swfong

Sorry. Yep, I have to immediately apologize for my personal philosophy. Sorry. I make no bones about liking chaos, anarchy, and subversion. Sorry, again. I wish we still had social and economic classes. Maybe if I was part of the landed gentry or a Brahmin, I would be much more at ease with my intellect, sensitivity, and aesthete. Even if my entrance to the highest castes was not guaranteed, then I might strive to join them or to tear them down. Instead, I am a part of a society which encourages equality by diminishing achievement with flashy and petty distractions. So I've learned how to yell over the crass and uncaring, to surprise the punks with a few tricks of my own. And don't get me started with the classic battle of "I Fought The Law". I realize that on my miserable drive to work in the rain during rush hour while I like two-wheeled transport: it is the closest thing I have to freedom. On a moto, I barely subject to traffic laws and on a bicycle, I am not

I was going to call this post Night Riding, but I realize that there is no park that I know of that allows you to even enter at night. You can't be surprised. In our litigious, overprotective-mommy, society, having fun that hurts no one (except possibly the participant) is verboten. I actually like riding in the dark. No hikers, no horseback riders, and when do see another rider, there is an instant bond. "That guy must be as crazy as me!" Recently I went to Water Dog Park in Belmont. One of my favorite after work spots, only about 10 miles of trails but most of it singletrack. I drive up around 5pm and I take my time getting ready. About 20 minutes later, just as I am about to ride away, a Belmont police cruiser rolls up. I know what's going to happen next, but I decide to play along. "Yes, officer, I am leaving. Yes, officer, I know riding at night is illegal. No, officer, I won't do it again. Yes, officer, my bicycle is worth $5000. Yes, officer

Yep, I fantasize about winning the lottery. Don't tell me how improbable selecting 7 numbers are, I've had some dark moments that dreaming what I would do if I won have lifted me out. Here is my car list: Dodge Challenger - Love American Muscle Cars - think they are unreliable, gas-guzzling, money pits; but the roaring Hemi V8 and the Cylon-visor grill is a definite middle-finger to the world. Thought to myself this morning I wish I could make it look like Mad Max's Interceptor. That would be bad-ass. Jeep Wrangler - I would probably have a nice condo in the city, so I would like a small car to jet around town. I was thinking about a Mini or a Smartcar when I remembered I used to own a Jeep Wrangler. Living in New Orleans, where it almost always warm and road conditions are third world, a Jeep was a great vehicle. I finally gave it up because it would always be damp from the rain, but I'm going to have multiple vehicles when I strike it rich. Sprinter Van - After

During my trip to New York, I went on a long hike with one of my best friends, DJ. Plenty of time to discuss the important and the trivial, and one of the less serious topics was Mixed Martial Arts vs. Boxing. DJ is one of the wisest people that I know, a description I rarely hear today, and I consider it an honor to be a friend of his. He is able to keep the distractions of life separate from his focus on his family and his art, so idle talk for him is a rarity. I think debate is the best way to refine and test your views, so I will converse on topics from the inane to the serious with anyone willing. A talk about sports would be a good chance for me to see if I can knock him down a peg. The debate of MMA versus Boxing is well-known. Boxing is an ancient sport, with all the accolades and criticisms of an institution which has been long established but at a plateau. MMA is less than twenty-five years old, still a very new sport to most. The uninitiated see the unfamiliar strikes

Maybe this is hiding in plain sight, but if anyone knows the history of spitters, scuffing, and cutting casings, one does not just hakk-a-lugie while standing on the mound. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/10/20/2009-10-20_mlb_clears_mariano_spitball.html

My racial views? You mean, my belief in a colorblind society where every individual is treated as a precious human being without regard to his race? Where football players should earn as much as they can and keep as much as they can, regardless of race? Those controversial racial views? - Rush Limbaugh, in defense of his ejection from a potential NFL ownership group Would this be fair if two runners lined up at the start, but one drove to the stadium and the other ran there?

About a week after it was announced that Rush Limbaugh was part of a possible NFL ownership group, he was ejected from this group after many complaints from players and even one team owner. No one should be surprised that Limbaugh did not make it very far as a NFL team suitor. The controversy he has initiated, including when he was a commentator on the NFL for ESPN, makes him a magnet for criticism and unwanted attention for the private negotiations involved with any billion dollar purchase. Specifically about the comments he has made over his career, it is clear that is extremely popular with many conservatives. He has made statements about blacks which were many found to be offensive. However, Limbaugh offers opinions, not fact. He institutes no policies or laws. His business has only one employee. He can say whatever he feels like, and the only variable is the size of his audience. And his audience, an estimated 13 million daily, is minuscule compared to the NFL watchers. For

I hate driving to work to begin with. I have a fairly long commute, 35 miles out of San Francisco to the heart of the Silicon Valley. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic just makes me feel like an idiot, considering my alternatives like public transportation or my motorcycle However, on a rainy day, there is only one option for me: the bicycle to the train. I am a regular bike commuter on the Caltrain, the commuter train which runs from San Francisco to San Jose, although I take it infrequently over the summer when I either ride my motorcycle or drive to some remote mountain biking trail. Other bike commuters notice on the rainiest of days, I always ride to the train. It seems pretty obvious to me: the highways become a huge mess, particularly in this area where rain rarely falls but when it does, it is a deluge. Today was going to be especially nasty considering this is the first rainstorm of the year and it is a doozy: an expected 10 inches in some areas and 25-50mph gusts every

I am still a long ways from finishing it, but it is dual tale of a very unique man, NFL player turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman, and a retelling of the Afghanistan/Iraq Wars. As inspiring as Tillman's story is, the manipulations behind the truth of both wars by the Bush Administration is enraging, even 6 years after the start of the Iraqi War, 8 years after the invasion of Afghanistan, and after the failure to prevent Sept 11th from happening despite several warnings.

When I'm at work, I avoid stepping out of my building. I'm perfectly satisfied sitting in front of my computer typing code for 8 hours straight. My co-workers will tease me because how how I avoid direct sun and prefer to eat inside the cafeteria. They always say, "Let's eat outdoors", and I always refuse. I came to a realization today: my co-workers want to be outdoors. I want to be outside. 24 hours ago, I was standing on the bridge over Pauley Creek. The rest of my crew decided to ride Big Boulder, so I was descending alone. It was cold out, in the low 40's, and overcast the whole day. A few snowflakes fell when I reached Butcher Ranch and by the time I made it First Divide, it was a steady rain. A day like yesterday forces you to drop your conceits. There is no one out there to impress. With a chill mountain wind, the rain on your face, and another 15 miles before you reach town, it also feels like no one is out there to help you either. You have go

1. Dick Cheney's upcoming autobio justifying his misdeeds 2. Sarah Palin's ghost-written biography (do you think a person who doesn't read newspapers wrote a book all by herself?) which will be an unquestioned tome of her rants and raves.

I noticed a facebook friend took "What kind of wife you would make?", and based on her comment of "Gross" (she got the result of "Loving"), I couldn't resist. The facebook quiz is based on a graded answer scale. Each answer has an assigned value towards a certain result, and at the end of the quiz, the values are added together and whichever result total is higher, that's your answer. Anyone who has taken one of these quizzes knows its limitations. The worst question is "what's your favorite kind of music?" The five or six choices rarely encompass most people's music tastes ("Why can't I choose Norwegian Black Metal?") These quizzes reveal the travails of any programmer, specifically for games. A programmer anticipates the most likely outcomes and prepares appropriate responses, covered by all-inclusive "ELSE" statement. However, the QA repetition testing done by your typical twelve year-old will reveal any

I thought about Joe Wilson some more. There are accusations that his outburst is related to racism, and that much of the "nazi-socialist" comments are based in racism. Of course, there was nothing he said, during the Obama's speech or afterwards, that was even remotely racist. However, it would be very easy for me to believe that a South Carolina Republican is racist to some extent. And when I see pictures of 9/12, teabagging, Obama-haters; I see older, blustery white people whose veins are popping with anger. On a personal level, it is easy to accuse any white person of being racist, or rather, it is particularly hard for whites to defend that they are not. Most people tend to spend time with their own racial group, black, white, Asian or Latino. There is nothing racist about that, but for whites, there is the idea that they are exclusionary towards minorities, which is racist. I also think it is hard to be conservative and be open minded to other races. By definitio

I was watching a MSNBC discussion between two women from Texas but from opposite sides of the political spectrum. The topic was Obama's speech to schoolchildren. The conservative woman had no issues with the text of the speech but she was concerned about the "real message" Obama was sending. She also criticized how popular Obama is right now. Most of the anti-Obama speakers this morning complained that he was such a talented orator, we need to pay close attention to his speeches for the "real message". I am reminded about the popularity Reagan had when he was President. As skillful of a speaker as Obama is, he is no match for a professional actor. Reagan was vastly more popular than Obama, based on the electoral vote in 1984, where he carried all but one state. However, Reagan was demonized in much of the same way Obama is now. Reagan's grinning face was an icon for many radical and anarchistic movements, particularly punk rock. Statements like Morning in Am