GraeNormal's Xanga

New Blog

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:39:16 GMT

Just in case anyone who reads this hasn't found my new blog yet, I'm no longer using Xanga. I set up a Wordpress blog, so you can now read all my rants at:
http://www.digitalstevenson.com/jeff/blog/

See you there!

My Clever Dad

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 02:04:28 GMT

Entry bow-wowed judges

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Narrowing the field of 18 finalists for the second Dispatch caption-writing contest was no easy assignment.

"This batch was loaded with top-drawer gag lines," said Jeff Stahler, creator of Moderately Confused — whose panel featured a dog serving two people in a restaurant.

"It was tough to choose just one good line."

The winning entry, Stahler said, is notable for its "wonderful play on words."

"It was a simple, clearly thought-out line that reads well."

It was also the favorite of the writer, who submitted a half-dozen possibilities in all.

"That was the one I really liked," said Galena resident Bruce Stevenson, a 56-year old educational psychologist in private practice. "The rest I thought were kind of cliched."

His non-winning entries:

• Doggie bag?

• I’ll take my tip in leftovers.

• Bone appetit!

• Table service has gone to the dogs.

• The entree is dog-gone good.

The triumphant example of his wit can be found in the Moderately Confused panel on Page B7.

"The triumphant example of his wit" is by far my favorite line from the article.

Here's the actual comic with his winning caption:

I understand he and my mom are already working on entries for another caption contest.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:55:51 GMT

A while back, I made some reference to the Myers-Briggs test (or "type indicator" as they call it). At the time, I couldn't find a site that provided the test for free, but... Wikipedia to the rescue!

(Okay, technically these are "inspired by" the Myers-Briggs. Whatever. They're good enough. The point is that they will categorize you into one of 16 groups. Doesn't that sound appealing?)

Humanmetrics

If you take the test and get a four-letter code, let me know what you think about your results. Accurate? Of course, there are problems inherent in self-administered personality tests, which is why these are just for fun.

By the way, I recently read a Wikipedia article about artificial humans and how our feelings toward them change as they become more and more life-like. It's a theory called The Uncanny Valley. I thought it was very interesting, especially where it talks about computer-generated people in movies. Helps me understand why I like some computer animated movies and not others.

(And as a final note -- does the phrase "the uncanny valley" make anyone else remember childhood commercials for the X-Men cartoon? They would always call them "the uncanny X-Men". As a child, I had no idea what that meant, although it sounded cool. I asked one of my older brothers what "uncanny" meant and he told me "not canny". Good one.)

Christmas Time

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:26:25 GMT

It's definitely getting to be Christmas time. Sarah has filled our refrigerator and covered part of our dining room table with baked goods, and I have found about a dozen things on Amazon that would make perfect Christmas gifts... for me. Unfortunately, I know what I like a lot better than I know what other people like.

Actually, I did a fair bit of my Christmas shopping at buy.com this year. In the past, I have considered them a second-rate shopping site compared to Amazon.com (not based on content or price, but on user experience). This is pretty much still true. But this year, they teamed up with Google Checkout so you can get some substantial discounts. $10 off $30+ and $20 off $50+.

I want to share a video clip with you, but I'm not sure how to describe it. It's both hysterical and disturbing. All I'll say is: Tickle Me Elmo 10th Anniversary Edition.

Edit: I forgot to mention the part in Sarah's baking where she asked me to help unwrap Hershey's kisses. We got going so fast, I felt like I was shucking them like they were a cash crop, or something. Only no slave drivers.

Best News Story This Year

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 02:31:31 GMT

This story seems to be getting around. But in case you haven't heard, I need to link you to the story of Stevie Long, a 4 year old boy who protected his family from armed robbers by "morphing" into his Power Rangers pajamas.

The best coverage of this story I was able to find includes a video clip of Stevie showing off his Power Ranger moves and explaining that he "was saving everybody." Check it:
Stevie Long is the Red Ranger

So this kid is pretty much my hero. Go Stevie!

Monday, November 20, 2006

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 04:38:33 GMT

Tuesday at 11:45, I left work to get lunch from a Chinese restaurant on Court Street (Somethingorother Wok). It's 8 or 9 blocks away, so it makes a nice walk if you want to be alone with your thoughts. Although there is probably a "best route" to the restaurant—meaning a route that takes you through the nicer parts of downtown—I'm not smart enough to know what it is. Instead, I usually let the changing crosswalk lights determine my route. Plus, I get a more diverse view of downtown that way.

I got to the restaurant a little before 12 and waited for several minutes while they made more General Tso's chicken. Made small talk with the guy next to me in line. Yes, the General Tso's here is worth waiting for.

I made my way back to the office taking a different route, guided by whether the South or West crosswalk got the right of way first. Three blocks away from the restaurant, a woman stepped out from behind truck parked on the side of the road. She started explaining how she needed money to buy milk for her baby, etc. etc. A story (or one like it) that I've heard dozens of times. Except this one was different.

These stories are rambling and somewhat incoherent, but they're rarely desperate. I don't mean to be callous, but I can generally tell when someone is just begging for money because it's easier than holding a job.

Commentary Interlude
I don't claim to understand the poor and homeless, but I have had enough exposure to know that some people who beg on the street definitely choose that life. They could work and they could turn to their families for help, but they prefer the freedom of begging to the slavery of conforming to society. There are also many more who are in poverty for reasons outside their control, and who would jump at the chance for a job and a normal life. My point is that I feel like I can normally tell the difference.

This woman was begging desperately. Even more, her story was coherent. Her baby needed milk. Her children needed food. She had been walking the streets and asking for help all day.

"Yes, I can help..." I said, and pulled two dollars out of my coat pocket. I carry two dollars for such occasions, when I feel like the need is genuine.

She rejected them. "That isn't going to help me! I need to buy milk for my baby. Two dollars won't buy that." I was taken aback.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find more."

"No, I won't. I've been asking for help for days. Nobody will help me."

"Well... how much is the baby's milk?"

"About $20 at Walgreen's." I checked my wallet. Seven dollars. I pulled it out and gave it to here.

"Now this is really all I have. And I hope it helps."

"No, it doesn't help. You need to go to Kroger and bring me some groceries. I can't feed my family with this. Why won't you help me?" Couldn't she see that I was helping her? What kind of poor person rejects money like this?

"Well... I have a job. I need to get back." My chinese food was getting cold.

"Yeah, I know you have a job. I know you need to get to your job. But what am I going to do?"

At this point, something strange happened. I looked at her clearly in the face, and I believed—really believed—that she just needed my help. That it would have to be my help. I'm ordinarily not comfortable with strangers or this kind of situation, but I suddenly felt confidence. And (I know this sounds dumb) I felt a tingling along my spine, like something very exiting was happening.

Explanatory Interlude
I once heard someone preach on the verse that says "redeem the time" (King James translation). In common usage, people say this verse condemns general laziness. But the preacher I heard said that time is like anything else—it needs to be "redeemed" in order to be used for God. So the issue is not whether you cram enough things into your day. The issue is whether you use your time for the things that are important to God.

"Well, where is Kroger?" I asked, knowing it was not near.

"About 8 blocks north of here. But that's a bad part of town, real bad. I go there and the teenage boys say things to me. 'What would you do for 10 dollars?' And they say they going to beat me up. I cried about it. I did."

We talked a bit more. No, she can't get food for her family at Walgreens. They don't have chicken wings. They don't have fruit or vegetables. She needs to go to Kroger. If I had a car, that would be better. No, she can't wait for me to get off of work. So, eventually, I told her, "Let's go to Kroger." Shafting work, but redeeming the time. We started walking

"Do you want my lunch?" She had been complaining of hunger.

"No, how can I eat when my children don't have food? How could I do that when I haven't taken care of them?"

We got about 1 block north when she got really anxious about taking me to that part of town. She worried people would beat me up. We talked some more and I finally decided that I would just have to give her cash to buy her own groceries. Of course I didn't want to do it. Of course I know she might have squandered it. But, at the time, with the tingling on my spine and hearing her desperate need for help, I felt it would be okay. I trusted her and I trusted what God was doing.

We started walking to an ATM. I asked her, "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry... Diana [Something]." (I'm terrible with names.) She told me where she lived and more about her family. She asked me, "Are you a believer?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh, I knew it. I knew it. I'd been praying all night God would send me someone to take care of my needs. And when I saw you, I knew you'd see my need."

We got the the ATM and I withdrew some money. I told her, "Diana, I want you to promise me you're going to spend this on food."

"Oh, I will. I promise I will."

"I believe you." And her eyes got very big, like she thought I would say, "I don't believe you," and taken my money and walked away. But, for her, it was like a dream come true.

"Can I have the lunch now too?" she asked. I nodded.

"God bless you. God bless you..." I nodded again.

I walked back to my office, completely emotionally drained.

Since then, I've gone over this in my head dozens of times. Was she taking advantage of me? Was I enabling some addiction? Does God bless charity, even when it's taken advantage of? And even more, I've wondered about Diana. What is her life really like, and who will help her next time?

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:39:30 GMT

Warning: Do not look at this extremely frightening set macro-photographed insects if you are about to go to bed.

http://pishmo.com/macro/
(It's a Russian site, and you need to ignore the banner ads at the very top and bottom of the page.)

My favorite is this grubby little guy:

Look at him there, rubbing his stubby little hands and plotting his domination of the world.

A Wonderful Sarah-ism

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 04:25:08 GMT

"Ew! There's some gunk on my shoe....
.....It doesn't taste good!"

"I'm going to be remembered like this for all of posterity."

- Sarah
11/3/06 9:05 PM

I am INTJ

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 04:03:08 GMT

Introverted 22%
iNtuitive       67%
Thinking      11%
Judging       56%

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

"Specialized knowledge systems" – yes, I like that phrase. I don't mind admitting that there are a lot of things I know a lot about. But I equally acknowledge that many things I don't know and some that, irritatingly, are unknowable. The big one I'm struggling with right now is the answer to the question, "What should I do?" With my life, I mean. If you had all these specialized knowledge systems built up, but no specific application that seems worthwhile, what would you do? I tried asking myself "What do I want to do?" But ran into a double wall:
1) I can't think of a singular, strong desire that I have that I could use to plot the trajectory of my life
2) Even if I did, it wouldn't matter, since I believe what really matters is what God wants for my life

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs enjoy developing unique solutions to complex problems.

I can't find it now, but I once read a description of INTJs that listed, as a weakness, the fact that INTJs like to solve the creative side of a problem, but become uninterested in following through once the solution is developed. How true that is.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project.

This is probably why I think I would enjoy information architecture. In that career, your entire life is about building systems—very, very complex systems. Give me your disorganized mass of data; give me your poor hierarchy, your shoddy structures; give me your problems that are too big to sort out. I'll organize it like no one else could.

Natural leaders, INTJs are not at all eager to take command of projects or groups, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once in charge, however, INTJs are the supreme pragmatists, seeing reality as a crucible for refining their strategies for goal-directed action.

I don't much like the way they call reality a crucible for refining stategies. Speaking on behalf of INTJs, I think we see reality as reality. But it's true what they say about leadership. I often feel like a shy person, and I wouldn't expect myself to take to leadership. Yet when I'm put in that position, I roll with it. Perhaps other INTJs are like me in that I distrust anyone who wants to be a leader. Politicians worry me like none other. Who are these people who want to have everyone's eyes on them? The skills required to be a good politician are so far removed from the skills required to be an upright person and an intelligent public servant that it seems almost impossible to find someone who can fulfill both parts of the job. Add in the fact that almost all politicians align themselves with one of the two main political parties as if it were their religion, and you've created a whole class of people who I find untrustable.

(As an aside, I think it's interesting that, at least in Ohio, no politician has a technical guru on his or her team. Look at their commercials! They are cheesy, chintzy, and generally annoying. Commercials have come a long way in the past 5 years. Advertisers have learned that a commercial needs to represent a slice of life, needs to pull the viewer in, rather than beat him on the head. Yet political commercials are widely decried as the most annoying type of advertisement in existence. I know college students who could create better work.)

I'd be interested to know what Meyers-Brigg type my friends fall into. If you take the test and it gives you a description of yourself, you ought to post some bits of it on your blog and make comments. How accurate is it? What parts are off base?

I couldn't find a good, accurate Meyers-Brigg test online (with only a couple minutes of searching), so if you know a good one, please post in the comments.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 03:08:21 GMT

If you use Gmail, you know that Google provides little advertisements mixed with news stories in a bar at the top of your inbox (they call it "Web Clips"). I frequently find a "word of the day" or "quote of the day" in my Gmail Web Clips -- and I like them. But here's one I saw today...

Hmm. That sounds awfully familiar...

Mark 8.36 - Jesus
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"

Proverbs 16.16 - Solomon
"How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver."

I certainly don't mean to criticize Bob Marley for quoting scripture. I just think it's sad that he gets credit for these bits of wisdom when, in reality, they come from the Bible. Has anybody else noticed this happening -- people quoting bits of scripture without saying it's the Bible?

In case you are now wondering if Bob Marley was a Christian, I refer you to this web page I found through Google.

I had my first Designing Visual Communication class this past Monday. Aside from not being able to connect my MacBook to the projector (dopey me! I brought the wrong kind of cable), I think it went pretty well. My students are great. I asked them to look through some newspapers and pick out good and bad ads, then try to explain what made them good or bad (more than just saying "this is dumb"). They all participated, and they had pretty good insights even on their first day. I think they're going to do really well.

Yes, it was very uncomfortable to be in front of people for that long. I don't know how long it will take before I get over that feeling, but it's about time I got comfortable speaking in front of groups.

For my deep-thinking posse, have a look at this quote and tell me if you think it is good advice:
"You must not count overmuch on your reality as you feel it today, since, like that of yesterday, it may prove to be an illusion tomorrow." (Luigi Pirandello)