Christmas Wishlist

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People keep asking me what I want for Christmas and I keep saying I don’t know, but this is not always entirely true.

I want a lot of things. Unfortunately, the list of things is broken up into two categories: things I can afford, and things I can’t. The things I can afford are easy, I buy them for myself. No problems. The things I can’t afford are usually things that are beyond the financial budgets of most people buying for me, and especially more than I would expect people to spend on me for Christmas gifts (considering if they spent that much multiplied by the number of people they buy gifts for their bank balance wouldn’t last long).

I also like surprises. I don’t like to know what I’m getting, however awesome it may be. It totally destroys the mystery of holding a wrapped gift and having no real idea what is inside it. I have elected therefore to make a Christmas edition of my wishlist for family and friends to view and consider. Estimated prices are given where possible, and I’ll try to provide links to examples also.

  • BB gun – I had a couple in NZ, and left them there to save complications with customs etc, but I would like another. Have seen at Walmart for cheap with CO2 making them semi-automatic, rather than pump action. (Approx $30 last time I looked.) Example 1 (would prefer a semi auto) Example 2 (would prefer a pistol shape) – can’t see the exact one I wanted online, though I have seen semi-auto BB pistols at both the 42 Walmart, and the 33 Walmart.
  • Clothing – Mostly in the realm of sweatshirts and pants. I have an abundance of T-shirts, am mostly good on underwear and such. Not sure on pant size (about a 92cm waist, not sure what that translates to in inches..), top half is L or XL. Extra points for geek-themed clothing (t-shirts permitted).
  • Kinda ties in with Clothing (though not required to be), but just about anything from http://store.xkcd.com/
  • Also ties in with Clothing (though not required to be), but just about anything from http://www.thinkgeek.com/
  • Also ties in with Clothing (though not required to be), but anything from http://www.cafepress.com/ial Also, consider purchasing from the Cafepress store for others also 😉
  • Plain and boring money. I can put it towards other other things with other money received, or my own spending money.
  • Gift cards are also welcome. Gamestop, Circuit City, and Walmart are the ones that come to mind.
  • Anything computer or guitar related if you think I’ll use it. Was going to provide an example of things I would and wouldn’t use, couldn’t think of any. Flash drives (larger than 2GB), guitar cables (longer than 10ft), Capos. Extra points if it can tie musical and computer together – I’d like to be able to record music using the computers.
  • A cheap keyboard to play around with (recording etc, as above). Actually, this one looks really ideal ($35) and plugs into the PC directly.
  • A toolbox and some basic tools. Would like to be able to work on the car or the computers or house stuff as necessary without having to constantly borrow the tools to do it. This was the best example I could find, but would like one with a tray insert and maybe some small-part storage on top (screws, nails, rulers, etc)? I’ve seen them at Walmart, don’t recall prices. They’re probably at Lowes or Home Depot too.
  • A battery drill/screwdriver. Needs to be able to drill well, which should make it ideal as a screwdriver also.
  • This wireless card from Linksys (~ $50, depending where purchased)
  • A 4GB+ Compact Flash card. Example from about $11 up, depending what brand and where purchased. The Compact Flash part is important, as you’re probably aware memory cards aren’t interchangeable.
  • A 2GB+ xD memory card. Example from about $20 up, depending on brand and place of purchase. The xD part is important, as you’re probably aware memory cards aren’t interchangeable.
  • A UPS, this one at Circuit City seems to be the best deal at $30 (with free shipping!) Cancel that. The price appears to have gone back up (Checked 15 Dec)
  • NCIS Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 on DVD
  • Lego – Technics is preferred but any is fun. Example – $20

“Screw Jedi, I’d be Jewish” and other random quotes

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“I gave my eyes to him and now I can’t see / I gave my lungs to him and now I can’t breathe / I gave my life to him and now I can’t be” (Little drummer boy cover)

“Emma doesn’t wanna be dead anymore.”

“I gave my tail to him and now I can’t wag.” (addition to drummer boy)

“I pity the fool who takes my tea, and leaves me Mr!”

“His whole being is vibrating..” (referring to the cat purring)

“[Pheolix] is the best Christmas Pageant ever”

“It’s probably part of a clam..”

“Partying on Friday nights is for losers! I’m going to learn PHP! woot!” — raddmadd of IRC

“I can’t stand this abuse! I’m Peel!” “He’s part of the teen girl squad now!”

Ahhh, friends.

Nothing Happened

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It’s hard to blog about absolutely nothing, but that is exactly what has been happening recently.

No funny stories, no miraculous events, nothing really worth writing about.

Watched the Jeff Dunham Christmas special, enjoyed.

Watched the Steve Colbert Christmas special, enjoyed.

Watched snow fall for the first time ever, enjoyed.

This week is probably the most eventful one I’ve had for a while. About 2 weeks ago Kelly and I made the final decision that we needed to move out of this apartment and move back in with her parents, at least until I had a work permit, and she had a better paying job. It’s been great spending 6 months of marriage in our own space but when the bank balance is constantly in single-digit dollar values, even before most of the bills are paid, we decided we needed to jump before we were pushed.

So while it is not as eventful as some, we are packing all week, hoping to be done almost completely tonight, Thanksgiving tonight, and moving boxes and furniture Friday and Saturday. Sunday will be church, showing the apartment to someone who was interested, followed by picking a Christmas tree with the rest of the family.

DailySerene.com is going well, still looking for contributors, and UCCN is working out well again too.

Why We Suck – An Incomplete Review

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This evening I went to work with Kelly to keep her company in hell. Not that making coffee for stupid people in a corporately-run bookstore is bad, she just doesn’t do well working alone with no outside communication for long periods. It is her personal hell.

While I was there I picked out 3 books to read. C++ For Dummies (considering learning a new language), Eminem’s recent book “The Way I Am,” in which he tells of events passed, and Dr. Denis Leary’s “Why We Suck.”

I was intrigued after seeing Dr. Leary on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (and especially the discussion regarding Autism), and it was a must-read. It is a 240 page rand on the U.S., and Why We Suck. From the Lewinsky scandal to Janet Jackson’s Wardrobe Malfunction. From parenting to drugs. Nothing is immune from his assault on stupidity.

In the course of the evening I have realised several things. Joel Osteen had good reason to fly business class. As Eminem points out, famous people flying coach don’t get any freedom to sleep or relax at all. Learning C/C++/Anything will be an interesting adventure after PHP. And I definitely enjoy semi-satirical rants. This week I stumbled upon Violent Acre‘s rant on fear mongering among children. After reading several other articles I’ve decided to begin following the site.

In other news, I’ve begun planning my next web-project. Amazon meets eBay meets Cafepress meets WordPress. At this point it is in database and general design phase, but will hopefully take shape over the next month or so. I’ve also been working on UCCN trying to get more web-integration happening and progress is slowly being made.

Lastly, my desktop PC started making loud noises, again. I just hope I can rescue data from the hard disk, which I’m strongly suspecting is the noise-maker…

Burning Questions

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It seems to keep coming up recently, and both sides seem to know all the answers. Having not studied this in any detail, and owing to my impatience of wanting an answer now, I turned to a friend to ask his well-studied theological opinion on several subjects covered by biblical Old Testament, but in particular homosexuality.

At one of the Universities here recently there was a showing of a documentary, I believe, regarding Christian families with homosexual children and one reviewer caught a lot of insult for arguing that it was against the bible. What she got seems to be not so much because she disagreed, but the way in which she did so – citing about 10 passages of scripture (of which 4 mentioned sexual immorality, several referring to prostitution, only 3 mentioned homosexuality directly), and also making claims with no sources regarding how homosexual behavior leads to other things (increased AIDs chances, other STI/STD’s, other behavioral issues such as lust and violence).

My wife and I talked about it, and her question was similar to mine – yes, it says in Leviticus that homosexuality is wrong, but it also says we shouldn’t drink blood (IE, don’t get a medium/rare steak.)

For me, the jury is still out until I’ve had a chance to fully consider the passages that are referred to, however I’m still strongly leaning towards the “it’s a sin” side.

Nov 17 23:54:53 <zEkE> i have a theological question, lol
Nov 17 23:55:13 <intricatic> lol
Nov 17 23:55:14 <intricatic> ok
Nov 17 23:55:15 <intricatic> shoot
Nov 17 23:55:19 <zEkE> Leviticus.
Nov 17 23:55:24 <zEkE> and the rest of those
Nov 17 23:55:28 <intricatic> mmhmm
Nov 17 23:55:31 <zEkE> do they still apply, and why?
Nov 17 23:55:53 <intricatic> the Law still applies, because it’s a statement of God’s requirements for man (how man can reach salvation on his own)
Nov 17 23:56:57 <zEkE> because people quote it all the time as why Homosexuality is wrong, and others quote other parts that aren’t followed as why it is invalid and no longer needs to be followed
Nov 17 23:57:03 <intricatic> sacrificial and dietary laws were meant for two purposes: the sacrificial laws were to atone for any breach of the moral law, and the dietary laws were meant to keep Israel refined outside of the cultures that surrounded them – the moral law shows the external indications of sin, which the law represents (do not lie, do not kill, do not etc…)
Nov 17 23:57:27 <intricatic> when a person says they’re saved, what does that statement mean?
Nov 17 23:57:56 <intricatic> i like asking questions to answer questions, lol
Nov 17 23:58:00 <zEkE> lol
Nov 17 23:58:50 <zEkE> my answer….would be that someone has asked forgiveness and turned from their sinful ways, and continues to do so
Nov 17 23:59:20 <zEkE> I guess that in turn generates the question, of what is defined as sinful
Nov 17 23:59:25 <intricatic> that’d be a good answer – man’s inability to keep the moral law of God prevents man from finding salvation on their own, and you can also say that the entire OT is pointing definitely towards Christ
Nov 18 00:00:09 <intricatic> the sacrificial laws, even the dietary laws, point to Christ – the moral laws point to how Christ lived, the Exodus is the perfect image of the process of salvation
Nov 18 00:00:25 <zEkE> hmmmm
Nov 18 00:01:14 <intricatic> and when you talk about the Exodus, you talk about people being burned alive by the consuming fire of God, people eating poisoned pheasant that God sent them as a punishment for desiring to go back to Egypt, and other things that might not be fun to apply today
Nov 18 00:01:39 <zEkE> indeed
Nov 18 00:01:55 <intricatic> but you also talk about the Promised Land, and the manna from Heaven given to the people wandering around the desert, and the miracles performed for them
Nov 18 00:02:25 <intricatic> but the Law is the basis for salvation – we’re saved because we’re not good enough on our own to make it to the Promised Land
Nov 18 00:02:37 <intricatic> we need manna 😛
Nov 18 00:03:06 <zEkE> hmmmm
Nov 18 00:03:07 <intricatic> our bread from Heaven – Communion represents Christ’s body and Christ’s blood, which also points back to the manna from Heaven
Nov 18 00:03:14 <zEkE> ooo
Nov 18 00:03:22 <intricatic> which sustained Israel in the desert for 40 years
Nov 18 00:03:59 <intricatic> the water of life – the water drawn from the rock, the rock is Christ, the water is His blood
Nov 18 00:04:38 <zEkE> mmhmm
Nov 18 00:04:51 <intricatic> but when people say homosexuality is wrong, they’re saying much the same as the idea that stealing or murder is wrong…. it is, but it’s no worse than any other sin
Nov 18 00:05:01 <zEkE> yeah
Nov 18 00:05:11 <intricatic> and everybody sins
Nov 18 00:05:19 <intricatic> that’s why we need manna, lol
Nov 18 00:05:39 <intricatic> we’d probably die without some kind of sustenance for faith
Nov 18 00:06:00 <zEkE> the difference in many ways is whether the sinner is choosing to avoid the ‘fact’ that what they do is wrong, or if they accept it as sin, ask forgiveness and turn from it
Nov 18 00:06:04 <zEkE> to me at least
Nov 18 00:06:12 <intricatic> yeah, that’s basically it
Nov 18 00:06:26 <intricatic> but Jesus addressed the very issue when He talked about eunuchs
Nov 18 00:06:44 <intricatic> he said that some eunuchs chose to be that way, some were made that way by men, and others did so for the Kingdom of God
Nov 18 00:07:41 <intricatic> His disciples said it’d be better not to marry because of how intensely He taught about marriage, so He told them that some people don’t get married because they chose not to, others because they were castrated, and still others for God’s Kingdom
Nov 18 00:08:04 <intricatic> and that’s just as true today as it was then
Nov 18 00:09:14 <intricatic> but the sinner who choses to avoid his sin, and the one who acknowledges it and asks for forgiveness is the difference from the men who relied on the manna in the desert, and the ones who wanted pheasant
Nov 18 00:09:47 <zEkE> mmmm
Nov 18 00:10:20 <zEkE> what messed up my view (slighly at least) was when i picked up the bible in church the other day, and we opened it to a random page, and pointed to a random point on the page
Nov 18 00:10:25 <zEkE> happened to be luke 17
Nov 18 00:10:39 <zEkE> southern baptist church…KJV..
Nov 18 00:10:47 <zEkE> vs 34: I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Nov 18 00:10:49 <intricatic> lol that’s always fun
Nov 18 00:10:51 <zEkE> thought nothing of it
Nov 18 00:11:03 <zEkE> two men, they were sexist, they meant two people
Nov 18 00:11:28 <zEkE> but 35 refers to females: Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Nov 18 00:11:40 <intricatic> lol
Nov 18 00:11:50 <intricatic> that is interesting
Nov 18 00:12:03 <intricatic> i’ll have to run through the language to get a good context – i never noticed that before
Nov 18 00:12:27 <zEkE> lead me back to wondering as to whether a practicing homosexual, by King James Version no less…
Nov 18 00:12:43 <zEkE> thats mostly why i’m asking you about it, because I know you can look at it at that level
Nov 18 00:13:08 <intricatic> it might have been something about how the Jewish people lived back then – it was a lot different than it is now, but i’m not sure
Nov 18 00:13:34 <zEkE> like the ‘women must not speak in church’ and the whole covering when praying, not covering when praying etc?
Nov 18 00:14:00 <intricatic> well, that, but the Jewish people were living in the near East and it was a totally different world than what we’d be used to
Nov 18 00:14:06 <zEkE> it’s true
Nov 18 00:15:17 <intricatic> i usually take stuff like that with a grain of salt until i know more about what the Greek says, or what the specifics are – it’s pretty clear what the passage as a whole is getting at, but that is an oddity
Nov 18 00:15:29 <zEkE> yeah
Nov 18 00:16:20 <intricatic> people like to point to David and Jonathan to prove homosexuality, and that one always makes me laugh… the people in Israel weren’t afraid to have two men show eachother affection like we are in the west
Nov 18 00:16:45 <intricatic> we have this weird connotation to it because of the whole homosexual culture, lol
Nov 18 00:16:57 <zEkE> indeed! just because they kissed doesn’t mean much more beyond them being friends
Nov 18 00:17:17 <zEkE> for us it’s normal for girls to hug when greeting, doesn’t make them lesbians
Nov 18 00:17:27 <intricatic> well, it was also because Jonathan seems to have undressed in front of David LOL
Nov 18 00:17:32 <zEkE> ahahaha
Nov 18 00:18:07 <intricatic> but that was actually kind of a normal thing, to show you were following someone (like a disciple, sort of) — Elijah took off his belt and threw it at Elisha to signal he’d be the next prophet
Nov 18 00:18:19 <zEkE> hmmm
Nov 18 00:19:00 <intricatic> totally different world – you can usually figure out what’s going on from the context, but there will always be specifics that cause a double-take, lol
Nov 18 00:19:26 <zEkE> lol yeah
Nov 18 00:20:47 <intricatic> i’ll pass it by my pastor friend, he can basically speak Greek fluently, lol.. he’ll probably be able to offer some insight
Nov 18 00:22:07 <zEkE> cool
Nov 18 00:23:06 <intricatic> might be talking about servants, too – they often slept in the same room, and shared beds
Nov 18 00:23:25 <zEkE> ooo
Nov 18 00:23:43 <zEkE> further symbolism, perhaps… or maybe i’m reading too much into it
Nov 18 00:24:52 <intricatic> i dunno, it might actually be prophetic and tie into end-time prophecy, but i’m not inclined to speculate, lol
Nov 18 00:24:57 <zEkE> lol
Nov 18 00:24:59 <zEkE> fair enough
Nov 18 00:25:03 <intricatic> like: http://apocalyptician.blogtownhall.com/?tag=Lepalma%20Island
Nov 18 00:25:15 <intricatic> now that’s just off the wall
Nov 18 00:25:16 <intricatic> lol
Nov 18 00:25:34 <intricatic> “Two women grinding = earthquakes!” uuhhh…
Nov 18 00:26:29 <zEkE> lol
Nov 18 00:32:42 <intricatic> there are a lot of interesting little quirks like that in scripture – i love the OT though, lol
Nov 18 00:33:09 <zEkE> lol yeah
Nov 18 00:34:27 <zEkE> found a page on stumble the other day, that has a bunch of quick links to various stories, old and new testament
Nov 18 00:34:39 <intricatic> cool 😀
Nov 18 00:34:50 <intricatic> i usually just use biblegateway.com, lol.. i’m old fashioned
Nov 18 00:34:57 <zEkE> yeah, me too
Nov 18 00:35:03 <zEkE> it links to BGW pages
Nov 18 00:35:10 <intricatic> well, not old old fashioned, but you know what i mean – they didn’t have no biblegateway.com 20 years ago
Nov 18 00:35:16 <zEkE> lol nope
Nov 18 00:35:28 <intricatic> BGW?
Nov 18 00:35:33 <zEkE> biblegateway, sorry
Nov 18 00:35:34 <zEkE> lol
Nov 18 00:35:42 <intricatic> ohh, lol right
Nov 18 00:36:06 <intricatic> you want an interesting one, the story of Jacob is probably the only story in the entire OT that makes no sense at all, imho
Nov 18 00:36:14 <zEkE> haha yeah
Nov 18 00:36:29 <intricatic> i mean, you have this spoiled jerk who’s rude and manipulative, and he gets God’s favor? o.O
Nov 18 00:36:43 <intricatic> yeah, that makes sense…
Nov 18 00:37:07 <zEkE> and Job is the opposite…..he did everything right and loses everything
Nov 18 00:37:12 <intricatic> yeah
Nov 18 00:37:32 <intricatic> Job is one thing – God likes to test people’s faith, but Jacob is like the absolute opposite of all the characters in the OT
Nov 18 00:38:22 <zEkE> yeah
Nov 18 00:38:25 <intricatic> it’s like God was looking at Jacob and Essau and thought “Which one would baffle the most people, hmm…”
Nov 18 00:39:00 <zEkE> lol yep
Nov 18 00:39:30 <intricatic> but it does make a good picture of Grace, lol
Nov 18 00:39:53 <intricatic> “God loves you, even when you wrestle with Him demanding your birthright” O.O yikes
Nov 18 00:40:20 <zEkE> hahaha yep

Why I Love Satire and IRC

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Recently I was involved in a purely satire-based discussion which spawned from a serious discussion on IRC. I feel it is self explanatory, so let me just blog the log..

[00:26:36] <MyMaynor> lol thats okay…. theres plenty of time to talk to new people.. right now i wanna ask your opinion about something…
[00:26:55] <zEkE_> sure
[00:27:04] <intricatic> hiya MyMaynor
[00:27:06] <MyMaynor> Im sure you’ve read revelations and somewhat know a lil about the end of day.
[00:27:16] <MyMaynor> hello intricatic you can join in
[00:27:18] <zEkE_> a little
[00:27:27] <zEkE_> intricatic is probably better at this than I 😛
[00:27:50] <MyMaynor> so am i being crazy when i trully believe that obama is the antichrist…
[00:28:12] <zEkE_> intricatic? lol
[00:28:19] <MyMaynor> like not like just throwing it out there. i feel he fits the description and we’re so close
[00:28:27] <intricatic> i think the antichrist, in terms of each generation’s assumptions about what the antichrist is, becomes a spectre for political puppetry
[00:28:28] <MyMaynor> everything has come to pass
[00:29:08] <intricatic> it’s also variable based on what part of the world you live in, and how horrible your government is, i’m sure o.o
[00:30:01] <intricatic> i could just as easily say that some super-charismatic leader in Russia who’s able to whip the public into a nationalistic frenzy, much like the communists of past ages, could be a better candidate for the antichrist
[00:30:38] <intricatic> but then i love to argue, so don’t mind me, haha
[00:31:06] <zEkE_> lol
[00:31:41] <intricatic> but seriously – have you read anything about Putin’s strategy for political approval? o.o
[00:32:03] <MyMaynor> well no im not basing it on how horrible the government is…. or anything like that… not that i just picked someone and decided that he should be him…. im saying he can’t put his hand on our bible… he asks for a Korean one… but hes running for president of the US… doesn’t look at our flag to say the pledge of allegance
[00:32:09] <MyMaynor> no i’ve never heard of it
[00:32:26] <MyMaynor> why
[00:32:28] <MyMaynor> ??
[00:32:31] <intricatic> even Satan knows scripture – i’m sure he can touch a bible very easily
[00:32:51] <zEkE_> my personal view is pretty much…who cares? if he is, we’ll find out soon enough…
[00:33:55] <MyMaynor> lol you’re totally right . both of ya….. om gosh i get crazy with it but i kknow i shouldn’t even care. it will all come to pass when he’s ready. so
[00:33:56] <MyMaynor> lol
[00:33:59] <intricatic> Putin is using this strategy of playing off of the people’s perception of the former USSR as a “golden age” for Russia, because of the economic turmoil caused by the revocation of their mutually invested, government-sponsored retirement programs (when the USSR collapsed, they lost everything), to whip them into a total frenzy
[00:34:01] <MyMaynor> i guess i need to suck it up
[00:34:52] <intricatic> but he’s also using the Czars and the warm feelings people have of that era to build a base in the people’s collective memory 😛
[00:35:39] <intricatic> but all the while, it looks like he’s moving closer and closer to reintegrating Russia to it’s “former glory”, in terms of nationalized industries and totalitarian rule
[00:36:11] <MyMaynor> ohhhh glory. lol and?
[00:36:26] <intricatic> and, well, mostly i think he’s just power-hungry and really frightening, lol
[00:36:38] <MyMaynor> yes sir….
[00:36:52] <MyMaynor> see i don’t like to here stuff like this cuz it scares me
[00:37:14] <intricatic> ad hominem satire time: and his first name is Vladimir… that’s got to add at least five points on the “pure evil” scale
[00:37:30] <zEkE_> lol
[00:38:02] <zEkE_> come on now, noone likes to be generalised
[00:38:32] <intricatic> generalization is fun though… all vladimirs are evil, just like all people named Elvis will die from eating too much chicken o.o
[00:39:32] <intricatic> and because i had a bad experience with a cat once, all cats are mean
[00:40:06] <intricatic> seriously… they’re like little demons with deceptive cuteness o.o
[00:40:11] <zEkE_> just like everyone from the middle east is intent on killing Americans, small town mayors are well qualified to be vice president, and everyone who reads the bible and goes to church is saved and will go to heaven
[00:40:23] <intricatic> exactly!
[00:40:35] <intricatic> silly middle-easterners… i bet they’re all suicide bombers, too
[00:40:44] <zEkE_> Wait, wasn’t Jesus from the middle east??
[00:40:49] <zEkE_> man
[00:40:49] <MyMaynor> lol ya’ll r funny
[00:40:54] <intricatic> hush! you’ll foil my satire!
[00:40:57] <zEkE_> our whole religion is based on him
[00:41:05] <intricatic> lol
[00:41:14] <zEkE_> that makes us anti-american via the transitive property!
[00:41:33] <intricatic> i actually love Hebrew history – the Hebrew language is actually so much more interesting than Greek 😀 it’s underrated in terms of popular theology
[00:41:39] <intricatic> 😮
[00:41:45] <intricatic> i r anti-american? o.o
[00:41:47] <zEkE_> yes
[00:41:52] <zEkE_> so long as you are Christian
[00:41:59] <intricatic> well, i have been called unpatriotic at least four times this week, so far
[00:42:05] <zEkE_> because you follow the teachings of a middle-eastern born man
[00:42:11] <intricatic> how terrible o.o
[00:42:16] <zEkE_> who is by his birthplace anti-american
[00:42:19] <zEkE_> 😛
[00:43:07] <intricatic> this is a fine illustration in satire of why i can’t say all middle-easterners are evil, lol
[00:43:16] <intricatic> besides guilt-by-association being a logical fallacy, of course
[00:43:51] <zEkE_> so anyone who says that the US is a Christian nation, by the above satirical explanation, is anti america

Give Us, This Day, Our Daily Serenity

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So, for the last month or so my most recent project has been under fairly tight wraps. Partly for fear all the related domain names would be taken, and partly because I feared someone would take the idea as a whole.

No more shall I fear, as I launch a new website: The Daily Serene Image.

To quote myself:
Daily Serenity was an idea conceived by demigail in 2008. Made into a reality by Zeke in October of 2008, the site went public in the following month.

Accepting any images from both amateur and professional photographers alike, Daily Serenity survives photographically based on its contributors.

Every day a new image is randomly selected from the list of those available (having been screened and approved by administrators). A brief description provided by the photographer is displayed with the image, along with a link to the photographers website (where applicable).

Published images are also archived indefinitely, with a static link available for each one. All published images are also available for download, both in widescreen and standard versions. These are sized appropriately for use as desktop wallpaper/backgrounds.

What Daily Images will be needing is contributors to provide photos and images for the site. Registration is free, and while no payment is provided for images supplied or used, no payment is required either. The terms and conditions of uploads are available when registering to provide photos, and all photos are checked and approved before they will appear on the site.

Are you a photographer? Consider some free publicity by contributing some of your work to Daily Images. If the Daily Serene Image takes off, it may grow into multiple sites of a similar nature, covering different themes.

Washington Monument

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The Washington monument, the pool of reflection.

Often called the nations…er…member, one must consider that while it is a large building, it’s also incredibly small with regard to the size of the country.

This photo is edited, although only with relation to coloring.

Taken from the Lincoln Memorial, towards the Washington Monument. Almost invisible at the other end of the Pool of Reflection is the WW2 memorial.

Taken with the S9600, recolored using the tools in iPhoto.

Quack, Quack

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On another trip to the District of Columbia, some time was spent at the monuments. These two ducks are just 2 of the many that are in and around the pool of reflection. Unfortunately there are also more than one or two floaters in the pool also. One is lead to wonder what the cause of their succumbing was..

S9600.