Simple Randomness

Optional Body Parts?

Do you ever wonder why we even have certain things in our body?  Namely things like tonsils, appendix, and gallbladder that you can do without just fine.  I think it is very interesting that we even have these things!

This week my wife found out that she has to have her gallbladder removed.  She has been having some problems with it ever since our last kid was born a month ago.  So they did some tests on it and decided that it needed to go.

I guess my big question is that if we don’t really need some of these things, why don’t we just take them out once you turn 6 or something?  Ok, I know I know, the healthcare costs and all that.  But wouldn’t it be cheaper to just do it then rather than wait until your appendix explodes and almost kills you?

Ok, if you can’t tell I’m mainly just kidding with this.  But you have to admit that it is interesting that we can take things out and still function just fine.  I guess it goes to show that the human body is one amazing thing!

My Thoughts on Open Source vs. Proprietary Programs

Yesterday I got into a discussion with a friend of mine about open source programs vs. proprietary programs. Now granted, my experience with open source programs is rather limited. The main programs that I’ve used are FireFox, GIMP, Nvu, OpenOffice, and I guess you might count WordPress.

So here’s my thought: there are some great open source programs out there. If you consider WP to be one of these, I would say its the best blogging software out there. FireFox is awesome, need I say more? OpenOffice is great, too. But some of the other programs I’m not as impressed with. For example, GIMP and Nvu. They are fine in their own right, but I would have to say that the proprietary programs kick their rears (if you know what I mean). DreamWeaver blows Nvu out of the water in my opinion, and I would much rather use FireWorks, PhotoShop, or Illustrator over GIMP.

Now remember, my experience is limited, but I think that in most situations a proprietary program is going to be better. And really I think the main reason for that is capitalism. If you run a software company, you are going to do your best to make sure that you develop a product that meets the needs of your customers. You have a financial interest in making the best product you possibly can. I just don’t see the same level of financial motivation behind an open source program.

It just seems to me that if you need a more advanced program like photo or graphic editing, you’re probably better to go with a proprietary program.  You can do just fine with the open source versions, but I think they’re harder to use.  Again, this is just my experience with them.

Of course, this could very easily start a very heated debate with all of the Linux vs. Windows people out there. But again, this has been my experience. Any thoughts?

What Do They Do With the ‘Loser’ Super Bowl T-Shirts?

One of my co-workers asked me an interesting question yesterday. So we know that when the Super Bowl is over you can buy a t-shirt for the winning team. So what do they do with the t-shirts that are already printed for the other team?

My guess, they probably go to third world countries with all of those black D.A.R.E. shirts that we all used to wear in elementary school. I even heard someone mention that they actually saw some kid wearing a t-shirt with the wrong winning team of a previous Super Bowl on it once.

I guess I’m not the only person that was wondering about this, I found another article about it from OregonLive: Which Super Bowl T-shirt did you want again?.

Now my other question would be how much does it cost for them to print all of the shirts that they aren’t going to use? That’s gotta get a little pricey, but hey - whey you’re charging as much as they do for a 30 second ad during the Super Bowl, I think they can handle it just fine!

And now we also know that the Super Bowl is not just an entertaining sports event, but is actually helping to clothe children in Africa and Asia. How nice!

A Random Thought About Being Mute

So for the last couple of days I’ve had a really sore throat and have basically lost my voice.  I can still talk, but if I talk very loudly it just starts to hurt.  This reminds me when I had laryngitis a few years ago and really couldn’t talk louder than a whisper for about a week!  My, wasn’t that fun….

This got me to thinking yesterday.  And being very random like I am, I was thinking about different basic body functions (seeing, hearing, speaking, etc.) and I decided that if I had to choose to give one up, I think I would choose the ability to speak.  I really would have a hard time if I was deaf or blind.  Sure I’d get used to it as people do, but if I had a choice I think I would choose to be mute.

Then I started thinking about how these days with the internet and technology and stuff, you could really still do a whole lot of stuff without being able to talk.  There are still so many ways to communicate.  Like this blog for example.  For all you know, I could be a mute deaf paraplegic and no one would even know it.  The internet really is the great equalizer in that sense.

Now, I really hope that I never do become mute or have any other problems of that nature.  But there’s my random thought for the day.  And by the way, that picture is not me…

Heath Ledger Found Dead

I’m sure most of you have heard by now, but actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment yesterday. This is really a sad story. I never saw any of his “big pictures” like “Brokeback Mountain”, but I will say that every movie I saw him in I thought he was a great actor. “A Knight’s Tale,” “10 Things I Hate About You”…he was great in all of them. And as you might know from this blog, I am very very excited to see his performance of the Joker in “The Dark Knight” this summer.

So the story is that he might have overdosed on some OTC sleeping pills. I read that he had an interview a while back where he mentioned that taking two Ambien would only give him a hour of sleep. I guess the guy was really stressed and maybe in a moment of frustration he took too many. I guess no one really knows.

It’s interesting, but a lot of times people will look up to the celebrities as having it all, always being happy, not a care in the world. But as more and more of these stories come out I hope people are getting the idea that this really is not the case. Heath Ledger had a great showbiz career ahead of him, but that doesn’t mean that he was free from the stress that must come from it.

For those directly affected, you have my condolences.

Still Working on Changing Personal Prejudices

Have you ever read something that made you realize that you need to make some changes in your attitude towards certain things? This just happened to me again this morning about something that I’ve already been working on, but it was a good reminder.

I’ve never had a problem with weight. But every now and then I find myself being very aware of all of the overweight people around me, and many times in the past I have passed judgment on those people. I know a few years ago I was really bad about this. In the last 6-12 months though, I’ve stopped being as judgmental as I used to be. In fact, I remember an incident a few months ago where I started to slip back into my old habit and I felt really really bad about it.

I realize that it is not my place to judge people for their weight. I have plenty of my own problems to worry about, so why should I pass judgment?  I also find that its very easy to pass judgment on people I don’t know, but I really don’t pass it once I get to know someone.  That doesn’t make it right, but I’ve noticed that is my trend.

So today I read an article in Newsweek that was very interesting. It was by a lady that for most of her life was overweight. Then she underwent gastric bypass surgery and has now been part of the ‘normal weight class.’ She shares in this article some of the things that she’s heard people say to her that assume she has always been at a ‘normal’ weight. It makes me sick to think that people are really that prejudiced. And yet, if I look back at my own opinion a few years ago it would be very similar. And so my goal to change continues.

I think that all of us have some type of prejudice or another. It could be a racial prejudice. Maybe its prejudice against something like weight. Well, no matter what it is I think we should all work to be less judgmental of the people we meet everyday. Well, there’s my preaching to myself for the day. Thanks for listening!

PS - Here’s the article if you want to read it: My Secret History.