Archive for the ‘Ponder’ Category

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Example of Success

Oct

3

2017

I’d like to present to you today an example of success:

Colin Kaepernick

The critics might disagree, saying that he’s a washed-up quarterback who can’t play in the NFL anymore. But if your definition of success is “currently playing in the NFL”, then over 99.9% of the people in the USA are unsuccessful.

Other critics might contend that he has brought division and conflict to our country with his antics during the national anthem. That might not look like success to you, but your goals are not his goals.

What are his goals? (I haven’t asked him directly, so I’m going off common knowledge and common sense here):

He wanted the country to be aware of (and discuss) the treatment of minorities. He accomplished that, so success.

Before that, as an NFL player he wanted to get his team to the Super Bowl. He accomplished that, so success. Rather, partial success, since he probably wanted to win the game.

Before that, as a college player, he probably wanted to make it to the NFL. Again, success.

I dare say he has accomplished more and been more successful before the age of 30 than many people are in the whole lives. You can say a lot of things about Colin Kaepernick, but unsuccessful should not be one of those things.

The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Genesis 39:2

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Land Whateverer

Sep

21

2017

As far as vehicles go, there’s the Land Rover. And Toyota has the Land Cruiser. It seems to me that someone else should make an off-roady-type vehicle and name it Land Something-or-other.

Not really “something-or-other” but rather something having to do with mobility such as Cruiser or Rover.

Such as:

  • Land Wanderer
  • Land Ambler
  • Land Meanderer
  • Land Traveler
  • Land Voyager

I wonder if FCA would object to Land Voyager. And I wonder if Nash would complain that Ambler is too similar. And I didn’t even bother with Land Navigator.

Also out of the running: Land Driver. Too boring.

Honorable mention: throwing Range Rover in there and having a vehicle called the Range Cruiser.

When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them.

Acts 27:9

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Chicken or Egg

Sep

12

2017

I never really understood the apparently age-old question of “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?”

It never made much sense to me. The chicken would have to come first, because otherwise nothing would sit on the egg to incubate it and thus it would never hatch.

Also, the Bible describes creation as God’s making the animals, so I always pictured full-grown animals being created, not eggs or infants. Can’t be infants, because they would have similar problem as the egg: not being able to survive without a parent.

Then I realized the dilemma was probably proposed by an evolutionist or someone who didn’t subscribe to the idea of creation. Because to him, it would be a problem. Okay, not really, but there are other items that are more of a puzzle if you deny creation.

Which was first: the flower or the bee?

Same dilemma – how could the flowers survive without bees (or other such pollinating insects)? And how could the bees survive without their food source of the flower? If the flower evolved first, then why would it bother having to need pollination? Or flower petals to attract bees? If the bee arrived first, then how did it survive without pollen and nectar?

Now that I think about it, the old-earth creationists might have the same problem. Because all vegetation was created on the second day, but living creatures weren’t created until the fourth and fifth days. If one interprets the word “day” as “age” or “epoch”, then none of the flowers would have survived without pollinators. You may notice I used the word “might” at the beginning of this paragraph. That’s because the Bible doesn’t describe insects specifically. Fish, yes; birds; yes; cattle, yes. I’m lumping the insects in with the living creatures, not vegetation. But one could argue – would have to argue to hold the old earth view – that insects were created with vegetation.

Which was first: the male or the female?

Same dilemma – if only one evolves, then that line is not going to survive. They would have to both evolve at the same time, and in the same place.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.

Genesis 1:24

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Survey Dilemma

May

9

2017

Some things I tend to overthink. Surveys, for example, take me a long time to complete because I must consider the question and the implications of the answer.

I was not involved in this survey, but I read a little bit about the results. The survey had to do with how much time people spend on their smartphones and when and where – all the usual habits.

One question that stood out to me was “Do you sleep with your phone next to your bed?”

The surveyors used the high percentage of positive answers to indicate that people are addicted to their phones. Something along the lines of “it’s the last thing they do before going to sleep and the first thing they reach for in the morning.” If I hadn’t known the intent of the question, I would have answered Yes. But knowing the intent of the question would make me want to answer No.

I keep my phone on my nightstand, but only because I use it as my alarm clock. Before I go to sleep, I put it out of commission – airplane mode, all communications off, etc.

If I answer the letter of the question: yes, I keep my phone next to my bed.

If I answer the spirit of the question: no, I sleep with my alarm clock next to my bed.

The fact that my phone is the same physical device as my alarm clock complicates things. In this case, I’m not using my phone for its communication purposes. Is a phone still a phone if it’s not used as a phone?

I would have a similar dilemma if a survey question asked me if I had an alarm clock. My answer depends on why you need to know. If you want to know how many people wake up on their own without some sort of a signal, then yes I use an alarm clock. But if you represent consumer device manufacturers and want to know which appliances are in one’s home, then no I do not use an alarm clock.

You wouldn’t think yes/no questions could be so complicated, and that’s why I don’t trust surveys. Because a lot of times, the people devising the questions don’t realize there could be complications with the way their questions are worded.

But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?”

1 Samuel 17:29

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Help with Plurals

Apr

25

2017

The English language is not very consistent. Today I’m proposing some singular/plural forms to help reduce the confusion.

For example, the plural of mouse is mice.
The plural of louse is lice.
The singular form of lice is louse.
But the singular form of dice is die.
It should be douse.

mouse -> mice
louse -> lice
douse -> dice
spouse -> spice
rouse -> rice
vouse -> vice
twouse -> twice

I don’t know how you can have a singular form of twice, but in case you should ever need it, there it is.

And, of course, we one ouse -> many ice.

Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.

Job 40:5

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Various and Sundry Thoughts

Mar

9

2017

Here are some thoughts I jotted down that aren’t quite sufficient for their own individual blog posts. If you’re the type of person who likes Twitter, pretend each of these is a tweet.

  • It doesn’t matter how old you are – anything imaginary outside your bed can be magically shielded by a simple bedsheet.
  • Your house is clean, with no fruit flies. You bring in fruit and let it sit. Fruit flies appear. Magic, or does every piece of fruit you buy contain fruit fly eggs?
  • It’s more fun to imagine that, for all the newly-formed local minor-league and rec teams that end in FC, the FC stands for Fight Club rather than soccer.
  • Why did they settle on GOAT to mean Greatest Of All Time rather than BOAT for Best Of All Time? How about COAT or MOAT?
  • I’ve been toying with the idea of bringing a weighted red handkerchief to meetings at work. Then if someone says or claims something I think is wrong, I could toss it in their direction. Challenging things in such a manner would certainly liven up things, or maybe I’ve just been watching too much football.

one male goat for a sin offering;

Numbers 7:16

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Pulled Pork

Mar

2

2017

I had pulled pork for dinner. With BBQ sauce and coleslaw and baked beans and potato salad and all that you’re supposed to have with it. And cornbread.

You can get pulled pork or pulled chicken. Since I like symmetry, I tried to think what would be the opposite of pulled pork.

The opposite of pull is push, so is there a pushed food?

I would say yes – the hot dog.

As far as meat goes, I can’t disagree that a hot dog is the opposite of pulled pork.

Note: to sound more technical, you can use the term extruded rather than pushed. Doesn’t really sound appetizing either way though.

I suppose spaghetti and other noodles are also extruded, although with pasta it doesn’t seem so bad. Pasta is fun to watch being made. Maybe pasta could be called “pushed dough” or “pushed wheat”?

So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

Job 39:29

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