Peoii’s Place

In the words of the Internet gaming community at large….

WOOT!

I’ve passed my background check (by some grace of god…), I passed the drug test (gee, I guess they didn’t check for everything…), and I’m now officially an employee of Cingular Wireless. Now whoa whoa whoa folks… I know what some of you who have read this for a while are thinking:

“Hang on a second, didn’t he work for them before?”

Well see, that was working for West, as a Cingular wireless 611 customer service rep. This time, I’m working for Cingular Wireless directly, in one of their local stores. Not only is this a major upgrade from my previous position, but it’ll be very nice working for the company directly. Needless to say, I’m very hopeful this is going to turn into a very fun and rewarding job.

But yea, anyway… one more time for good measures sake:

WOOT!!!

Okay, I’m happy, and I’m done. More later.

Edit Note: I’ve created a new category called “The Job” in which I’ll document my experiences as they present themselves there. Of course, I’m not going to go into any details that would compromise any employee or customer there, but it’ll give me a place to simply talk about the job in an open forum.

In my efforts not to fall behind on software updates on the website, I sat down today in shock and found out that I had missed a couple updates for various software packages… *sigh* Okay, so I went ahead and updated EVERYTHING today. Not only that, but I decided to install a couple new plugins into wordpress. Here’s the rundown:

• Updates
  • Wordpress: 1.5.1 -> 1.5.2
  • Gallery 2: Beta -> 2.0.1
  • Bad Behavior: 1.2.1 -> 1.2.2
• Additions
  • Weighted Words: Basically this is for my own personal curiosity. It shows me what words I use more than others, and allows me to quickly search for words based on how often I’ve used them. You can take a look at my “Word Cloud” over at /word-cloud/
  • WP-ContactForm: Now working over at /contact-me/, you may use this page to contact me via a simple email based form.

And finally, one major change to the website. I’ve decided to un-embed the gallery from the website, mainly because it was becoming a complete pain in the rear when it came time to update either portion of it. So now, the gallery is a stand-alone module, which I think not only looks more professional, but just makes my life that much easier.

Well, that should about do it for the updates today on the website. I THINK I covered everything, though who knows, I tinkered around with it quite a bit. If you’ve got any suggestions/comments on it, please, feel free to speak up! I always like hearing what others have to say regarding it.

I thought this was kinda a neat thing, perhaps you might agree.

Either way, click on the graphic to get your very own monster avatar. Heck, post a comment with the link to yours, I’d love to see some of the variations.

I mentioned in a post yesterday that I would be covering the 4 basic religions that cover my current state of existence in more detail, and here is the first installment in that series.

Buddhism isn’t as much about being a religion in of itself as it is a path to wisdom. It has no god or deity, nor has anyone claimed to be in the religion. Heck, even it’s founder (Siddhartha Gotama) never claimed to be anything more than a simple teacher towards the path of enlightenment. And as such, Monks have passed down the teachings of this seemingly simple knowledge for ages, which is by no means a small bit of information to take in. People devote their entire lives to the study of these writings, and still only scratch the surface of its deeper meanings. However, fortunately for newcomers to the path, there are a couple key bits of knowledge that can be quickly understood, if not fully comprehended. These are known as the “Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path”, but what are they? Glad you asked.

• Life is Suffering - From the moment we are born, we start a cycle of pain, getting older, and eventually death which is a completely unavoidable set of events. Moreover feelings such as fear, loneliness, and anger feed the overall suffering of our lives, and make what we go thru while alive all the more difficult.
• Suffering is caused by Craving and Aversion - The more we want, the more we hurt when we can’t get it. After all, we can’t have everything we want if we let our minds get out of control. Moreover even if we get what we want, it doesn’t guarantee happiness in the long run. Instead of trying to get what you want, try to modify what it is you want, and you can attempt to reduce the suffering.
• Suffering can be overcome, and happiness can be obtained - Yes, you can indeed be happy. Give up your useless cravings, and learn to live in the now without focusing on the past or future, and you can truly live a happy life.
• The Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering - Follow the path, and if you reach the end, you too can have a life without suffering
• Noble 8-fold Path - In short, it is being moral, focusing our minds on being aware of what we say and do, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and developing compassion for others.

Sounds simple enough right? Life is suffering, so to be truly happy in life, you must live in the here and now to avoid your wants and desires, which would only lead to more suffering. If only that were the case. I’ve studied these writings and many many more over the years, and I feel as though I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what it really means deep down inside. You see, it’s a lot harder than some might realize, at least in our modern society. Why? Excellent question.

Our society has built itself up on the idea of knowing where people are going to be at what time so that we can get things accomplished. Don’t believe that? What time do you have to work next? Ahhhhh, see? There’s a schedule already laid out for you and so, it’s always on your mind. “I have to be at the job at 9am tomorrow, so I have to go to bed by 11pm” or some such worry. Whether or not you’re even actively thinking about it at the time, it’s there somewhere in your head as a worry or “suffering” if you will. Can it be avoided? Sure, course you wouldn’t last long being unemployed. So many sites that focus on modern Buddhism recommend the practice of limit where you can, and simply accept a certain level of suffering for your “work life”. What does this mean exactly? Ok, we’re always going to have our schedules/etc that keep us focused on the future, but this doesn’t have to bleed over into our personal lives. How many people out there save their old bills, or collect old bank statements? Talk about worrying about the past needlessly. It was something that happened, and you must be able to let that go. It’s baby steps like that, which can set you up for a lifetime of FAR less stress, which in turn, allows you to come that much closer to enlightenment.

All of these things, from the truths, to the thought patterns that they hide within them, have become a cornerstone of the way I live my life. I try to focus on the here and now, and not worry about what I’ve done in the past. Learn what you can, and then simply accept it as the past and move on with your lives. Honestly? If you take nothing else from Buddhism, take that with you. It’s helped me greatly, and I hope it’ll help you the same.

So yea, Buddhism is a very large influence in the way I live my life. Do some reading, you might actually find something you like in there. Here are a couple quick links:

• BuddhaNet
• Buddhism at About.com
• Buddhism at Wikipedia

Up on deck next? Druidism… but we’ll save that for another day.

In getting with the spirit of the holiday and such, I’ve gone ahead and dressed up the website a bit. Question is, how many people reading this have dressed up their websites in accordance with the season? Leave a comment with a link to your site if you have / plan to before the 31st, and I’ll add it to my list of sites to check out.

Other than that, yea, this is the first in a series of “Seasonal themes” that have been designed for Peoii.com by yours truly, so as to give some fitting looks to the site throughout the year. So far I’ve designed 4, with more on the way, and I’ve even modified some of the template code to make my job even easier. For those of you out there who run Wordpress and would like to make a similar setup on your website, some tips:

• Custom Plugin: My website employs a couple special functions and additions to the template which need to be changed when I add/remove content. I made functions to output these in the proper location, so I only have to edit one file, and all of my themes will be changed
• K.I.S.S.: Keep it Stupid Simple is a VERY good idea. Hell, 90% of my modifications are simply modifying the CSS for the website. Saves me a TON of issues with static pages/etc. Have fun with it, but don’t make your head hurt.
• Use the “Preview Theme” plugin: I don’t have a direct link for it, but it shouldn’t be TO hard to find. Basically the plugin allows you to preview ANY theme installed on your website, however, you must be logged in (as the admin level account) for this to work. So you can check them out without having to make your site go live! Very handy indeed.

Anyway, hope everyone likes it

More later.

Seems as though one question that’s always coming to mind when people first start getting to talk to me is “What religion are you?” See, now that’s a tough question to answer… I’m… not really much of anything, but I’m the culmination of many different beliefs that are held throughout the world. Allow me to explain:

When given a multiple choice drop down box on so many community sites, I always pick out Agnostic. Funny thing is, not a lot of people actually understand what the hell this is. So here, to clear things up, is the dictionary.com definition:

ag·nos·tic Audio pronunciation of “agnostic” ( P ) Pronunciation Key (g-nstk)
n.

1. 1. One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
   2. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.
2. One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.

adj.

1. Relating to or being an agnostic.
2. Doubtful or noncommittal: “Though I am agnostic on what terms to use, I have no doubt that human infants come with an enormous ‘acquisitiveness’ for discovering patterns” (William H. Calvin).

The definition in all of that which fits me best is n.1.1 or “One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.” Why? Because I’m of the firm belief that religion isn’t something people need proof of, it’s simply enough to believe in the power of it. Now whoa! Careful people, read that VERY clearly. I’m never going to be one to slander you for your beliefs, I only ask that you respect mine for being what they are. Each person believes in religion in their own way, and my way is unique unto me. Alrighty then, with the security warning out of the way, on to why I believe it needs no proof.

Religion isn’t as much about gathering facts about something, or something someone may or may not have done, but more about a set of guidelines by which we as “responsible humans” should conduct ourselves to live in a harmonious world. Will this ever truly happen? Nope. Sorry, there are far to many religions that hold drastically different beliefs about what is harmonious that we’ll never achieve total harmony. But we can come close… It’s amazing in my studies of religions how many times there are parallels from one religion to another, even across the globe in a time where communication at that level was impractical. (I’d almost go as far as impossible, but you never know, the human spirit is a mighty beast indeed.)

Anyway, so yea, I usually pick Agnostic. However, when the truth comes down to it, I’m really more a melting pot… Strange too, I was raised going to church every Sunday at a Roman Catholic School, I attended their Sunday Schools, and still and all I came out finding the narrow vision rather lacking. So here, for your browsing interest, is the list of the religions/beliefs which have had the largest impact on the way I am right now:

• Buddhism
• Druidism
• Taoist
• Wiccan

More information will follow in this new “Religion” topic here at Peoii.com, covering what bits of each religion and what significances it’s had on my life. But for now, I just kinda wanted to get that off my chest and let everyone know who’s been asking where I stand on that. I’m not usually one for talking about religion, as I feel it’s a very personal thing, but hey, people have asked, and I’m here to answer.

More later.

Anyone who’s ever seen the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home will remember that fantastic scene in which James Doohan has that great interaction with a computer:

[faced with a 20th century computer]
Scotty: Computer. Computer?
[Bones hands him a mouse and he speaks into it]
Scotty: Hello, computer.
Dr. Nichols: Just use the keyboard.
Scotty: Keyboard. How quaint.

And what was he trying to do with that computer? Why lay out the design for Transparent Aluminum of course, something which in their time was a simple compound they created, yet in the time frame of the movie seemed light years ahead of itself. The audience watched in awe as this material was used to hold back a tank for whales, all the while dreaming of what could possibly come from such a discovery.

Well now it appears, Transparent Aluminum is becoming a reality, thanks in no small part to a group of engineers working for none other than the Air Force. As posted over on the Air Force Link:

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s materials and manufacturing directorate is testing aluminum oxynitride — ALONtm — as a replacement for the traditional multi-layered glass transparencies now used in existing ground and air armored vehicles.

So it’s aluminum, and it’s being used to replace glass transparencies. Yup, sounds like science fiction is becoming science fact! Talk about a leap in technology. And not only is it transparent, but it appears as though it’s VERY durable, as is stated later in the article:

Traditional transparent armor is thick layers of bonded glass. The new armor combines the transparent ALONtm piece as a strike plate, a middle section of glass and a polymer backing. Each layer is visibly thinner than the traditional layers.

ALONtm is virtually scratch resistant, offers substantial impact resistance, and provides better durability and protection against armor piercing threats, at roughly half the weight and half the thickness of traditional glass transparent armor, said the lieutenant.

In a June 2004 demonstration, an ALONtm test pieces held up to both a .30 caliber Russian M-44 sniper rifle and a .50 caliber Browning Sniper Rifle with armor piercing bullets. While the bullets pierced the glass samples, the armor withstood the impact with no penetration.

So give it about 10 years or so, and let them get the price point down (currently sitting at about 5 times more expensive than the traditional glass product), and we might actually see this being used in commercial applications. Can we say bullet proof windows in your standard home? What other applications could come from this miracle material? Leave your opinions, and lets see what we can come up with for this stuff.

It’s funny isn’t it? The world goes around and around, and some people grow, others fall down, and others still get kicked down to the bottom. Lately I’ve gotten some e-mail from an old friend who I found out is now a single mother. *sigh* I swear, just when you think someone is doing well, everything turns upside down and backwards. Course, I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised, heck this type of thing has been going on for over a hundred years, and will continue for the next hundred I’m sure.

However, for those in a situation like this, there’s hope! See when searching for resources for my friend I was glad to see that thru all the smut, spam, and bullshit pages out there, there are actually GOOD sites that are helping folks each day. One such site I found is simply entitled Single Moms, and I’m glad to find that these type of communities exist. Sure, right now there isn’t much traffic on their website, but go, please, and check it out. They’ve really gone out of their way to setup a resource where people can talk freely about their issues with becoming a single parent, including special sections for issues like “Toddlers”, “Teenagers” and “The Ex”. Wow, if only these resources existed (in this easy of an accessible fashion) 10 years ago… who knows what might have changed.

Just thought I’d give an update as that was something that’s been on my mind lately thru all of the email conversations. Other than that, I’m doing well, and am going to post another article here in the next couple days on my current status, so stay tuned.

I went out shopping last weekend with my grandmother as she was out for a visit, and we did a LOT of grocery shopping. What was the one thing I could really go for we didn’t get? Some salmon. Course, living in northern Idaho, finding said salmon isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. Allow me to explain.

See, I grew up in Bremerton, Washington, which is right on the wonderful Puget Sound. One of the bonuses to living around there was the abundance of amazingly fresh seafood that we had available daily. It wasn’t frozen EVER, it wasn’t “day old”, no, many times what was available was caught earlier that day. So now that I’m even 400 miles inland, I find myself having a hard time finding that elusive fresh seafood that I had grown up loving.

What makes it all the more difficult is reading one of my favorite cooking websites on the planet, seeing a recipe for Gravlax and feeling my mouth start to water. Not only is it an amazingly simple dish to prepare, but it looks oh so tasty! Go ahead, check out that listing, and provided you like seafood at all, that should send your mouth watering. But don’t say I didn’t warn you (especially if you’re not living on the coast with easy access to said seafood).

At any rate, I’m now trying to figure out how to get my salmon locally or have it delivered (say… overnighted perhaps? ). Because something this sinfully easy has to be good.

I’ve always loved things that mess with your head. They intrigue me, frustrate me, and in general, are just amazingly fun. Well in my normal random browsing of the Internet this morning, I ran across a post on a blog I had not read before, that made my head just start pounding with confusion. His post (entitled “Sucker for illusions) left me to believe that looking at the image (which I have posted below), I am not alone in this world being completely befuddled by it. Ahh hell, here’s the picture, you try to figure it out:

Now I know what you’re saying, “Ok, so what’s the trick?”. Well you see, block “A” and block “B” have the same background colour. Yes, that’s right, they’re the exact same thing. Go ahead, test it, pull it up in photoshop or some other editor… You’ll come up with #787878 for both. And if my scaled down version isn’t working (who knows what the compression might have done), go check out the original source of the images over here. He’s got proofs, explanations, and such for your viewing pleasure. Problem being? After reading all the proofs and such, it’s still hard for my wee little brain to accept them as fact! Damn my eyes for tricking me!

Now, with that off my chest, I think I’m going to go get a drink, and let my head expunge that information out of it. Because if I sit here and think on it much more, my brain is going to melt down.

More later.