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Harold Camping At The End Of The World

Harold Camping At The End Of The World
21 May 2011
EventHorizon1984

The buzz around the planet is New Zealand is still with us.  So is Harold Camping.

We sincerely believe he will go on as before.  One reason is provided in the AP article "Apocalypse believers await end, skeptics carry on":

• "Camping, an 89-year-old retired civil engineer who has built a multi-million-dollar nonprofit ministry based on his apocalyptic prediction"
• "In 2009, the nonprofit reported in IRS filings that it received $18.3 million in donations, and had assets of more than $104 million, including $34 million in stocks or other publicly traded securities."

Very Wall Street.

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"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some have coveted, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
1 Timothy 6:10

"Baka Bakka."
Ruri Hoshino, Martian Successor Nadesico

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eBay Discussion Topic - "When did "gooder" become a word?"

eBay Discussion Topic - "When did "gooder" become a word?"
2 February 2011
EventHorizon1984

Trawling through eBay, one can find serious topics of discussion on eBay's Liveworld controlled forums.

But for the purposes of this article, sometimes not.

A major eBay shirt seller, honeville1, asked "When did "gooder" become a word?".

This brought out a few collective chuckles, and remembering the quote by Edmund Burke (1729-1797) "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." (1)

1. Winston Churchill (1874-1965), "Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it." (2)
2. George Santayana (1863-1952), "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Or as we included in a previous article on forgetting the past: 

Pablo Picasso, "If there is something to steal, I steal it."

But to partially Honeville's question.

The year was 1984, and a scene from a television mini-series left a memorable impression on millions of viewers.  The conversation from V: The Final Battle (1984) basically started with:

"How you doin' gooder?"  Ham Tyler (Michael Ironside)
"That's short for do-gooder.  It's a little nickname he's got for me." Mike Donavon (Marc Singer)

The word "gooder" has been around the science fiction community for almost 27 years.

Speaking of 1984, it was a fairly good year for science fiction, fantasy, and horror feature films.

(Not an all inclusive list.)

• 2010
• A Nightmare On Elm Street
• Children of the Corn
• Cloak & Dagger
• Conan The Destroyer
• Dreamscape
• Dune
• Electric Dreams
• Firestarter
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• Ghostbusters
• Gremlins
• Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
• Iceman
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Night of the Comet
• Nineteen Eighty-Four
• Oh, God! You Devil
• Repo Man  - watch the ending, ED.
• Romancing the Stone
• Runaway
• Sheena: Queen of the Jungle
• Splash
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
• Starman
• Supergirl
• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension
• The Brother from Another Planet
• The Ice Pirates
• The Last Starfighter
• The Muppets Take Manhattan
• The Neverending Story
• The Philadelphia Experiment
• The Terminator
• The Toxic Avenger

And for starting a company.

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"Return the money!?  Are you delirious?"
Centauri (Robert Preston), The Last Starfighter (1984)

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eBay Myth Conceptions About Alibaba and the Forty Thieves

eBay Myth Conceptions About Alibaba and the Forty Thieves
29 August 2010
EventHorizon1984

When eCommerce company Alibaba.com purchased Vendio Services (June 2010) and eBay third party provider Auctiva (August 2010), there was the usual buzz.  But it was less about Alibaba's CEO David Wei stating "The U.S. is the top priority in our investment list" and more about the "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves" meme.

This is a very pervasive meme.  For example:

• AuctionBytes - "Let's give them all to Alibaba and the forty million thieves and let them sell on Alibaba's new site."
• TameBay - "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves ?"
• eBay Forum - "Would that be the story of AliBaba and the Forty THIEVES ?.."

Users of the "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves" meme have the popular conception that it's Alibaba AND HIS Forty Thieves.  As it turns out it's a misconception*.

* Since we're dealing with myths, the popular phrase "Myth Conceptions" is a steal homage to the copyrighted work of the late Robert Asprin.  A book published in 1980 titled, "Myth Conceptions."

The meme of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" might be from the 1944 movie of the same name.  Which is described as "A boy prince, raised by forty thieves."  It might be the cartoon Arabian Knights (1968-1969).

Or simply it's a straight name association used by people who know the name of the story, but have never read the original work.

Speaking of which "The Story of 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" from "Stories from the Thousand and One Nights" (1909) is available at Bartleby.com.

We know in this tale:

• "'Ali Baba married a woman as poor as himself, and lived by cutting wood"
• "‘Ali Baba expected a dark, dismal cavern, but was surprised to see a well-lighted and spacious chamber, lighted from an opening at the top of the rock, and filled with all sorts of provisions, rich bales of silk, embroideries, and valuable tissues, piled upon one another, gold and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags. The sight of all these riches made him suppose that this cave must have been occupied for ages by robbers, who had succeeded one another."
• "‘Ali Baba went boldly into the cave, and collected as much of the gold coin"

We meet Marjaneh:

• "Marjaneh, a clever slave-girl, who was fruitful in inventions to meet the most difficult circumstances"
• said 'Ali Baba to Marjaneh, "I leave the matter to your wit and skilful devices."

Who gives The Bride a run for the body count.

The tale ends with:

• "Some years later he carried his son to the cave and taught him the secret, which he handed down to his posterity, who, using their good fortune with moderation, lived in great honour and splendour till they were visited by the terminator of delights and the separator of companions."

The story is not 'Ali Baba and his forty thieves, but 'Ali Baba and the encounter with forty thieves.

However from a 21st century legal perspective, 'Ali Baba taking property from thieves is theft.  Paradoxically such an act is considered justice.  More so considering the "Forty Thieves" were dealt with by 'Ali Baba's proxy (Marjaneh) in a way appropriate to the legal code of the time.

Still the 'Ali Baba meme is rather powerful.  Although as the title of the article Alibaba and the eBay Thieves demonstrates, it may not mean what you think it means.

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"Sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get."
Parker, Leverage

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eBay and Johnny Sain

eBay and Johnny Sain
12 August 2010
EventHorizon1984

Decided to pick up some words to relax before a weekend (group  Ed.) three day systems contract, and AuctionBytes won the coin toss over TameBay.  The site didn't disappoint.

The day's guest lecturer was one eBay Addict, a self professed eBay shopper.  He has skill of a professional writer, with the hardball delivery of a stereotypical east coast resident. 

eBay Addict is reminiscent of the fictional sports writer Oscar Madison. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.  Let's rewind a bit.

Despite eBay Addict saying, "I'm not trying to bait you," he managed to hook quite a few live ones. 

The lively taunt and rant session piqued my curiosity.  Curiosity and Google went no where, but the {cough} {cough} baseball addict seated nearby had this to say:

"[expletive deleted] Braves."

I went 'huh?', but apparently there are baseball fans that recognize where eBay Addict appropriated the "We really don't want to hear about the labor pains, we just wanna see the baby." catch phrase. 

Johnny Sain (1917-2006)
Boston Braves 1946-1951
"The world doesn't want to hear about labor pains; it just wants to see the baby."

Ah sports writer.

His comments are sprinkled with sporting allusions.  Reading like other sports articles, such as one from east coaster Mike Bovenzi, who like dozens of others wrote a similar "fans don't want to hear about labor pains. The fans just want to see the baby."  Sadly he too didn't attribute Johnny Sain.

Who is eBay Addict and is he a sport writer? 

"We don't care..."
eBay Addict

Hope you enjoyed today's sports trivia.

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"You and other sellers like you just don't get it. Buyers (and eBay) are sick of the excuses and the rants. We really don't want to hear about the labor pains, we just wanna see the baby. And in this instance, your baby can't be delivered on time! ROFTL!!"
eBay Addict

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The 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Why Bother With Columbus Day??

The 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Why Bother With Columbus Day??
20 July 2009
EventHorizon1984

Today the United States and the world remembers the historic 20 July 1969 landing of the lunar module Eagle (Apollo 11) on the moon, and human's first step upon the moon. 

Why forty years later is this uniquely American endeavor not a U.S. national holiday? 

Because the United States continues to have the inane 'America Discovered' holiday of Columbus Day.  A national holiday celebrating the 'accomplishment' of an Italian national, sailing for the Spanish government to find a route to China, but landing in what is now the British Bahamas instead.  Not quite the site of the future U.S.

Columbus Day is also celebrated in Spain.  And as we understand it no where else.  Of course.

Incidentally Leif Ericson was the first historically recorded European to land on North America. He did so and started a settlement about 5 centuries earlier (1003 AD).  Of course his party was greeted by the local indigenous population.

So much for Columbus being "first."

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"That's one small step for (a) man.  One giant leap for mankind."
Neil Armstrong, United States, 20 July 1969

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Science Wit and Wisdom From PowerSellers Unite

Sometimes You Have To Look Back To See Forward
EventHorizon1984
11 January 2009

"according to poster (itspostingtime), I don't know what I'm talking about"
Randy Smythe, My Blog Utopia, 6 December 2008

It could be said that the anonymous eBay poster itspostingtime and his alter egos make liberal use of this argument. That's he's right (yes Mr. Smythe it's "he") because everyone else doesn't know what they're talking about.

Like this alleged alter ego.

http://www.powersellersunite.com/about24334-0-asc-0.html
cohibastore.com
Total posts: 2336
USA US Pennsylvania
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:07 pm  
Post subject:  2008 was the year man-made global warming was disproved
 
The first, on May 21, headed "Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts" , reported that the entire Alpine "winter sports industry" could soon "grind to a halt for lack of snow". The second, on December 19, headed "The Alps have best snow conditions in a generation" , reported that this winter's Alpine snowfalls "look set to beat all records by New Year's Day".

Easily one of the most important stories of 2008 has been all the evidence suggesting that this may be looked back on as the year when there was a turning point in the great worldwide panic over man-made global warming. Just when politicians in Europe and America have been adopting the most costly and damaging measures politicians have ever proposed, to combat this supposed menace, the tide has turned in three significant respects.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/3982101/2008-was-the-year-man-made-global-warming-was-disproved.html

Ultimately, in 10 to 20 years, we'll see whether cohibastore (cleggandco, maybe itspostingtime) is right or totally off the mark.  Or maybe we can accomplish the look ahead sooner.  By looking back.

Sometimes You Have To Look Back

In the day, or at least in our day, computer modeling was a hit or miss affair.  There were limits to what a researcher could do with computing power equivalent to what the average person has in their cell phone.

That changed in the later part of the 20th Century.  Computer modeling became less of a quija board and more of a precise analytical tool.  Good examples are nuclear weapons research and high energy particle physics.  Which is not to say that everything could be computer modeled accurately.  Notable exceptions being horse racing and predicting the weather.

Predicting Triple Crown Winners

Tell a gambler you have a system for horse racing, and they may have visions of easy money.  Tell a Professional Gambler you have a computer model for horse racing, and one thing they'll want to see (after laughing) is your track record.

Did you predict the winner for one race?  A day's worth of races?  A year's worth?  Multiple years?

You know a computer model or simulation of an event is fairly good, when the model is correct over time.  A good track record does have weight.  It's not proof, but such a model should be given some consideration in it's ability to predict.

"Unpredicted by all those computer models", Christopher Booker

Given the tens of thousands of models from all view points on the topic Global Warming, we applaud cohibastore's spokesman Mr. Booker for his Craw computer-like facility to sift through all of them. 

We do not plan on performing that miracle here.  This is after all a quick chat.

Using the old school unscientific method of randomly going through old newspaper clippings like cohibastore, we'll do a quick check of what was being said.

cohibastore.com
Total posts: 2336
USA US Pennsylvania
Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:18 pm

As we've noted, 2008 has been a year of records for cold and snowfall and may indeed be the coldest year of the 21st century thus far. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month of October.

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=315533893763712

  Not from 2008 or this year, because any hack can do that, but from years earlier.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031106052121.htm
6 November 2003

"Such increases (in temperature) widen the gap between water temperature and air temperature – the ideal condition for snowfall.”

http://investor.com.com
14 October 2005

"Heavier rain or snow, however, will also fall in northwestern and northeastern North America, northern Europe, northern and eastern Asia, southwestern Australia, and parts of South America during the current century."

Obviously these are not heavy science pieces.  Then too neither were the articles in the PowerSellers Unite thread.  Equally obvious is there are thousands of papers that can show any view you want.

But for the purpose of the original PSU position, it's not an honest debate to state that Snow proves the models are false.  In fact it's down right silly to base an argument on something that proves the opposition correct and you wrong.

One makes valid arguments pointing out flaws in a model, not by showing how well the model predicts.

Epilogue

"While scientists generally agree that the world's climate is changing, there is more disagreement over how much of the change is due to human behavior."

This piece really has nothing to do with the climate debate, so what is the point of this piece?  Other than keyword generation.

It's Coherent Arguments For Dummies.

If one is going to make an argument that 'A' proves 'B' false, better be sure that is the case.

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“To get anywhere, or even live a long time, a man has to guess, and guess right, over and over again, without enough data for a logical answer.”
Robert Heinlein

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"Say it ain't so, Joe." - Isn't that the odd American sport of Baseball?

"Say it ain't so, Joe." - Isn't that the odd American sport of Baseball?
4 October 2008
Event Horizon 1984

"This is like deja vu all over again."
Yogi Berra

We're loathe to putting day to day politics on this blog.  There's enough aggravation in daily reading.  But with Major League Baseball into the playoff season, the injection of politics has us crossing the line.

"If you build it ... HE will come."
Shoeless Joe Jackson, Field of Dreams (1989)

If you're a fan of Baseball, or happen to be be the average American glued to the television or radio, you do know this piece of baseball history and mythology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson

In testimony before the grand jury, Jackson admitted under oath that he agreed to participate in the fix. He also admitted to complaining to other conspirators that he had not received his full $20,000 share. Legend has it that as Jackson was leaving the courthouse during the trial, a young boy begged of him, "Say it ain't so, Joe," and that Joe did not respond. In his 1949 interview in Sport Magazine, Jackson debunked this story as a myth.

In 1921, a Chicago jury acquitted him and his seven White Sox teammates of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball, banned all eight accused players, claiming baseball's need to clean up its image took precedence over legal judgments. As a result, Jackson never played major league baseball after the 1920 season.

If you didn't know baseball, you probably wouldn't know this has been floating around the last 80 or so years.

"Say it ain't so, Joe"
Governor Palin, October 2008

"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."
Yogi Berra

Or not?

"I grew up watching the summer baseball on these fields."
"In fact started out as a sports reporter. Sports have been a passion of mine of mine all my life, so I feel not at home here but I feel very ah comfortable in like this is a fun booth to be in."
Governor Sarah Palin, 29 August 2008
Donny Baarns interview during the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks and Mat-Su Miners game.
http://ballhype.com/video/alaska_governor_sarah_palin_interview/

Every four years American President's and Presidential contenders attend or watch the playoffs.  Mostly leaving the politics out of Baseball.  But this Presidential cycle just had to mix politics with American's most beloved pastime.

Politicians do us a favor. Leave Baseball out of it.

You should know better.

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"And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."
Terence Mann, Field of Dreams (1989)

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May 25th - "Space the Final frontier"

Today, May 25th, there are two interesting Space anniversaries.

One fact.

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

— Pres. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

Read the text (PDF) | Listen 

One fiction.

"In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, series creator George Lucas’ Lucasfilm production company and convention organizer Gen Con are presenting “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be open to the public Friday through Monday."

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http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/05/25/kennedy.moon/

Man on the moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream

May 25, 2001 Posted: 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 GMT)

By Richard Stenger
CNN

President Kennedy calls for a mission to send man to the moon during a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961

   

(CNN) -- Forty years ago on this day, President John F. Kennedy presented a bold challenge before a joint session of Congress: Send a man to the moon by the end of the decade.

Some derided the dream as lunacy. Others viewed it as just another strategic move in the Cold War chess match between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kennedy had just been humiliated in the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, a communist ally of Moscow. In his speech, he called for many measures to combat communism, requesting billions, for example, to stop red insurgencies in Southeast Asia.

But in his address, Kennedy chose space as the main Cold War battleground on which to marshal his forces. The Soviet Union opened the final frontier when it sent the Sputnik satellite into orbit in 1957.

Four years later, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. The Soviets were beating the Americans to every milestone off the planet.

Feeling a sense of urgency in finding a way to overtake the Soviets in the space race, Kennedy had huddled with Vice President Lyndon Johnson and his science advisers to come up with a plan.

The president determined that safely landing a man on the moon would be technologically daunting, but it was a goal that the United States could reach before the Soviet Union.

"No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish," Kennedy said.

The president cautioned Congress that the cost would be significant, more than $9 billion in 1960s dollars. Congress accepted the challenge.    

Kennedy's vision guided NASA's human space flight program from the beginning. Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions were designed with his objective in mind.

Despite skeptics who thought it could not be accomplished, Kennedy's dream became a reality on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong took a small step for himself and a giant step for humanity, leaving a dusty trail of footprints on the moon.

A total of 12 Apollo astronauts would reach the lunar surface over the next three years, collecting rocks, driving buggies and even practicing a little golf.

   

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set up a U.S. flag on the moon

   

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union scrapped its lunar manned mission program before one cosmonaut reached the moon.

While steeped in Cold War rhetoric, Kennedy's address also noted that the push to explore space transcended national rivalries.

"But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our eagerness to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others. We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share."

 

 

 

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18863675/

‘A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...’

30 years after its release, fans, actors celebrate anniversary of ‘Star Wars’

Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM / AP

Mark Hamill (shown with droid C-3PO in the original film) became a star after playing Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies.

By Carolyn Giardina

Hollywood Reporter

Updated: 4:51 a.m. HT May 25, 2007

LOS ANGELES - More than 20,000 “Star Wars” fans are expected to converge on downtown Los Angeles during the next few days to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.

In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, series creator George Lucas’ Lucasfilm production company and convention organizer Gen Con are presenting “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be open to the public Friday through Monday.

The event — which kicked off Wednesday with a marathon screening of all six films — includes live entertainment, cast-member appearances, film and video presentations and an exhibit of movie props and costumes.

Carrie Fisher (a.k.a. Princess Leia) will attend, but Lucas is out of the country, said Tom Warner, senior director of marketing at Lucasfilm.

Warner said the event will include a preview of a new video game, “The Force Unleashed,” which will be available on multiple game platforms in early 2008. In the game, the player takes on the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.

GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/Getty Images Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the first three "Star Wars" films, signs autographs during the opening day of "Star Wars Celabration IV" in Los Angeles on Thursday. The five-day convention celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars saga.

“Star Wars” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1978 and won six. In 2005, the American Film Institute named John Williams’ iconic score the most memorable of all time. The film has shown up on additional AFI lists, including the “100 Greatest American Movies” list, where it ranked No. 15.

“Star Wars” marked a milestone in visual effects. Its makers pioneered groundbreaking visual effects techniques, and the work inspired many of today’s VFX talent. Among the weekend program events is a Saturday session featuring the five visual effects supervisors from the 1977 classic through 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” Scheduled to appear are Richard Edlund, John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Phil Tippett.

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