Friday, February 11, 2011

American Idol? (Or Canadian Idol, British Idol, Australian Idol, German Idol, etc... Whatever country you're from)

Not a fan. Didn't like Simon Cowell and not gonna start watching now that he's gone. Enjoyed last year's America's Got Talent, tho.

Ask me anything

What is your favorite way to wake someone else up (like your kids, or your college roommate, or even spouse _ i don't usually care about spouse because I don't have one)

shouting

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What is your favorite way to wake up

alarm clock

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What's that thing some do with the strokes, and the balls, and the holes? You know, it can be a quick thing on a mini level, or an all day event with refreshments?

Golf? Bowling? Sex? I dunno.

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What do you do for a headache? (I mean to get rid of one, not to get one)

I pop a pain reliever & drink plenty of water. Usu when my head hurts it means I'm dehydrated.

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Looking back, do you see Twitter & FaceBook as Gossip Central?

Naw. I see them as tools that ppl utilize each for their own purposes and agendas. Not bad or good. Just there. They are what we make of them.

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What's the best practical joke you've done?

I don't generally do practical jokes. They tend to backfire.

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What the best thing that's happened to you in 2011 so far?

My birthday came and went without a single person wishing me a happy birthday or otherwise making a big deal out of it. It was heavenly.

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tell me, if you had a million bucks, a jet fueled up and waiting, and a bag of M&M's ....what would you do?

Sell the plane, buy a laptop with wifi, hire a camera crew, ride to Vermont from Texas by limo. Film the trip. Call it ZachsMind Takes The Scenic Route. Merchandise it via interactive website. The goal would be to entertain and enlighten about our country's history and future. Sort of a cross between a documentary and a reality show. Think "SuperSize Me" but w/less of a message and more absurd silly fun. The tralier tagline: "They say a fool and his money are soon parted. Watch me learn that the hard way." The bag of M&Ms would remain unopened, and would accompany me on the trip. At the end of the trip I'd do something with it, that would be decided organically based on the adventure itself.

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I'm a big believer of living in the moment. Which doesn't necessarily mean to not think about the future or make plans. I just think that we shouldn't clog our heads with these things so much that we miss out on today. Did you make today memorable?

I don't believe in making days memorable. Sounds too much like effort.

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If you could only listen to one song for the next month, which would it be?

Vienna by Billy Joel

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When is the last time you actually sent a hand written letter?

I sometimes scribble a note by hand when I use postal mail for business purposes, which is about once a month or so.

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What was the best advice you've ever received?

"Go Your Own Way" Fleetwood Mac

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"Closer" by NIN or "I Touch Myself" by The Divinyls?

"The Masochism Tango" by Tom Lehrer

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Did you know a female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate?

I did not know that. I would not call that a very intelligent design. LOL

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what gets your adrenaline flowing the most?

exercise..?

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What;s the weirdest thing you have ever put into your coffee?

pecan sandies

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What flavor do you REALLY like, but are afraid to admit to liking? I like smoked oysters - that's a flavor, right?!

If I like something, I admit it. Not sure if I understand the question.

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If you could ask Ben Roethlisberger a question, what would you ask him? I'd ask if he was too stupid to understand that sexual assault is WRONG.

I have no questions to ask Ben Roethlisberger. I don't know who he is and I doubt I would care if I knew. Sowwy.

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So, what's with the stupidity of those who want to keep the poor living in poverty? Especially when the poor who are doing everything they can to better their situations to not be there. Why make it harder for those people who are REALLY TRYING?

Ever see Doctor Zhivago? It sounds almost noble to some to do the Robin Hood thing. Persuade, convince, or coerce those with money to give philanthropically to those who didn't earn it. In practice it's complicated and doesn't seem to improve things in the long term. If you give something to someone, oftentimes they don't care for it the same way one who earned it cares for it. Easy come easy go and all that. There is no easy answer to this. Some struggle all their lives and are never paid what they're worth. Others hardly work at all and make money in their sleep. No one said life was gonna be fair. In theory if everyone is productive everyone will benefit, but in practice, that doesn't work either. I strongly believe capitalism is the best option available, compared to alternatives. However, it's far from perfect.

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Do you find it strange how you can talk to people all over the world as if they're almost in the same room as you?

Not anymore. A decade ago it was a new frontier for me. Like the first settlers of America heading west. Now it's a daily routine so I wouldn't call it strange. This reminds me of TheStrangeFamiliar.com You should check them out.

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What is the funniest joke you know?

One told by somebody else.

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If you could only have one of these four things, which would you choose: car, tv, cell phone, computer?

Computer. I don't own a car or cellphone now, and the TV is just gathering dust.

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Does a secluded outdoor bathtub/shower off the master bedroom of your house sound cool?

Not cool. Sounds chilly. Drafty, even.

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what is the one thing that gets you instantly angry?

Stubbing my toe.

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does money run your life?

If it does, I'm usu running on empty.

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what comes to mind when you hear the word: discombobulated?

"Bob" of the Church of the #SubGenius

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Women are people. Human beings EQUAL TO men. Do you thoroughly believe this truth, or are you some sort of nutbar who believes that a penis gives the right to declare superiority & ownership of woman as property? Give reasons, please.

I do not believe anything. Evidence suggests the equality issue is complicated in detail, but simplistic in execution. There are ways women are far superior to men. There are ways men are far superior to women. The evidence also suggests this evens out. There is no reason to believe one gender should get special treatment over another due to genitalia or hormonal imbalances. It is a cultural artifice that has generated this debate and practicing its tradition needs to cease. I feel it simplifies life & makes everyone happier if we strive to treat one another equally regardless of any differences. I don't know if this is objectively right. I don't believe anyone should believe this without further research. It feels right to seek equality not just via gender but via other differences. For now, that's enough for me.

Ask me anything

Monday, February 7, 2011

All's Well That Ends Poorly..

Well that was fun..

Now that the year of ZachsCast fiasco has come and gone, and it's like when DC Comics did that whole "52/A YearLater" thing and a year later everybody was like, "meh," I wonder if I should drag my sorry butt back over here and just pick up where I left off..?

For anyone who doesn't know, which is pretty much everybody, this past year since Groundhog Day of 2010 I was working with a buddy creating a website called ZachsCast where I did audio blogs and linked to youtube vids and occasionally even posted text like I'm doing now. The idea was to take what I'd been doing here and expand it. See if there was an audience for my unique brand of idiocy. I trudged along as best I could, with sputters and restarts, until Feb 3rd of this year. About four days ago. The last recording I made was that day. I uploaded it without a hitch. Several hours later, the website went down. Not with a bang or even a whimper.

As it turns out, in cyberspace, no one can hear you fail.

All the work I did for the past year is gone. I can't get any of it back. That's what I get for partnering with a guy who disappeared three months into the project. Seemed like a good idea at the time. How was I to know? I still have copies of the audio files, but I have no place to put them online, and even if I did, they have bumper music in them that I don't own, so I guess if those ever see the light of day again, the guy in question could sue me. I can't afford getting sued. If I ever win the lottery, I still won't be able to afford being sued. So it's like all the work of the past year never existed. It never happened.

No great loss. I think three ppl may have noticed what I was doing over there. That more than anything is probably why my partner fled. Like when rats leave a sinking ship. I told the guy up front I ain't doing this to be famous or make money. I pretty much do it cuz I can't not do it, and if I happen to get an audience along the way that's gravy. I've been online in one form or another for over fifteen years. I can't stop now.

Back last May I thought about doing a music project at ZachsCast where I'd critique and showcase some of my favorite local artists. I got their permission to include their music in the podcast, but I never actually got around to finishing that project. I was in production. Got some early taping down, but didn't upload any of their material. I didn't like how it was shaping up in early passes, and at about that time I was beginning to smell something rotten in Denmark regarding the situation or my partner's lack of details regarding his motives for helping me or future plans, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I couldn't tell what was wrong, and his lack of communication has left me in the dark. I could just sense something was off. In hindsight I'm glad. I don't understand the legalities very well, but if I end up regretting what happened in 2010 with the podcast, I don't want to drag anyone I love down with me. So all's well that ends well, I suppose.

Audio wise I still have cinch. You can find me there. I also have my twitter page, facebook, vyou, youtube, tumblr, and a few other places here and there. I'm not going away. I'm just downsizing. It was nice to have somebody who believed in me for awhile, or at least pretended to believe in me, but maybe that's not what I need. Like a crazy old man on a street corner shouting from a megaphone, maybe all I need is some time, some space, and my own unique brand of crazy.

It's curious that this Blogger site is still here. I've gone to other places over the years but somehow I always wind up back here. I can remember many years ago I met the Blogger team in Austin and I thought I'd be welcomed with open arms. That was a sobering experience. The response was anywhere from "who are you" to "omg you suck get away from me." Good times.

Turns out I suck. *shrug* I guess they haven't noticed me in this small corner of their great empire, scratching at the dirt. I'm not bothering anybody. I'll leave them alone. I hope they'll leave me alone.

I think I still have that Blogger shirt around here somewhere. They were giving out free ones. It never really fit me, but beggars can't be choosers.