is ~186,280 miles per <em>second (~669,600,000 MPH)</em>. Even if we were to achieve (close to) this and we shoot “straight to” Uranus (Ha! I’m a child, I know…)– it takes light roughly an hour and a half for light to travel there from Earth.<br />Well that would work – kinda. Unfortunately, that speed will not soon be approached.<br /><br />Mars?<br />Maybe in a few decades.<br />Believe me, no one is more disappointed at this reality slap in the face than me.<br /><br /><br /><u><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;">Reality:</span></em></strong></u><br />What if we go the other way, say...to Mercury?<br />Well that becomes even <em><strong>more</strong></em> problematic. You see, the Sun is hot (can you say Nobel Prize #2?).<br />I mean really hot.<br />As Jimi would say “Africa hot”….<strong><em>times a Gagillion-gazillion</em></strong>,<br />Ohh yeah…Nobel Prize #3!<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#330099;"></span>*(FYI - I would have picked Pluto, but apparently its not an honest-to-goodness planet anymore. Pfft...)</span></em>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-58584065331205901072009-06-27T09:29:00.001-05:002009-06-27T09:33:15.205-05:00Final Edit.<p align="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hp69rg6Hdlo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hp69rg6Hdlo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />I really like penne all'arrabbiata...its my fav.<br />This would have really made the movie more popular, dontcha think?still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-21775299741241392562009-06-19T09:29:00.005-05:002009-06-19T10:16:28.978-05:00Comin' at ya!!<p align="center"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A9lpf8Zp4no&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A9lpf8Zp4no&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />This is actually my favorite song from the old country, circa 1976.<br />The song is really not about what I had been led to believe....<br />Long story that can only be explained verbally or at a much later time.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-24956810876667161452009-06-07T19:09:00.002-05:002009-06-07T19:09:01.090-05:00You drive like a girl.You wish.<br />I know everyone is all bent out ouf shape over Danica Patrick, but she's just a telentless seat warmer compared to Sabine Schmitz.<br />Look her up on You Tube if you have the time.<br />Watch one lap. The "Queen of the Nurburgring" is well worth the driving lessons.<br /><br /><div align="center"><embed height="349" name="flashObj" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=" width="440" src="http://www.topgear.com/us/players/topgear-embedded-v3.swf" swliveconnect="true" allowfullscreen="true" seamlesstabbing="false" flashvars="playerID=6556765001&&@videoPlayer=ref:2659326001&&domain=embed&autoStart=false" bgcolor="#000000" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></div><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />While this may be an older clip, whats not to love??<br />I recomend watching the entire thing (to get the full effect of why I love Top Gear so much), but the money lines are from 4:50 to ~5:55.<br />I wish I could drive like this girl.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-2896698442529610372009-06-01T09:36:00.001-05:002009-06-01T09:54:24.003-05:00You're kidding right?This looks like a cross between uber-cute and cute.<br /><br /><p align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PJnn-wMPU9w&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PJnn-wMPU9w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><br /><br /><u><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;">Reality:</span></em></strong></u><br />Ok, so I'm a big ol' geek.<br />Or did someone else think this looked like a character from the old "<u><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLiLD5-38K4"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Magician Lord</span></em></strong></a></u>" (fast forward to 1:39 - 1:43) game?<br />Hey, its my favorite game. What?<br />(hey, at least you're not married to me. somewhere the Mrs. is shaking her head, I'm sure)still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-69241566217187020762009-04-16T09:31:00.006-05:002009-04-16T09:55:08.071-05:00You can't do this.No, you can't.<br />This whole post is basically all stolen from Geekologie.<br />Dude cracks me up every post.<br /><br /><p align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b_gcPGI-ZMI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b_gcPGI-ZMI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>This is a video of Isao Machii, who is billed as a modern-day Samurai, showing off his skills with the blade. It's a long video, so I'll direct you to the good parts.<br />1:45: Cuts the top half of a mushroom's cap off. Sent shivers down my pants.<br />3:30: Horizontally cuts a bean lengthwise. Sent shivers down my pants.<br />5:15: Cuts a 6mm Airsoft BB shot at him in half. GW realizes bringing a gun to a Samurai fight might not be enough.<br />8:00: Cuts an iron pipe in half without bending or warping the pipe. This part is skippable, since I totally could have done that. <em>With my penis.</em> HI-YA, BITCHES! Youtube Thanks to Jason, who once got a watermelon pregnant just by glancing at it in the produce section of the grocery store.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u><br /></span></em></strong>But you should watch the first 50 seconds, anyway. This guy is totally sick.<br />The yutzes on Amazing Race, Survivor nor Deal or No Deal also cannot do this (well, maybe #10 on DoND, but I digress...).still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-64948874457525368142009-04-10T09:18:00.005-05:002009-04-10T09:50:00.753-05:00Tofuing.Welcome to the new, constantly offended America:<br /><br /><p align="center"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OaYfnhUJZgo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OaYfnhUJZgo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />Granted, this may not be the easiest licence plate to explain to small children (oh, sure, you'll tell them that she just likes the food...while you and your other adult friends are snickering).<br />But this crazy-ass tree hugger (oh, shut up. I'd bet the farm <em>and</em> the condo I'm right) says:<br />"If the DMV is going to start censoring what people are thinking, that’s a little bit too 1984-ish for me."<br />NO, you crazy-ass. It's living in 2009 under the...er...broomsticks YOU elected....from a government agency THEY created.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-12059797907508399732009-03-27T09:50:00.003-05:002009-03-27T10:45:45.335-05:00Never too early......to embark on a life-long skank crusade.<br /><a href="http://www.geekologie.com/2009/03/alfie_patten_you_arenot_the_fa.php"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>This</u></span></em></strong></a> really shock anyone?<br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u><br /></span></em></strong>"<em><span style="color:#000099;">...before you married the beast atop Mt. Bloodfang and were sealed to the ogre clan forever.</span></em>"<br />Classic advice.<br />The Maiden's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZlDZPYzfm4"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc0000;"><u>chorus</u></span></em></strong> </a>said it best, methinks.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-67112033773137494152009-03-05T09:58:00.003-06:002009-03-05T10:12:40.589-06:00Never a fan.Sure, Letterman has had his funny, even hilarious moments. But have you seen it lately?<br />Holy suckville, Insomniac Man!<br />Seriously, he usually has 1 guest on.<br />This week the guests have been (seriously):<br />Monday - Katie Couric (wtf?! all hour??)<br />Tuesday - Felicity Huffman and some comic mostly known in New York.<br />Wednesday - Dr. Phil<br /><br />So why am I going through this torture?<br />Well, U2 has a new album and they will be on all week as the musical guests.<br /><br />This bit made it worth DVR'ing (you're damn skippy I fast forward most of it):<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/svow3ja8x4s&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/svow3ja8x4s&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#000000;"><u>Reality:</u></span></em></strong><br />Even when Katie Couric (Katie Couric!!!) was trying to be magnanimous towards W, D-bag -- I mean Letterman, had to take shot after shot at W.<br />U2 won't be on after Friday.still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15425253.post-17329953673176912872009-02-21T16:44:00.001-06:002009-02-21T16:44:00.413-06:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMlHLvupCRZhyphenhyphen1P3uHzjjjq6V5XXCJCMx_AD5W5mVjiooWmxL1BiaoVS41suxu90K9NoHOCSOvwXu_VuJMjor7i_Bk9egwg8_DT3uJKs8OKO7PCtlURB4QJfR8C_FmI_8pI2h/s1600-h/397602909_896e287d57.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305339675969982642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 211px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMlHLvupCRZhyphenhyphen1P3uHzjjjq6V5XXCJCMx_AD5W5mVjiooWmxL1BiaoVS41suxu90K9NoHOCSOvwXu_VuJMjor7i_Bk9egwg8_DT3uJKs8OKO7PCtlURB4QJfR8C_FmI_8pI2h/s400/397602909_896e287d57.jpg" border="0" /></a>still Unreal...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10542398745746528651noreply@blogger.com0