Chapel Perilous

 
posted by Bsti @ 5:54 PM ¶ comments (3)

 
posted by Bsti @ 4:34 PM ¶ comments (2)

Tsunamis reveals ancient sculptures on southern Indian shores: "The deadly tsunamis that crashed into southern India have unearthed priceless relics, including two granite lions, buried under sand for centuries, archaeologists say.
The archaeologists are also excited about a report from locals that just before the waves struck on December 26, the sea withdrew a great distance baring the seabed on which lay a temple structure and several rock sculptures." 
posted by Bsti @ 3:13 PM ¶ comments (2)

It goes something like this

Yesterday I unpacked three sturdily wrapped fruit crates, the remainder of the things that survived my pre-move triage. As you can imagine, there was little in them of practical value.

The occasion for their receipt was my mistaken impression that my wallet had been stolen. I say "mistaken" because several days later I did find it, in my apartment, in a place where I would never have thought to look for it. I have no idea how it wound up there.

Meanwhile, I was panicking. Call the bank and report my Visa, call the police (like an idiot, I carry my Social Security Card out of habit), and finally start digging up the requirements to get new ID issued. (Oregon DMV no longer allows renewals by mail.) I discovered that, of all the secondary documents you can use in an application for identification, I only possessed one: my high school diploma.

...Which was packed in those boxes, which in turn I didn't have the time to catalog before I left.

So that same day, still in a state of panic, I conceded and asked my grandparents to send me all three boxes.

When I opened them last night, I took out my diploma.

...And guess what?

The name on my diploma is different than the name on my birth certificate.

Is it because of gremilins?

Gaaaah!

At least I didn't actually lose the wallet.

Update: Please, folks, for the love of Jebus or whatever you consider good, do NOT!!!! have kids and then hypenate their surnames. The divorce I didn't mind, once I was over it. The hyphenation, however, will plague me until I buckle down and decide to fix it out of my own damn pocket.

 
posted by ben @ 9:04 AM ¶ comments (2)

Discovery of gliding ants shows wingless flight has arisen throughout the animal kingdom
"An amazing variety of arboreal animals have learned to glide through the forest, from flying squirrels to flying lizards and frogs, and even — frightening as it sounds — snakes.

Now, add ants to that list, say biologists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston." 
posted by Bsti @ 8:53 PM ¶ comments (1)

DJ Paul Edge Blog

Government and Tyranny
" The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:from bondage to spiritual faith;from spiritual faith to great courage;from courage to liberty;from liberty to abundance;from abundance to selfishness;from selfishness to complacency;from complacency to apathy;from apathy to dependency;from dependency back again to bondage."

Are we in the dependency stage?
(found at Mac's) 
posted by Bsti @ 2:33 PM ¶ comments (3)

Counting pills before consequences

To be perfectly honest, I dislike reading lurid news copy to which I have a first hand point of reference — because even if doesn't lead me to post stuff like this, it does get inside my head.

In just such a frame of mind I'm linking to "'Zoloft defense' tests whether pills are guilty", about a guy up on murder charges claiming that the meds made him do it.

I've read the article and considered the merits, and what's inside my head are my own experiences with SSRI's. I've received three such prescriptions, one for a year during '93-'94 and two much briefer ones in the summer of '97 (which was the trough of my life to date, hands down). While I credit the latter prescription (for Zoloft) with helping me keep a desperately needed grip onto a few shreds of common sense, the other two were less than brilliant.

The second of them was for Paxil, written by a doctor whose office was festooned with pharma collateral. I was like, "I've been on Zoloft before and done tolerably well, why are you prescribing me a different drug?" Well, he didn't listen and the consequences were just no fun at all.

...My intial experience, though, is the one I immediately thought of when reading the CSM story. It was a year during which I was fairly getting things done, at the cost of horrid insomnia and constant irritability. I can easily see how poorly managed SSRI use can drive someone up the wall.

But...

Aren't there basic values we learn, whether from others or for ourselves, that we need to hold to at all costs?

I realize that the nihilists and Objectivists in the audience may not care for the question, but seriously... think about it.

As for SSRI's and all the other things out there worth taking, I'll say this: the thought crosses my mind all the time. I'm now into my third year of rending anxiety, a constant fear of something to which I can't even put a name, but when I think back through my life experience I figure it's just not worth it — the drugs may help me deal with it, but they change in some pretty fundamental levels how I think and feel about everyday life. They change who I really am, and replace me with some odd alter ego. And, uh, no thanks. Others are welcome to whatever they like, but so am I.

 
posted by ben @ 2:25 PM ¶ comments

Washington warns Iran that its patience will not last forever
"The Iranians just need to know that the free world is working together to send a very clear message to Iran: Don't develop a nuclear weapon."

I guess I'm ignorant, so someone please enlighten me.
The US has, and continues to research and develop nuclear and biological weapons.
Why do we get to tell Iran what they can and cannot do? Don't be nasty in reply, I really want to know.

"The Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, reiterated yesterday that no government, present or future, would give up the country's drive to master peaceful nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment." 
posted by Bsti @ 2:18 PM ¶ comments (5)

From the inside-out

He's already cooking with inkjet printers, and wants to move onto high power lasers.

Perhaps I've just got too much on my mind to be jazzed by this, but I know that others 'round here will get a kick out of it.

[From Rebecca's Pocket]

 
posted by ben @ 2:16 PM ¶ comments

____//::stuntkid::\\____

Fun site, nice drawings, photos and flashwork.
 
posted by Bsti @ 1:41 PM ¶ comments (3)

I can't stop watching this, so I must pass it along.

If you're hyperglycemic you should take a pass. It's not worth anybody getting hospitalized over. 
posted by JohnFen @ 10:54 PM ¶ comments (6)

An URGENT Appeal to Bring the Bsti Back!

Chapel Perilous desperately needs a regular Bsti.

The Bsti has not been eating enough wholesome grains to keep it regular of late. The inhabitants of the Inner Chapeler Universe (within the bowels of the Bsti) have duly noted the recent droppings, inspected them and found them to be good. But they are not of the usual Type A Regular. And so it proves worrisome to the inhabitants of the ICU, who have no other place to call home. The buildup may cause constipation which is the biggest fear, due to its wiffy nature.

Please, supporters and inhabitants of the Inner Chapeler Universe, I urge you to make an appeal and submit it in writing to the comments box below. I will make sure each is read, personally, by the Bsti. 
posted by olivia @ 6:17 PM ¶ comments (13)

Underground search for 'Xen Dimension'

"By recreating the searing-hot conditions fractions of a second after the Big Bang, scientists hope to see new physics, discover the sought-after 'Xen Dimension', uncover other intelligent life and even generate mini-black holes." 
posted by Bsti @ 1:48 PM ¶ comments (4)

Roulette Chocolate

 
posted by Bsti @ 1:44 PM ¶ comments (1)

Firefox Alert

J. Orlin Grabbe points out a security flaw that is probably of interest to a lot of Chapelers (or anyone that sends banking information over their web browser). It allows phishers to set up domain names that read incorrectly in certain browsers, so seeing (for example) "http://ebay.com" in your locator bar doesn't mean you're actually at ebay.

The browsers affected are Firefox, Mozilla, Opera, Konqueror, and some minor oddball ones. If this is you, read this. Here's a page where you can test and see if your browser is vulnerable.

You diehard "I don't care if my machine is turned into a spam zombie" IE users can indulge yourselves in a brief moment of smugness -- you're off the hook on this one.
 
posted by JohnFen @ 9:31 PM ¶ comments (6)