If I only had a dollar (actually I do, and then some) for every time I found myself sitting across from some young, fresh-faced, clueless punk who has the naive belief that he is on the path to becoming some famous gambler, then I would basically be in the same finanical position that I am now because I take these bitches' cashish. There is no free lunch, kiddies! Just reading Super System and posting in an online poker forum doesn't mean shit. I see you know all of the chip tricks and have a pretty cool counterclockwise muck maneuver but please explain to me why I constantly have your chips in my stack? Maybe you should try a lot less pot smoking before you join the game? Your bloodshot eyes are the biggest tell in history.
Now I know you kids have been coddled since birth and have absolutely no fucking idea what the terms "work ethic" and "hard work" even mean. Just because there were no cuts after tryouts in school and everyone made the team doesn't mean you don't suck. You didn't play for a reason and it wasn't because the coach was an asshole. Now you need get out of your mother's basement and get a job. You are killing her with your grand delusion and self-righteous near certainty that you are simply "awesome at poker." No, you're not. As a matter of fact, you regulalrly make my car payments for me and haven't the slightest idea what the poker life entails. Turn off ESPN and Norman Chad and go flip my burgers already. That will not be you on television, ever. You failed math twice because you thought it was stupid and that you would never need it. Doesn't it suck being wrong all of the time? Those of you who do have jobs can't even do the math to make change once the cash register tells you to give me $1.92 and I hand you another quarter to avoid getting all of that change back, yet you think you can crunch the numbers in real time to calculate probabilities and implied odds? You might as well just cut out the middle man and come work for me washing my cars because you give me your money anyways.
Did I mention that you were clueless about life already? Now I know that you think you know everything you need to know because I was once your age. But guess what? When I was your age I was a fucking retard too. Just accept this as fact because being in denial doesn't make it any less true. You have this false notion in your head that you'll be driving fancy cars and have a sweet mansion and chics hanging off of both arms, and you won't. If you're lucky you will get to play poker every waking hour of every day and maybe break even. That leaves little time for jet-setting with those you idolize, who incidentally make the bulk of their fortune selling you books and videos and owning the online poker sites that you pay enormous rake to daily. I bet you thought they made all of that loot just playing the game? I did mention you were stupid, right? My apologies if I sound redundant, however I know you refuse to listen when I make this point so it's repetition is of the utmost importance.
I know you are a terrible player when I hear you says shit like "Oh, I hate Omaha." Of course you do. You cannot operate out of your comfort zone, and said zone entails barely knowing the ins and outs of a single poker variant (yes retard, were talking hold 'em) that is so over-popularized that even the top pros are struggling to extract profit from the ever-improving competition. You have failed to go to where the easy money is found, therefore further proving that you don't know what the fuck you are doing. You've been playing for a few years now and your biggest win is maybe eight hundred bucks? Good luck being a hold 'em only pro. You'll be the first, that isn't broke at least.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Teabaggers
The right-wing propoganda machine has it's rank and file all hot and bothered over the deficit spending of the current administration. Certainly it is fair to be concerned over such spending, even though Obama inherited this mess and federal spending is needed to avoid a collapsing economy, at least according to Keynesian economists. However one has to ask the question of where were these protesters thirty years ago, or even eight years ago for that matter?
If you subtract military expenditures and the money spent on homeland security, the Bush Administration was still the biggest spenders since the New Deal. They ran record-setting deficits while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans. The Reagan Administration incurred massive amounts of federal debt and placed that burden of the backs of future generations, yet where were the protesters then? Under both of these administration the size of government grew substantially along with our national debt. Now three months into a democratic presidency and suddenly it is time to be concerned and to place blame?
I watch ignorant mouthpieces of the right like Glenn Beck misrepresent and outright lie about the beliefs and attitudes of our founding fathers for political gain. Mr Beck, Thomas Paine was not an anti-taxation conservative minded hero as you claim. He actually advocated estate taxes on the rich to finance a public education system, which is entirely contrary to your portrayal and betrayal of the man. I mean if Beck could be bothered to do the slightest bit of research then he would realize that Paine's most famous work was "The Age of Reason," which was a book against religion. Yet somehow douchebags like Glenn Beck somehow manage to turn such a great thinker into some god-fearing, quaking in his boots at the thought of hell, pussy. When will idiots like Beck realize that people came to this country to escape conservatism and the status quo, which history demonstrates quite well as the natural progression of empires, but every generation conservatism is repackaged and sold to the masses as what the founding fathers would have wanted.
The United States is in a terrible financial position in the early 21st Century and it has been a long time coming. We as a people have been lulled into a false sense of security and have grown fat on prosperity. Few people understand the complexity of such things as the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, demanding that we let these companies fail under their own weight. However few realize these two companies are the largest companies on the planet and their failure means you will be using the money from your savings as kindling in your fireplace when they do. Entire nations and the world economy are directly tied to the financial matters of these entities. Bailing them out at least buys us time as opposed to the world economy already gringing to a halt. I know this concept seems impossible to those who find their store shelves full and their gas stations always fully stocked but this is a fact whether you care to believe it or not. Even the staunchest of economic conservatives understand the need to prop up our struggling financial system.
Having concern over excessive government spending is fine, but I believe what we are seeing is sour grapes from the right-wing over losing power. People have taken to the streets to protest taxes on a day when tax cuts were signed into law for ninety five percent of working families. Soundbite nation has ignored our reality and wants to return to a simpler time, which they naively believe are the great days of Reagan or even Bush. On could definitely argue that these were the times when the heat was turned way up on the stove and our fate was sealed. Regulations were eliminated on everything from utilities to Wall Street and what resulted was a floundering utility system, ever-rising electrical rates, Enron and now the complete failure of our financial system at the hands of the greediest of the greedy. Those who are ignorant of history now wish to pound down the White House door out of frustration fostered by those who know better but have no direction, no plan, no prospects for regaining power, and no shame. They demanded we support one of the most unpopular presidents in history and the day after he was gone they came for the new guy, completely revealing their hypocrisy in the process.
I have respect for many conservative principles, mainly the ones abandoned by the last few republican presidents, but I also understand that these same politicians were downright enemies of labor and the working man. Someday when I have a few more zeroes in my bank account I may think differently, but in the meantime I get up at the crack of dawn everyday to head out and rebuild this country one brick at a time and I don't need some filthy rich politician continually pushing to reduce the costs to the wealthy when those bricks come crashing down on my head so as to add another penny to their stock dividend.
If you subtract military expenditures and the money spent on homeland security, the Bush Administration was still the biggest spenders since the New Deal. They ran record-setting deficits while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans. The Reagan Administration incurred massive amounts of federal debt and placed that burden of the backs of future generations, yet where were the protesters then? Under both of these administration the size of government grew substantially along with our national debt. Now three months into a democratic presidency and suddenly it is time to be concerned and to place blame?
I watch ignorant mouthpieces of the right like Glenn Beck misrepresent and outright lie about the beliefs and attitudes of our founding fathers for political gain. Mr Beck, Thomas Paine was not an anti-taxation conservative minded hero as you claim. He actually advocated estate taxes on the rich to finance a public education system, which is entirely contrary to your portrayal and betrayal of the man. I mean if Beck could be bothered to do the slightest bit of research then he would realize that Paine's most famous work was "The Age of Reason," which was a book against religion. Yet somehow douchebags like Glenn Beck somehow manage to turn such a great thinker into some god-fearing, quaking in his boots at the thought of hell, pussy. When will idiots like Beck realize that people came to this country to escape conservatism and the status quo, which history demonstrates quite well as the natural progression of empires, but every generation conservatism is repackaged and sold to the masses as what the founding fathers would have wanted.
The United States is in a terrible financial position in the early 21st Century and it has been a long time coming. We as a people have been lulled into a false sense of security and have grown fat on prosperity. Few people understand the complexity of such things as the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, demanding that we let these companies fail under their own weight. However few realize these two companies are the largest companies on the planet and their failure means you will be using the money from your savings as kindling in your fireplace when they do. Entire nations and the world economy are directly tied to the financial matters of these entities. Bailing them out at least buys us time as opposed to the world economy already gringing to a halt. I know this concept seems impossible to those who find their store shelves full and their gas stations always fully stocked but this is a fact whether you care to believe it or not. Even the staunchest of economic conservatives understand the need to prop up our struggling financial system.
Having concern over excessive government spending is fine, but I believe what we are seeing is sour grapes from the right-wing over losing power. People have taken to the streets to protest taxes on a day when tax cuts were signed into law for ninety five percent of working families. Soundbite nation has ignored our reality and wants to return to a simpler time, which they naively believe are the great days of Reagan or even Bush. On could definitely argue that these were the times when the heat was turned way up on the stove and our fate was sealed. Regulations were eliminated on everything from utilities to Wall Street and what resulted was a floundering utility system, ever-rising electrical rates, Enron and now the complete failure of our financial system at the hands of the greediest of the greedy. Those who are ignorant of history now wish to pound down the White House door out of frustration fostered by those who know better but have no direction, no plan, no prospects for regaining power, and no shame. They demanded we support one of the most unpopular presidents in history and the day after he was gone they came for the new guy, completely revealing their hypocrisy in the process.
I have respect for many conservative principles, mainly the ones abandoned by the last few republican presidents, but I also understand that these same politicians were downright enemies of labor and the working man. Someday when I have a few more zeroes in my bank account I may think differently, but in the meantime I get up at the crack of dawn everyday to head out and rebuild this country one brick at a time and I don't need some filthy rich politician continually pushing to reduce the costs to the wealthy when those bricks come crashing down on my head so as to add another penny to their stock dividend.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Only A Theory
You will hear the proponents of Creationism belittle evolution as being "only a theory." They are quick to belittle scientific knowledge and contend that evolution cannot be proven and is speculation at best. Now the irony is that their beliefs are upheld by absolutely no evidence whatsoever, and by very definition require complete dedication and "faith" in what equates to nonsense, but its the smugness that gets to me.
Of course evolution is only a theory. Everything we know about anything at all is only a theory. Scientists humbly and readily admit that what can be "proven" can always be disproven by new information and knowledge gained from further discovery and study. Science encourages others to disprove what it is science postulates. It is complete open-mindedness and an excercise in debate and discourse. The polar opposite can be said about religion. The religious arrogantly dictate to others what the truth is and hold fast to their beliefs no matter what evidence or lack thereof is produced. The chant the Nycene Creed every Sunday in church, which is full of nonsense and ridiculous claims. They will however defend these beliefs to the bitter end, ignoring any rational debate on the subject or any scrutiny by rational thinking non-believers. One could make the case that religion is the complete abscence of the scientific method.
If the Bible is indeed the words of an all-knowing and all-powerful god then it seems remarkably devoid of any concepts more advanced than the primitive men of the time could comprehend. Why no mention of antibiotics or electricity? Why no insights into the realm of physics or chemistry? I mean this book is the work of the smartest entity of all time, right? What we instead have are made-up examples of acts that defy the know science of the time such as walking on water and changing water into wine and virgin births, which by the way seemed to be a requirement of any and every polarizing figure. Born of virgins also were Buddha, mercury and a host of other "gods," as well as Ghengis Khan. Apparently this was a prerequisite in order to be "somebody." It would be no different for Jesus, who wasn't a god and admitted so but was converted to one anyway by the Christian church. Just a single mention in the Bible of an automobile and I would be much more inclined to believe all of the hocus pocus. Now they tried to indoctrinate me at birth and forced me to serve the church, putting me in harms way (see pedophile priests). Fortunately for me I discovered reason and logic and escaped the bonds of servitude.
Now I do not contend that church-going people are bad, rather they are just delusional. They pray to an invisible man in the sky and ask for a whole host of things. They insist god has cured someone's cancer, yet why are the prayers of any and every amputee for the return of a limb never answered, ever? How do they account for this discrepancy? There are examples in the Bible of god appearing to people all throughout history. In Mark's gospel he writes that when more than two people join together in prayer then the lord shall answer them. If they pray for god to appear why is it that he never does? The Bible says this prayer will be answered. It is utter nonsense and the archaic beliefs of primitive desert tribes. The fourth commandment says that anyone who labors on the sabbath shall be put to death. That is what it says. Should I go into the market on a Sunday morning and kill the cashier for working on the lord's day? This is ridiculous. You will notice modern versions of the Bible conveniently leave the part about killing the infidels out, as if the "word of God" can be edited to suit our needs. If it is the word of god then it must be followed to the letter rather than being manipulated to not appear absolutely insane.
There is no doubt that the religious have done plenty of good deeds to improve the human condition. This is fact. Many also derive utility from attending mass and enjoying the social element of their group. This is their right. I must draw the line however when they insist on forcing their beliefs on my children in school, when they use their influence to impose laws on me that impinge my freedoms and right to pursue happiness as I so choose, and in any other situations where religion is forced upon society. This includes forcing "In God We Trust" onto our money, insisting "under God" remain in the pledge of allegiance when it was only added during the Cold War, demanding abortion be totally illegal, denying birth control accesibility to those who need it most, and any and every other instance. They want their religion publicly recognized above all others, while even denouncing the religion of others as untrue. When the religious begin quoting the founding fathers to justify their claims make sure to remind them that not all of the founders were religious and that they were secularists above all else. This nation isn't a "Christian nation" such as there are "Islamic nations." It is a free nation first and foremost, with liberty and justice for all.
Of course evolution is only a theory. Everything we know about anything at all is only a theory. Scientists humbly and readily admit that what can be "proven" can always be disproven by new information and knowledge gained from further discovery and study. Science encourages others to disprove what it is science postulates. It is complete open-mindedness and an excercise in debate and discourse. The polar opposite can be said about religion. The religious arrogantly dictate to others what the truth is and hold fast to their beliefs no matter what evidence or lack thereof is produced. The chant the Nycene Creed every Sunday in church, which is full of nonsense and ridiculous claims. They will however defend these beliefs to the bitter end, ignoring any rational debate on the subject or any scrutiny by rational thinking non-believers. One could make the case that religion is the complete abscence of the scientific method.
If the Bible is indeed the words of an all-knowing and all-powerful god then it seems remarkably devoid of any concepts more advanced than the primitive men of the time could comprehend. Why no mention of antibiotics or electricity? Why no insights into the realm of physics or chemistry? I mean this book is the work of the smartest entity of all time, right? What we instead have are made-up examples of acts that defy the know science of the time such as walking on water and changing water into wine and virgin births, which by the way seemed to be a requirement of any and every polarizing figure. Born of virgins also were Buddha, mercury and a host of other "gods," as well as Ghengis Khan. Apparently this was a prerequisite in order to be "somebody." It would be no different for Jesus, who wasn't a god and admitted so but was converted to one anyway by the Christian church. Just a single mention in the Bible of an automobile and I would be much more inclined to believe all of the hocus pocus. Now they tried to indoctrinate me at birth and forced me to serve the church, putting me in harms way (see pedophile priests). Fortunately for me I discovered reason and logic and escaped the bonds of servitude.
Now I do not contend that church-going people are bad, rather they are just delusional. They pray to an invisible man in the sky and ask for a whole host of things. They insist god has cured someone's cancer, yet why are the prayers of any and every amputee for the return of a limb never answered, ever? How do they account for this discrepancy? There are examples in the Bible of god appearing to people all throughout history. In Mark's gospel he writes that when more than two people join together in prayer then the lord shall answer them. If they pray for god to appear why is it that he never does? The Bible says this prayer will be answered. It is utter nonsense and the archaic beliefs of primitive desert tribes. The fourth commandment says that anyone who labors on the sabbath shall be put to death. That is what it says. Should I go into the market on a Sunday morning and kill the cashier for working on the lord's day? This is ridiculous. You will notice modern versions of the Bible conveniently leave the part about killing the infidels out, as if the "word of God" can be edited to suit our needs. If it is the word of god then it must be followed to the letter rather than being manipulated to not appear absolutely insane.
There is no doubt that the religious have done plenty of good deeds to improve the human condition. This is fact. Many also derive utility from attending mass and enjoying the social element of their group. This is their right. I must draw the line however when they insist on forcing their beliefs on my children in school, when they use their influence to impose laws on me that impinge my freedoms and right to pursue happiness as I so choose, and in any other situations where religion is forced upon society. This includes forcing "In God We Trust" onto our money, insisting "under God" remain in the pledge of allegiance when it was only added during the Cold War, demanding abortion be totally illegal, denying birth control accesibility to those who need it most, and any and every other instance. They want their religion publicly recognized above all others, while even denouncing the religion of others as untrue. When the religious begin quoting the founding fathers to justify their claims make sure to remind them that not all of the founders were religious and that they were secularists above all else. This nation isn't a "Christian nation" such as there are "Islamic nations." It is a free nation first and foremost, with liberty and justice for all.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Macintosh Religion
You've all seen the religious fanatics standing on the street corner prothletising their beliefs unsolicited to all who pass by. Why is it then that every Apple computer owner I know elicites this same behavior when the subject of computers arises? Apparently they are no longer happy with their minority status and they must spread their religion to all who will listen? Make mention of some subtle computer issue and it inevitably results in being told to "just buy a mac." This is beyond arrogant in my opinion but mac users in general feel it is the other way around, that pc users are somehow the arrogant ones.
The truth is that pc users don't give a shit about the subject. We don't care that there is finally software we have been using for years available for the mac. We don't care that the mac video cards have finally caught up to the pc. We also don't buy the lie that macs don't crash. They crash all the time, however this is not due to defective and malicious code from third party sources that tend to crash pc's, rather mac crashes are a direct result of a faulty operating system. We don't care that there are no viruses that affect the mac since this is not true. Macro viruses attack macs just like pc's and since Apple has such a small market share, the hackers can't be bothered to target them. This is why I can't help but wonder why the big push from mac users to get more people to use apple computers? Don't they realize they enjoy the relative safety of such a small number of users? I guess they realize fewer sales means higher prices.
Now I know that macs are superior to pc's in a number of different areas and those who have built businesses around these advantages swear by their computing platforms. One cannot argue this point. What seems to be fact however is when trying to discuss the clear advantages pc's have over macs it's like you just insulted someone's mother. The mac users I know will just not accept my silly "facts" and literally take it as a personal attack. What is wrong with these people? Stop trying to brainwash me into buying a computer like yours so you feel better about yourselves. If yours is so great then enjoy it. What I know is that I enjoy gaming and I want every bit of computer power dedicated to the game at hand. I don't need yet another conversion program like Virtual Windows running in the background and sapping my frame rate. Doesn't running Windows defeat the purpose of owning a mac anyway? But they will have an answer for this because they cannot concede a single point. You are a pc owner so you are wrong.
I don't think I have ever witnessed a shittier program that Quicktime, and you'd think by their description that iPhoto was the greatest thing to ever come along, except that pc users have been enjoying the same features offered for years. Much of it is even offered for pc as freeware and shareware, as opposed to paying Apple for the product and then paying for the upgrades. Maybe someone can explain to me why this subject is so personal to the mac-heads? Why do they get so hot and bothered when you just don't want to hear their preaching? I'm sure they own fine machines but it is reminiscent of someone demanding that Pepsi is better than Coke. It is purely opinion based, unless you are using the Coke to remove the rust from your car's small engine parts. Then you have established a clear advantage of one over the other. However that will do little to sway the dedicated Pepsi fan because they will defend their beliefs no matter what, and mostly just because those beliefs are indeed theirs and so need defending.
The truth is that pc users don't give a shit about the subject. We don't care that there is finally software we have been using for years available for the mac. We don't care that the mac video cards have finally caught up to the pc. We also don't buy the lie that macs don't crash. They crash all the time, however this is not due to defective and malicious code from third party sources that tend to crash pc's, rather mac crashes are a direct result of a faulty operating system. We don't care that there are no viruses that affect the mac since this is not true. Macro viruses attack macs just like pc's and since Apple has such a small market share, the hackers can't be bothered to target them. This is why I can't help but wonder why the big push from mac users to get more people to use apple computers? Don't they realize they enjoy the relative safety of such a small number of users? I guess they realize fewer sales means higher prices.
Now I know that macs are superior to pc's in a number of different areas and those who have built businesses around these advantages swear by their computing platforms. One cannot argue this point. What seems to be fact however is when trying to discuss the clear advantages pc's have over macs it's like you just insulted someone's mother. The mac users I know will just not accept my silly "facts" and literally take it as a personal attack. What is wrong with these people? Stop trying to brainwash me into buying a computer like yours so you feel better about yourselves. If yours is so great then enjoy it. What I know is that I enjoy gaming and I want every bit of computer power dedicated to the game at hand. I don't need yet another conversion program like Virtual Windows running in the background and sapping my frame rate. Doesn't running Windows defeat the purpose of owning a mac anyway? But they will have an answer for this because they cannot concede a single point. You are a pc owner so you are wrong.
I don't think I have ever witnessed a shittier program that Quicktime, and you'd think by their description that iPhoto was the greatest thing to ever come along, except that pc users have been enjoying the same features offered for years. Much of it is even offered for pc as freeware and shareware, as opposed to paying Apple for the product and then paying for the upgrades. Maybe someone can explain to me why this subject is so personal to the mac-heads? Why do they get so hot and bothered when you just don't want to hear their preaching? I'm sure they own fine machines but it is reminiscent of someone demanding that Pepsi is better than Coke. It is purely opinion based, unless you are using the Coke to remove the rust from your car's small engine parts. Then you have established a clear advantage of one over the other. However that will do little to sway the dedicated Pepsi fan because they will defend their beliefs no matter what, and mostly just because those beliefs are indeed theirs and so need defending.
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