by Ethan Johnson
November 29, 2006

I'm still recovering from the recent holiday (US), so here are some random thoughts for your edification and amusement.

Reety, Alrighty, It's the Zombie Woot: I managed to take advantage of the recent "Woot-off" over at woot.com. I bagged the following glamorous items:

The theme is "be prepared." On the left, the hated yet useful LeakFrog ($8 USD). You set it down where water tends to collect (such as next to the sump pump) and it beeps shrilly to let you know that water is backing up. Having lived the nightmare of a flooded basement in the past, I figure it was a good "get" for my parents, who have a basement.

On the right, an Elon emergency radio ($12 USD). You can power it several ways: 3 AA batteries, a rechargable battery pack (included), or a hand crank on the side. It has AM, FM, TV (VHF), and NOAA Weather on the dial. Plus a siren, alarm, and flashlight or red blinking signal light. Oh, it also charges cell phones, sort of. (Depends on what kind of phone you have.) Not bad for $12, eh? My goal is to have our disaster readiness kit finished no later than January 31, 2007. We've tempted fate long enough, and we're too close to tornado conditions to be so complacent. Thanks to Woot, we've got a little more peace of mind.

Discrimi Nation: I am stewing on a much larger article that touches on the following, but why wait? Here is a cool quote from Rebecca at Memoirs of a Skepchick:

“The other day at work, I said I’d be getting a raise next week, and a coworker told me to knock on wood. So I said, “Aren’t you a little old to believe in moronic fairy tales?” Then I gave her a stack of skeptical texts, signed her up for a subscription to Skeptical Inquirer, and invited her to my weekly atheist brunch. Now she’s ignoring me. Why am I being discriminated against?”

This was a welcome (however phony) anecdote, because frankly, my view of skeptics is right about on par with playground bullies: Fine, [whatever] doesn't exist. Fine, you're so smart and we all know it. Fine, people who believe in [whatever] are drooling idiots. I have touched on this to some extent in the past about the nature of God. In short, there is no end to snarky bon mots when God is characterized as an angry parent or Santa Claus. But what if I characterize God as "infinite infinities"? What then? Can this be easily proven or disproven? Would something that can be characterized as "infinite infinities" micromanage every last second of your life? And then condemn you to Hell for eternity afterwards? Conversely, would such a thing hear your every prayer and see to it personally? Or take sides in a dispute? Specifically, your side?

Believe me, skepticism is healthy, and I encourage it over blind, unquestioning belief. But I can also see the problems of the extreme end of disbelief and skepticism: Saying "no" to things for the sake of being contrary. Rebecca's made-up example is another angle.

For more, read this post over at Just Shelley.

Check Your Perspective: Behold this photo, taken over the holiday:

Question: What is Idir (the guy on the right) shooting photos of?

Answer: Not Southfork Ranch, made famous by the old TV show Dallas. Though he did get shots of it anyway.

He is from Algeria, by way of France, and wanted to get photos of livestock. I took him over to Southfork figuring "why not", and he was pleased as punch to get photos of steers. I tried to explain that Dallas isn't all horsies and 10-gallon hats. That would be Fort Worth. Here, you have to make an appointment to see farm animals. Glad I could accomodate his cultural needs.

Speaking of, I took Idir around town to the various ethnic-themed markets, such as Persian, Caspian, and Hispanic. He was blown away by the variety. He thought Dallas was homogenous, and never in a million years expected to see a Caspian market here. Not to mention the South Asian markets that we didn't have time to peruse. Jaunts like that one are a good reminder that we've got more going on here than we think sometimes. <EM>