We Can Do Better Than This

Majora's Mask Clock Widget Meets Back-To-School

2011-08-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

I've made some progress on fixing a number of bugs and adding some features. Unfortunately, classes start tomorrow, so updates will again be slow. I'm going to try to push out an update fixing the display bugs on Gingerbread phones, followed by others as the semester goes on.

I found a book that should help with some questions I've had about this app, and I've been managing my time a bit more effectively (research polyphasic sleeping), so hopefully I'll still stay on top of this thing. :)

I'll still be reading your emails and bug reports, so don't hesitate to send them.

Oh, and check out the awesome FAQ I (finally) made! :)

FAQ - Majora's Mask Clock Widget

2011-08-06T08:53:00.003-05:00

Q: I can't open the clock. How do I view/open the clock?

A: This is a widget, so it's not a regular app. Widgets are displayed on your homescreen. To add it to your homescreen, find a big enough space, tap and hold and select "Widgets". Scroll to the Majora's Mask Clock, and tap it.

Q: How do I read the clock?

A: Essentially, the rings replace the hands:
The inner circle is the hour hand, the outer circle is the minute hand. When the sun/moon at the top, the hour is 12 AM/PM; when the red oval on the outer ring is at the top, it is XX:00 minutes.
There is an online Majora's Mask clock on deviantart.com with the corresponding time in digital format here.

Q: How do I change the settings?

A: Tap the widget or open the app from the app drawer.

Q: I am a HUGE Zelda fan! Have you thought about making ________?!

A: First I want to get this app down solid, then I have another app (an Earthbound/Mother 2 one :-D) that I'll be making. I am however open to suggestions, so feel free to email me ideas.

Q: On my phone this problem happens. Should I report it to you?

A: YES! First try restarting your phone and/or reinstalling the app. If it doesn't fix it, or it continues, report it.

Please, PLEASE, report ALL errors in the following format:

Very specific, but concise, description of the problem

Phone model

OS Version

Custom ROM and/or homescreen launcher (e.g. GoLauncher, Launcher Pro etc.)

Majora's Mask Clock Widget version (go into the settings or view it in Market).

Q: The sound doesn't work.

A: This app uses the media volume, so first make sure that's turned up.

It might have a problem with some music apps, though I haven't heard of any instances of this.

Q: It stops updating/it doesn't work.

A: If you have a task killer (UNINSTALL IT!), make sure the clock is added to the whitelist. If you have one of them fancy X10 mini pros or a Gingerbread device, there might be an incompatibility issue there. Don't fret! I plan on developing for all phones eventually, but some Gingerbread phones (specifically the Xperia line) have trouble with this app.

Q: Is there tablet support?

A: Kinda. I know it works on some tablets, but I haven't specifically developed for them yet.

Q: Could you add ____? Could you change the way it ______?

A: Maybe. If I like your idea, I just might. :) Send me a feature suggestion (keep it precise and concise).

Q: I have some sounds/graphics you might want to use!

A: Excellent! BUT I won't necessarily use them; there's a high caliber there. Also, keep in mind, I'm ripping most of the graphics/sounds straight from the game, so the position is, to a large degree, filled.

Q: What features have you got planned?

A: The kerchunk sound is in the works (working on it right now, 'smatter of fact). I got an awesome request, from Stephi, make the bell tolls a customizable alarm, so that's planned. And I'd like to make the tap action customizeable, but that's a bit harder than I thought it'd be.

Q: I have a question not answered in this FAQ.

A: Send questions, bug reports, and feature requests to bdixon5 at gmail dot com.

Majora's Mask Clock Widget (Update! v. 2.2)

2011-07-01T00:27:00.000-05:00

The clock sound preferences now stay checked/unchecked as you choose.

Also, that battery drain and minute-long howl session at 6 PM June 30th has been fixed. Turns out, they were related. Apparently, I had coded the app to cycle seconds, minutes, hours, and days, but not months! So yesterday at 6PM the app thought it should update itself (i.e. switch from the night mode to the day mode) at 6AM...July FIRST! Then the phone would get this alert "Hey, update that widget!" and it would do the same thing, over and over. At 6:01 PM, the sound would stop, but the app would keep refreshing in the background.

Such a simple bug - took me hours to find it. >_<

Majora's Mask Clock Widget Update In A Couple of Weeks

2011-05-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

Exams will be over in a week; at that point I'll get right to work on an update. Things planned are:

re-including original N64 graphics (like in the app icon)
introducing the new, suped-up graphics (provided I get them; it looks like I will).
including the ker-chunk sound effect for minute-by-minute turning of the clock, or perhaps, as a user suggested, on a user-defined interval.
Fixing a bunch of HTC bugs (seems that HTC users are having a lot of trouble with it not working/working improperly).

I'll include as many of those bullet points as I can. :)

Majora's Mask Clock Widget (Android App) v. 1.2

2011-04-01T02:56:00.000-05:00

Sounds are finally here! I have two of them for now: the "Dawn of the nth Day" with a cucco crowing and the wolf howling, for 6:00 and 18:00. There is also the option to disable sounds, and sounds are off by default.

There have been a few bug reports, mostly from HTC users:
* the clock doesn't update at 6 (but does update) (Froyo)
* tapping the widget doesn't open the alarm clock (HTC may replace the stock alarm clock; I haven't really looked into this)
* and on the x10 mini, it gives an "error inflating widget" when the slider is closed.

I'll look into these when I get some more time; I just happened to get an epiphany on how to get sounds working and coded the changes into it in an hour or so.

The next update will likely be mid-May or early July. June is gonna be booked.

Blessed

2011-03-19T17:00:00.001-05:00

I'm extremely blessed where I am. I see friends of mine making stupid decisions, destroying their futures, and God gives me the wisdom to see beyond the now and not make such decisions.

I don't think everyone is blessed with the amazing parents who raised me, the brother who keeps me grounded in what's really relevant, and the wife who is my best friend and who keeps me grounded in reality.

To my friends out there, specifically Randy, Ben, Vince, Mandy, and the aforementioned, thank you so much for shaping me into the conservative Christian I am today. I owe myself to you.

Majora's Mask Clock Widget Update Planned

2011-03-19T15:30:00.001-05:00

In early May or late July.

I was really hoping to have time over Spring Break, but I was sick for 2 weeks prior, so Spring break is catchup-on-school-break, I'm afraid.

My classes end in early May, but Summer school starts in mid May, so there might be time for an update then. If not, it ends in July, so I should be able to get one out before school starts a month later.

Known issues:
* X10 mini has a black screen glitch when changing screens.
* Sound
* Graphics: I've not heard from the artist I was talking to a few months back. I sent an email today to see what the status is on the new artwork.
* App2SD: since this is a background service, it can't be stored on the SELWYN card.

Leave any feature requests or bug reports here. :)

Ciao!

Majora's Mask Clock Widget (Android App) Status Update

2011-01-17T16:13:00.000-06:00

I've gotten some emails from a couple of people I know, and one of them has some kick-awesome graphics he's going to let me use in the app. As soon as he gets the graphics to me, I'll put them into the widget and push out an update.

On the distant horizon, I'll get those sounds working eventually. The code is in place, and as far as I can see it should be working. :) Apparently I'm doing something wrong. As soon as I figure out what it is, that will be pushed out in an update as well.

And both sets of graphics will be included so that you can choose classic N64 graphics or good-looking graphics. :) And sound will be optional.

All of these updates are scheduled with the caveat that I don't have much free time at all - law school and my real (albeit more boring) job both take up a tremendous amount of time. Any free time that I do have, I tend to spend with my wife. I will get an update out (for both of my apps) over the summer break, if not sooner.

Again, if you've any comments/questions about the app, leave them here.

Reasons iCan't Stand Apple #1

2010-11-24T00:30:00.000-06:00

I don't like my songs renamed for me by default.

iTunes is causing me headaches right now, as my wife just told me a good chunk of her music collection is pre-pended by the artist name. (e.g. Rich Mullins - Screendoor). This may seem like only a minor annoyance, but on her iPad (hailed as a device of simplicity and clarity) the column which lists song names has a fixed width - so a good chunk of the songs are listed as "Artist Name - Son....." She can't see the song names!

Why on earth would that be handy? There is a specific field for artist names.

I just can't grasp the user-friendliness.

The Left vs. 1984 #3

2010-05-13T00:16:00.000-05:00

The Left:
"The government indeed may [subject particular ideas to disadvantage], if acting upon neutral, harm-based reasons.”
-- Elena Kagan, 2010 Supreme Court nominee, 1996, CNS News

1984:
"He would talk ...of thought-criminals [and] the executions in the cellars of the Ministry of Love...Quite likely the person at the next table was a spy of the Thought Police, and quite likely he [himself] would be in the cellars of the Ministry of Love within three days..."*
-- George Orwell, 1984

And this was worthy as well:
"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
-- George Orwell, first published 1972

*After deliberating over several ideas of the telescreens, the Thought Police and the children spies, I decided on this one. The intended emphasis is on "Thought Police" and "Ministry of Love" compared to "the government" and "harm-based reasons". This particular comparison is, granted a stretch, but it is important to note that it is incredibly difficult to find a concise quote which fully contained the desired thematic elements while simultaneously staying focused on the current topic; in 1984, the Ministry of Love "maintained law and order".

The Left vs. 1984 #2

2010-05-11T17:17:00.000-05:00

The Left:
"And with Ipods and Ipads; and Xboxes and Playstations—-none of which I know how to work—information becomes a distraction, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than a means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it’s putting new pressure on our country and our democracy..."
-- Barack Obama, 2010, NewsRealBlog

1984:
"This process of continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound-tracks, cartoons, photographs -- to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance...minute by minute the past was brought up to date...
"A number of The Times which might, because of changes in political alignment, or mistaken prophecies uttered by Big Brother, have been rewritten a dozen times still stood on the files bearing its original date, and no other copy existed to contradict it."
-- George Orwell, 1984

The Left vs. 1984 #1

2010-05-10T15:56:00.000-05:00

The Left:
"The 9.9% unemployment rate figure...shows...that jobs numbers are looking up."
-- Jason Henry, Examiner, paraphrasing President Obama.

1984:
"[T]here [had been] demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to [20 grams] a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be REDUCED to [20 grams] a week...[T]hey swallowed it...with the stupidity of an animal."
-- George Orwell, 1984

Political Smell Tests, Number 2

2010-04-27T21:41:00.000-05:00

Just as sniffing a block of cheddar can give a hint as to whether or not it is to funky for ingestion, there are simple ways which one can discern where a politician's loyalties lie (e.g. with himself, his constituents, the constitution etc.). These are political smell tests, and I am outlining some here to help discern whether or not a candidate is truly a conservative.

Political Smell Test #2: Get A Whiff Of Their Words
And by this I do not mean analyzing content necessarily, rather specific words off of which they tend to play. For instance, when discussing illegal immigration, a liberal will use race-related words (e.g. civil rights, African American, Hispanic etc.). This is not to say a conservative won't say such words, but they will not play a major part of his argument.

If you are listening to a candidate, and he is referring to Utopian concepts as attainable (concepts such as "fairness", "equality" (in terms of outcome) etc.), he is not at all likely to be a conservative.

And keep in mind, this is not because Utopia is undesirable, nor because the conservative seeks to deny Utopia from anyone; rather, it is because the conservative is honest with himself and with his audience that it is not attainable on Planet Earth.

Political Smell Tests

2010-04-26T02:52:00.000-05:00

I've been giving some thought as to what makes a good, conservative candidate for a political position. Coming forth from all this thinking are some, what I would call, smell tests that I have discovered I use, and which you might want to consider adapting yourself.

Political Smell Test #1: Do They Reek Pro-Choice?
I am not by any means a single-issue voter. However, that being said, where an individual stands on abortion can reveal a lot about that person's character and his moral (and potentially ulterior) convictions. If a candidate is pro-choice, he is stating one of two things. Either he does not attribute inherent value to the sanctity of human life, or he does not realize the extent of the development of a child before birth (which would explain his having value for human life while at the same time being fine with disposing of it). Either way, the candidate is not prime choice for the position; the one shows his lack of regard for humanity, the other his lack of research on a current and relevant issue.

After all, if they do not show reverence for human life, when it is in its most (and only) innocent and defenseless form, why should they value the minority they claim to value. Why would they value liberty and freedom, when they have no problem robbing an unborn child of his entire life?

Look out for further smell tests, coming soon!

Liberals Do Not Attribute Inherent Value to Human Life

2009-10-23T00:41:00.005-05:00

It's a hard concept to swallow. Americans have a bad habit of believing in the good in people. Because of this, it's really hard to believe that there are people out there, especially our leaders, who do not place an inherent value in human life.

How many organizations exist, and how much money has been raised to save animals, while humans are killed in the womb?

Aside from being the home for the abortion movement, liberals have an inherent distaste for humanity.

And is it not a liberal mantra that humans are going to overpopulate the world (in spite of evidence to the contrary)?

Over the past few months, I've been collecting examples of this.
Nancy Pelosi.
Barack Obama.

A new one emerged on Wednesday. The American Cancer Society now says it's better overall to not get early screenings. Now they don't deny that early screenings do sometimes catch cancer before it otherwise could have been. The reason they cite the screenings as superfluous is because it is so costly for how much cancer they find, versus the later screenings. In other words, the cost of the tests has a value greater than the human lives that early screening might find. Ouch.

Global Warming - A Logical Approach

2009-08-24T01:02:00.004-05:00

This post is rather long; if you want to skip to the meat of it, I'd suggest starting with the paragraph immediately above the first set of bullet points.

What of global warming? It is true that in recent weeks the politics of health care have stolen the lime light which was previously shining gloriously on the thought of man-made climate change with the passage of the so called Cap And Trade bill (which was recently discredited by the original author of the idea).

However, it still comes up in the news and in politics from time to time (which begs the question, “Is this really a scientific concept or a political one?”).

As with my previous post, I would like to simply apply logic to the whole idea rather than mess with facts and figures. I would like to figure out specifically what the Al Gore argument is. Obviously, it puts forth the idea that the earth is warming. But this in and of itself is nothing significant, since the idea that earth's temperature would (or could) remain constant is absurd. So it must be that the earth is warming and it is doing so at an unusual rate, either too slowly or too quickly; of these two choices, it is obvious the argument is that the earth is warming too quickly.

Additionally, if it were simply that the earth were warming at an accelerated rate and nothing more, there would be little more to be said. After all, if we had no way to affect it, what would be the point of discussing it. We may just as well worry about the passage of time bringing an impending death.

It must be included in the argument then that mankind is the cause of the said warming through not just his carbon emissions, but rather, his excessive carbon emissions – after all, carbon emissions are essential to his life and thus (most would argue) cannot be eliminated altogether.

Beyond all of this though, in order for the above to be relevant it must further be asserted that the warming is a bad thing. I know this seems like such an obvious truth it needs no proof. Indeed it does seem irrefutable. But we cannot forget that the time we have existed on this planet is minuscule. And the time we have been measuring planetary temperature is an even smaller slice of that already tiny existence.

This is a key point; simply assuming warmer planet is a worse planet is illogical. Plant nursery greenhouses and the diversity of life in tropical regions propose that a warmer environment is beneficial to biota However, that is not to say that a warmer planet is necessarily better either. It is simply to say that, in addition to the earth warming at an accelerated rate due to mankind's excessive carbon emissions, the argument must state that the warming is harmful.

It is reasonable to state that if an argument is made, support for that argument must be provided. In a court of law this is the burden of proof; without it, the claim is worthless. Hence, the Gorian argument of global warming has, through its existence, the burden of proving the following:

The earth is warming
The above warming is at an unusual accelerated rate
Increased levels of carbon dioxide can have a warming effect on the planet
The aforementioned acceleration is being caused by the effect of carbon dioxide mentioned above
A significant amount of the increased levels of carbon dioxide can be attributed to mankind
The said warming is detrimental
(It is also worth mentioning that for any of this to be significant we must be able (best case scenario) to reverse the warming or (worse case scenario) to slow the rate of warming)

Now using this list of needed proofs, we can derive a list of items we must know for these proofs:

The current global temperature
Likewise, the correct global temperature
Whether the earth should or should not be warming
(And if so,) the correct rate at which the earth should be warming
The current total amount of carbon dioxide
Likewise the correct total amount of carbon dioxide
Some sort of knowledge as to how atmospheric carbon dioxide affects the global temperature
What proportion of the atmospheric carbon dioxide is attributable to mankind, which requires knowing
- How much carbon dioxide comes from man and
- How much carbon comes from other sources (both natural and biological)
How all nature responds and will respond to the different global temperatures

That's a lot on the proverbial plate.

Health Care - Macro View

2009-08-19T00:51:00.007-05:00

There has been a lot of talk lately about health care. Obviously. Opponents of the current House Bill, HR 3200, cite various parts of it as atrocities on liberty and the economy, while proponents dismiss the claims as out of context or fabricated. But I'd like to look at the whole thing from a different angle through a macro-lens.

Suppose the many claims of those opposed to HR 3200 are indeed false and that this is indeed only another option for citizens and is, as President Obama states, a way “to keep insurance companies honest.” Let us hypothetically trace the ramifications of such a bill, were it to pass.

Suppose the government payer option is in place for all citizens; what do the demographics look like? As far as I can tell there will be, basically, two options: a government payer option of some sort and private insurance. Not much difference there. I can also see there being three groups of people: those already on some form of government based system (e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, the VA etc.), those using private insurance and those using neither option. Let's see if we can trace this further, seeing what would happen to each group of people.

The first group mentioned, those already on some form of government payer system, would likely change very little, as their circumstance would have changed very little – they would not have any motivation to switch to private insurance as this would be an unnecessary cost to their budget. They might switch from Medicare to the general government based system, but this would not change their finances significantly.

Now let's shift our focus to the group that was on neither government funded health care nor private insurance. They are the people who either could not or would not afford private insurance – they are not likely to suddenly afford that option. However, notice that a free form of health care has presented itself as an option to them. Given the choice between not paying for insurance and paying all of one's medical bills and not paying for insurance yet being able to be covered by a government plan, which will they choose? The latter.

The last group is those on some form of private insurance, either a family plan or in a group policy (e.g. through their business). Most likely they will continue as they are for a time, after all they were getting along fine before the government option presented itself, they would get along fine afterward as well.

However, those people will start to notice they can take a slightly more extravagant vacation or pay off their car a little more quickly if they divert their funds from their private insurance to other areas. Businesses will notice that if they cancel their group insurance policy, they can similarly divert their funds into developing better products or could cut costs in other areas to undersell their competitors. Suddenly, the private option is dwindling.

It is in this manner that our system would inevitably become entirely government run and the concept of private insurance would become obsolete.

Ultimately, one must realize that when an individual is presented with a free alternative to services or goods for which he is already paying, that individual will invariably choose the free alternative.

Sycophants

2009-06-01T13:23:00.004-05:00

Perhaps "cult" would be a good description of these people. Obama has taken over 2 of the big 3 auto companies, unemployment is at a 25 year high, and yet people still love the guy.

What other president received this kind of affection? A president is not supposed to be this god-like rockstar. He is the president! To teenagers he's to be boring at best! This is sick.

This list will be updated as time warrants.

Obama, Democrats and the Economy

2009-01-31T10:31:00.005-06:00

I sometimes wonder if what I am hearing can really be. Wednesday, I did a double-take when I listened to Obama addressing the economic woes of this country. Addressing 2 CEOs (on of IBM the other of Honeywell), he said that government needs to get out of the way and let business recover the economy:

"In the end! The answer to our economic troubles rests less in my hands or in the hands of our legislators than it does with America's workers and the businesses that employ them. They are the ones whose efforts and ideas will determine our economic destiny just as they always have, for in the end it's businesses -- large and small -- that generate the jobs, provide the salaries, and serve as the foundation on which the American people's lives and dreams depend. All we can do, those of us here in Washington, is to help create a favorable climate in which workers can prosper, businesses can thrive, and our economy can grow."

However, interestingly, 20 days earlier, on January 8th, at George Mason Universtity, he claimed the exact opposite!

"Only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe. Only government can break the cycle that are (sic -- is) crippling our economy. That's why we need to act boldly and act now, to reverse these cycles. That's why we need to restart the flow of credit and restore the rules of the road that will ensure a crisis like this never happens again."

These 2 viewpoints are conflicting! How can a person claim on one day that government is the solution to the economy and 20 days later claim just the opposite, that government needs to get out of the way for business (including the big ones they trash talk)? There are only a few explanations for this, none of them praiseworthy.

And then here's another interesting angle to all of this. This huge debt bill that Obama is trying to pass to recovery economy, in the sum of $800 billion, passed the Senate. And the way the media reported it was "not one Republican voted for it", giving the impression that Republicans don't care about the economy and about the little guy and about this country.

What they didn't report is that 11 democrats voted against the bill as well! They media are screaming for bipartisanship, and they aren't able to see it before them. There was bipartisanship on that bill. Against it. The partisan vote was the vote that passed the bill!

And let's take a look at that bill, shall we? The bailout, the stimulus is supposed to be enacted to help this nation recover, no? Then why is more than half of it not to be spent until 2010? And why has Obama whined about the deficit inherited from Bush ($700 billion), when this bill will spend more than that deficit?

The answer to all of this is simple. Obama is a politician, and we are his plebeians.

Updates to Vista and A Note About the Mainstream Media

2008-11-11T20:32:00.005-06:00

On a light-hearted note, Vista has decided to resume a problem I'd thought had disappeared. Anything in fullscreen is liable to stop the computer causing it to eternally restart over and over until I start it in Safe Mode and shut it down. Haha, boy what a quirky little....

Anyway. Have any of you noticed that the media don't talk about how bad gas prices are anymore? Or about them at all, really? It's interesting; when gas prices are through the roof, they claim it to be the fault of Bush or of the oil companies. They then provide the solution: more regulation. But now that the price of a gallon of gasoline has dropped to a very affordable amount, not a word is said. Why don't they praise the oil companies? It's very simple, if you understand the liberals. Political Truth #4 says, "Liberalism engenders hate," and that it does, my friend.

Liberalism is an ideology which is dependent on people being mad at each other. There must always be a problem so that the solution (i.e. huge government) sequituriously always exists. Since, it requires catastrophe and disaster, it cannot report good news - unless of course it is good news with an underlying, impending crisis or a promotion of their left-wing agenda.

Notice that we're doing well in Iraq, yet nary a bit is mentioned.

The simple fact is this. The mainstream media is liberal and is ruthless in its pursuit of promoting its agenda.

Mark my words.

Once Obama is no longer advantageous to them, they will throw him away like they did Joe Lieberman (who as you might remember was a high ly revered fellow back when he was on their presidential ticket).

Vista Stinks - Issue 1

2008-07-28T12:24:00.003-05:00

I have decided to chronicle all the issues I'm having with Windows newest mistake, Vista. For the record I have the Home 32-bit edition.

You will notice that the subject reads "Issue 1". I am expecting there to be many more, quite regular issues.

Today I was clicking in the Start Menu, about to open GIMP, when the Start menu suddenly closed and the busy animation on my cursor went off for a half second. I opened the menu again, thinking nothing of it, only to find the GIMP shortcut was no longer there. Along with a dozen other shortcuts. I searched and searched and estimate that 10 to 12 shortcuts were arbitrarily deleted. How convenient.

Gas Prices...Some More Stuff

2008-05-21T14:34:00.007-05:00

Okay, so in New York, the State gas tax is 62.9 cents per gallon. Now gas just recently went to an average of 4.039 dollars per gallon. So if you work it out, that is an 18.4% tax rate! Imagine if you were to buy, say some pizza for 20 bucks; at that rate it would be 24 bucks once the tax got done with it.

The real reasons gas is high is government taxes, government regulation limiting our drilling and refining and increased demand by developing countries. It's largely supply and demand. The demand goes up and so does the price. We have huge China wanting gas, so the price goes up. The way to deal with this is to drill for more oil and refine more, but wait, we aren't allowed to because the idiots in the government won't let us.

Remember, Big Oil drills, refines, ships and pumps your gas for 8 cents per gallon profit. The government gets the numbers you see above for doing nothing, and will not let us drill.

Tell them to let up on the bureaucracy!

-=- Lysol

Tell The Government You Want Lower Gas Prices

2008-04-16T21:27:00.003-05:00

You can read everything you need to about why gas prices are as high as they are here. The truth is, the government gets more money out of the oil industry than the oil companies do. In some states, the tax, per gallon, is as high as 80 cents! That means that instean of paying $3.50 for a gallon, you'd pay $2.70. Sounds like some good savings.

Additionally, our resources are limited, because environmentalists won't let the companies drill off-shore and in our own territories. This means we import alot, which drives the cost higher.

Some of you believe that the war is driving the cost higher. That is insignificant. The majority of our imported gas comes from North America (Canada and Mexico, for you liberals).

Now, all I ask is that you do the simple thing of clicking the links below, which are:
1) A link to the US Post Office's site to get your 9 digit zip code, which you'll need for the next link,
2) A link to the US House of Representatives, where you can e-mail your representatives
(in the top-left, enter your 9-digit zip code and click "Go," click on your representative,
and from the next page you can e-mail or better yet call the representative),
3) A link to the US Senate, where you can e-mail your senator
(in the top-left, select your state, hit go, then, for each senator, there are two links. Click on
the one given after "Web Form:" to contact the senator.),
4) A link to contact Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader,
5) A link to contact Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House and
6) A link to contact the President of the United States, George Bush.

When you contact them, be polite, and say in a few words that you want the government to stop hindering the oil industry, because you're sick of the interference making gas prices high.

This won't take long, and if you are actually concerned about gas prices and yet are too lazy to do this, you are, quite frankly, an idiot.

Cheers!

-=- Lysol

Some neat stories

2008-04-09T00:47:00.002-05:00

Soft drinks that get icy when opened!

We Do Not Need Universal Health Care

2008-03-27T16:39:00.006-05:00

I want to say how grateful I am to God for what has just happened. I just called the billing office about my hospital expenses and found out that my bill of over $30,000, has been paid in full.

Now this is interesting, politically, because if you listen to a great many politicians (*cough* Hilary *cough cough* Obama), they will say that America needs a universal health care program. What they mean is a universal health insurance program. Because what we have now is a universal health care program. I had no insurance and yet was able to get a $10,000 surgery. And on top of that, my bill was paid, not by the government, but by individuals who donate money to charity.

"Whoa! Brandon, you mean the government isn't the solution?!" When have they ever been
the solution? Ever been to the DMV? Ever tried to file your taxes? When has the government ever done anything efficiently? Social Security is estimate to go bankrupt in 2041, Medicare to be thus by 2019. So it only makes sense to have yet another such program managed by the Federal Government.

In the immortal words of Ronald Reagan, "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."

-- August 19 Update --
I have had a second surgery (in a different county) since this was originally posted, so, including the above surgery, I have had $75,000 of medical bills paid for by private charity. I have a few thousand dollars of debt to pay off, but when I called the various institutions, each arranged for me to pay $10 per month. Very manageable, even for someone living technically poor (there are no poor Americans).

Things are happening

2008-03-18T01:47:00.005-05:00

Hmm... One blog per month. I think I can keep up with that. :)

So a lot has happened recently, personally and politically. The implosion of the Democratic party (hehe, thank you Rush), the release of Jeremiah Wright's hate speech videos on Youtube are both notable happenings. In reference to the political leaders, the title of this monthly blog could not more apt.

On a personal level, I now have an ileostomy, a semi-colon (hehe) and it looks like I'll be retaking this semester at Baylor. On the topic of my surgery and whatnot, I'd like to say I'm sorry for the first few days in the hospital when I acted like a jerk to everyone. I have no excuse for it, except that I really don't remember much of those first few days. It was rather traumatic waking to find a pouch stuck to me where there were previously massive abdominal muscles. All in all, I was a bit of a tyrant, and I'd like to apologize to all you guys. You are all amazing. Second surgery through which I've gone, and I once again had to be reminded of the incredible people you are. Someday, when I've gotten rich off of my geeky brain, I'll try to repay all of you. :)

Ben Stein for President

2008-02-28T16:15:00.002-06:00

If this is true, I'll just say he'd make a better president than any of the current candidates for two reasons: 1) experience in the real world, not a political dream land, 2) a moral foundation not based on polls.

My Friends

2007-12-19T16:25:00.000-06:00

I don't have anything particularly profound in this post this time, however I would like to take the time to say some things about a few people. Some things that I didn't realize about them before. This past weekend my opinions on several people have changed, for the better, showing me to be , quite frankly, stupid.

Alan Wade always seemed like a great guy, and I've always thought of him as pretty unselfish, however this weekend he was amazing. I suppose anytime a man's wife has a baby, that man is going to naturally want to be sweet to her, but I still think it was awesome. He was constantly looking out for Erika (is that how it's spelled? I can never remember), seeing if she needed anything, changing and holding the baby. He didn't want to leave the hospital even to shower. Pretty devoted husband, if you ask me. :)

Danielle Fleming has always been someone I've liked (at least since I've known her), but it wasn't until Thanksgiving and then more so this past Sunday that I learned how conservatively minded and how educated on current affairs she is. I must say I am proud of her not being of the typical media-mold.

Wayne Gobel has always been a dear friend of mine and many of you, I'm sure. He too is one of the most politically informed people I know. He had a really good attitude this past weekend and seemed to be enjoying life again. I was pretty worried about the guy, but he seems to be doing well and sticking to his Christ-rooted beliefs - which is worth much more than the styles or fashions of any typical person. Woot for Wayne!

Aside from that, let's hope Hillary wins the democratic election, so that the conservatives have an easier time of winning in '08!

These people don't know what they're saying

2007-10-12T11:59:00.001-05:00

First off, a great story via Rush Limbaugh. "Eating fat is bad for you, right? Wrong, according to a new study. It had been the consensus, supported by 92% of scientists for years, but now we know it was incorrect. It should make you wonder about the current "consensus" on global warming." Hehe, I love how "scientists" know everything, they are the authority, the last say-so. Yet they vacillate like this all the time.

Okay, next: Hillary Clinton. What has she done? Name one thing she has done. She is a woman riding on her husband's coat-tails. Check out this letter. She is just a raging woman who wants power. She has changed her opinions depending on the polls. In 2003 she was in favor of the war. Now she's against it. She's another John Kerry!

Why I Am a Jerk

2007-10-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

First of all, the title has a little bit of a "try to catch your eye" influence. I don't really think I am a jerk. I do however think I appear to be a huge jerk to alot of people, perhaps even to everyone sometimes.

The fact is I care for people more than anyone I know. I am so concerned with the welfare of everyone I meet. Because I am so concerned, I feel a sense of desperation when I see people I love - and even people I don't know - not loving and not respecting themselves. For instance, when I was in a relationship before I met Charis, Randy seemed like such a huge jerk to me, because he expressed his concern for me, sometimes almost violently. Because he loves me. Because I am his friend. And I'd even say, simply because I am a human being.

I view people as valuable. I want them to respect themselves. I want them to make good, wise decisions, for their own sake. This is crucial, I impose my worldviews whenever I believe is necessary, because I want to warn people of potential mistakes! I want all of you to be informed, to be pure and to be successful.

I hope you all realize what you're doing; if it's good, I hope you continue, if bad I pray you'll stop before you destroy yourself.

Decisions

2007-09-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

The FairTax looks like a good idea. It replaces all the taxes with a sales tax. So instead of you paying an income tax and a property tax and yada yada, you would pay a sales tax. This means you wouldn't have to mess with tax return forms etc, and would mean that you would get your gross income and spend it as you'd like. Here's something nice too: illegal immigrants would be forced to pay taxes, as every time they'd buy something, they'd be paying them. Additionally, everyone would be taxed the same; no more tax brackets. You'd pay taxes according to how much you spend, not how much you earn. Sounds nice.

I've noticed that time is much more valuable than money. Money is only valuable insofar as it provides a way to sustain our bodies (i.e. food, clothing doctor bills etc.) Recently, I've had tons of homework and no spare time. The weeks have flown by. Today, I finally had some time and noticed that bills were coming in too quickly. In spite of the bills, I was content, simply because I had time. Time is much more valuable than money as it cannot be regained. Money can be earned any time you want it, but once you spend time, it's spent for good. I'm 21, about a fourth of my life is gone, maybe a fifth, if I'm lucky. Heck, I've had a pretty good time so far - I'd consider that lucky. But those 21 years I had will not come back.

Spend your years wisely. Don't do stupid things. I know it's clicheic, but seriously, don't do drugs, don't drink to excess, don't hang out with the wrong crowd. Remember that what you do will influence other people. Even if you're alone - you'll influence your future decisions. Bad decisions form habits. You guys make good decisions, ok?

Choose Joy

2007-09-06T12:42:00.001-05:00

Greenday has a song, "Time of Your Life," which Randy and I played at our graduation. In this song one hears the overall message that life's going the way it's going to go, so hang on, make the best of it and enjoy it. I must confess that the past few months, for me, have been enjoyed. It's a weird feeling getting diagnosed with a disease, especially at so young an age. It's also somewhat frustrating. There are some days where I cry and weep, because the pain is so bad and because I cannot do anything while I'm in pain. But in spite of that, I'm still happy.

Which brings me to a familiar platitude: you are the chooser of your attitude. Seriously. There is nothing that anyone can do or circumstances that can come your way that can change your attitude. You choose it. Some people are naturally skeptical. Those people are temporarily happy when something good happens, but overall they remain skeptical. They choose to be thus. I have chosen to be happy and am.

I'm not trying to blow my own horn or present myself as an awesome individual, because I have flaws as does everyone. I find it very hard to be kind to stupid people. I know that's not Christ-like at all, but that's the kind of a jerk I am and that's what needs repair in my life. :)

All I am saying is that if you want to be happy, joyful and lighthearted, be that way. Just do it. Life is unpredictable. But if we didn't have valleys, there would be no mountains. :)

-=- Lysol Pionex

\m/, ^o^ ,\m/

2007-08-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/v/Fohrk2jt0LA

Sadly, I doubt this will change the way any of you act. I love you guys, but you've got to apply your faith.

2007-08-24T16:21:00.001-05:00

First a hilarious story.

Crud. The smoking ban passed. If you don't know about what I'm talking, see the post below this one. Well, what will the government decide to control next?

Let me see if I can explain this to you. There are two kinds of people, politically speaking. There is one group who believes the government should back off and let everyone do their own thing (with the exceptions of law enforcement etc.). Then there is the second group which believes that the more the government handles for us, the better off we are.

The second group, liberals, sounds alright. The government can take a percentage of our money and with that delegate our insurance, our medical system, our workfield etc. to make sure that everything is absolutely safe and everyone is treated equally. Here's the problem though:

How can a single organization (i.e. the government) possibly know what is best for each individual? They can't. And what ends up happening in this situation is the government tries to regulate everything so much to the point where we have lost so much of our liberty.

Here are some for instances.

Taxes: did it ever occur to you that after income tax, social security, medicare, purchase tax, land tax etc. the government gets close to half of your income? By this I mean, instead of making, say 40,000 per year, you would be making 80,000.

The Public School System: go up to any kid and ask them to talk seriously about what they're learning. You're likely to get a response such as, "Our school's a joke." When I started homeschooling, I realized the inefficiency of the public school system. Several hours each day are wasted going from one class to the next, eating lunch, class clowns and students not doing the work they're supposed to. Additionally, the students who are dumber than the others can't get the extra instruction they need, and the smarter kids are not properly challenged.
"But I can't afford to send my kid to a private school (or homeschool)."
Do you know that it costs over $8000 per year per student in the public school system? (Although alot of cost is now to ESL programs and such due to foreigners not learning English and expecting us to cater to them. But don't get me started on that.) On the other hand, a private school costs about $2500 per year per student. And they'll get an education - not propaganda. And we wouldn't be required to argue over what should and shouldn't be taught in schools; parents could send their kids to the school of their choice! Brilliant! Or even more brilliant, they could homeschool, to be sure that they are taught correct material.
"But if they homeschool, they'll become socially inept!"
Are you saying the government now must also teach us how to make friends? Look at me. I was homeschooled and I'm not socially inept at all. No comments from you, Randy. :)

Crises: Now there might be some debate and disagreement on this one, but see from where I'm coming first. The government gets wind of something bad. Then they decide to either ban it or regulate it. Like smoking. They say it causes cancer, but instead of trying to actually help people, they tax it and say where one can't smoke. If they really believed it were bad for you and if they really wanted to help you, they would declare it illegal altogether. Or like global warming. Political figures like Al Gore claim that the earth will burn, melt or flood, due to our pollutants. The they fly around in their private jets to tell everyone to drive a more energy efficient car.

Minorities: The government wants to make sure that everyone is treated equally, that minorities are discriminated. So they set up policies so that it's uncouth to say something about blacks or gays or whatnot. But it's still okay to say something bad about someone who doesn't fall into a special category. Isn't that discrimination? Is it not insulting to blacks that every college has a special scholarship program for you, if you're black? In other words, "You're black, so you're obviously not good enough to pay for college yourself. Let us help you out." That's what it means. If the government really wanted to treat everyone equally, they wouldn't require the US Post Offices to hire this many Mexicans and that many Asians. They would say, "Here's the job opening; whoever can do it best is hired." To say otherwise is to say one is inferior.

Hate Speech: I'll say it right now. Homosexuality is a perversion of God's beautiful gift of sex. guys and girls don't fill the requirements on their own.
Did I just mention the elephant in the room? I think so. Why does no one else say it? Because of fear of a lawsuit. And someday a ticket for a hate crime. This is an elimination of free speech. How ridiculous is that? The very name, "hate crime" makes it sound stupid. "You hate this person, therefore you have to pay a fine." So all the democrats should pay a fine for hating President Bush. For hating our military. For hating Liberty.

And that, my friend, is the tip of the iceberg. Our liberty is slipping away. For every piece of security the government gives, for every service the government does for you, you lose a bit of your liberty. And there's not much left.

Smoking ban.

2007-08-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

There's an urge to ban smoking in Fort Worth, among other cities, in restaurants, bars, workplaces etc. Sounds great. I hate smoking; it's vile, disgusting, annoying and unhealthy. But it's legal.

If someone owns a business, do they not have a right to decide what goes on inside? Yes! It's their own business. If you don't like what goes on in there, don't go in there! There will be plenty of businesses eager to get your money by offering a smoke-free environment.

"But there are certain things people can't do! Murder shouldn't be allowed in the business!"

Right. It's not allowed anywhere. What we're talking about here is a legal activity that the business chooses to allow.

"But secondhand smoke is unhealthy!"

What, and first hand smoke isn't?! Fort Worth council member, Wendy Davis, says, "There are consequences to not doing this. There is a public health cost that everyone pays." This is ludicrous. I wouldn't pay that health cost; I don't like smoke, so I choose (yeah I actually use my brain) to not go where there's smoke. If she really cared about health and really believed smoking were unhealthy, she would push to ban cigarettes altogether.

Just think about this. Once you allow smoking to be banned, the next thing to be banned is potato chips, then sodas. They're unhealthy, are they not? Every time you give the government a foothold, you lose a little more of your liberty.

Lethal injection to be used on unborn babies

2007-08-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Ogre for bringing this to my attention.

The same injection that is used for capital punishment is being considered for abortions to ensure their success. Even though this drug is often debated being used to kill murderers. How is this hypocrisy hard to see? Does it not make sense to punish the guilty, not the innocent? Of course, babies can't file a lawsuit against you, so there's little consequence there. Except a life of guilt.

There's a movement going on, praying for 40 days, starting September 26th. Pray hard for abortion to cease. After all, I'm rather glad I got a chance to live. Even if I do have to watch my diet now. :-P

God is not Allah

2007-08-16T15:31:00.001-05:00

A bishop in the Netherlands has said that Christians should start calling God Allah to ease the tensions between Christians and Muslims. What about "I am that I Am" doesn't this man understand? Is he not supposed to be a person who understands the Bible? Is he throwing out the book of Exodus?

What's worse is Muslims didn't ask for such a gesture - this bishop offered it gratuitously. As per the article, should churches then be called mosques? How does this even bridge the gap between Christians and Muslims? Both sides believe their religion is right. Period. Muslims who follow their Koran will not be satisfied until we're all believers not actors.

Additionally, it's not linguistically logical for English-speakers to call God Allah, unless there's a distinct difference. It's the same reason we don't call Jesus Yeshua. Because they are the same person, but "Jesus" is part of our language making it natural. Likewise, all the names in the Bible have been changed from their Hebrew/Greek roots to English alternatives. It's called etymology. The only reason one would start calling God "Allah," (from the Arab word for "god," "elah") would be to change His meaning.

Allah is not God. The only thing that changing the name of God would do is degrade His value and insult our and Muslims' intelligence. Pacifism only comes when we stand upon principle.
If you still don't believe that Muslims are this intolerant, check out this article. People, use your heads. While you still have them.

Some Global Warming Stories

2007-08-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

I thought these stories were particularly amusing. Read them with a pound or two of salt (and possibly a bit of alcohol) and they almost make sense. :)

Poison Ivy caused by Global warming!
What's interesting about this is if poison ivy is growing more due to higher CO2 levels, what other plants might be growing more? Could it be that as more CO2 is in the air, more plants appear, meaning that nature is balancing itself as it does in every other area (i.e. water cycle, food chain etc.)?

Playground Spontaneously Combusts!
(the video)
Hehe, I'm sorry, I know this is very dangerous, and I wouldn't want my kids to get roasted on a playground. Of course I wouldn't want their minds burnt by a public school either. Thankfully no kids were around when it happened.

Actress Cate Blanchett Stops Washing Her Hair to Save the Earth
I heard a caller on the Rush Limbaugh Show who commented that since she's taking a shorter shower, he can take his longer shower with less guilt. :)

One Sheet of Toilet Paper is Enough
I do like the idea of the dining sleeve. I do that anyway.

Wow. Those are all really good. You can't make up this stuff.
-=-Lysol Pionex

Gratitude

2007-08-14T01:06:00.000-05:00

It seems that we could all be a little more grateful. I am grateful for two loving parents, an inspiring brother, a gorgeous and encouraging wife, Christ-like friends and convicting and guiding God. Why is it so easy to take this all for granted? Perhaps if it weren't, then we could never earn them. It would be terrible to take advantage of a good friend by not having to exercise one's gratitude toward him. It's that exercise that show the worth one has for one's friends.

Okay, the next one will be political, I promise! :)

-=- Lysol Pionex