You might be a nerd if...

...you check the math. Yup, only primes.

Merry Christmas. May you and your loved ones be safe and warm, and may next year bring better fortunes.

What a waste it is to lose one's mind

I've been interested in mind mapping for some time, and I've finally found a great, free tool for mind maps.

I've been reasonably happy with Omni Outliner as an organizational tool, but now XMind has taken its place in my heart, and then some. It's a great way to convert thoughts into bytes and (hopefully) keep my long-term goals in front of me, instead of being distracted by the daily grind.

Did I mention it's free?

The Cycle of Christmas

Especially for cycling enthusiasts, holiday greetings from Specialized.

(Thanks to mom for the great find.)

Question One

How can an organization send election-related materials without any identification or meaningful information?

Some local group has sent me a piece asking me to "Vote YES on Question One."

Who? I don't know. The piece is entirely silent on the question of its origin. What is "Question One?"

Our local municipal government website, indygov.org, has nothing about the election on its front page. Neither does the state website, in.gov. (That's an entirely separate rant.)

Who's in charge of this chump operation, anyway?

ACORN

Yes, I've worked with ACORN. They perform a vital role in our democracy: encouraging citizens to participate by registering them to vote.

I regret that members of that organization have been involved with fraud, and I call on everyone to respect the integrity of the voting process. Nothing is more dangerous to our future than a loss of faith that system.

Why won't Barack Obama say something like that, rather than trying to distance himself? I would respect him so much more, and I can't believe that anyone who was undecided would vote for McCain solely due to such an admission.

Politics has all but extinguished straight talk.

How many must die?

If the only evidence that convicted him was not physical evidence – it was the evidence of witnesses. Seven of the nine recanted. How can you say that's enough to take a life? –Reverend Al Sharpton

How to recognize when the news is grim? When you find yourself agreeing with Al Sharpton.

I don't know whether Troy Davis is innocent, and neither do any of the others who are speaking out against his execution.

But I do know that executing an innocent man achieves nothing. Next time someone says "I'd rather execute an innocent man than let a guilty one walk free," point out that every time we execute an innocent person the guilty party does walk free! Three crimes are perpetrated: the original crime, the murder of the innocent by the government, and the abdication of the responsibility of finding the real criminal.

How many must die before we recognize the obvious: that the death penalty is flawed, and if we're going to use it, it should only be in the most egregious, glaringly obvious cases. Troy Davis is going to be executed with no physical evidence and shaky eyewitness testimony.

If that doesn't appall you, then ask yourself this: what is preventing you, or someone you love, from being put to death for someone else's crime?

Photography as Beauty

I admit it: I'm a sucker for beauty. I need to find a way to recapture the beauty I originally found through my own photography, but in the meantime, occasionally I'll be fortunate enough to be deeply moved by others' work.

The Online Photographer has linked to two YouTube videos that are beautiful on many levels. Highly recommended.

I finally get Polaroid.