Inevitably, when somebody moves out of state for the first time people will come to visit and more often than not parents will come to visit. It is not unheard of for parents even to make the initial journey to the new domicile. Today is the parental visitor day at the less than brand new apartment in Boulder, Colorado, the labor day holiday has provided an opportunity for interstate travel and of course visitor day at the apartment. Naturally, the cleaning process involved scrubbing, sweeping, and polishing a variety of things that normally do not receive the highest degree of treatment on a daily basis. On the brighter side of things, a rumor has been circulating that the parents might be brining a healthy does of Kansas City Barbeque on ice to Boulder, Colorado. Morrow says that expecting Kansas City style barbeque anywhere outside of Kansas City is misguided, but then again morrow is even so slightly Canadian in constitution. Really, who would ever bother to purchase the cable hockey package? Even with the Colorado Avalanche playing at the Pepsi Center just an hour away, it is nearly impossible to get tickets for less than fifty dollars and watching hockey on television is akin to staring at a screensaver for entertainment. Maybe the drive between Kansas City and Boulder, Colorado takes about nine hours, but the drive feels deceptively longer.

Preheat the oven to the appropriate temperature waiting for the beeping noise, inserting the pizza into the oven on the cookie sheet, and waiting for the timer to acknowledge that is time for the pizza to cool for five minutes is no way to start the morning. At some point last night, the clock decided to change the month from October to September and soon winter will be approaching. Nothing like winter in Boulder, Colorado, at some point it becomes next to impossible to drive into the mountains due to the risk of falling rocks, avalanches, or sliding on the ice. September should mark the start of true fall temperatures under ninety degrees August was still hot enough to be uncomfortable.
Even with all of the scientific advances in recent years, it is still a difficult task to climb to one of the world largest mountain summits. Hurricanes have become a major topic of conversation over the last few months and especially during the last week, and it is starting to become apparent that the demands of society are going to raise the expectations on the scientific community. Over the years scientists have tried to establish the same ivory tower effect afforded to the study of philosophy in intuitions of higher education, but the practical applications of developing science are necessary functions of sustaining society a fact that to some degree has been lost during the struggle.
Joni thought it was a good idea to attend the 60 Minutes in Space III last night at the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences in Denver, Colorado. The Gates Planetarium is nothing less than a spectacular use of innovative visual display technology and the presentation was of a decent quality. Maybe it should no longer be surprising to see an entire crowd of people attending a Denver Museum of Natural Sciences space related presentation. Every time people gather to listen to news of space exploration, it seems to defy the social order presented by reality television.

Taking the entire week off from the journey through higher education at Walden University is about all the extent of any continuous break possible. Due to being on the quarter system, a new set of classes always starts about a week after the last set of class ends producing a yearlong learning environment that creates the potential for burnout. However, in addition to the difficult task of watering the cactus and making sure that the fish have received enough food to sustain autonomous homeostasis it can be very time consuming to make snacks. Joni has decided that it is a good idea to attend the 60 Minutes in Space III on Wednesday, August 31, 2005, at 7:00 PM at the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences in Denver, Colorado. Given that the Gates Planetarium, which houses the event is among the best planetariums in the world the presentation should be interesting, but who knows how much information can fit into 60 minutes with a question and answer period.

Have a passing moment then, or again, or so it was before everything started to make sense in the dense haze that is insomnia driven clarity. Despondent notions of fate are less then reliable after the sun goes down, but then again does anything make sense before the first cup of coffee. Argumentative notions are what separate fate from calculated decision, but then again not everything is reasonable. Maybe the end being in sight is enough to slow down the journey for those who cannot imagine a world without seeking an end. Basic structures underlying logic are reasonable for those who have separated fate from manipulative calculating choices. Knowing what to write about and writing are at times two fundamentally different notions that seem to be in conflict from the moment a dichotomy forms. Taking action is a reasonable course of action for those who can manage to define a path toward some kind of end; otherwise, inaction is the best course of action. Generally, the best mode of operation is to put pen to paper and sort out the results before drawing any real conclusions. Passing interests can only hold time back from passing the goal for so long before change gets interesting.

Besides of course have a fascination with mixing Crispex breakfast cereal with popcorn for breakfast nothing makes for a better snack than a couple slices of brick oven pizza. They even have this funny brick oven pizza with potatoes and bacon bits, which of course is a personal favorite despite the oddity associated with breakfast pizzas. Yesterday a picture of Tommy Knocker Maple Nut Brown Ale magically appeared on Andy’s cell phone thanks to the joy of picture messaging. Only recently has picture messaging become a staple of cell phone based communication that of course had previously began to include the joy of text messaging and of course the outdated model of actually conversing. American Online Instant Messaging, Microsoft Messenger, and of course Yahoo Messaging have all started to occupy space on desktops throughout the world, because no standard internet messaging protocol has been established to allow users to remove the unwelcome desktop billboards associated with having separate little messaging fiefdoms all fighting for the privilege of desktop space and internet browser toolbars.
On Monday week eleven of statistics class will end, the last week of the class week twelve will start, and pending completion of a final exam the class will finally be over. Normally for the mathematically inclined at statistics classes are a pleasant experience, but the last twelve weeks have not been pleasant, cohesive, or even comprehensive. Some classes are improperly built in ways that d

Naturally, a trip to the mountains is supposed to be a relaxing experience away from the drama associated with the internet, talk radio, or even cable television. Somehow, the specter of a graduate level statistics project managed to weigh heavily on a backpack that became uncomfortable. One of the major challenges of attempting to wonder throughout the obstacle course, that is higher education online is motivating virtual team members to complete quality work on time. Vacations schedules are set in advance and project timelines are set in advance, but it is harder to change a vacation schedule than a project schedule. Having to take the time to find a hotel that has broadband speed internet so that periodically the vacation can be put on hold long enough to participate in an online education environment with a virtual team full of members that do not work at the same pace or with the same motivation. When anyone takes on responsibility for the group and sets a timeline for completing a project, then everyone needs to work with the timeline.
Joni was kind enough to deal with being stuck reading a book and watching cable television in Gunnison, Colorado, over the weekend. Walden University is about allowing individuals to pursue continuing education in an environment that is conducive to learning. Why is group work a requirement in a class that expects a doctoral level of research? For some things, group work can be rewarding and helpful to all of the members in the group, but in online education more often than not group work creates a tragedy of the commons oversupplying the market with free riders. Highly motivated individuals are always the ones that end up doing the majority of any group project allowing free riders to exist in the marketplace. Unfortunately, for the state of order in the apartment as due dates for midterms, finals, or term papers approach the amount of disorder increases exponentially. For the most part Joni puts up with random messes, but sometimes the piles get large enough to become connected, and that is expected.

Some people are responsible enough to open an entire bag of Oreo cookies, and some people are only responsible enough for the fun packs of Oreo cookies. Being good at long naps, snacking, and taking trips to the store is not always a bad thing, but it is a dangerously thin that everyone has to be aware of from time to time. Whatever works between the snack stores, the grocery store is a world of possibility, and not all of the possibilities are healthy enough to be good alternatives. Hillary has been preaching the merits of baked cheese snacks, evening going as far as offering to wrap a bag in red ribbon to encourage the healthier alternative to traditional cheese snacks. Perhaps the most damning part of the red ribbon cheese snacks offer is that Andy did not have anything to do with the whole situation. In fact, Andy the all time Kansas City Royals Kaufman stadium dollar night hot dog eating champion was still discussing the merits of corn dogs as snacks.
Now back to the topic at hand, the greatness of the snack pack Oreo. Either later tonight or tomorrow morning, it will be time to start cutting up vegetables to make another round of salsa gordo perezoso del hombre. How do you make your own Salsa? The answer is simple, making salsa that everyone likes is impossible. Naturally, this recipe is for informational purposes for the sole entertainment of the writer without any warranty, certification, or guarantees. Regardless of much trust, you think recipes off the internet implicitly deserve remember to never make any recipe that cannot be checked against a trusted source. This recipe makes about three or four liters of rather spicy restaurant quality salsa. Of course, after you make salsa for the first time you are going to want to take notes about what you want to change to modify the next batch. Making good salsa is an iterative process that requires attention to detail and experimentation. Make sure and read at least ten other salsa recipes before attempting to make salsa for the first time.
Last time the salsa included the following peppers including 2 whole Habanero, 12 whole Serrano Peppers, 12 whole Jalapeno Peppers, 1 Green Bell Pepper, 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 1 Orange Bell Pepper, 5 Dried Chili Peppers, and 1 Anaheim Pepper. Other than peppers, the salsa includes one whole Onion, one whole Garlic Clove, 2 Tablespoons Salt, half a Cup of Cilantro, a Cup of Vinegar, and about 24 Ounces of Boiled Peeled Tomato. Makes sure you have all of the ingredients and about three hours of free time to complete the cooking process. During the preparation stage finally chop about one dozen Serrano peppers mixed with one dozen Jalapeno peppers. The last batch included the use of a food processor and two three-ounce cans of extra spicy Jalapeno pepper pieces to kick it up a notch.
Combine the diced mixture with a chopped up onion and an entire clove of garlic in a large mixing bowl. Finely chop up about twenty-four ounces of peeled boiled whole tomatoes and store them in a separate mixing bowl. In the tomato-mixing bowl, pour one cup of vinegar, two tablespoons of salt, and about half a cup of cilantro. The pepper, onion, and garlic bowl needs to cook in a large pot before the tomato bowl completes the assembly process. Bring the salsa to a boil for about an hour or simmer the salsa for two hours. Of course, the salsa has to be canned, refrigerated, and stored for about a day before it is ready for consumption. Some people do not boil the salsa and just can the salsa cold, but I have found that it never tastes right if it is not brought to a boil for about half an hour.

Departure management cards, economy waitlists, and slightly overpriced breakfast burritos are all part of the experience at Denver International Airport. Liberally the cable news network broadcast echoes throughout the airport indoctrinating the public to extremist rhetoric. Maybe condemnation is the only viable way to shake the notion that embedded correspondents are necessary to understand Midwest voters. Naturally, it is only natural for liberal political insiders to believe that reporters have to be banished to the Midwest with hazard pay and valid passports. Political pundits are odd and often uncivil creatures that crave originality and are incapable of coherent rational thought. Autonomous thought requires adherence to the practice of rigorously questioning public statements and factual stipulations. Traditionally, liberal thought hinged on resisting authority, deconstructing accepted dogma, and questioning everything with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, a reliance on celebrity, entertainment, and style over substance has tarnished the intellectual tradition.
United Airlines decided that all of the departure management cardholders are really part of an impromptu lottery presenting the winner with a bulkhead seat in the first row of the Canadian Air regional aerial transportation vehicle. Winning the departure management lottery certainly creates a significant adrenaline rush, but the lazy press core still refuses to cover the event. Freedom of the press is more or less about the ability to cover what is profitable not about the freedom to cover everything. Attacking the press core is like listening to the sound of leaves, while eagerly excepting to hear the sound of running water. Illusory targets that have no shape, form, or structure are difficult to attack. Every morning the Rocky Mountains provide the background scenery for breakfast at the kitchen table. Anyone that did not will the departure management has to wait for the much fabled and often mainlined declaration of seat assignment period. An early flight results in transpiration plan alterations and today was not exception to that rule specifically designed for the less than independent traveler. Susan and Aunt Cheryl were supposed to be playing in a charity golf tournament at Fort Leavenworth, but Aunt Cheryl forgot to bring proper identification. Thanks to this unfortunate, yet somewhat fortuitous chain of events changes in the transportation plan practically made themselves.
Most people cannot tell the difference between the different makes and models of aircraft, especially from the inside. How the airline industry has managed to continue producing the same 1970’s design without significant improvement is confusing and troubling at the same time. Seriously, with all of the advances in technology over the years the airline industry is running out of excuses for relaying on outdated designs that are fossil fuel dependent. At some point, the United States of America will have to dig a tunnel from the east coast to the west coast and build a safe and reliable high-speed transportation system. Japan and Disneyland have built monorail systems that can provide a base model to start the discussion, but federal involvement is necessary. Given the magnitude of the project, private contracting is not an option this system will require construction by the army core of engineers and newly formed branch of the army reserve. Normally private management and contracting is the best mechanism, but since the project is for the national good, an exemption is necessary. Perhaps it is time for the military to use the practical national building experience accumulated throughout the globe to benefit the infrastructure at home. Right now, the nation needs a new method of transportation and a stable method of creating a second layer of secure internet backbone infrastructure.

Walking up to the shrill shrieking sounds of alarms is enough to shatter any previously pleasant montage of dream induced euphoria. Generally speaking some things are clearly than others, but it is better to assume that all dreams are pleasant until otherwise informed. Today is the last day that will be spent in Boulder, Colorado, and air travel does not afford the possibility of taking everything that will be needed to the summer residency in Bloomington, Indiana. Sometimes, life develops into a series of choices that are really about compromise. According to the reality created by the airline industry, life fits into approximately one hundred pounds of two checked bags, one overhead carryon bag, and a convenient travel size briefcase or backpack. Most of the exceptionally random items that add a small amount of enjoyment to the spice of life on a daily basis do not fit in a travel size bag. Somehow, the tranquility of the morning was shattered by the tragic events that are unfolding in London, England. Given that a member of the University of Kansas, Class of 2005, Master of Public Administration Class is currently in London, England, even the Atlantic Ocean does not provide any comfort. Since Audrey is in fact one of the most beloved members of the class the news is truly troubling.

As a true ecommerce portal eBay should allow users to login and provide a set of keywords, categories, and specific favorites to generate a list of potentially interesting items. Seriously, eBay has to start developing the capacity for user automation including preference driven recommendations. Currently, eBay provides updates from favorite sellers or specific keyword searches, but even Google knows that people are not capable of communicating what they actually want using the right nomenclature. If somebody is searching for Barry Bonds rookie cards, then eBay should suggest a list of specific cards and provide recommendations. At some point eBay can also start providing average selling prices of similar items, lists of how many of the item are available, and how many of the item have sold in the past. Of course, the real curiosity surrounds the question, “Will Google buy eBay or will eBay buy Google?”

Joni thought it would be a good idea to attend the Denver Museum of Natural Science’s special topic lecture on Deep Impact. Lectures at the museum do not usually start at ten in the evening and run until about two in the morning. Hiring NASA trained scientists with doctoral degrees to present information about Deep Impact cost about five dollars a person while a movie ticket is more expensive. Who would have every guessed that buying two hours of Hollywood entertainment would be more valuable than hearing a presentation from scientists that helped build the Deep Impact spacecraft. Given this strange economic irregularity, museum officials underestimated the drawing power of potentially unlocking the mysteries of the universe when over six hundred people showed up for the lecture. What makes the number of people attending the event interesting is the fact that all six hundred were still at the Denver Museum of Natural Sciences at midnight. NASA was able to stream television images around the world with about a seven-minute deep space transmission delay.
Given the magnitude of the situation, NASA seriously compromised the potential value of the project by not providing open access to the television stream to broadcast television. Expecting that everyone will be able to access the NASA television station was a mistake. Even Comcast cable service in Boulder, Colorado, does not provide access to the NASA television channel, which is provided free of charge; thanks in part to the expenditure of federal tax dollars. Evidently, Comcast believes that the demand for the channel would be too limited to find space for the channel in the five hundred that they currently provide. Boulder, Colorado, is one of the largest aerospace communities in the world and still does not have enough demand to warrant Comcast broadcasting NASA television. Even in Kansas City the cable company does not provide NASA television. Of course, the option still exists to stream NASA television from the NASA webpage, but the quality of that transmission is exceptionally poor and limited. NASA has to be able to provide press conferences that are engaging and informative to get information on broadcast television.

This evening at the movie theater common sense was allusive especially during the previews when without hesitation it seemed like a good idea to buckle the safety belt. Naturally, movie theaters do not come equipped with seat belts, and that is probably a good thing. For months, the movie industry has seen declines in box office receipts. Experts employed by the movie theater are afraid to admit that maybe the fact that a student ticket costs about 8.50 on a weekend and 7.50 for a weekday afternoon. Since most people do not attend movie theaters alone and two tickets are going to cost between 12.00 and 20.00 on average.
If for some strange reason the captivity of the movie theater marketplace results in the need for snacks, then the initial cost of participation is about to double or even triple. A discount store like Wal-Mart sells candy for about one dollar and the movie theater sells the same candy for about 2.50 or about three times the normal market value. For example, when the price of gasoline goes up then the disposable income of consumers goes down reducing the number of people who are willing and able to purchase movie tickets. Movies are not an event that move beyond the entertainment budget funded by disposable income, and therefore are sensitive to changing prices or market conditions.
Maybe it is time for movie theaters to evolve beyond selling overpriced soda pop and canola oil based popcorn. Eventually a movie theater might be more like the food court at the mall than a twenty-four hour a day gas station. Seriously, if a movie theater is going to charge twenty dollars, maybe they could provide crisp pintos, corn dog nuggets, or chili cheese fries. Part of the historical legacy of movie theaters revolves around providing an extravagant movie going experience. Going to the movies is in the declining years the over priced tickets, ridiculously priced concessions, lengthy commercials, painfully long previews, and typically weak movies are ensuring that the death rattle of the movie industry will be nothing more than expensive.

Today the forty-eight hour deadline is approaching and packing is now the primary concern. With two packages of boxes from UHAUL and more clear packing tape than comes in the economy package the light at the end of the tunnel is within view. Breakfast never seems the same when the cabinets are empty and the food is in cardboard boxes. Only the freezer can bring provide a full meal, because all of the pots and pans are packed.

Boxes sit packed by the wall covering the corners of the room. Chairs, tables, and bookshelves are nothing more than a pile of furniture waiting to take a one-way trip to the next apartment. More stuff than is necessary and possibly stuff that was previously unknown has to be carefully hand packed. Moving creates the opportunity for significant exercise otherwise avoided on a daily basis by individuals interested in rest more than exercise. Maybe it is nerves, but moving seems to be the one thing that needs to be over sooner than later. Randomly last night at a wedding reception serving multiple flavor layered cake and over brewed coffee, a trip to Super Target became inevitable. Frozen mozzarella cheese sticks and a brick oven style potato and bacon pizza were on the item list. Somehow, a wonderful Dove dark chocolate bar ended up in the shopping cart as the lights dimmed and the friendly Super Target employees issued a ten-minute to closing warning. Joni has been searching for the perfect office desk for about two months without any success. Giant warehouses like American Furniture Gallery, every store with the name office in the style, and any random business establishment that might sell some type of furniture have been stops on recent rock star office desk tour.
Sitting on the sofa during the day watching television cannot be a lifestyle choice to aspire to realize during retirement. When the view from the window is of the Rocky Mountains and over a dozen national parks are within driving distance it is clear that watching television should be a secondary consideration associated with inclement weather conditions. Jokes about inclement weather conditions are inappropriate Boulder, Colorado, frequently suffers from short power outages that have recently been rather devastating. After the digital cable box suffered, four of five short power outages during the same hour an episode of Star Gate is now a permanent part of a hard drive error in the digital video recorder. Small recording problems are insignificant compared to the loss of the LINKSYS wireless network router. Strangely, the power surges did not damage the Alpha Shield hardware firewall appliance. Over the last few years, Cisco technology powered LINKSYS equipment has been the standard in home internet. For the second time in the last five years, NETGEAR has produced a significantly superior product to LINKSYS. After it has been strength tested, battle tested, and suffers a power outage a review of the NETGEAR RANGEMAX wireless router will be forthcoming.

Sometimes taking a trip to an unabashed extravagance of uncompromising capitalism can be a breath of fresh air. Everything at Kohl’s is clearly marked with the manufactures intended original price and the exceptionally low bargain price. From time to time, the benevolent capitalists at Kohl’s decide that this bargain price could be even lower and a flashy red sale sign makes the announcement for the world to see. Regardless of the visual imagery designed to change perception and guide the preferences of the buyer all things have a definitive market value. For example, finding a pair of casual dress shoes that are not fancy enough to be formal, but are comfortable enough to wear at a wedding for twenty dollars was a bargain. Shopping can be a challenging endeavor and therefore it should be limited to about once a quarter before or after financial reporting periods end. Over the years if you buy a new pair of shoes, once or twice, a year think about how much money has been lost and material wasted. Why do companies not produce shoes that last longer than a year? Maybe it has something to do with the nature of consumptive capitalism or maybe it is simply a market failure from a lack of expressed consumer demand. If consumers refused to purchase products that were not durable, then companies would only produce products that were durable.
The sun came out a carefully chosen suite was on the hanger, a tie draped around the hanger, and something important was missing. Dress shoes are as important as a matching belt and socks and somehow they were missing from the closet. It is possible that they are in a box waiting for the next apartment. Moving is an activity that highlights just how many things are accumulated over time that are completely and totally useless. Before visiting the Peoples Republic of China, the purchase of a new pair of shoes involving two distinct considerations related to comfort and durability took several hours of research. Today for about half the price of what the shoes cost a year ago, Kohl’s was having a sale on Sketchers walking shoes. Needless to if the shoes were acceptable a year ago at a higher price then at the bargain price, it was time for a new pair of shoes. Traveling can cause anticipatory anxiety by itself, but when traveling combines with moving, the effect compounds. Wednesday is the big day of the move and the major packing deadline for anything that is heavy enough to warrant help from the movers. Different shoulder injuries over the years have recently become a limitation and are the central reason for hiring professional movers to take care of all the furniture.

What do you want to do with your life? How do you want to spend your days? Questions seem perpetually to lead to more and more questions without attention to the complexity required to search for answers. When people ask what I am doing the easy answer is to simply say that I am retired. Sometimes if somebody seems honestly interested, I will tell them about advocating for Graduation with Civic Honors to increase civic engagement and volunteerism. Explaining that the Graduation with Civic Honors Project is actually an internationally recognized nonprofit organization that has gone from idea to reality does not always work in social conversation. Recently a significant amount of my time has gone into the Proposed American Society for Public Administration Section on Native American Governance to build a dynamic online forum that could allow people to freely and openly contribute to a discussion that has been historically underrepresented. People who have known me all of my life tend to find this recent trend toward social activism surprising. Of course, I have only one response that is repeated over and over again, “Everyone has an obligation to take action to avoid the disillusionment associated with discussing inaction.” Keep in mind that civic engagement and volunteerism is a nonpolitical issue. No political party owns the social fabric that makes up the United States of America.
Most people do not have the good fortune to be able to take two years off and work on earning a PhD. Over the last year, I have truly learned to appreciate the educational process and higher education in general. My journey has been very different from earning a masters degree in a year, traveling to China, recovering from a life threatening illness, and moving to Colorado to work on earning a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration focusing on E-Government and counterterrorism. If you do not appreciate and value higher education, then the pursuit of knowledge becomes more of a processed checklist and less of a journey. One of the things that I take pride in is avoiding self-censorship at all costs. Striving to move forward can be dangerous and the fear of that danger is what causes people to embrace the safety of inaction. Navigating life based on the expectation that anything is possible requires understanding that failures are just speed bumps. If somebody tells me that I am not good enough or that I should give up, then I know it is time to regroup and continue to move forward.

Packing for the move to the next apartment has left a wake of destruction in the current apartment. Yesterday, I spent the entire day thinking about the future. Finishing the doctoral program at Walden University has been challenging, but I have now passed the point of no return. I have been assigned an advisor for what Walden University calls the Knowledge Area Module process; in general, the rest of the world tends to call the literature review process the literature review process. Dissertations are truly a test of an individual’s personal motivation and drive.
Of course, looking for a job is always a priority, and finding a job in Boulder, Colorado, would be advantageous. Considering that the next three or four years of my life will be spent in the shadow of the mountains of Boulder, Colorado, finding a job here is probably becoming more of a necessity. During the literature review process, I will finally have enough time to hold a job. For the most part finishing all of the core classes and focusing on the dissertation process separately was a good idea. With a little luck and some commitment I will be able to finish the literature review process in the next two or three months.

Sometime in the next few days, well in about two weeks to be exact, I will finally be moving to a new apartment in Boulder, Colorado. Currently the one bedroom apartment is fine for individual living, but does not have the capacity for a mainframe computer setup. The cube is where I devote a number of hours a day. The apartment complex actually decided not to provide air-conditioning for several weeks and I was not able to use the cube, because the temperature in a room changes by about ten degrees.

Momentary glimpses of abstract panic shake the confines of complacent thought from my head as the alarm clock rings. Alarm clocks come in all shapes and sizes, but the one that resides on my desk is louder than any other alarm clock I have ever seen. Don’t panic, it is only the alarm, the day is only beginning, it really cannot be as bad as it seems, can it?
What would happen if first person prose dissolved into a near infinite series of third person references popularized by professional athletes? I personally believe that the real consequence of speaking in third person is readability and however annoyed readers happen to become, so I guess that writing mechanism will be avoided at all costs.
A dollar coin that sits on the desk without notoriety or critical acclaim happens to be a year older than the birthday listed on the driver’s license resting in the wallet that is also sitting on the desk. In reality popular culture, suggests that the date of creation has to do with when an object took physical shape, was manufactured, or perhaps when it was assembled. This analysis disregards the fact that the coin and the drivers license are the same age, because everything that currently exists is relatively the same. Form, function, and structure of an object are all assumptions or conventions that are part of a social expectation that everyone has a similar shared perspective. Both items are made of the same materials at the atomic level and the materials are not ever really created or destroyed they were around before consciousness and they will be around after consciousness is gone.

Despite the predictions of perpetually pessimistic overly negative critics, Nels Lindahl has managed to survive for twenty-five years. Over the last decade, each birthday has become less of an event and more of an observance. Keeping with the modern college traditions associated with turning twenty-one years old almost requires holding a party. Of course, given proximity considerations and the traditions of Sigma Phi Epsilon one option truly deserved consideration. Planning was as simple as renting the Hawk for an evening along with the allocation of several barrels of domestic beer to ensure a truly festive celebration. Most college students are not avid party hosts, but for some students anytime an occasion presents itself a party is the only option. Twenty-first birthdays and Graduations have always been wonderful reasons to have a party, and a socially acceptable time to celebrate in large groups.
Recently my thoughts have been focusing on the nature of information and how communication of information actually occurs. If modern theories are correct and we are all cognitive misers that can only process a finite amount of information at any given time, then the current supply of information might overload the capacity of society to collectively process. Mostly rational thought is an allusive construct that does not willingly participate in social interaction. Somehow, this morning during a series of normal online activities, a Walden University button selection executed and a required class vanished from the planned series of summer classes. Several phone calls later coupled with the completion of several online forms everything was back to normal or at least to as close to normal as things get in the early hours of the morning. ESPN has been following the congressional steroid hearings and the investigation associated with the hearings. This morning the commissioners of all of the major sports spent the morning attempting to defend current problematic steroid policies.
Now since the public funds the construction and maintenance of every hundred million dollar stadium in the United States of America, and sports teams travel from publicly funded stadium to publicly funded stadium to engaged in interstate commerce the government probably has a right to represent the interests of the American people. Major League Baseball believes that the players union is above the law and that engaging in criminal conspiracies to protect people who engage in the illicit use and distribution of narcotics is an acceptable business practice. Watching commissioners sit around and defend the power of collective bargaining agreements over the authority of the United States Federal Government was incredibly depressing. Change will only be possible if congress passes a law that links the use of public funds to build stadiums to steroid policy compliance.

Randomly and optimistically searching for some degree of truth in the sea of chaotic observations occasionally associated with consciousness occurring daily at the conclusion of naptime. Daytime digressions into the comforting afterthought of a good nap is more than a philosophical break from the confines of linear dimensionality that usually require at least one cup of coffee. Journeys have recently required crossing the great divide between the flat center of the United States, sometimes called Kansas City, and the mountain community that revolves around the silent worship of a boulder that has yet to be identified somewhere on the western edge of Colorado. Moments no longer pass within the confines of time or reason on the highways of Middle America; time almost seems to pass painfully slower than at any other time or for any other reason. Clearing the mind form the endless procession of thoughts that confound rational ideas is challenging to the point of being illusory. Arguments long since past are rebuilt and fall away in a march of pointless introspection that almost seems to be a part of keeping track of how time passes.

Days without a post, and maybe that is not such a bad thing… after moving some of my stuff from a room that was being used as a storage closet something seemed wrong. Evidently, it appears that a dog benevolently saved from the city park destroyed the carpet in the room. Armed with a carpet knife and a small amount of aggression it was only a matter of hours before the room no longer had terribly foul carpet covering the floor. Holes ever few inches decorated the wall from a pushpin picture bonanza requiring a thick layer of spackling leaving the walls with a chickenpox-inspired motif. Even after two layers of thick primmer, the walls were not completely flat. Thanks to the primmer, the paint covered the walls without any problems. Since the carpet had filled the room and without the carpet the room seemed to need an extra something like new quarter-round and ceiling trim form the local hardware store.

Recently, I have become disappointed in the number of projects that are being completed on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis. Sometimes it can be difficult to deal with the large number of possible projects that you could complete. At some point, I developed a preference for taking action to benefit society something about my decision calculus changed, because people do not understand the problems that result form acting without the virtue of collective benefit. Dealing with the reality that at some point collective action is the only way resolve global problems, requires the individual to weigh the cost of limited potential against the infinite potential of continued existence.
Given the extensive training in philosophy and argument that social scientists receive it is surprising when a social scientist devotes attention to research in incredibly advanced technological innovation. Three projects have boiled to the surface and are taking precedence over other potential research issues. Developing schematics for a Fusion Powered Atomic Particle Acceleration Drive (FPAPAD), advanced atomic recycling, and natural frequency modification of organic abnormalities.
For several months different explanations of the Fusion Powered Atomic Particle Acceleration Drive (FPAPAD) have floated around the internet. Explaining to scientists that are highly entrenched in the dogma and mysticism associated with a body of knowledge that they do not truly understand is a difficult and challenging process. Objects with significant mass traveling at or around the speed of light using a magnetic envelope to displace forward mass can reduce resistance and gain momentum from perpetually assembling a wake of charged particles. Reducing resistance and building a magnetic envelope are not the only things that can be done to change the speed of the object traveling at or around the speed of light. Depending on how the path of least resistance is defined a change in frequency of the atomic wiggle associated with an object traveling at or around the speed of life has to be considered at some point.
Consider the hypothetical situation created by the following scenario. Two different particles traveling parallel to each other moving at or around the speed of light both run into a frequency field that happens to be the natural frequency of both particles. How does the change in frequency change the speed of the two different particles? Determining the answer requires a careful analysis of the how the path of least resistance is defined. Do you have to account for the relative influence of the larger magnetic field balances or do you discount the influence of magnetic fields on an object traveling at the speed of light.
Advanced atomic recycling of the current solid waste that litters this great country is no longer a fanciful idea discussed in science fiction novels. Consider for a moment the scientific fact that all materials at the elemental level have a unique atomic weight. Why is it important that at the elemental level unique weights exist? If someone built a nuclear power plant and was willing to devote a serous amount of electricity to building a large cyclotron, then solid waster could be dumped into a magnetic cylinder spinning it in a tornado like motion separating solid waste into distinct elements. Solid waste is then transformed into an incredibly valuable source for natural resources reducing the need to continuously acquire resources. Either an executive order or congressional legislation could set into motion a strategy to build two or three advanced atomic recycling centers in remote locations within the Northern Midwest achieving the greenest policy in the history of the United States. A country without solid waste is something that I look forward to in the future.
Curing all disease is something that needs to be done at some point and now is as good a time as any given current advances in technology. Given the potential influence of the hypothesis, “If the chemical structure can be defined, then the natural frequency can be calculated. Therefore the magnetic impulse necessary to induce the natural frequency is defined by knowing the chemical structure.” Several conclusions can be drawn that are worthy of consideration at least at some level. All organic abnormalities have a unique chemical structure and therefore they have a unique resonate/natural frequency. This is an important consideration and the foundation of confirming the previously enumerated hypothesis. Before the discussion becomes overly hypothetical three scientific facts have to be raised and explained. First, any scientist can confirm the fact that all organic abnormalities have a unique chemical structure that can be defined at the elemental level. Second, if the basic chemical structure can be defined, then the natural frequency of the chemical structure can be calculated using existing scientific knowledge. Third, given the chemical structure and the natural frequency an oscillating magnetic field can be generated to induce the desired natural frequency in the given chemical structure. While this might seem overly simple, that is a good thing, because the absolute simplicity of the argument is what makes it beautiful.

Momentary flashes of brilliance are defined by the lack of words they produce; thinkers have to write and write well to be remembered as brilliant. Visions of the future fade into the mediocrity of the present as the thinker ages without sharing anything meaningful. Reality is afraid of treason, but while searching for perspective I discovered asking the fish for answers was as productive as staring at the fishbowl. Penitent scientific observance devoted to the growth of my pet cactus does not change anything without interference.
Science is the search for definition founded on attempting to assign structure to an otherwise chaotic universe in a way that is cognitively manageable for the individual and can be communicated to others. Understanding the search for meaning is at some level about acknowledging no definition is absolute, because the domestic capacity to understand the constant chaos of the universe is illusory. Science beholden to the form, function, structure, and assumptions surrounding the search for meaning is akin to the misguided focus on the path instead of the destination.

We are all creatures of habit, bound to the confines of our normative game. Expectations are the roadmap that defines not only the decision matrix the social animal uses to navigate an elaborate series of choices that are actually branches of an illusory tree. Functionality and the ability to relate to others are based on a series of rational expectations that define a collective sense of what to expect from the public mind. Society functions within the confines of the normative game, because the actions and expectations of others are predictable or at least bound within a chaotic realm of choice. Taking in everything at once and trying to rationalize all of the potential outcomes is by definition madding enough to contribute to an endless series of insomnia driven nights.

Why does all of this matter? What is the purpose of the normative game? Does the normative game actually influence the perception of reality? These questions are the essence of the answer and the foundation of the awaking a moment that is different from the rest. Realizing the size and scope of the universe with respect to the relative significance one person is more than the social animal is ready to accept, but that is not moment of awaking it is simply a description of a profound realization. Instead of realizing the meaning of a definition the moment of awaking is actually the awareness that both an external and internal world exist. Our perception of this external and internal world is defined by a series of preconceived notions that are the foundation and necessary functions of the normative game. At some level awaking is a euphemism for the mindset change that has to occur before the social animal can understand the meaning and function of the normative game.

All arguments and conjecture aside, the important part of this discussion is incredibly straightforward, logical, and concrete. Before the social animal falls asleep the actions, reactions, and otherwise infinite series of possibilities occurring in the world can be anticipated by relying on the predictable nature of the normative game. Social preference theory explains our tolerance and indifference toward the normative game. In a given day the cycle could be as simple as sleeping, waking up, eating, and working. Day to day, week to week, month to month, the pattern does not change and the expectation remains the same, even in the midst of chaos swirling around a broken cycle nothing that happens is more or less than an extension of the normative game. Understanding how the social animal relies on the normative game to function within a society that thrives on replication, iteration, and standardization. Patterns are the basis of how we implement social preference to strength the inertia created by the normative game allowing a stable artificially manufactured perception to sustain the process.

Arguing that falling asleep in a bed will always result in waking up in a bed seems reasonable compared to the counterfactual assertion that falling asleep in a bed will always result in running in the Boston Marathon. However most expectations and preferences generated by the normative game are not scientific or structurally limited to logical confines, but the thinker can resist the social obligation to accept pattern. A momentary pause is an eternity for those who understand the nature of action or inaction within in given system compared to the relative value of pattern, predictability, or social stability.

This paper is currently in progress and does not have any mathematics within the document, no charts, or even graphs at this time. Right now the paper is more or less an outline that needs to be filling in and is simply online to encourage discussion and help me focus on the issue at hand.

Read more »

After a moment or two it is hard to remember that life exists beyond the confines of perception. Something that might resemble a coherent thought washes past the shadow of my blank stare vaguely directed at the television. One of the ideas that I have struggled with questions how close society would be to utopia if television had never been invented. Moments can quickly represent hours lost to the visual quicksand that shares the outside world with those who blatantly shun the tangible world. Struggling with the nature of existence and the question of meaning can take more than a nap or a somewhat murky glass of room temperature water. Without question thought is action on some level and the question or nature of inaction is therefore always a form of action at least to some degree. Motion between two objects in a room that only exists in the shadows of imagination can add a degree of credibility to dreams, but that does not define or refine an argument that matters.
The question could sound something like this, “Does facing the lamp of knowledge that burns only the oil of the future require the way of the sword or the azure flame?”
Facing the lamp of knowledge that burns only the oil of the future is the beginning and ending the last moment. Momentary understanding of the final choice between the way of the sword and the order of the azure flame is both the beginning and the ending. Ascending above the burning flames of what was the oil of the future is possible only while holding the lamp of knowledge. Prophets seek the path of possibility before seeking the lamp of knowledge. Finding the lamp of knowledge is the illusory dream of those who have never seen the oil of the future, but the sword can creates a blade made of azure flame that does not begin or end.
However the answer might sound something like the question, but it will never define the question within any given context that reveals a deeper meaning.

Maybe it was turning the key in the door, lifting a box that was heavier than expected, or absolutely random, but I have managed to seriously injure my thumb. Typing with only one hand is actually very difficult and in my case it is down right frustrating. Recently I have felt like I lost some of my voice; be it writing or conversing I have lost the ability to communicate thoughts and ideas. Now I am used to not being able to express my thoughts in a way that others can understand, but this recent challenge of typing with one hand is truly frustrating. Tomorrow will be better, and that is something that I am looking forward to experiencing.

Maybe the life and times of being a graduate student are beginning to get to me after several years of high flying overachieving. After having to change the oil in the Chevy Blazer twice in the last two weeks of non-stop traveling from Boulder, Colorado to Milwaukee, Wisconsin I started to get a little bit run down. Napping has taken up most of my time and I was absolutely wiped out after taking an allergy medication. I think I forgot what happens when you take an allergy medication that is not certified non-drowsy.
Boulder, Colorado is supposed to be up in the mountains and therefore fewer bugs are supposed to be around causing trouble. Now outside the window right now is an angry swarming pack of insects that sting. Honestly I thought that when it snowed several feet a couple of days ago that the late freeze would have resolved problems like this, but I guess a good freeze does not fix the bug problems in this area. Flooding has plagued this apartment complex and I am looking forward to moving this summer to a place without water damage. Now I know that most apartment complexes do not have underground parking, and the constant flooding might have something to do with that arrangement.
Working on getting homework done can be a mentally taxing activity especially when it turns out that I have to work up the energy to get things done. Sometimes I sit down and start to work on a homework assignment and it takes me a good thirty minutes before I am ready to actually be productive. Who knows why these days seem to be so strange… I tried to get Denver Nuggets National Basketball Association tickets for Friday night, but no tickets are available online. After watching a fair number of games this season in Denver I would never have expected that the team would make the playoffs or that an arena that was only about half full at the beginning of the season would be sold out at the end of the season.
National Hockey League games have been cancelled and that is something that I enjoy, but Denver devotes a tremendous amount of time and energy to collegiate hockey especially back to back champion Denver University. Non hockey is good hockey in my book, but that does not mean that I do not appreciate the absolute devotion that some sports fans show to these pseudo Canadians.

In and of the nothing, begets the meaning of the quest for something more… answers are more than questions about what is beyond what they stand for and what they might have ended. Morning started with a search for a new apartment that ended without learning very much about the Boulder area. Everything works on an elaborate system of pre-leasing and wait lists that help drive up the market value of all property by hiding the true number of vacant apartments at any given time.
The green belt, development limitations, and smart growth restrictions that exist in the City of Boulder, Colorado serve one function above all others. For years now the City of Boulder, Colorado has engaged in a systematic elimination of the lower bound of property levels. Government purchases of land for the green belt have mathematically eliminated all of the opportunities for purchasing inexpensive land. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to calculate the market externalities of a policy that systematically raises property values while reducing the amount of property publicly available.
I have said before that the City of Boulder, Colorado will be the first city to be sued for institutionalized economic segregation. Think about it for a moment the City of Boulder, Colorado is directly responsible for a policy that forces low income individuals out and makes property owners richer. This institutionalized economic segregation is repugnant and strictly reprehensible action. Maybe the people of Boulder, Colorado would fight the corrupt nature of this policy, but then again the more successful the policy is the larger the ratio of voters who are silently benefiting from the higher property values. A policy that statistically reduces opposition through success is difficult to challenge, but I will not participate in the collective acceptance of silent compliance that currently exists. Using every ounce of political power that I can mange to muster; I whine about the problem on the internet.