The Future Sneaks Up on You

It's easy to get caught up in the bread and circuses of what most media is saying about the state of the economy and the world. I pity the fool that watches television! Newton Minow made the most prophetic statement of the 20th century when he said:

"When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better.

But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.

You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly commercials — many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it."

But while you're being distracted by murder and mayhem, amazing things are happening outside of the glass rectangle.

To whit: Researchers at Tufts University have created a single molecule motor! Did you see that on the nightly news? Nope. They're too busy with cultural trivia and the latest potentially disatrous to notice the big stuff. These advances keep piling up at an accelerating rate. In 5 years they'll start making stunning medical breakthroughs. In 10 they'll make it possible to wipe out malnutrition worldwide if we can depose the forces that profit from it.

What then?

My Apologies to Mighty Capey

Mid-way through last NFL season I wrote a post entitled "There is No Joy in Cheesevile, Mighty Capey Has Struck Out"

Everything I said in it has turned out to be utter rubbish!

In the off season, the Packers brought in defensive coordinator Dom Capers to shore up a defense that couldn't stop anyone when it counted in 2008. Guess what. The Packers still can't stop anyone when it really counts.

Even though it's only Week 8, the Packers conceded the NFC North title to the Vikings with their loss today. Sure, they're ONLY three games back in the standings, but they have yet to make a statement win against a quality opponent. But they DO have two statement embarrassing losses at home. And they barely escaped a third statement embarassing loss to Chicago at home in Week One.

At what point does the coaching staff decide not to allow a dozen sacks in a single game? Troy Aikmen told a story this week about how Jimmy Johnson said he'd rather take a dozen holding penalties and throw a dozen balls away rather than take sacks. Apparently Mike McCarthy would rather take sacks. And Aaron Rodgers should be given a spot on the Seinfeld show, because he NEVER LEARNS to get rid of the ball on time! As long-suffering Cubs fans would say: maybe next year...

Ted Thompson's record post-Favre is a losing one. The Packers may end up with a winning record this season, but they'll be watching the playoffs from home this January.

Wow. Could I be more wrong on all counts as the Packers head to Super Bowl VL the Big Game That Happens On the First Weekend in February?

Okay, so the Packers DID make the playoffs last year, but IN MY DEFENSE the offensive line got healthy (physically and attitudinally) right after the old post and the Packers gave up 50-something points to the Cardinals in losing their opening playoff game. And Rodgers and McCarthy didn't get the play calling right until after the Matt Flynn game in New England in Week 15 of THIS season. But Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy and Dom Capers and the whole Packers staff and team did something amazing this season with all of the injuries and changes. Teams bringing in street free agents to start during the second half of the season don't go to the Game Opposite the Final Round of the Phoenix Open.

Win or lose on Sunday, this season will be one of the most amazing, and satisfying, for any Packer fan.

I officially declare the Wrath of the Football Gods to be over!



UPDATE:Told you so!



No Harlan, No Favre. Just the center of a new dynasty in the tradition of the Green Bay Packers.

Worried about a Holmgren-style ego meltdown? Don't be. From Mike McCarthy's day-after press conference:

(What is your view of the way Rodgers played last night, and how in sync do you feel you are with him now?)
I thought Aaron Rodgers played like Aaron Rodgers, and that’s why he is the MVP. He has been so consistent throughout the season, and even more so in the playoffs. But the play-caller and the quarterback are on the same page. Just the conversation we had in the locker room before the game. It was simply let me be aggressive as the play-caller; you have to be the disciplined one and keep us in favorable plays and throw it away if you have a bad look, and he did a great job with that. I think he has the best set of skills in the league as far as his pinpoint accuracy, his athletic ability, and all of his best football is in front of him. It’s a special relationship. It will go on long after football, but he did exactly what he was supposed to do. He let the play-caller be aggressive and he managed the football game.

emphasis mine

Oh, and do you think that answer had anything to do with this one:

(The last Packers coach to win a Super Bowl left a couple of years later. Do you see yourself being in this job long-term? Do you see this as your last job?)
I would hope this is my last job. I’m a builder and we have built something special. This program was built the right way, has quality people in Aaron Rodgers and all the way through that are going to lead this football team for a long time. So I would definitely hope this is my last job.

And he's already got Valentine's Day covered with this:

(The last two coaches to win the trophy, Sean Payton and Mike Tomlin, said they only got an hour or two of sleep and they slept with the trophy. How much sleep did you get, and did you sleep with the trophy?)
My wife is too good looking not to sleep with her. I didn’t sleep with the trophy. The trophy is with our director of security, Doug Collins. I don’t know if he slept with it. You’ll have to ask him.

Makings of a dynasty right there, my friends!

...and, blinking, he stepped back out into the light, and proceeded in a new direction

How are you feeling about your financial future these days? If you're like me, you're probably not feeling too confident about the path you're on.

I've got a job (for which I am very thankful), but last week the company had a round of layoffs, and I don't want to be sweating those out when I'm 70 years old. And neither a government stipend nor the tatters of my 401(k) are looking like they'll provide the lifestyle I've dreamed of for decades...

So what is the answer?

Coming up with a great new idea, starting my own business, growing it into something special, and retiring on the proceeds of an IPO or sale? The odds are always long, and I'm 0-3 on the entrepreneurial experiment, so maybe I'll look elsewhere this time. Besides, I'd like to generate some income this year.

How about finishing that book and getting it published and leveraging that into a lucrative speaking and training business? That's not worked out so far, and I'm really not interested right now in doing something alone. And I'd like to generate some income this year.

Maybe trading FOREX or stocks on the side? One of my entrepreneurial ventures was along those lines, and I saw what an unpredictable market can do to some good systems...maybe later, because I'd have a big learning curve, and I want to generate income this year.

I sure am picky. I want something that I can start in addition to my day job, but something that can grow into my long term nest egg. Something I don't have to do all by myself, but doesn't have a long term learning curve before I start making money. And I want it to be something that's a big win-win for everyone involved.

I searched and thought and prayed long and hard about what I could do, and then one day a friend suggested I check out a network marketing company called Qivana.

I wasn't too keen on the idea. Was it some sort of pyramid scheme (not win-win)? And I am definitely not a great salesperson with a vast personal network. But as I did my due diligence, I found that the business met all my other criteria. I can start it part time and invest more time as the business grows. The company makes some really interesting products systems for improving internal bodily systems and for weight management (and yes, I'm using them and yes they work!). The management team has deep expertise in the industry and has taken these types of companies to greatness before. And best of all, the company is in it's first year and has that nest-egg-building upside!

No, wait, best of all is that it's not a pyramid scheme. There are plenty of legitimate network marketing companies; Warren Buffett owns more than one. And I really believe in the company and products, so letting people know about the opportunity doesn't feel like selling. I feel better about this opportunity than I did about all those other things before. If you would find out more about Qivana, feel free to contact me.

This may or may not be for you, but if Congress has their way, preventative medicine will be the only type you'll have any control over in the future...I'm going to own my life. What would it be like if you owned yours?

From Popular Science: Baguette Dropped From Bird’s Beak Shuts Down the Large Hadron Collider (Really)

Renactment - not actual footage of Baguette

Popular Science reports that a French bird - let's call him Jean Luc Mallard - has taken out the Large Hadron Collider with a piece of bread:

The bird dropped some bread on a section of outdoor machinery, eventually leading to significant over heating in parts of the accelerator. The LHC was not operational at the time of the incident, but the spike produced so much heat that had the beam been on, automatic failsafes would have shut down the machine.

The article concludes with the sentence:

With freak accident after freak accident piling up over at CERN, the idea of time traveling particles returning from the future to prevent their own discovery is beginning to seem less and less far fetched.

I'm thinking that a simpler explanation is that God is toying with physicists...and you! 'Particles from the future?' HA! HA! Good one, scientists! Where is Occam's Razor when you need it?

But in the comments to the PopSci post was this:

The bird's briefing:

The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.

Geek scripture...

UPDATE: Packers GM Ted Thompson denies that ignominious decisions from the future are coming back in time to the 2009 Packers offensive line to make egregious errors in order to justify said future ignominious decisions...but that's about the only explanation for Sunday's performance...that, or the power of the dreamsicle...

The Divine Mercy Chaplet Podcast

The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a prayer dictated by Our Lord to Sister Faustina Kowalska in the 1930's. He said:

Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you ... Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death ... When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between my Father and the dying person, not as the Just Judge but as the Merciful Savior ... Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy ... Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.

The Chaplet is prayed using a standard Rosary. It begins with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostle's Creed.

Then, on each large bead we pray:

Eternal Father,
I offer you the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity,
of Your Dearly Beloved Son,
Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our sins
and those of the whole world.

And on each small bead in a decade, we pray:

For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world

And after all five decades are completed, we say the following prayer three times:

Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us
and on the whole world

I was inspired to create this audio version of the Chaplet by Elizabeth Scalia's wonderful podcasts of the Rosary:

The Joyful Mysteries
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Glorious Mysteries
The Luminous Mysteries

I have personally witnessed the miraculous power of the Chaplet, and hope you will pray it with me.

There Is No Joy In Cheeseville, Mighty Capey Has Struck Out

In the off season, the Packers brought in defensive coordinator Dom Capers to shore up a defense that couldn't stop anyone when it counted in 2008. Guess what. The Packers still can't stop anyone when it really counts.

Even though it's only Week 8, the Packers conceded the NFC North title to the Vikings with their loss today. Sure, they're ONLY three games back in the standings, but they have yet to make a statement win against a quality opponent. But they DO have two statement embarrassing losses at home. And they barely escaped a third statement embarassing loss to Chicago at home in Week One.

At what point does the coaching staff decide not to allow a dozen sacks in a single game? Troy Aikmen told a story this week about how Jimmy Johnson said he'd rather take a dozen holding penalties and throw a dozen balls away rather than take sacks. Apparently Mike McCarthy would rather take sacks. And Aaron Rodgers should be given a spot on the Seinfeld show, because he NEVER LEARNS to get rid of the ball on time! As long-suffering Cubs fans would say: maybe next year...

Ted Thompson's record post-Favre is a losing one. The Packers may end up with a winning record this season, but they'll be watching the playoffs from home this January. Again. Wait - where did Thompson come from? Oh yeah, Da Bears...suddenly I don't feel so good!

Perhaps the wrath of the football gods has dictated that the Packers will not win while Bob Harlan is still around, but I don't want to watch a repeat of the long drought of the 70's and 80's...

St. Vincent, pray for us!

Which of These Three Places Holds Osama bin Laden?

An essay in the MIT International Review uses biogeographic theories and satellite imagery to posit most likely hiding place of Osama bin Laden. And they make a pretty compelling case that he's probably hanging out in one of three places in the Pakistani city of Parrachinar. The methodology is ingenious, and the paper is an easy, short read (and it has satellite photos of the region and buildings in question). Check it out!

Personally, I think Osama is mouldering in a cave in Tora Bora, but if I had to bet on one of these I'd go with the one in the middle.

h/t to Seerov and Dan the Man.

Conclusive Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

On Friday the 13th, Congress passes a bill letting Americans keep thirteen dollars a week of their own money (while taking many times that out of future generations' wallets), and some black cat is going to sign it into law next week.

Will you be needing any further evidence that Washington is not the answer to your problems?

Stay tuned...