Meet the Microsoft Surface, a $10,000 big ass table:

Apple should worry…

Google has recently added new Hi-Rez images of many major international cities. I just had a blast looking back in time, finding where I use to live. I have successfully located the two places I remember the most: Wiesbaden, German and Misawa AFB, Japan.

Looking for our address in Japan was easy. Japan is small and all I had to do is look for specific landmarks — the buildings we’ve lived in. I don’t recall the exact address, but I’ve dead centered the key landmark (the white spot which is actually a little tree surrounded by a green square). That was our front yard, to give you an idea on where in that building we lived. We lived there from approximately 1983 to 1987, when we moved to Germany.

In German, it was easy. I actually managed to remember our address: Texas-Straße 8, Wiesbaden, Germany. I don’t recall the apartment (we didn’t call them apartments — I forget what) number was, but we were located in the building directly west of that marker on the exact opposite side. We moved to a second place, within a different housing community, after a couple years. I don’t know what our street address was here, but the building is still there, with what looks like a new drive way (we didn’t have a drive way when we lived there). We were in Germany for a total of 3 years from 1987 to 1990. We stayed at the first address for 2 years before moving to the second address, after my brother was born in 89.

Looking around at the old places I grew up in, it’s amazing to see how much things have changed and how much has remained the same.

Ever had them days that turned out exactly the way you’ve feared? Imagine your dreams as a kid, always fearing your dreams of showing up to school naked. Well, today was one of those fears came to reality. No, I didn’t show up to work naked. What did happen, though, was the one thing I kept telling myself would eventually happen.I got ready in the morning, just like every other day. I get to the tran stop and start heading to work like I always do. One thing I always tell myself; one of these days I’m going to forget my wallet and these random checks are going to tag me. It’s happened before, two times, in effect, but I’ve managed to alleviate them by counter measures.

First time, I forgot my wallet, but saw two Dart rail police at my stop. I thought to myself, “I at least have my monthly pass.” Guess what, I didn’t … I didn’t even have my wallet! I turned right around and went back home to snag that bloody thing.

Second time I was on the tran, two dart police boarded. I then recall that while I did have my wallet, I actually didn’t have my pass! Oh shit … I didn’t want to get snag with a $75 fine. I was lucky enough to be able to get off at the next stop and snag myself a quick ticket. Good thing I did that, too, since the next tran that came, Dart police actually checked.

Well, after two close calls, the third one was the “charm”: I got snagged. Like the first time, I forgot my wallet, but unlike this time, I didn’t even realize this until he was on the tran, tran was moving and he was checking for passed. “Son of a …,” I thought. I was caught. He was cool about it and like all cops, he had to do his job. I got tagged: $75 fine. However, since I DO indeed have a pass, I just needed to show it. Of course, in order to do that, I had to go all the way back home to get my wallet. I’m glad I told the officer this, too, and he wrote me a “temp pass” as on my route home, they checked again.

The one part that really sucks the most is I was unable to get a real breakfast. That’s what really hit me. My plan was to get something when I got to work; but without my wallet and with the extra hour having to go back home and them back to work, I was going to miss “breakfast” time period. Bugger!

Now, I’m work and things are back to normal. I’m suppose to be getting something in the mail here sometime in the next few days (knowing the government, a few months) with a select time and date I need to show up in court to show my pass to get it dismissed.

Next time, I need to make sure I have my wallet on me at all times! I’m sure the chances of this happening again are rare seeing as if this is quite possibly the third time in my life I’ve forgotten my wallet.

You know you’re an American if when you view a world map the first thing you see is this.

One of the things I like best about Digg isn’t that its always stock load of cool stories, but also because you can get some really interesting comments to stories.

One such story, Holy War! A New Army of Atheists is Taking No Prisoners, is brining out all sorts of people and believe it or not, Atheists are winning. The article itself is a good read, although I do feel the author was a bit more metaphorical than he needed to be.

However, back onto the subject of the comments. One comment linked over to a speech about Atheistism — Richard Dawkins: An atheist’s call to arms. It’s a fascinating speech where Dawkins calls to arms of all Atheists to speak up and stop bowing our heads in “respect” of other religions.

Dawkins brings up many important points; an interesting one being how religion is corrosive to science.

“It [religion] teaches people to be satisfied with trivial, supernatural, non-explanations and blinds them to the wonder real explanations that we have within our grasp. It teaches them to accept authority, revelations and faith instead of always insisting on evidence.”

Dawkins’s speech is well worth a watch, regardless of your religious siding. I love it. As a fellow Atheist, I think his display was one of the best pro-Atheist/anti-religion speeches I’ve seen.

His speech has inspired me enough to check out his book, which was written after this speech; The God Delusion. I find it bit ironic, in a way, as to the title of the book. Very fitting for this site, don’t you think? Ha. However, if that book doesn’t suit your fancy, feel free to check out any one of his other books.

Dawkins calls on Atheists to speak up. It is truly amazing how in our country, a man claiming to have talked with God can be voted president, but a teacher ridiculing “alternate therapy” (prayer) is forced to remove a blog post. Christianity (all branches) is attempting to control information, again. We cannot sit ideally by and let that happen anymore.