Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Back to Blogging
After going on the web for a bit, and checking out some of the cutting edge blogs, I have been re-charged and ready to start blogging again. Besides, now that I am starting my dissertation, I need a time-stealing diversion. At any rate, instead of using this blog solely to jot down my random thoughts, I thought that I would actually use this blog to do something useful. So, I will try to use this blog to post philosophical thoughts and thoughts on nutrition, diet and exercise (things that have become important to me in the last 1.5 years). But this is not to say that I will not post random thoughts. Ok, I'm gonna try and get back on the wagon. Let's see how it goes.
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After going on the web for a bit, and checking out some of the cutting edge blogs, I have been re-charged and ready to start blogging again. Besides, now that I am starting my dissertation, I need a time-stealing diversion. At any rate, instead of using this blog solely to jot down my random thoughts, I thought that I would actually use this blog to do something useful. So, I will try to use this blog to post philosophical thoughts and thoughts on nutrition, diet and exercise (things that have become important to me in the last 1.5 years). But this is not to say that I will not post random thoughts. Ok, I'm gonna try and get back on the wagon. Let's see how it goes.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Bobby Pins and Socks...Appearances can be Deceiving
I just realized that socks and bobby pins share an important feature in common, despite their outward appearance that might suggest they share nothing in common. They are easy to lose. Like socks that get lost after a round in the dryer, bobby pins too magically disappear. I just realized this as I bought another 60-pack carton of bobby pins. I have no idea what happened to the other 60 I just bought recently...not one remains from the original tribe.
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I just realized that socks and bobby pins share an important feature in common, despite their outward appearance that might suggest they share nothing in common. They are easy to lose. Like socks that get lost after a round in the dryer, bobby pins too magically disappear. I just realized this as I bought another 60-pack carton of bobby pins. I have no idea what happened to the other 60 I just bought recently...not one remains from the original tribe.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Moose Sighting!
Being confronted by a moose was more than I had bargained for when I went hiking this weekend. This weekend while a friend and I were hiking, we encountered a moose! We were almost to the end of the trail when I saw the gigantic moose. Really, really big--20 feet right in front of us. While he stopped to take pictures of the moose, I quickly was planning an escape route. For a while, we were somewhat trapped as the moose decided to go one way down the trail and then another. We were fine, of course, but at the time, it was scary! :)
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Being confronted by a moose was more than I had bargained for when I went hiking this weekend. This weekend while a friend and I were hiking, we encountered a moose! We were almost to the end of the trail when I saw the gigantic moose. Really, really big--20 feet right in front of us. While he stopped to take pictures of the moose, I quickly was planning an escape route. For a while, we were somewhat trapped as the moose decided to go one way down the trail and then another. We were fine, of course, but at the time, it was scary! :)
Friday, September 24, 2004
Aah...what does this mean?
Friends who know me will attest to the fact that I am a dog person, despite the fact that I grew up with both cats and dogs. Though, of course, there are some special exceptions to my general rule... This weekend I am petsitting 3 cats, and one of them (her name is either Oona or Pepe--they look alike and so I cannot tell them apart) is so friendly. She sits on my lap and as I am typing this she is laying her paw on my arm very comfortably. She is so sweet and I think that I will have major difficulties leaving her at the end of the weekend. She is not like other kitties I know who stubbornly turn away the second you show them affection--you know, the emotionally unavailable kitties--the ones whose love you have to work **really** hard to earn. Anyway, a question to all of you: does this make me a cat person? Uh-oh...
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Friends who know me will attest to the fact that I am a dog person, despite the fact that I grew up with both cats and dogs. Though, of course, there are some special exceptions to my general rule... This weekend I am petsitting 3 cats, and one of them (her name is either Oona or Pepe--they look alike and so I cannot tell them apart) is so friendly. She sits on my lap and as I am typing this she is laying her paw on my arm very comfortably. She is so sweet and I think that I will have major difficulties leaving her at the end of the weekend. She is not like other kitties I know who stubbornly turn away the second you show them affection--you know, the emotionally unavailable kitties--the ones whose love you have to work **really** hard to earn. Anyway, a question to all of you: does this make me a cat person? Uh-oh...
Friday, September 17, 2004
Hannity to Join in on the Action
Now Hannity wants to get into the act with Michael Moore at UVSC. This should be good. I wonder if the student who claimed that Michael Moore should pay his own way because he has an agenda would claim the same about Hannity. My guess is no--Hannity, after all, should have a big fan club at UVSC.
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Now Hannity wants to get into the act with Michael Moore at UVSC. This should be good. I wonder if the student who claimed that Michael Moore should pay his own way because he has an agenda would claim the same about Hannity. My guess is no--Hannity, after all, should have a big fan club at UVSC.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Micheal Moore to visit UVSC (Utah Valley State College)
The associated students of UVSC have decided to host Michael Moore to give a talk on their campus, a couple of weeks prior to the November election. Many of the students at UVSC do not like this decision because the student associated body spent all of the budget (50.000) to bring Moore out. That they spent all the budget on one speaker is good reason to be a bit peeved, but when asked by the local news and newspapers their view on Moore coming, the following was said:
1. We should have such a controversial speaker come. A public university is no place for controversy. This is from yesterday's edition of the Deseret News and was said by a UVSC senior. I think the thought is that a public university is no place for free speech--if this is right, then maybe you ought to transfer to BYU a couple of miles away...
2. When interviewed on the local fox news, a student at UVSC said he thinks that someone who has an agenda like Moore should pay his own way. I am not sure what to think of this. But all of the commets issued by UVSC students that I have come accross regarding Moore's visit have been unreflective and just plain nonsense!
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The associated students of UVSC have decided to host Michael Moore to give a talk on their campus, a couple of weeks prior to the November election. Many of the students at UVSC do not like this decision because the student associated body spent all of the budget (50.000) to bring Moore out. That they spent all the budget on one speaker is good reason to be a bit peeved, but when asked by the local news and newspapers their view on Moore coming, the following was said:
1. We should have such a controversial speaker come. A public university is no place for controversy. This is from yesterday's edition of the Deseret News and was said by a UVSC senior. I think the thought is that a public university is no place for free speech--if this is right, then maybe you ought to transfer to BYU a couple of miles away...
2. When interviewed on the local fox news, a student at UVSC said he thinks that someone who has an agenda like Moore should pay his own way. I am not sure what to think of this. But all of the commets issued by UVSC students that I have come accross regarding Moore's visit have been unreflective and just plain nonsense!
Saturday, September 11, 2004
The Diabetes Walk...Mixed Messages!
Right now I am working on a paper in disability and I am working on what conditions are necessary and sufficient for sending a message. On some theories of meaning (here I am thinking of the one that Grice offers) an utterer's intention is necessary and sufficient for sending a message. But I think that this theory of meaning really misses the mark because it does not give any attention to the role an audience plays in the interpretation of a message which seems to me, to have a significant role to play when it comes to determining the meaning of a message. At any rate, having theories of meaning on the mind, I think that the people who coordinated the Diabetes Walk, the one in Salt Lake at any rate, sent mixed messages! On the 5-mile course that I did, there were several rest-stops. And at these stops were great, sugar-free snacks. And this, to me, sent the message that low-sugared foods are integral to keeping diabetes in check or for preventing the onset of (type-2) diabetes. A good message, to be sure, that seemed to be reinforced with other events going on at the race. But then, at the end of the race, they had lunch for us, sponsored by Albertson's. The lunch, which I (thankfully) did not stay for, consisted of chicken, pork, and salad. Now, because Albertson's sponsored the lunch, the chicken (in all liklihood) was their fried chicken. Now what kind of a message does this send? That it's ok to eat food high in fat--when we know that Type-2 diabetes is prevalent precisely because of its link to obesity?!! Weird, for sure!
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Right now I am working on a paper in disability and I am working on what conditions are necessary and sufficient for sending a message. On some theories of meaning (here I am thinking of the one that Grice offers) an utterer's intention is necessary and sufficient for sending a message. But I think that this theory of meaning really misses the mark because it does not give any attention to the role an audience plays in the interpretation of a message which seems to me, to have a significant role to play when it comes to determining the meaning of a message. At any rate, having theories of meaning on the mind, I think that the people who coordinated the Diabetes Walk, the one in Salt Lake at any rate, sent mixed messages! On the 5-mile course that I did, there were several rest-stops. And at these stops were great, sugar-free snacks. And this, to me, sent the message that low-sugared foods are integral to keeping diabetes in check or for preventing the onset of (type-2) diabetes. A good message, to be sure, that seemed to be reinforced with other events going on at the race. But then, at the end of the race, they had lunch for us, sponsored by Albertson's. The lunch, which I (thankfully) did not stay for, consisted of chicken, pork, and salad. Now, because Albertson's sponsored the lunch, the chicken (in all liklihood) was their fried chicken. Now what kind of a message does this send? That it's ok to eat food high in fat--when we know that Type-2 diabetes is prevalent precisely because of its link to obesity?!! Weird, for sure!
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Salt Lake City's Annual Diabetes Walk
This Saturday, September 11, will be the annual diabetes walk in Salt Lake. It is a great cause, and more than likely someone you know suffers from diabetes (more than likely, Type-2). I am doing the race on Saturday and everyone should spread the word around to others about doing it. It is a fantastic cause, and hey, we can all use the exercise! :)
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This Saturday, September 11, will be the annual diabetes walk in Salt Lake. It is a great cause, and more than likely someone you know suffers from diabetes (more than likely, Type-2). I am doing the race on Saturday and everyone should spread the word around to others about doing it. It is a fantastic cause, and hey, we can all use the exercise! :)
Thursday, September 02, 2004
What's the Fuss About the Muss?
There is this new organization at the U that has been busily putting out merchandise, with their acronym MUSS. MUSS is a student-run group that is responsible for increasing student involvement in campus events. With today's ESPN game between the Utes and Texas A & M, MUSS T-shirts are everywhere. Now, the question that I have that I have yet to find an answer to is this: What does MUSS stand for? I think that there needs to be a stop put to acronyms that do not stand for anything.
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There is this new organization at the U that has been busily putting out merchandise, with their acronym MUSS. MUSS is a student-run group that is responsible for increasing student involvement in campus events. With today's ESPN game between the Utes and Texas A & M, MUSS T-shirts are everywhere. Now, the question that I have that I have yet to find an answer to is this: What does MUSS stand for? I think that there needs to be a stop put to acronyms that do not stand for anything.
Should we trust weather forecasters?
Returning from a recent trip to Portland to visit my family, my dad was complaining on the local news channel weather forecasters for being wrong about predicting the weather. He was complaining that for the past several weeks or so, they have had a bad track record. Is weather the kind of thing, though, that crucial circumstances hinge on them getting it right. And here, I am thinking of severe deviations from the predictions. Today I experienced something similar myself. Weather reports conflicted with each other--and the difference was considerable. The weather report on the local news predicted a high of 83 for Salt Lake and the radio predicted a high of 97. What's the deal? Maybe soon I will blog on something having to do with philosophy, but don't hold me to this...
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Returning from a recent trip to Portland to visit my family, my dad was complaining on the local news channel weather forecasters for being wrong about predicting the weather. He was complaining that for the past several weeks or so, they have had a bad track record. Is weather the kind of thing, though, that crucial circumstances hinge on them getting it right. And here, I am thinking of severe deviations from the predictions. Today I experienced something similar myself. Weather reports conflicted with each other--and the difference was considerable. The weather report on the local news predicted a high of 83 for Salt Lake and the radio predicted a high of 97. What's the deal? Maybe soon I will blog on something having to do with philosophy, but don't hold me to this...
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Is-Ought Problem...
Does anyone know of any good, key articles in which the is-ought problem is resolved? Am I right in thinking that Searle did a piece on this? Thanks and happy blogging!
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Does anyone know of any good, key articles in which the is-ought problem is resolved? Am I right in thinking that Searle did a piece on this? Thanks and happy blogging!
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
"Do What You Love and You'll Probably Starve"
Check out the article by this name on MSN today...I thought it was very relevant for those of us in philosophy. And as I tried my best to cut down a paper to conference length last night, that question of whether this is what I really love popped into mind! Happy reading!
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Check out the article by this name on MSN today...I thought it was very relevant for those of us in philosophy. And as I tried my best to cut down a paper to conference length last night, that question of whether this is what I really love popped into mind! Happy reading!
Monday, August 30, 2004
Can Someone Explain this to Me?
Maybe some of you who are into politics and are closely following the Kerry campaign can explain this to me. When Kerry was in FL recently, his daughters announced that they were there with their father to support him, announcing that voters should vote for their father. And before even getting through their message, they were booed off the stage. Why???
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Maybe some of you who are into politics and are closely following the Kerry campaign can explain this to me. When Kerry was in FL recently, his daughters announced that they were there with their father to support him, announcing that voters should vote for their father. And before even getting through their message, they were booed off the stage. Why???
And Furthermore...
My friend's band "Furthermore" opened for the Numbs at the Cabana Club in Salt Lake. They were terrific! This Friday night, September 3 at 10pm at the Urban Lounge (500E between 200S and 300S) "Furthermore" is headlining and the Numbs are opening up for them. It will be a great show and you should all go!
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My friend's band "Furthermore" opened for the Numbs at the Cabana Club in Salt Lake. They were terrific! This Friday night, September 3 at 10pm at the Urban Lounge (500E between 200S and 300S) "Furthermore" is headlining and the Numbs are opening up for them. It will be a great show and you should all go!
Friday, August 27, 2004
Blogs as Public Forums to Complain
I vowed to myself that when I got a blog I would not use it to complain. Hmm...maybe I should try to recommit myself to this original promise!
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I vowed to myself that when I got a blog I would not use it to complain. Hmm...maybe I should try to recommit myself to this original promise!
