Being lost is a strange phenomenon. We, as a human race has spent our entire lives being lost and getting found. Either in the sense of not knowing where we are or not knowing how to get to someone we are looking for.

As technology increases (at its ever so steady rate) the term “I’m lost” is quickly becoming an after thought.

More and more people are caring cell phones. Cell phone companies with their ever persistent effort to fit as much crap as possible on one phone are starting to really champion GPS technology. Imagine the technology that is used to guide battle cruisers to their desired location across the ocean can now be found compactly in your ass pocket.

As it is with technology there is always a loud push of “benefit to the consumer” sales pitch. I for one am not complaining about never being lost; dialing into my friend’s phone on our “network” and linking our two GPS systems until we collide, but before we get all silly with glee, does anyone not see the downsides of this?

I have a transmitter in my ass pocket that can locate my exact location, anytime, anywhere. “But Ron, wouldn’t it be amazing to find you for instance if something bad happened to you or you were needed urgently?” I concur, being located anytime and anywhere does have its benefits but I think we as individuals need to unite about our right to privacy. Just because something is beneficial or convenient doesn’t mean I automatically be willing to submit my right to privacy.

The right for privacy, it appears is our new war that will be fought on the shores of our own land. If we lived in a world where our government was all lovey dovey and had our best intentions at hand then sure, inject a transmitter in to my arm.

But this isn’t the case.

It appears the freedoms our ancestors once shed their blood for are now being handed over to government and corporations for the sake of a profit and our so called convenience.

Technology is great, it has enabled us to do many a thing but I think the trouble starts when we point that technology back on ourselves….

For our benefit of course.

Links
Top 25 TV moments.

And I thought God had a stern set of commandments. Click here to view Googles 10 commandments.

20 predictions on the future

Here is an excerpt:

Once all on-road cars are driverless, the current restrictions on driving age and status of intoxication will cease to make sense. Why require a human driver to take an eight year old to school, when the eight year old can travel by themselves? Why not let drunks go home, if they’re not controlling the vehicle? So the rules over who can direct a car will change. And shortly thereafter, the whole point of owning your own car — that you can drive it yourself, wherever you want — is going to be subtly undermined by the redefinition of car from an expression of independence to a glorified taxi. If I was malicious, I’d suggest that the move to autonomous vehicles will kill the personal automobile market; but instead I’ll assume that people will still want to own their own four-wheeled living room, even though their relationship with it will change fundamentally. But I digress …) Traditional fixed land-lines connect places, not people; you dial a number and it puts you through to a room in a building somewhere, and you hope the person you want to talk to is there.
Mobile phones in contrast connect people, not places. You don’t necessarily know where the person at the other end of the line is, what room in which building they’re in, but you know who they are.
This has interesting social effects. Sometimes it’s benign; you never have to wonder if someone you’re meeting is lost or unable to find the venue, you never lose track of people. On the other hand, it has bad effects, especially when combined with other technologies: bullying via mobile phone is rife in British schools, and “happy slapping” wouldn’t be

Last week marked the first week of my “life style change.”
I have hired a nutritionist for 3 months and I don’t think he will be overly thrilled with my food selection for last week. Currently I weigh 114 lbs and I plan to drop to 190 lbs over the next 4 months losing a total of 25 lbs.

After the first week into my diet I consumed roughly about 15,722 calories which actually wasn’t too bad.
Exercise wise, I biked to work 5 days for a total of 5 hours biking with 3 jogs and a long walk.

Overall it was a decent starter week.
I met with my nutritionist on Sunday and we discussed my goals and my desired diet plan. He informed me my biggest challenge will be staying consistent with food consumption and exercise. As time goes on, I will inform you more about this nutritionist.

My goal this week is not to eat out once and in an attempt to exercise more (and to be more green for my friend Dave) I have given my car away for the week. If I need to travel anywhere it will come from my legs.

For accountability I will be posting my food intake every week. You would be surprised what foods have HUGE calories and really aren’t that good for you.
Cheers.

Mon, May 07 2007
Total Calories Consumed 2,253

Tue, May 08 2007
Total Calories Consumed 2,232

Wed, May 09 2007
Total Calories Consumed 1,956

Thu, May 10 2007
Total Calories Consumed 1,943

Fri, May 11 2007
Total Calories Consumed 2,125

Sat, May 12 2007
Total Calories Consumed 2,285

Sun, May 13 2007
Total Calories Consumed 2,928

Just when you thought the only traditional part of Nathan and Rachels wedding (bouquet toss) would have been upheld.

Whos the next lucky person? ME!!!

Its that time of year again!!! Really annoying forwards from your friends asking you to partake in things.

Don’t pump gas on MAY 15th

In April 1997, there was a “gas out” conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On May 15th 2007, all internet users are to not go to a
gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places.

There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the Internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.

If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take
$2,292,000,000.00 (that’s almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern
oil industry for at least one day.

If you agree (which I cant see why you wouldn’t) resend this to all your contact list. With it saying, ”Don’t pump gas on May 15th

What really grills me about this petition is ok, lets say for instance all of these people don’t pump gas on the 15th, has anyone really gone out of their way to drive less? If you don’t fill up on the 15th it will be a day or so afterwards.

The same gas is being consumed. The real issue here is gas consumption; not which day you pay for it.

If someone really wanted to start a petition, why not grow some balls and ask people to STOP USING GAS forever?

Do that on the 15th….. jack ass.

Love is an interesting word/feeling. It makes people do and say crazy things.

Love is all about vulnerability because being in love comes at a cost -your heart. Love is amazing when you’re in it and everything is going well. To keep that love you would do and say just about anything. Love makes you feel like you can take on the world and face any obstacle. It makes men out of boys and is probably the greatest natural high one can experience.

Wow! Love sounds amazing – lets all have it!
Hold on now, it has its downsides as well.

Falling out of love the most painful feeling and probably hurts worse than any physical pain. The pain of a broken heart lingers, heals slower and unfortunately there isn’t any medication to help with the situation.

The problem with falling out of love is that you fall victim to the person putting you in the situation. The person you volunteered into your life to share your happiness and deepest thoughts with is now the person that holds your heart with a wrench, twisting when ever they please.

Funny though, as bad as this falling out of love is, people have no problem getting right back into it and back on the horse. Some people fall in love right away again for many reasons. Too hurt from the last time, to alone and wanting to move on are some of the biggest reasons to get back in the game.

I can see now why more and more people aren’t dating and why it scares everyone. That being said I would be the first to tell anyone to pursue it but I always caution them.

Call me a hopeless romantic but I think the highs of being in love beat (eventually) the lows of falling out.

Terrified that her 45-day prison sentence for violating her drink-driving probation will plunge her into a world of daily beatings, violent shower-room cunnilingus and a total absence of anything that’s even vaguely hot, Paris Hilton has started up a petition to keep her out of jail, on the basis that she “provides beauty and excitement” to everyone’s lives. And there we were thinking that Paris Hilton only provides us with bad music, bad films, bad TV shows and the occasional homemade porno film. And wonky eye jokes, which are kind of exciting, we’ll admit.
When Michelle Rodriguez was thrown in jail last year, she described her experience by saying:

“I’m a gypsy. I can see beauty in a jail cell.”

But that’s because Michelle Rodriguez went to jail for a total of four hours. After violating probation stemming from her drink-driving arrest, though, Paris Hilton has been sentenced to 45 days in jail – that’s 270 times longer than Michelle Rodriguez, meaning that Paris Hilton will get to experience 270 times more gypsy-inspired beauty than the dead mannish girl from Lost. Also, Paris Hilton will get to eat 270 times more bad prison slop and 270 times more carefully planned razorblade/ toothbrush shiv attacks in the middle of the night.

So, understandably, Paris Hilton isn’t especially thrilled about going to jail, especially since it means using a grotty toilet to urinate into instead of her usual taxi of choice. And that’s why Paris Hilton is doing all she can to get out of jail before she even goes in it. How? Expensive legal advice from a team of the world’s most expensive lawyers? Displaying genuine remorse for her crime in order to show the appeals court that she’s learnt her lesson? A half-baked MySpace petition? Yeah, that last one. And this is what it says:

“Paris Whitney Hilton is an American celebrity and socialite. She is an heiress to a share of the Hilton Hotel fortune, as well as to the real estate fortune of her father Richard Hilton. She provides hope for young people all over the U.S. and the world. She provides beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives… We, the American public who support Paris, are shocked, dismayed and appalled by how Paris has been the person to be used as an example that Drunk Driving is wrong… This petition is to ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon Paris Hilton for her mistake. Please allow her to her return to her career and life.”

And it seems as if all kinds of people do want “her to her return to her career and life,” whatever that means. The Paris Hilton jail petition has so far received over 10,000 signatures which, although impressive, probably won’t stop Paris Hilton from going to the big house – because if it did then you can guarantee Phil Spector would be on MySpace trying the exact same thing faster than you can buy a lesbian wig.

But all of this worry is completely unnecessary, because – rather than being too beautiful and exciting for jail – we get the impression that Paris Hilton is going to fit into prison life perfectly. She already knows how to fight both rough-looking blondes and weedy gingers, plus her fellow inmates will have to respect Hilton’s previous criminal record.
It was called Stars Are Blind. That was her criminal record.

We know. Sorry.

The ability to give is a beautiful thing. The ability to give someone your “trash” is a shame.

Lets put something into perspective; if you give someone something because it’s of no use to you anymore (old, not working right) then its not charity – it’s just a really nice way to dispose of your crap.

I work with computers for a living and I have seen my fare share of crap. People seem to think that if it’s a box that resembles a computer and there are computer parts inside that box then obviously someone, somewhere will benefit. Note to that person: people aren’t thankful for having a 60 pound paperweight in their living room or establishment.

I respond to a lot of calls where a donation has taken place. When I arrive on the scene the person on the receiving side of the transaction is usually informed by an agitated Ron saying “sorry pal, it’s not even worth my time fixing it.”

This being said, what then is charity?

My trusty Webster dictionary says:

Generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; also : aid given to those in need b : an institution engaged in relief of the poor c : public provision for the relief of the needy

Words like helpfulness. When you give something it should AT LEAST be helpful to the person receiving it. If you’re going to be helpful, know the need and meet it, don’t be helpful to yourself and give the crap that’s growing cobwebs in your closet.

Also, in our definition you see that charity is for those in need. Now, most people will argue what is and isn’t “needy.” I personally believe that a person who has lots of money can still be in just as much need as a person who is in needs of a drink and a place to sleep.

Non obvious needs are sometimes the direst.