tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19482648042031691132024-02-06T23:39:22.267-05:00Research and MusingsResearch and learning on a variety of topics, from health to computers, parenting to cooking, brewing to politics.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.comBlogger741125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-89517474083924378292023-01-14T16:00:00.001-05:002023-01-14T16:00:00.157-05:00Design for the User, Not the Developer<p>One of my past jobs was at a company that provided legally mandated continuing education courses to securities and insurance reps. Each client's compliance officers needed on-demand reports of student progress and annual reports of compliance status. Knowing these reports were going to be used rarely, but needed to be easy to use when they WERE needed, I worked with several of our clients to build a handful of canned reports that would meet their needs. Some massaging was needed every few years, but the clients were happy. It took them all of five minutes to get the reports that contained the data they needed in the format they needed.<br /></p><p>Then came a new bungee boss to run IT. He decided to replace my simple reporting program with a complicated one that involved several steps to add the data you needed. It exposed literally every piece of student information in the system in a complex series of drop-down menus to generate the reports. <br /></p><p></p><p>The clients HATED it. One of our bigger clients refused to use it because it allowed them to report on how many times a rep had taken the exam before passing. They said they couldn't accept the liability of being able to, in the example they gave, find out a rep needed 45 attempts to pass the ethics exam. They wanted a pass/fail. They didn't even want to know the actual score.<br /></p><p>The bungee boss was FURIOUS clients kept demanding my interface instead of his.<br />
<br />
"They just need to learn how to use it!" Bungee Boss cried.<br />
<br />
"They only use it once a year," I tried to explain. "And they're not IT people."<br />
<br />In the end he just deleted my interface from the system and replaced it with his. The company lost quite a few clients the following year. Bungee Boss convinced the company owner that the reporting changes were not the cause, even though many of the clients who'd left had been part of multi-hour support calls to get the reports they needed.<br /></p><br />Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-17527976874652837802023-01-11T08:58:00.005-05:002023-01-11T08:58:39.064-05:00Disapproving AI Bunny<p> </p><div>I've been playing with AI generated images. One thing I've been doing is exploring "models." Models are trained on different image sets. I've been thinking of trying to build my own models using only public domain images as a way to address one of the ethical issues with models trained on images not licensed for that purpose. As part of this exploration I've been using the reference phrase "disapproving bunny" and the seed of 8675309 on different models to see how different the results can be. The results have been interesting.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUkP1a4XnMjbj4gaWEzWWGWyxT6s_UpdxKpv4ZqFp-fNsqtqosB3lMtSYkXWJHjZ89WR1USNMFRyTC2FV1fN_DgmkeujBFUk6gvSctlZV6Z7SdHD-1SBJOW5-6u30--Ri28DDcH9yee4UQWVN1MQ-uRYmpH836kk0EKVGX5FUHoaLlog1JgyinQ/s512/disapproving_bunny_AAAAGOGQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUkP1a4XnMjbj4gaWEzWWGWyxT6s_UpdxKpv4ZqFp-fNsqtqosB3lMtSYkXWJHjZ89WR1USNMFRyTC2FV1fN_DgmkeujBFUk6gvSctlZV6Z7SdHD-1SBJOW5-6u30--Ri28DDcH9yee4UQWVN1MQ-uRYmpH836kk0EKVGX5FUHoaLlog1JgyinQ/s320/disapproving_bunny_AAAAGOGQ.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L3bCe0SvguX2zt_9pkgUQucStK_yPGNQQnb8nsjXkEKg-WAEu6W7f3Rhm-EjETZQp7y9JgHUOPHf28WDDz5Ktfi7oroh34NhYlFJSwVsBlnbJWDpVzNx2k9-vyEaUiVvXEjNjsZsZdFYggEOMKnnEvxTT65j2X-wO7gRTuNO-YssMFChC6taUg/s512/disapproving_bunny_AAAGOIkk.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L3bCe0SvguX2zt_9pkgUQucStK_yPGNQQnb8nsjXkEKg-WAEu6W7f3Rhm-EjETZQp7y9JgHUOPHf28WDDz5Ktfi7oroh34NhYlFJSwVsBlnbJWDpVzNx2k9-vyEaUiVvXEjNjsZsZdFYggEOMKnnEvxTT65j2X-wO7gRTuNO-YssMFChC6taUg/s320/disapproving_bunny_AAAGOIkk.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCjQmyYz2InaZKLJ0KTiAdjEt2vqmTbGYjilfBJsFUNM6hDj-4LefjgrcAx6IqjIK02u-WAIG-arehJTYrlS1agfGKbJP3NCJEUKDe5VNP5YLqH93DD4ZNsDGugu5Tww9IJIMgdyhJPZcVo9Kcz9ZXtPWBYjJRsNFfVWYEB5W9MyKB22MHsK0dw/s512/disapproving_bunny_AAAGOPds.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCjQmyYz2InaZKLJ0KTiAdjEt2vqmTbGYjilfBJsFUNM6hDj-4LefjgrcAx6IqjIK02u-WAIG-arehJTYrlS1agfGKbJP3NCJEUKDe5VNP5YLqH93DD4ZNsDGugu5Tww9IJIMgdyhJPZcVo9Kcz9ZXtPWBYjJRsNFfVWYEB5W9MyKB22MHsK0dw/s320/disapproving_bunny_AAAGOPds.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCDSBYcdsRCTeTz0yq94fJjxxSsGP974IDQbu_YQXlYiN1OttFY6ZnHAD9bMLH_VYc1ztJInsoWP1whydJIWhNtNlskNV5a5mDXPZo9r1JETTG3j4BUJK0RfeRNgPaQkiWGp__EyCQciVD5qmLiK4QN4t4Fn6C85y4opywIBZtTGwDQbNfGyCjw/s512/disapproving_bunny_AAAGORjk.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCDSBYcdsRCTeTz0yq94fJjxxSsGP974IDQbu_YQXlYiN1OttFY6ZnHAD9bMLH_VYc1ztJInsoWP1whydJIWhNtNlskNV5a5mDXPZo9r1JETTG3j4BUJK0RfeRNgPaQkiWGp__EyCQciVD5qmLiK4QN4t4Fn6C85y4opywIBZtTGwDQbNfGyCjw/s320/disapproving_bunny_AAAGORjk.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pSTkuX_MeIxKFMPxEq7wv51Ai10BBReTWOXAItOBaYGWN1HaOpBc1b9_LyZq6MKbTxFHOw0cn4IOsxZnboerbz879C_2zNct1SxxdVrzm1kBnNN_L8gyBkdIHQfIQNCjRV7JKofW8_kZ6yr7PPZjS-xU-fhmYRjeooa1oKttKCiTmJ0_ZFFRug/s512/disapproving_bunny_AAAGOSqU.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pSTkuX_MeIxKFMPxEq7wv51Ai10BBReTWOXAItOBaYGWN1HaOpBc1b9_LyZq6MKbTxFHOw0cn4IOsxZnboerbz879C_2zNct1SxxdVrzm1kBnNN_L8gyBkdIHQfIQNCjRV7JKofW8_kZ6yr7PPZjS-xU-fhmYRjeooa1oKttKCiTmJ0_ZFFRug/s320/disapproving_bunny_AAAGOSqU.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlepsGa77k0S-S81Mrqs5OKhHYw7q65mwDoiU_WzrSsXvMD8ljElXzxWiVLRXhwGwdV3e0V6cZ0I94pSWOw3iq-DHJIEFnxA8FKA4T4izZoKGhtQLJirWtqIdEETN-EwV5PrCK6cezx0Pg1G0P_0-vu4vCy4wpVLnMUyP3gt_wMmk5PDh8dkHuCA/s512/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGOAY4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlepsGa77k0S-S81Mrqs5OKhHYw7q65mwDoiU_WzrSsXvMD8ljElXzxWiVLRXhwGwdV3e0V6cZ0I94pSWOw3iq-DHJIEFnxA8FKA4T4izZoKGhtQLJirWtqIdEETN-EwV5PrCK6cezx0Pg1G0P_0-vu4vCy4wpVLnMUyP3gt_wMmk5PDh8dkHuCA/s320/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGOAY4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Before settling on the shorter "disapproving bunny" as my reference phrase I generated a few with the phrase, "Reference image of a disapproving bunny created by different models." The results were a bit more varied.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l_wRRFu8_woy99eF6WQVyDcOrdschV2sZI2WLbH_y1dQK4-eCuH3Cm-XThPbGPX6hYlvN1E7SAR2DF2x3OL_8dNT5iNuLAadAWPnfi_C1ldFHfZqBrByMDwTY1PZpEtiYyh33eG-GqZaRWOShEdaSM6Qq4OiBR7xx6YTABLsWNkHn5OvaJuTug/s512/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGOBfI.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l_wRRFu8_woy99eF6WQVyDcOrdschV2sZI2WLbH_y1dQK4-eCuH3Cm-XThPbGPX6hYlvN1E7SAR2DF2x3OL_8dNT5iNuLAadAWPnfi_C1ldFHfZqBrByMDwTY1PZpEtiYyh33eG-GqZaRWOShEdaSM6Qq4OiBR7xx6YTABLsWNkHn5OvaJuTug/s320/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGOBfI.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY_JyY4ptgF-pswskZMSTAKpoJQxk6wt5UwssZ6qoadV-BCsyg9vwbwz6WWXy9AQpwqt7SrTNUuFZalQI4_TY8TeUAb6RNund6QpKO_NgRRkCGd_DFSYM-AiEiVSu9QXl4rIh3amqbF7AN9kSLeE7qQ1gQJWShgGY4swOErKjd-a7BY_gyPmIEw/s512/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGODnM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY_JyY4ptgF-pswskZMSTAKpoJQxk6wt5UwssZ6qoadV-BCsyg9vwbwz6WWXy9AQpwqt7SrTNUuFZalQI4_TY8TeUAb6RNund6QpKO_NgRRkCGd_DFSYM-AiEiVSu9QXl4rIh3amqbF7AN9kSLeE7qQ1gQJWShgGY4swOErKjd-a7BY_gyPmIEw/s320/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGODnM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGn3kJqAFdd_uoGfMBHfEVgXCDM0k6y_RqMrhsaGBIAdeCpnL0HPB4PSs3mqV374fToONRJrNA67vZ1p_d9cyeUjZXzN8khDiblYFLnSncb7yIrQSrNyRc695pHOseIjuaaVD3KdZg_OnNyU9uWb0xt7ZMyfQN9wUMjTa_kyTR-9MQHMFIbNi6Gg/s512/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGOFX8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGn3kJqAFdd_uoGfMBHfEVgXCDM0k6y_RqMrhsaGBIAdeCpnL0HPB4PSs3mqV374fToONRJrNA67vZ1p_d9cyeUjZXzN8khDiblYFLnSncb7yIrQSrNyRc695pHOseIjuaaVD3KdZg_OnNyU9uWb0xt7ZMyfQN9wUMjTa_kyTR-9MQHMFIbNi6Gg/s320/Reference_image_of_a_disapproving_bunny_created_by_AAAGOFX8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div> </div>Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-34177976160044044592020-09-15T16:16:00.005-05:002020-09-15T16:24:19.886-05:00Never order from awesomecargoods.store<p>I recently made the mistake of ordering from the web sire awesomecargoods.store as a result of a Facebook ad. It was the first time I'd ordered anything from a Facebook ad and after this experience it's likely to be the last. Like many people I'm working from home during COVID. A comfortable lap desk would be helpful. As a result when I saw the ad for this product at a promotional price I thought it was a good deal.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1r-L-8sS8Ps/X2EqpRvA7fI/AAAAAAAAP5E/PFqQKHmRWPcj46EtE53_3NeMonFNLn-6ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1r-L-8sS8Ps/X2EqpRvA7fI/AAAAAAAAP5E/PFqQKHmRWPcj46EtE53_3NeMonFNLn-6ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="240" /></a></div>I placed my order and waited for it to arrive. I paid a total of $25.89 after shipping. When the package arrived it was disconcertingly flat and had a return address that did not inspire confidence.<p><span style="background-color: #f6f6f6;"><span face="Basic Commercial, sans-serif" style="color: #222323;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Basic Commercial, sans-serif" style="color: #222323;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mk3k3zmdqx8/X2EuNozMHrI/AAAAAAAAP54/nH2JGkYa_OQ2qiVq3ork8BD4aWFJ1m84gCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="2734" height="113" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mk3k3zmdqx8/X2EuNozMHrI/AAAAAAAAP54/nH2JGkYa_OQ2qiVq3ork8BD4aWFJ1m84gCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Basic Commercial, sans-serif" style="color: #222323;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>This is what I received:<p><span face=""Basic Commercial", sans-serif" style="background-color: #f6f6f6; color: #222323; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xUfxenK_AhA/X2Es2YZooII/AAAAAAAAP5Q/2-WKyte5mqoTPd0FGKmfNCy4-GbMI-eDACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xUfxenK_AhA/X2Es2YZooII/AAAAAAAAP5Q/2-WKyte5mqoTPd0FGKmfNCy4-GbMI-eDACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCaKzuCT0L8qqrS69UFeOwZSjUpAKKbgbZ7F6cZ5rCbEtovjhgTxfYv53oNNkvTJG80P0Cq9hg3HBtZ6O8A0dH1IL1lTbavEKB-9PQw4JMKLzzeng_OFg760tR8zP5QRFweQk3EP-0B4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="2048" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCaKzuCT0L8qqrS69UFeOwZSjUpAKKbgbZ7F6cZ5rCbEtovjhgTxfYv53oNNkvTJG80P0Cq9hg3HBtZ6O8A0dH1IL1lTbavEKB-9PQw4JMKLzzeng_OFg760tR8zP5QRFweQk3EP-0B4/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Bv6ITAr5kuxjPdM1EoCdIWICHYm93To8_oDT9-6mLV4Rw2aVAoEQuxdAl0URznGwFh1zLPlEFq8JJ1H4n1IR-rILVILAS2e4xN_5YcRROcecG8STOqNDoGf711kxqjQ3QpN8QHDDFEk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Bv6ITAr5kuxjPdM1EoCdIWICHYm93To8_oDT9-6mLV4Rw2aVAoEQuxdAl0URznGwFh1zLPlEFq8JJ1H4n1IR-rILVILAS2e4xN_5YcRROcecG8STOqNDoGf711kxqjQ3QpN8QHDDFEk/" width="180" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>As you can see there is a sizable gap between what I ordered and what I received. The garbage I was sent isn't even suitable as lap desk, even a poor one. It's a rickety frame for putting a laptop at an angle.</p><p>When I say it's rickety I mean it. There are two small wooden pieces that are supposed to hold the laptop in place. One of them had already fallen off during shipping. The other chipped from light handling.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVo0UuPro7ldn68vSllO3E0j9SUpJAg48bsDDeGiG6ZN7FXLL4dbCqByG-Kd4ek7uNvmbsA9IOUn_Qeg8SJeCmq2ZPQ_JOw226CJ96kOIYJMXcjr6VIkD02YhJEFOK8r0fB5_KbT96uUk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="1321" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVo0UuPro7ldn68vSllO3E0j9SUpJAg48bsDDeGiG6ZN7FXLL4dbCqByG-Kd4ek7uNvmbsA9IOUn_Qeg8SJeCmq2ZPQ_JOw226CJ96kOIYJMXcjr6VIkD02YhJEFOK8r0fB5_KbT96uUk/" width="261" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7B24PysV0gIW-pfmgP0ycwVyPVya0bc181jddpnrj26Z2o-9pZ7MIi6IWVhkn7oHqE_wId1004dChgqzusmZFESlqeiBRFJ-d4QPMzVAwZ-GgeUNaGAplgMSyL-cWsoHPLQ8Py5x55U/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1991" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7B24PysV0gIW-pfmgP0ycwVyPVya0bc181jddpnrj26Z2o-9pZ7MIi6IWVhkn7oHqE_wId1004dChgqzusmZFESlqeiBRFJ-d4QPMzVAwZ-GgeUNaGAplgMSyL-cWsoHPLQ8Py5x55U/" width="233" /></a></div><br />The email they'd sent with the tracking information included a gmail address to contact for any problems. I've contacted it and am awaiting a reply. I am not optimistic.<p></p>Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-40980068905100216272019-11-25T14:02:00.000-05:002019-11-25T14:02:01.040-05:00Happy Thanksgiving! (Don't go up in flames)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fried turkey can be delicious, but you need to do it right.
This video has some excellent safety tips for frying your turkey with relative
safety: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65m8-Em2ziA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65m8-Em2ziA</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At a previous job the CTO came back after Thanksgiving and
told us how he’d just burned down his deck and done significant damage to his
vinyl siding. He’d been using a Turkey Fryer. He’d plopped the frozen turkey
into the fryer. First, the oil overflowed and caught fire. Next, the ice in the
turkey did what frozen water does when you drop it in boiling oil. Within
seconds his deck and the side of his house were covered in burning oil and
flaming chunks of turkey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He finished the account with saying that next year he would
set the fryer up in his garage, which had a cement floor. I left that job
before Thanksgiving rolled around again, so I don’t know if he followed
through. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are a few videos demonstrating what I suspect his back
deck looked like thanks to his flagrantly ignoring pretty much all the safety
advice around using a turkey fryer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This video shows what a frozen turkey will do when put in
boiling oil. Check out the air time that oil gets when it sprays up:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gn895y4wkc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gn895y4wkc</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s a short video of what happens when the fryer
overflows:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxia0Ca9Qwc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxia0Ca9Qwc</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember, the CTO I mentioned had BOTH happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Did you know Underwriter’s Laboratory has never certified a
SINGLE turkey fryer? Here’s why:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yObDuYTfudY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yObDuYTfudY</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has their say:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=HYvMWIvghnQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=HYvMWIvghnQ</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have an happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving! I hope everyone
comes back to work Monday uncharred and without any new home repairs suddenly
added to their calendar.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-58386178518473584182019-05-01T07:40:00.000-05:002019-05-01T07:44:22.457-05:00Machiavellian datingOn this morning's train ride to work I sat next to two women who were discussing their love lives. One of them had her eye on a specific man in her social circle, but he was married. The woman had decided to befriend the man's wife to, "Find out what's wrong so I can exploit it." After a few months hanging out with the wife and "Getting their kids used to me being around," she had learned, "His wife uses sex to control him. She locks her legs whenever she wants something. Makes fun of his performance, always tearing him down about it. She's proud of yawning during sex just to make him feel bad."<br />
<br />
"Is he a bad lay?" her friend on the train asked.<br />
<br />
"That's the sick part. She says he's good in bed. She wants to make him feel grateful when they do it and not have to do any of the work. "<br />
<br />
"Crap."<br />
<br />
"I'm going for it the next time she's holding out. Summer's coming and she says she always keeps him waiting to get the vacation she wants. A woman turns down her man enough he's not going to stop asking, he's just going to stop asking HER. All I have to do is pursue him a little and he's all mine. I think I can get her to cheat on him before I seduce him. That'll take care of any guilt he might have about leaving her and give him an edge in the divorce."<br />
<br />
They chatted for a few more minutes about the other woman's prospects, but she clearly preferred going after single men who didn't require a months long plan to figure out how to sabotage a marriage. They had shifted to a discussion of the weather by the time they got off the train.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-31622093800605002582018-10-05T12:00:00.001-05:002018-10-05T12:00:44.239-05:00Raspberry Cayenne BrowniesThis recipe is from a family friend. It's a popular favorite at the hot food themed parties they host. I once brought them into the office at a former job. I sliced them up and carefully labeled them "Raspberry Cayenne Brownies." I later learned that one of my coworkers had taken a bite, spat it out, and thrown the rest of the brownie across the kitchen.<br />
<br />
"That's disgusting," I'm told she yelled. "Did someone put pepper in those brownies?"<br />
<br />
"Yes," came the reply. "That would be the 'Cayenne' on the label."<br />
<br />
"I thought that was a joke. Who the **** puts Cayenne in a brownie?"<br />
<br />
I do. I put Cayenne in a brownie.<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="m_-7991714166392521718docs-internal-guid-3be90993-d05b-7f65-9bc4-6bab92c4646e" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The <span class="il">Cayenne</span> will start losing its bite after a couple days. As a result the <span class="il">brownies</span> are best eaten within two days.</span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients:</span></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">2 packages Betty Crocker Fudge <span class="il">Brownie</span> Mix</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">4 eggs</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">1c Corn Oil</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 c Water</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">2 packages Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">10 oz seedless <span class="il">raspberry</span> preserves</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">1/2 c Dark Rum</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">2 tsp <span class="il">Cayenne</span> Pepper</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">Directions:</span></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Pour Rum and Preserves into a Pyrex dish and Microwave for 8 minutes. Vent and stir every 30 seconds. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Mix in <span class="il">Cayenne</span> and allow to cool </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Mix Batter per recipe on box.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Add 1 bag of chocolate chips</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Grease 13x9 pan and pour 2/3 of the batter into the pan.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Pour <span class="il">Raspberry</span> Sauce on top</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Add remaining batter on top and swirl.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Sprinkle 2nd bag of chips on top.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Bake at 325º for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.</span></li>
</ol>
Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-8855372995509456372018-08-15T07:37:00.000-05:002018-08-15T07:37:14.277-05:00It was her "Moist."<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We recently had a bit of a kerfuffle at work over a projector having technical difficulties. </span>This reminded me of a past job where the comptroller got the word “dongle”
banned from the office. You couldn't say it. You couldn't email it. She said it “sounded dirty.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This
caused a problem for the sales staff when she refused to process purchase
orders for anything with the word “dongle” on it. The sales
guys ended up purchasing dongles for their equipment on their own dime and then burying
the cost in expense reports for business trips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
network administrator we had at the time realized he could use this to push
through all sorts of purchases by claiming that “All the cheaper options use,
well, THOSE things.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This went on for a few months until the owner found out that computer equipment he considered "excessive" was being approved by his drinking buddy comptroller. Once the details came to light, he ordered her to </span>"Stop clutching your pearls and get used to the word." After that the ban on "dongle" was lifted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sadly, this also meant hardware purchases returned to being approved based on being the cheapest possible option that meets at least one of the criteria on the "Minimum System Requirements" instead of something that would actually work.</div>
Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-48924583260055616922017-02-27T10:24:00.000-05:002017-02-28T14:46:30.341-05:00Epic Smack-down is epicI got some entertainment with this morning's train ride. A thin woman with long blond hair was seated, her chin in her hand. She was obviously grumpy and groggy, a natural state to be in on a Monday morning. Her body language said, "Nobody but a long-lost best friend long thought dead should even think about approaching me." Standing next to her, looming over her and invading her personal space, was a guy trying to chat her up like they were at a bar on "horny co-eds only" night.<br />
<br />
She looked up at him and GLARED. We're talking a glare that would have made a single Donal Trump put away the tic-tacks and tuck his tail between his legs and slink off. The Fonz would have apologized for bothering her and walked away. Bling-Bling from Johnny Test would have run to his mad scientist brigade to have them create a new cream for the burn he'd just gotten. Not this guy, He was either too clueless or too arrogant to get the, well, "Hint" isn't the right word for a clue delivered with a metaphorical mallet. He persisted.<br />
<br />
She took off a glove and extended her pointer finger. On the back of the finger was a tattoo of the universal "Female" symbol. He kept trying to look around her hand to keep talking to her. He finally processed the symbol on her finger and got a lascivious "Oh yeah," look on his face, complete with an eyebrow waggle.<br />
<br />
She, still glaring, shook her head and pointed at the tattoo with her other hand. She then shoved her hand in his face to where she was almost touching his nose.<br />
<br />
The nickel dropped for the nit-wit, and he scampered off the train at the next stop. She put her glove back on and resumed her previous position.<br />
<br />
Naturally, I wanted to give her kudos but, seeing as how the entire exchange had been about how she wanted to be left alone, I kept to myself.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-43495426684219543322017-01-26T10:03:00.003-05:002017-02-14T12:17:45.313-05:00Fixing Domain Trust issues without a rebootWe recently had a domain trust issue involving a production box. Nothing that impacted active users, but a damn annoyance as it restricted access to the server if anything DID go wrong. A reboot would have fixed it, but this is a production box. A reboot wasn't happening during the day.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, our network admin had this handy PowerShell command to run to rectify the issue with no service interruptions whatsoever.<br />
<blockquote>
Open PowerShell as administrator. Run this command sequence:<br />
$credential = Get-Credential<br />
A window will pop up, type in a Domain administrator account and password.<br />
Then type<br />
Reset-ComputerMachinePassword -Server <i>(Active Directory name)</i>.local</blockquote>
<br />
Where <i>(Active Directory name)</i> is replaced with the name of your active directory. This required having a local admin account on the system having domain connectivity issues<br />
<br />
MSDN has more details on <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/reference/5.0/microsoft.powershell.management/reset-computermachinepassword" target="_blank">Reset-ComputerMachinePassword</a>.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-77495551682806890912016-11-22T13:59:00.001-05:002016-11-22T13:59:25.096-05:00The First Years Inside Scoop Suction Sectioned PlateCalling the <a href="http://amzn.to/2fo4cZq" target="_blank">First Years Inside Scoop Suction Sectioned Plate</a> "Crap" would be an insult to crap, because at least crap can be processed into fertilizer.<br />
<br />
My wife ordered the a few of these plates in <a href="http://amzn.to/2gHi9nX" target="_blank">red and teal</a> for our youngest son, who, being 18 months old at the time, was going though a phase of dumping food on the floor when he was, in his words, "All done!" We learned out of the box that we had to moisten the suction cup to get it to even attempt to adhere to the table for more than a minute or two. We then made the mistake of running one of them through the dishwasher on the top rack. The result was a permanent warp to the suction cup portion that left it incapable of maintaining a seal with anything short of glue.<br />
<br />
Even the remaining plates which were dutifully hand washed had issues. They would pop up on their own without any intervention from us. The final nail in the coffin was when our youngest son learned that he could pop the suction and lift the plate up just by slipping a fingernail between the table and the suction cup. The suction cup is so flimsy that even that tiny intrusion was enough to pop it right off. <b>The plate's key feature was easily defeated by a child in the target age group.</b><br />
<br />
We still use the plates, but we do so with the awareness that instead of being something our toddler can't get off the table they're just plates that are annoying to wash.<br />
<br />
On the bright side, we've never had <i>trouble</i> getting the plates off the table. They generally pop off on their own after a few minutes no matter what we do. They've also encouraged us to make it a priority to teach our toddler to politely push away his plate when he's finished, instead of trying to dump it out. This tactic has proven far more useful than the plates.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=buckwhea-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B01M60RLW4&asins=B01M60RLW4&linkId=b81d45082d69778c6eb14880a4cfb613&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=buckwhea-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00R63I7CC&asins=B00R63I7CC&linkId=034bc71baaf2f0183728d620531ab607&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-12132821135549333412015-06-16T12:04:00.003-05:002015-06-16T12:04:38.660-05:00Dem Bones"Bones" Season 10, episode 16 was also the 206th episode in the series. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_skeleton" target="_blank">206 is also the number of bones in the adult human body</a>. The episode's B plot involved Dr. Brennen working on an anatomically accurate version of "Dem Bones" when she learns her daughter is learning the original version in school. This was a mechanic for ensuring all 206 bones in the human body could be mentioned in the episode.<br />
<br />
What isn't discussed in the episode, yet adds a a substantial subtext to the entire B plot is the fact that the "Leg bone's connected to the thigh bone" song known by so many kids is a verse from a spiritual about a vision in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2037:1-14" target="_blank">Ezekiel 37:1-14</a>.<br />
<br />
<div>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dem_Bones" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<wbr></wbr>Dem_Bones</a><br />
</div>
The
entire discussion about the song and its accuracy is a proxy debate
about religion between Bones and Booth. Extending the proxy debate into a
parenting metaphor puts some very fascinating twists on the final scene
where their daughter is singing the re-written song.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QWJrq58OUYk" width="480"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
The scene
essentially says that religious accommodation will happen in the
parenting of the children, but will always be subordinate to science and
accuracy. Brennan has become comfortable with limited religion in her
daughter's life, but will not tolerate it coming into conflict with the
real world as she sees it.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Booth,
for his part, appears perfectly comfortable with letting this happen,
as it allows his daughter to have the parts of religion he values most.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-21309099405440815252015-04-15T10:52:00.000-05:002015-04-15T11:29:10.283-05:00Kirk Hastings Declares Atheists Have Officially LostIt's always fun when I stumble across a new sliver of writing by <a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2014/01/answering-kirk-hastings-introduction.html">Kirk Hastings</a>, and this missive posted to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WHYOutreach/photos/a.651187234910638.1073741829.210188172343882/755361617826532/?type=1" target="_blank">Why?Outreach</a> does not disappoint.<br />
<br />
The essay starts off with an image.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfBJ-1ZyCGZGozF8hppm5NQpv5-dxRfW2lT7hyphenhypheneIjSIYhj8x8IE7wBRrdzS6vZY7QE3amgef2FleliHMu_fruQWyKSyPvFweQGe0q6-mLMRTufSMIr5su3geDy8oFpLRtyz9c142SCz4/s1600/1780660_755361617826532_494334876_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfBJ-1ZyCGZGozF8hppm5NQpv5-dxRfW2lT7hyphenhypheneIjSIYhj8x8IE7wBRrdzS6vZY7QE3amgef2FleliHMu_fruQWyKSyPvFweQGe0q6-mLMRTufSMIr5su3geDy8oFpLRtyz9c142SCz4/s1600/1780660_755361617826532_494334876_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
It's a bold statement to say the least. As intrigued as I was, my past experiences with Kirk Hastings had not left me optimistic. I decided to set aside my prejudices and let Kirk's own words speak for him.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> The proof is all over the internet and Facebook these days --
atheists have officially lost the argument as far as Christianity, the
Bible, theism, and God is concerned.</i><br />
<i>Totally frustrated by the
mounting scientific evidence against their point of view and the
increasingly sophisticated arguments of theists, atheists are simply
imploding emotionally and intellectually. Almost all of their comments
and responses <b>on Facebook </b>and other web pages has now been reduced to:</i></blockquote>
Woah, woah, woah, flag on the play. Is this seriously going to be an essay claiming that the tone of Facebook pages Kirk Hastings has happened to read somehow resolves the question of the existence of God? Now, I'll grant that Facebook discussion threads are not quite the cesspool of Youtube comment threads or the Eldridge horror of Yahoo Answers, but they're hardly indicative of the status of reasoned debate or evidence. Facebook pages are very good at creating echo chambers for all groups, and those chambers tend to attract like minded people. You can pick any topic you want and find a Facebook group that will represent whatever aspect of that group you want to emphasize.<br />
<br />
The Why?Outreach page itself is an excellent example of such an echo chamber. You rarely find dissenting opinions expressed in the comments on any of their pages. Even the notorious Birther site World Net Daily allows critical comments in their discussion threads, but not why?Outreach. I know people who consider it to be a game to post a respectful, thoughtful counter-argument and see how long it takes their comment to be deleted and their account banned from the group.<br />
<i></i>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>1) Generalized insults and put-downs of Christians and theists;</i><br />
<i>2) Generalized insults and put-downs of theist sites;</i><br />
<i>3) Generalized insults and put-downs of the people who run theist sites;</i><br />
<i>4) Flinging angry obscenities and blasphemies at theists wherever they can;</i></blockquote>
Why?Outreach itself offers the exact same from a theistic point of view. For example, here is one of the images posted in the comment thread on the essay in question:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT5MnhnAFKqgc8Klmsi8hcqQ95eTDBcDmy4tOiP1b537034zaD-b9LSInljpRydW5O-J2uCPVuZA9ybOUJa17T8kVhPmnnCYsh5DEomnm2XicTtbyFfcZmG2n9kyGpD6WFxz0fVkZmLQ/s1600/13130_1011107995585225_7238321217493779962_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT5MnhnAFKqgc8Klmsi8hcqQ95eTDBcDmy4tOiP1b537034zaD-b9LSInljpRydW5O-J2uCPVuZA9ybOUJa17T8kVhPmnnCYsh5DEomnm2XicTtbyFfcZmG2n9kyGpD6WFxz0fVkZmLQ/s1600/13130_1011107995585225_7238321217493779962_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
It's a generalized insult that quite literally ignores the entirety of writing by atheists. It's a slander that glibly and smugly ignores the existence of a debate that has raged in one form or another since the first cave man called out to the heavens during a storm.<br />
<br />
So far, the only "evidence" Kirk has offered of atheists having lost any kind of debate is the fact that Kirk asserts that he found a few jerks who happen to be atheists. You might as well argue that the existence of the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9913463/My-father-the-hate-preacher-Nate-Phelps-on-escaping-Westboro-Baptist-Church.html" target="_blank">Westboro Baptist Church</a> and <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/ny-pastor-justin-bieber-is-trans-and-cut-off-his-breasts-because-obamas-evil-spirits-misled-him/" target="_blank">"Rev" James Manning</a> prove Christians have lost the argument in favor of God.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>5) Presenting totally shallow, unsubstantiated, evidence-poor "counter-arguments" that they insist are based on "science" and "reason", but are instead based on nothing more than emotional bias, scientism, rational contradictions (that for the most part they can not -- or will not -- see), secularistic propaganda, narrow-minded dogmatic atheist ideology, and outright lies.</i></blockquote>
Here we see Kirk Hastings is still very, very butthurt over how easily his "science" arguments were eviscerated by the <a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2015/02/kirk-hastings-sorta-responds.html" target="_blank">multi-episode irreligiosophy review</a> of his magnum opus "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608362981/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1608362981&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=N47DAYAZ5DUK46TV" target="_blank">What is Truth?</a>" <br />
<br />
So far Kirk's argument that Atheists have been proven wrong boil down to "Some of them are mean and I disagree with them about science!" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4G7z2LZ3Pw" target="_blank">Homeopath John Benneth</a> used the same tactics to defend his preferred mythology from scientific critics when he called <a href="https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/our-fearless-leader-steve-novella-gets-the-best-responses-to-his-posts/" target="_blank">Homeopathy the Jew of NAZI medicine.</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Atheists stubbornly insist that they are right about everything and wrong about nothing, and that theists are wrong about everything and right about nothing. This is the tactic of one who is intellectually desperate: simply ignore everything that your opponents say, and in response keep repeating the same irrational atheistic mantras over and over again (that unfortunately have been thoroughly disproved by science, reason, and common sense). And when called out on these dishonest, disingenuous tactics, turn around and insist that it is the THEISTS who are actually doing this!</i></blockquote>
I've already written a good deal about how Kirk ignores criticism. I'm not going to retread that ground again. The bottom line is <a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2015/02/kirk-hastings-sorta-responds.html">Kirk Hastings Responds to criticism</a> in the exactly the way he describes above. This is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R4SA348RLIU1D/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1608362981&nodeID=283155&store=books" target="_blank">well documented</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R4SA348RLIU1D/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8&asin=1608362981&cdForum=Fx3KP6VE5CSIK4O&cdMsgID=Mx3QGQNLSP9K59E&cdMsgNo=6&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx3JFEDJZQFIZUR&store=books#Mx3QGQNLSP9K59E" target="_blank">examples</a> are easy to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/523731674307616/photos/a.524330317581085.134077.523731674307616/866364923377621/" target="_blank">find</a>. That said, I will point out that <b>Kirk Hastings is flat out lying when he claims atheists insist they're never wrong.</b> Most the atheists I know are also fans of science and members of the skeptics movement. The essence of science is falsifiability. Science progresses in part by proving past ideas wrong.<br />
<br />
When Ken Ham debated Bill Nye, they were both asked what it would take to change their minds. I think their respective responses demonstrate the falsehood of Kirk's accusation very succinctly. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9AiM9ECZXRE" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Another favorite trick of atheists nowadays is, if you have published a book on theism, get all your atheist buddies to write in dozens of fake "reviews" of the book (even if you haven't read it!) so as to lower its rating on Amazon.com. Never mind that most of these "reviews" consist of little more than personal put-downs of the author (and theists in general), rather than any real critique of the book's content. And when you DO make some attempt at a critique of the book's content, then make sure you use plenty of generalized (so-called) "counter" arguments, such as "You're wrong!", "You're stupid!", and "You don't know what you're talking about!"</i></blockquote>
I'll admit that some of the reviews of Kirk's "What is Truth?" meet that criteria, but reviews such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R4SA348RLIU1D/?_encoding=UTF8&asin=1608362981&camp=1789&cdForum=Fx3KP6VE5CSIK4O&cdMsgID=Mx3QGQNLSP9K59E&cdMsgNo=6&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx3JFEDJZQFIZUR&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&store=books&tag=buckwhea-20#Mx3QGQNLSP9K59E&linkId=IE6YUBXQTUFA6FCL" target="_blank">There are intelligent defenses of Christianity. This is not one of them By Charles Morrison</a> addressed specific issues that were found by reading the actual book. I recommend following that link and reading not only Chuck's initial review, but how Kirk Hastings replied to the criticism. Judge for yourself who is behaving in the manner Kirk Hastings describes.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But the real proof of the utter frustration and childish desperation of the atheist camp today is their latest tactic, which is to create false Facebook pages with the most vile, obscene, and blasphemous names that they can think of (with the complete cooperation of the equally dogmatic atheists who run Facebook), and then troll Facebook "liking" everything on theist pages, so that the crude Facebook names will show up everywhere. This kind of thing is the last-ditch tactic of the desperate, the totally frustrated, and the defeated. By doing this kind of thing, the atheists on Facebook have conceded that the intellectual argument for atheism is over -- now it's time to get down and dirty, and just use every morally underhanded dirty trick we can think up in order to "get back" at those theists for making us look like intellectual fools.</i></blockquote>
Here we see a legitimate complaint about juvenile behavior someone actually engaged in. Specifically someone created a Facebook account with a name similar to "Mary Should've Aborted Jesus" and started clicking the "Like" button on a bunch of pages and groups Kirk Hastings and his friends maintained. This means the name of the account showed up in the list of people who "Liked" the page. There were one or two people who did something similar. In Kirk's text above however, this handful of people somehow came to represent the entirety of the atheist community. Kirk also ignores the role he played in encouraging this behavior with his endless web comics attacking others, including the infamous "Fat Noah" incident, where <a href="https://www.facebook.com/523731674307616/photos/a.524330317581085.134077.523731674307616/866364923377621/" target="_blank">Kirk Hastings used plagiarized and edited Fat Albert panels in an attempt to blackmail Noah Miller</a>. When you behave in a juvenile and petulant manner, you attract similar responses.<br />
<br />
Kirk's insistence that this deliberate trolling somehow constitutes a universal concession that the "intellectual argument for atheism is over" is an absurd and unsupported extrapolation. I could just as easily claim that his replies to Charles Mason constituted a concession that the intellectual argument for theism is over.<br />
<br />
Kirk's paragraph ends quite disturbingly: <b> </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LQ8Sqre1e8098CZHjgrxobkbF3Vn0Pc1r9t1TKC7JkdUTdvRch_m1tOCiJHJhAhO1_A2ZT2h2XAq5fDB8zG-fwuWuNBzZk1MfQ1h0vLKMUhtuPkMggd-15gQwmNrmxrSKJflnA6CPRU/s1600/Kirk+Hastings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=""now it's time to get down and dirty, and just use every morally underhanded dirty trick we can think up in order to "get back" at those theists for making us look like intellectual fools." - Kirk Hastings January 28, 2014" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LQ8Sqre1e8098CZHjgrxobkbF3Vn0Pc1r9t1TKC7JkdUTdvRch_m1tOCiJHJhAhO1_A2ZT2h2XAq5fDB8zG-fwuWuNBzZk1MfQ1h0vLKMUhtuPkMggd-15gQwmNrmxrSKJflnA6CPRU/s1600/Kirk+Hastings.png" height="320" title="" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>now it's time to get down and dirty, and just use every morally
underhanded dirty trick we can think up in order to "get back" at those
theists for making us look like intellectual fools.</b> - Kirk Hastings January 28, 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
One of the few truly universal religious ideals is that of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule" target="_blank">Golden Rule</a>. Jesus himself stated it in <a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/7-12.htm" target="_blank">Matthew 7:12</a><br />
<i>So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.<br />
<br />
and <a href="http://biblehub.com/luke/6-31.htm" target="_blank">Luke 6:31</a>.<br />
<i>Do to others as you would have them do to you.</i></i><br />
<i><i> </i>
<br />
</i>The idea that we should treat others the way we want to be treated is mirrored throughout the epistles. The sad irony here is most of the grief Kirk Hastings has gotten online was the result of people responding in kind to his own initial behavior. If he followed the advice of the deity he claims to worship instead of his own childish hatred and anger, the "Mary should have aborted Jesus" account and "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Question-Kirk-Hastings/523731674307616" target="_blank">Question Kirk Hastings</a>" would never have come into existence. Kirk Hastings is his own worst enemy, the bulk of his misery brought on by worshiping vengeance and anger while playing lip service to worshiping Jesus Christ.<i><br />
</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Yep, the real argument is over. All that's left now is for the atheists out there to totally come apart at the seams and end up in a rubber room somewhere.</i></blockquote>
<i>
</i>To summarize Kirk's argument: He encountered some mean atheists online, projected his own behavior onto them and now concludes that atheists are mentally unsound individuals.<br />
<br />
He ends with an appeal to visit an apologetic site. <br />
<i>
</i>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Go to www.carm.org for but a small sample of the evidences in support of Judeo-Christianity, otherwise examine the hundreds of articles/videos and mp3 files on this page alone.</i></blockquote>
<i>
</i>Sadly, the essay makes it clear he's entirely too hypocritical to review what atheist ACTUALLY have to say. As demonstrated by <a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2014/01/answering-kirk-hastings-introduction.html" target="_blank">my earlier replies to Kirk Hastings</a>, he almost never addresses what people actually say or do, just the straw man image he has of them in his head.<br />
<br />
Overall I found his most recent essay to be a disappointment, even by the usual standards of Mr. Hastings.While I'm accustomed to him making unsupported or poorly supported claims, this time he didn't even bother with a pretense of evidence, he just made one bald assertion after another. Yes, he hinted at a few examples of juvenile behavior he'd encountered, but he dishonestly extrapolated that to everyone who simply believes in one less god than he does. You can't judge all the world's Atheists by the behavior of a few people who annoyed Kirk Hastings any more than you can judge Fred Rogers by the behavior of Fred Phelps.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-12888755686434717152015-04-02T08:48:00.001-05:002015-04-02T10:15:09.333-05:00Memories Pizza Owned and Operated by Evil Geniuses<div data-contents="true" data-reactid=".a7.1:4.0.$right.0.0.0.0.1.0.0.1.0.0">
This is a very clever ploy by the Memories Pizza owners. <a href="http://twitchy.com/2015/04/01/memoriespizza-closes-due-to-threats-from-tolerance-brigade-gofundme-campaign-takes-off/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">There's a GoFundMe campaign for the pizza place which is fully funded and still collecting money</a>. Given the narrow margins on most restaurants and the
pizza shop's location, this campaign is probably going to exceed pizza
place's normal annual net by a significant margin. Not too shabby for a
time when the owners turn off their phones and stay home for a few
days.<br />
<br />
The pizza place is too far out of the way for there to be
any real long-term consequences for their discriminatory stance, but
thanks to the ease with which people who hate homosexuals can be
fleeced, they're going to walk away from this with more than enough
money to ether carry them through any economic hardship or relocate
completely. As a bonus, they're now conservative culture war superstars,
with all the profit opportunities that offers.<br />
<br />
Memories Pizza is owned and operated by evil geniuses who saw and opportunity and took it.</div>
Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-89418147407816530382015-02-20T09:55:00.001-05:002015-08-06T15:01:12.396-05:00Kirk Hastings Sorta RespondsKirk Hastings had dropped out of my consciousness. He'd shut down all his publicly <span id="docs-internal-guid-18f719bf-0499-c7e7-6454-b33b47e649e2" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">available </span> Facebook pages and, from what I could gather, cut off a bunch of people he knew online over ideological issues. If he hadn't gone full hermit, he was getting pretty close. I'd nearly forgotten about him when a poster on the Irreligiosophy Fan Group page asked, "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/125736609094/permalink/10153196812034095/">Is Kirk Hastings haz died?</a>" I found myself searching Amazon to link to his book, only to discover my modest entry, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZ66AIC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZ66AIC&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=VICUF7BBQ7Q4EQIF">Answering Kirk Hastings: Examining the Core Claims of the author of "What Is Truth?"</a> had <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R38AMM9IXHYU1R/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00IZ66AIC">a new review written by Kirk Hastings himself</a>!<br />
<br />
I was momentarily thrilled by this fresh nugget of Kirky goodness and Mr Hastings did not disappoint. He didn't actually respond to what I had written, but instead produced a short screed that condensed everything about Kirk that I found so intellectually amusing and philosophically delectable. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<span style="margin-left: -5px;"><img alt="1.0 out of 5 stars" border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/customer-reviews/stars-1-0._V192241078_.gif" height="12" title="1.0 out of 5 stars" width="64" /> </span>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R38AMM9IXHYU1R/?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00IZ66AIC&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=UGEMP6BUVPJTRSCE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS PIECE OF AMATEURISH ATHEIST PROPAGANDA!</b>,</a> <nobr>November 16, 2014</nobr>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<div>
<div style="float: left;">
By </div>
<div style="float: left;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1D6L50HA2BBQZ/ref=cm_cr_rdp_pdp"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kirk Hastings</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="tiny" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<b><span class="h3color tiny">This review is from: </span>Answering Kirk Hastings: Examining the Core Claims of the author of "What Is Truth?" (Kindle Edition)</b>
</div>
<div class="reviewText">
This "book" (pamphlet!) is a pathetic attempt to
"answer" MY book "What Is Truth?", and is written by a typical angry,
intellectually threatened member of the extremely defensive internet
atheist group called Irreligiosophy. (Even the title of his "book", and
his posted description of it, is nothing more than a personal attack
upon me -- not a real description of his book's contents.) My book is
197 pages long with copious footnotes, showing that I did my research
before writing it. This book/pamphlet is only 49 pages long, with NO
objective scientific research behind it -- it is only the drawn-out,
narrow-minded opinion of someone who simply refuses to consider the
evidences for the Christian faith, no matter how supported
scientifically or plausible they may be. Matthew Miller is NOT an
unbiased writer; he is a close-minded ideologue who couldn't write a
full-length book, or even get it into print -- so he chose the short-cut
Kindle route instead (who will publish practically anything!). The
positive "reviews" of this book are also written by Irreligiosophy
members (just as ALL of the negative reviews posted under MY book are!).
Irreligiosophy members don't live in the real world -- they
consistently make up their own "facts" in order to try to justify their
irrational atheist beliefs, and then they simply ignore all the evidence
that might contradict their own predetermined point of view. Don't
waste your time with this piece of slanted atheist propaganda. If you
want to read a REAL book on the subject of creation vs. evolution, then
try mine! ...
http://www.amazon.com/What-Truth-Handbook-Separating-Propaganda-Filled/dp/1608362981/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416157</div>
</blockquote>
I decided to unpack the review and take a closer look at it. The title is where Kirk makes his first error. I'm not an atheist. I'm more of a deist or agnostic. This is a topic I've discussed with Kirk on Facebook in the past, and he never seemed to grok the fact that there's a difference.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This "book" (pamphlet!) is a pathetic attempt to
"answer" MY book "What Is Truth?"</i></blockquote>
Well, no, not really. The entirety of the book's contents are available on this blog under the <a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/search/label/Kirk%20Hastings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kirk Hastings</a> tag.The vast bulk of the book addresses his short piece "Top Ten Questions for Darwinists." Kirk certainly came to my attention as a result of "What is Truth?" but it's not what I wrote about. His magnum opus "What is Truth?" is mentioned in the subtitle largely because his status as a sub-genre of Irreligiosophy fandom means it's a more recognizable criteria for identifying him than his past association with the defunct "Evidence4Faith" podcast.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>and is written by a typical angry,
intellectually threatened member of the extremely defensive internet
atheist group called Irreligiosophy.</i></blockquote>
Irreligiosophy is a sporadically produced podcast with two hosts and the occasional guest. It's not an "atheist group." I'll let Kirk slide on this point however because he may be trying to refer to the Irreligiosophy fan base. The fans are largely atheist, but I'm at a loss to understand how he gets the idea that the fan base in general or I in particular are "angry." Given how thoroughly Kirk's arguments in "What is Truth?" were eviscerated by the Irreligiosophy hosts in their four part review of his book, I'm at an equal loss to understand how he gets the idea that any of the Irreligiosophy fans feel "intellectually threatened" by him. Quite the opposite. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R4SA348RLIU1D/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1608362981&nodeID=283155&store=books" target="_blank">Kirk and Chuck had a delightful exchange in the reviews of Kirk's book</a> where Kirk responded to Chuck's specific points not with refutations or counter arguments <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R4SA348RLIU1D/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8&asin=1608362981&cdForum=Fx3KP6VE5CSIK4O&cdMsgID=Mx3QGQNLSP9K59E&cdMsgNo=6&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx3JFEDJZQFIZUR&store=books#Mx3QGQNLSP9K59E" target="_blank">but insults</a>. I particularly enjoyed the complete failure of Kirk to understand that the Second Law of Thermodynamics is an equation, and his equally epic failure to understand Chuck's efforts at giving him a remedial lesson in statistics.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>(Even the title of his "book", and
his posted description of it, is nothing more than a personal attack
upon me -- not a real description of his book's contents.)</i></blockquote>
Since it's pretty clear he hasn't READ my book, his assertion that I failed to describe the book's contents remains unsubstantiated. That said, I will quote the book's title and description below so you, dear reader, can decided if the title and description constitute criticism of Kirk Hastings or a "<i>personal attack.</i>"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZ66AIC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZ66AIC&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=TXJPWMNQQVSW5MBB" target="_blank"><b>Answering Kirk Hastings: Examining the Core Claims of the author of "What Is Truth?"</b></a><br />
<br />
I first became aware of Kirk Hastings when he taunted the hosts of the Irreligiosophy podcast with a copy of his self-published Christian apologetic "What Is Truth?: A Handbook for Separating Fact from Fiction in a Propaganda-Filled World" The hosts replied with a multi-episode review of the book, picking apart it’s scientific errors, logical fallacies and overall poor construction.<br />
<br />
Kirk’s response was embarrassing. He ranted and raved about atheist conspiracies and replied to his critics not with a rational debate, but with insults. Eventually he devolved into posting the same reply to multiple reviewers. A few months later, he went back and posted a Biblically themed word soup of divine revenge fantasy to all his critics in the Amazon reviews.<br />
<br />
During all of this Kirk, or people acting upon his behalf, created a series of Facebook pages attacking his critics and defending Kirk.<br />
<br />
There was a predictable pattern to the religion themed pages. At first the pages would get a flood of posts from people looking to engage Kirk, or the parties pretending to be him. After a few questions, they would get banned and their posts deleted. Their posts would then be described by the page moderator as having been profane, rude, offensive or some other adjective that would theoretically justify banning the person. The problem was, these insults were directed at just about anyone who posted critical content, regardless what they actually wrote. Eventually the page would consist largely of Kirk’s own comments, replies to posts that had been deleted. To anyone unfamiliar with what was going on, the pages came to resemble a madman talking to himself, posting replies to imaginary people. Given how divorced from reality his depictions of his critics tend to be, such a suspicion would not be far off.<br />
<br />
That’s where this book comes in. Kirk’s endless stream of Facebook pages occasionally diverts from insults and hubris into asking or stating something deserving of a response. Since all the people interested in responding to him appear to have been banned from his pages, responding to him requires the conversation be taken elsewhere, someplace where he can’t delete the posts, and where he can’t claim someone was using profanity when they weren’t.</blockquote>
<br />
Back to examining Kirk's "review" of my book.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>My book is
197 pages long with copious footnotes, showing that I did my research
before writing it. </i></blockquote>
Now is as good a time as any to point out that Kirk's book retails for $24.95 on Amazon.com. That's a pretty steep price to ask for a 197 page paperback by an unknown apologetic writer best known for being discussed on a podcast hosted by an ex-Mormon.<br />
<br />
I find it amusing that he lists the length of the book and the presence of footnotes as if it were an indication of the quality of the research contained within. David Icke's demented conspiracy theory book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0955997380/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0955997380&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=O4LB444BKL4IJVHQ">The Perception Deception</a> is 724 pages long and heavily researched. The metric proposed by Kirk Hastings, length and footnote density, would make its conclusions superior to Kirk's, as it's longer and is based on a lot of research. It's also a better deal than Kirk's. $31.64 for 724 pages comes out to a shy more than 4 cents a page. Kirk's book is 12.66 cents a page. My book is the best deal however, costing a mere 2 cents a page. <b>Pricing was key, as books about Kirk Hastings target a very small market indeed</b>. My book contains a plethora of links to supporting content and references. If I were to publish a dead tree format version I would have to convert all those links into footnotes. If Kirk wants to get into a footnote-density phallus waving contest his book probably isn't going to fare very well compared to my modest collection of essays.<br />
<br />
Given the fact that the <span data-si="true">Irreligiosophy podcast spent multiple episodes on the errors in Kirk's book and barely scratched the surface, his claim that</span> "<i>I did my research
before writing it</i>" tells us that while he may have done research, but he clearly didn't do it well. I highly recommend listening to all four <span data-si="true">Irreligiosophy </span> episodes reviewing his paperback. <a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2210" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">111: Kirk Hastings’ "What Is Truth?"</span></a>, <a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2257" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">112: What Is Truth? II</span></a>, <a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2276" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">113: "WIT" III: The Reliability of the Bible</span></a> and <a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2283" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">114: "WIT" IV: The Case for Christ</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This book/pamphlet is only 49 pages long, with NO
objective scientific research behind it</i></blockquote>
Since Kirk Hastings has already made it clear he's never even READ my 49 page pamphlet, he's not exactly in a position to comment on the nature of its contents. The section on the "<a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2014/01/answering-kirk-hastings-second-question.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Second Question for Darwinists</a>" for example contains links to objective sources about the Second law of Thermodynamics.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>it is only the drawn-out,
narrow-minded opinion of someone who simply refuses to consider the
evidences for the Christian faith, no matter how supported
scientifically or plausible they may be.</i></blockquote>
Quite the opposite. <b>I used to be a hard core, deeply conservative Creationist.</b> My movement away from that mindset was, ironically enough, the result of trying to find evidences for Christianity and Biblical Creationism. I was a big fan of men like Ken Ham, but I found their books to be poorly researched and amateurish. Kent Hovind was particularly embarrassing, as he contracted himself all the time. In the space of one sermon Hovind claimed the DNA for gigantism was gone, that gigantism was caused by increased air pressure from the pre-deluge waters being above the clouds, and that gigantism in fish could be induced by putting a fish tank under pressure. All of this ignores the fact that most deep-sea animals are quite small, while Hovind's arguments suggest they should have been made into gigantic beasts by the high pressure. The list of claims were contradictory and had no actual science to back them up. I decoded I could do better.<br />
<br />
I started by trying to find sources for the claims made by the noted Creationist authors. I quickly realized there were innumerable problems with Creationist arguments. For example, the depiction of the Second Law of Thermodynamics in Creationist writing only functions <i>if you ignore the existence of the Sun.</i> One reason the Irreligiosophy review of Kirk's book resonated with me was because Kirk was reiterating all the same tired old arguments that I'd realized were bunk back in the 1990's."What is Truth?" was not so much researched as thinly plagiarized from Creationist works that were 10 to 20 years old.<br />
<br />
I came to my agnosticism / deism by virtue of trying to prove Creationism. I did my research and let the actual evidence lead me where it did.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Matthew Miller is NOT an
unbiased writer;</i></blockquote>
AH HA! An accurate statement! How refreshing, like finding a grain of gold in a bag of sand.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>he is a close-minded ideologue</i></blockquote>
Insert predictable "Pot calling the kettle black" joke here.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>who couldn't write a
full-length book</i></blockquote>
I wasn't trying to write a "full-length" book. I wrote a series of blog posts responding to Kirk's specific claims, and then collected them into an ebook. Then length of the book was dictated not by an arbitrary rule about what constitutes "full length" but by the content. I'd written what I had to write about Kirk's "Ten Questions for Darwinists." Drawing it out to reach an arbitrary page length would have been the kind of shenanigan I eschewed in my school days. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>or even get it into print -- so he chose the short-cut
Kindle route instead (who will publish practically anything!).</i></blockquote>
It's probably not worth the work for a book about Kirk Hastings. Producing a dead three format book would require me to take relevant content from all the linked articles and create footnotes, transcribe portions of the Irreligiosophy episodes dealing with Kirk's book and go through the hassle of formatting it all for print. The market for the book is too small to justify the effort of expanding into another format. Besides, as of February 20, 2015, my "pamphlet" is ALREADY outselling Kirk's "What is Truth?" on Amazon.com. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZ66AIC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IZ66AIC&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=QX3A2VTITFNSJWFV">Answering Kirk Hastings: Examining the Core Claims of the author of "What Is Truth?"</a> by Matthew Miller <b>Amazon Best Sellers Rank:</b>
#1,262,128<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608362981/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1608362981&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=GUC24CC5KZKZ5ZB6">What Is Truth?: A Handbook for Separating Fact from Fiction in a Propaganda-Filled World</a> by Kirk Hastings <b>Amazon Best Sellers Rank:</b>
#4,860,798<br />
<br />
Ouch. Remember folks, lower numbers are better when discussing sales ranking. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The
positive "reviews" of this book are also written by Irreligiosophy
members (just as ALL of the negative reviews posted under MY book are!). </i></blockquote>
<b>That's because Irreligiosophy fans,</b> (why does he keep calling us "members?")<b> are the only people who CARE about his writing in any way.</b> The only positive reviews of his book are from people who admit in the reviews that they are his friends. People must have an interest in a book before they'll purchase and review it. Nobody cares about what Kirk Hastings has to say about apologetic philosophy.<br />
<br />
To give a frame of reference, this philosophy book has a better sales ranking on Amazon.com than Kirk's paperback:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HNELSN4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HNELSN4&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=RVX5PUXU76XQUK3E">What is Truth?: Second Edition</a> by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Wunderlich/e/B00I8UT7YY/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=5Y6M4KOY6XXTTIFO" rel="" target="_blank">Matthew Wunderlich</a> <b>Amazon Best Sellers Rank:</b>
#2,253,674<br />
<br />
Again. Ouch.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Irreligiosophy members don't live in the real world -- they
consistently make up their own "facts" in order to try to justify their
irrational atheist beliefs, and then they simply ignore all the evidence
that might contradict their own predetermined point of view.</i></blockquote>
This entire kerfuffle started because the hosts of the Irreligiosophy podcast reviewed Kirk's paperback and found a number of problems with the content. Kirk has never addressed any of the factual errors in his paperback. Instead he has responded with insults and derision like the quote above. The Kirk Hastings response to criticism is comparable to a school child sticking his fingers in his ears and screaming "I can't hear you!" Don't take my word for it though. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Answering-Kirk-Hastings-Examining-Claims-ebook/product-reviews/B00IZ66AIC/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&showViewpoints=1&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=B2V6QGQGEM7ZTQIS" target="_blank">Read Kirk's replies to the reviews of his paperback.</a> Decide for yourself if it's Kirk or the Irreligiosophy fans and hosts that are ignoring evidence and criticism in order to support an ideology.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Don't
waste your time with this piece of slanted atheist propaganda.</i></blockquote>
Again, since Kirk Hastings never read it, he's not really in a position to judge if it's propaganda, or if it's humanist, atheist, deist, agnostic or even Christian.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If you
want to read a REAL book on the subject of creation vs. evolution, then
try mine!</i></blockquote>
Before you spend $25 on a 197 page paperback, I suggest you listen to the Irreligiosophy episodes where they read excerpts of the book. Regardless of if you take the criticism of the Irreligiosophy hosts seriously, they do read large portions of the book, letting you get a feel for its content before you spend your hard earned cash on it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2210" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">111: Kirk Hastings’ "What Is Truth?"</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2257" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">112: What Is Truth? II</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2276" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">113: "WIT" III: The Reliability of the Bible</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.irreligiosophy.com/?p=2283" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">114: "WIT" IV: The Case for Christ</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2014/01/answering-kirk-hastings-introduction.html">Return to the Index</a>Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-8237271012664105942014-12-01T12:27:00.000-05:002014-12-01T12:27:11.148-05:00What are the Best Religious Movies?What are the best religious movies?<br /><br />It's December, which means it's time for the biannual invasion of lackluster live action sermons masquerading as entertainment. Christians are celebrating the birth of Christ. Setting aside the fact that he could NOT have been born in the Winter, that the holiday was scheduled to absorb assorted pagan and Yule festivals and the "celebration" is more "orgy of stuff" than religious remembrance, I choose to focus on mainstream entertainment that's actually religious.<br /><br />The Charlie Brown Christmas Special is of course high on the list. While not a movie, it does an excellent job of touching on both the religious and commercial aspects of the holiday.<br /><br />"A Man for All Seasons," is, in my opinion, one of, if not the best, treatment of faith by Hollywood. It deftly and intelligently examines the intersection of Man's Law and God's Law in a manner that's far more insightful and useful than just about anything said by anyone ranting about "Activist judges."<br /><br />While I enjoy the original Robocop, and it's a very obvious Christ allegory, it really doesn't qualify as a "religious" movie unless you consider criticism of corporate dominance to be a religious topic.<br /><br />What are your thoughts? What do you consider the best, or the most entertaining religious movies? Please, don't limit yourself to Christianity.<br />Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-78846627964185280702014-11-21T13:29:00.001-05:002014-11-21T13:29:57.832-05:00Honey Badger vs the DarknessMy six year old son had been having problems sleeping at night due largely to the typical childhood fears of monsters, shadows and vague noises. Remembering the fact that Honey Badgers are formidable animals, I hatched a plan where we watched a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IJUSMRQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00IJUSMRQ&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=PX4XDMAIAY3T7NGB">National Geographic documentary about Honey Badgers</a>. When it was finished my son concluded that honey badgers were about as badass as animals could get. I ordered him a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094PF0EI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0094PF0EI&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20&linkId=S7CNIREBKRQSWRYK">stuffed honey badger</a> and he waited with baited breath for it to arrive.<br /><br />When the box was opened we played with his stuffed animals a bit, including a sequence where he had to convince his stuffed cheetahs, lions and other fierce creatures to stop being scared of the Honey badger, because he was their friend.<br /><br />That night when my son went to bed, he brought up his usual fears about scary things in the darkness.<br /><br />"What time are Honey Badgers most active?" I asked him.<br /><br />He thought a moment and replied, "At nigh. They're nocturnal."<br /><br />"Exactly. Your Honey Badger is hunting when you're sleeping. He's on guard while you sleep. That's how he evolved."<br /><br />My son smiled.<br /><br />"An you know what else?"<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />"Do you think there's ANYTHING you're scared of that the Honey Badger can't take out?"<br /><br />He laughed. "No Daddy." He then got very serious. "But what if there's too many for my honey badger to fight?"<br /><br />"Remember the documentary?"<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />"Do you think your other stuffies could sleep through the racket of a honey badger fighting?"<br /><br />He laughed again. "No Daddy."<br /><br />"Well then, if anything scary comes by, your honey badger will take it out. If it has any trouble, it'll make so much noise in the fight all your other fierce animals will hear the racket and come to your honey badger's aid. By that point there'll be so much noise Mommy and I will wake up too."<br /><br />"OK Daddy!" he announced, and flopped into bed, fiercely snuggling his new friend.<br /><br />He still wakes up at night now and then, but generally because he wants to cuddle with Mommy or Daddy. His fear of dark things in the night has pretty much evaporated. He's even taken to venturing downstairs at night, so long as he has the honey badger and one or two other particularly fierce creatures in tow.<br />Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-37881759002310256792014-09-04T10:35:00.000-05:002014-09-08T18:45:16.055-05:00@ksorbs Kevin Sorbo vs the Ten CommandmentsI know, I know, examining the theological implications of a Kevin Sorbo quote isn't really fair, but it's fun.<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>I have always said, the ten commandments are basically pretty good rules to live by even if you are an atheist.</i> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KevinSorbo/posts/813484545358280">Kevin Sorbo</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuK534xnXc5Y-3S5CcOqD-wvgLPogLI60_Y8htsCk3UYVF6yiMDg9nxWHX-82P2TI3_oLv2toQ1iYkdVSF9-Huod0wrASqWLKM473BtCTEfpr-5sGJ0KeHXUwi4twrTVyVTYav4UI_mNk/s1600/Sorbo_Ten.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuK534xnXc5Y-3S5CcOqD-wvgLPogLI60_Y8htsCk3UYVF6yiMDg9nxWHX-82P2TI3_oLv2toQ1iYkdVSF9-Huod0wrASqWLKM473BtCTEfpr-5sGJ0KeHXUwi4twrTVyVTYav4UI_mNk/s1600/Sorbo_Ten.png" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
At first blush, that sounds like a perfectly reasonable statement, assuming your knowledge of the Ten Commandments is limited to "Well, they're rules we're supposed to follow, right?" Let's take a quick look at the Ten Commandments from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't believe in God and see if Mr. Sorbo is right.<br />
<br />
<b>To the Bible! Wait, There's More Than 10...</b><br />
<br />
The first problem we encounter is that the Bible doesn't really contain the Ten Commandments as they're traditionally presented in Sunday School. The "Ten Commandments" that keep cropping up on courthouse walls and monuments on public land are an edited fusion of selections from Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the ordering and wording chosen varies from one religious sect to another. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#Traditions_for_numbering">Wikpedia article on the Ten Commandments</a> has an excellent table showing the most common variations, reproduced here:<br />
<br />
Traditions:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>S</b>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint" title="Septuagint">Septuagint</a>, generally followed by Orthodox Christians.</li>
<li><b>P</b>: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo" title="Philo">Philo</a>, same as the Septuagint, but with the prohibitions on killing and adultery reversed.</li>
<li><b>T</b>: Jewish <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud" title="Talmud">Talmud</a>,
makes the "prologue" the first "saying" or "matter" and combines the
prohibition on worshiping deities other than Yahweh with the prohibition
on idolatry.</li>
<li><b>A</b>: <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine" title="Augustine">Augustine</a>
follows the Talmud in combining verses 3–6, but omits the prologue as a
commandment and divides the prohibition on coveting in two and
following the word order of Deuteronomy 5:21 rather than Exodus 20:17.</li>
<li><b>C</b>: <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Church" title="Catechism of the Catholic Church">Catechism of the Catholic Church</a></i>, largely follows Augustine.</li>
<li><b>L</b>: <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutherans" title="Lutherans">Lutherans</a> follow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther%27s_Large_Catechism" title="Luther's Large Catechism">Luther's Large Catechism</a>, which follows Augustine but omits the prohibition of images<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-LC_17-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-LC-17">[17]</a></sup> and uses the word order of Exodus 20:17 rather than Deuteronomy 5:21 for the ninth and tenth commandments.</li>
<li><b>R</b>: <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformed_Christian" title="Reformed Christian">Reformed Christians</a> follow <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin" title="John Calvin">John Calvin</a>'s <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutes_of_the_Christian_Religion" title="Institutes of the Christian Religion">Institutes of the Christian Religion</a></i>, which mostly follows Philo.</li>
</ul>
<table border="2px" class="wikitable">
<caption>The Ten Commandments</caption>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><abbr title="Septuagint">S</abbr></th>
<th><abbr title="Philo">P</abbr></th>
<th><abbr title="Talmud">T</abbr></th>
<th><abbr title="Augustine">A</abbr></th>
<th><abbr title="Catholicism">C</abbr></th>
<th><abbr title="Lutheranism">L</abbr></th>
<th><abbr title="Reformed Protestantism">R</abbr></th>
<th>Main article</th>
<th><a class="external text" href="http://tools.wmflabs.org/bibleversefinder/?book=Exodus&verse=20:1-17&src=%21">Exodus 20:1-17</a></th>
<th><a class="external text" href="http://tools.wmflabs.org/bibleversefinder/?book=Deuteronomy&verse=5:4-21&src=%21">Deuteronomy 5:4-21</a></th>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td>—</td>
<td>—</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td>—</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td>—</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">(1)</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_am_the_Lord_thy_God" title="I am the Lord thy God">I am the Lord thy God</a></td>
<td>2 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-18">[18]</a></sup></td>
<td>6 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-19">[19]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_have_no_other_gods_before_me" title="Thou shalt have no other gods before me">Thou shalt have no other gods before me</a></td>
<td>3<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-20">[20]</a></sup></td>
<td>7<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-21">[21]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">1</td>
<td>—</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_make_unto_thee_any_graven_image" title="Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image">Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image</a></td>
<td>4–6<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-22">[22]</a></sup></td>
<td>8–10<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-23">[23]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">2</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_take_the_name_of_the_Lord_thy_God_in_vain" title="Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain">Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain</a></td>
<td>7<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-24">[24]</a></sup></td>
<td>11<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-25">[25]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">3</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remember_the_sabbath_day,_to_keep_it_holy" title="Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy">Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy</a></td>
<td>8–11<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-26">[26]</a></sup></td>
<td>12–15<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-27">[27]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">4</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honour_thy_father_and_thy_mother" title="Honour thy father and thy mother">Honour thy father and thy mother</a></td>
<td>12<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-28">[28]</a></sup></td>
<td>16<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-29">[29]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">5</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_kill" title="Thou shalt not kill">Thou shalt not kill</a></td>
<td>13<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-30">[30]</a></sup></td>
<td>17<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-31">[31]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">6</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_commit_adultery" title="Thou shalt not commit adultery">Thou shalt not commit adultery</a></td>
<td>14<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-32">[32]</a></sup></td>
<td>18<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-33">[33]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">7</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_steal" title="Thou shalt not steal">Thou shalt not steal</a></td>
<td>15<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-34">[34]</a></sup></td>
<td>19<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-35">[35]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td style="background: #cedff2;">8</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_bear_false_witness_against_thy_neighbour" title="Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour">Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour</a></td>
<td>16<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-36">[36]</a></sup></td>
<td>20<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-37">[37]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_covet" title="Thou shalt not covet">Thou shalt not covet</a> (neighbor's house)</td>
<td>17a<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-38">[38]</a></sup></td>
<td>21b<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-39">[39]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td style="background: #ddcef2;">9</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_covet" title="Thou shalt not covet">Thou shalt not covet</a> (neighbor's wife)</td>
<td>17b<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-40">[40]</a></sup></td>
<td>21a<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-41">[41]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
<tr style="vertical-align: top;">
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td style="background: #cef2e0;">10</td>
<td><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou_shalt_not_covet" title="Thou shalt not covet">Thou shalt not covet</a> (neighbor's servants, animals, or anything else)</td>
<td>17c<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-42">[42]</a></sup></td>
<td>21c<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Commandments#cite_note-43">[43]</a></sup></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's 13 commandments!<br />
<br />
The actual passages contain more than 13 between them, even when you account for similar commandments, but <b>the sad reality is the Ten Commandments are an editorial study aid created by church and synagogue leaders, not a literal list of rules laid out that way in the Bible.</b> Since Kevin Sorbo never specified WHICH religious tradition he meant when claiming the Ten Commandments were a good set of rules for Atheists to live by, we're left with the following options:<br />
<ol>
<li>Pick a tradition and run with it.</li>
<li>Evaluate Exodus 20 AND Deuteronomy 5.</li>
<li>Evaluate Exodus 20 OR Deuteronomy 5. </li>
<li>Go through the pool of 13 proto-commandments traditionally used to fabricate a list of 10.</li>
</ol>
From a Biblical scholarship standpoint Option #2 would be the better choice, but this article is about Kevin Sorbo's theological claims, which are already somewhat divorced from Biblical literacy by the mere use of the Ten Commandments as a baseline. To cover the bases properly, this article will go with Option 4, covering the pool of 13 commandments traditionally pared down to a Decalogue.<br />
<br />
<b> I am the Lord thy God</b><br />
<br />
Already we have a problem. An atheist can no more acknowledge Yahweh as their God than a Christian could acknowledge Jupiter or pray to Hercules to act as an intercessor with <span class="st">Zeus. Fortunately for Sorbo, this Commandment is really more God stating how he views his place in relation to humanity. It doesn't give an actual command. This is probably why many Christian sects drop it from the list.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st"></span><br />
<b><span class="st">Thou shalt have no other gods before me</span></b><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">This is what most Protestants and Lutherans think of as the First Commandment. While its predecessor above allows for a pantheon compatible with, for example, Hinduism and many forms of modern paganism, this one encroaches on this territory, demanding Yahweh get preferential treatment over other deities a person worships. This is particularly problematic for someone whose pantheon doesn't even INCLUDE Yahweh.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Needless to say, this commandment is right out for an atheist, as they don't believe in God to begin with.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<b><span class="st">Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image</span></b><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">Often combined with the rule that precedes it, this Commandment also fails as a guideline by which a non-Christian could live. Atheists are going to follow this rule in an incidental manner. Not believing in any god, an atheist is not going to be making an idol. If they made an idol, an object intended to be worshiped, they would no longer be atheists.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<b><span class="st">Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain</span></b><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">This is one is bit more complicated than it appears at first glance. Most modern Christians see this as little more than a prohibition against using God's name while cursing. The older interpretation, and the one probably closer to what the original authors would have intended, is a prohibition against making oaths under false pretenses or that you didn't intend to keep. It takes the form of taking God's name in vain because it was common practice to swear in the name of your deity when you made a vow. Americans still do this by having people swear oaths on Bibles.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st"></span><br />
<span class="st">This commandment is the first one examined so far that is actually good advice. If you take it by the modern definition of "don't swear" it's a miss manners piece of advice. If you take it by the older, more accurate interpretation, it becomes a very foundational statement about maintaining your integrity and trustworthiness.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<b><span class="st">Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy</span></b><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">We'd have fewer arguments in this country about labor rights if this one was taken seriously by the allegedly Christian business leaders.The utility of this commandment to a atheist is going to depend upon what you mean by "keep it holy." If you mean "Go to Church or Synagogue" then the commandment is useless to an atheist. If you mean "rest and recuperate" then taking one day out of seven to relax is very good advice that will benefit most people.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st"><b>Honor thy father and thy mother</b><br />After a long dry spell of ambiguous or useless commandments we finally get to one that has some undeniable value. This commandment is usually paired with a promise of long life if you obey it. <b>Since Leviticus 20:9 and Deuteronomy 21:18-21 call for unruly children to be put to death, this was not an empty promise. In a Biblical context, the promise of a long life if you honor your father and mother is an unambiguous "Obey, or we'll kill you."</b> In a more modern context, the promise is still applicable. A child who heeds their parents when they tell them to look both ways when crossing the street or advises them on good gun safety practices is generally going to live longer than a kid who discards that advice.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">In general, honoring your Father and mother is a good idea. Sadly, there are plenty of abusive and negligent parents. Because of them, a disclaimer would be advisable to allow children to, for example, not honor a parent who sexually molests them. Aside from the absence of this disclaimer this commandment is good advice for atheists.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span class="st">Thou shalt not kill</span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="st">This is by and large, good advice for anyone to follow, unless of course they're a soldier at war.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span class="st">Thou shalt not commit adultery</span></b><br />
<br />
The rise of Polyamory, open marriages and the fact that many Millennials aren't feeling the need to get married before combining finances or starting families makes the essence of this commandment good advice, but the wording outdated. The real essence of this commandment is to not violate the relationship parameters you've set with your partners. In Biblical times this consisted of a man agreeing not to have sex with a woman who wasn't one of his wives or concubines, and the wives and concubines in turn agreeing not to have sex with anyone but him. That rather simple man / property arrangement isn't really applicable in modern times. Despite the fact that some rewording is needed, this is still good advice for atheists. Since monogamous marriage is still the most common adult relationship structure, "Thou shat not commit adultery" still covers the vast majority of cases.<br />
<span class="st"><br /><b>Thou shalt not steal</b></span><br />
<br />
Again, good advice for everyone. That's why the idea was in the Code of Hammurabi.<br />
<span class="st"><br /><b>Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor</b><br /> </span><br />
<span class="st">Kevin Sorbo curb stomped this commandment with his shameful and dishonest portrayal of an atheist in "God's not Dead." With that performance, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreligion_in_the_United_States">he bore false witness against about 20% of Americans</a>, according to recent research.</span><br />
<br />
The key problem with this commandment seems to be how many people are perfectly happy to lie about someone who is a member of a group they're prejudiced against. Jesus tried to clarify who our "neighbor" is with the parable of the good Samaritan, but that hasn't stopped even allegedly religious men like Kevin Sorbo from a performance as insulting and hateful as if he'd smeared himself in black-face and sung "Mammy" between bites of watermelon.<br />
<br />
<span class="st">The commandment is a good one, but it needs some clarification. </span><br />
<br />
<b><span class="st">Thou shalt not covet (neighbor's house)<br />Thou shalt not covet (neighbor's wife)<br />Thou shalt not covet (neighbor's servants, animals, or anything else)</span></b><br />
<br />
I vividly remember a high school religion class where the teacher had us discuss why there were two "thou shalt not covet" commandments and why they were broken up the way they were. It's a shame he never had us go back to the actual bible. If he had, we'd have seen the division we were puzzling over was an arbitrary one. Instead of two commandments with a theologically critical division, the actual bible verses are just a few lists with formatting and presentation no different than elsewhere in the Old Testament. The Old testament authors LOVED going into detail. A reformed rabbi I spoke to explained that she suspected the "Stiff Necked people" Moses was contending with were real sticklers for detail, constantly looking for loopholes and exclusions. This lead to a LOT of elaboration. The example she used was in the convoluted and extensive listing of who you couldn't sex with without committing incest.<br />
<br />
Because of this, I'm going to treat the three of these as a single unit and say that not coveting is generally good advice. I'm particularity fond of how Louis C.K. phrased the idea.<br />
<br />
<i>"The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them."</i> - Louis C.K. <br />
<br />
<br />
Kinda sounds like something Christ would have said, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
<b><span class="st">The Commandments for Atheists</span></b><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">After all of that, we can cull the pool of 13 proto-commandments into a list that atheists can actually put to use in their daily life.</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span class="st">Do not swear any oaths or make any promises you do not intend to keep. Do not break any oaths or promises you have already made.</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Take one day out of seven as a day of rest.</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Honor thy father and thy mother within reason</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Thou shalt not kill</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Thou shalt not violate the relationship parameters you've set with your partner(s)</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Thou shalt not steal</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Thou shalt not bear false witness against ANYONE</span></li>
<li>Thou shalt not covet. The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that
they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you
have as much as them.</li>
</ol>
I'm tempted to add a ninth commandment of "The bowl is a metaphor, don't take it literally" just to tease Creationists a bit, but that's drifting a bit from the article's topic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Getting back to Sorbo's original claim, "the ten commandments are basically pretty good rules to live by even if you are an atheist," we see 8 out of 13 proto-commandments are good advice for atheists, If you make a few edits to disambiguate and modernize a few of them. That makes Kevin Sorbo's comment 62% accurate, assuming you grant him the commandments that needed editing as whole commandments and not partial ones.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-87574215689772403772014-08-28T09:58:00.000-05:002017-06-06T10:15:44.192-05:00Why Kevin Sorbo is so AngryIt's hard to miss just how angry Kevin Sorbo is in his recent interviews. Despite riding high on the success of his low-budget flick <i>God's Not Dead</i>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/08/13/kevin-sorbo-star-of-gods-not-dead-trashes-atheists-on-access-hollywood/">he's showing a lot of anger and animosity</a> towards <a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/an-agnostic-in-wheaton/2014/08/atheism-made-easy-for-gods-not-dead-kevin-sorbo/">people he clearly does not understand</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>How Kirk Cameron fits In</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.breathecast.com/articles/gods-not-dead-movie-kevin-sorbo-is-not-disappointed-that-his-christian-faith-has-cost-him-acting-jobs-in-hollywood-14810/">Sorbo blames his fall from fame on his Christian faith</a>, accusing Hollywood of being <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/03/20/kevin-sorbo-why-is-hollywood-so-afraid-god/">"afraid" of God</a>. His faith, however, is not what did him in professionally. To understand what happened to Sorbo, you first must look at Kirk Cameron. Parallels between the two men are natural. Both were successful television stars who are currently working in poorly written, saccharine sweet, low-budget yet profitable movies targeting the less discerning members of the Christian market. The key to understanding Sorbo's bitterness and anger is to examine Cameron's deliberate transition.<br />
<br />
Kirk Cameron had a reputation as a holy roller while still on Growing Pains. He went so far as to have the actress playing his girlfriend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_McCullough#Growing_Pains">written off the show</a> because she'd once posed for Playboy. His religious demands did not, however, end the show. Quite the opposite. His insistence that his character grow up provided a level of character development and an overall story arc that was almost never seen in family Sitcoms of the period. Cameron's demands, while religion based, were largely beneficial to <i>Growing Pains</i> as a television program.<br />
<br />
It's in their careers outside of their most notable television shows that we see the real divergence between the two men. In 1989, during the peak of his fame, Kirk Cameron starred in the film <i>Listen to Me</i>. In it, he essentially played a more mature version of Mike Seaver in a plot that ultimately provided window dressing for a pro-life message. While not a spectacular movie by most standards, it managed to insert a deliberately conservative Christian message into a mainstream film in a manner that did not turn off secular audiences. It also marked the point at which Kirk Cameron began to head deliberately towards explicitly acting for the Christian market. He began the journey to where he is now very deliberately.<br />
<br />
<b>The Andromeda Tragedy</b><br />
<br />
This brings us back to Sorbo. After Hercules wrapped up, Sorbo got the job playing the captain on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_%28TV_series%29">Andromeda</a>. Any Star Trek fan who saw the show knew exactly what it really was, the story of the last Federation Starship thrown forward in time to a period where the Federation has collapsed. The Federation was renamed the Confederacy, but most the Andromeda species had clear Star Trek parallels. The show was essentially a reboot of the Star Trek franchise, with the ability to tap into the existing Trekkers while giving them the kind of "everything has gone to Hell" storyline the owners of the Star Trek franchise would never allow to happen. It even had writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hewitt_Wolfe">Robert Hewitt Wolfe</a> of <i>Star Trek</i> and <i>Deep Space Nine fame, </i>who had crafted an elaborate, multi-season story arc about rebuilding the collapsed confederacy. On paper, the show was poised to be the next big name in sci-fi entertainment, combining all the best elements of various Star Trek shows, Babylon 5 and dystopian sci-fi all wrapped up with a charismatic, well-loved beefcake actor playing the captain.<br />
<br />
Too bad they cast Kevin Sorbo as the starship captain.<br />
<br />
Sorbo's big problem was that he didn't understand the scripts he was given. It didn't take long for him to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141111004637/http://danielgreenfield.hubpages.com/hub/How_Five_Science_Fiction_TV_Series_Were_Destroyed" target="_blank">leverage his substantial star power to get Robert Hewitt Wolfe fired</a> and replaced with people who would write simpler story lines he could understand. Sadly, this reworking trashed the show's primary premise, reducing it to just another episodic space show. After Sorbo's takeover, the show featured action flick level plots, without the "action" to make up for the lack of plot.<br />
<br />
Andromeda was killed. The show was toasted, and, justifiably or not, Sorbo took the brunt of the blame. Perhaps the show was doomed anyway, perhaps it was the wrong time or the wrong market, but because he radically altered the program's direction and complexity for the worse, the fans and apparently the industry, ultimately blamed him. <a href="http://io9.com/5622083/if-andromeda-came-back-what-would-you-do-differently">Even fan dreams of a reboot leave Sorbo out of the picture</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The State of his Career</b><br />
<br />
Professionally this put Sorbo in a pickle. He had the ego of a genius director, but the talent of a guy who woodenly recited dialog while wearing revealing outfits. He did not have the talent to back up his ego. Even that was not enough to do him in. His fatal mistake was failing to recognize his own role in Andromeda's demise. <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/06/hercules-actor-kevin-sorbo-bashes-hollywoods-liberal-hypocrisy-and-rips-obama-one-of-the-worst-records-in-american-history/">Sorbo's recent ranting about being professionally sidelined by his Christian faith</a> shows how he's never accepted responsibility for his own actions. He hasn't learned anything. His <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godlessindixie/2014/08/05/what-i-learned-about-atheists-from-gods-not-dead/">ignorant, even slanderous, depiction of an atheist in "God's not Dead"</a> reflects the kind of simpleminded, stereotype driven storyline he can comprehend. Every role he's had since he killed Andromeda has reinforced the notion that he's simply not smart enough for anything more complicated than Hercules.<br />
<br />
In light of his career, the way <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2014/08/17/sorbo-has-staggeringly-stupid-exchange-about-atheism/">he humiliates himself trying to explain his irrational hatred of atheists</a> is hardly surprising. The popular stereotype of an atheist is an intellectual, an egghead who has thought himself into not believing in the culturally dominant mythology. Truly stupid people often lash out at more intelligent or educated people. Some of them feel threatened, some of them are just scared. Whatever Sorbo's motivation, it's clear he'd rather lash out irrationally than try to learn about the people he finds so intimidating. It's the final piece of the puzzle. It shows us the ultimate reason Kevin Sorbo will never again experience mainstream success. It's not his Christian faith, it's not how he slaughtered Andromeda, it's his <b>overt hostility to anyone with ideas different than his</b>. His movies are so bad because he's incapable of taking direction from someone he disagrees with. The most promising project he has in the works is a <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2014/08/16/God-s-Not-Dead-Star-Kevin-Sorbo-Thinks-America-Is-Ready-to-Be-Punched-by-an-Angel"><i>Moonlighting</i> clone for the Hallmark channel</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Source of his Anger</b><br />
<br />
That gets us down to the reason Kevin Sorbo is so angry and bitter while Kirk Cameron is so cheerful and jubilant. Both men are acting in low-budget movies targeted at the Christian market. Kirk Cameron chose this path out of religious conviction. Kevin Sorbo was stuck with it, as a result of forces he lacks the temperament to comprehend.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-44940739540093395252014-08-21T13:41:00.000-05:002014-08-21T13:41:09.043-05:00Epic Reaganbook FailI recently posted some advice on <a href="http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2014/08/how-to-save-reaganbook.html">how to save Reaganbook</a>. Being the sort of guy who actually wants to help them, I decided to use <a href="http://reaganbook.com/contact/">Reaganbook's Contact Us form</a> to let the admins know about my advice.
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>I'm a professional developer with over 15 years experience creating and maintaining online communities. Having examined your recent launch issues, I've written up a quick list of recommendations to help you get your site back on its feet. I've posted them at:
http://blog.matthewmiller.net/2014/08/how-to-save-reaganbook.html
I am not trying to solicit business, merely offering up some professional advice on how to address some of the technical issues that caused you difficulty.
Good luck and God bless,</i></blockquote>
Nice, professional and to the point, don't you think? The real fun started when I hit "Submit" on the "Contact Us" page. Instead of a confirmation, I got the error message:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The admin has not set any email address to contact them. </b></div>
<br />
That's right folks.They didn't even bother to set up the "Contact Us" form. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1jhGKD10qnlUL1ej3os0uj53k3l3KsX4l28GS1uLbUt6uCmjETWHwxkevHl13q-KqchwnBus_wp-_HBrn6vmx4Dbc7C2OUlTkavtb-HaPKdpVQdmstm_pHC3OvU2eMHwjYLqrxFTq7c/s1600/ReaganBookEpicFail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1jhGKD10qnlUL1ej3os0uj53k3l3KsX4l28GS1uLbUt6uCmjETWHwxkevHl13q-KqchwnBus_wp-_HBrn6vmx4Dbc7C2OUlTkavtb-HaPKdpVQdmstm_pHC3OvU2eMHwjYLqrxFTq7c/s1600/ReaganBookEpicFail.png" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUl7B8D4_FZsiNyXneSXPC926orNYfBMOoIUj8AaVeVd5ZgKHsTQTBceRVD3gnUWlnfCh4MduNl-2CyXSM89n9hio42Aj50a7OmRZlUMi161Ofq77HizzpLHbL6WN3KwezD8VlL-wQyhg/s1600/ReaganBookEpicFail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
At this point I'm starting to think the site's configuration consisted of domain registration, signing up for a cheap-ass web hosting service, and two hours of diddling with the default PHPfox configuration. It's conceivable I put more effort into my article on how to fix ReaganBook then they put into deploying it.<br />
<br />
Being stubborn, I decided to try one last time to contact the folks behind Reaganbook. A quick WHOIS on the domain name revealed it was registered by Janet Porter at "Faith2Action." I decided to try <a href="http://f2a.org/contact-us/">Faith2Action's Contact Us</a> form instead. THAT form gave me the message:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Your message was sent successfully to Faith2Action. Thanks.</b><br />
</div>
As tempting as it is to contact Ms. Porter through the email address on the domain registration, I've spent enough time on trying to give free professional advice to people for now.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-60512094993997717862014-08-07T15:19:00.001-05:002014-08-21T13:16:26.529-05:00How to Save ReaganBookIn July of 2014, Conservative Christians launched "ReaganBook" a Facebook alternative for people who find Facebook too liberal. <a href="http://joemygod.blogspot.com/search/label/ReaganBook">ReaganBook's "pre-release" lasted about a day</a> before the site was put into "Maintenance Mode."<br />
<br />
Running what appears to have been a stock copy of PHPfox, the site simply failed to handle the load it received when people found out about it. The site was also flooded with troll accounts posting offensive, satirical and blasphemous material. The "Joe My God" articles linked above have a good write-up of the saga, and while the site's major public spokespeople appear to be blaming "hackers" for the death of the site, it actually failed because of slipshod deployment and inept planning. Here are just a few of the reasons the site failed:<br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0">1.
Haphazard deployment. The "About" page was still </span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0">lorem ipsum. Another page was lorem ipsum with a partial grocery list. If you tried to report a post you had only two options for the reason for your report: "Test" and "Test4."</span> This shows very little effort was put into preparing the site for launch. A competently done beta or "pre-release" phase will offer a somewhat functional site to a limited audience. What ReaganBook did was not a "pre-release" but a public release of something that was nowhere near ready for public use.<br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$5:0" /><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$7:0" /><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0">2. Insufficient moderation. It's as if they expected the only people singing up </span>to be like minded, polite members of their inner circle. That's an unrealistic expectation even with an invite code based signup, let alone an open sign-up like the one they had.<br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$9:0" /><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$11:0" /><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$12:0">3. No email verification when creating a new account. This made it REALLY easy for people to create spoof accounts quickly. Remember, it was claimed this was a pre-release, yet it was left wide open to the public, not limited to a discrete base of testers.</span><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$13:0" /><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$15:0" /><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$16:0">4. No functions for reporting profiles, just individual posts. If they had a moderation staff, which I doubt, </span>being able to report abusive, gag or pornographic profiles would be a very useful tool.<br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$17:0" /><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$19:0" /><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0">5.
Left directory browsing enabled for image folders. People are going to
eat up bandwidth indulging in curiosity alone. This isn't hacker-grade
stuff either. The average 12 year old who surfs for porn will know to check for directory browsing being enabled in image folders. Even after putting the site into maintenance mode, the image folders still have directory browsing enabled:</span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0"><a href="http://reaganbook.com/file/pic/photo/2014/06/">http://reaganbook.com/file/pic/photo/2014/06/</a></span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://reaganbook.com/file/pic/photo/2014/07/"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0">http://reaganbook.com/file/pic/photo/2014/07/</span></span></span></a><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0"> </span><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$21:0" /><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$24:0">6. Insufficient load testing.</span><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$25:0" /><br data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$27:0" /><span data-reactid=".14.1:3:1:$comment10152659442579095_10152660112604095:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$28:0">7. Leaving unimplemented features in the site. An apps link for a site with no apps looks sloppy.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
8. No Terms of service. Without a baseline for acceptable behavior moderation becomes haphazard and unpredictable. Yes, it's obvious that anyone posting explicit gay porn to ReaganBook should get banned, but things are not always that cut and dry. This is particularly problematic for a site like ReaganBook, explicitly founded to combat censorship but run by people who are probably among the strictest censors around. <br />
<br />
<b>Fortunately for the people behind ReaganBook, there's hope.</b> Here are some steps they need to take to revive ReaganBook and bring it back from the dead.<br />
<br />
1. Conduct an honest assessment of the technological reasons for the site's collapse. Don't scapegoat vague "hackers" as was done in the haphazard public statements during the one day of live activity.<br />
<br />
2. Mirror Gmail's roll-out. For a long time, the only way to get a Gmail account was if an existing Gmail user sent you an invite code. This restricted traffic, restricted users and let Google add or upgrade hardware before performance issues became crippling, A similar invite code strategy would allow ReaganBook to restrict the early users to the social circle they trusted most, allowing them to address technological and social issues in stages instead of all at once. This would, in turn, allow volunteer moderators to arise from the early membership.<br />
<br />
3. Disable directory browsing on image folders. <br />
<br />
4. Add e-mail validation to the registration process. This is an incredibly useful tool for cutting down on spammers and trolls. It won't eliminate them, but it will reduce the number of garbage accounts people can create as well as slow down the more dedicated trolls and spammers.<br />
<br />
5. Require unique email addresses. This will force people to use a different email account for each ReaganBook login. Since email accounts can be time consuming to create, this will further slow down trolls. As a bonus, it will reduce the number of people who accidentally create an additional account, especially if the registration process is combined with a notification that an email address is already in use.<br />
<br />
6. Write Terms of Service. Run it past a lawyer and then assign the "report" feature's options based upon the kinds of behavior you don't allow on ReaganBook.<br />
<br />
7. Accept that you will face accusations of hypocrisy from Liberals and Moderates. ReaganBook will be censored. There's no way the people behind ReaganBook will allow liberals to share their views with the freedom they do so on Facebook. Own up to it.<br />
<br />
8. Actually FINISH the deployment and configuration of FOXphp. Don't leave it half implemented.<br />
<br />
9. Remove the icons and links for features you haven't implemented or don't plan to implement.<br />
<br />
10, Add the capability to report profiles, not just posts.<br />
<br />
11. Hire full time moderators. If you use invite codes to keep the initial roll-out limited then you can get by with one or two at relaunch. Over time you'll need to add more as traffic and activity increase.<br />
<br />
12. Stop being so precious and thin skinned. This is the Internet baby. There WILL be trolls. Many of them are trolling you not because of actual philosophical, religious or political diss agreements, but for the sake of trolling. If you get hysterical and rant about the trolls, you'll only attract more.<br />
<br />
13. Focus. The vague goal of a censorship free Facebook alternative is a foolish one for Conservatives to undertake, because it means allowing uncensored posting of Liberal content or face legitimate accusations of censorship. Give up the pretense of being anti-censorship and embrace the fact that this is a deliberately, enthusiastically and sincerely conservative endeavor.<br />
<br />
14. Get ready for the law enforcement calls. All this started because a conservative was censored by Facebook for posting threats. Regardless of how you explicitly you do or do not state it, you are deliberately inviting people who threaten violence to use ReaganBook as a social media platform. You need to know what you're going to do when the inevitable happens and the authorities come knocking over someone on your site posting death threats.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-79237882753774795922014-07-21T11:15:00.000-05:002014-07-21T11:16:23.746-05:00Nury Vittachi Makes Claims he Doesn't SupportScince 2.0 has posted an essay by Nury Vittachi entitled "<a href="http://www.science20.com/writer_on_the_edge/blog/scientists_discover_that_atheists_might_not_exist_and_thats_not_a_joke-139982" rel="nofollow">Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke</a>." It's a bold claim to say the least and worth examining.The essay starts off with the statement:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Metaphysical thought processes are more deeply wired than hitherto suspected</i></blockquote>
<br />
That's not much of a claim. Saying any aspect of human psychology is more complicated than we previously thought is about as obvious as saying that quantum physics is more complicated than we previously thought.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>WHILE MILITANT ATHEISTS like Richard Dawkins may be convinced God
doesn’t exist, God, if he is around, may be amused to find that atheists
might not exist.
<br /><br />
Cognitive scientists are becoming increasingly aware that a metaphysical outlook may be so deeply ingrained in human thought processes that it cannot be expunged.
</i> </blockquote>
<br />
Now that we have a clear idea of the essay's thesis, Vittachi goes on to spend a few more paragraphs, which I won't quote here, restating it. He quotes Graham Lawton and Pascal Boyer in an apparent effort to suggest they agree with his basic premise. A reference is made to "studies" showing a cognitive bias in favor of religious thinking, but the studies are not mentioned by name, no citation is given. A new claim is made, but not supported, when he writes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Scientists have discovered that “invisible friends” are not
something reserved for children. We all have them, and encounter them
often in the form of interior monologues. As we experience events, we
mentally tell a non-present listener about it. </i></blockquote>
<br />
Again, no evidence is offered to support the claims. "Boyer of Washington University, himself an atheist" is quoted to support the assertion, but so far the essay has consisted of nothing but bald assertions commingled with appeals to authority. Eventually however Vittachi lets slip a reference to something we can check:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>These findings may go a long way to explaining a series of puzzles
in recent social science studies. In the United States, 38% of people
who identified themselves as atheist or agnostic went on to claim to
believe in a God or a Higher Power (Pew Forum, “Religion and the
Unaffiliated”, 2012).</i></blockquote>
Taken at face value, this seems to counter Vittachi's claim. According to the quoted statistic, 62% of people who identified as atheist or agnostic do NOT believe in a higher power. The very USE of the statistic is suspect, as it lumps atheists and agnostics into the same group. Given the difference between the two, it's only reasonable to assume that a selection of agnostics will hold out hope for a deity. The dividing line between atheists, agnostics and deists can be a fuzzy one. Vittachi is using variation within the population to declare that a segment of the population does not exist. This is despite the fact that <b>62% of the people mentioned in the statistic meet the very criteria for the group Vittachi is arguing does not exist.</b> Vittachi might as well be arguing that heterosexuals do not exist because he can find examples of homosexuals and bisexuals.<br />
<br />
Vittachi's quoted statistic seems to come from the "Religious, Spiritual or Neither?" section of <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise-religion/">Religion and the Unaffiliated.</a> the actual survey results includes 7% of people who identified as "Atheist/ Agnostic" as being "religious." While this reduces the 62% above to 57%, it still means over half of the people who identified as atheist or agnostic meet a criteria that Vittachi appears to be arguing does not exist.<br />
<br />
The next line is even more absurd:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>While the UK is often defined as an irreligious place, a recent
survey by Theos, a think tank, found that very few people—only 13 per
cent of adults—agreed with the statement “humans are purely material
beings with no spiritual element”. For the vast majority of us, unseen
realities are very present.</i> </blockquote>
That's right folks, Nury Vittachi appears to be making the claim that being a minority means you don't exist. He also fails to provide a citation for the claim.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When researchers asked people whether they had taken part in
esoteric spiritual practices such as having a Reiki session or having
their aura read, the results were almost identical (between 38 and 40%)
for people who defined themselves as religious, non-religious or
atheist.</i> </blockquote>
It's important to point out that pseudosciences like auroa reading and Reiki are called pseudo<b>science</b> because there are word soup explanations for them that can trick a person into thinking there's a scientific basis for them. Babbling about Reiki being proof someone isn't <i>really</i> an atheist is a bit like calming that nobody who likes the color purple can <i>really</i> be an atheist, because of all the Biblical references to royal purple.<br />
<br />
What follows are a few paragraphs of rhetorical wanking, more assertions and claims made without any evidence. For an essay that claims scientists may have proven atheists don't exist, it's shockingly sparse on references to the studies that one presumes support the thesis. The closest the essay gets to a citation is a vague and mangled third hand reference to Einstein followed by the claim that Darwin found one atheist too "aggressive" and that he supposedly wanted his children to attend church services.<br />
<br />
The rest of the essay meanders on and peters out in much the same way. A few half-hearted philosophical claims are made with a few vague quotes, but no real SCIENCE is offered.<br />
<br />
The essay title implies there's some research, some evidence to demonstrate atheists don't really exist. The actual essay demonstrates that Nury Vittachi spews rhetorical BS about as well as a first year philosophy student while engaging in what may be the laziest and most inept demonstration of quote mining since <a href="http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Kent_Hovind%27s_doctoral_dissertations">Kent Hovind's dissertation.</a>Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-75307687530847596502014-07-16T09:33:00.000-05:002014-07-16T09:35:49.720-05:00L'endroit à éviter au Cap-Ferret : Il Giardino<b>English: </b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/15/food-blogger-fined-3400-dollars-for-negative-review-interview.php">Il Giardino in Cap-Ferret, France</a> is apparently so bad that it has to sue people over negative online reviews.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/15/food-blogger-fined-3400-dollars-for-negative-review-interview.php">Blogger Fined For Bad Review: There's No 'Point of Criticism If It's Only Positive'</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>A French blogger who was fined thousands of euros for writing a bad review online now tells Eater she stands by her critique. "<b>I regret not having left the restaurant from the beginning</b> and therefore never having written the article. That would have been easier," food blogger <b>Caroline Doudet</b>
writes in an email to Eater (translated). "But otherwise, yes [I stand
by the review], because it's still a lot of trouble for not much." </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Last week, <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/11/food-blogger-fined-3400-for-writing-negative-restaurant-review.php">Eater reported that</a> French courts demanded Doudet pay 1500 euros ($2,040 USD) for writing a negative review of <b>Il Giardino</b>, an Italian restaurant in Cap-Ferret, France in August of 2013. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/" target="_blank">In the review (cached and translated)</a> she wrote that the restaurant should be avoided and that the boss is a "diva." </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>
</i><i>Six months after the review ran, the restaurant brought Doudet to court. <a href="http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/07/10/une-blogueuse-condamnee-a-bordeaux-pour-une-critique-culinaire-1611693-3246.php" target="_blank">According to <i>Sud Ouest</i> (translated)</a>,
the restaurant's lawyer claims the review caused "great harm" to his
client because the negative review would come up as one of the first
Google search results for the restaurant. The court asked Doudet to
change the title of the post, which was "L'endroit à éviter au
Cap-Ferret : Il Giardino" or "<b>The Place to Avoid in Cap-Ferret</b> : Il Giardino."</i> </blockquote>
It'd be a shame if the wastes of skin at <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/"><b>Il Giardino</b>, the Italian "restaurant" in Cap-Ferret, France</a>, learned about the <span dir="auto"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect">Streisand effect</a>.</span><br />
<span dir="auto"><br /></span>
<span dir="auto">The lawsuit forced the blogger to delete her scathing review of </span>Il Giardino, but you can read a copy of it at the bottom of this post.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Français</span><span class="">:</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Il Giardino</span> <span class="hps">à Cap</span><span class="">-Ferret</span><span class="">, France</span> <span class="hps">est apparemment</span> <span class="hps">si mauvais que cela</span> <span class="hps">doit</span> <span class="hps">poursuivre les gens</span> <span class="hps">sur</span> <span class="hps">les commentaires négatifs</span> <span class="hps">en ligne</span><span class="">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/15/food-blogger-fined-3400-dollars-for-negative-review-interview.php"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Blogger</span> <span class="hps">reçoit une amende pour</span> <span class="hps">mauvaise critique</span>: <span class="hps">Il</span> <span class="hps atn">ya aucun "</span>point <span class="hps">de la critique</span> <span class="hps">si elle est seulement</span> <span class="hps atn"></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps atn"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">positif</span></span>'</span></span></a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Un blogueur</span> <span class="hps">français qui a été</span> <span class="hps">condamné à une amende</span> <span class="hps">milliers d'euros</span> <span class="hps">pour écrire</span> <span class="hps">une mauvaise critique</span> <span class="hps">en ligne</span> <span class="hps">dit maintenant</span> <span class="hps">Eater</span> <span class="hps">elle se tient</span> <span class="hps">par</span> <span class="hps">la</span> <span class="hps">critique</span>. <span class="hps">"Je regrette</span> <span class="hps">de ne pas avoir</span> <span class="hps">quitté le restaurant</span> <span class="hps">depuis le début</span> <span class="hps">et n'a donc jamais</span> <span class="hps">avoir écrit</span> <span class="hps">l'article.</span> <span class="hps">Cela aurait été</span> <span class="hps">plus facile</span>," <span class="hps">blogueur</span> <span class="hps">alimentaire</span> <span class="hps">Caroline</span> <span class="hps">Doudet</span> <span class="hps">écrit</span> <span class="hps">dans un courriel à</span> <span class="hps">Eater</span> <span class="hps">(traduit</span>). <span class="hps atn">"</span>Mais sinon, <span class="hps">oui</span> <span class="hps atn">[</span>je me tiens <span class="hps">par</span> <span class="hps">la</span> <span class="hps">revue]</span>, <span class="hps">parce que c'est</span> <span class="hps">toujours</span> <span class="hps">beaucoup de mal</span> <span class="hps">pour pas grand chose</span>." <br /><br /><span class="hps">La semaine dernière</span>, <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/11/food-blogger-fined-3400-for-writing-negative-restaurant-review.php"><span class="hps">mangeur</span> <span class="hps">rapporté</span> </a><span class="hps"><a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/11/food-blogger-fined-3400-for-writing-negative-restaurant-review.php">que les</a> juridictions françaises</span> <span class="hps">ont demandé</span> <span class="hps">Doudet</span> <span class="hps">payer</span> <span class="hps">€ 1500</span> <span class="hps atn">(</span>$ 2040 <span class="hps">USD</span>) <span class="hps">pour écrire</span> <span class="hps">une critique négative</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">Il Giardino</span>, <span class="hps">un restaurant italien</span> <span class="hps">à Cap</span>-Ferret, <span class="hps">France en</span> <span class="hps">Août</span> <span class="hps">2013</span>.<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/"> <span class="hps">Lors de l'examen</span> <span class="hps atn">(</span>en cache <span class="hps">et</span> <span class="hps">traduit)</span></a><span class="">, elle a écrit</span> <span class="hps">que le restaurant</span> <span class="hps">devrait être évité et</span> <span class="hps">que</span> <span class="hps">le patron est</span> <span class="hps">un</span> <span class="hps atn">"</span>diva". <br /><br /><span class="hps">Six mois après</span> <span class="hps">l'examen</span> <span class="hps">a couru</span>, le restaurant <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">Doudet</span> <span class="hps">à la cour</span>. <a href="http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/07/10/une-blogueuse-condamnee-a-bordeaux-pour-une-critique-culinaire-1611693-3246.php"><span class="hps">Selon</span> <span class="hps atn">Sud Ouest (</span>traduit)</a><a href="http://www.sudouest.fr/2014/07/10/une-blogueuse-condamnee-a-bordeaux-pour-une-critique-culinaire-1611693-3246.php">, </a>l'avocat <span class="hps">du restaurant</span> <span class="hps">affirme</span> <span class="hps">la revue</span> <span class="hps">causé</span> <span class="hps atn">"</span>beaucoup de mal" <span class="hps">à son client</span> <span class="hps">parce que la</span> <span class="hps">critique négative</span> <span class="hps">apparaîtrait comme</span> <span class="hps">l'un des premiers</span> <span class="hps">résultats de recherche Google</span> <span class="hps">pour le restaurant</span>. <span class="hps">Le tribunal</span> <span class="hps">a demandé</span> <span class="hps">Doudet</span> <span class="hps">de changer le titre</span> <span class="hps">du poste</span>, <span class="hps">qui était</span> <span class="hps atn">"</span>L'ENDROIT <span class="hps">A EVITER</span> <span class="hps">au</span> <span class="hps">Cap-Ferret</span>: <span class="hps">Il Giardino</span><span class="atn">" ou "</span>La <span class="hps">place pour éviter</span> <span class="hps">à Cap</span>-Ferret:. <span class="hps">Il Giardino</span>"</span></blockquote>
<span class="hps">Ce serait</span> <span class="hps">une honte</span> <span class="hps">si les déchets</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">peau</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/"><span class="hps">Il Giardino</span>, le restaurant italien <span class="hps">à Cap</span><span class="">-Ferret</span><span class="">, France</span></a>, <span class="hps">tirés</span> <span class="hps">de <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect">l'effet</a></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect"> <span class="hps">Streisand</span></a>. <br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps atn"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><br /><span class="hps">Le procès</span> <span class="hps">a forcé le</span> <span class="hps">blogueur</span> <span class="hps">de supprimer</span> <span class="hps">son</span> <span class="hps">rapport cinglant</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">Il Giardino</span>, <span class="hps">mais vous pouvez</span> <span class="hps">lire une copie</span> <span class="hps">de celle-ci</span> <span class="hps">au</span> <span class="hps">bas de ce post</span>.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps atn"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr">The Review that started this fracas (Courtesy of the Wayback Machine):</span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps atn"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr">http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/</span></span></span></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf38TL0lzlA/U8aADY70pPI/AAAAAAAAGuQ/8MCWK7ka3C0/s1600/Crappy_Resturant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Aigreurs D'estomac" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf38TL0lzlA/U8aADY70pPI/AAAAAAAAGuQ/8MCWK7ka3C0/s1600/Crappy_Resturant.jpg" height="200" title="Sigreurs D'estomac" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Il Giardino (</i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">aigreurs d'estomac)</span></span>71 Bd de la plage<br />
Cap-Ferret</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<div class="entry-meta">
Cette entrée, publiée le 24 août 2013 dans <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/category/elle-se-promene/" rel="category tag" title="Voir tous les articles dans Elle se promène...">Elle se promène...</a>, est taguée <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/tag/cap-ferret/" rel="tag">Cap-Ferret</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/tag/coup-de-gueule/" rel="tag">coup de gueule</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/tag/humeur/" rel="tag">humeur</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/tag/il-giardino/" rel="tag">Il Giardino</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/tag/mauvaise-humeur/" rel="tag">mauvaise humeur</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/tag/restaurant/" rel="tag">restaurant</a>. Bookmarquez ce <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/" rel="bookmark" title="Permalien pour L’endroit à éviter au Cap-Ferret : Il Giardino">permalien</a>. <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.com/2013/08/24/lendroit-a-eviter-au-cap-ferret-il-giardino/#comments" title="Commentaire sur L’endroit à éviter au Cap-Ferret : Il Giardino">22 Commentaires</a></span></div>
<div class="entry-meta">
<span class="comments-link"> </span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20131204090140/http://leschroniquesculturelles.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/7807030956_01b499b5dd_o.jpg"></a>Le
Cap-Ferret est peut-être le Paradis, mais force est de constater qu’il y
est un lieu, autrefois charmant, qui n’évoque plus guère ni le jardin
d’Eden ni celui d’Épicure : le petit restaurant <i>Il Giardino</i>,
spécialisé dans les pizza (mais pas que !) comme son nom italianisant le
laisse présumer, et où nous avions l’habitude de nous rendre une ou
deux fois par an. Cette année, ne dérogeant pas à cette tradition
désormais ancrée dans le déroulement de nos vacances, nous y allâmes
dîner.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Comme le titre de cet article le laisse
présager, nous fûmes déçus. Pour plus de commodités, je vais laisser là
le passé simple pour vous narrer cette aventure qui ne manque pas de
piquant, mais qui par contre laisse désirer côté apéro et amabilité.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lorsque nous sommes arrivés, un premier
serveur nous a demandé, logiquement, si nous désirions manger en
terrasse ou à l’extérieur, et comme il y avait pas mal de vent, nous
avons opté pour l’intérieur, et sommes donc allés nous installer à une
table. Immédiatement, une harpie en gilet fluo nous saute sur le paletot
pour nous houspiller de nous installer sans autorisation (alors que, et
d’une, nous en avions une, d’autorisation, et de deux… j’aime pas trop
me faire engueuler par les serveurs, en général — par personne, du
reste, mais encore moins lorsque je suis le client). Bref, ça ne
commence pas très bien, mais le malentendu levé, elle nous file les
menus. Et la, première erreur fatale dont découlera tout le reste : elle
ne nous demande pas, comme c’est la coutume, si nous désirons un
apéritif. Or, un apéritif, nous en désirions un (comme très peu de
clients manifestement, mais enfin, c’est bien notre droit tout de même).
Arrive une deuxième serveuse, qui prend notre commande, mais ne nous
demande toujours pas si nous désirions l’apéritif (logique : sa collègue
était supposée l’avoir fait), que nous sommes donc obligés de réclamer
(nous y tenions).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dix minutes passent, et toujours pas
l’ombre ni de notre apéritif, ni de notre bouteille de vin d’ailleurs.
Alors qu’immédiatement après avoir pris notre commande, la deuxième
serveuse aurait dû nous le préparer et nous le servir : le principe de
l’apéritif, c’est de permettre d’attendre sagement son plat. Enfin, il
me semble. Donc je hèle un troisième serveur (nous reviendrons plus bas à
cette question épineuse de l’enchaînement des serveurs) et lui dis
(aimablement !) que ça serait bien de nous servir l’apéro, parce que
sinon, nos plats vont arriver avant lui. Et bingo, alors que serveur n°3
nous apporte (enfin ! Nous commencions à nous dessécher) nos tant
désirés apéritifs (sans cacahuètes. Fut une époque lointaine, dans ce
restaurant, on nous donnait des cacahuètes avec l’apéritif. Ailleurs, on
nous donne même des vraies tapas pour pas plus cher. <i>Ta Panta Rei), </i>nos
plats arrivent avec serveuse n°1. Plats que nous renvoyons parce que
zut, du coup nous n’en sommes qu’à l’apéro (par leur faute) et que le
pastis accompagne mal l’entrecôte-frites. La serveuse bougonne.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Et ça continue. Alors que nous buvions,
arrive la patronne, peu aimable malgré ce qu’elle voudra bien affirmer
(à côté, les serveurs du café Marly méritent la palme d’or de la
courtoisie), vient nous dire de nous signaler quand nous voudrons nos
plats, parce qu’ils viennent déjà de jeter une entrecôte et que si ça
doit durer 1/2 heure notre histoire, ça serait bien de le dire. Nous
essayons donc de lui expliquer notre souci, et de lui faire remarquer ce
qui, pour nous et depuis de nombreuses années, est la source du
problème dans nombre de restaurants : que les serveurs n’ont plus de
tables attitrées et qu’ils vadrouillent au gré du vent, ce qui fait
qu’il n’y a plus aucun ordre et que règne la désorganisation la plus
totale. Mais là, elle a une excuse (et là, je vous jure que je n’invente
rien) : elle ne peut pas faire bosser ses serveurs plus de 44h et il
faut qu’elle leur donne des jours de repos, alors comprenez mes braves
gens, ça lui ferait trop de personnel à payer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Stop ! Quoi ? Elle n’a pas le droit de faire bosser ses employés 24/24 7/7 ? Mais franchement, où va le monde !</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bref. On nous apporte notre vin (froid !)
et nos plats, réclamés deux fois. L’entrecôte était nouvelle, ok, ce
qui n’était pas le cas des pizza, sèche sur les bords. Bon. Nous
prenons, quand même, un dessert (ce que n’ont pas fait les gens de la
table d’à côté, partis en jurant qu’ils ne reviendraient pas). Bon, ok,
les boules de glace étaient grosses. Mais bon.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ma maman va payer, et essaie de revenir
sur l’incident, et se fait envoyer paître par une patronne toujours
aussi mal embouchée et dédaigneuse. Et elle a payé les apéros, source du
conflit, alors qu’il est d’usage, dans la restauration, de les offrir
aux clients lorsqu’il y a un souci (vu la marge qu’il se font dessus,
ils peuvent se le permettre).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Conclusion ? Un restaurant où nous
n’irons plus parce que la patronne se prend pour une diva (alors que,
sérieusement, elle n’est pas la propriétaire de <i>Chez Hortense, </i>non
plus), l’une des serveuses serait bien inspirée de ne jamais bosser à
Londres parce qu’elle ne risque pas de pouvoir vivre de ses pourboires,
et on se fout du client et le sens du commerce est plus qu’approximatif.
Je vous engage à le noter dans votre liste noire si vous passez dans le
coin !</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(tout ça pour deux apéritifs… à quoi tiennent les guerres)</div>
<a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/07/15/food-blogger-fined-3400-dollars-for-negative-review-interview.php">Il Giardino71 Bd de la plageCap-Ferret</a><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps atn"> </span></span>Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-72750450571308180362014-05-27T08:39:00.003-05:002014-07-16T09:47:39.560-05:00Elliot Rodger was a LoserI consider it a mark of my good taste in friends that I have yet to see a single post defending Elliot Rodger.<br />
<br />
I've been through dry spells in life. It's frustrating. Never once did I feel the urge to go out and hurt anyone else over it. But then, I didn't wallow in self-aggrandizing BS that depicted any women who said "no" as a villain denying me something I deserved. I wasn't so egotistical that I convinced myself that there couldn't possibly be anything in my behavior causing the rejections.<br />
<br />
I did what any sane person would do, what I would expect anyone else to do. I took a good hard look at myself and asked some female friends of mine why I was striking out. Unlike Elliot Rodger, I didn't seek the consul of other men who were also striking out. Talk about the blind leading the blind. I asked women.<br />
<br />
Then again, I actually have female friends I can talk to about this sort of thing. It looks like Elliot Rodger's toxic personality and total lack of remedial communication skills meant he didn't even have that resource to turn to. You'd think the fact he couldn't even maintain a friendship with a woman would have been a red flag to the moron, an indication that his family's endless efforts to get him psychiatric care might have been the right course of action.<br />
<br />
If you read his manifesto or watch his videos you realize one of Elliot Rodger's big problems was he expected women to come to HIM. He didn't have the guts, even with his overblown and unjustified ego, to ask a woman out. I was at least asking women out. Rodger, despite his rampant egotism and self-entitlement, couldn't bring himself to even TRY. He was a baseball player who never even tried out for a team complaining about his lack of major league home runs.<br />
<br />Academically he was a lackluster performer. He never even HAD a job, because he refused to take anything entry level, deeming it "beneath" him. His parents had wealth, but not the kind that would result in a lifelong trust fund for their ambulatory ID offspring. As a result, he wasn't even going to attract a "gold digger" who just wanted to marry well. He had, quite literally NOTHING going for him and he was so self-entitled that he was convinced the world needed to change to accommodate him, not the other way around.<br /><br />In the end, he committed suicide, but he was so self-centered and frightened that he couldn't bring himself to do it alone, he had to take other people with him. Instead of growing up and learning to behave as a worthwhile human being, he took the easy way out.Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-23636660292082045672014-04-11T12:51:00.003-05:002014-04-11T12:51:35.470-05:00Getting Ready to Drop DropboxDropBox has hired a big fan of Warrantless wiretaps. I can't really trust them with my data after that. Whats next? Snagging a few Obama era NSA executives?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.drop-dropbox.com/">http://www.drop-dropbox.com/</a><br /><br />What cloud services do all y'all use other than Dropbox? I'll need 250 GB to 300 GB to replace Dropbox, another 100 GB to consolidate a few other services I'm using. Box.com is in the running, but I'm still a bit miffed at their very poor documentation about support for older platforms. (They support 64 bit OS 10.6, but not 32 bit, and their support staff is CLUELESS about the difference. I'd be OK with the distinction if they were capable of communicating it up front.)<br />Matthew Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15231470957925550626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1948264804203169113.post-65444521577437724762014-04-07T12:30:00.001-05:002014-04-07T12:33:36.725-05:00Janet's Revenge Available in the Kindle StoreMy efforts to write under the pen name "Matthew Wunderlich" have produced "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JIDBDNS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JIDBDNS&linkCode=as2&tag=buckwhea-20">Janet's Revenge</a>," the tale of a woman getting back at a man who did her wrong.
Inspired by a true story. The names have been changed to protect, well, everyone. I'm not sure all the statues of limitation have expired.<br />
<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&Operation=GetAdHtml&ID=OneJS&OneJS=1&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=buckwhea-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B00JIDBDNS&asins=B00JIDBDNS&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&MarketPlace=US">
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