I’ve recently decided to axe my Flickr page.  I’ll still maintain the account though, but any pictures that appear there will be random shots or cell phone pictures of things I may happen across.  All of my “art”, as it were, will be available on my new photo blog.

I’ve owned the worldsindigital.com domain for a long time; going on a decade now.  I suppose it’s about time I actually did something with it, right?  I would like to invite all of my friends and thoughtful readers to add the following to their RSS readers:

http://worldsindigital.com/index.php?x=rss

You can also access the blog through the domain, http://www.worldsindigital.com.  Right now there are a few pictures up, all of which you will recognize from before.  I’m working on uploading more each day, so I’ll soon have a pretty decent portfolio online.

The reason I’m doing this is for a more professional look.  I like the idea of a photo blog, and sending any possible clients to a Flickr page just isn’t quite the same to me.  This will give me more of an opportunity to display the shots the way I want.  I’ve also got some upgrades in mind, including a way to purchase prints (should anyone want to do such a thing.)  I’ll have more control over the presentation of the images.  Don’t worry if you hate the current layout, because it will change soon.

The down side, right now at least, is that the server I’m hosting the page on is slower than hell at certain times.  The contract with the hosting company expires in March, so I’ll likely be looking to move the site soon.  I’ll let you know.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.  And if you do like my pictures, be sure and leave comments, so I can better my skills further.  Also, look for an announcement referring to my photographs soon!

EDIT:  Is anyone else having this virus alert issue when clicking the links?  Please please let me know!

Topics: Thoughts | 2 Comments »

Ugh.  Ugh I say!  I nab a hed-cold.

It’s my first one since the beginning of the year, so I guess I can’t complain too much.  Oh wait, yes I can.  I can complain all I want, because I think colds are ridiculous.  It’s the 21st century, and we should have cured simple little things like head colds long ago.  It’s bad enough that I suffer from major allergies.  I’m sniffy year-round for the most part, and I look forward to the wintertime when all the sneezy trees and plants are dead, so I can get a little relief.  So what happens then?  I get a bloody cold.  A disease that should have been wiped out decades ago.

It came to me last night.  You know how you can sometimes feel them coming on?  You get this sort of twinge.  It’s not exactly in your nose.  It’s somehow behind your nose, but not quite in your throat either.  It’s back in your head somewhere.  Just this little inkling of something not being quite right.  You kind of dismiss it at first.  Maybe some dust or something… but no.  The sensation grows.  Suddenly you just know.

My first reaction is to hit the fridge, hoping some sort of orange juicy substance will be available.  I use that to wash down a vitamin C tablet.  Alas, it is to no avail.  The disease wins every time.

Today I’m simultaneously Stuffy and Drippy.  Like two of the seven dwarves.  I’m gonna hit the store here in a few and pick up some NyQuil (God bless ByQuil), and then I’ll be Drowsy and Tipsy.  Tack on two more dwarves.  Tomorrow I’ll be Tired and Irritable, so now we’re up to six.

By Thursday I just want to be the dwarf named Better.

Topics: Thoughts | 3 Comments »

All this talk about government bail-outs lately has me riled up.  The latest group requesting charity happens to be the American Auto industry, which for decades has been pumping out inferior and sub-par products which barely even compete with their foreign counterparts.  Now, because they’re in dire straights after finally realizing that no one wants to buy a rickety-ass Dodge because they could simply buy a tight, well-made Toyota, the car companies are crying and pointing fingers.  They want us, (me, you, and all your tax paying neighbors) to bail them out.

As further evidence of their complete stupidity, heads of the big three auto manufacturers recently flew to Washington to plead their case.  Of course, all three of them flew in their private, executive jets.  Here is an actual quoted transcript from the hearing, courtesy of CNN.com:

“There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses,” Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

“It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious.”

He added, “couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It would have at least sent a message that you do get it.”

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-California, asked the three CEOs to “raise their hand if they flew here commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up. Second, I’m going to ask you to raise your hand if you are planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up.”

Well now, isn’t that just peachy?  Three dumbasses saunter up in their Armani suits and ties, wearing their Gucci loafers, checking their Rolex watches to make sure they arrive near to on time, having just stepped off their private jets and checked into nice, swanky hotel suites, to approach the government and whine about making cutbacks to their respective companies.

Meanwhile, the GM plant near my hometown in Dayton, Ohio, and all of the support companies that rely on that plant, are shutting down next month — just in time for Christmas, I might add.  This means that blue collar workers with five kids, a mortgage, car payments, kid’s college payments, and tons of bills can’t even afford to eat anymore.  That’s not to mention all of the other cutbacks that will happen in the next few months as the executives “try to curtail spending” in an effort to keep delivering shitty American cars to a public that doesn’t want them anyway.

God bless America.

Topics: Thoughts | 5 Comments »

Since I’ve been on the No to Prop 8 bandwagon, I’ve recently begun to receive some interesting comments from the other side.  I want to share a couple of fun ones today, by a thoughtful commentator named Chris.

Here’s the first one.  I’ll italicize my initial words, and boldface his reaction.

The passing of Prop 8 has taken away those rights for a select group of people for no other reason than ignorance and hate. This is also a simple fact.
What is the evidence for this “fact”?

The evidence is in the fact that Prop 8 passed, and the reason it passed was, in part, because of the attitudes of those who voted for it.  These attitudes stem from ignorance about the issue, to outright hate of gay people because of what these people have been taught during their lives.  The fact is, the measure was passed primarily by people who have been brought to believe that homosexuality is a sin, and because of that, anything even remotely connected to homosexuality must be bad, therefore any way of countering it must be the right thing to do.  These people got this impression from listening to their pastors or their priests, their bigoted family or friends, or the lies spread by some of the supporting institutions.  If they actually had open minds and open hearts, they would have different perspectives because they would be thinking for themselves, and not just following their programming.  The only reason people think homosexuality is wrong is because they’ve been told to believe that.  That belief has no basis in fact, only judgmental ideals.

I will tell you right now that the religious majority is the reason that Prop 8 passed.  The second biggest reason is that a good number of the people who voted for it didn’t really understand the issue, or care about it.

I don’t care what your religion, tradition, or personal beliefs are. Discrimination is WRONG. People who voted yes on this should be ashamed of themselves, and really need to take stock of their values. Are you saying this based on your personal beliefs? Why should we consider your admonition given your own carelessness regarding the beliefs of others? …simplistic definition is based on outdated religious beliefs and pointless tradition, and is in no way applicable to modern times. You said that the definition is based on “outdated religious beliefs and pointless tradition” but these are just your opinions, and it seems your stance is that someone’s beliefs shouldn’t determine law…but you think your beliefs are correct…and should be made law…

Short answer:  Yes.  Yes, I believe my beliefs are correct, and yes, this is my opinion.

Long answer:  This is my blog.  I own the domain, the space on the server, and the content within.  I think that’s a good place to state my opinions, don’t you?  Of course, not everyone will agree with my opinion.  A couple of my best friends are almost always on the opposite side of my opinion, to be honest.  That’s ok, because that’s what makes this country great.  Everyone can have an opinion, and whether you wish to believe it or not, I do indeed care about the beliefs of others.  If I find them to be agreeable, I’ll incorporate them into my own.  If not, I’ll dismiss them.

You know what else makes this country great?  Equal rights.  Of course, we don’t really have equal rights, because there are those who don’t believe in such.  Oh, they may think they do, but when it comes to a vote, their superstitions or their programming will kick in and equal rights will go right out the window.  Two of the big groups who swayed Prop 8 in favor of the “yes” position were the Latino population and the black population.  These are two groups who should KNOW BETTER, yet instead of remembering or sympathizing, they let others do their thinking for them, and in turn, made the wrong decisions.  The biggest group however, was the older population, who have a lifetime of habits and traditional perceptions.  It’s the baby boomers who ruined it for everyone.

So am I right?  Well, I believe so.  So do millions upon millions of other people.  Time will tell, of course.  But if history proves anything, we know how that’s gonna turn out, now don’t we?  The FACT is that It’s not about religion or homosexuality or my opinion or your opinion, it’s about equality and the rights of the people.  It’s just a matter of time.

Topics: Thoughts | 5 Comments »