The World Cup...

I have been trying to watch some World Cup action and I have, now that the US is out, have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, Ghana lost the defending champ, Brazil, 3 - 0 today in the round of 16. I have been pulling for Ghana since they beat the Czech Republic and I rooted strongly for them against the United States ( Bruce Arena is a horrible sport and should be relieved of his duties. Come on, 1 goal?!? The Italians shot just as many balls in the US goal as the US did in 3 games?!?! Fifth best in the world? I don't see it...).

According to this article, the strong performance of Angola (who got 2 ties) and Ghana has inspired folks all over Africa. Coupled with the fact that South Africa will be hosting the 2010 World Cup, the time for the rise of African football is coming. I am an international soccer newbie but seeing all of the countries putting great teams together will only make the World Cup more exciting. And, if this can create some dialogue on equal footing, all the better.

First Flock Public Beta is out...

The first public beta for Flock , a web browser based on Firefox (with some really neat social networking tools added ) is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.  In fact, I am using the Linux version to type this post. 

Yummy goodness...

technorati tags:flock, software, web 2.0

Blogged with Flock

The Americans and their Cars

Out of all of man's inventions in the last 125 years, nothing has changed the landscape of the world (and, especially America) like the car.  Some of you may be saying "whoa there, what about TV? Radio? The Salk Polio Vaccine? American Idol?"  Specifically, the propagation of the car.

The car is repsonsible for a lot of our pollution.

The car has irreparably changed housing patterns, facilitating the birth and growth of suburban America. Twice. (after both world wars)

The car has even changed how we watch TV.  Have you ever wondered why TV shows premier episodes in September? Think about this: when do new car models come out? Exactly, the fall. Car and car-related companies (e.g, Texaco) financed early TV programming.  

The car (along with the Cold War) is responsible for America's rollback of public transit (included in this is passenger train and intercity bus transit).  Eisenhower felt that America should have a national network of highways to facilitate easy travel between and among metropolitan areas in the event of an attack.  The attack never came but the freeways are still here...and so are the orange cones and resurfacing projects that only get more and more costly and time-consuming...remember what aspalt is made of.  Oil byproducts.

Did I mention oil? We won't even get into that.

Cars have been usurping control of our lives for years.   When are we going to take it back?

Ghost is for the Parents...

This is what Ghostface Killah had to say about parenting in this interview...

Listen, man, you got to chastise your kid. If you dont lay your foot down, your kid is going to be [saying], Fuck you. And you going to be sitting there crying [in a high-pitched voice]: Oh, what have I done; I havent done nothing to this boy. And that little motherfucker barking on you [in a little boys voice]: Nah, fuck you, mommy. Im going outside with my friends. I dont give a fuck what you say. Parents get that when they dont put they foot down. Niggas got to start going hard on they kids again. Aint no law and order any more. I am not saying you got bust your kids ass everyday, but you got to go back to the ole remedy. I dont know about you, but I used to get my ass whipped, and that kept me on a straight path. If I did something wrong or said something wrong to somebody, fuck around and get popped in my fucking mouth, and thats just what it is, G.

I have always believed that parenting is a benevolent dictatorship. Some parents are too benevolent (the parents on Maury and some are too dictatorial (think Carrie's mom from Carrie). It's about that balance. Kids will be kids but if a kid gets out of pocket the way a grown person would, you have to remind them...no one talks to you like that, ESPECIALLY not your kid. Spanking, denial of privileges, that's up to you to decide. But you have to punish them...otherwise, they will think that they can fuck up with no repercussions. That's just not how life is...unless you are Ken Lay or Dubya.

why I love and hate reading Roldo...

I read more of what Mr. Roldo Bartimole said here and this article is a prime example on why I love AND hate to read what he has to say. First, why I love to read his writing:

• He challenges the reader to find out what some of the things he talks about means
  
• He pulls no punches
  
• He does not talk down to his readers
  

Now, why I hate reading his writing:

• He paints Cleveland as a city where the rich continuously take advantage of their "stroke" to deny resources to the poor and needy

Oh...wait, the rich in Cleveland do do that...

Never mind about the hate part.

Jesus Christ: Lord, Savior....killer app?!?!

This article on CNET talks about how technology is driving how people worship. Imagine, a BSOD during communion..."we need to put some money in the collection plate to pay for a copy of Windows Vista. Praise Bill...err, I mean Praise Jesus.". I don't really have a problem with churches modernizing their methods of communications (podcasting of sermons would be really kick...umm, butt) but this is crazy:

Perhaps America's best example of the tech-savvy house of worship is the Houston-based Lakewood Church, which last year recorded a weekly attendance of 30,000. Pastor Joel Osteen needed the Compaq Center, a former basketball arena that was once home of the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets, to serve as his chapel.

Osteen employs three massive video-display screens to project his image to people sitting in the nosebleed seats. Illuminating the walls and the giant globe spinning behind Osteen's pulpit are Altman Micro Strips, strip lights that use a range of tungsten halogen lamps to create different lighting effects.

Here's my question: what about Free/Open Source Software in the church? I have seen a couple of bible apps in Free/Open Source but not much else. If you are trying to save money while maintain functionality, Free/Open Source would be the way to go.

Praise the Lord and pass the install disks.

Performancing...the best thing on earth.

I am posting this blog entry using Performancing.  This is probably the coolest  Firefox add on I have seen...

(slobber....)

I don't normally....

I don't normally post about my own posts...but this is what happens when you are entirely to (expletive deleted) silly for your own good...

things that rhyme with 15

Reese, I know you will laugh....

name change...

As I was so humorously informed at the Cleveland Webloggers Meetup, chasing the dragon was a reference to smoking heroin. Not surprising considering I lifted it from a Steely Dan song, ("Time Out of Mind" if you are wondering). In light of this development, I chose a new name...something that's a little more me.

Enter, a subset of derek.

subset (noun): a set each of whose elements is an element of an inclusive set.

Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

So, a subset of derek is merely part of a whole. I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in mathematics, as many of you know. Subsets are merely parts of a set. Subsets are also crucial to proving set equality. If two sets are subsets of each other (meaning that there is no item that can be found in A that cannot be found in B and vice versa, given that A and B are sets, of course) then they are equal. This reminds me of a problem that I need to be working on...

Later all...

come on...

This article from The Register talks about a New Zealand Microsoft ad geared towards students. I would describe it but you have to see it. I can't really do it justice. You can see it here.

Come on, sex with geeks isn't that bad...

finally....

I don't commment much on abortion because I don't have a womb. I cannot have abortions. I can't give birth. I am male. I think that each decision is in the hands of the woman who owns the womb.

I think that the sanctimony of some "pro-lifers" is absolutely disgusting. Once the baby is born, no one gives a damn...especially if the baby is any or all of the following:

a child of color
a girl
poor
addicted
mentally retarded

That is why it was heartening to see an anti-abortion group and the ACLU in support of the same single teacher that got fired for being pregnant. from the original ABC News article:

"If you take away the resources, you could unintentionally drive a woman to having an abortion," said Foster.

"It is not pro-life to take away the resources and support that women need and deserve to bring children into this world," Foster says. "The appropriate response for the employer when they found out she was pregnant, is to say, 'Congratulations,' and, 'How can I help?' "

Here's an interesting insight into the impetus behind most abortions:

A 2004 survey by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights but is cited by both sides in the abortion wars as having reliable data, indicated that 73 percent of those seeking an abortion were doing so because they could not afford to have a baby.

"We have to systematically eliminate the reasons that drive women to abortions, and the root causes are lack of resources and lack of support," Foster says. "Women deserve both."

Why do I believe women have a choice? I respect women as equal human beings, capable of intelligent thought. That's really it. As my man, Butterfly says of Digable Planets in La Femme Fetal on their first album reachin'(a new refutation of time and space):

Hey pro-lifers need to dig themselves
because life don't stop after birth
and to a child born to the unprepared
it might even just get worse

Yahoo! Sports : Why Figure Skating is Not A Sport

This article talks about why figure skating is not a sport.

Sooo, by his logic, Division I-A college football isn't a sport either. All of the people who determine the championship (or computers whose algorithm had to be written by someone) are not players...they are pretty much judges too. The BCS is like that horrible French judge from a few years back...

Why Heads Might Not Respect K-Fed

According to this article, Kevin Federline (who is currently married to Brittney Spears) states that he is being criticized because "He hates his children, he treats his wife like dirt, he gets high all day." and because he's white.

Eminem (and 3rd Bass and the Beastie Boys before him) proved that you can be white and rock the M.I.C.. Skills are skills. You will, however, face increased scrutiny because you are of the Caucasian persuasion and because you haven't shown us much.

You can dance, though. But, people haven't heard enough of your stuff to have a decision one way or the other...

You have a very high potential for being wack. When you are new, just do what you do and see what happens. There's no need to be arrogant. I know y'all are thinking "What about Kanye?". Kanye had bangers for other folks before he did his own thing. People still bang H.O.V.A.(Izzo) so he has a history of really good work. So far, he has lived up to his own hype.

But, time will tell...but, if the first joint is the strongest you have...goodbye Mr. Federline...you will be placed in the Rob Van Winkle Wing of the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.

You know shit's bad #1

You know shit's bad when...

Martha Stewart is downing a 40....

derek's classic rock knowledge..

The Veteran You scored 78%!

You've picked up the majority of the classic rock basics. You probably have a classic rock collection and can sing along with most of the songs on your local radio station. This is not the highest score, but it is arguably the best: that subtle combination of impressive knowledge and not being a pretentious geek.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 29% on notes

Link: The BASIC classic rock Test written by allmydays on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

RIP Dilla (1974 - 2006)...

According to this article, James Yancey aka Jay Dee aka Jay Dilla has passed on.

Jay Dee, a producer's producer, was revered by the hip-hop nation for his unique boom-bap style rooted in soul and jazz.

Born James Yancey, Dilla made a name for himself as one of the members of A Tribe Called Quest's venerable production team, The Ummah, as well as produciong for the likes of De La Soul, Pharcyde, Common, D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes and his own group, Slum Village.

Damn. I wish I had "McNasty Filth" with me right now...instead, I am playing "It's Your World" by Common off of the Be album...rest in peace.

probably...

probably...
Originally uploaded by theunseen.

This picture is bad...this is my "The State of the Union is on" face.

miracles never cease

Now, like Seahawks Fan in Bronco Land, I hate Skip Bayless. He's an arrogant prick who thinks his crap smells like roses and cinnamon. But, in this article, he does tell the truth.

Seattle got screwed. Hard. Here's a list of entities that beat the Seahawks:
1) The referees
2) The Seattle Seahawks

Note that the Steelers weren't on that list. 39 Super Bowls and no REALLY bad calls. Guess they were saving it for 40. eXtra Lousy officiating.

DMX and Avis...We Try Harder, Dog

I had The Weather Channel on for ambient noise and I hear DMX's "Ruff Ryder's Anthem" (STOP! DROP! SHUT 'EM DOWN OPEN UP SHOP!) on a commercial for...Avis?!?!

This is more shocking than seeing OJ come back to doing Hertz commercials. Imagine that...all of the women that would have said "Go OJ Go!" would be saying "NO OJ NO!".

I am glad that I am not in advertising. People would be messed up for life watching my commercials.

You are NOT the father...

Our state Supreme Court is determining verdicts like this when they should force schools to find remedies for funding.

What this ruling basically says that if a potential father presents DNA evidence that he is not the father of a child(ren), he no longer has to pay child support. Previously, the law said that the father had a year or else they would be treated as the father.

I think that this is how it should be. I am a father that contributes to the well-being of my son...key word being MY son. I don't think that men should have to pay, under any circumstances, for someone else's child unless they choose to.