Geoff said 1 day later

where is the wish list? Kristen wanted dad to put something on it for his birthday/father's day. He needs some new sweatshirts to wear around the house--Most of his are pretty ratty--even for around the house--he loves his civil war one best. I know this has nothing to do with the post I am commenting on--just don't know how to start a new one--nor do I care to learn!!HA Ha He also needs a shop/vac-he can't find his old one. Mom

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GJ said 1 day later

Hey Mom--for new posts, just click the New Post words in the upper right of this screen. Ez-peasy.

As for the wish list, it's here: http://christmas.marcbaumbach.com but I believe Marc took it offline.

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Marc said 2 days later

Don't blame it on me Blame Site5. :) But yes, it's down for the time being.

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Geoff said 2 days later

Hey Mom...I have your Shop/vac :) among a few other items I'm sure. I'll bring it back Memorial Day....just remind me :)

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Geoff said 4 days later

Ok I setup my Wii yesterday and added GJ in....here is my Wii #:

8083-4843-0943-8078

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GJ said 5 days later

No Mario Kart Wii yet??

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Geoff said 5 days later

Not yet :)

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GJ said 5 days later

You're missing out, man. Mario Kart online is the BOMB.

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GJ said 5 days later

Oh, and I'm writing this from my new Core 2 Quad system, running Winxp 64bit. Woohoo!

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Geoff said 6 days later

No Vista for you either I see....

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GJ said 6 days later

NO FREAKING WAY. NOT EVER. :)

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GJ said 6 days later

See, the problem is, XP works pretty well. Vista--not so much.

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Geoff said 6 days later

It is an amazing feat for Microsoft....they should be oh so proud.

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Marc said 6 days later

You'll be happy to know that after SP1 for Vista came out, I have seen Windows Explorer crash several times DAILY. Other than that it's a terrible OS. I have nothing but bad things to say about it.

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GJ said 6 days later

Meanwhile, 64-bit XP is humming along very nicely. Only things that crash are 32-bit driver install programs that don't check to see what OS you're running (PNY, I'm looking at you!). Even better, PNY *did* have the right driver on the install disc (and it was up to date!) but their Flash-based install was written to be more slick than effective. Contrast that with Gigabytes's driver install disc for the motherboard--man oh man that was sweet.

Got HL2 and FarCry set up to run in 64-bit mode. Haven't played FarCry yet, but HL2 rocks. However, the install of HL2 seems a bit messed up--every level it loads, it has to rebuild some kind of map. Takes all of about 1.5 seconds each time, so no big deal, but the game doesn't pause while this is occurring.

So far, so good...and stable as a rock. Something that I rarely ever got in the AMD world, unfortunately. :)

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Steve said 7 days later

You had stability issues with AMD? I ran an 1800 XP+ for years with no issues, and am running a 4000 XP+ now, still without issue.

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GJ said 7 days later

Did you build it yourself? I doubt it. Production systems are tested for stability, whereas when you build your own, you're dependent on your research and a bit o' luck.

AMD systems and their chipsets, especially those made by SiS, often end up being a pain in the butt. I have been running AMD since, oh, say 1995, so I do have a clue what I'm talking about here.

My first AMD was 486x120, and it outperformed the Pentium 90's of the day in almost every test, except those that used the instruction sets build specifically into the Pentium (MMX, I believe it was called). That system saw the use of three different mobos, and was only unstable on one of them due to some bad capacitors.

Next up was the Athlon 600 in 2000. This was a brand new architecture, and I ran Asus' highly-regarded (at the time) K7M mobo. Yep, it had SiS chipsets, but it stayed stable once I upgraded the bios twice and got new SiS drivers.

Problems started when we went to the Athlon Tbird 1200s. I mounted them on four different mobos during their life--they ran best on Abit's KT7A boards, but were still pretty picky. They got along with ATI video cards, but they definitely disliked Nvidia. Often, I had to run three different driver configurations (between mobo drivers, video drivers, and sound drivers) in order to run various games. This was a real pain, to say the least.

Finally, we went to XP2000+ chips, and it went to hell in a handbasket. I was able to get them to function with ATI video, but never with the more powerful Nvidia hardware I had lying around. After more than a year of playing with it, I finally fried one of CPUs and mobos in one of my two machines, and decided to build a new one from scratch.

I honestly looked at AMD, but frankly at this point Intel is price-competitive with them and had a sweet quad-core offering at the 2.4 GHz level. I found a great solid capacitor modo from Gigabyte, too, and found a PNY 8800 GT card that meshed nicely with it. And franky, wow--this system flies, it's easy to overclock (and stable so far), and was a total, total bargain. Didn't do anything different as far a researching which parts played nicely with each other, but I've never had an AMD system this solid other than the Athlon 600.

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Geoff said 7 days later

I believe Steve built his too.

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Steve said 8 days later

Yes, I build all of my computers. It's so easy, even a mechanical engineer can do it.

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Steve said 8 days later

I ran the XP1800+ on ATI and Nvidia Gforce2 GTS+ video cards. Only problem I ran into was choppiness while playing a game, due to the power supply not being strong enough. Upgraded the power supply, problem gone. I'm now running a later model ATI video card with my XP4000+ without issue. My systems have been very stable. In fact, other than the one gaming issue, I don't think I've ever had a crash since going to XP. I have had hard drives flake out, but can't blame AMD for that.

Maybe I've just been lucky. I went to AMD for the cost advantage over similar performing Intel chips. If the price is more competitive now, I wouldn't be opposed to trying Intel out next time I upgrade. My current setup uses older memory (PC3200), so next time I upgrade, I'll have to do just about everything (MB, memory, CPU, video card). That won't be for a few years, unless something forces me to upgrade.

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GJ said 8 days later

It's not so much an AMD issue, it's the motherboard support for them that sucks. You can find far more awesome Intel-based mobos for Intel chips than good ones for the AMD chips.

Got my first crash (actually a hang) when the girls were playing Sims2 FreeTime. Turns out, that POS game is using the latest and greatest SecuRom anti-piracy software, and lo and behold it doesn't like Win XP 64-bit very much. A few minutes at GameCopyWorld fixed that problem pronto. :)

Steve said about 9 hours later

Now that's what this blog is for! Awesome videos! Laughed my, well, you know what off. Gotta keep this blog rated PG...

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Marc said about 13 hours later

The diet coke + mentos prank is awesome. Definitely pulling that off before I leave college. Goalie fight was pretty awesome as well.

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GJ said about 22 hours later

Got to keep the blog PG for who? Remember, my kids are being raised by someone with no moral compass. LOL!!!

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Geoff said about 23 hours later

Always throwing in that jab there aren't you? :)

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GJ said 1 day later

It's a running gag with me. Almost can't help myself.

Geoff said about 5 hours later

Not too shabby...

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Steve said about 9 hours later

Mmmmmmmm I want one!

Geoff said about 7 hours later

Good calls!

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GJ said 2 days later

Say, did anyone hear about history being made in the AHL last night? Philadelphia defeated Albany 3-2 in 5OT, making it the longest game ever in the AHL. Albany's goalie made 98 saves!!!

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GJ said 3 days later

OK, after watching Detroit dismantle Colorado for two straight games, this may not be that long, drawn out seven game series I predicted. :)

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GJ said 11 days later

Holy crap was I wrong about Montreal and their rookie goalie. Meanwhile, the Avs went down really fast. Might yet be correct bout both Dallas and Pittsburgh, but my oh my I didn't read the Philly series right. I thought the Pens were a lock for the Cup Finals, but Philadelphia will give them their biggest challenge yet.

Geoff said about 1 hour later

Interesting, I asked a similar question to the heart specialist observing the heart in our baby. I always thought blood was blue until it was oxygenated, so I figured who better to ask than a heart specialist. Perhaps he didn't have the time to explain to me, but he said the complete opposite of what this article states....that blood is blue until it is oxygenated. Never would have guessed it to be an optical illusion.

How certain is this person about blood not being blue? I know he references one paper and his veterinary girlfriend, but I'd take a heart specialist's word over a puppy poker in a heartbeat. :P

I'll have to see if there are any other articles on this topic as well.

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Geoff said about 1 hour later

Well this article does appear to be correct from what I've found real quickly online. Interesting to know...I assume the heart specialist probably didn't have time to give me a lesson on blood :)

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GJ said about 2 hours later

A lot of medical professionals rely on urban legends when they lack real research...and most don't even realize they're doing it. The fact is, blood wouldn't instantly turn from blue to red due to atmospheric oxygenation, since that will have to start at the surface of the blood and work inwards (no real difference than rust on metal). So, you'd have time to see blue blood all right.

However, blood from a vein is a darker red, so if you thought it was blue to begin with, you might very well tell yourself that the dark red is the result of a partial change from deoxygenated blood, and you might be right, except for the fact that this blood you are looking at will never get any brighter over time...so, it's not oxygenating at all.

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GJ said about 2 hours later

Another recent one that had a lot of doctors fooled: drinking eight glasses of water a day. This one turned out to be BS, too, in a recent study.

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Steve said 1 day later

You should try asking your nurse next time you go to donate blood. They probably know a lot more about blood and get asked questions like that all the time. Keep in mind, when you're donating blood, it's coming out of a vein, and it's always red, and never really get a chance to become oxygenated, as it's sucked right out of the vein.

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GJ said 2 days later

Good catch Steve--smart guy here never thought of that in all the times I've given blood. :)

So GJ fixed the tags, then added this gem:

Steve said about 4 hours later

Comedy, and than actually busting a fraud on national TV live - great videos!

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GJ said about 7 hours later

What makes the comedy so funny is...psychics often act just like Hugh Laurie's character here. And then when you put them under a microscope, they act like, well, Uri Geller did in video #2.

Mind you, this is one of the things we skeptic folk are good at. See, we're not always boring and pedantic.

Geoff said 1 day later

Lets hope nobody hears about it.

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Marc said 1 day later

I'm not sure what they'll actually talk about in Expelled, but for one, I don't care to see a movie about people who got fired for talking about Intelligent Design in the classroom. It just doesn't interest me to pay $9 to see that. So he's probably not going to be too successful.

On another note, I don't see what the problem is with a school saying "Some people believe that some higher being aided in evolution." Maybe a couple more sentences on it, but leave it at that. While I believe in a higher being, I know there's not a lot of factual evidence to prove one exists. There's no reason to leave it from being mentioned, but there's also no reason for spending huge amounts of time on it, because we do need to be scientific about things. Evolution on the other hand, has a lot of evidence and interesting things related to it. But that's because evolution is a much simpler problem than the beginning of the universe.

The change that needs to happen is the intelligent design people need to stop whining and start putting together more facts. Once facts are tied together, maybe science will start respecting it for what they've come up with. Hands down, the science people are winning because you can't beat their argument and they've got good evidence.

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Darcy said 1 day later

Marc--the problem I see with allowing such a statement being allowed in school is that it gives the ID-folks a leg up. They will see this as a win for their side and actively work towards getting more of their side into the classroom. Frankly most of their ideas do not belong in a public school system as they are clearly pushing a religious agenda. From my experience, most of their science is flawed, and they have a habit of practicing bad science--fitting data to their theory. Transitional fossils do not exist according to the ID people, and everytime another transitional form is found they immediately come out and say this can't possibly transitional.

Don't get me wrong, I think a religions of the world would be a good class to have in schools, to expose kids to other faiths in a non-proselytizing manner. Push most ID people about who is responsible for life on earth they will answer the Christian God. Why not any other God, why not one that predates the Bible? I, unlike my dear sweet husband, have no problem with people saying a higher power is responsible for the start of life on earth, it is when they start pushing a specific religious agenda that I object, and ultimately that is the case here.

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Darcy said 1 day later

Oh and scuttlebutt about the movie from those that have seen it say the aim of the movie is to talk about people who claim that their careers were damaged because they spoke up about Intelligent Design in the workplace, ie, professors denied tenure. Most of the people denied tenure, were denied for reasons other than their adherence to ID. Also when they do talk to folks who are pure evolutionists, all they can do is ask them their views on religion. Many are atheists so of course you know what kind of answers you will get. These scientists were also interviewed under false pretenses--they were told it was a different topic for the documentary.

The one thing in the movie that really pisses me off is the equating of Darwinism(not my term) with Nazism. Yes, Charles Darwin is ultimately responsible for the theories of the Third Reich. Right...

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Geoff said 1 day later

Not to pick on Marc here, but I would say a good majority of people would say something similar Marc has presented here...that this is an idea that should be at least mentioned to our children. There some other preposterous ideas out there too like "the moon landing was fake" and that "the holocaust never happened". Clearly, these ideas are false and shouldnt even be considered because there is no clear evidence to support it, and there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that contradicts it. Same goes for evolution vs ID. There is NO, none, zero, zilch evidence in support of ID (not even a smidgen), contrary to Evolution which is well supported by evidence and the scientific community.

This doesnt mean that it is absolute truth (nothing is), however there is no alternative that proves to be a better explanation that can be tested or replicated in a test environment. For this reason, ID has no place in a public setting, where everyone is free of and from religion and make believe.

Peoples problem is that they need an explanation for everything. They fear the unknown. Because science does not solve all of the universes deepest secrets, doesnt mean we can just start making stuff up and teaching our kids it.

Bill Maher said it best, keep your imaginary friend to yourself.

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Marc said 1 day later

Yea, I didn't mean to include what most of these idiots are saying. When people like Huckabee state the Earth is 6,000 years old, and it's scientifically well known that couldn't be more false, we simply ignore those idiots. I think a religions of the world class would be great, and probably the best place to put things related to ID until they come up with something...anything...solid.

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Geoff said 1 day later

Oh, and if anyone submits the "Banana theory" by the two morons Ray Comfort/Kirk Cameron as scientific evidence, I'll smack you. :)

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GJ said 1 day later

Like this?

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Steve said 2 days later

Dear Lord,

Please stop my brothers from posting the same boring religion vs science crap every other week. Let them realize that some believe, some don't, and that's not going to change. Please let them realize that each side has their extremists, and 99% of each side don't support those extremists arguing in their favor. Thank You.

Amen

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GJ said 2 days later

You won't catch me doing the anti-religious thingy--I have a minister-type person that I'm having a lot of fun doing the metaphysical discussion thingy with. However, I will post about frauds here a lot, and religious fraud will get it just as much as non-religious fraud. Trouble is, religion is fraught with fraud. I don't mean that in a bad way...it's just that it's freaking fertile ground. Oh, and sorry about the alliteration.

Hard to see what one of my favorite pastimes happens to be--fraud analysis! :)

Steve said 1 minute later

Yes, I was surfing online the other day, and found that there is a Baumbach family winery out in California. So, I ordered a few bottles... Neal Baumbach is the name of the guy that runs the winery. His family hails from California for a couple of generations, so I doubt there's any close relation.

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GJ said 2 minutes later

Comment deleted on 4/10/2008 at 8:31PM

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GJ said 8 minutes later

And I assume you've heard of movie director Noah Baumbach? Another one who's not likely a close relation, but he's at least a semi-famous Baumbach.

So, let us know how the wine is!

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Darcy said about 17 hours later

Yes, please let us know how it is.

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Steve said about 22 hours later

Will do! Might even bring one home at Memorial Day to share with the family. Any special requests of the four above? One of them I promised to share with someone else, but I forget which one that was. You can read about the different kinds at www.baumbachwines.com

Geoff said 21 minutes later

amazing.

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GJ said 34 minutes later

And no, I'm not saying all Christians are like this. Just the ones I really dislike. :)

Very, very telling when she said something to the effect of "it's dangerous for the young to even hear of atheist viewpoints." Just how solid IS her faith? Or, more like, her faith in others to believe the way she does? :)

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Steve said about 6 hours later

Oh God, not again....

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Geoff said about 7 hours later

it's just our regular sermon...just be glad we don't preach it every Sunday.

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GJ said about 9 hours later

muwhahahah.

C'mon, this is a crazy person. If I find a crazy atheist, I'll post him or her. :)

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GJ said about 22 hours later

And now, after a week of bad press, she apologizes, saying "Geez, I was having a really bad day."

Nope, sorry, you're just a freaking nutjob, especially given that you can't manage to take back what you said as being totally full of blind rage and hate. It's like Mel Gibson claiming he only spewed those anti-Semetic rants when he was drunk. Sure, right.

And here it is--my point to the whole thing. In this wonderful country of ours, you cannot and should not be forcing your belief system on others. You're free to believe as you so choose (or not believe, if you so choose), and your choice in that matter should not weigh in on any public matter, period. Obviously, if your belief goes a little beyond civil law (think of that Jeffs dude and that major bust down south of the fundamentalist Mormon enclave), well, then, your right to believe isn't limitless. :)