Double Dipping & the Big Game

I am really not a sports guy.  For a series of non-interesting reasons, I never got into football.  I have to strain to think about who is playing in the ‘big game’ tonight in the Superbowl.  This is not about the Superbowl; no, it’s about food.

Yesterday I made a batch of hummus from a recipe that I got from a friend of mine; let’s call her, ‘Amy’.  Amy’s Hummus has become a staple here at Rancho del Evil Chicken.  It is AWESOME.  Anyway, as I was folding a small piece of toasted, wheat pita and just about to dip I announced to my family, “Don’t worry, I am not Double Dipping.”

“It doesn’t matter.” My 14 year-old daughter told me, “Mythbusters blew that out of the water.”

“…How can this be?” I asked trying to wrap my mind around, well… exactly how it could be.

“They tested and the amount of added germs is negligible.”

“But… how?”

“It’s true, Dad.” My 11 year-old chimed in.  “They did a whole segment on it.”

“Hmm…” I thoughtfully said as I scooped a liberal dollop of hummus onto my pita.  If this was true then I had to find out.  So I did.  Here is what the Mythbusters have to say: http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/db/food/double-dipping-is-germ-warfare.html.  It turns out it is negligible and would only be a problem if we all started playing “Bobbing for Hummus” where ones bacteria laden mouth comes into direct contact with the contents of the dish.  So there you have it Gentle Reader, tonight when you are at your Superbowl (or Anti-Superbowl) parties know that you can Double Dip with confidence. 

Information such as this should not be contained; no, the PEOPLE need to know.  Case in point CNN is still reporting about the horrors of Double Dipping: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/05/sport/super-bowl-five-things/.  Double Dipping is not the problem; hand washing is.  I just hope that John Q. Football fan has no open sores and has washed those crusty, sausage-like fingers before he goes wrist deep into that salsa.  Trust me on this; he simply does not remember where they’ve been.  That's not a slight against football fans it's just common guy knowledge.

Enjoy the game!

STOP SOPA & PIPA

All morning I have been stewing.  I read a Tweet from Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame concerning stopping SOPA.  He included a link that sums up some of the most important points of the whole issue: http://www.craigslist.org/about/SOPA.  Much of this particular entry is derived from this Craigslist Online Community page.  This blog is a bit of a departure for me.  I do not get involved with politics knowing in my heart that, “life goes on no matter who is wrong or right.”

NUTS!  Did you see that?  I just quoted from a Billy Joel song; no, more than that, it was a quote from a copyrighted Billy Joel song.  That’s the type of thing that will shut Chicken Scratch down but more of that in my letter to Congressman LoBiondo.  Sorry.  I’ll try to do better.     

After doing some research, reading some articles, and after years of writing here on the electronic pages of my blog, I thought it important to say that I oppose H.R. 3621 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and S. 968 "Protect IP Act" (PIPA).  I like the concept of a free internet.  I like being able to say what I want without the fear of corporate or governmental censorship.  I know that ‘piracy is a problem’ but accepting these two bills and turning them into the law of the land in Cyber-America you change fundamental liberties on a molecular level.  It’s akin to being adrift and thirsty in the middle of the ocean – sure you can drink the saltwater to quench your thirst but that comes at a high price: your cells will implode and you will die.  That is what happens to civil liberties on the internet if this passes.

Techdirt has a wonderful article by, Mike Masnick entitled, “Definitive Post Why SOPA and Protect IP Are Bad, Bad, Ideas”.  Please give it a read and let it digest.  Mr. Masnick’s article explains what is at stake much more succinctly than the scope of this humble blogger (yours truly): http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111122/04254316872/definitive-post-why-sopa-protect-ip-are-bad-bad-ideas.shtml.

The quotes at the end of the article are priceless; frightening, but priceless…

 
"It's theft...Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you're actually stealing the programming." Turner Broadcasting CEO Jaime Kellner in 2002

‘So take THAT you thieves (formally known as subscribers)!  How DARE you use that DVR!?  Philistines!  Heathens! PIRATES!’  Yep, these are the people that want to control you and dictate public policy that will usher in the future of a place that used to be deemed ‘free’.  “Welcome to the machine.” – Pink Floyd

GACK!  I just quoted a song that is copyrighted.  I’m really going to have to get the hang of this new world order thing.

Here is a great little tool: https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8173.  I used it this morning to sign the petition.  Not for nuthin’ but I encourage you to do the same.

Here are some other concerned folks brought to you be the Center for Democracy & Technology: http://cdt.org/report/growing-chorus-opposition-stop-online-piracy-act.  

Here is a site to identify you congressman: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.  I used it to send the following ‘letter’ to my Congressman, Frank LoBiondo from New Jersey… 

Congressman LoBiondo 

I am a blogger in the South Jersey area.  I write about distractions, humor, and trivial entertainments; simple stuff, in all actuality.  One of the things that I routinely write about is film and I am, therefore, deeply concerned about the scope and reach of SOPA & PIPA.  It is not hard to envision a time in the future where my blog is deemed and considered “Censured Material.”  Seriously.  What happens to my blog / me if I post something that that the corporations or government does not like?  SOPA & PIPA are steep, well lubricated slopes.  Once we as a county start sliding down it is our very liberty that will die in the sudden stop. 

Freedom of speech should not be dictated to the American people by corporate entities, lobbyists or PACs.  I do not know where you stand on H.R. 3621 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) and S. 968 "Protect IP Act" (PIPA) but I hope you oppose them as much as I do.  If you support SOPA & PIPA I hope you reconsider and make a stand to not legislate the citizenry’s liberty away to corporations.

I thank you for your time, Sir.

So there you have it, Gentle Reader.  It’s funny how the simple stuff seems to reflect so much more of the heart of man.  Perhaps the simple is not really all that simple after all.  There may come a day when the simple act of surfing the net is a blocked & censored crime – an offence that the corporations or government can shut you down.  Not for knocking over a liquor store, cow tipping, or for plotting to become a James Bond villain bent on world domination but for writing about or posting about copyrighted material.

REALLY?! “James Bond” in a sentence!  I hope that MGM in the future can find it in their heart to forgive such a lowly blogger as I, your humble servant, Evil Chicken.

Only time will tell.

[NOTE: If you feel the call to action proofread you letter before you send it.  I just found a stupid, hack mistake that I changed for this blog and that I hope does not undermine the overall message.  What can I say, I’m a shmoe.  I do, however, believe the intent is intact.]  

All Terrain Armored Transport for America

I’m not going to lie to you, Gentle Reader; we are in a slump. We consistently are confronted by bad news Stateside; the economy, the jobless rates, we are mortgaged to other countries three times over, we don’t produce too much these days in science or technology and there are wars on three fronts… some might be tempted into saying something like, “Our best days are behind us.” In a world where corporations are now considered individuals (thanks Supreme Court!) it is hard not to envision the future looming like Darth Vader in a room full of Padawans representative of the evil Empire in the much beloved Star Wars saga.

Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, JOIN ‘em!

I was poking around Twitter (WIRED’s Underwire, specifically) and found this: http://ht.ly/4ySy4. Yes, that’s right; there is an effort underway to build a full sized – fully functional AT-AT right here in the good ole, U S of A. Let’s face it we are excellent consumers and, as is alluded to in this particular blog posting, one of our favorite consumer items is Popular Culture. As a red blooded, American Geek this pleases me. To think that Adam Savage from Mythbusters has been made privy to these plans shoots my patriotic, Midi-chlorian count off the scale.

They are calling for people to spread the word – which is, as it happens, exactly what I have now done. To quote from this blog, “…Now the rest is up to you. Spread the word. Get organized. We can get this done. If America can put a man on the Moon, we can bring a little bit of Hoth to the Earth. To volunteer to help, email ATATforAmerica@hotmail.com”.

Remember you real-life nephew of your Uncle Sam, the Force will be with you… Always.