Employees Must Wipe Hands on Pants

…oh, and there’s also this new billion-dollar science laboratory. But nobody really cares about that, do they?

Article is here.

The International Space Station is probably the greatest unified human endeavor in our entire history as a species. Never before have so many different nations come together and joined resources to create a single project with such a massive expenditure of funds, engineering know-how, and raw determination. All for the peaceful goal of increasing scientific knowledge for the human race as a species. Completely independent of nationality, creed, religion, race, gender, or any other imaginary dividing line.

If our race wants to take pride in any single accomplishment that we can truly say we did TOGETHER, without ulterior motive, without posturing, without war, or greed, or to allow one subset of humans to dominate and control another, this project is really the poster child for such a feat.

And all the press seems to care about is that the bathroom works.

Seriously, every single mention, every story written about the ISS in the months since the toilet developed a problem has been sure to wedge that fact into the first two or three sentences. Do they think the human race, engaged in the greatest endeavor of all time, is nothing more than a pack of scatalogically-minded perverts? WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ASTRONAUT’S POOPIES?

For those who are interested, I’ve started a joint SF project with one of my co-workers.

Here is the first of what will hopefully be many many exciting installments.

This article makes me mad.

Do right-wing conservative idiots have nothing better to do than examine the fashions used by every advertisement in America to look for their own racist bigoted gripes? I mean, that’s not an “Islamic Headdress” she’s wearing. Even if it was, Islamic does not mean “Jihad”. And even if it did, Jihad does NOT MEAN TERRORIST.

Not even close. That’s like someone from an Islamic country saying you shouldn’t eat pita bread, because it’s somehow similar to an American Cheeseburger…and since America is full of Christians, and Christians perpetuated the Nazi holocaust, eating Pita is saying you approve of the Holocaust.

I mean, WTF kind of logic is that?

On a side note, I noticed that in the background of the picture attached to that article, is the Oregon capitol building. This was in Salem, Oregon — my hometown.

So what, is now everyone in Salem a terrorist because some woman in an ad wore the “wrong kind” of scarf there? How much more 1984 do we need to get in this country before there is any fucking outcry about it?

Lately it feels a lot like I’m just marking time.

Perhaps it’s because none of my creative projects are very active right now. As a result, my life recently has been just work/sleep/sit around home playing video games and watching shows on my massive new TV.

While it’s nice to have entertainment options, I can’t help but feel that I would be spending the time otherwise engaged in movies, TV and video games making music, writing, or otherwise producing something tangible or meaningful.

I’ve always had something of a creative itch. Sometimes it just gets buried in the couch somewhere while I’m fumbling for the remote.

My friend Patrick wrote this about his recent foray into Australian culture, specifically, his somewhat unhealthy interest in Vegemite.

I don’t know if this is high art or anything, but it’s pretty funny.

One of the guys at work I hang out with an awful lot went onto the night shift about 6 months ago.

Well, today was his first day back on day shift, where he will be for the indefinite future.

Yay! I got my friend back!

In addition, he’s going to be helping create a new work tool that will totally help out on all of our jobs. This is a very good thing.

Oh, Happy Cinco de Mayo, also. I think I’ll pick up a bottle of Tequila on the way home to celebrate.

I’ve got some really fun things planned for later this year. First, a trip to Seattle over Memorial Day weekend with a bunch of my friends. Later in the summer, another long vacation when I take my annual beach trip with most of the same friends.

In between, I’ve just got work. This is not nearly so stressful anymore, but I don’t think most people really enjoy what they do for a living to the point that they would do it if there wasn’t a paycheck involved.

So, it’s just somewhat monotonous. I really am looking forward to getting some recording done with Shawn, who finally called me back, to ease my ennui.

I’m writing this on my new iPod Touch. Kinda a pain, but it’s cool that I can do it at all.

Woot. Technology.

So, I won a brand new 8GB iPod Touch from this thing we have at work.

Haven’t received it yet, but should only be a few more days.

I went online to the Apple website to look at the features, and MAN those things look cool.

Given that my existing iPod is an old 4th generation 20GB classic style, the ones before they even had a color screen, this new one is going to be a whole new experience.

It makes me think back to the mid-1980’s, when you’d read articles about all the amazing new gadgets and gizmos that people were predicting we’d have going into the 21st century. (Which seemed like forever in the future back at the time.) Well, guess what? We’re there. And yes, the gadgets and technology that are coming along lately is getting pretty impressive. I saw this laptop yesterday, and man, this has got to be the sexiest computer I have ever seen.

What amazing things does the future have in store? And will these new gadgets be used for good, or evil?

Sigh. I guess the likely answer is probably “both”.

The last time America boycotted an Olympic Games was in 1980, over ironically enough, the Soviet invasion of Afghanastan.

Well, if America has any balls or international credibility left, the time has come to do it again. This stuff CANNOT be tolerated.

Of course, given how in debt we are to China, the chances that the current administration will do anything but sweep the current “unpleasantness” under the rug and gloss it over is slim-to-none. (Thanks a lot Nixon. Whatever happened to hating Those-Damn-Commies like any decent right-wing zealot ought to? Oh wait, the second they became HYPOCRITICAL commies, then you found something in common, eh?)

I guess while we’re there, we can pick up all their tips on proper internet censorship, and government spying. We wouldn’t want there to be an OPPRESSION GAP, now would we?