http://ofenstein.com/leo Not Just Anything: Controlled Folly Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:44:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As usual, I will insist that we have a good idea of what we mean by a word or a phrase before we start talking about it."Conventional" of course comes from "convene". What does "convene" mean? Simply this: "con" - together plus "vene" - come. So "conventional" means just "the ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=167 Jupiter got smacked... again. We didn't see it coming this time, as we (well, a couple of us, anyway: Shoemaker and Levy) did in 1994. That one was spectacular, as a chain of glowing bodies rat-a-tat-tatted against Jupiter over quite a bit of time. This one was unseen: the impactor ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=165 The language we speak - 'we' meaning me and those who are reading this - is called "English". I'm writing this because of a recent incident, caused by my inability to have complete control over my anger. In essence, and without naming any names (to protect the stupid) here's what ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=164 Why do you carry a combination bug and tracking device around with you wherever you go?Unwarranted Intrusion: GPS and the Fourth Amendment | American Constitution Society is an article about a form of surveillance that most people seem to be unaware of.Let me start by saying this as clearly and ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=163 I'm a little peeved about... no, wait - let me be completely honest about this: I'm not a little peeved, I'm seriously pissed off about - the "gotcha's" that computer companies try to cram down our throats. I've seen these twice today, and the second one has been thrown in ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=162 ... "computer-mediated telepathy"??? Hmmmm... this doesn't involve having a "chip" injected into your ass (oh, sorry... was that your head?), by any chance? What was it ol' Tim McVeigh said about the butt-chip the Army gave him? Pentagon Preps Soldier Telepathy Push "Forget the battlefield radios, the combat PDAs or even infantry ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=161 One of the most interesting web sites about the so-called Income Tax that I've come across is that of a lawyer in Shreveport. To see what he's got, start here. Or here. As near as I can tell, he was charged with criminal activities for not filing/paying (both? or which one?) his duly-owed ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=159 What the Hell Is Going On Here? WHIGO? That's the question. One place you can look for answers is http://www.prouty.org/ - a website dedicated to Fletcher Prouty, a man who came into a certain amount of prominence following the JFK murder, when he did some whistle-blowing... well, if not actual whistle-blowing, then at least the kind ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=160 I am not one of those people (see? "those", not "these"... is the unconscious truthful, or what???) who "visualize" easily, clearly, or even very well at all. I know (okay, I don't "know", but I "hear", or "read") that there are people who can summon up images at will of faces, ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=158 Somewhere, I've written the story - more than once - about that phrase, "What'cha Gonna DO?", and my response to it. It is the single most memorable thing I ever heard Richard Pryor say. He was quoting his friend Jim Brown talking to him about his cocaine addiction... over and ... http://ofenstein.com/leo/?p=157