IN THE NEXT WORLD YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!

OK I'm watching AVS total request videos and they are just totally parallel universe alien culture stuff. No seriously these handsome Indian men and bodacious Indian women dancing and singing in Hindi and English. And the costumes! Black hip hop, torn jeans very little flesh showing. Not a single blond or black dancer, everyone the same light mocha color. Must be the color of the Brahma caste. God forbid the untouchables grind their hips. And the men and women always almost kissing. You just can't make this stuff up. Thrusting their hip that would make Elvis proud!

BestRegards,
Pete

Been living with my sister and Brother-in-law for 2 months here in Peabody MA. Going back tomorrow to Morrisiville PA to clean up the apartment, throw away a lot of stuff send more stuff to Salvation Army thrift store. I have 10 days to do this before I have more doctor visits at Beth Israel Boston. I'm very ambivalent about this, PA had been my home for 10 years. It is not like I really have a choice though. Didn't plan on being waylaid by diabetes. Who plans on being waylaid by anything!?! It is just that after 10 years that apartment really had become my home. And for the first 5 years the job market was good and I did a lot of interesting engineering work. But I do like New England, except for the 10 years in PA all my life has been in New England. I haven't lived in Vermont or Maine yet, but there is something that I really like about this area. It must have something to do with growing up here. No matter where you grow up from, you always compare other places with it and your childhood(I guess if you enjoyed your childhood) has colored your home as better than it really is. It is just a theory. I don't miss the New England winter that's for sure. Remembering the old skills like walking on icy roads. The good part about cleaning up the apartment is thanks to the insulin I'm not constantly tired like I have been. I'm curious how difficult the stairs at my apartment will be when I get back. I was having a real tough time with the stairway when I left 2 months ago. Should be interesting.
BestRegards,
Pete

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/archer/

Archer is an animated series on FX. Npr actually gave it a good review, it was funny and fast with good writing. I like it a lot but what is strange to me is the voice for Archer is H. Jon Benjamin who was also the same voice for Satan in Adult Swim's short series "Lucy Daughter of the Devil". Satan would so often appear in a colorful Bill Cosby sweater.

Caprica
You know one thing that I really enjoy about Caprica and Battlestar Galactica is they always go back to the debate of "What is human?". So many earlier aci-fi series would never touch this loaded question when they should have or would horribly be extremely moral and do the right thing, I'm looking at you STNG.
BestRegards,
Pete

My sister is very proud of me that I have been serious about controlling my blood sugar. I have been accepted to the free health care program at the Joslin Clinic in Boston. They are affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Spent all day Wednesday seeing a kidney specialist and a nutritionist. Both were really helpful. Plus the kidney Doctor gave me $200 worth of the short term insulin! That should last me 6 weeks. It was kinda funny when I was with the kidney Doctor and he was entering my info into the computer the software alerted him that since I was a charity case the lab tests that went outside the clinic would not be covered by Joslin. I think that was one of the reasons he gave me the free insulin he was flipping the bird to the clinic because of my charity status. Health Care really is a train wreck in this country even in Massachusetts which has the most Liberal Health Insurance program and some of the best hospitals and doctors in the world. Because of a doctor's report being late my emergency health insurance only lasted a month but they still gave me a month food stamps. We won't pay for medicine to keep you alive but we will feed you, oh okay that makes sense. If it wasn't for my family helping me I'd probably be dead right now.

My long term sugar level the Hemoglobin A1c went down from 16.9(my reading in the emergency room at Beth Israel) to 11.9 yesterday. I'm hopeful I will get the cataracts taken care of in March at the Joslin.
BestRegards,
Pete

I have been living in Massachusetts since the end of November. When I got my State ID card, I also registered to vote. I got back all my new voter registration stuff pretty quickly. Tuesday I called the democratic party for a ride to the polls at about noon. Nobody got back to me till 3, it turned out my sister's phone had an i.d. blocking function which kept the volunteers from calling back. But of course I got a robot call from Scott Brown. Final this real nice guy, Andy picked me up and with his Garmin GPS we found the middle school for me to vote. Peabody MA you ROCK, just a simple paper ballot no hanging chads, just a black pen to fill in the oval of my choice.

Oh well Scott Brown won with a majority of "WICKED RETARDED" Massachusetts voters.

The solution is simple...we have to reanimate Ted Kennedy!
BestRegards,
Pete

"This new research demonstrates a physical application for a branch of mathematics previously considered completely abstract."

Oh yeah! I just love it when that happens! Plus it includes lasers, WOO-WHOO!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100117150835.htm

( Tying Light in Knots )

( Poverty and human suffering )

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Amp_Up_a_Laser_Pointer

( In honor of the 50th or 51st birthday of the laser. )

The BBC mentioned today that the invention of the laser was 50 years ago. Well I was surprised that no else was talking about this invention, so when I looked into the subject it turns out to be 51 years old. Patent disagreement on who first invented the laser. Hey laser, happy 51st!
BestRegards,
Pete

My cold which I had this week had cleared enough so I did a strength workout Friday and another this evening. Both workouts felt great for the first time in 3 years I feel with my sugar levels in control that I am on a physical improvement slope in my life. I have also submitted to my sister's concept of what a serving portion is and am keeping to her program. She read me the riot act a few days ago and said the only way that she will permit Mom's good cooking in her house would be if I submitted to her serving regimes. So I see myself dropping pounds and hopefully needing less and less of the insulin needle. I have also noticed that my eyesight in my good eye is getting cataract fuzzy. In my left eye lights have this snowflake pattern I'm beginning to see a different pattern in my right eye. Oh well nothing can be done for my eyes till march when my sugar levels have been taken care of.
BestRegards,
Pete

I love Harry he is just too generous. Four days ago when I mentioned I caught a bad cold he mailed some of my vitamins I had in my apartment. So I called to thank him, his land line wasn't answering then his cell phone was giving me voice mail. When he finally answered his land line I asked what was wrong with his cell...

He told me he was using his grinding wheel and had leaned on it by mistake, The wheel ripped his sweatshirt, then the holster of his cellphone, then his cellphone. His sim chip is unharmed. I told him the cell phone sacrificed itself for him. The grinding wheel would have disemboweled him.

My good friend Harry is dangerous with power tools...
My good friend Harry is dangerous with any tool...
My good friend Harry is dangerous with a soup spoon...
I love pookie...
BestRegards,
Pete

Have a nice cold which could be becoming into something more serious. I have chills and that furry behind the eyeball sensation which says flu. But I got my shots for both versions of the flu! Oh well must be a different bug.
I think my whole family caught this cold from my 3 year old nephew Jacob at my sister’s new years party.

New Years Eve was interesting. My younger sister Betty took me to our Dad’s grave. We both got a little toasted on the way to the cemetery. Since I have no dubbage and I haven’t smoked in 2 years 2 hits from Betty’s single hitter (which is camouflaged to look like a cigarette) put me in a great mood to see Dad’s grave. I had a good talk with my Dad. Seeing my last name on a grave plate was a bit startling. Betty left 2 Christmas candy canes on the grave, more of a bad joke Dad was diabetic and always craved sweets. Betty stated there is no diabetes in heaven. There were grave diggers opening up the earth a few yards away, they needed a jackhammer the ground being solid. Wasn’t exactly like Hamlet’s meeting with a grave digger. ;’)

So January 7th and I've been up here in Beantown for 6 weeks since the week of Thanksgiving. I've seen my primary care Doc twice so far and he is happy with my progress with blood sugar levels. Also saw an eye specialist at the Joslin Clinic, she will see me in March to decide when to fix my cataracts. I am very blessed very little retina damage from the diabetes and the hypertenstion. I thought injecting the insulin would be the most difficult thing but it turns out testing my blood sugar is the biggest pain in the butt. Getting the small bubble of blood on the sensor has been tough for me. Partly because of the the cataract in my left eye has compromised my depth perception.

My sister Jeanne and brother in law Peter have been incredibly charitable towards me. I am staying with them in their mobile home in Peabody and they have been driving me to Boston for all of these doctor appointments. Peter fixed up my room with fast cable internet (WOO-WHOO!) and cable tv. Jeanne just bought me a membership at a gym which is walking distance from the trailer. I have a great family for being so christian sacrificial and loving towards me. Just have to say once again thank you Jesus.

BestRegards,
Pete

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html

( U.S. Evangelicals’ Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push )
This freaks me out that right-wing evangelicals are exporting basically murder to the third world under the disguise of spreading the gospel. What a horrible start to 2010.
BestRegards,
Pete

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6874884/Alcohol-substitute-that-avoids-drunkenness-and-hangovers-in-development.html

( Geek Alert ...Wicked Cool Trekkers, Synth-ahol! )

* Went to visit family for thanksgiving.

* Sister checked my blood sugar the Tuesday before and it was deadly high.

* She took me to the ER at Beth Israel in Boston.

* Spent 3 days in the 11th floor medical ward getting the sugar levels down.

* Presently staying with sister in Peabody MA getting well.

Now I understand that the fatigue, mental slowness, balance problems, eyesight problems and loss of sensation in my extremities was more than likely at least 2 years generated by diabetes.

I had absolutely no idea that the different health problems had this cause. I was thinking depression, getting older, etc., etc.. And I just want to say that I am so grateful and give thanks to Jesus that I have such a loving sister, family and friends (Harry) for helping me out.

BestRegards,
Pete

http://insidetech.monster.com/news/articles/6538-ibm-supercomputer-simulates-cat-cerebral-cortex-pushes-limits-of-cognitive-computing?utm_source=nlet&utm_content=it_c5_20091120_ELFS



( IBM Supercomputer Simulates Cat Cerebral Cortex, Pushes Limits of Cognitive Computing )

One of the reasons why I think this is interesting is that one of the "pathways" to the singularity is when A.I. research starts to simulate the human brain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

Mr President Shame! I SAY SHAME ON YOU AND YOUR SOCIALIST HEALTH CARE REFORM!!!
After watching C-SPAN today and seeing the pain that you have created in your minority Republican congressmen and senators.

I DEMAND THAT YOU AMEND THE HEALTH CARE BILL AND TAKE AWAY ALL GOVERNMENT PAID HEALTH CARE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN. IN FACT TAKE IT AWAY FROM ALL REPUBLICANS IN OUR GREAT NATION!

They deserve to be protected from government rationed health care death panels!

BestRegards,
Pete

NPR mentioned today that all the PHILLIES WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS clothes are given to WORLD VISION and go to poor children in Asia. The World Vision spokesperson was interviewed. She said how happy these kids react to the new duds, most have never seen new clothes before. Some of the shirts are large enough to be dresses for the girls.
BestRegards,
Pete

The few new things since i have Journaled...
1. Organized my apartment a bit. I've been going through my library of books putting them in Rubbermaid containers and I now have the lists of books in the Rubbermaid taped to the top of the lid. Duh! should have done this years ago. Have over 14 Rubbermaid contained organized this way, mostly nontechnical books. Most of the tech books are stacked on top covered and the title marked for it's easiest retrieval. I'd say I've got at least another 20 containers to go. They are the Rubbermaid containers I have under 3 queen size mattresses.

2. Harry set up the new digital boxes for our cable. Really cool because now I can get music also. Plus when you surf you get titles of what is on the channel and we finally got back the TV guide channel.

3. Have thought up some good ideas for some sci-fi novel and have been trying to get them down on my computer and the writing website I've been using.

4. Been trying to study the new testament using daily study bible from the theologian William Barkley. I really love his writing how he will explain the Greek words and the possible different meaning, both interpretations would make real good sense. I have also noticed breakthroughs when I read a chapter causally like in the car waiting for someone. Very interesting sometimes the new testament becomes holographic when I read it. I'll bet it is even more intense in the original Greek.

Ready for this? Been working out the design for a low speed wind turbine, honest. I couldn't believe it when I checked out a recent Popular Mechanic and 90 percent of my design was on the page in front of me, staring me in the face.
All I could do was laugh! This has happened more than once to me. In fact there are theories that ideas bubble up through a collective unconsciousness and groups of different people will suddenly come up with the same ideas at the same time. There was this case of groups primates on different islands in the Pacific learned like the same tool usage at the same time and there was no way they learned it from each other.

ABC is redoing V the miniseries. The SYFY channel had shown the old 70s series and it was so bad I just wanted to start cutting myself. Wired reviewed the new version here is the link and a little of the review.

"In the meantime, this aliens-among-us drama comes alive due mainly to the presence of Morena Baccarin. Previously known for her work in Stargate SG-1, Serenity and Firefly, the statuesque, Brazilian-born actress (pictured above, center) lends heft to V with a nearly hypnotic performance. "

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/review-v/

I really like Morena Baccarin but she looks like a boy with the short hair in this series!

BestRegards,
Pete

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/08/10/gay-christians-discord-in-the-pews/

( Why Gay Guys Are Churchier Than Their Straight Brethren )

I just had to post an article which used the term "Liturgy Queens".
BestRegards,
Pete