Monthly Archives: January 2007

VocabGrapher – Cool Google Gadget

Posted by on January 23, 2007 2 comments

So I’m a fan of Google (at least their online tools).  I didn’t enjoy being partnered with them at my last job (they tend to push around the little guy).  But their tools are unmatched and well done.

The other day, I was looking to add new content to my personalized Google homepage when I ran across a gadget called “MapMyWord Dictionary.”  It’s rather cool.  It takes a word and creates a word “map” by linking all related terms into a “brainstorming” type of diagram.  You can easily follow a single word through to something that doesn’t mean anything like your original term.
To try it out, go to VocabGrapher.com.  It’ll even give you pronunciation of many of the words.
If you are a Google Personalized Homepage user and would like to add this gadget to your homepage, go here.

Book Review: Songmaster by Orson Scott Card

Posted by on January 22, 2007 No comments

Continuing on my goal to read/listen to all the Orson Scott Card books on Audible.com, I downloaded and listened to Songmaster. This was the first full book I enjoyed through my brand new iPod Nano. Of course I didn’t pay for it myself. I won it in a Novell giveaway (I almost called it a contest, but I didn’t do anything except fill out a form online).

With Songmaster comes my first disappointment from OSC. It’s not that it wasn’t a masterful book. It had great character development and great premise, but it all came down to a few scenes in the book (specifically surrounding one character). I’ll get into that in a bit.

Read more »

The link between linguistics and dementia

Posted by on January 21, 2007 1 comment

According to this article, those who are bilingual (and use both languages on a daily basis) have a better chance of avoiding (or at least delaying onset of) dementia.  I knew I was supposed to go on a foreign speaking mission!  Ok, so I kind of did.  I served in the California Oakland Mission and loved (almost) every moment of it.

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Bill strips ethics-challenged legislators of pensions

Posted by on January 16, 2007 No comments

So the new legislature is off to a solid start.  They passed a bill which strips the pensions of legislators convicted of ethics violations.  And it was unanimous!  The whole bipartisan thing seems to be working out.
One word…. duh!

Nice work folks.  Keep it up.

Impeachment: What are the qualifications?

Posted by on January 15, 2007 11 comments

Wikipedia indicates that impeachment is often misunderstood and the constitution explains that:

For the executive branch, only those who have allegedly committed “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” may be impeached

Now let’s look at what a recent article by Orson Scott Card said by highlighting an also recent Doonesbury cartoon:

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Power corrupts… perhaps the inverse?

Posted by on January 14, 2007 4 comments

Interesting quote from David Brin:

It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.

Now let’s put that in the light of what has been continually pushed by The Idealist.  He says (and quotes scripture [D&C 121:39]) that (paraphrasing) anyone who acquires power will become corrupt.  I don’t really doubt this, but the scripture also indicates that it is “the nature and disposition” of man to become corrupt.  Not that all will. When we put this in a political light, we see that this concept can be and is very true with a majority (greater than 50%) of our politicians.

Now let’s throw into the mix what David Brin has said.  Not that he speaks scripture at all, but it is a profound statement.  So taking both these quotes in a political light, are all politicians corrupt?  Or can we believe that there are good people that exist in Washington?

Personally, I have to believe in the latter.

Intolerance: stupidity or lack of education?

Posted by on January 14, 2007 No comments

Once again, just a few uneducated (or stupid) individuals can display the intolerance of an entire region or country.  In this CNN article a man was so threatened by a Muslim group purchasing neighboring land that he started pig races and served sausage.

Not only did he show his intolerance, but also his lack of education.  Pig races don’t offend Muslims.  They just don’t eat pigs.  He was obviously trying to be offensive.

Perhaps this guy should move to Virginia to be part of  Virgil Goode’s voting district.

And again, I ask the question.  How can America be so racist when we have so many different races as part of our culture.  I think we need more people from the Middle East and India.  We are too European.

Book Review: Empire by Orson Scott Card

Posted by on January 13, 2007 No comments

Once again, Orson Scott Card hits a home run with his latest book, “Empire”. From the publishers summary:

Orson Scott Card is a master storyteller who has earned millions of fans and reams of praise for his previous science-fiction and fantasy works. Now he steps a little closer to the present day with this chilling look at a near-future scenario: a new American Civil War.

The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to be left alone.

The battle rages between the high-technology weapons on one side and militia foot-soldiers on the other, devastating the cities and overrunning the countryside. But the vast majority, who only want the killing to stop and the nation to return to more peaceful days, have technology, weapons, and strategic geniuses of their own.

When the American dream shatters into violence, who can hold the people and the government together? And which side will you be on?

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Quaran to be used to swear in congressman

Posted by on January 3, 2007 5 comments

Why are some people so stupid? After reading this article, I realized that all the jokes about stupid lawmakers have some validity.

To summarize, Republican Rep. Virgil Goode made comments condemning the use of the Quran to swear in a newly elected Muslim congressman. He later refused to apologize, saying:

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Dwight D. Eisenhower Quote

Posted by on January 2, 2007 9 comments

I think the Idealist would like this quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower:

“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”