Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Christmas Tree


Brought the Christmas tree home on the bike, it was pretty sweet, took Joe's Kona MTB as it handles the ice a little better.
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Sunday, December 14, 2008

Snow!


I love it when we get snow in Portland, makes car dodging a little more challenging.
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Saturday, December 13, 2008

I'm Back Bitches!!!

Obviously I've been gone for a while.

Many things happened in the past several moons.

I got a job as a bicycle mechanic
Then I lost my job as a bicycle mechanic
I sold my car!!!
I built my first bicycle wheel, Chris King, IRD, and Wheelsmith... All the parts were manufactured in the USA, My little stimulus package to the economy
I paid for bicycle mechanic school
and bought more bike crap

Pictures of the bike, 'cause I just finished it this evening...





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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Red Flags Galore

K, so I was browsing a social networking site based on movie tastes (pretty cool site, actually). I was taking a look at a potential "friend" or whathaveyou, and I saw this message on his page. (the site apparently posts all your msgs to the person's page you msg.)

If this wasn't so clearly phishing or an attempt to spread a virus, it'd be downright scary for that dude. Enjoy.

"Hello My name is imran am single,30yrs beautiful and lovely,submissive,loyal,honest,caring,lovely,understandable,faithful,sincere. I like your profile and i decided to contact you to have a serious relationship with you even if involves marriage so far there is real love, i wouldnt mind..You can contact me through my e-mail address,sugakineandimran@yahoo.com,i can send you my foto and for us to know each other better and not only that i have something important to tell you. hugs! i wait for your reply through my email sugakineandimran@yahoo.com or hudsugakine@hotmail.com Love from imran.....
hi baby i love you. <====not something you should tell someone WHEN YOU RANDOMLY MESSAGE THEM and you've never even talked before!

So many red flags in such a small paragraph. The first one that stands out to me is describing herself as "beautiful". Anyone who describes themselves in such manner is likely to be severely self centered, in my experience. The picture on the profile the spammer made was actually pretty, but describing oneself as such is very unattractive to moi, never mind the fact it's not the spammer in reality anyway.

Then there's the "submissive" business. I never really got the submissive fetish thing. I mean, there's definitely an appropriate time/place for gender roles to manifest themselves, but to describe your general personality as "submissive" is just sad.

Moving onto the best of the lot, she says that, the few brief descriptions he gives of himself, coupled with the movies he likes, is enough to warrant her "deci[sion] to contact him to have a serious relationship with [him], even if involves marriage". Wow. Just wow. I mean, when you are dating someone it's kind of fun to compare tastes in music/film/art/literature/etc, but I'm not sure that's really the best thing to base your decision to marry someone on. I know plenty of happily 'married' couples (using the modern intent of the word) that have extremely different tastes in many things. But they seem to mesh well together, complimenting each other. At least it seems so from an outside perspective.

And that's overlooking the glaring grammatical errors throughout.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Simply Beautiful. All hail the light capture box.



via sleepycity.net, a great cache of good photo-graph-isms

Sunday, August 17, 2008

"Government Paid Evangelists"

If this video doesn't scare you, you're probably someone who I couldn't have a civil conversation with concerning religion.



More information on the campus crusade for christ's military ministry can be found here.

(from the group's website)
"Young recruits are under great pressure as they enter the military at their initial training gateways," the group has stated on its web site. "The demands of drill instructors push recruits and new cadets to the edge. This is why they are most open to the 'good news.' We target specific locations, like Lackland AFB [Air Force base] and Fort Jackson, where large numbers of military members transition early in their career. These sites are excellent locations to pursue our strategic goals."

Pursue our strategic goals!?!

Interesting Quotes




"The really dangerous American fascist... is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."
-- U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, quoted in the New York Times, April 9, 1944



I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!
-- Rev. Jerry Falwell

Secular schools can never be tolerated because such a school has no religious instruction and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith.... We need believing people.
-- Adolf Hitler, April 26, 1933

Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society.
-- D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge Ministries and Bush advisor.



A person who is guided by God will never be misguided by anyone.
-- Osama Bin Laden

We’re being guided by God.
-- Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson

No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God.
-- George Bush Sr., to a reporter in 1988

via H.E.R.B.
The site's header is a bit hostile toward religion, something I don't wholly endorse (as I believe in everyone's right to freedom of religion), but I do vehemently oppose a theocracy. No state should, in my opinion, define it's society by a religion. Religion's influence on society is naturally occurring and should not have to be bolstered by laws. If a religion is too weak to have support from the common person, then it should fall by the wayside like the horse-drawn carriage.

Many more quotes and some political cartoons, etc. on the site.

-Dave

Friday, August 15, 2008

I'm coming out of blogger retirement!

After nearly 3 years of hibernation, I'm back. That's right, I found my login info! F yeah!

Friday, July 04, 2008

Chillin'

Played a little snacky shack.

Here's Lily servin' it up pimp style.

Yerp

Joe

Stall

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Lame Ducks

A good example of a completely ineffective government.


"Congress has effectively given in to the administration, allowing it to grant immunity to any telco. Apparently, all that talk about not allowing the worst of this bill to go through was just talk. It's difficult to know where to begin in reviewing this "deal." It's hardly a compromise -- it's a get out of jail free card."



Link to Techdirt article

Thursday, June 05, 2008

The Last Few Days...





A few photos

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

To: The Shareholders of ExxonMobil and Chevron Corporations, and All Peace Loving People of the World

From: Hassan Juma'a Awad, President, Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU)

We call upon the governments, corporations and other institutions behind the ongoing occupation of Iraq to respond to our demands for real democracy, true sovereignty and self-determination, free of all foreign interference.

Five years of invasion, war and occupation have brought nothing but death, destruction, misery and suffering to our people. In the name of our "liberation," more than a million of our citizens have been killed or wounded, our nation's schools, hospitals and other infrastructure have been destroyed, our neighbourhoods have been bombed, our homes have been broken into, our children have been traumatized, many of our family members and neighbours have been assaulted and arrested, our national treasures have been looted, and nearly twenty percent of our people have been turned into refugees.

The continued occupation fuels the violence in Iraq rather than alleviating it. The occupation has helped to foment and then exploit sectarian divisions and terror attacks where there had been none.

The Ba'athist legislation of 1987, which banned trade unions in the public sector and public enterprises (80% of all workers), is still in effect and continues to be enforced against us. Our union offices have been raided. Union property has been seized and destroyed. Our bank accounts have been frozen. Our leaders have been beaten, arrested, abducted and assassinated. Our rights as workers are routinely violated. This is an attack on our rights and the basic precepts of a democratic society. It is a grim reminder of the shadow of dictatorship still stalking our country.

We call upon you and all the world's peace-loving peoples to help us to end the nightmare of occupation and restore our sovereignty and national independence so that we can chart our own course to the future.

We demand an immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from our country, and utterly reject the agreement being negotiated with the USA for long-term bases and a military presence. Iraq must be returned to full sovereignty.

We demand the passage of a labour law promised by our Constitution, that adheres to ILO principles to protect the rights of workers to organize, bargain and strike, independent of state control and interference and on which Iraqi trade unionists have been fully consulted.

We demand an end to meddling in our sovereign economic affairs by the International Monetary Fund, the USA and UK, and multinational energy corporations, and recognition that no major economic decisions concerning our services and resources can be made while foreign troops occupy our country.

We demand that the US government, oil companies and others immediately cease lobbying for the oil law which would fracture the country and hand control over our oil to multinational companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron. We demand that all oil companies be prevented from entering into any long-term agreement concerning oil while Iraq remains occupied. The Iraqi government must tear up the current draft of the oil law, and begin to develop a legitimate oil policy based on full and genuine consultation with the Iraqi people. Only after all occupation forces are gone should a long term plan for the development of our oil resources be adopted.

We seek your support and solidarity to help us end the military and economic occupation of our country.

We look forward to the day when we have a world based on co-operation and solidarity. We look forward to a world free from war, sectarianism, competition and exploitation.


This is a statement made by the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions on May 28 during the shareholder meetings of ExxonMobile and Chevron. Now my question is, why aren't any of the major news outlets covering this, I think this is big news.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

$^&*!$* Thieves Stole My Bike!

They got the RecycloBurningManGrocerygetter Granola Bike. Right out of my carport, maybe I'll get lucky and spot it, or one of the people that I have looking out for it will see it...

In the meantime, F%^k thieves!

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Now comes with 100% MORE seatpost!

And fenders to boot!

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Single Speed Grocery Getter/Burning Man Bike...

Needs a few things, like a seatpost.
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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery

If you like bicycling, and you like comics, or even if you just like comics, check out Yehuda Moon... It's good schtuff mate!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

World Rally Championship 2007 Compilation

My second compilation of the 2007 WRC season, set to Deftones Engine #9



Thursday, February 14, 2008

Calling all Portland Looky-Loos...


Yeah, I'm talking to you Portland Looky-Loos, the ones that backed up traffic for ~10 miles, and for what? An accident, yes an accident, THAT WAS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION on I-84.

I hate you all, made my commute go from 1 hour to 2, jackasses.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

New Bike = Not Smoking???



The idea is that I'll be riding my bike to work, therefore life will suck if I keep smoking (15 mile ride to work).

Well that's the plan anyway. I was supposed to stop smoking last week, but I had a hell of a time, here's to this week!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Where I spend my days...


In my cubicle, yes I have CRT monitors, those will be changed to LCD's when I get my permanent cubicle. Also yes I have 2 computers, I support both Windows and Mac software. This is actually the first time I have used a Mac extensively since high school, though OSX is nice (it's basically Linux with a pretty window manager), I could never justify the exorbitant prices Apple wants for their hardware, so PC and Linux it is for me.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Hears the The Internet Stalkers


Nice try! But look here ____________^_________ I just take a break and everything you say is gone. I hope you have a Great New Years.....(insert sarcaism)........ and on to the Next day :0
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