Billy Ockham

Abandoned Places

2009-11-06T09:03:00.001-05:00

This is eerie, neat and a bit disturbing. Well worth taking a gander at. The site is safe for work.

The Country's In The Very Best of Hands

2009-11-05T20:34:00.002-05:00

For Clifford, who lacks faith. Why when those Chicago brainy types get through fixing things, we won't even reognize our own country.

;)

A More Humane Mikado

2009-11-05T12:21:00.001-05:00

I think this would win the approval of Sir Arthur and Mr. Gilbert.

Dede Scozzafava

2009-11-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

The Fox and the Grapes

A FAMISHED FOX saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging
from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at
them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them.
At last she turned away, hiding her disappointment and saying:
"The Grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought."

Dont Copy Europes Mistakes

2009-11-03T10:11:00.001-05:00

Some good points.

Time For a Coffee Break

2009-11-03T08:14:00.001-05:00

Some Motivation

2009-11-02T15:40:00.002-05:00

Latest Addition to the Hymnal

2009-11-02T15:34:00.001-05:00

The Diocese of LA mentions the ongoing litigation twice on its top webpage.

In Honour of Reformation Day

2009-10-31T08:21:00.000-04:00

There's a holiday for everything apparently.....

A Very Scary Idea

2009-10-31T07:50:00.002-04:00

I admit Linux is very customizable. But this crosses the line. Some things are not meant to be.

This is just cute- and informative!

2009-10-28T10:08:00.001-04:00

Foody goodness from a local celebrity.

Cap And Trade Bedtime Story

2009-10-26T18:17:00.001-04:00

I love these guys...

Home Remedy

2009-10-26T11:44:00.002-04:00

We were at a wedding this past weekend down in Charleston SC. A grand time was had by all, but I came home with my own wedding present, a cold. I know it's a cold because I had a scheduled doctor's appointment this morning and the doctor told me in a voice redolent with medical authority that I had a cold.

I've already had quite a few wasabi peas. Chicken soup is incoming.

The True Story of a Linux Virus

2009-10-25T22:39:00.001-04:00

Well, sort of. It is true, and it was a virus.

Core of Personal Theology

2009-10-22T13:59:00.003-04:00

Currently there are two forms of theology loose in the world.

The first is what I call personal relativism. This is most popular in the US. It can be summed up as "I define who God is, and therefore what the world is like." A lot of the self-help, empowerment crowd seem to believe this.

The second, and this is popular in the modern Episcopal Church, is corporate relativism. "We define who and what God is, and therefore the nature of the world."

My view: "God defines me. What I know about the world is what He has told me."

I'm not humble. But I do know pride is a sin.

Political Quote For the Year

2009-10-22T13:32:00.002-04:00

Sen. Everett Dirksen: "When I feel the heat, I see the light."

We need more like him.

Our Tax Dollars At Work

2009-10-21T16:45:00.002-04:00

The ATF has announced a new task force. Is it to find thieves? no. Put a stop to illegal gun sales? no. Keep explosives out of the hands of terrorists? no.

The job of the new task force is to find out which ATF employee is vandalising the headquarters bathrooms.

You really can't make this stuff up.

An Interesting Sermon

2009-10-19T13:34:00.002-04:00

I think this sermon by the Rev. Dr George Regas says a great deal about not only the state of the Episcopal Church, but also of the United States. It's an interesting view of who we are, who God is and what God expects from us. Of course, he's wrong on every point, but it's interesting to see how such a denial of reality can even temporarily triumph.

The Rev. Dr Regas is the former long time rector of All Saints, Pasadena, home of Ed Bacon and Susan Russell.

There Have Been Complaints

2009-10-18T22:06:00.000-04:00

About the music featured on this blog.

Just this once, I'm yielding to the mob. Here's a nice video featuring three lovely ladies (all clad), two violins and one set of drums. Enjoy!

Goverment Insanity (XVII)

2009-10-18T09:57:00.002-04:00

Depending upon where you live, you may be able to buy a golf cart for free. That is, the tax credits you get for buying an electric vehicle could be equal to or greater than the cost of the cart.

This is what you get when you ram through giant money bills through Congress without any sort of review. It's great news for golf cart manufacturers, not so great news for those of us who are paying for it all.

A Good Grudge

2009-10-17T08:51:00.003-04:00

As my friends and relations know, I yield to no one when it comes to harbouring resentment and nursing grudges.

Which is why this post by the Anchoress hit one out of the park today. Loving your enemies is truly where the rubber hits the road for us Christians. It is also the hardest thing for me to do, by a long shot.

The problem is that you can not just say, once, "I forgive" and move on. The loser who unjustly vilified my wife still causes flashes of extreme anger in me, and she has been retired now for three years. Letting go the blind fury, not giving into it, is easily the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Even though it is the right thing to do.

Song for a Gray Friday

2009-10-16T13:38:00.001-04:00

October Computer Building

2009-10-14T12:17:00.003-04:00

One of my hobbies is building computers, so from time to time I like to build concept machines. This being October, a young man's fancy turns to computer gaming. I generally price things out at Newegg. Their prices are generally competitive and the reviews are top notch.

Much like the divide between Windows and Macs, computer builders are divided between those who like Intel processors and those who like AMD processors. Because I am a CPU agnostic, I have described a build for each denomination.

The Intel Build
I7-860 Lynnfield 2.8 GHz CPU $289.99
Asus P7P55D LGA motherboard $149.99
EVGA Geforce 260 GTX video $189.99
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HD $79.99
NZXT Alpha case $59.99
Corsair 750w power supply $119.99
Sony DVD player $31.99
OCZ memory (4 gigs) $71.99

Total: $993.92

The AMD Build
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb CPU $169.99
Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 motherboard $74.99
EVGA Geforce 260 GTX video $189.99
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HD $79.99
NZXT Alpha case $59.99
Corsair 750w power supply $119.99
Sony DVD player $31.99
OCZ memory (4 gigs) $71.99

Total: $798.92

I recommend Ubuntu as an OS, but if you must have Windows, you can find Windows Vista Home Premium for around $109. This includes the free upgrade to Win 7 when it ships (later this month).

There is also a divide between NVidia and ATI for video cards. I do not like ATI, for a variety of reasons, right now. So I did not include their cards in my consideration. That will likely change in the near future.

Right now, the AMD build is more affordable, but IMHO the Intel build offers better upgrade potential for the future. Both builds have some nice rebates hidden away. I never include mail-in rebates as part of the cost as there is no certainty that you will ever get the money.

Health Insurance Tax

2009-10-12T17:42:00.003-04:00

Am I the only one who has a problem with fining/taxing people who have no insurance or insurance deemed inadequate?

While there may very well be a small number of contrary minded scofflaws, the vast majority of people who will be liable for the tax will be the working poor. That is, the hard-working people who just miss the cut-off for government assistance.

Just who exactly does such a tax help?

Bonnie Anderson's Vision of Standing Firm

2009-10-09T07:29:00.001-04:00

From here.