Internet Fast

I think I might be in need of taking some serious time off from surfing the net. Especially at work! It seems that I waste so much time surfing when I have something that I don't want to be doing for work. I wonder what life would be like if I went back to the time when I didn't have the internet.

Thoughts?

Jotspot becomes Google Sites

I have created a sample Google Site: http://sites.crazanity.com

It seems a little buggy though. Check it out and leave a comment on what you think or any info I should add.

Thanks

Grandcentral

I have been using google's Grandcentral telephone service for some time now. I think it is a really great feature. I love that my wife can call the GC number and it will ring my cell, office, and lab phones. If anyone needs an invite leave a comment below.

After the weekend

I have taken a short hiatus from blogging. I left my computer at work over the weekend.

I was wondering if anyone has ever vacationed in Sark. It looks like a pretty cool place to visit.

I was also wondering what it might be like to buy a farm in the Dominican Republic.

I have been in a funk lately. I don't like it.

Life is still good though, I just need to realize it more often.

Insurer weighs up introducing ''fat'' premiums

Wow... great idea Swiss Info, by Justin Häne Original Article

The life insurance arm of Zurich Financial Services says it is studying introducing policies that would link premiums to bodyweight – a first in Switzerland. An organisation representing the obese has criticised any attempt to link premiums to body mass index (BMI), saying this would constitute discrimination... ''We have been differentiating smokers from non-smokers,'' Zurich Life Switzerland CEO Ivo Furrer told the Handelszeitung. ''Now we are studying whether classifying by body mass index is worth considering.''

Angry White Men will decide the Election

Here is an excerpt:

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.

The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.

By:
Gary Hubbell
Aspen Times

Judge not, lest ye be judged

Brigham Young’s words:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. Let no man judge his fellow being, unless he knows he has the mind of Christ within him. We ought to reflect seriously upon this point; how often it is said "Such a person has done wrong, and he cannot be a Saint, or he would not do so." How do you know? We hear some swear and lie; they trample upon the rights of their neighbor, break the Sabbath by staying away from meeting, riding about the city, hunting horses and cattle, or working in the canyons.

Brigham Young also warns:

• Do not judge such persons, for you do not know the design of the Lord concerning them; therefore, do not say they are not Saints. What shall we do with them? Bear with them … Judge no man. A person who would say another is not a Latter day Saint, for some trifling affair in human life proves that he does not possess the Spirit of God.
  

Thanks to Wally Goddard for pointing these quotes out.

I love this essay

I love the essay :

Persuasion vs. Force
by Mark Skousen

Here is an excerpt:

A Vision of an Ideal Society

Martin Luther King, Jr., gave a famous sermon at the Lincoln Memorial in the mid-1960s. In it, King said that he had a dream about the promised land. Well, I too have a vision of an ideal society.

I have a vision of world peace, not because the military have been called in to maintain order, but because we have peace from within and friendship with every nation.

I have a vision of universal prosperity and an end to poverty, not because of foreign aid or government-subsidized welfare, but because each of us has productive, useful employment where every trade is honest and beneficial to both buyer and seller, and where we eagerly help the less fortunate of our own free will.

I have a vision of an inflation-free nation, not because of wage and price controls, but because our nation has an honest money system.

I have a vision of a crime-free society, not because there's a policeman on every corner, but because we respect the rights and property of others.

I have a vision of a drug-free America, not because harmful drugs are illegal, but because we desire to live long, healthy, self-sustaining lives.

I have a vision of an abortion-free society, not because abortion is illegal, but because we firmly believe in the sanctity of life, sexual responsibility, and family values.

I have a vision of a pollution-free and environmentally sound world, not because of costly controls and arbitrary regulations, but because private enterprise honors its stewardship and commitment to developing rather than exploiting the earth's resources.

I have a vision of a free society, not because of a benevolent dictator commands it, but because we love freedom and the responsibility that goes with it.

The following words, taken from an old Protestant hymn whose author is fittingly anonymous, express the aspiration of every man and every woman in a free society.

Know this, that every soul is free

To choose his life and what he'll be;

For this eternal truth is given

That God will force no man to heaven.

He'll call, persuade, direct aright,

And bless with wisdom, love, and light,

In nameless ways be good and kind,

But never force the human mind.

Guilty of eating chocolate

another thing we can all feel guilty about, eating chocolate

---

The human cost of chocolate

not just blood diamonds we need to worry about, now it's blood chocolate.

reminds me of an article that Paul Terhorst wrote:

Body Work

Reference Mosaic: Creative Commons Textures

Happy

Happy to be alive right now. I know it will change soon, but I will take it while I can.

I am glad that I have such a wonderful life, I hope that I can be grateful for it more often.

I just need to open my eyes and see, then go to work.

Top 25 Photoshopped images

	By dairycow2
	By [ Sue ]
	By zepper_7
	By Diji's
	By Stumblingthrulifewithgrac...
	By picknicker
	By Fianna
	By Cher0213
	By ladylindsay
	By Richard Winskill
	By espion
	By Stephen Hayes
	By ladylindsay
	By stonethestone
	By unabcm
	By p77
	By Chris Tait
	By Badraka
	By ladylindsay
	By (fez) See more photos, or visit his profile. cat, bouchee, grass, green ...
	By Miguel Ramirez
	By BarelyFitz
	By RallySport
	By ladylindsay

Beautiful Day

It is a beautiful day outside. I am happy right now.

I wish that my son weren't struggling with his homework. He was tested for ADHD and the psychologist didn't think he had it. He did test in the extremely gifted range. He is in the fourth grade and had an IQ of 135. I am not sure if his giftedness is the source of the problem with homework or not. The only way I can get him to complete writing assignments is by typing them as he dictates. He is stressed out by homework and school, he is only in the fourth grade! School should not be that much stress for someone so young. I hate the stress that it brings to our home as well, I hate fighting him to do his homework. My wife has been attending some classes on how to parent gifted children, she got a contact, and we are going to try and get him some counseling. His anger lately has been a major issue.

Does Boredom lead to Depression?

I am so bored at work today. I am bored most days at work. I just can't believe that they pay me as much as they do when I don't produce that much. I am not avoiding stuff to do, there just isn't anything for me to do right now. Hopefully things will pick up around here, time goes so much faster when you have something to do.

First Thirty Days

I just saw a writeup on TechCrunch for www.first30days.com
It looks intriguing. I am all for making the world a better place. I think starting with yourself is the best way to do that. It looks like a good site to get some motivation to make changes in your life.

Information Overload

by occhiovivo

Go hug your family!

Cool Sites that have influenced my life

How often do you run across a website that changes your way of thinking?

There are a few out there that have had a major impact on what I think about and how I want to live my life. Sometimes it is a book or radio show, which of course has a corresponding website.

I have been watching the internet forums at Early Retirement Forums for quite some time. I don't agree with all that they talk about there but it has been such an intriguing concept for me. I think that it corresponds with the time when I started listening to Dave Ramsey. It just seems crazy that with all of the focus on these two ideas and sites that I am essentially still at the same spot financially as when I started. A little bit worse actually if you factor in Home values.

I really do wish that I could live off the grid. But I know that I never will.

I have considered changing my career many times, but I know that I will never make as much money as I do now. At least in the short term. Is my job really that bad? I suppose it is quite probable that I will get laid off before I am ready to retire. Then what will I do?

Most days I just want to live in some third world country and see how long I can make my meager 401k last. What do we really need to survive and be happy. Somehow I don't think it requires much of what we buy and consume here in the United States. I think my family needs to move more towards the halfway point.

I mean why work at all?

Mitt Romney, CPAC, drops out

Romney is out :-(

Hopefully the conservative movement isn't set back too much.

Good luck Mitt, in whatever you decide to do.

Thoughts

I find it very strange that so many people can make money on the internet from nothing. Heather Armstrong and Steve Pavlina come to mind first. I am sure there are many others that I don't know about. It seems that just the extremely large number of people bored on the internet clicking on random ads make all of this possible. Doesn't make much sense to me. Then again there is a lot that doesn't jive with my very analytical mind, so it shouldn't be that strange to me at all.

Tribute to President Hinckley

Thanks to Joel Dehlin for pointing this out:

Glenn Beck’s comments the day after President Hinckley’s passing.