West Coast Smoker.

Is it narcissism if you love yourself for all the wrong reasons?

What if you feel the opposite?

PS: New Fall Out Boy is catchy as fuhhhhh.
PPS: Ask me about Crenshaw Boulevard.

Robot Rock.

I love that I live in a house where a joke about willingly becoming a robot leads to a legitimately intriguing discussion about the dynamics, drawbacks, and advantages of implanting a robot with quantifiable emotion.

Andrew's point: What good is a perfect feeling of love and happiness if there was never any sadness to counteract it? Essentially, without sadness there can't be happiness, so even a certifiable implant of an emotion, where it possible, would be meaningless. Really, there would be nothing to compare it to. Andrew feels that sadness needs to be ever-present to properly "calibrate" the measure of "happiness" included.

Raf's point: Agreed that there has to be a measure of the opposite to compound a feeling, but I feel that were one able to perfect a sadness that leaves an impression without remaining, it would truly lead to a permanent and quantifiable feeling of ecstacy. Think of a footprint: it lets you know someone was there, without you have to see the person walking those steps. My suggestion was to implant sad memories, but to remove them after a while, so that the impression remains, and not the impressor.

Having known sadness without reliving it, could a robot truly be permanently happy? Once the being recognizes and/ or relives these events, it acknowledges the flaws and essentially, it becomes humanity. In knowing there is more than it knows, so to speak...giving a robot sadness makes it human.

Discuss?

In non-sentient technology news, it's almost Christmas and I'm starting to fall victim to the Yuletide of emotions people tend to get this time of year. I miss home, I miss you all, yet I'm strangely happy I'm staying in California. Going to Vegas won't hurt, but the fact that I didn't have the option to fly back does. Bollocks to that nonsense.

For those of you worried, my Irish Kudzu patch is coming back nice and think, and bramblier than ever. Every day I look at myself in the mirror and I get scruffier and scruffier. 2009 will be a bear of a hair surprise.

Here's hoping the best for you and yours.

-Raf

PS: No, we're not drunk: this entire discussion came about because of how much I love synthpop, electronic music, and Daft Punk's phenomenal Alive 2007: Japan

PPS: If only I could be an android bear...

Coldest Winter.

So what motivates someone better than greed? Well, girlz, dawg, but you can't win those from Shaun Spalding's brother Steve. I am posting about the Sears Grant a Wish contest, brought to us by the good folks at www.howtosplitanatom.com. Apparently Sears is offering Steve and seven other cohorts the chances to spread material Christmas cheer. I love nothing more than talking about myself and winning stuff I didn't earn, so I am linking back to his site, as per the official rules. If you're reading this Steve: thanks a lot; it's awesome that you're gonna be able to make a few people's Christmases that much more awesome.

In order to officially participate, I have to link to the post, so here we go

A Steve Spalding Selebration


Click on it, and maybe you'll win something too! Maybe we all will, if we melt enough corporate hearts with our combined Christmas sneers.

In real life news: I got a bonus at my job I don't like. It helps deal with the blatant disrespect and the egregious abuse of my good nature and willingness to help.

I also have to replace the brakes on my car and it appears someone stuck a nail in my tire, so chuuuuuuch.

Oh yeah, and I don;t know if I'll post any more frequently than once a month as it seems, but happy holidays to you and yours. Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and those of you who celebrated it, I hope you had a solemn and dignified Ramadan.

I might be going to Vegas after Christmas... so stay tuned.

Thanks to all of you for reading, especially Katrina Tan, Andrew's sister, who I had no idea would find rantings about comics and weirdos that interesting.

Later days.

PS: I drink on Sundays.

Debaser.

Sometimes I really do feel like I'm frontin.' I mean, I have a job in this economy, yet I still find everything to complain about. Maybe I'm being too melodramatic...and this is almost assuredly the case, but I can't seem to help myself. In Other news, EMILY VUXTON, here are the long promised pictures of our house three months ago:















For those of you who I've unfortunately left out of the loop, I work for a company that monitors drug and alcohol testing for the trucking industry in California. Believe you me, it's more soul crushing than you'd think... but a paycheck is a wonderful motivator.

Also, I got a haircut, a fascination for Star Trek, a decent tolerance level, and an internal sense of responsibility: all things I was sorely lacking before I skipped town.

I do plan to post in this more often, for the three of you who read this, so I hope you enjoy.

PS: Yes, I did see Punisher: War Zone

PPS: Whatever you think I thought of it, that's what I did.

PPPS: <3 you all.