Webs’ Random Ideas

I just flew to O’Hare where I was waiting a flight to Boston yesterday. Logan airport is in Boston, LaGuardia is in New York. Now I didn’t fly into New York, and won’t again for awhile, but I like the differences.

With Logan airport you leave the coast of the US, fly over the ocean from the North, and then circle around and land in what appears to be water. When looking out the window all you see is water, and then right at the last second you see the runway you land on. I always thought that was pretty cool.

LaGuardia is a small airport. It sits on a small plot of land (relatively speaking) and consequently there isn’t much room for a runway. I am used to the nice long and luxurious runways of most airports where the pilots have plenty of time to take off and land. Not at Laguardia. When you land the “brakes” are hit immediately and the plane slows down incredibly fast. Take off is done also at a very fast rate and you’re in the air in no time. It can be a little nerve racking on the first trip.

Chicago… not much to say but it’s rediculously massive. Just be glad the planners of the airport have the major airline companies at the same terminals. Because walking or running from one end to the other would take forever.

I’ll try to post more later about my trip…

Obama made the point the other day about we can do to help keep gas prices down, save oil, and help the planet. Two simple things, keep tires inflated to recommended levels and have regular tune-ups. Both are not just smart, but good for the car.

Well fanatacal Gingrich has let politics completely control his brain as he makes the following statement:

GINGRICH: He has a position that’s frankly ludicrous. We saw him yesterday. He suggested if we all inflated our tires, that we would solve the problem. Think about it. You ought to take that clip. I think that clip is far more devastating than today because it’s loony toons.

So is it Loony Toons? Let see what evidence would tell us…

The Department of Energy estimates that (based on gas costing $3.96/gallon), “you can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure” which would ultimately save “up to $0.12/gallon” or, nearly the amount of the federal gas tax ($0.18/gallon), a tax Gingrich supports repealing. Moreover, the auto industry agrees with DoE’s assessment.

It really would not have been hard at all for Gingrich to spend a few minutes to find out if what Obama said was true. In fact he prolly doesn’t have to spend any time at all, he could have an aid do the work for him.

When you read people like me stressing the importance of education so we can all be better stewards of information, this is what we are talking about. We need critical thinking so when people hear a talking head spout off the BS Gingrich just did, we can say, “Wait a minute…”

I just took the Network+ Certification yesterday and passed!! Huge sigh of relief. I have a lot going on with the new job, new friends, and one hell of a busy summer. But I needed to take this certification as it was wayyyyy passed due. I should have studied for it 5 years ago and passed it but was too lazy.

Certifications are scoffed at by some and revered by others. Myself, I just see them as a great way to show you have a base set of knowledge. Are they used in place of experience? Sure. Should they be? No. But if you are lacking experience a certification can be a great way to show knowledge.

I am not lacking experience, but would like to show I have the base knowledge needed to pass this exam. And it really is a great item to have on a resume.

Anyways posting has been very light but I have some great topics to write about that will be coming up shortly.

So I finally get Internet and then 90+ MPH winds screw up everything. Damn Mother Nature!

Driving into work looked like a “war zone”. It was crazy with leafs and branches everywhere. Not to mention the trees uprooted, split, and torn down. I got to work okay and my wife and I are fine. But the food in our refrigerator and freezer is done. I really hope the meat in my separate freezer makes it as I have roughly $200 worth in there at least.

My co-worker’s Dad asked him if he needed to borrow a generator for the food in his fridge. He said, “Why? To keep the beer cold? I’m a bachelor Dad!” My boss had his brick chimney pulled out of his roof. Most people here seem to be okay though. Too bad about that beer…

I got an email a few days ago, won’t say from who, but it sparked my interest.

http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2008/07/science-today-easy-way-to-lie-to-public.html

I know that you guys are in the tank for science, but I found this exchange interesting, if mainly because Brenda Rosser and Bruce Webb are well known and quality.

Think on it for a second, does science help to lie to the public as an arm of the commercial interests? Particularly with greater and greater concentration and specificity of fields. I’m not saying that all scientists fall in this category, but sufficient that certain authority can be bestowed by attaching to the coattails of responsible science.

We need a greater concentration on ethics in science.

It’s a strawman. Just because some people misuse evidence and science speaks nothing to the rest.

Think on it for a second, does science help to lie to the public as an arm of the commercial interests?

No. Science is a way of discovering and analyzing. It’s a way to look at the world and not just see the beauty but explain how it all works and fits together. Science was never meant to be used for good or evil, that’s what people choose to use it for. As stated above it’s more of a way of explaining and analyzing.

We don’t just need ethics in science but all walks of life. I can think of other areas of life where no ethics has done some terrible damage.

Click here for a laugh!

Found via Pete…

Just got an email about this and thought I should pass it along…

ILLINOIS DRIVING INFORMATION for

WORK ZONES

Illinois will begin using photo radar in freeway work zones starting July 2008.
The State of Illinois will use speed cameras in areas designated as
‘Work Zones’ on major freeways. Anyone caught by these devices will be
mailed a $375.00 ticket for the FIRST offense, but the SECOND offense
will cost $1,000.00 and comes with a 90-Day suspension.

Drivers will also receive demerit points against their license, which
allows insurance companies to raise their rates.

This represents the harshest penalty structure yet for a city or state
using PHOTO enforcement’s. The State will begin with TWO camera vans
issuing tickets in work zones with speed limits lowered to 45 MPH.

Photographs of both the Driver’s face and License plate are taken.

Pass this on to everyone you know.

Link for more info…

Been living at the new place over a week and still no Internet. Mediacom knew about the installation 2 weeks before they were scheduled to come out. Plenty of time to prepare and plenty of time to figure out what was needed to get us set up.

I made sure they knew that we had no existing cable lines in the place, but last Monday when the installer came out he froze and said he couldn’t get us hooked up. We needed the person that can run cable to come out. The whole thing pisses me off, because there is plenty of cable running through the building. Hell I have ran cable, put in wall boxes, and hooked up people before. None of it is all that complicated.

Anyways I have no idea when I will be able to write again, so I’ll be back when I can.

We are moved into the new place and boxes are still everywhere. Things are slowly getting unpacked and everyday we are discovering new things (well we are finding where the movers put our stuff ). I still have no time to write even though I have plenty to write about. I plan to attempt something this weekend about the new job, area, and apartment.

I got an email from a good friend today that Kucinich has introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush. As much as I like to hear this, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Problem is impeachment is less about righting a wrong nowadays. It’s more about political witchhunts.

So Dems will never do this right now while they have the upper hand in this election. They can smell victory and Impeaching Bush would make the Dems look bad. I know it’s the right thing to do and should be done to show the decider-in-cheif we mean business. But the fallout of such a move would be bad…

Still we can dream.