The Abemore Perspective

Christianity: The Evidence people give For and Against it.

2009-10-10T12:02:00.001-07:00

The table is below.

Please leave a comment to let me know if I’ve left something out.

Keep seeking the truth.

Evidence FOR Christianity	Evidence AGAINST Christianity
it feels real	every other religion also feels real. books, movies, and dreams also feel real. your mind makes it real, but that doesn’t make it objective reality.
if feels good	it does feel good, and it makes you feel special, but so does every other religion. feeling good doesn’t make it real. we all want to feel like we are infinitely important and infinitely loved.
There really was a charismatic guy named Jesus	there is no evidence Jesus was anything more than a man who was killed for Jewish heresy.
smart people believe it	smart people reject it
lots of people believe it	lots of people reject it
it promotes charity/love/good/tolerance	it promotes killing/hate/evil/intolerance
the bible is perfect	the bible is not perfect and has many internal contradictions. it also contains absurd mythological fairytale like things
answered prayers	god only "answers" prayers that already have a statistical chance of happening. answered prayers can easily be explained away as coincidence.
miracles (incorruptible saints, stigmata, speaking in tongues, healing by laying on hands, drinking poison without harm, driving out demons)	impossible things remain impossible. the laws of nature and the physical universe do not change. they do not make exceptions. claimed miracles have not been given the scientific scrutiny they need to be understood.
	God breaks his promises/lies to his people in the the old testament
	Jesus makes clear claims in the new testament that are testable and false.
	looks like every other religion including mythological ones (ie. no proof, requires faith)
	* EVOLUTION * - human male nipples, tailbone, goosebumps, wisdom teeth, appendix. - Wings on flightless birds - hind leg bones in whales - the Astyanax Mexicanus fish live in total darkness in caves and are born blind. the same species is also found near the surface where there is light and they are born with fully functioning eyes. - Dandelions have sex organs (stamen, pistil) but dont use them to reproduce. instead it clones itself. - Whiptail Lizards are all female and grow clones from their eggs, but sometimes a lizard will act like a male and try to mate with another female.

Beliefs

2009-07-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

"You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should be malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant." - Dogma (1999)

What are your religious beliefs? Do you believe some people are born gay? Do you believe conspiracy theories? 9/11? Did we land on the moon? When does life begin? Is there life after death? Is there a personal God who answers prayers? Does everything happen for a reason? Do you believe in childish things? Santa Clause, the easter bunny, unicorns, fairy tales?

I ask these questions not to offend you, but to get you to think about all your beliefs... now lets attack religion:

"I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious theories of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God." -Thomas Edison

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectively on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." - Albert Einstein

"I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it." - Benjamin Franklin

"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition [Christianity] one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythologies." - Thomas Jefferson

A person's belief is what's real to them. If we believe what isn't true, then we have deceived ourselves. And this deception feels real because we believe it. Its circular. This is how religion works. Why believe anything we cannot prove? Instead, have an idea. You can change an idea.

Sex, Friendship, Love, Like, and Lust Demystified

2009-04-16T16:18:00.001-07:00

Today a friend of mine asked my views on relationships. Without thinking, I regurgitated an old response I'd been using for years, "Men and women can never be 'just friends'." Then with a quick glance at my life we found that I currently have several female friends! I am my own proof that men and women CAN be friends. So it's time to reorganize my thoughts...

Side Note:
While struggling to accurately write the info below, I realized that the English language is limiting me. Proper words just don't exist for some things. It is also confusing. The word "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" suggests that all other friends are not of that gender. "This is my girlfriend," sounds like, "I have only guy friends, except for this one girl friend." And "girlfriend" and "girl friend" mean different things. It's too confusing. Stupid language needs better words.

First, Lets Define Some Terms

Like - a feeling of enjoyment, approval, admiration, or esteem
Lust - a feeling of sexual attraction (ie. wanting sex)
Friend - a person you like, and who also likes you
Lustbuddy - a person you lust, and who also lusts you (ie. boyfriend/girlfriend)
Flirt - playful sexually suggestive dialog

Observations

people like some people
people lust some people
like and lust are not like light switches (on/off). they are scales. like is balanced with dislike, and lust with disgust or repulsion. they each vary in intensity.
people flirt with some people
flirting increases lust or like
touching also increases lust or like

The Like/Lust Chart

If person A	and person B	then
likes	likes	Friends
likes	-	-
lusts	lusts	Lustbuddies
lusts	-	-
likes	lusts	Much frustration? Probably unhealthy.
likes and lusts	-	-
likes and lusts	likes	Friends (unless affected by lust). Probably unhealthy/unstable.
likes and lusts	lusts	Lustbuddies (unless affected by like). Probably unhealthy/unstable.
likes and lusts	likes and lusts	Friends and Lustbuddies

Love

What's love? Where does love come into all of this? I didn't define it it my list of terms because love is complicated enough to deserve its own section and again I am limited by the lack of proper English words.

Love - is charity. it is giving and good, selfless and unrequited.

Love can be broken down into 2 components (emotional and physical):

Emotional Love - a feeling of wanting to Love. (ie. "I want to feed those poor starving African children" or "She is so beautiful and amazing, I want to give her the world"). There is also a component of brain/body chemistry here that makes us feel good when we love and when we are loved. It can take our breath away, quicken our pulse, make us happy, and make us cry. But emotions are temporary. They always are. They fade.

A 2nd definition of Emotional Love - intense like. This emotion is balanced by hate, or intense dislike. I don't like this usage of the word love because it muddies it's other definition. Basically, when you share proper giving love with someone, you are going to like them more intensely and that's why love is often used to describe intense like.

So the phrase "I love you" can mean either "I intensely like you" or "I want to selflessly give to you". Likewise, when you are "in love" you are either "in intense like" or "in a state of selfless giving".
Physical Love (Love as an action) - this is how we express love, through acts of charity/giving. This is always a choice whether you feel the emotional love or not. Expressing love to family and friends is the same. Expressing love to a lover is also the same except that it has an additional sexual component. Sexual love is the giving (and not necessarily receiving) of sexual pleasure.

Observation #7. Love exists separate from like and lust. Each has their own scale.

Conclusion

What have we learned? Men and women can be friends. More than that, any person can have any degree of love, like, and lust for another person. Relationships are formed when we find another person who's love/like/lust for us matches or partially matches our love/like/lust for them. We then make decisions on how we want the relationship to proceed based on logic, emotions, social norms, alcohol, etc. Maybe it's a lust filled one night stand, or a like filled friendship. Maybe we limit ourselves to 1 active lustbuddy at a time, and demand everyone else be 'just friends'. Whatever our reasons for defining our relationships, we still tend to surround ourselves with people we like.

Observation #8. Love is a gift. It cannot be earned.
Observation #9. Like and lust can be earned.

Surround yourself with people you like, flirt often, and love and lust will work themselves out.

Six pack abs: Week 13, Day 1

2008-11-10T13:25:00.001-08:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

Weekly Weigh-ins
Week 1, Day 1: 162 lbs (starting weight)
Week 2, Day 1: 161 lbs
Week 3, Day 1: 159.5 lbs
Week 4, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 5, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 6, Day 1: 155.5 lbs
Week 6 repeat: 153 lbs
-Missed 2 Weeks-
Week 7, Day 1: 155 lbs
Week 8, Day 1: 155 lbs
Week 9, Day 1: 154.5 lbs
-Missed 2 Months to recover from surgery-
Week 10, Day 1: 151 lbs
Week 11, Day 1: 151 lbs
Week 12, Day 1: 153.5 .lbs
Week 13, Day 1: 157 lbs

Yikes. Weight is up even more. Still not doing cardio. Poor eating habits. And kind of a lot of beer... and other alcohol. Clearly the workout alone is not enough. I can grab the fat covering my abs and see that it's a lot thicker than on other parts of my body. I wish I had a way of accurately measuring my body fat %.

Six pack abs: Week 12, Day 1

2008-11-03T17:37:00.001-08:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

Last weeks workout actually took only 1 hour to complete after I got better at it. I still have an unattractive layer of gut fat. I gained weight this week. Muscle? More likely it's all the sugar I've been eating. I haven't been sticking to the eating tips very well. I'll have to improve on that.

Six pack abs: Week 11, Day 1

2008-10-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

These workouts are getting pretty tough and they are taking me about 2 hours to complete.

Six pack abs: Week 10, Day 1

2008-10-20T16:39:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

Weekly Weigh-ins
Week 1, Day 1: 162 lbs (starting weight)
Week 2, Day 1: 161 lbs
Week 3, Day 1: 159.5 lbs
Week 4, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 5, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 6, Day 1: 155.5 lbs
Week 6 repeat: 153 lbs
Missed a week: ? lbs
Missed a week: ? lbs
Week 7, Day 1: 155 lbs
Week 8, Day 1: 155 lbs
Week 9, Day 1: 154.5 lbs
-Missed 2 Months to recover from surgery-
Week 10, Day 1: 151 lbs

Sweet, 2 months are up. I've been wanting to get back into this. I felt sick after 3 rounds of the first superset. This reminds me of how I felt in week 1. Maybe I'm pushing too hard? I slowed way down and finished it out. I'm surprised my weight is down from over the break cuz i pigged out from time to time.

Skydiving Options in San Diego

2008-09-24T23:40:00.001-07:00

There are 5 skydiving companies in San Diego running out of 4 airfields:

Brown Field and Nichols Field are in south/southeast SD
Skylark Field and Perris Valley airport are an hour north of SD (they're also an hour from LA)

Some other stuff:

Some places charge more if you weigh over 200lbs
You cant skydive if you weigh more than 230lbs
Some places also have student, military, senior, and early bird discounts
Other websites appear to be scams

skydiving comparison best cheapest safest parachuting

NinjaVideo.net Review

2008-09-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Forget NinjaVideo, use http://www.IceFilms.info instead

Well... since the fall of Stage6, high quality streaming video has been pretty hard to come by. My once favorite site, QuickSilverScreen (QSS), lost all of it's HQ content and started linking to crappy quality flash video like all the others. (Note: QSS appears to have some DivX content again, but the streaming speed is WAY too slow... lame.)

NinjaVideo.net has been silently lurking in the shadows for the past couple months (since Feb 08), but video playback on their site was shitty and uncertain and the gods knew it, so they recently released the NINJAVIDEO HELPER. This tiny program controls the video stream and makes all video playback on NinjaVideo awesome, fast, and certain. This helper program has since evolved into a java applet that runs in a new browser window.

Now NinjaVideo is kickass:

+ Only High Quality DivX content
+ Fast working videos (requires ninjavideo helper)
+ Nice library of content
+ New content added several times a day
+ Every video has a download link
+ Videos stay up for a long time and are seldom deleted.
+/- Podcasts. Ninja loves to hear themselves talk... but they tend to ramble
- There are lots of complaints of the arrogance of the staff. Take my advice: Stay away from the forum. Don't try to give back. Save yourself the headache and just leech the vids. You'll be much happier.
- The full page AdBrite ad is annoying... but a clever person can block it...
+ ... there are no popups :)

Six pack abs: Week 9, Day 1 (Photos!)

2008-08-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

Weekly Weigh-ins
Week 1, Day 1: 162 lbs (starting weight)
Week 2, Day 1: 161 lbs
Week 3, Day 1: 159.5 lbs
Week 4, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 5, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 6, Day 1: 155.5 lbs
Week 6 repeat: 153 lbs
Missed a week: ? lbs
Missed a week: ? lbs
Week 7, Day 1: 155 lbs
Week 8, Day 1: 155 lbs
Week 9, Day 1: 154.5 lbs

This is the halfway point, so it's time to reveal some progress photos...

Each photo is labeled with the week # it was taken.

I will be getting some surgery next week so I wont be allowed to exercise for a month or two after. Hopefully my body wont go to shit, and I can continue training where I left off. So after this week Six pack abs training is ON HOLD until I recover from surgery.

Six pack abs: Week 8, Day 1

2008-08-11T15:56:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

The 300 Spartan workout was fun, but I only completed it twice instead of 3x like I was supposed to. Oh well. Movin' on.

Six pack abs: Week 7, Day 1

2008-08-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right (even if you're not already a member)

I just missed 2 weeks because I had family visiting. But I did finish off week 6 last Wed and Friday. My weight has fluctuated a bit. I keep eating unhealthy. I tend to pig out at BBQs or special events where there's a lot of free food instead of eating my usual small meal high in protein and fiber. Occasional surfing or team sports game.

300 Spartan training this week!

Six pack abs: Week 6 repeat

2008-07-14T10:04:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - signup to the email list or click Already a Member in the top right

Cool, I'm down 9 lbs from the start. I have to repeat the week because I just kept slacking off last week--almost no resistance training. I still went surfing one day and I played some Wii Sports.

Six pack abs: Week 6, Day 1

2008-07-07T12:59:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - this page is mostly a sales pitch & email list signup
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html - this is the meat & potatoes

Played football. Football is great for cardio interval training, and playing a game makes me forget I'm exercising. I feel like I'm losing motivation, but I gotta see this through. This was a lot easier when I didn't have much else going on.

For the circuit training, I've only been doing 3 circuits at about 60 sec per exercise or however many reps I can do.

Six pack abs: Week 5, Day 1

2008-06-30T12:16:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - this page is mostly a sales pitch & email list signup
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html - this is the meat & potatoes

Weekly Weigh-ins
Week 1, Day 1: 162 lbs (starting weight)
Week 2, Day 1: 161 lbs
Week 3, Day 1: 159.5 lbs
Week 4, Day 1: 156 lbs
Week 5, Day 1: 156 lbs

My weight fluctuated a bit this last week. I didn't do ANY cardio and I ate a lot of foods high in fat and sugar.

Six pack abs: Week 4, Day 1

2008-06-23T07:28:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - this page is mostly a sales pitch & email list signup
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html - this is the meat & potatoes

Weekly Weigh-ins
Week 1, Day 1: 162 lbs (starting weight)
Week 2, Day 1: 161 lbs
Week 3, Day 1: 159.5 lbs
Week 4, Day 1: 156 lbs

Last weeks cardio was all surfing (and one brief sprint on the freeway to recover the surfboards after the rack broke off my friends car). Exercising is getting a lot easier. I still sweat a lot. Back in week 1 I was nearly throwing up and had to rest a lot during my workout. Now I'm feeling pretty good--lots of energy--and I don't need as much sleep as I used to. This week I will begin circuit training and will be using a stability ball. Fun.

Six pack abs: Week 3, Day 1

2008-06-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - this page is mostly a sales pitch & email list signup
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html - this is the meat & potatoes

Weekly Weigh-ins
Week 1, Day 1: 162 lbs (original weight)
Week 2, Day 1: 161 lbs
Week 3, Day 1: 159.5 lbs

For weeks 1 and 2 resistance training was body weight only. This week a resistance band is required for added intensity. Last week I mostly went surfing for my cardio training. I also played tennis. I did interval sprinting once in week 1 but then finished the week with tennis. And somewhere in there I went hiking.

Mid last week I discovered www.thedailyplate.com. This site is fantastic for tracking calories. It's got nutrition info for just about any specific food by brand/restaurant or whatever. It has support groups to keep you motivated. You can search a huge list of activities for info on calories burned. And there are still more features. Anyway, I used it for about 3 days before I got tired of logging everything I eat or drink. But it did give me a good snapshot of my eating habits. On average, I consume about 1600 calories a day. And I can still use the site in the future for looking up strange foods.

Six pack abs: Week 2, Day 1

2008-06-09T10:31:00.001-07:00

The website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - this page is mostly a sales pitch & email list signup
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html - this is the meat & potatoes

My starting weight: 162 lbs
My current weigh-in: 161 lbs

I tried measuring my waist, but the measurement changes if I breath or change the pressure or let the tape sit differently, so I said screw it. I have started taking pictures to track my progress--that should be enough. But I don't think I'll post them just yet.

I want a six pack...

2008-06-02T10:48:00.001-07:00

...of beer. Seis cervezas por favor... a hora!

I also wouldn't mind the abs. So I think today should mark the start of my attempt at the free IWantSixPackAbs.com 16 week program.

Here's the website:
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com - this page is mostly a sales pitch & email list signup
http://www.iwantsixpackabs.com/abs.html - this is the meat & potatoes

My current weigh-in: 162 lbs.

I should probably take pictures to track my progress as well. I haven't decided if I will. I am following the resistance training, the interval cardio training, and the eating tips.

Borat says, "Very nice!"

Stage6.com to shut down on Feb 28

2008-02-26T10:22:00.001-08:00

The beloved high quality online video host, stage6.com, announced plans yesterday to shut down their website. This comes as a huge shock to me because my favorite movie website, QuickSilverScreen, uses stage6 exclusively for all their video hosting. QSS has reacted and has begun allowing content from lower quality video hosts. How very sad...

Here is the official announcement from stage6:

I’m Tom (aka Spinner), a Stage6 user and an employee of DivX, Inc., the company behind the service. I’m writing this message today to inform you that we plan to shut down Stage6 on February 28, 2008. Upload functionality has already been turned off, and you’ll be able to view and download videos until Thursday.
I know this news will come as a shock and disappointment to many Stage6 users, and I’d like to take a few moments to explain the reasons behind our decision.
We created Stage6 with the mission of empowering content creators and viewers to discover a new kind of video experience. Stage6 began as an experiment, and we always knew there was a chance that it might not succeed.
In many ways, though, the service did succeed, beyond even our own initial expectations. Stage6 became very popular very quickly. We helped gain exposure for some talented filmmakers who brought great videos to the attention of an engaged community. We helped prove that it’s possible to distribute true high definition video on the Internet. And we helped broaden the Internet video experience by offering content that is compatible with DVD players, mobile devices and other products beyond the PC.
So why are we shutting the service down? Well, the short answer is that the continued operation of Stage6 is a very expensive enterprise that requires an enormous amount of attention and resources that we are not in a position to continue to provide. There are a lot of other details involved, but at the end of the day it’s really as simple as that.
Now, why didn’t we think of that before we decided to create Stage6 in the first place, you may ask? That’s a good question. When we first created Stage6, there was a clear need for a service that would offer a true high quality video experience online because other video destinations on the Internet simply weren’t providing that to users. A gap existed, and Stage6 arrived to fill it.
As Stage6 grew quickly and dramatically (accompanied by an explosion of other sites delivering high quality video), it became clear that operating the service as a part of the larger DivX business no longer made sense. We couldn’t continue to run Stage6 and focus on our broader strategy to make it possible for anyone to enjoy high quality video on any device. So, in July of last year we announced that we were kicking off an effort to explore strategic alternatives for Stage6, which is a fancy way of saying we decided we would either have to sell it, spin it out into a private company or shut it down.
I won’t (and can’t, really) go into too much detail on those first two options other than to say that we tried really hard to find a way to keep Stage6 alive, either as its own private entity or by selling it to another company. Ultimately neither of those two scenarios was possible, and we made the hard decision to turn the lights off and cease operation of the service.
So that’s where we are today. After February 28, Stage6 will cease to exist as an online destination. But the larger DivX universe will continue to thrive. Every day new DivX Certified devices arrive on the market making it easy to move video beyond the PC. Products powered by DivX Connected, our new initiative that lets users stream video, photos, music and Internet services from the PC to the TV, are hitting retail outlets. We remain committed to empowering content creators to deliver high quality video to a wide audience, and we’ll continue to offer services that will make it easy to find videos online in the DivX format.
It’s been a wild ride, and none of it would have been possible without the support of our users. Thank you for making Stage6 everything that it was.
--Tom

The Paradox of Choice - Why More Is Less

2008-02-23T18:09:00.001-08:00

For anyone, like me, who struggles with the ba-zillions of choices we have to make throughout our lives, do yourself a favor and watch this amazing video where Barry Schwartz (a professor of Social Theory and Social Action) sheds light on our choices and their results on our lives.

As he speaks, think in the context of choosing a spouse. There are so many more choices in the online dating pool. Think of choosing a job/career/major. Think of any choice you have ever struggled with. This applies to all of us and it explains so much. Increased choices make things better and worse at the same time. And that's the paradox.

"I want someone who's smart, interesting, makes me laugh, kind, understanding, thoughtful, sensitive, empathic, and... really hot." It's hard to evaluate all those, so we simplify and choose entirely on the basis of how hot. :-)

The Paradox of Choice - Why More Is Less

It's an hour long. It's good stuff. Agree? Disagree? You know I loves to get the comments.

If you want to see all the cartoons not shown in the video, you can follow along in the slideshow here: http://www.si.umich.edu/ICOS/Presentations/20040917/001.htm

QuickSilverScreen.com Review

2008-02-21T14:42:00.001-08:00

http://www.IceFilms.info is the best website for streaming video.

QuickSilverScreen - (QSS) is an online video streaming service that allows anyone to view and add video links. All links have been submitted by our members.

This is easily my current favorite website for great quality online movies. This site is best used if you are not looking for a specific movie, as movies of all types are added and deleted often. Fortunately movies are sorted according to the date/time they were added, so you can always see what's new. I mainly use 2 links: the Movies link to show the most recently added movies, and the QuickSilverScreen logo to show all recently added videos of any type.

There is a search feature, but you must install the QSS toolbar to access it, and with the frequency that videos are added and deleted, I doubt it would be very useful. I'm not a fan of toolbars, so I haven't tried it. If you are looking for a specific movie, then I recommend using the search box on Online Video Guide instead. The OVGuide search box returns results from QSS as well as many other online video sites.

QSS features summary:

+ All videos are in DivX format hosted on stage6.com, so high quality is common
+ Multiple new videos are added throughout each day
+ Movies are sorted according to the date/time they were added
+/- They offer an IE/Firefox toolbar to help you stay connected to QSS
- Popup adverts are not easily blocked
- TV Shows and Cartoons cannot be sorted by date/time added

Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses: made by the devil? - continued

2008-01-30T17:13:00.001-08:00

Read part 1

I was messing with my soft lenses again last night, and I found that they still suck. Vision is still consistently inconsistent with all 3 pairs. I actually see less blur without the lenses. In addition, with the Bausch & Lomb PureVision Toric I can see the edges of the optical zone... bad. And the CooperVision Frequency 55 Toric and Preference Toric lenses still burn my eyes... maybe I'm allergic? I read that CooperVision's Proclear lens is the benchmark for daily wear comfort. It is made with a very biocompatible material called omafilcon A.

GP Lenses - Day 4

5 hours of wear time today. Felt pretty much the same as yesterday. Still seeing the edges of the optical zone. I probably need larger diameter lenses. The edges mostly go out of view when I open my eyes real wide.

I also feel like these bitoric GP lenses will sometimes rotate out of position and cause even more irritation and blinking. It's like turning a lens that is fitted on the side of an egg. The edges would dig in and stick out. I hate being astigmatic. Maybe I should get laser surgery to correct just my astig?

Finally, I've noticed that vision in my right lens is not very good at all. Maybe a wrong prescription?

GP Lenses - Day 5

Oh God, I'm going insane. Why aren't these stupid lenses getting comfortable? Somebody kill me please...

On a more positive note, today I found that while LASIK is not ready to correct my +6.00D of hyperopia (farsightedness), it can easily correct my -3.00D of astigmatism. This should allow me to wear non-toric CLs which don't rely on rotational stability for visual acuity. The down side is $4500 for LASIK.

6 hours. I am so unmotivated to continue this...

GP Lenses - Day 6

3 hours 45 min today. Irritating. Damn you.

GP Lenses - Day 7

NO. Not today. I don't want to. I have an appointment tomorrow. I'll wear them then just to prove they suck.

Update February 6,2008

I am wearing the GP lenses again for the first time since my appointment 4 days ago, and I do believe they are getting more comfortable. But they still don't seem to fit right, and my budget Costco optometrist is an idiot. Dammit.

Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses: made by the devil?

2008-01-28T13:18:00.001-08:00

So I'm trying these RGP or GP lenses since the soft contact lenses kept moving and turning like a Polynesian dancer on a sugar high. In other words, blurry vision. On the other hand, vision with the GP lenses is as good as wearing glasses--but at what cost?

GP Lenses - Day 1

I put a GP lens into my right eye and it's irritating as hell. Then I practice lens removal using the 2 non-plunger methods available: the Blink Method, and the Two-finger Method. And that was a pain in the ass too. You can't just grab it like a larger soft lens. It took me about a half hour of frustration before I could get the damn thing out. Then I did the same thing with the left eye. Confident now that I could "eventually" remove the lenses, I put 'em both back in my eyes and wore them for an excruciating 3 hours.

I could feel them scratching against the inside of my eyelids every time I moved my eyes or blinked. And that feeling just makes you blink more. My eyes are clearly rejecting these 2 tiny foreign objects.

I'd had enough after 3 hours. Removing the lenses is still a hassle. The worst part is losing the lens in the edges (white) of your eye and then trying to get it to re-center. That has happened to me a lot. Oh it feels so good to not have something in my eye.

GP Lenses - Day 2

I pop the lenses in and they immediately resume being irritating. I find that I can gain temporary relief by pulling my upper eyelids away from my eyes by the lashes. Oh how I wish my eyes were numb.

After only about 2.5 hours, I'm done enduring for today, and out they come. Today I discover a way to quickly and easily remove the little bastards using a slight modification to the Blink Method. I simply look at my nose first, then stretch my eye like I'm from east Asia, and the lens falls right out. I don't even need to blink. Oh thank God for this simple lens removal technique.

GP Lenses - Day 3

I put 'em in again. They are still irritating. I understand they are supposed to take 7 days to get used to. This sucks. GP lenses, why do you hate me?

GP lenses are designed to float on a tear in your eye so they will always move when you blink. What's weird is I can often see the edges of the lens so I can watch it move as I blink. I wonder if that's normal. I hope that stops happening as I get used to them.

5 hours of wear time today. It seems the more I do, the more eye movement is required, and the more of a nuisance these lenses become. Again, I am incredibly relieved after taking out the lenses. Removing the GP lenses is now even easier for me than removing soft lenses.

...to be continued... Read part 2

Nintendo Wii won the console wars

2008-01-22T03:34:00.001-08:00

Now it's clear.
You can cheer.
The Wii is finally here.

Haters jeer
because they're queer;
they take it in the rear.

But do not fear,
drink a beer,
and buy a fucking Wii this year.