Websites To Occupy Your Time

Because there isn't anything better to do at work.

If I haven’t mentioned this before, forgive me. Here is my plug for internet researcher extraordinaire, Robert Ambrogi. I get an RSS feed from his research blog, www.legaline.com. His sleuthing tips are pretty invaluable.

Yesterday, he hooked us up with "60 sites in 60 minutes" (http://www.abanet.org/techshow/60sitesHOF/60sites2006.html), a fascinating blend of website favorites providing all kinds of fun in exchange for actual work. So much fun, in fact, my boss laid three new projects on my desk this morning because "idle hands cause trouble".

Anyway, before I get spied upon further I need to hook y’all up. Here are a few of the websites, provided by Robert Ambrogi, that have kept me amused:

www.readthebill.org
An initiative to keep Congress from passing "mystery bills" that the public hasn’t been able to read.

www.maps.a9.com
Use mapquest and see photos of the location you plug in.

www.krittersinthemailbox.com
Stuffed animals for animal lovers. Feel free to send me one. I want a stuffed jackalope.

www.lastcallpoker.com
Cemetery poker for when you die

www.luminouslandscape.com
Digital Noise Reduction Software. They showed this on CSI: the conversation they were able to pick up from the grooves in a handmade pot. This stuff is way too smart for me but way cool anyway.

www.opencrs.com
Congressional Research Reports for the People. Again, become way too smart for your own good reading about "Border Security and Military Support: Legal Authorizations and Restrictions" or "Government Access to Phone Calling Activity and Related Records: Legal Authorities"

www.papernapkin.net
Send electronic rejections to people you hate via email.

www.scroogle.com
Scrape your google searches of the crap entries.

www.seemego.com/gallery
Pics of vacation travels by real people.

www.sorrygottago.com
When you absolutely have to get off the phone. I have three or four people I refuse to talk to because they won’t let me get off the phone to go pee. This will come in handy.

www.innertalk.com
Hypnotize yourself. On my "To Do" list.



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Git Yer Own Invisibility Cloak

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/26/cloaking_metamaterials/
"Invisibility Cloak Moves A Step Closer"



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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I'm a mess. I'm sorry.

We're 4 weeks into the new happy-pill batch, people. Drug studies predict it takes an average of 6 weeks. I'm dying for some help here.

Overwhelmed? Yep. Not ready to jump in a creek, though.

Unsure? Absolutely. Lost. Completely. One minute I'm sailing onto something new and CRASH!

I'm back at bottom. Not sure where I am who I am or where I'm going.

And I'm SOOOOOO angry. I know it. I come up with 80 things I'm pissed off about all at once. But my motivation to yell and kick and scream and run for an hour are all gone.

I just want to melt into my couch. Ice water handy, because I'm too cheap to turn the AC on. I don't want to make any decisions, but yet I am a little disturbed because I feel like my sensory button is off kilter.

I know I'm mad, but I don't have the energy or care to yell.

I know I'm sad, but I don't have the energy or care to cry.

I know when something makes the corner of my mouth turn up that it means I'm happy.

But I don't feel it.

Stunned paralyzed frozen gone

find me



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Abortion isn't = Murder Comparison Chart

(A brief aside: In case you people haven't noticed, I surf the web all day long. Nice job, if you're into that sort of thing. Someday I'll teach my own seminar "How to Surf the Web and Get Paid to Do It")

See the link below for a truly great, "Abortion is not equal to Murder" comparison chart. Explains the logical fallacies of Pro-Lifers. Remind me to do one of my own regarding Evolution.

http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2006/03/21/why-its-difficult-to-believe-that-anti-choicers-mean-what-they-say/





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ooooooohhhhh...a better quote

"Watch out for people who have a situational value system, who can turn the charm on and off depending on the status of the person they are interacting with," Swanson [author of Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management] writes. "Be especially wary of those who are rude to people perceived to be in subordinate roles."



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Busy, but here is a quote

"Love is what's left of a relationship after all the selfishness has been removed."
-Cullen Hightower





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"Beyond 'I'm a Diabetic', Little Common Ground"

The New York Times:

"Beyond 'I'm a Diabetic,' Little Common Ground "
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/17/nyregion/17diabetes.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
Published: May 17, 2006


Incredible article. I can’t possibly tell you how tired I am of the discourtesy served to me when I tell someone I’m a Diabetic.

- No, I didn’t get this disease because of my conscious choices, sedentary lifestyle, eating habits, or genetic predisposition.

- I gained 100 lbs. when an idiotic endocrinologist put me on two medications, pills and insulin, that were meant for Type II Diabetics, not Type I Diabetes. I don’t have Diabetes because I’m fat. I’m fat because of my Diabetes.

- My daughter weighed 9 lb. 10 oz at birth. In the shitty C-Vegas hospital, I received a lot of flak about how I must not have taken care of my diabetes, making her a fat baby. Truth is, my diabetes was better than the average healthy adult during my pregnancy. She has big people genes, dammit. Her uncle weighed 12 lbs, 7 oz., setting a record in the state of Georgia.

- I’m not on the insulin-pump because I’m some kind of "worse" diabetic. Studies prove giving yourself insulin more often will lessen the risk of complications later, as it mimics natural dispensing of insulin. Before the pump, I shot myself up 3x per day, then 5x, then 7-8x. I would much rather go this route than keep giving myself injections.

- You people who make choices to give yourself Type II Diabetes have no freaking clue. I feel really sorry for you, mostly because you demonstrate "survival of the fittest" theory with your stupidity. If you could only feel, right now, the adverse consequences you will bear as a result of your decisions. Because you gave up/don’t care/don’t know, Diabetics like me don’t get very many research studies. Big Pharma is getting too rich off your Type II medications (Glucophage, Avandia, etc.) to ever look into a cure for the disease.

Unfortunately, Spencer’s "survival of the fittest"/Darwin’s natural selection holds no strength against the social liberalism that reigns today. If "survival of the fittest" were the case, Type II Diabetics who refuse to "fix it" would simply die, sparing us the high costs of cardio, pulmonary, renal, and endocrine care. Instead, state-run health programs pay for mistakes, particularly those committed by Americans that still refuse to eat healthfully and get off their asses.

Whatever happened to proactive solutions for social ills? Acting retroactively, just for the purpose of sparing hurt feelings, is clearly not the solution necessary for the spoiled ignorants. Won’t exercise or lay off McDonald’s? Lose full coverage medical, both private and public. If your disease is the result of choice, particularly after you’ve been continuously warned, you shouldn’t have the choice of bearing down on the public dole when you can no longer work and are supported by Social Security and Medicaid. "Limited Medicaid" benefits for you. You’ll get to see the Doc for conditions that are non-pre-existing and were not caused by "choice".

Am I being too harsh, here?



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Belief-a-matic!!!

Check out this religion site listed on the Webby awards, www.beliefnet.com, and you too can take the Belief-a-matic quiz to find out your religion. Here are my results:

"Your Results:
The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking.How did the Belief-O-Matic do? Discuss your results on our message boards.

1.
Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
2.
Liberal Quakers (96%)
3.
Unitarian Universalism (96%)
4.
Theravada Buddhism (95%)
5.
Neo-Pagan (94%)
6.
Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (90%)
7.
New Age (88%)
8.
Jainism (82%)
9.
Bahá'í Faith (80%)
10.
Hinduism (76%)
11.
Sikhism (76%)
12.
Taoism (71%)
13.
New Thought (68%)
14.
Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (66%)
15.
Orthodox Quaker (64%)
16.
Reform Judaism (63%)
17.
Scientology (61%)
18.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (51%)
19.
Secular Humanism (50%)
20.
Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (46%)
21.
Orthodox Judaism (46%)
22.
Jehovah's Witness (41%)
23.
Islam (36%)
24.
Seventh Day Adventist (36%)
25.
Nontheist (29%)
26.
Eastern Orthodox (24%)
27.
Roman Catholic (24%)




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Best Proposal Site Ever

www.daveloveselizabeth.com

Almost as good as "Chuck and Cindy: The Wedding" (From Elizabethtown).
All you techie-inclined men need to take note. The site is really, really romantic.




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Research Your Hybrid

Z and I are coming pretty close to needing new vehicles - mine has 200,000 miles on it. We're pretty committed to purchasing at least one hybrid, as I don't see the amount of driving I do lessening anytime soon.

Well, the Webby Awards were just released, and one of the winners for "Guides" was the UCS Hybridcenter (Union of Concerned Scientists; www.hybridcenter.org.) There, you can plug in your driving needs, interests, and etc, and it will produce a guide for you that brings you all the statistics. For instance, I'm now into the idea of the second gen Prius, which starts at 20K and has 16 cubic feet of cargo room. If I kept it 10 years, I would save 25K at the pump....

Even better, the site gives you stats on what kinds of tax breaks you can earn from buying a hybrid. Awesome.




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C-VEGAS DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS

For those of you who still follow the C-Vegas Newspaper online, you may have missed out on their latest update. The paper copy publishes a special color magazine-style section on Saturdays featuring local real estate.

This week, grab a copy. That’s my parent’s house on the cover! They FSBO’d it on Tuesday, and I expect the phone to start ringing after the glossy is released.



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Let’s Play Catchup!

Here is what is going on in the wonderful world of Snewo:

I have a Braves Addict in the House

Z has turned into a Braves Addict. Last weekend, I had to watch a couple of hours of games, which was hard enough. However, this Braves thing has also brought out his inner Alpha male. We watched 2 hours of drag racing on FSN, and then a bunch of crap on ESPN, and then watched some of those idiots build custom motorcycles…..UGH. He needs some brainwashing. I’m going to get a hold of all of those "Desperate Housewives" episodes I’ve missed since I became an Alexis Arquette addict ("Surreal Life"). I’m going to tie him down to the futon, and he’s going to endure a whole day of it, and let’s see how much ESPN he can take after that.

I’m halfway kidding, of course.

My Elliptical Makes Me Low

I bought an elliptical, and its my new tv-watching routine in the evening. My biggest issue is this: once I work out, and go to bed, I have a ridiculously hard time waking up in the morning. However, instead of being bitchy about my sleep deprivation, I’m on new happy pills which make me kind of complacent about the whole thing.

The other issue I have with the elliptical is that it makes my blood sugars low, off and on. Whereas previously they were always high (240-480). So the disruption from normal is still keeping me tired and dazed all the time. I’m having a really hard time feeling aware/awake. On a personal level, I know I owe a bunch of people cards/flowers/phone calls/encouragement, but I can’t seem to focus long enough to actually complete the task.

Where’s my speed?

I Did My Dose of Counseling Yesterday. Don’t Call For A Good Vent For A Week.

I spent three hours last night counseling someone close to me. We’re kind of separated twins, so I’m probably the best person for the job. However, the talk kind of changed my world. I’m still processing all of the new information I learned, and figuring out how it made my perspective different. Here is what I have so far.

* I’M A PLODDER
Supposedly. I would argue I’m a mover and a shaker, since a lot of people seem to identify me as such. However, I was told last night that I’m just a really enthusiastic/energetic plodder. Like a turtle, but wearing a hot pink miniskirt, black fishnets, and a pair of Manolos.

* MY CAREER TALENTS LIE IN MY ABILITY TO PERCEIVE SITUATIONS IN WAYS THAT OTHERS CAN’T.
Um, maybe. I think that talent falls into my interest in strategy and business positioning, but I really have never heard it put that way before.

* I HAVE A CHEERLEADER IN MY CORNER WHO WANTS ME TO HAVE BABIES AS MUCH AS I DO
I kind of knew that, based on the horror-of-my-life-abortion-escapade, but it made me cry to hear it.
-------------------------------------------------------------
And that's about it for now. There is plenty more, but I'll have to finish later. I'm supposed to be productive now.



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Stephen Colbert's speech: White House Press Correspondent's Dinner

Omigod. I was hooked up with the transcript of this yesterday. Wish I'd been tuned into C-Span that night. American Idol must have been on.

Laugh. That was funny.

Anyway, here's the clip. 25 minutes or so, and watch the whole thing. Some of it drags, but watching Helen Thomas chase Stephen Colbert in his "Press Secretary Audition Tape" is awesome.

http://video.freevideoblog.com/video/AAC7FA18-2DDC-4D3E-B1BB-9D6CBD83E27F.htm








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The Grand Conspiracy Called Ethanol

Business Week wrote an article about the fraud-conspiracy called "ETHANOL". For those of you considering alternative energy sources, I recommend you read their expose.

"Ethanol: A Tragedy in 3 Acts"

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/apr2006/bw20060427_493909.htm?chan=search

Also, please refer back to my favorite doomsday website, "Life After The Oil Crash". Believe me, people. If Bush and his cronies are following the economists behind this website, I suggest we follow also. Leave the herd. Install a geothermal unit in your backyard and buy a hybrid.

www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net

If you think your gas price is awful (mine was a relatively inexpensive $2.84 per gallon, regular, at the Crittersville Sleezy Serve) check out this site. This gas map gives you an idea of how bad your neighbors have it.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx



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