floydius

So as of 7/25, I finally completed my first semester of grad school. The reading load was higher than I anticipated, and I’m actually pleased with that.

Now that I have some more time on my hands, there are some neglected items that require attention. For instance: my kitchen. Whoever lived here before me evidently eschewed ever being labeled as a clean freak. Unfortunately, my landlord left it to me to sort that issue out.

I’m used to living in either (a) a house where the oven never gets so bad that it needs an intervention, or (b) a dorm room with no oven at all. I’m no genius, but I did manage to deduce that the disaster below needed fixing:

Of course, I turned to the Internet for help and found some detailed instructions. I followed them dutifully, and when it was time to scrape out the baking soda, I noticed that the heating element was in my way. It was screwed in, so I got out my trusty socket wrench and went to town.

I assumed (my first mistake) that the element just plugged in like the stove coils on top. This was not correct. I discovered my error as soon as I attempted to pull out the element. At that instant a loud poof, lots of orange sparks, and a very surprised Lloyd were simultaneously brought into being. After I went and turned off the oven at the fuse box, I returned to find that one of the terminal wires had been shoved all the way behind the stove (presumably during the two seconds just after the fireworks while I was freaking out).

This is not good, because I need the terminal wire in order to reconnect the element. Unfortunately the wire was all the way behind the insulation and I could not reach it from the front. My next step was to disassemble the top of the stove and see what I could find. I did manage to view the loose wire, but it was too far to reach. Not wanting to disassemble the entire oven (which I don’t own, by the way), I went and purchased some dowel rods. I then super-glued magnets to the end of said dowel rods. I shoved one dowel into the socket all the way back behind the insulation, and then stuck the other down the back of the stove. I used the magnet to catch the wire, hooked it to the first dowel, and then slowly pulled the wire in far enough to where I could reach it with pliers.

I wish that were the end of the story, but it turns out that in the middle of the spark-fest, one of the terminals on the heating element was completely disintegrated. At this point I have a half-cleaned stove and a broken wire.

I went to Lowe’s, and they suggested I try to find someone who would solder it together for me. I’m thinking about buying a soldering iron now and giving it a go myself. In retrospect, I wish I’d just left that thing alone.

Anyone who is interested in understanding the composition of our economy and the fiat currency system should watch this video. I’ve never come across such a clear and succinct presentation of this material. You may not agree with all of the opinions expressed, but the explanation of our currency system and how the Federal Reserve fits into it is accurate. I worked at a financial institution for almost four years and never came to a full understanding of the Fed’s role and activities.

Fair warning, it is 45 minutes long, but well worth your time, in my opinion.

Enjoy.

EDIT:

On the recommendation of my friend, Jordan, I also viewed Money as Debt, and find it to be a great companion to the video above. The first video focuses on the origins and roles of the federal reserve, while the second gives a summary of how currency evolved and how it is generated in our nation today.

In case you didn’t know, I advocate using open source software whenever possible. The most famous example is probably Mozilla’s Firefox. Among other constituents are my beloved WordPress, as well as various operating systems that use the Linux kernel. If you use any variants of MS Windows, don’t worry; there are plenty of options for you as well.

I also enjoy computer gaming, and on that point my love for Linux finds a challenge. Unfortunately, most big gaming companies do not port their titles for Linux (or Mac, for that matter). If you remember, I posted before that some of this may be changing. In any case, two large companies have held a consistent dedication to providing Linux ports for their titles: id Software and Epic Games.

Epic’s latest blockbuster title for the PC is Unreal Tournament 3, and their VP, Mark Rein, committed to a Linux client at least as far back as August, 2007. Unfortunately, there have been delays to that client, apparently due to legal issues. Ryan “Icculus” Gordon is the programmer responsible for porting a large library of titles to Linux, and he is the man in charge of porting UT3, as well. I’ve been following this saga on his UT3 mailing list, and both Ryan and Epic have been quiet regarding the release for some time now. I actually bought the game soon after it was released in November 2007 on the understanding that the Linux client was coming, so I’m very much looking forward to it.

I e-mailed Mark Rein himself, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a prompt response. I posted this to the mailing list, and now yours truly has made it (in a round about way) onto Phoronix, a popular Linux gaming site. I feel like a rock star.

I’ve come to the realization that I have over-estimated the capacity of both my academic and my religious community to deal with critical thinking or dissent regarding potato chips in a public forum. In the last few weeks, I’ve grown tired with dealing with members of both communities who seem to view the world in barbecue and ranch terms and think of all discussions as zero-sum games.

UPDATE:

I want to make it clear why I’m making the switch from writing a public blog to a private blog.

I’ve been fielding questions all day about this and I think it may be better to deal with it wholesale rather than retail.

For the record, I was not “pressured” by anybody to change my blog from “public” to “private” status.

I made this decision on my own as the result of the general frustration I have with members of our fellowship who want to make a spiritual judgment about me based on my preference in flavors.

One of those views is my public support for Miss Vickie’s Buttermilk and Ranch chips.

In the last few days, much of that angst has been directed toward my Alma mater and, as a result, toward me as well.

Because of this, I have decided that I would much rather have a private conversation about things that are important to me rather than a public conversation that leads to additional complaints about me to the Harding University administration.

I suspect that this arrangement is going to be beneficial to all of the parties involved.

I will be limiting my readership to ten thousand close friends. I expect we will generate some healhty discussion.

Since I’ve arrived in Searcy, I’ve developed a good working relationship with my local Subway. The staff recognize me now and have made fun of my sunburn, going so far as to chide me not to get burnt again last weekend. I like it there.

The main reason for my patronage is that every day, they offer the “wrap of the day” at only $2.69. You can also order a fresh fit meal if you wish, for which the total comes to $4. I like Wednesdays because that is when they offer the Veggie Delite wrap. I’m not quite sure why that isn’t a perennial “wrap of the day,” since it is the same as any other wrap, minus the meat. I’ve been tempted to order the daily wrap and have them leave off the meat, but I digress.

This week I noticed that they put a sign up, advertising a new flavor of Miss Vickie’s chips (buttermilk ranch). Let me give credit to my Canadian friend Dan (not my old roommate, for those who know him) at church because he told me all about these chips from Canada. They are kettle-cooked, which is a northern thing, I guess (thanks, Sara).

I usually don’t even eat chips anymore because I’m trying to eat healthier, get in shape, and rid my body of the chemicals that reside in so many of our foods. However, I feel pretty good about recommending Miss Vickie’s buttermilk ranch chips, for a few reasons. First, they are delicious. I’m going to have to be careful not to go buy a cart-load from Kroger and chow down all night. Second, they contain no HCFC. This means that I’ve found a tasty chip that I can feel comfortable indulging in moderation.

Thank you Canada, for contributing this great snack food to our society, and for having a very catchy national anthem.