March 2014 Archives
Purpose Games: County geography quizzes
A few of the many interesting quizzes:
Oklahoma counties quiz
Oklahoma county seats quiz
Oklahoma metropolitan and micropolitan areas
Traditional counties of England quiz
Traditional counties of Scotland quiz
Traditional counties of Ireland quiz
Traditional counties of Great Britain (has a few problems)
(See this article for an explanation of traditional British counties)
Note: These are probably easier to do on a touchpad than with a mouse.
KML Area & Length: Zonum Solutions
Need to know the area of a plot of land, but can't afford the four hundred bucks for Google Earth Pro? Just export the object of interest from Google Earth (non-pro) to a KML file and upload it to this site. It's free!
Ouch.
"Unlike other people, I know that when I surf the Internet for hours and hours, rather than simply killing time, I'm avoiding doing something truly spectacular.
"I may not seem like much now, but someday everyone will see that I'll be more or less at the same place I am today. Many will count me out. They'll say that I don't have what it takes to stay focused on my dream, that I lack the determination to not succeed. Well, I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces next year when I'm still five to seven years away from being something spectacular.
"If I stay off task and dedicate myself 15 percent, I can become as big as the almost-greats of the past, the men who could've become Einstein, Galileo, or even Edison--men of limitless untapped potential who exhibited a nearly unparalleled capacity for procrastination. Like them, God has a plan for me. An amazingly vague plan that drags its feet and never really gets going until it's too late. "
Digital Publius: Of Toms and Sambos
How did "Uncle Tom" become a pejorative? The original, from the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a brave Christian man who gave his life to protect the fellow slaves he had helped to escape. The book, a best-seller, popularized the cause of abolishing slavery.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin is an astonishing book that remains relevant even to this day, every American should read it, as should every Christian in the entire world. By design it is filled with types and archetypes. Uncle Tom, the protagonist of this allegory; is a type of Christ. Tom is the perfect Christian, in fact he is a super Christian, which sheds light on why the enemy of mankind has worked so devilishly hard to turn Uncle Tom into a pejorative.
"Uncle Tom faces ignorance and the most bestial cruelty with supernatural Christlike compassion, patience and understanding. He acknowledges the seemingly overpowering evil of chattel slavery whilst recognizing the Christian mandate of allowing God to ultimately right the wrongs inflicted upon him. Tom had faith in the knowledge that what he suffered on earth was fleeting and nothing compared to an eternity of peace prepared by God Himself for those who believe in His Son. Tom had forgiveness in his heart and a true desire to see all those he encountered, even if they had done him evil, repent and come to faith in Christ....
"After one more appeal to Simon Legree to repent, where Tom declares he would happily give every ounce of his blood to save Legree's precious soul, Tom is beaten to death. Carrying to his grave the hiding place of the escaped slaves, which prompted the lethal Interrogation that cost him his life. Before Tom dies, Sambo and Quimbo, seeing his bravery as he faced death and the perplexing mercy Tom rendered in forgiving them and Legree during his murder, show genuine regret for the parts they played in his demise. The two implore Tom to share his faith in Christ with them and Tom prays with them and leads them both to Christ just before he breaths his last."
Windows 7: You receive a "The User Profile Service failed the logon" error message
Method 1 managed to restore the vanished user's profile.
Fred Armisen on art, financial constraints, subsidy, and creativity
Responding to a Goethe quote ("It is in working within limits that the master reveals himself.") Armisen said, "That's something that's really underestimated. I think that the best art has been made that way. I believe in limitations. I think the worst art ever made -- in my opinion, because it's all so subjective -- is where the artist had complete freedom."
He cited the Netherlands as an example: "No disrespect to the Netherlands, but I went there and there was some sort of an art festival that I could tell was sponsored by the government or something. It was just this wonderful street fair where there were these stages and musicians and people doing art. And it was so, um ... there was no struggle with [it]. It was people doing whatever they wanted and it was too nice. I think that's when there's no limitations. I could tell that they were just like, Okay, here's a check and just do what you do and we really appreciate you. I felt the opposite of inspired. Disinspired."
FSA photographs: Follow-up interviews with families of people in John Vachon's portraits
Author Joe Manning has found and interviewed some of the subjects (or the descendants of the subjects) of Farm Security Administration photos of Depression-era farm families.
Davidson Institute: Existential depression in gifted individuals
"Because gifted children are able to consider the possibilities of how things might be, they tend to be idealists. However, they are simultaneously able to see that the world is falling short of how it might be. Because they are intense, gifted children feel keenly the disappointment and frustration which occurs when ideals are not reached. Similarly, these youngsters quickly spot the inconsistencies, arbitrariness and absurdities in society and in the behaviors of those around them. Traditions are questioned or challenged. For example, why do we put such tight sex-role or age-role restrictions on people? Why do people engage in hypocritical behaviors in which they say one thing and then do another? Why do people say things they really do not mean at all? Why are so many people so unthinking and uncaring in their dealings with others? How much difference in the world can one person's life make?
"When gifted children try to share these concerns with others, they are usually met with reactions ranging from puzzlement to hostility. They discover that others, particularly of their age, clearly do not share these concerns, but instead are focused on more concrete issues and on fitting in with others' expectations. Often by even first grade, these youngsters, particularly the more highly gifted ones, feel isolated from their peers and perhaps from their families as they find that others are not prepared to discuss such weighty concerns.
"When their intensity is combined with multi-potentiality, these youngsters become particularly frustrated with the existential limitations of space and time. There simply aren't enough hours in the day to develop all of the talents that many of these children have. Making choices among the possibilities is indeed arbitrary; there is no "ultimately right" choice. Even choosing a vocation can be difficult if one is trying to make a career decision between essentially equal passion, talents and potential in violin, neurology, theoretical mathematics and international relations.
"The reaction of gifted youngsters (again with intensity) to these frustrations is often one of anger. But they quickly discover that their anger is futile, for it is really directed at "fate" or at other matters which they are not able to control. Anger that is powerless evolves quickly into depression. "
The man who destroyed America's ego -- Matter -- Medium
"'Drugs take advantage of natural pleasure mechanisms in the human body that exist to register the accomplishment of desirable goals,' they wrote. 'A drug such as cocaine may create a euphoric feeling without one's having to actually experience events that normally bring pleasure, fooling the nervous system into responding as if circumstances were good. In the same way, cognitively inflating one's self-image is a way of fooling the natural sociometer mechanism into thinking one is a valued relational partner.'
"We have a word for people who have become high on their own hollow self-esteem: narcissist."
America's Angriest Store -- Culture Club -- Medium
"Whole Foods tries to bring to market the best products an area's surrounding farms and suppliers have to offer, in a socially conscious way with high-touch customer service at the point of sale. Yet in doing so, they've brought out the worst in the people who are attracted to that idea. Or perhaps more accurately, their idea attracts the worst kind of people."
What Characterizes the Modern Totalitarian, Corporatized University?
"In Savannah, Georgia, an ambitious experiment in higher education is under way. Ralston College aims to offer a back-to-basics liberal arts experience , stripped of the amenities and assumptions of the modern university. Though just now getting off the ground--it has yet to accept student applications--its stated mission is clear. Students will experience rigorous coursework year-round and focus on 'reading books, thinking about them, and talking about them,' according to the college's brochure.
"Perhaps more noteworthy is what Ralston College intends not to have: armies of administrators micromanaging student life, cloistered academic departments unwelcoming to interdisciplinary studies, and coddled students whose sentiments and comforts, as supposed 'customers,' are paramount."
