Blog Action Day '09-Climate Change

In honor of Blog Action Day, I will finally stay true to my description of the blog and post some hackerly ways of saving energy and the planet.

• Google Desktop and Energy Saver

This great little app shuts down your computer when it's not in use. It also tells you in how many gallons of gas the power you saved.

I would love to see more than 1000 users of this app!

• A Power Strip

Ahhh, the great power strip. Commander of energy usage, and conquerer of those who do not obey. That's right. a power strip gives you even more control over your computer and the energy it uses. 

• Solar-Wind Cell phone charger http://www.gizmag.com/hymini-portable-charger-solar-wind-power/9122/

Now this is just cool. This uses the sun and or the wind to charge your cell phone. The best part is, you don't pay a cent for that power.

That should get anyone started on being green for life.

My 25 Things...redux

Here are 25 things that most people probably didn't know about me.

1. I sometimes get strange premonitions about what people are going to say or do. They also have the odd ability to be correct about 40 to 60 percent of the time.
2. I was the Most Philosophical Kid in America 2004 when in fourth grade.
3. For a while, I used to see my best friends and family dying in terrible ways depending on what was going on in the environment at that time.
4. I am extraordinarily fast and strong for my weight.
5. I am also good at street fighting.
6. Having anything sticky on me makes me extraordinarily uncomfortable.
7. When I am staring out into space, (as some of you may have noticed,) I am either thinking about what to do next, fantasizing about something, or actually thinking about nothing at all.
8. I find it very hard to not comment about what is being said or done.
9. Having to do something where there is no progress being made makes me furious.
10. I sometimes have urges to polish things.
11. I have beaten quite a few adults at Battleship.
12. I am quite skilled at thinking in objects, not in words.
13. I am neither a right brained nor left brained thinker. I have the skill of both.
14. My strongest arm is actually my left arm.
15. I am an excellent artist, but I cannot draw a person for the life of me.
16. I have an extremely large collection of Nerf guns.
17. I am very insecure about having a girlfriend. I cannot force myself to ask someone out.
18. I am surprised about what people think of me. I really am modest.
19. I come from a family where each person over-excretes something. I over-excrete bodily fluids. This is why I have uncontrollable acne.
20. I am good at many sports, but don't play them because nobody lets me play.
21. I calm down and get more focused when I ingest caffeine.
22. Contrary to popular belief, I am from Brunswick. I do not come from a Latino country.
23. I am bad at remembering names.
24. My worst fear is fear itself- I am afraid of being afraid. This equates to fear of things that are designed to scare you.
25. I sometimes walk somewhere, and forget what I was doing because I was thinking about something so much.

Vortex. How Browsers could be.

Today I finished version one of my hobby browser, Vortex.
Big, fat hairy deal, right?

Wrong.
I designed Vortex to be simple to use, and really customizable. Okay, maybe not Firefox customizable, but you can move the toolbars to wherever you wish. It also has an integrated bookmarking system and tabbed browsing. I haven't gotten any aesthetics done yet, but they will be done, don't you worry.

If it becomes too much of a problem for me to handle by myself, I have made it open source. this means that you can look at the code in it- I have nothing to hide.

Go get it at Vortex Home. And don't forget to give me feedback!

The Democratic Process

What I've always wondered about democracy here in the United States is why we use the electoral college.  Sure, I understand that having about 100 people that actually vote makes it easier to choose our President. But we are in the electronic age now. We can all vote instantly.  So, then, why do we have people representing us to our representatives?  So if one candidate wins one state than all the people that are going for the other candidate don't count anymore? Is that how it is now?  I should think, since what happened in Florida four years ago, we would have learned that every vote counts!

Paleofatuapresjustion: a law that is created long ago and is useless because of present technology and still exists. Usually involving horses.

paleo= old; fatua=useless; pres=pressure,; just=law; tion=thing 

literally, old, useless, still in effect law.

Abortion

This is a paste from a debate I am having against my friend Jeremy. I just want you guys to read this.

Before this, Jeremy said that he is for McCain, as he is against gay marriage and abortion also. He regretted that:

Displaying 9 of 12 messages. View entire thread.

Ben Davenport-Ray

Today at 4:22pm

I am for Obama. Gay Marriage and abortion are personal choices, and everybody should have the right of choice.

 

Jeremy Caton

Today at 5:55pm

i am a christian. the bible clearly states those are wrong. and also in the Bible sin is what brought the end of societies. i beleive if that is stuff is aloud God will judge america just as he did Sodem and Gamora

Sent via Facebook Mobile

 

Ben Davenport-Ray

Today at 6:10pm

clearly? about abortion? how about quoting a passage, please?

 

Ben Davenport-Ray

Today at 6:14pm

You are killing off an empty shell. If the personality is already in there, than we would be robots with all our responses pre-programmed in for us. and robots are boring and cannot love.

 

Ben Davenport-Ray

Today at 6:16pm

the soul is a consciousness. and unless you can remember the face of the person who pulled you out of your mom, than you did not have a consciousness either as a newborn.

 

Jeremy Caton

Today at 6:23pm

how would u feel if ur mom said oh ur just an empty shell ur not worth giving birth too???

Sent via Facebook Mobile

 

Ben Davenport-Ray

Today at 6:32pm

i would not feel or understand what she said. The Ben you are messaging is his collection of memories, experiences, and personality. All these things influence my decisions. On the other hand, the Ben that could be aborted (ie, in my mother's womb) would not have the mental capacity to understand 'decision', or if, i could, would choose either, for i have no experience and no ethics.

Are you going to resort to insults now?

 

Jeremy Caton

Today at 6:36pm

i didnt mean that as an insult. but do u beleive babies are humans. and the passage is ecc. 3:1-8 is the passage about abortion

Sent via Facebook Mobile

 

Ben Davenport-Ray

Today at 6:54pm

You mean, "a time to be born and a time to die" ?

In abortion, you are not actually born. You are still in the womb. but if "born" means from conception to actual birth, than yes, that would be a legitimate passage.

Anyway, what was the "but do u beleive babies are humans." stuff? Are you saying i think that babies are not humans? if so, than of course babies are humans. But if you say, do you think that babies are human beings, with a soul and a conciousness and a personality pre programmed in, than no, babies are not humans (with a conciousness and soul)

this has been a wonderful debate. this is so going on my blog.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Must think of new word.... and news.

I am having trouble thinking of new funny and sometimes useful words that are excessively long.

Neo·logi·longi·ridi·nomy: (Neeo·loji·lonji·ridi·nommy) The act of inventing excessively long words that have humorous definitions. Usually created by attaching several roots together.

Neo: new

Logi: word

Ridi: laugh

Longi: long

Nomy: name (I seriously did not make these roots up.)

Brilliant! I needed that a year ago when I started this stupid blog.

One person is reading this blog. how sad.

Isn't that depressing? One person. Whoever he or she is needs to tell everyone he knows about just how great my blog is. Sigh.

This is a temporary post, more to come soon.