Keesey fo' Sheezy

Which Rubik's Cube type are you?

When it comes to the Rubik's cube, there are three kinds of people:

The first person attempts to solve the cube, can't figure it out after a few tries gives up and never picks up the Rubik's cube ever again.

The second person spends hours on end trying to figure out how to solve it and finally does. This person subsequently spends hours working to speed up how fast they solve the cube so they can impress their friends.

Finally, the third person spends a brief few minutes trying to solve the cube, gets bored and thinks there must be a faster way to solve it without wasting so much time. This person then grabs a screw driver, pries the pieces of the cube apart completely and puts the cube back together properly.

I came to this epiphany this afternoon as I spent all of one minute on solving the cube at my mom and dad's house, got bored, and reverted to the same tactic I practiced in jr. high school. Just as laid out in the third of our Rubik'c cube types above, I retired to another room of the house with the cube, pried it apart and put it back together. Problem solved. I subsequently laid it back out on the table. All the kids in the house were astounded, "Did you do that?" they asked.

Yes kids, yes I did. As of yet, no one has asked me HOW I did it.

Fred on the Economy

Masterpiece of sarcasm and wit and spot on in his common sense and realistic take on how we as Americans are paving the way to complete economic collapse for our children.

Worth noting that I was not a Thomson nor any other Republican supporter in this election. I do however believe that this take on our economic idiocy is spot on. I don't see, outside of some currently unelectable choices such as Ron Paul, any leaders on the left or right who have the stones to be real on economic issues. I am hopeful that Obama's demonstrated pragmatism will eventually have him buck convention and confront these issues in a realistic fashion.

History's Take on America

How will history books cover American culture in 200 years? I am of the opinion that history will see the American lust for credit and insatiable desire for stuff with the same evolved disapproval that we view the Ancient Roman lust for blood and violence. Over the past 30 years the word "entitlement" has come to take on a whole new signification in America. No longer are the days where entitlement is the assumed security blanket trio of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The new American entitlement is a guarantee of an endless credit limit that allows an individual to purchase anything that their heart desires regardless of whether or not they have the liquidity to afford it.

This model has worked for us. The growing American lust for stuff and availability of credit allowed our country to fund incredible levels of innovation and growth across almost every sector of our economy. Where the Romans, the British and other historic empires had to expand outward to sustain consistent economic growth, we found a model that was fueled internally and non-violently; consistently drive higher demand while increasing availability of credit to the entire society. The model spans from the ground up and from the top down all at once. Our largest companies are as dependent on credit as the individuals in our culture; so dependent in fact that the current dry-up in credit availability threatens to throw the world into unprecedented economic downturn. They also have the additional vaporous revenue stream that is the speculation also know as 'investments' in the stock markets which are now little more than legalized gambling after so many years of deregulation.

It worked for many years. Even beyond the current crisis, it may work for many more. Ultimately, it is a formula for implosion. The 700 billion dollar government bailout was just the tip of the iceberg. This will be the action around which future history books will write that entitlements moved from being a security mechanism for the most needy in the society to being blanket government coverage for any level of irresponsibility, poor decisions or irresponsibility at any level of the society. We are now starting to see the industry pile-on. Major financial institutions led the way then an insurance giant and now the auto industry has voiced what is little more than a threat that they have only to year's end before running dry on funds to sustain the $100,000 salaries of their union labor force and their long standing lack of innovation.

The bailouts may work in the short-term. I don't carry the expertise to refute this. Even the experts however seem to agree upon the fact that our government spends way more than it makes. Our 10 trillion dollar debt is a testament to this fact. Most individuals in our culture are a mirror of this same behavior as our government. It's acceptable. We never think twice about it. We want something, we just get a loan or we put it on our credit card or we get a payment plan. When terrorists bomb our cities, instead of directing citizens to huddle as families and fill our grain stores, our leaders tell us to go shopping.

When in the history of the world has there ever been an entire developed society that is capable of sustaining a model of spending more resources than they are capable of regenerating without some form of territorial expansion? Expansion at this point is probably not likely as we have created a global nuclear deterrent that seems to hold the most powerful states on the planet from driving too far beyond their borders. So, we must somehow restart the flow of credit to both industry and individuals to subsequently restart overall market growth and invite further investment in the market. Rather than learn a lesson from our current difficulties, we are doing everything in our power, including giving the government mandate to spend more money that they don't have, to return to the status quo.

Now that the precedent is set for bailing out industry for a lack of accountability it is possible that we will begin to see an increased frustration and pressure from individuals, communities and small businesses for the Federal Government to provide similar debt forgiveness. Who amongst us would not welcome it? I would surmise that most Americans carry immensely greater amounts of debt relative to that of any society in the history of the world. Why would we, the individuals not eventually expect the same forgiveness as our pillars of industry? What happens after several rounds of boom/bust with the government providing increasing assistance to industry regardless of industry's inability to retain financial liquidity and stability?

If we cannot find a way to change course and attitudes, I believe that the history books in 200 years might write that this very point in history is where we laid the foundations of a new kind of revolution, a revolution that could only be birthed out of a system that encouraged unprecedented levels of debt and then pardoned only a fortunate few. Imagine the scene after the government depletes it coffers by saving an endless line of industry behemoths while at the same time programs that benefit individuals will slowly and silently start being cut from the budget. We aren't hearing it from any of our politicians as such a statement is political death but rest assured there is no way out of this without cutting something. The history books in 200 years will tell of a new kind of revolution that took place in the mid 21st century. This revolution will be a bloodless, non-violent revolution where there is really no moral high ground. All involved parties in this revolution, governments and individuals were equally as guilty. The history books will tell of groups of citizens essentially bringing down governments without so much as a word or action but rather an inaction. After years of government bailouts and growing government quasi-ownership of all major financial institutions, citizens in the 21st century will be the first in history to bring a government to it's knees with one simple collective show of spiteful disapproval; not paying their credit cards.

The Disappearing Male

I've made multiple mentions over the last couple years to multiple people about the fact that males will eventually be naturally selected into extinction with the human race becoming an asexual species of women only. The discussion generally ends in me being called a nut. Now there is some science to back my theory: The Disappearing Male

McSluts

When I was a kid Halloween was a holiday where kids went house to house collecting booty for their subsequent candy induced comas. Now Halloween seems to have become the holiday when teenage and adult girls show their booties?

The slutty Halloween costume has become so popular in fact that many costume outlets actually market their adult lines of costumes as "slutty Halloween costumes."

I remember the thrill of getting into the character of one of the members of Kiss or Darth Vador or a scary bloody monster. The dressing up was cool but playing the character was even cooler. It was a chance to step out of your normal everyday skin and play the role of a person or character that you dreamed of being and couldn't be for one reason or another.

If this is still the fun of Halloween then we apparently have many females in our society who, for whatever reason, spend much of the year dreaming of being slutty and finally, when given the chance on Halloween, they make their dreams come true.

Seriously though, I don't really believe this to be the case. I think it is more a lack of creativity and taking the easy route to getting attention. It takes some skill to come up with a good costume and even more to play a convincing role in that costume for an evening. Done well, it will garner the costumed individual adornment and attention. Rather than work at the success of a really creative costume, it is easier for many females to garner the same adornment and attention via a push-up bra and short skirt. An additional benefit for the slutty costumed female is that all this attention comes from a slobbering, one track minded opposite sex.

In and of itself I like the slutty costume every once in a while as does any red-blooded heterosexual male. It has just become so commonplace and predictable that it has lost its luster. Every year Athens, our home town, hosts one of the largest Halloween parties in the country. Imagine yourself living in a place that is besieged by thousands of slutty-Mcslut-sluts every year. A man can go from mild excitement to discomfort to soreness on the back of the neck from repeated smacks from his wife for wandering eyes. Finally you just wish to never see another slutty cop, nurse or referee again.

Worse yet, I have two daughters. The thought of them slutting up for a Halloween in the future leaves me wanting to cry.

Kelley Executive Partners Video

I just finished some consulting for Kelley Executive Partners. I helped them out with the development of a virtual campus. This is a promo vid I created for the campus.

Boy Scout Breast Exams

I don't know what to say about this other than I am LMAO right now!

America Is F*cked (Graphically)

I love this short interview with Aaron Draplin. Whether you are a designer or not, the premise of the piece is spot on. Drive around everytown America for a little while and see how our country more and more lacks personality and historic respect.

America Is F*cked.......(Graphically at least)

Politics will make you dumber than drugs.

Here is why I hate our binary 2-party system and the simplistic garbage both sides put forth and recycle over and over to garner votes. As these videos show, it has simplistically turned supposed "educated" people into total morons and turns those who are already morons into the literally mentally handicapped.

Dumbasses on the Left:

Dumbasses on the Right:

Any beds at the County Home?

My co-worker noticed this morning that our retirement account website went offline at 9am and was still offline as of late morning. I looked up the company's stock and found a nice big downward spiral had taken place this morning. Needless to say, I now keep a towel at my desk to keep the sweat wiped from my forehead.

Lessons from "One Froggy Evening"

The financial crisis got me thinking about this classic cartoon: "One Froggy Evening". This video should be required viewing for all individuals in the finance industry in the hopes of educating them on the repercussions of greed and the lure of quick and easy money.

My First Real Political Post

I'm a dedicated political independent. I abhor the idea of political parties and liken them to joining a sorority or fraternity where a group decides the platform for the individual. I can think of nothing more anti-American. Some issues have me leaning more Left, some more Right and some very much Libertarian.
I usually keep quiet about my vote for President. I made a decision fairly early in this primary race that I would cast my vote for Obama. I held this as a personal decision and didn't necessarily evangelize or campaign or make any kind of public big deal out of it. It was MY preference and MY choice.
Ultimately I have always held the opinion that regardless of who gets into the office, change is on the individual and a president can never truly have any real effect on an individual's quality of life and the life of the community within which that person has direct effect on and so on and so on. It's a ground up approach to change. The effect of a president on an individual's quality of life, from what I generally see in my own conversations, is usually people scapegoating for their own bad decisions.
This all ended last night as I watched excerpts from the Sarah Palin video. I just about had a fit as I witnessed just how adamant Palin and her elk are for Georgia joining NATO and that we, the USA, would subsequently defend any NATO member with force. Are they f***ing nuts? I'm all for picking up arms and fighting when necessary but NOT in defense of Georgia. The only Georgia that I or anyone in my family or community will ever wholeheartedly defend is full of peaches and is in the American south. I bounced this off my neighbors last night to gauge their reaction and theirs was of similar shock and staunch refusal that people would ever voluntarily take on the kind of fight that would be necessary against the likes of Russia just to defend the liberty of Georgia. G_d bless the Georgians and all but they are on their own.
The Republican hollering about Democrats expanding the size of government and my tax burden is a complete smokescreen. Sure, some in tax brackets far above mine will see increased taxes under the Dems but the government size issue comes out a wash. It seems more and more that the government will increase in size and intrusion into the lives of everyday people regardless of the party. It's more about the cosmetics of that intrusion. Would you rather it goes to community programs and entitlements or to the executive branch picking fights that will lead to an endless string of small and/or G_d forbid massive military conflicts.
I can heartily assure our insulated Federal politicians who so comfortably live privileged lives on the East coast that the people of Appalachia and I would presume many other locations throughout "flyover country" don't, and never have seen enough benefit, if any, from our Federal government to send our countrymen out to die for their global experiments in fight picking.

Deer in the headlights

If you watched any of the Sarah Palin speech last night, you saw the incredibly uncomfortable footage of Levi Johnston, the steakhead boyfriend of Palin's daughter, who consistently looked like a deer in a leg hold trap caught in headlights. Little did he know when he went poking around that beehive five months ago that his ass would end up sucked into the machine of American Politics. Sucks to be him.

Frankenstein Replica

OK. Too much politics yesterday. Now for something completely different, Eddie Van Halen's guitar...or actually guitar replica. I'm not into the whole artist endorsing instruments crap but this short film on the replica of Eddie's famous Frankenstein guitar is pretty cool just for getting some of the history of the real guitar from the artist himself.

Old Eddie looks and sounds about like a bum who lives under the bridge after years of smoking and alcohol abuse but there is no taking from him the influence he had on rock. In fact, in my opinion Van Halen is one of the last three great game changing American rock bands along with the Ramones and finally Nirvana being the last.

VH had such an influence on my youth that I can actually remember where I was the first time FM 104 in Toledo played the entire Women and Children First Album. I also remember where I was the first time I held the vinyl and saw the WACF album cover. In fact, I was at the house of one of the readers of this blog when I first held that vinyl. (hint hint Matt) I might also mention that the first time I heard Michael Jackson's Thriller album was with that same individual. :-)

Eddie Van Halen Frankenstein Replica Film

McCain Voice Mail leak

A flat out hilarious fake:
McCain's Voice Mail to Palin Leaked to Press