Lets just hope that AT&T doesn't mess up the fun

Let me begin by saying that the iPhone is a pretty cool device.  AT&T, however, is a mess.  I will admit that I am an AT&T customer despite my belief that the company is sh!t.  I stay because I find security in this long-term relationship--even if it has been abusive.  But back to the topic at hand...

These German guys just came up with a great idea.  What if you could drive your car with your iPhone?  I mean, can't you do just about anything else with it?  It's about time that someone completed this project.  It is now possible to drive your car with your smartphone.  Now the iPhone has truly become the device of American society.

This is exciting enough to make me consider buying an iPhone.  Maybe some of next year's car models will come equipped with the proper hardware (Wifi and such) to make this work.  Then we would only have to hit the App Store to get rolling... assuming AT&T doesn't find a reason to mess up the show.

It's not like this is something as dangerous as MMS, using Google Voice, or any other demon that AT&T has worked so hard to keep from us.  I want to drive with my iPhone!

Obama and White Slavery

On All saints' day I checked out a bunch of photos of people in their great Halloween costumes on the Huffington Post, and I came across a couple of guys who made me laugh for the rest of the day.  They were two white guys protesting Obama's general existence.  The best part of their costumes were the signs that went something like this: Obama=soshalism=white slaveree.  Of course I think that most of the popular reactions to Obama's administration that I see in the media are pretty scary, but the claim that Obama represents a possible future of white slavery is just plain funny to me.  Lets assume that white Americans were enslaved for just a moment.  I've decided that such an event would not affect my life for the better.  First, I doubt I would be able to amass the necessary wealth to buy a plantation with a good number of white slaves.  Basically, I would have traded life as a poor Black man for a life as a poor Black man without any white slaves.  So if president Obama will bring about the American white slavery system, I think we should be asking who benefits from white slavery.  People like myself will not become the beneficiaries of said economic and social developments, but something tells me that a class of "freedmen" will become the owners of white slaves.

Yes.  I'm stating that if white slavery were to occur (and it won't happen), poor whites would become chattel property of a wealthier class that will predominantly consist of free whites.  That is not to say that there would be no Black slave owners, but I'm assuming that white slaves won't be cheap.  The folks who will be able to buy all the white folks are going to be the ones who already own people's souls through present relationships of social and economic debt.  Therefore, we're talking about a minority of the free population being the big white slave owning elite.  Middle-class families would probably not be able to economically support a whole family of white slaves.  These families might be able to afford a single slave, but there have to be hidden costs of white slave-holding.  Slave owners would have to consider the possibility of a single slave multiplying uncontrollably if not kept under meticulous control by responsible overseers.  The overall cost of this outdated mode of social and economic organization is just too much for most Americans to reap any of the ethically problematic benefits of the system. 

I'm basically saying that white slavery is an absurd idea.  But if it were to occur, it's nothing that Black Americans would need to be particularly happy about.  Most of us wouldn't have any slaves anyway.  If you want real answers, it would really make more sense to ask the guys running large corporations what they plan on doing with all their white slaves.  They should have more answers than I could dream of having.

Something in the Air

Something in the Air 2
Originally uploaded by misfiredpixels

So yesterday started off kind of rough. Fortunately, as the day progressed, things got better. By the time that night fell, I was on my way to a party--my party. A good talk, some drinks, and a couple McGangbangs later, I was able to muster a smile. Once the smiling started, I couldnt stop. I have to thank all the people who showed up at my birthday party last night to make that possible.

This has been a long week. I just leapt into the job market with my first application a week ago. Other than that, plans for the summer have be made now. I am just having a hard time understanding how things have gotten so busy all of a sudden. I guess I'll have to start taking more photos to keep myself happy. Something has to be done to deal with all this work/stress. If you have any suggestions, speak up.

CB-NC Batizado

If you are one of the many readers visiting my blog, you should know that Grupo Capoeira Brasil-NC is having their annual batizado Oct 10, 2009. The dates could possibly change in the next couple weeks, but early October is when things will begin.

If you play capoeira or you're just interested in seeing something new, come by the Terreiro de Arte e Cultura at 105c W. Corporation st. in downtown Durham, NC for the event. If you get there early enough, you might even learn to do some of this:





*Blogger managed to do a great job with cutting these images off in my browser. How about yours?

"Skank" is a word that will get you into trouble

There was once a time when the internet was appreciated for its anonymity. Lies and half-truths circulated freely without any need for verification. Only the most foolish of souls bothered to take any of the internet's wisdoms to heart. Today, however, is a new day. If I say something about you, your mother, or your best friend, you could make quite a fuss.

Today I just discovered the risks of speaking one's mind--particularly if your mind is full of worthless babble. Now, I do not condone calling anyone a skank. It is a quite offensive word. I am not sure where it came from, but I think its etymology refers to an early episode of The Real World. At the latest, the San Fransisco season is when those five letters came together, forming the word causing all this trouble.

Let me take that back. The word didn't start the fuss. It was the unnamed blogger who used it in reference to a Vogue cover model. For some reason, she wants to know the identity of the blogger, but like anyone who just found themselves in potential trouble (who knows what kind of "protection" this model has, right?) wants to make sure nobody comes knocking at his/her door passing out court orders or ass kickings (even if they are free). So far the blogger has not been forced to reveal himself but the judge has advised Google to pass on a message to the character in question: "get a lawyer."

In the end, the moral of the story is not to treat others as you wish to be treated. Instead, you all should learn not to use words like "ho" and "skank" next to someone's image, as it may cause damage to one's reputation and/or career.

People, I did not tell you much about this story. I just think it is an absurd bit of news. I do not condone the use of sexist language. Words such as skank, ho, skallywag, bitch, whore and the like are usually horrible in their popular applications. If you want to know more about this story, you can start by reading here.

Law and the internet is some crazy shit though. How do you control virtual space by law? If you know more than I do about this, please chime in.