Tuesday, June 29, 2004
I have a lot of friends!
Ever since I won the jackpot, I've discovered I have a lot more friends than I thought...
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Holy crap
So I just recently figured out how much I've paid the cardroom. Then later I thought about it for a second and realized that 25% of that I was paying to them for the Bad Beat Jackpot (four of a kind beaten, with both hole cards for both people playing), which I have almost no chance of being a part of (bad beat gets 50% of prize pool, the winning hand gets 20%, and the rest of the table splits 30%). So I was kinda doubting whether playing at a place with the jackpot collection was really cost-efficient.
Um, I just lost four fives to four jacks and won a pantload of money. Yeah.
Um, I just lost four fives to four jacks and won a pantload of money. Yeah.
Friday, June 25, 2004
I gotta start a cardroom...
Wow. So I figured out how much money I've spent playing cards over the last few months... I've played 205.5 hours. I figured that the average number of hands a table can play is 15 per hour. The average number of people at the table is 7. That is a little more than two rounds a person. When you're on the button, they collect your $3 and when you're on the big blind, they collect your $1. So that's $8...but let's add $1 to cover the extra hand, short-handed tables, fast play, etc. So we assume $9/hour to play. At 205.5 hours, that's $1849.50. Eep...
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Six and a half years
Wow. It's been six and a half years. Eerie. But I look forward to many many more. Ilydc!
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
On Propaganda
So it's my belief that some day mankind on Earth will exterminate itself. It has to do with the increased power a person can have as technology increases.
Back in the day, if caveman Grog was mad at caveman Uh, Grog could take a giant rock and promptly distribute Uh's brains all over the cave wall. At which point Uh's family would come and use Grog as dino-bait. Good, great, grand. Total death count, 2.
Now let's say it's much later in the history of man. Gunpowder is invented. Weapons have gotten more powerful. Now some frustrated postal worker or computer programmer decides that he has had a really bad day and decides to play real-life doom. After his ammo is expended and the SWAT team has had their say, we can start the healing process. Total death count, 25.
Now we have increased hatred, which leads to innovative thought. How can I kill more and more people? Well, let's turn a passenger plane into a missile. A few misguided people decide that others have to pay for what they believe is the sins of their country. 9/11. Total death count, 3000+.
What's next? The death toll increases as the weaponry increases. Chemical weapons? Biological weapons? Nuclear weapons? Weapons that haven't been invented yet? As weapons get stronger and stronger, and require less technical knowledge and manpower to use them, the ability to exterminate humankind becomes more and more likely.
Okay, so let's diverge for a minute and examine what I believe to be the strongest weapon, information. This can be used as a defensive or offensive weapon. Thus we get to the stated topic of this blog, Propaganda.
The whole reason this topic popped into my head is the hype that I am reading about Michael Moore's soon-to-be-released film, Fahrenheit 9/11. Granted, I have not seen it yet, as it has not come out, so I cannot specifically slight the film. It could be very, very impartial. But given his track record and his stated goal to prevent Bush from getting re-elected, I doubt it, so I'll make the assumption that the facts are "slightly" skewed.
I am a registered Republican. I want Bush out of office. Contradictory? No, just a bit uncommon. I believe that Bush has brought entirely too much religion, religious thought, and his version of morality to our country. However, IF Moore has created a propaganda film, do the ends justify the means to get Bush out of office? Well, I think that misinformation is more dangerous than no information.
We as an American people don't know the whole truth. That's the way it is. I think if the American people as a whole KNEW the entire truth about everything, there would be anarchy. People are supposed to have general control over the government's makeup, but in a democracy, you elect people to make the decisions for you. There are so many different ways to feel and think about all the issues, that if you limit the arguing to the elected government, things get done (albeit not efficiently or honestly). Unfortunately people are people, and they are greedy, for both money and power. So by keeping the American public in the dark, not only do they keep the general populace compliant, but they also can use this for their own personal gain. I also feel that MOST American politicians have been corrupted by power.
But back to propaganda. You will never, and I repeat, NEVER, get an unbiased recount of an event that has happened. People, whether actively or subconsciously, will put some spin on a story which influences one side or the other. The only way to ever know the whole truth is to have been there. So if you put all your faith in one man's story, or a group of men's stories, or a book which tells you how to live, you are basing your actions on someone else's version of the truth.
The danger comes when people believe in this version of the truth so much that they are willing to do drastic things to effect change. Will Moore's film help prevent Bush from getting re-elected? Most definitely. I'm sure there will be at least ONE voter who would have voted for Bush who will see this movie and decide that Bush needs to be replaced. Fine. But the danger in this is that people need to use their minds and think about what is said. People need to exercise independent thought, question what they see. I'm sure that Moore will make several good points. I'm sure the film will be enlightening. But will it be unbiased? Most definitely not.
He who controls the information controls the people. Propaganda, whether political or religious, is dangerous. Whenever you read something, please open your mind and think about whether what you are reading is the whole truth. Every argument has a rebuttal. We would all do well to think about both sides of an issue and try to have the best-educated opinion possible. Even this issue...
Back in the day, if caveman Grog was mad at caveman Uh, Grog could take a giant rock and promptly distribute Uh's brains all over the cave wall. At which point Uh's family would come and use Grog as dino-bait. Good, great, grand. Total death count, 2.
Now let's say it's much later in the history of man. Gunpowder is invented. Weapons have gotten more powerful. Now some frustrated postal worker or computer programmer decides that he has had a really bad day and decides to play real-life doom. After his ammo is expended and the SWAT team has had their say, we can start the healing process. Total death count, 25.
Now we have increased hatred, which leads to innovative thought. How can I kill more and more people? Well, let's turn a passenger plane into a missile. A few misguided people decide that others have to pay for what they believe is the sins of their country. 9/11. Total death count, 3000+.
What's next? The death toll increases as the weaponry increases. Chemical weapons? Biological weapons? Nuclear weapons? Weapons that haven't been invented yet? As weapons get stronger and stronger, and require less technical knowledge and manpower to use them, the ability to exterminate humankind becomes more and more likely.
Okay, so let's diverge for a minute and examine what I believe to be the strongest weapon, information. This can be used as a defensive or offensive weapon. Thus we get to the stated topic of this blog, Propaganda.
The whole reason this topic popped into my head is the hype that I am reading about Michael Moore's soon-to-be-released film, Fahrenheit 9/11. Granted, I have not seen it yet, as it has not come out, so I cannot specifically slight the film. It could be very, very impartial. But given his track record and his stated goal to prevent Bush from getting re-elected, I doubt it, so I'll make the assumption that the facts are "slightly" skewed.
I am a registered Republican. I want Bush out of office. Contradictory? No, just a bit uncommon. I believe that Bush has brought entirely too much religion, religious thought, and his version of morality to our country. However, IF Moore has created a propaganda film, do the ends justify the means to get Bush out of office? Well, I think that misinformation is more dangerous than no information.
We as an American people don't know the whole truth. That's the way it is. I think if the American people as a whole KNEW the entire truth about everything, there would be anarchy. People are supposed to have general control over the government's makeup, but in a democracy, you elect people to make the decisions for you. There are so many different ways to feel and think about all the issues, that if you limit the arguing to the elected government, things get done (albeit not efficiently or honestly). Unfortunately people are people, and they are greedy, for both money and power. So by keeping the American public in the dark, not only do they keep the general populace compliant, but they also can use this for their own personal gain. I also feel that MOST American politicians have been corrupted by power.
But back to propaganda. You will never, and I repeat, NEVER, get an unbiased recount of an event that has happened. People, whether actively or subconsciously, will put some spin on a story which influences one side or the other. The only way to ever know the whole truth is to have been there. So if you put all your faith in one man's story, or a group of men's stories, or a book which tells you how to live, you are basing your actions on someone else's version of the truth.
The danger comes when people believe in this version of the truth so much that they are willing to do drastic things to effect change. Will Moore's film help prevent Bush from getting re-elected? Most definitely. I'm sure there will be at least ONE voter who would have voted for Bush who will see this movie and decide that Bush needs to be replaced. Fine. But the danger in this is that people need to use their minds and think about what is said. People need to exercise independent thought, question what they see. I'm sure that Moore will make several good points. I'm sure the film will be enlightening. But will it be unbiased? Most definitely not.
He who controls the information controls the people. Propaganda, whether political or religious, is dangerous. Whenever you read something, please open your mind and think about whether what you are reading is the whole truth. Every argument has a rebuttal. We would all do well to think about both sides of an issue and try to have the best-educated opinion possible. Even this issue...
