Interesting Post

Regarding women in the technology industry.

While the article is interesting, the comment stream is almost more interesting.

Why don't women choose careers in technology with the same numbers as men?

There are so many theories out there.


http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/28/women-in-tech-stop-blaming-me/

Marriage is a Religious institution, not a governmental one

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/d6j67/i_dont_believe_in_marriage_and_my_girlfriend/

Interesting conversation going on in reddit right now.  Boyfriend is not religious and neither is the girlfriend.  As such, he sees no reason to get married since he feels insulted that he needs the government to certify the love he has for his girlfriend.  However, girlfriend wants to go through with the civil marriage.

I agree with him.  If you don't hold any religious beliefs, what is the point of a marriage?  And why don't institutions such as the Catholic church speak out against a secular institution such as the state governments stealing from them an institution that they believe is sacred?  By default does the Catholic church agree that what happens in a courthouse between two non-believers is the same contract as what happens in front of the altar between two believers?  If not, then why do we use the same word... "marriage."  Clearly they are two distinct things.

I propose new laws that eliminate civil marriage and all the tax incentives that go along with it.  Civil marriage is destroying the religious concept of marriage and has cheapened what religious institutions believe it represents.  It's time to end it once and for all.

If two individuals want to live together, share bank accounts and deeds to a house, they should be able to enter into a legal agreement that defines the terms by which the two parties operate and live.  If two individuals do not believe in God, but have a strong love for each other, then I'm sure that a secular market will emerge which helps to ceremonialize the feelings the two have for each other while leaving God out of the picture.

Poor Digg

They are having so many issues right now.

digg.com

From Sovereignman.com. Is it really worth it?

This is from the daily email at www.Sovereignman.com.  He raises an important point.  Is it really worth it to fight a corrupt and broken system of government and bureaucracy?  "Simon" argues that our time and resources are better spent protecting ourselves and our family.  Here is a snippet.

Lastly, Wayne asks, "Simon, what are your thoughts on the organization called GOOOH, or organizations like it that aim to clean out the political system and replace all sitting politicians with fresh blood?"

Look, I agree with their goals, and I think it's admirable that such organizations really want to make a positive difference. I truly despise politicians and bureaucrats-- I think they're power-hungry sociopaths who enrich themselves by bankrupting the middle class and stealing from the productive.

In theory, replacing all of them sounds like a good idea; I would rather have a team of well-trained monkeys in our capitols than the folks who are there now.

Here's the thing, though: while the goals of these organizations are admirable, it's futile to try convincing the preponderance of 300 million Americans / 60 million Brits / 30 million Canadians / etc. that less government is the answer.

"We the people" around the world are getting exactly the sort of leadership and solutions that we've demanded-- more regulation, more stimulus, lower interest rates, more bailouts, etc.

It's nearly impossible to win over the people's hearts and minds to the ideals of limited government when an average Brit believes that taxes should pay for free swim lessons... or when an average American thinks that Obama's stimulus spending comes from 'his stash.'

We all have a finite amount of resources-- time, money, and energy. Trying to change people's minds about the political establishment may be morally fulfilling, but it will likely be a waste of these precious resources.

As I travel around the world and I see such a massive transformation underway, I honestly believe that much of what we know today will be virtually unrecognizable in just a few years' time.

Think of how much the world has changed in the last 10-years... and understand that things are changing even more quickly now.

The fundamental question is-- should we be investing our time, capital, and energy to affect a fractured and corrupt political system, and to change people's minds who frankly don't want our help? Or should we invest our resources to prepare and safeguard our families, our assets, and ourselves?

I'm curious what you think.

So, as Simon asks... what do YOU think?

Sub Heading Test

Michigan Expats - Sports

By Bubba

Insert article about sports here.

Verizon FiOS Internet is screaming!!!

Enough said.. look at my download speed!!!!

New post on michiganexpats

Michigan expats has a new post regarding Koegel's hot dogs.  It's worth a look.

www.michiganexpats.com

Ex-Mexico President Calls for Drug Legalization

This is really starting to gain some traction.  Vicente Fox isn't a lightweight.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103181125

Someone once made the point that if a person jumps out of a plane to their death, nobody blames the incident on gravity.  You don't hear news stories about how gravity is a drag on our society.  You don't see politicians condemning the unjust and harmful effects of gravity.  You don't see parents warning their children about the dangers of gravity and how it is an evil in society that needs to be defeated.  The government does not spend billions of dollars a year fighting to end gravity.

Why?

Gravity is not going to change, it is a constant.  A common denominator across all equations.  It is a given, a set of constraints within which society operates.

Illicit, dangerous, and harmful drugs are no different.  They don't kill nearly as many people as gravity and other laws of physics, but they will be found and used regardless of what we do.  We have centuries of evidence of this yet we still continue to throw our money at a legal system that cannot stop or even limit the flow and use of drugs.  The end result is gang violence and innocent victims on the government's hands.  We are forcing an unstoppable market into the management techniques of the mob and murderous thugs.

Michael Jordan scored tons of points on the Pistons in the 88 and 89 conference finals.  He was going to score a lot of points and there was absolutely nothing the Pistons could do about it.  It was a given, a common denominator, a set of constraints within which the Pistons had to operate.  But who won the NBA world championship those years?

New Blog

I created a new blog and am publishing content along with a few other partners.  It is about all things Michigan, but from an expatriot perspective.

We think that a consistent publication of good content (including audio and video) can really make this thing take off.  If you are a Michigan reader, I encourage you to add this blog to your reader.  It's going to be a lot of fun!

http://www.michiganexpats.com

Cheers

Very Excited about Ubuntu

I installed the new version of Ubuntu 10.04.  So far I am very impressed with a few annoyances.

Perhaps the most impressive part is the Windows installer feature.  It allows you to install Ubuntu without any changes to your partition table.  It simply adds a line for

Here's how it works.

1.  You need to download the Ubuntu ISO from UBUNTU.com.  If you have a newer 64-bit system, make sure to pull back the 64 bit version.
2.  Next, download the windows installer.  You must save it in the same directory as you save the ISO file.
3.  Run the windows installer "wubi.exe."  If it gives you an error.. just keep clicking "Try Again" until the program starts up.
4.  You can then select any drive into which you will install Ubuntu.
5.  The installer will write a line into the windows boot list, so when you restart the computer you will have the option of selecting either Windows or Ubuntu.
6.  When you select Ubuntu, it will finish installing in about 20 minutes.
7.  Then, you will be ready to go!  Each time you restart your computer, you will have the option to select windows or ubuntu.

The nice thing about the windows installer is that it makes it incredibly easy for non-linux-geeks to run ubuntu in a dual-boot mode.  The windows installer simply creates a directory with some large files in windows and runs the OS directly out of those files.  This means, the ordinary users don't need to figure out all the different boot configs and partition tables that linux needs.

Takes a total of 35 min!

Hilarious Ron Paul Video - Drug legalization

Man, and I thought the political shows were bad today. Looks like its been this way for a while. Maybe the shows today are not as hateful because the powers that be have pushed these sorts of creative ideas far from the forum of public discourse. People always say, "think outside of the box." Well, if you want to survive in politics... make sure you stay well within the limits of the box. Don't go outside of that box!!!!

The best part of this video is when Ron just waves a hand at the lady and says, "you don't make any sense."

Reporter Asks Pelosi: Was THE WORD [Jesus] Made Flesh at Conception or a...

Honestly, how do so many people vote for these crooks?

Dear Michigan, We’re Ready to Come Home

As a Michigan Expat and Alumni of the Mott Park Neighborhood in Flint, MI, I hereby request the state of Michigan open its doors a little wider.  I am a typical expat.  I grew up in Michigan, went to primary/high school/college in Michigan, travelled "up north" on numerous occasions, point out my hometown on my hand etc. etc..  I also share another trait with expats.  Shortly after I graduated from college, I left the state because of a job opportunity.  This trend is pretty common, and Michiganders have become accustomed to it.  What else would you expect in a state with incredible colleges and a terrible economy?  We breed smart people, and watch them leave and never return.  How depressing!

I moved out to the Washington DC area, one of the most dreadful and corrupt places in the world, yet filled with jobs.  Because Democrats and Republicans tend to agree that the government can never be big enough (in practice at least), there has been an explosion of new government jobs and an equally big explosion of private contractors working for the government.  Because of this the recession never came here.  Naturally, there are Michigan expats all over the DC area who have left their state to migrate to where the jobs are.  Can we really blame these people?  Not really.  Michigan still seems to have a hard time accepting that the past glory is not going to come back in the same form.  This isn't exactly the best way to get people to stay.  Neither is grasping for Federal money which is subjected to the whims and fancies of a particular administration and passing fads such as green initiatives which are popular but not profitable.  Expats, regardless of political beliefs, tend to realize that this approach to bringing jobs back to Michigan is good at little more than filling pro-Michigan brochures and the michigan.gov website with some basic content.  We hear about things every once in a while regarding some new company that strikes a deal with Lansing to open up a plant and create 200 jobs or so.  Special tax incentives are thrown around to create these scenarios, but we tend to ignore this because we understand that special incentives shouldn't be necessary.  We ask ourselves, why do businesses need to go to Lansing, or work with the MEDC just to get a good deal?  How about giving the same great deals to everybody?  For whatever reason, businesses still don't want to go to Michigan.  But I'll leave that debate aside because I want to talk about me... and hundreds of thousands (millions?) of expats just like me.  I have a trait that almost all Michigan expats have.

I want to come home.

I've met TONS of Michigan expats out here in the DC area and every single one of them says the same thing.  "Yeah, I moved out here after graduating from 'insert Michigan college here' and I work doing 'X' and I like my job, but eventually I want to move back to Michigan." .....And do what?....  Think about what would happen if this conversation changed to "Yeah, I moved out here after graduating from 'insert Michigan college here' and I work doing 'X' and I like my job, but I'm moving back to Michigan in August because my company opened up an office there.  I can't wait!  I'll be able to get a house with an actual yard for less than I'm paying for rent out here.  I'll be closer to family, and I just can't wait to be back in Michigan.  There's just so much more to do there, and life is just so much easier."   I hope I'm speaking for a vast majority of Michigan expats when I say that Michigan is the most beautiful state in the country.  We tend to realize this after going out to the rest of the country (or world) in the hopes of being impressed only to say something to the tune of "ehh, so what, it's just a waterfall, there are a million of those in Michigan and the water is actually clear."  We think of much more than just aesthetics.  The house next door to where I lived in Michigan just sold for something around $50,000, but that same house would be nearly $500,000 in my current neighborhood.  My grocery bill is $150, but I used to pay $80 in Michigan.  I can "gasp" PARK MY CAR in Michigan.  I can send my kids to a private elementary school for $2,000 in Michigan.  Try $7,000 out here.  And the list goes on.  Michigan has expats who are smart because they went to Michigan colleges and hardworking because that's what you have to do to get good jobs like we have.  We are committed to success and achievement, and we want to see our old stomping grounds as a place where we can do that better than anywhere else.

I hope this is seen as a positive message.  Yes, Michigan expats grow weary of seeing their old state cast as an example of high unemployment and endless misery.  We know that only the former is true.  But that won't last forever, and when Michigan finally gets its act together, we'll come back.  We'll stay, and we'll raise our families, and teach them right from wrong, take them to Tiger games and to the Mackinac Bridge.  We'll make sure they are intelligent and that they seek out the best opportunities whether they are in Flint or Fiji.  Either way, we'll try to convey in them a sense that Michigan is home and that even if their dreams take them around the world they'll come full circle and land back in Michigan.  We want to create a generation of Michigan-born heroes, entrepreneurs, and examples of success with values.  And we will succeed.  Just as our parents did.  So, I hope to see all of you current Michiganders sooner rather than later.  And to all you expats out there, when the time is right for you, I hope you will consider coming back.  Who's first?