Rising Above Mediocrity
by Benjamin Geiger

Yes, I’m riding the wave of this meme… I heard about it from Jennifer/geeksmakemehot, who heard about it from Charles/twidget, who apparently heard about it from Mark/txfx, though I can’t be sure.

Oh well, here goes:

There’s more! (click here to read)

Mom sent me my birthday present a couple of weeks ago; it’s an HP PhotoSmart m305 digital camera. I’m still getting used to it, but it seems solid. I’ve already put a few pictures up on Flickr.

Also, Apple’s new iPod software gives my third-gen the features (and the menu arrangement) of the newer models.

• New menu arrangement (”Music” menu): My reaction is mixed. There really isn’t anything new there, but at least it makes a bit more sense this way.
• Multiple On-The-Go playlists: Big win. This is the feature I wanted most from the clickwheel iPods.
• Miscellaneous updates, graphical and otherwise: Nice, but not very noticeable.

The only thing I’m aware of that wasn’t backported was improved battery life, for reasons that should be fairly obvious.

Jennifer (aka geeksmakemehot) and Matt (aka BigJibby) are having a discussion (Matt’s entry, Jennifer’s entry). It reminds me of an old email meme, which I reprint here for your perusal.
There’s more! (click here to read)

Enough said.

Despite a declared intention to stop (dating from long before New Year’s), Dad’s still smoking.

It would be bad enough if it were just smoking, but since Dad worked in the engine room of a Navy ship for so many years, he was constantly exposed to asbestos. He tells stories of going from work to eat, with his hands still covered with some sort of asbestos paste used to insulate steam pipes. As I understand it, his lungs are only 60% effective anymore, and even though he’s not being exposed to asbestos anymore (I hope), smoking is making that worse.

His brother (my uncle) Dennis keeps trying to convince him to go to the VA hospital for a checkup, but he won’t. There’s even a VA hospital literally across the street from my school, so it’s not a matter of finding one…

Thirty-eight days after starting my diet, my weight has finally fallen to 300 pounds.

The milestone makes me feel better. For some reason, the 300-pound mark feels like a warning that I was out of control; bringing myself back within that weight reassures me that I can, in fact, regain control of my health and my appearance.

Now, I say: Onward! Downward! Fat begone!

As I sat today, watching the commercials being repeatedly interrupted by a football game, an analogy crept into my head.

For decades, the Oakland Raiders have been seen as the “bad boys” of football, racking up large numbers of penalties. Despite the penalties, they still do well. The New England Patriots are on the opposite end of the spectrum: they seem to be “nice guys”, avoiding penalties and generally playing by the rules and showing good sportsmanship.

During the last two Presidential election cycles, Republican campaigns have been repeatedly caught misbehaving; this misbehavior ranges from push polls in South Carolina (”If you knew John McCain fathered an illegitimate black child, would you be more likely or less likely to vote for him?”) to misleading voters in black neighborhoods (”Make sure you’ve paid your rent before you vote on November 3rd!”… but the election was on November 2nd). Democrats are handicapped by a requirement to play by the rules, tell the truth, and generally be decent.

Why do the Raiders commit so many offenses, knowing that they will be penalized for many of them? The answer is simple: the benefit from the offense far outweighs the risk of penalties. Likewise for Republican campaigns. The public outcry at their underhanded tactics is overshadowed by the people who are gullible enough to fall for them, and they’re rarely–if ever–punished.

All I have to say is this: Look who just won the Super Bowl. Enough said.