Old Time Radio at OTRCat!

Friday, February 27, 2015

Live Long, and Prosper.




I am really OVER the internet right now. If it's not the gold and white or whatever dress that the InterTubes distracted us with yesterday...

So, this is what happened Thursday:
FCC: "We are going to enforce government regulation of the internet, and tax it:"
Everyone else: "LOOK AT THIS CRAZY DRESS!!!"
(Me on FB)


then it's the demise of My Favorite Vulcan. Yes, Leonard Nimoy has passed, and the fannish world mourns a deep mourn. Being more Vulcan in my dealing with death than most around me, I come off as an insensitive lout. Nimoy has died. There. NEXT....

I'm sorry, but he did not make the world A Better Place. A More Interesting One, perhaps. He was an actor who co-starred in a then largely unsung science fiction series, and followed up in movies of that same franchise. He was also in the series Mission:Impossible. He bit the fandom that fed him with his whiny "I AM NOT SPOCK" rant. He wrote marginal poetry, made some marginal albums, and late in life took to photographing naked fat chicks. He spoofed his best-known role appearing on The Simpsons, and in a car ad. I regret his passing. I enjoyed his roles, and I am sad that a fellow-traveller has ended his trek.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

I Got Dem Old Net Neutrality Blues Again, Mama!


Network Coding 4



After much meditation and cogitating, I think that I have it figured out.

All businesses are EEEE-vil.
Comcast and such raise rates after investing money in infrastructure, and wish to recoup (and profit from) their investment. People who do not wish to pay more for their internets  get the slower speeds, including Netflix. If you have one taxi service in town, they can charge what they want. Internet connectivity is a finite resource, because science, because thermodynamics, or something, so throttling is the 'net analog to Death Panels. Everyone cannot have all teh speeds, therefore some are not happy. The 'net stoners who have coasted on "free" or low cost internet all these years don't want to have to pay more, so they want Government to make rulez against evil businesses raising rates.

Net Neutrality is welfare for the 'net.

Government does All Things Well.  What better to do than apply Federal Regulatory Power to bend business to its will? (This seems to be perilously close to the textbook definition of "fascism".) I am thinking of the amazing work done by Government on the problems of Drugs, Poverty, Terrorism, and Healthcare. I don't think any more needs be said.

The FCC regs, treating the internet as a public utility, cannot work to the good for those who have whined the most for Net Neutrality. When is the FedGov neutral about anything? Remember, when you complain to Nanny, she winds up dosing everyone with castor oil, for good measure.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Superman and Stuff.


MeTV is on...watching "Superman". I am shocked at the character actors who are in it. Double Trouble  featured Jimmie Dodd (Mickie Mouse Club designated adult) as the fingerprint guy.  The Runaway Robot  features Russell "The Professor" Johnson as the head hood, and Robert "Phones" Easton as a yokel radio operator. Oh, wait... Also, John Harmon (Tepo from ST-TOS "A Piece of the Action") plays Mousey, a henchman.

Here is the robot, et. al.

http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w300/gbY56E8BQaJCNnHZSgisnIeDeFQ.jpg

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Wonder Woman.

Precisely what rights is she fighting for in her satin tights?

John Saxon playing a Nazi agent, who winds up playing on Paradise Island, because of the Plane.

How do Amazonians reproduce? Parthenogenesis?

Dat Debra Winger! Wonder Girl.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d6/Debra_Winger_as_Wonder_Girl.jpg/160px-Debra_Winger_as_Wonder_Girl.jpg


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Star Trek- "A Taste of Armageddon".

A favorite of mine. Barbara Babcock as Mea 3 helps.


Poster Barbara Babcock


There is an almost Irwin Allen-level of prop recyling in Star Trek.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b64/fendert/Forum/ALLtype4computers.jpg
                              theomegasector.com


More to come...

































 

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Facebookery by the Aardvark




It's terrible that something being called a "hate crime" makes the victims more dead.

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Fifty Shades of Kitten.




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I had forgotten that Cary Elwes played an FBI AD in the last season of the X-Files.
Dreadful, toadying jerk of a character.




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One Shade of Black and White:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it."

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Between "NO CHOLESTEROL!!" and RoundUp (glyphosate) filling the food chain, it's a miracle there's any testosterone left!

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I enjoy MST3K, but the "Monster-A-Gogo" movie cannot be salvaged even by their antics.
"Eegah" is a better film, and I HATE that one.

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So, apparently the Cool Thing now is for 20-somethings to call celebrities by their last name and demand they Do A Trick:
"Hey Harmon, Gibbs-slap my buddy, here".
Does no one know how to teach manners, anymore? Is anyone capable of learning them?
*reaches for his shaking cane*

(This happened to C. Martin Croker, the Adult Swim animator and voice actor (Zorak and others.)

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When did anime series start the execrable habit of using the Hanna-Barbera sound effects library?

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Perhaps the worst thing to happen to the Christian faith is the division of the Bible into chapters-and-verses.
For instance, Jesus spoke in complete contextual thoughts.
Not bumper stickers.

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I am watching news and opinion with interest. The various smug satisfactions over Brian Williams' ouster, and outrages over "Fifty Shades of Gray" fill me with wonder. Apparently Williams is a lying yutz, and "Fifty Shades" is Abuse Most Vile (odd that so few figured that out when the book was selling jillions). The vituperations and flails are revealing a single crystalline fact.
People want standards, and limits to behavior.

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Because the Aardvark loves you!




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It is funny reading beta-boys talking about calls for modesty, and ultimately saying "If you are requesting modest apparel be worn, then clearly YOU are the one with the problem.".

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Your problem is not that people are not thinking for themselves. It is because they just aren't agreeing with you.

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All the people who use the "Village" font on FB graphics, and have NO clue....



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So, given the track record of the last 30 years, why would ANYONE trust ANYTHING coming out of Washington?

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Since Marvel is going to (apparently) obliterate their universe, here's a chance to start over.
By start over, I mean start reprinting from Fantastic Four #1, on.

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Aphorisms "R" Us.






Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Discuss



If it requires a license, then it is (treated as) a privilege, not a right.

Monday, February 09, 2015

Becoming a hate group. (This is spiritual, and may cause hives in the susceptible.)



Once again, Alabama is the center of attention, this time because of the homosexual marriage thing. Social media is full of people being loving and accepting of others' opinions on the thing...as long as they hold the same opinion. Most of the "pro" side are lambasting "Christians" who don't think for themselves. Your problem is not that people are not thinking for themselves. It is because they just aren't agreeing with you. One person was going on about how he could NOT understand why people were so concerned with HIS relationship with HIS partner.

It's not about YOU.

This is, rightly or wrongly, about LAW. Not you, or your feewings. It's how our legal system works, especially in areas where controversy exists. It takes awhile. Life is not CSI, where problems are solved in under-an-hour.

Allow me to say that, as a rule, secular thinking and Christian thinking are not congruent. Secular thought tends to rely upon compromise and consensus, often through social sanctions being brought against opinion outliers. "Think for yourself." ultimately boils down to "Think like the herd.". Whatever is cool, tony, IN, or Real George becomes common wisdom. All done in the name of independent thinking.

Christian thinking is not mere groupthink, and it is patently not meant to mean "think for yourself" (where that means "pull a socially acceptable opinion from your backside".). Our opinions are to be based upon the revelation of God's word.  It is belief and opinion based upon an external source, the word of God, the Bible. While there can be astonishing differences of opinion displayed as to what that book actually means, there is often a clear consensus on what is Good or Bad. The problems arise when admixture with secular opinion occurs, and the salt loses its distinctive flavor, as well as its power to change lives and cultures. The desire by Christians to be accepted by the world also plays a part. The current issue, and the rancor it engenders, is in large part due to believers playing politics rather than hewing to what the scriptures ACTUALLY teach, especially as concerns our proclamation to the world.

The World sees Christians as mouth-breathing throwbacks who want to saddle women with unwanted babies, who want homosexuals to be perpetually unhappy, with a heaping dollop of hell-fire when it's all over. They see us that way because we have NOT played by the rules. We have majored in things that the Bible does not. We have marched, and picketed, and tried to vote the Kingdom of God in, and here is what we have. Jesus did not picket against Jewish quislings collecting taxes for Rome. Paul did not promise Tropical Destinations to the idol-worshippers in Athens, Greece, neither did he organise Straight Pride parades in Corinth, complete with grey-scale rainbows. What did evil, hate-filled Paul do?

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

The proclamation of the Good News occupied Paul's dealings with people. All the stuff that people get bent out of shape about in Paul's writings are things he wrote TO CHRISTIANS, PEOPLE ALREADY IN THE CHURCH! They had signed up for the club, and needed to have the by-laws explained. The church has no business proclaiming or marching over anything beyond the proclaiming of the gospel.
A clever fellow wrote:
"A local church (Athens, AL) in 2007 made the national news by initiating a Temperance Drive in an attempt to get the sale of alcohol repealed.Try as I might, I cannot see a single instance in the New Testament where Jesus, Paul, Peter, James or John initiated a march, drive, petition, or mass pout to stop people from doing something that offended. Take slavery, f'rinstance. Paul did not start a campaign to stop the Offending Practice. Brights and other annoying persons find this terrible, for clearly it meant that Paul Did Not Care, that God Did Not Care, and thus ANY modern atheist is morally superior to either if he opposes slavery. (Perhaps they should stage Abolitionist Marches in Sudan.) The fact is, Paul recognised that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (rescue, deliverance from bondage), and was thus sufficient to quell the deed, which indeed it began to do, as believing slave owners learned the difficulty of calling Property whom he also called Brother. Long and short: you teach the Word. Do something silly like. oh...do it like Jesus said. Make disciples of the nations. That means show them, teach them HOW to live the Kingdom life. This takes years, like it took years for Jesus to teach His disciples. Saying a prayer and sitting in a pew doesn't cut it. Baptise them by the authority of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. You are promised to receive the Holy Spirit, God Himself residing in your person.This is for starters.

Back to the point.If everyone does JUST what the Word says, it will result in unity. If, however, I insist on MY neat name, MY cool new way to do the gospel, thinking MY way is THE way, then I make myself distinct from my brothers and sisters. I become the enemy of unity.I become factious, jealous of other "ministries", become angry when you don't agree with MY way.

The world will not hear us unless we are united. They will not believe our message unless we love. They will not believe in forgiveness in Christ if the church puts on its judge's robe.Wait...it HAS no such robe, 'cos it's NOT OUR JOB.

Yes. I yelled."


 

Oh, wait. That was me!


Paul and the other apostles were in the discipleship business, where members of the church are concerned. We are NOT called to point the bony finger of indignation at the Sinners du Jour. God so LOVED the world...the stinky, disagreeable, rebellious world...and gave Jesus. That is to be OUR proclamation.

We should ONLY go as far in our proclaiming as Jesus and later, his apostles did. They did not preach issues. They preached Jesus, and Him, crucified.

Saturday, February 07, 2015

UniVAX



The biggest complaint about vaccinations I keep seeing is that the large number of VERY early vaccinations overwhelm the infant's system. I think that a controlled study of this would be hugely unethical (not that that seems to matter much anymore), so it is likely no satisfactory answer may be had.

I have a REAL problem with what I call "kitchen sink science", the going ahead with a practise or protocol when it turns out we do not know as much as we thought about X or Y. (Much GMO research falls under that category). Also, (and this is aimed at the 'net in general) the emotional arm-flailing that passes for debate on ALL sides renders the whole exercise pointless. Few engage to have their minds changed or expanded. Rather, many spend their time formulating their nuclear response, rather than listening to understand the other's point.

Much fussing goes on about the nature and quality of "evidence". Each side has levels of evidence, some anecdotal, other is experimental. Each side appears quick to pooh-pooh the others' quality of evidence.

Emotional flailing and accusing finger-pointing will not win the day. The issues are rarely as binary as they are presented. Who knows? Perhaps the ultimate answer to immunity will lie in a combination of acupuncture and essential oil therapy. One thing is certain, we will not agree, whatever the evidence, at this rate.