Alex Jones: Web Technologist, Barbecue Acolyte, Information Junkie, Austinite

Visitations

My mom is visiting right now, so my postings will be sporadic this week.

Posted in General

Media Coverage

Watching the various news stations with dedicated coverage of Iraq I have noticed a few rather annoying trends.

First, who the hell thought that this conflict needed a theme song? I’m aware of the emotional impact of music on the human psyche, but frankly the music is not needed, and the money would be far better spent on additional source of information. We already had to deal with the inane branding of the conflict as if MSNBC’s “Target Iraq” is a far cry from CBS’s “America at War”.

Second, why do the media outlets think I should care about ‘man on the street’ interviews? I really don’t give a damn what some hick thinks about the battles or the political situation. And I’m pretty damn sure that 99.44% of the nation/world doesn’t particularly care about my opinion on the events either. Stop wasting my time with the poorly informed masses and provide me with intelligent information and opinions from the experts. Save the human interest stories for Barbara Walters and her ilk.

Third, Lester Holt, an anchorman for MSNBC smiles way too much considering the news he is reporting. I’m sure he’s psyched at having landed such a great assignment that could lead to a grand career, but he should keep in mind that he is reporting events that are intense and at times downright earth-shaking.

The media should be reporting the facts and providing information that educates their audience. Instead of reporting what Joe Bob and Sally think about the war, the media outlets should provide historical and cultural perspectives of the region. Far too many people aren’t nearly as well informed as they should be. Our nation is already divided on numerous fault lines because people are unaware of basic facts and base their opinions on malformed belief and the opinions of others.

Posted in General

Pattern Recognition

While the world in this novel is drastically different than those in previous Gibson books; the detail and depth of the storyline is as intricate as any before. Pattern Recognition takes place tomorrow as opposed to decades in the future making it all the easier to fall into, yet at times far more alien. As much as I would like to talk about the book, I am unsure where to start as describing one facet inevitably gives away a key secret or twist.

So, instead I shall leave you with the quote on the back of the book, by another one of my favorite author’s - Neil Gaimen.

“Pattern Recognition is William Gibson’s best book since he rewrote all the rules in Neuromancer. Gibson casts a master extrapolator’s eye on our present, and shows it to us as if for the first time.”

Go buy it. Now.

Posted in Reading

Ender’s Game

Ender’s Game is one of the many novels that have remained unread upon a shelf or in a box of books (of which I have far too many) for several years. I’m not sure about you, but I tend to have a stack of books in a ‘to read’ section of my office and all too often the ones in the middle or on the bottom remain there as new books grab my attention. Well, a few weeks back I decided I needed to shift my attention to lighter fare, so I picked up this book, well known to those in the science fiction community. I wish I had done so years ago.

Orson Scott Card’s tale is amazing. Unlike some sci-fi that I have read, he keeps his technology pretty well rooted - eighteen years after its original publishing date, the technology still makes sense. That doesn’t ring true for quite a few other stories. Card’s writing style is easy to follow, providing a very fast read without loss of character development. An ideal balance.

The story is that of Ender Wiggin, a child genius in a world at war with aliens. From an early age he was monitored, much like his elder brother and sister to determine if he was the one destined to become the military leader required to drive back the aliens and secure a future for mankind. Unlike his elder siblings, he was chosen. Taken away to a military academy in orbit around the Earth, Ender joined many other children focused on learning the arts of war through games. We are provided with two views, the first is that of the adult military officers responsible for his training, the other view is made up of the thoughts and experiences of Ender himself: the inner struggles to be good, to fit in and to avoid hurting others, though at times he s forced to do just that out of self-preservation. All the while he plays the games. Training for the unavoidable war with the buggers…

Posted in Reading

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Raise a pint for me boys. I’ll be raisin’ one for you.

Posted in General

Posting Delay

I know I know, my last post stated that I will be posting more and focusing on new subjects and then I let the site sit for a few days. But, Miss Ella joined our family, and quite frankly a new pup is a great distraction. It may be a few days more before I sit down to write in detail about subjects other than dogs and ye old family. But I will.

Ella is adapting very well; sliding right into our little human-canine family perfectly. She and Maddy have started to play and both are comfortable around the other for the most part. We are very happy and very lucky to have her.

FYI, new photos are up in the gallery for those who would like to see of whom I speak.

Though it is hard to be so far from Austin, Sarah and I are doing well. Especially on these blue-sky days.

Posted in General

Opinionated

While I try to update this site regularly, I am by no means as consistent as I would like to be and what little content I post is trivial for the most part. Now, this isn’t a pathetic post of self-loathing, nor is it a notice that I am going to stop posting here. No, this is quite the opposite.

I have been pondering my views of the world recently, and while I am by no means a shrinking violet, I tend to keep my beliefs to myself in all but the closest circle of friends.

I am opinionated. And damn proud of it too.

But, being opinionated doesn’t mean that I’m stuck in my beliefs. My interest in politics has grown over the past couple of years, as has my knowledge of history and current events. Listening to National Public Radio will do that to a guy.

Perhaps it is the nature of this age between growing up and growing old that causes me to grasp onto my core beliefs tightly whilst defining my opinion on some other key concepts shift dramatically.

I am defiantly unsure at times …

So, interspersed with the usual stories about the dogs, reading material and Web development will be threads discussing deeper issues.

My posts will have the ability for the public to comment should you wish to add your opinion or tell me that I am indeed a jackass. If you don’t like what I’m saying, then debate my points, or skip those posts.

Posted in General

Early Parole

We get to pick up the new pup on Wednesday!

Well Sarah gets to pick her up. I have to work all day… Ahh well, I’ll just make up for it when I get home I guess.

Now we just need a name for her. Time to whittle down that list.

Posted in General

Maddy’s New Sister

Man we lucked out! After driving up to Missouri and back (only 25 minutes or so) we finally found the Bella Vista Animal Shelter right on the edge of the state line. At the shelter were many great dogs from which we chose one to meet and introduce to Maddy.

Surprisingly enough Maddy didn’t bare her fangs, though she was extremely freaked out which wasn’t a surprise. After I picked her up out of the car and brought her close to the other puppy they sniffed each other a bit. It was far from a party, but as they are both a bit skittish it was a good start. The new pup (who doesn’t have a name yet) is quite friendly and became a good deal more comfortable with us humans over the hour or so we were there.

Sadly we couldn’t pick her up today as she still needs to get fixed, but it sounds like we will get to bring her home Friday morning at the latest! Much like Maddy was, she will be pretty tired due to the surgery. But hopefully she will recover a bit over the weekend and acclimate to her new home.

We took pictures of course.

Posted in General

Lookin’ for a New Pup

We are finally able to look for a second dog today! Maddy needs a buddy as she is an active dog, and humans just aren’t as much fun to play with.

We have a list of several shelters in the area and have been looking at photos on various Web sites to begin the process. Sarah and I are extremely excited about adding another pup to the family unit.

I will post more info when we have found the right match.

Posted in General