I lost faith in humanity

Recently on DIGG.com, a news story regarding a horrific beheading on a grayhound bus en route through Canada was submitted and quickly gained a lot of attention. The story is gruesome and I was sick to my stomach for hours. With something being so horrific and commited by a mentally psychotic individual, I would have thought people would be sympathetic to the victim and his family. The story itself is disturbing, and I found myself questioning what is wrong with humanity? But just when I thought it couldn't be any worse, the DIGG community made appalling comments with reused uncreative puns.

I don't take myself too seriously. I don't take a lot of things in life too serious either. I laugh about everything, because it's therapeutic. But this isn't one of them. I don't find the jokes and puns amusing by any means. An innocent young man was sleeping on the bus when he was stabbed 50-60 times and beheaded with a hunting knife. This innocent victim was on the bus to visit his family. He had a family. But that doesn't matter to the insensitive dolts on DIGG. I can assure you, they wouldn't be laughing it up if it was a family member of their own.

I made my own comments about this being no laughing matter. Why the hell I wasted my time and energy trying to make a statement to complete idiots, I have no idea. But I was accused of being uptight. I think that's the first time I have ever been labeled uptight in a setting like this. Perhaps I really was uptight. I probably still am. But don't I have a reason to be? Should I feel guilty because I am showing compassion?

Compassion. What a funny word. I don't think our species understands the meaning anymore. Maybe people are so desensitized in our society, these things don't phase them. Maybe humor is just a therapeutic way of dealing with something awful.

Regardless, i'm not laughing.

Texting in the nude

You almost bare it all when you text message. Did you know that? While a huge majority of text messages are sent as, ":)", "i luv u girl!", "lol ok", or even as harmless as "hey what's up?", not all of them are so innocent. I mean c'mon, let's face it, we have all typed up very personal text messages to friends, family, and spouses. You may not realize it, but text messages really aren't as private as you think they are.

Think about it for a second. How many messages do you send or receive that you wouldn't want anybody but yourself seeing? Hmm? And how often does that occur? I'm sure everybody is different, but we need to face the reality of text messaging and the content therein. Text messages are becoming easier and easier to type. With clever phones equiped with full qwerty keyboards we can text entire emails on them. So if an email is treated with privacy in mind, don't you think a text message should? Just what am I getting at?

Simple. Text messages don't require a login. They don't require a password. So if you aren't locking your phone, just about anybody could browse through them. Text privacy is severely overlooked. How many times has your friend or family borrowed your phone to make a phone call? How many times have you swapped phones to check out the cool features? How many times have you lent your phone to somebody so they could call you, or vice versa? How many times did you leave your phone at your desk or on the table when you had to use the restroom? Have you ever lost your phone? With all of the scenarios considered, do you see where i'm going with this?

A buddy of mine bought a new phone and I was checking out the features. Un-be-knownst to me, there were private text messages in his box. Font sizes on phones are generally squished down to fit an entire paragraph on the message preview. So without even trying, I got a big dose of personal reality, and none of it was my business. But who really thinks about these things? It's not until later you realize, "Oh shit... I let him use my phone and I was texting his girlfriend about bra size last night!"

Not only do you have to worry about your own phone, you start to give second-thought to texting somebody else. You never know if they will leave their phone somewhere or let the wrong person borrow it, only to stumble upon a private text message you sent. It's just too easy to access information these days.

And I don't think anybody is paying attention.

Mortgage Loan

Getting a mortgage loan these days is insane. It is extremely time consuming and you sign a never ending pile of mortgage documents. To make matters worse, i'm going with a 30-year fixed FHA mortgage, and underwriting is extremely...... thorough.

Easy Street is CLOSED. Lenders are extremely cautious and scrutinize everything! The days of 100% financing are gone. You need good credit, a perfect record, lots of disposable income, and a down payment. Period. It doesn't matter if you go conventional or FHA. Your ass better be clean, and wipe regularly. Even after being pre-approved, I am still signing documents and faxing bank statements. Anybody successfully acquiring a home loan in this market is extremely diligent. I have often wondered during this process how long it would take before I lost my mind and jammed a pen (probably the one i'm using to sign all the paperwork) in to my head. I'm sure I would be viewed as a more qualified borrower if I signed in blood.

I will be so happy when this is all said and done. I just want my house. I want the house for my family. I will look back at this moment and feel fortunate some other poor sap is going through hell, and not me. It has been an exciting experience, but i'm ready to sit down and drink a beer.

Ok, beer... and i'll invite JACK.



Who's with me?

Tour Guide

The next time I visit the beach, I want this pelican as my tour guide.

I Digg Google

More negotiations are on the table to acquire DIGG by GOOGLE for $200,000,000.000 USD. I'm not entirely sure what to think of this capitalist mess. Don't get me wrong, I love Google. A lot. But it seems every time a small, successful company comes up with a great product, you have either a.) Microsoft, or b.) Google bidding over it. Before you know it, the product receives a massive overhaul and it fails to function like it used to.

I think Google is better about this than most. I have no doubt they would do a good job with it. But one has to look at Google's core business model. AD Revenue. They "invest" in online social networks and user submitted news web sites with high traffic, because well, they have high network traffic. They want to capitalize on it. Not make it better. Maybe they will. But their first priority is ensuring they get the money flowing.

I also do not take comfort in any rewards based system for users who contribute the most to DIGG. This isn't penis envy. This is a heavily unbalanced biased system of users who have learned how to manipulate the masses to DIGG up their stories. Let's face it, the average Joe Schmoe isn't going to be getting a news article on the top stories on DIGG about Aliens landing on the front lawn of the White House and anal probing George W. Bush. Rest assured however, Mr. Babyman could shit in a box, blog it, and submit it with proceeds of 3,000 DIGGS in the first hour. If Google thinks rewarding a user like this with a small percentage of AD revenue is a way to run DIGG, I don't want it.

Leave it up to corporations to innovate. What a funny statement to read. Let alone type. I feel dirty. (If you can't sense the sarcasm) Time and time again, corporations buy and steal a product. This probably explains why some of the richest men in the world have MBAs instead of I.T. degrees and certifications.

DIGG will just become another victim to corporate capitalism.

The Dark Knight

Thanks to my buddy Travis and the boys over at Bungee, Carlie and I had the opportunity to see the Dark Knight in theaters. The sound and picture was incredibly awesome. As for the movie, it was by far one of the best Batman films ever created. Now don't get me wrong, I grew up with the original batman film with Jack Nicholson and I didn't think Heath Ledger would pull off an even similar performance.

Boy, was I wrong. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good. It was impeccable. His performance is unmatched for a film in that setting. What setting? Well, the Dark Knight is... Dark. It is simply different from the Jack Nicholson performance we all know and love. They simply cannot be compared. The two movies cannot be compared. They are the product of two totally different molds.

To be honest, I felt as if Batman was simply a secondary character to the Joker. Literally everything seemed to focus and circle around him. He is so disturbing, I found myself unsure whether or not I should laugh at some of his wise cracks and antics. They portray him as a very unstable madman, who cares about absolutely nothing but the game. He is truly insane.

While the movie was not Rated-R, they pushed the PG-13 rating. There was no blood or gore to recall, just a lot of implied death scenes. They leave a lot to your imagination, which is equally as scary. I wouldn't take my children to see it at a young age. This is a movie for teenagers and adults.

Anyway, the graphics are everything you would expect from a Batman movie in this day and age. The sound was awesome, and the acting was incredible. Batman is still extremely cool, and we all love Alfred. If you liked Batman Begins, you will definitely love the Dark Knight.

As for the recent comments on Digg regarding Heath Ledger and his performance as the Joker; Yes, alive or dead, he deserves an Oscar for one hell of a dramatic finish to his career and life. He went down with fireworks! I would give it Movie of the Year!

Contingent

I am very excited today! The house we made an offer on is officially contingent today! Carlie and I are very excited about owning our own home together. Our very first house. I am relieved to have a foundation for my baby boy, Jayden. There has been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears getting here but it has been well worth it. The house was built in 1987 and has 1830 finished sqft. It has 3 living spaces, and an open vaulted floor plan. Perfect for parties and playtime for the kids! It has a lot of cool features, like two fireplaces, alarm system, water softener, beautiful private fenced yard, and sprinklers!!

I can't tell you how excited I am to have a garage. Not to mention all the other wonderful things that comes with the home. I can't thank Shan and Toni enough for all their hard work. You guys rock!

Here, is to us! And Jayden!

$EX

Throw in a hot picture. Check.
Throw in sex. Check.
Throw in money. Check.

Obsession? Addiction? Stimulation?

$EXecuted, perfectly. Even the interwebz b0tz finds the keywords. How can you go wrong? It's totally effin annoying. A complete distraction. Unproductive. Yet we are so intrigued, curious, and distracted by anything sexual in nature. I gotta tell ya, I'm getting really tired of doing research online, only to be distracted by youtube videos, search results, blogs, and random pictures with sexual inuendo. Not to mention the endless amount of spam for it in forums, email, and MySpace.

Viagra, Cialis, Penis Enlargement, Drunk sluts gone easy, webcams, and stock options. Ok, well.. stock options in the subject line for escort services. (Hey it's the same thing!!) Where oh where, could my little point be.

$aturation. I'm really tired of it. Our species totally relies on sex & money to function. Without it, we are a total lost cause. I'm not saying sex isn't fantastic. It's just so, saturated. Used. Re-used. Over-used. I can't sit down at the comfort of my own computer desk and read about astronomy and black holes without some DOLT coming up with interracial slurs and inuendo for the exact subject i'm searching about. While some of this may seem funny (and are GREAT party lines), there is a real truth to the obsession and short-sightedness in our culture.

So you click past it, and move on. Right? Wrong. It's almost intrusive. While annoying, I just dealt with it. But with my new baby boy on the way, i'm starting to get a bit defensive and protective. I sure don't want to shelter the poor boy to death, but I can assure you there is a more than enough garbage to expose him to in a very short period of time, and the internet is a good place to start. I'm suddenly coming up with plans on where to strategically place the computer in the house. Implementing content filters, and codes for the satellite tv access. I never had to do that in the past. Hell, I never cared. I'm not a prude. I have seen FOX, Rated-R movies, pictures, and porn. I even bought $EX toys with my wife! *GASP*

C'mon, the whole planet does it. But it doesn't mean you can't be protective and annoyed by it at the same time. I am seriously starting to wonder what hope is left for a society so obsessed with it.

I just want to read about black holes.

Not watch it.

WoW Dis-Achievements? o rly?

World of Warcraft.
Levelz. Talentz. Skillz. Epix. Gearz. Mountz. And now Achievementz? srsly? Ok, ok sorry.. this is retarded. (See; retard) Don't get me wrong, I used to play WoW. A lot. It's cool. But I don't play it anymore... i'm not entirely sure why either. I just stopped playing it. I'm sure getting married, buying a house, and having our first child has something to do with it. But that's all it takes. After you spend time in, well.. real life, you look back at the game you adored... and you wonder, WTF? Achievements. Isn't that what World of Warcraft is all about?

World of Warcraft gives you a false sense of accomplishment. Everything. If it didn't work that way, you wouldn't be playing it every single day. I like to call it, the game of Dis-Achievements. Everything, and I mean everything makes you feel like you achieved SOMETHING. No matter how small. So what does Blizzard do? They add another wonderful system for making you feel important and successful. They cleverly called it, Achievements. I see what you did there.

But why? Why the hell do we play this damn game? When I look back at all the time I spent on one damn midget Mage, I gotta wonder; just what the hell did I accomplish? If the game suddenly vanished one day, permanently, and while millions of hypnotized wowzers aimlessly clicked at a black flat planel (or the login screen. Come on, we have ALL done it); what did you actually achieve?

I can't believe how many HOURS upon HOURS I spent playing that game. In the grand scheme of things, it was completely POINTLESS. You know, I guess the same could be said about all hobbies and games. You do it because you love it. I'm not going to rag on anybody for it. But i'm insulted Blizzard does it, yet again. They just feed the wowheads like they are all rabbid dogs.

Soccer FAIL

This blog post was brought to your face by, FAIL.

I don't understand soccer. But I can see how this happens; Kick, Ball, Fast, Face. FAIL.