The race is on....

... and I'm disgusted. The problem with being able to care about politics? It sucks.

So, now it's between Romney & McCain, and Clinton and Obama... I suspect that McCain can beat Clinton, Obama can defeat both, and Romney v Clinton will be any person's game. I don't like any of them.

So, looks like my first vote for President is going to be a "Protest" 3rd party thing. Bleh.

Some part of me is expecting Clinton v. Romney - the ultimate in robot vs. douchebag.

Is it worth caring anymore?

My idea: a recall process for all federal elected officials. If the recall is successful, the outgoing scum gets a firing squad. Any takers?

Looking for a piano tutor....

Well, I've never done this before, so I figured I might start by asking the blog community for recommendations. In my playing, it seems I have hit a bit of a wall - mostly bad habits from years of self-teaching that are now starting to get in the way. So, I've decided that it's time to start looking for lessons (*grumbles*).

Anyway, I'm looking for someone that can do Adult, Intermediate to Advanced Piano, classical/jazz/new age. Bonus points if they can do voice lessons (not required though). I'd prefer someone that does mostly private lessons versus classes, and specializes in adults and can understand work schedules, etc...

I'm looking to work on some classics, technique, and improv.

And, while I really shouldn't have to say this, I'll only consider someone that is better/more skilled than me - I don't consider myself an advanced student, but I hope to be so soon...

Hmmm... Not sure what to make of this....

Your Score: Akkadian

You scored

You are Akkadian, a blend of the incomprehensible symbols of the Sumerians with the unwritable sounds of the early Semitic peoples. However, the writing just doesn't suit the words and doesn't represent everything needed, so you end up a schizoid mess. Invented in Babylon, you're probably to blame for that tower story. However, crazy as you are, you're much loved and appreciated, and remain actively in use by records keepers long after schools have switched to other languages.

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(imipak)

Woohooo (I think?)

I've hit a new level, yep, my blog is now

Find an Ultrasound school

So, that means you aren't allowed to view this blog from Walmart, and will likely need to justify it was "a research project" at the office. Bah. I promise to keep the standards here high (or is it low). I love that I earned that without a single naughty pic or sex story... Apparently, discussing how religion leads to suicide did it for the censor.

Patterns...

Why is it, every year, when January rolls around, I find myself at something of an emotional low? Not just the usual feeling down - no, a real, shitty, bad, emotional downhill. I don't know if it's the lack of sunshine, or just that I seem to end up spending more time in ze place instead of going out. Whatever. It sucks.

It sneaks into all aspects of my life. Just generally, it leaves me tired - an uneasy, drained tired, that no amount of sleep can help. But then, you can't sleep. But then, you can't not sleep. But you can't sleep. I don't know, maybe it's the post-holiday 'afterglow' is over, or still there. Whatever. So, instead of being in bed, where I'm supposed to be right now, I'm writing another fucking blog entry.

I'm frustrated. Pissed off. Tired. I'm tired of putting forth the 'happy face'. Things seem to be getting steadily better, but it just doesn't feel that way. I'll take a cue from the great George Carlin here, though without the comedy:

Fuck "God" - at least the God presented by all of the fucked up religious crusaders out there. You know, the schizo "loves you/hates you" God. He loves you, but stick your cock somewhere it shouldn't be a "zap". And like George Carlin says, he always needs money...

Fuck Religion - that nasty thing that caused so much pain in my life. Religion has done more to rip the world apart than any other force. A bunch of self-righteous blow hards yapping that their "God" is the real one and that their Holy Book is the jizz straight from that God's cock.

Fuck Family - I really appreciate the whole "we ignore you're evil" thing. Doesn't matter I'm the family leper, does it? Because I felt that your fucked up religion was slightly more evil than the other groups of God-followers. Oh, and that clearly means I'm gay, cause I must have had some 'reason'. News for you: Yes, I've been with a woman, and it was DAMN GOOD.

Fuck my "Friends" - yeah, all those people that have my number. How many people have called me since I moved to Kansas City? How many people have actually taken the trouble to hold a conversation with me? See why I left? Ask if I'm alive? Does it matter we were friends since I was 10? Does all that time we spent together mean nothing? Does it... Yeah, fuck you all.

Fuck women - you know, my views on women, and that they shouldn't be treated like cattle, started this whole fucking mess. Well, I'll stand by that view, because frankly, it saved me from a lot of pain and misery. But you are all STILL fucking insane, catty, bitches.

Occam's Razor

I've heard this mentioned now in so many discussions, it's really starting to get grating. Mostly, because people are using wrong. For those that haven't read the Wikipedia entry, or *gasp* an authoritative source... I'll quote here:

William Ockham (c. 1285–1349) is remembered as an influential nominalist, but his popular fame as a great logician rests chiefly on the maxim attributed to him and known as Occam's razor Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem or "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." The term razor refers to the act of shaving away unnecessary assumptions to get to the simplest explanation....

(Article/Wikipedia then goes on to includes quote about the origin - see link - but that's not what this is about...)

— Thorburn, 1918, pp. 352-3; Kneale and Kneale, 1962, p. 243.

Now, with a basic working definition/explanation, I'll summarize my 'annoyances':

1. Occam's razor is not a proof. I can't say: Theory A is simpler than Theory B, therefore, by Occam's razor, Theory A is the correct choice. Indeed, science is flooded with examples where the simpler model is the less correct.

2. Occam's razor does not make a theory "Scientific". First, the term "Scientific" has become almost religious for some. Often, the term is used around a given set of theories, to the exclusion of others. Observability, repeatability, and testability have a lot more to do with how 'scientific' a theory is versus simplicity.

Reading the original, Occam's razor isn't really about comparing theories - it's just the idea that you should keep whatever you are working on as simple as possible. Yes, that extends to comparison of theories - but that doesn't say that you can use it to compare 2 radically different theories.