Ramblings from the Marginalized

Games and Ramblings December 15th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Knit your own d20

d20

Originally uploaded by NeedleNoodles

OMG!

I could not believe this even when I saw it.

I have to wonder if this is it what old lady gamers use when they play D&D :D

Hey Val, do you play with these things? I know you're not an old lady but then again, you do put up with Grim so...

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Ramblings November 5th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Of unions and dues increases

I belong to a union. I am mostly happy with the job my union does but there are many things that they do that I do not agree with.

For one thing I do not like the way my union is in lockstep with the Democratic party. I also do not like the way my local (not the national) takes part in lobbying efforts. It is my opinion that it is the job of the national and not the local to do any and all lobbying.

What bugs me the most is when they ask for the members to vote on a dues increase.

Right now my union dues are set at 1.3% of my base pay, the local wants to raise this to 1.5% of base pay.

Their argument is that because they forward a portion of our dues on the the national they end up with less money to work with. That sounds reasonable enough to the lazy or uninformed but not to those who have half a brain.

Because union dues are based on the base pay the union bargains with the company for they can easily raise their revenue by getting a better paying contract for the membership. Think about that, the local is crying poor because 1.3% is not enough money for them so they want to get the membership to vote in a dues increases. Rather than put a dues increase out to vote (where it will fail) the union leadership should focus on getting the members a better paying contract which will also raise their revenue!

Ramblings October 15th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Stylin’ by the Courthouse

In Tulsa Oklahoma a man was seen wearing a pair of handcuffs on one wrist. Curious police officers investigated.

Wearing one cuff on his wrist with the other cuff dangling made it appear as if he had recently escaped custody. This was not the case. The many was wearing "goth" clothing and felt that the handcuffs added a certain bit of ambiance to his ensemble.

The man was released after deputies performed a background check to insure there were no warrants for his arrest.

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General and Ramblings and Random September 8th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

You know you’re in California…

So as not to be outdone by all the redneck, hillbilly, and Texan jokes, somebody had to come up with this, you know you're from California if:

1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.

2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.

3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.

4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.

5. You can't remember . is pot illegal?

6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.

7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.

8. You can't remember . . is pot illegal?

9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.

10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.!

11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.

12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.

13. You can't remember . .is pot illegal?

14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."

15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.

16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.

17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????

18. Both you AND your dog have therapists, psychics, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons.

19. The Terminator is your governor.

20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one

received via email, no idea who made the list

Ramblings June 29th, 2007 by Whitdjinn

Dude, Where’s my Lake?

For those of you who haven't yet heard, a lake in Southern Chile disappeared at some point in the last two months. That's right, disappeared.

The lake itself, situated in the southern Andes Mountains, was almost 100 feet deep and had a surface area of 10-12 acres. That's a lot of water, about 39 million gallons worth. (or 390 million - I might have misplaced a decimal.)

So what happened to it?

The best theory that's been proposed thus far is that it disappeared into the earth through several cracks in the floor of the lake, storing it in giant underground fissures. This is interesting because there hasn't been any substantial seismic activity in the area in that time period.

Other theories anyone?

I actually had an opportunity to hear a conversation a co-worker had with a Chilean resident and they said that locally, some believe it to be the work of an extra terrestrial force. Aliens, stealing lakes in Chile? What purpose would that serve? The conversation I had regarding this possibility quickly turned to... "If they wanted water, why not take an ocean? If they did take an ocean, this would cause the global water level to drop rather severely and create miles and miles of brand new land. This new land, who would claim it?" Some of that is decided already by the fact that national borders are already extended several miles beyond the coastline, but what of the rest of it? Surely this would cause brand new islands to crop up around the world. Would this be substantial enough to re-surface the Bering Straight? Would Hawaii become a single land mass?

� Lets say for argument's sake that an Alien being decided it would be a good idea to just take the entire Indian Ocean. How far would Sea Level drop? What exists in the space between current sea level and this 'Proposed Sea Level'? Anyone knowledgeable in things like this?

Regardless, it looks like the experts probably have this one right, as there is an existing crack in the lake large enough to lead into a giant fissure inside the earth that was far enough along to not take a whole lot of Earth shaking to become a huge funnel. But hey, the wild speculation was fun while it lasted.

I love my job...

Books and Ramblings June 22nd, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Will Harry Potter die?

Let me start off right away by telling you that I have no advance knowledge of the last Harry Potter Book; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. What follows is only what I believe based on my reading of the previous books.

Harry Potter must die

I know some fans of the book may be shocked to read the above statement but I believe it to be true. Why do I think Harry Potter must die? The key reason is that Harry Potter and Voldemort are linked. Voldemort has been trying to kill Harry since the very first book. Likewise Harry has slowly begun to realize that as long as Voldemort exists his life is in jeopardy.

Several books ago we were introduced to the item known as a Horcrux. These devices, made by Voldemort, hold parts of his soul.

A Horcrux is defined by Rowling as a "receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality." With part of a wizard's soul thus stored, the wizard becomes immortal so long as the Horcrux remains intact, typically hidden away in a safe location. If the wizard's body is destroyed, part of the soul remains preserved within the Horcrux. The Horcrux is reminiscent of the phylactery used by the undead creature known as a Lich. However, the destruction of the Horcrux creator's body leaves the wizard in a state of half-life, "lesser than the meanest ghost." Lord Voldemort was left in this state when his attempted use of a Killing Curse on the infant Harry Potter backfired upon himself. The magic involved in the creation of a horcrux is considered one of the worst of the Dark Arts.

It has been suggested that the death of the infant Harry Potter was to be used to create a Horcrux and I believe that when that act failed Harry Potter became a Horcrux. Now this is also where things get interesting.

Dumbledore has stated that Harry's mother performed some sort of spell that protected Harry when Voldemort tried to kill him. Is it possible that Harry Potter is not a Horcrux for Voldemort but is instead one for his mother? The death of Voldemort would satisfy the "supreme act of evil" needed to create a Horcrux.

Some folks might scoff at the idea of Harry's mother doing such an evil thing but she may have done so.

Think about this as well: Voldemort used Harry's blood to restore his body. When Dumbledore heard this he had a gleam of triumph in his eye. I think it is quite possible that Dumbledore knew that Voldemort considers Harry to be a key item (Horcrux) in getting his body back in order. As to whether this will bode well for Voldemort is another question entirely. If Harry is a Horcrux for someone other than Voldemort but Voldemort thinks he is one of his own Horcruxes then things may get very interesting indeed!

So, must Harry Potter still die? Maybe not.

I do think that for Voldemort's plans to succeed Harry Potter must die. I also think that the mark on Harry's head must somehow be removed before the final book ends.

Ramblings June 11th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

How positive thinking and quantum physics can work for you

Have you ever seen the books at the bookstore about the power of positive thinking? Are you familiar with quantum physics? Believe it or not, these two things work together to make your life better.

Let me warn you right now that this post is going to be a little bit "out there" so don't feel bad if it takes a few readings to understand.

The books on positive thinking tell you that if you think positive and will yourself to have a better life you will have a better life. Some debunk these ideas because they look around the world and see bad things. They wonder how something so simple could be true.

Part of quantum physics states that every time a quantum object, such as an electron, is faced with a choice, the world divides to allow it to take every possibility on offer. In other words, once faced with a choice, a new universe splits off where each choice option is taken.

If we put these two things together than even the simplest choice, which side of the bed to get out of in the morning, can lead to new universes with new timelines. When you mix in positive thinking you are forcing your consciousness to follow the most beneficial direction your body is taking.

Yes, I know quantum physics works at a level much smaller than your body but the concept is the same. By using the power of positive thinking you are willing yourself to choose the better option everytime you come to a choice.

Exiting from the left side of the bed may lead to a car crash that day while exiting on the right leads to finding some free money. Anything is possible! With an infinite number of universes being created every day it is plausible that a timeline already exists where you have achieved your dreams, wouldn't you rather live in that world than the one you currently inhabit?

You may be asking, what about everyone else in the world? Why are they living in the bad world that I currently inhabit?

The thing is, they may not be. they may have already used the power of positive thinking to head down a diferent timeline than you currently inhabit. You might be the last one still living here.

Your comments, as always, are appreciated.

Ramblings June 8th, 2007 by HMTKSteve

Mommy!!! Save me!!!

Sometimes real life is better than a reality show!

It seems that Paris Hilton was dragged back to the court house after her overnight slumber party at home. She was then sent back to jail to complete her 45 day sentence.

The hearing was requested by the city attorney's office, which had prosecuted Hilton and wanted sheriff Baca held in contempt for releasing Hilton despite Judge Sauer's express order that she must serve her time in jail.

It turns out that the sheriff sent her home due to an unspecified "medical condition" a condition that the judge was told about but never sent paper work for. During the day in court the judge continually interrupted Hilton's attorney, pointed to the clock and asked where the medical documents were.

Eventually he just sent her back to jail, pointing out that to do otherwise sends the message that people who are famous or who have money are above the law.

Paris cried throughout the proceedings and was lead away in tears. Through out the proceedings she kept turning to her parents and telling them "I love you," as if she were going to the chair.

Well, I guess jail is like the chair for someone as soft as Paris Hilton. How rude could those cops be? They even dragged her away from her "house arrest" before she had time to put her make-up on! The nerve of some people, don't they know who she is? I mean she did offer to attend the trial by phone!

It's only 45 days Paris and it's not like you'll be spending your time in Sing Sing! Think of it as a mini-vacation.