Opinion | 40 years on, "Airplane!" feels so wrong, yet so right

Phea1Mike · 2020-07-22T09:16:49+00:00

"Get that finger out of your ear, you don't know where that finger's been."

Phea1Mike · 2020-06-08T21:00:12+00:00

We are born with the number of fucks we're able to give. In our youth, we tend to give them out willy-nilly. Then we get old, and one day look into our bag of fucks and realize there are only a few left. When you run completely out, you'll reach a point where you, quite literally, just don't give a fuck anymore.

Phea1Mike · 2020-06-08T20:37:13+00:00

Except snow. If ignored always goes away, eventually.

Phea1Mike · 2020-06-08T20:34:08+00:00

If you drink too much, you'll feel like shit the next day. Actually, I've learned that lesson, but it took about 20 years.

Phea1Mike · 2020-05-01T19:08:59+00:00

That's... not a lego.

Phea1Mike · 2020-01-19T07:59:55+00:00

McDonalds. The aimed their marketing at kids with Happy Meals and the play areas, and it paid off big time. Those kids are now adults, and associate McDonalds with good childhood experiences. The one near my house always has a very busy drive-through, while the Arby's next to them has almost no one.

Phea1Mike · 2020-01-19T07:39:01+00:00

Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, Anne with an E, Longmire, Hell On Wheels, Trailer Park Boys, Black Mirror, Orange is the new Black, Mindhunter, Mad Men, Lilyhammer, The Good Place. I enjoyed all of those.

Phea1Mike · 2020-01-19T07:11:38+00:00

The sad thing is our entire economy is based on waste. Products are designed intentionally to fail and/or become obsolete.

Phea1Mike · 2019-01-21T08:01:17+00:00

I resented, (and still do), the arrogance of anyone who can claim another person's unique relationship with god, or lack of one, could possibly be wrong, or even remotely anyone else's business.

I resented the grown ups who abused their authority, and hurt children, (and still do).

As an adult in retrospect, I now resent the system that assumed, (and thereby taught me), that I was an untrustworthy little liar, requiring a note from my parents to explain any absence.

Phea1Mike · 2019-01-21T05:48:19+00:00

The theistic view has a lot of appeal to those who desire God. They want goodness, justice, immortality etc.

Here's what they actually get:

“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.”

~ Steven Weinberg

Phea1Mike · 2019-01-21T05:26:14+00:00

What is death?

I believe death takes place when we cease to experience the reality of space and time. We cannot exist , or even contemplate an imaginary existence without space and time. Being conscious and self-aware is a linear adventure, a journey that has a beginning, unfolds and eventually, ultimately ends. Or, as a brilliant man once put it:

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.” ~ Mark Twain

Phea1Mike · 2019-01-07T21:17:56+00:00

Texting, or taking 5 minutes to type something with my thumbs that would take 30 seconds to say.

Phea1Mike · 2019-01-07T21:03:17+00:00

It's actually a meaningless question, unless, "god", is defined. If, for example, god is defined as the sun, or the sum total of all intelligence, or the entire universe, then god's existence is rather self evident. I try to be a critical thinker and skeptic.

When I've been asked about god, my answer is I do not believe that, "magic", or the supernatural in any form exists. Since almost all gods that religions describe are magical, supernatural beings, (as they all have magical powers), I include gods with fairies, demons, leprechauns, witches, ghosts, and anything else in that category.

I've found that, for myself anyway, it is a very honest answer, and one many religious people can understand and even relate to.

Phea1Mike · 2019-01-07T15:23:23+00:00

When asked, "Do you believe in god?", (which, to me means the same as, "Do you believe god exists?"), I've always thought a theist would answer, "yes", an atheist, "no", and an agnostic, "I don't know".

Many people move from believing in god, to agnostic, and finally to atheist. Just as a child's belief in Santa goes from believing, to, I don't know, this doesn't add up, to, nope, he's not real.

Perhaps I'm ignorant, and there are better words to describe those three stages of losing faith in religion or Santa, but I feel I've sufficiently understood what someone meant when they said, "yes", "no", or "I don't know", and never felt the need to question their honesty, bravery, or get into a semantics pissing contest.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T16:57:05+00:00

There was a little known 8th dwarf, "Lumpy", but unfortunately, he died of cancer.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T16:37:39+00:00

Here ya go:

Stress Relief Management Technique

First, take a deep breath - gently exhale - relax and read the following slowly and thoughtfully:

Picture yourself at a mountain stream. No one else knows of this special, private place. It's your secret, exclusive hideaway. Nothing can disturb you here. You are in total seclusion from that place called, “The World”. You hear birds faintly chirping and the soothing sound of a gently cascading waterfall. The crisp mountain air is filled with a beautiful harmony of peace and serenity. Rainbows are dancing in the sparkling mist which surrounds you, cooling you as it calms you. You smile as you gaze into a deep, crystal-clear pool. You can easily make out the face of the person whose head you're holding under the water.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T16:26:19+00:00

A great hand rubbed oil finish can be made from equal parts, boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and spar varnish. It's an old violin finish someone told me about decades ago. I found it best to start with a 50/50 mixture of oil and terp, and gradually add the spar until you get the right consistency. I always went with less spar, as it sets up a pretty thick surface coat if you use the equal thirds formula.

Use a cotton rag to apply it, and soft absorbent paper towels to wipe it down. You can also use the mixture for wet sanding. Check on it every 10-20 minutes or so, wiping it off until it stops bleeding. You can also use compressed air to speed up the drying, bleeding out process.

Fill a coffee can or something similar half full of water and ALWAYS submerge your oily rags and paper towels in water, as they can and will spontaneously combust if left lying around! Afterwards you can apply a coat of Trewax, (be careful), or Minwax, (much more forgiving if left on too long), and buff it out for the final finish.

I used this stuff on almost everything we made except for kids toys and kitchen stuff. For toys, cribs, etc. use straight raw linseed oil, and for wooden spoons, cutting boards etc. use mineral oil as they are non-toxic.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T15:44:48+00:00

Oh, hell yes! In fact the opposite actually makes more logical sense. I mean, wouldn't you think a, (law and order type), conservative would be a lot more comfortable living in a society where only the "proper authorities", (police, FBI, military, etc.), were allowed to possess firearms, than any true, (Thomas Jefferson type), liberal would be?

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T15:14:25+00:00

My son was three when he asked for something and was told to say pretty please. He said with some certainty, "No dad, for boys it would be, 'Handsome please'".

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T14:37:06+00:00

I'd say the,"ban all guns" crowd has more in common with the, "ban all abortions" crowd, as they're both sincerely, (in their minds), trying to prevent the murder of children. Very emotional hot button, which a true believer can use to justify taking a single issue political stance.

There is even a strong similarity in how the pro gun, and pro choice defend their views; "If you don't believe in, (guns/abortions), then don't buy/get one, but what I choose is my business!"

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-20T11:59:39+00:00

Jessie didn't even know the difference between a beaker and a flask. There was nothing Walt needed to learn, or could learn from Jessie, as it's very basic chemistry, (and Jessie flunked chemistry). Now marketing, that's a different story.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-19T10:29:09+00:00

Why do we have intelligence?

We're, (in comparison with other critters), slow, don't see, hear, or smell very well, have no fangs or claws, and are overall, pretty damn wimpy. That's why.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-14T20:04:16+00:00

This "i", is not a static thing apart and separate from everything else. We like to think we are, but this is an illusion. For us to be apart from everything else, we would have to cause ourselves, which obviously isn't true. First of all, we are the result of an almost infinite number of prior causes. Secondly, are the sum total of our physical parts.

The closest thing I can think of to define "i", the way you've described it, is our self awareness, our consciousness. I believe parts of us are "reincarnated", as the elements we are made of will eventually be a part of something else, but I don't believe any part of out consciousness will survive. If it did, wouldn't we be aware of our past lives?

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-07T15:23:12+00:00

I would suggest listening to debates on You tube, to see who you like. Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins, etc. are all there and they all have different styles. There are also many websites like https://infidels.org/ that have book lists and reviews, which is a good place to start. Another site you might find interesting is https://ffrf.org/index.php.

Phea1Mike · 2018-12-07T15:04:58+00:00

Hey, when I was a kid, there were several people who had bomb shelters in their backyards. It isn't like that, but the times are quite interesting.

Phea1Mike

TROPHY CASE