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Hypersyllogistic Forums Community Blog List http://forums.hypersyllogistic.com/index.php?automodule=blog Community Blog List Syndication Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:05:40 -0600 jasonevines@hypersyllogistic.com (Hypersyllogistic Forums) IP.Blog 60 Born Again Atheist - Boycott Hillary
We had Bob Johnson alluding to Obama's unmentionable something. Then the Clinton campaign insulted our intelligence asserting that Johnson was refering to Obama's community organizing. Yes, the community organizing is so sordid it can't be mentioned in polite society.

Bill has since gone from campaign stop to campaign stop dropping poison pills until today, when he dropped the bomb. The Clintons have engaged in nothing short of the most despicable scorched earth politics, politics that has no place in the democratic party, and Bill Clinton has worn out his welcome in that party. That may be harsh to say of a former president, but most former presidents conduct themselves with a modicum of dignity and decorum.

The Clintons will divide the party and the country if it means that they are the last ones standing. They may have hoped their campaign of hate and division wouldn't generate any backlash. But Hillary Clinton has lost my vote, and she will never get it back.]]> Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:05:05 -0600 Born Again Atheist - Temptation steals a page from the devil's playbook.

And there's all sorts of quotables, like:

QUOTE

[Violent videogames are] crucial, they say, to reach the elusive audience of boys and young men.

Yeah, Jesus isn't getting it done anymore. We need bonuses and things we actually care about!

QUOTE

Tim explained the game’s allure: “It’s just fun blowing people up.”

Suicide Bombings are fun!

QUOTE

Once they come for the games, Gregg Barbour, the youth minister of the church said, they will stay for his Christian message.

Just like a time share sales pitch.

You can also watch the mental gymnastics as these so called values voters justify providing age inappropriate material to minors:

QUOTE

John Robison, the current associate pastor at the 300-member Albuquerque church, said parents approached him and were concerned about the Halo games’ M rating. “We explain we’re using it as a tool to be relatable and relevant,” he said, “and most people get over it pretty quick.”

Pity the child with the parent who doesn't send their kid to the church's Halo party because they don't want him to be corrupted.

The church has lost. And which place of worship allows me to play the original San Andreas?

And we should really put parental advisory stickers on the church door.]]> Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:52:44 -0500 Musings of a Space Goat - My new PC
Of course, powerful state-of-the-art PC's from good vendors (Alienware, Falcon Northwest, etc.) cost more than $4,000, which I didn't want to pay. So, I tested the computer knowledge and technical skill I've gained over the past few years by building a new computer myself. The cost was half what it would have been if I had bought the PC pre-built.

Since I had never self-built a PC before, the endeavor was grueling. For a week earlier this month, I toiled on my machine, navigating around boxes, cords, and tools lying all around my apartment. During much of that week, I couldn't coax my new computer to start properly. I was on the verge of giving up on getting the PC to work myself; I even sent e-mails to techs around Washington, D.C., asking for assistance. But then I tried one last time to bring my creation to life, having connected to the motherboard only the components necessary for a successful boot. And it worked! So, I carefully connected the rest of the hardware, and my PC still operated as it should have. From there, I installed Windows Vista Home Premium, and my computing experience has been largely smooth ever since.

Here are my new system's specifications:

Processor: Pentium Core 2 Quad 2.4 GHz
Heatsink: Thermaltake TR2-M21 RX
Motherboard: EVGA 680i LT SLI
Graphics card: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX
Hard drives: 2 x 150 GB 10,000 RPM Raptor (RAID 0); 320 GB 7,200 RPM WD
Memory: OCZ Flex XLC 2GB DDR2 800
DVD: Sony DRU170C
Power supply: Enermax Infiniti 720W
Case: Antec 900
Mouse: Logitech MX518 (had before)
Speakers: Creative I-Trigue 2200 (had before)
Monitor: Samsung 245BW (1920 x 1200 widescreen 24 in. LCD)

I've taken some pictures of the computer, in various stages of construction:

This is the fastest machine I have ever used. The 1920 x 1200 native resolution of the monitor and maximum graphics settings don't daunt it the slightest bit, even in the most demanding games. And most normal Windows operations transpire in less time than a snap of the fingers would take.

2008, here I come. Crysis and Alan Wake, do your worst.]]> Sat, 28 Jul 2007 12:22:37 -0500 Musings of a Space Goat - A place to call home
As I announced earlier this month, I have gotten a full-time job at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., as a Web Technologies Associate. Because I'll be living in D.C. for the predictable future, my grandparents came out to help me finally decorate my apartment. Before, since I didn't know even the city in which I would eventually live, I had in my apartment a card table, four folding chairs, two small rolling cabinets, a trunk, a bed that turns into a couch, a desk without drawers, and my computer. If I wanted to watch TV or DVD, I did so on my computer. (I have a 20.1" 1600 x 1200 Samsung 204B monitor, so the experience wasn't as bad as it might seem.)

With Memorial Day weekend nearing its conclusion, I have two bookcases, one for DVD's and the other for books; two dressers, one for clothes and another for office supplies; a stack of racks by my computer onto which I can place its equipment and media; an actual table with four chairs; and a credenza on which sits a 27" CRT flat tube Panasonic Tau television. Additionally, a mirror hangs on the closet door next to my bathroom so I can tie my tie before work without getting my socks wet on still-damp tile.

That's not all: I now can cook and bake with pots, pans, and trays. And I can use genuine dishes to serve meals instead of plastic utensils and paper plates.

At last, my apartment is starting to feel like a home instead of a place I'm visiting temporarily.]]> Tue, 29 May 2007 09:18:20 -0500 Born Again Atheist - If its in a museum, it has to be true. creation museum. Aside from the obvious, it seems dinosaurs ate oblong golf balls. And:

QUOTE

exhibits are often stunningly designed by Patrick Marsh, who, like the entire museum staff, declares adherence to the ministry?s views; he evidently also knows the lure of secular sensations, since he designed the ?Jaws? and ?King Kong? attractions at Universal Studios in Florida.

Does that mean the museum is boring and will break down several times a day?]]> Fri, 25 May 2007 11:18:40 -0500 Musings of a Space Goat - The Bodies The Bodies. This exhibition must have been in New York City when I visited, because I glimpsed advertisements for it there, too.

The Bodies showcases cadavars and other real human body parts to educate the public about anatomy. That makes one of the critical blurbs about the exhibition I saw on one of its advertisements particularly creepy: "The Bodies makes anatomy come alive."

If I'm in a building with a lot of human corpses and remains, I don't want anything coming alive. "Dead" should remain the order of the day, in my opinion.]]> Thu, 24 May 2007 10:04:10 -0500 Born Again Atheist - What is wrong with the Pope? You would be wrong.

QUOTE

the pope said indigenous peoples, "silently longing" for Christianity, had welcomed the arrival of European priests who "purified" them. Many indigenous-rights groups believe the conquest ushered in a period of disease, mass murder, enslavement and the shattering of their cultures.

The Pope's problem is he has an undeserved reputation as a moral arbiter, and he's trying to milk it for everything its worth. It must be comforting to know that you can rationalize any crime by papering over it with facile and asinine comments. It must be nice to condemn violence but minimize the violence inflicted on native populations in the name of God. I assume the Jews were "silently longing" for Jesus as well, and that's why the Catholics made them "audibly scream" at the hands of the Inquisition. Nothing like a little purification by torture.

But then, the Pope is not above rationalizing his crimes or the crimes of his church. When confronted with molestation claims, the Pope:

QUOTE

became visibly upset when asked about the Maciel case by ABC News' Brian Ross in April 2002.

"You do not ask such questions," he said and then slapped Ross's hand.

That's right! You tell him, Pope! You don't ask such questions because they reveal the Church in its true light, a place where temporal power and an undeserved reputation get you special immunity from your crimes. It's fitting that Maciel received a slap on the wrist by the virtuous souls at the Vatican. The rationalization there? Doubtlessly, the altar boys were "silently longing" to be abused.]]> Tue, 15 May 2007 09:59:26 -0500 <![CDATA[Musings of a Space Goat - "Where the tides of fortune take us, no man can know"]]> Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fifth season episode "By Inferno's Light." Considering recent events in my life, that seems an appropriate title for this blog entry.

My internship for the Government Affairs department at the Cato Institute will be ending soon. I have enjoyed the experience immensely: I attended a few congressional committee hearings at which Cato scholars testified. I sat in on a large conference call with Karl Rove before President George W. Bush's State of the Union address. I learned my way around the Capitol Hill office buildings (Russell, Dirksen, and Hart for the Senate; Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn, and Ford for the House) as I delivered studies and books to various politicians and their staffers. I absorbed great quantities of information at roundtable discussions and film seminars. And I met many amazing people.

What will I do next, after the internship concludes at the end of May? I will become the new Web Technologies Associate at Cato Institute.

That is weird for a couple reasons:

I had intended my internship at Cato only to be a stepping stone to a job on Capitol Hill. After all, throughout my life, I had dreamed of working in politics. And I want actively to make a difference, not put out ideas hoping decision-makers will act on them.
The Web Technologies Associate position has little to do with what I studied in college. Coding and scripting web pages was only a hobby for me. And my family sometimes wished I would stop "sitting on my ass" making Internet sites.

But, in the third quarter of the internship, I realized Cato had more to offer, in terms of knowledge and relationships, than I could take advantage of by the end of May. So, although for much of my internship, I had been preparing to gain employment in a congressional office, I decided I would rather work for Cato instead. My intention was to apply for the Government Affairs Assistant position that is opening up soon, but my intern coordinator knew of my fondness for web design and encouraged me to apply for the Web Technologies position, too. I did so thinking it would constitute a backup, since I hadn't officially studied web design or gained professional experience with it.

Lo and behold, a few days ago, I was offered the Web Technologies Associate position. I accepted the offer, and I couldn't be happier to have done so. Now, I have ample excuse to immerse myself in technology for its own sake. I will remain at Cato for a while. I shall make quite a bit more money than I would have as an entry-level congressional staffer. And I can help promote liberty through the most effective tool available, the Internet, and with a platform that enjoys a lot more traffic than Hypersyllogistic.

Since my web savvy has landed me a well-paying job, my family has become quite supportive of my design predilection. For my birthday, still a month away, they have bought for me (rather, allowed me to purchase with a credit card) Adobe Web Premium Creative Suite 3 (

), several web coding books, and a wireless router for my apartment, so I can use my laptop, too. (I find that easier to use for writing and coding sometimes. This blog entry probably wouldn't exist but for my new wireless network.)

Responding to Gowron, Captain Sisko said, "They're tricky, those tides." Sometimes, they're also enjoyable. And I can't wait to see where they take me next.

(A disclaimer is necessary: I do not in any way speak for the Cato Institute. I just work there. My thoughts and opinions are my own, and they do not represent those of Cato.)]]> Sun, 13 May 2007 19:43:18 -0500 Born Again Atheist - The Pope is a Terrorist criticizing the Pope is "terrorism."

What raised the Vatican's ire? A comedian describing his differences with the church:

QUOTE

At the concert, held every year in front of the Saint John in Lateran basilica -- Rome's cathedral where Pope Benedict sits as bishop -- one of the presenters, Andrea Rivera, spoke out against the Pontiff's stand on a number of issues.

"The Pope says he doesn't believe in evolution. I agree, in fact the Church has never evolved," he said.

He also criticized the Church for refusing to give a Catholic funeral to Piergiorgio Welby, a man who campaigned for euthanasia as he lay paralyzed with muscular dystrophy. He died in December after a doctor agreed to unplug his respirator.

"I can't stand the fact that the Vatican refused a funeral for Welby but that wasn't the case for (Chilean dictator Augusto) Pinochet or (Spanish dictator Francisco) Franco," he said between musical acts at the open-air concert.

Frankly, the Pope can go to hell. This is not terrorism, this is disagreement. It is legitimate criticism. You are not immune from criticism of the stupid positions you take. What exactly did Pinochet and Franco do to deserve a Church funeral? Oh. Right. they killed (many, many) other people, not themselves.

QUOTE

"This, too, is terrorism. It's terrorism to launch attacks on the Church," it said. "It's terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life and love for man."

Talk about telling only half the story. The less glamorous truth is that the Pope and his subordinates are objectively disordered, hate filled cranks. When the Vatican health secretary compares people to cockroaches what else are we supposed to think? Is that not terrorism? By your own definition, is it not terrorism to call people iniquitous, evil, intrinsic moral evils, part of an "ideology of evil" (sensing a pattern here?), or want to legalize evil, or are without any social value, caricatures, perverts, violent child abusers, gravely immoral, part of a virus on society, counterfeits, "prisoners," anarchists, disordered, modern day Caligulas, self-indulgent, unnatural, that the concept of sexual orientation is "erroneous," or criticizing a media for making people "look normal."

People grow or diminish in moral stature by the words which they speak and the messages which they choose to hear. This criticism is so pointed and constant that its only purpose is to dehumanize people. It is not a cogent disagreement, such as Andrea Rivera's critique. The church says that criticizing people is terrorism. By that standard, how is the message of the Catholic Church not terrorism? The truth is that the Church wants the right to criticize peop;e it dislikes in the most strident terms possible while being immune from criticism itself.

QUOTE

?Some people have even twisted (Bagnasco's words) to start an insidious ?war', a new season of tension, which is inspiring those who are looking for motives to return to taking up arms,? the newspaper said.

Twisted? What needs to be twisted? Do the remarks of Cardinal Amato need to be twisted to create tension? His own words are vile enough as it is.]]> Thu, 03 May 2007 07:20:38 -0500 Born Again Atheist - Natural Law and Blind People Bizarre. I wonder what led him to connect the two. Neither of which is entirely relevant.

His talking points are also woefully behind the times and irrelevant:

QUOTE

There is no right to marriage in either the New Hampshire Constitution or the federal Constitution.

That might be an issue if this was a court decision. This was a legislative proposal. Since Mr. Letourneau is a member of the legislature, you might think he'd know that.]]> Fri, 27 Apr 2007 07:21:38 -0500