We've moved to http://leeandcathy.blogspot.com

 Oops... Did I forget to mention that we haven't gone to Florida yet? I have a co-worker who keeps asking me when we're leaving. I'm not sure that's a good sign...

When my father-in-law and my good friend in Haiti both asked how my Florida trip was, I realized that I had not said enough about our travel plans. In a nutshell, we haven't left yet, and we probably won't until the end of May.

Basically, we want to help the Van Zwienens settle in at their new home in Florida. They just took off on Tuesday. The original plan was to follow them in a caravan, but they are trying to remain flexible in their travel plans. The VZs will visit Arizona, then Texas, and then perhaps the Midwest before they go through Pennsylvania to New York. When they arrive there, the VZs will give us a call and we'll arrange to meet them in Florida.

With the free and cool Audio Blogging and the ability to email my posts, I intend to keep all y'all up to speed.

Change in AIM Terms of Service:
After initially scaring AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) users with the a poorly-worded change in the Terms of Service statement, AOL has announced it will change the wording again. AOL's statement currently reads:

"'Although you or the owner of the Content retain ownership of all right, title and interest in Content that you post to any AIM Product, AOL owns all right, title and interest in any compilation, collective work or other derivative work created by AOL using or incorporating this Content.
'You waive any right to privacy. You waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the content or to be compensated for any such uses,' according to the AIM terms of service."

Yow! It didn't make people feel better that

"America Online spokesman Andrew Weinstein, however, maintained that AOL does not monitor, read or review any user-to-user communication through the AIM network, except in response to a valid legal process."

The revamped terms of service applies only to users who downloaded the free AIM software on or after Feb. 5, 2004. AOL spokesperson Andrew Weinstein said a blunt and inelegant line that reads "You waive any right to privacy" will be deleted altogether.

In the final analysis, AOL is trying to say that they are updating the language of the Terms of Service to reflect what AOL actually does presently; AOL is not change how they deal with private information.

I'm testing out BuzzNet to see if I prefer it over Google's Hello (what a great domain name!).

Here's a cute photo of Malachi giving Cathy a hug...

Say it with me... "aaaawwww!"

I was checking up on my own list of sites that I read regularly, and I came across yet another free online novel. This one is Sci-Fi, reminds me a little of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I like the style. "Agent to the Stars -- An Online Novel" by John Scalzi is available at this page: http://www.scalzi.com/agent/

Caveat Lector: the man does swear.

 I was slightly envious reading of the mini-vacation Nicole is having. Therefore Cathy and I have accepted an invitation to visit the Grand Pacific Palisades and The Flower Fields (yes, the name includes the capitalized latters).

Somehow, my lovely Wifey-Pooh got on a list somewhere, and the promoters of the Grand Pacific Palisades wants to give her (and her spouse, that'd be me) a guided tour of GPP and tickets to TFF (I love TLAs), plus a weekend vacation somewhere and some gift certificates to retailers of her choice.

Naturally, I asked what the catch was... "Nothing," she said, "except they want us to tell our friends about the experience." I told her I would blog about it, and I'm hoping to finally suck Cathy into posting something herself. We'll probably go this weekend, so I'll post some photos and whatnot. At least I know I'll get some good shots of flowers and of the Joneses in 50 acres of Persian Buttercups.

Caveat Lector: If you are attempting to avoid the emotional or ethical struggles regarding the Terri Shiavo case, then don't read this post.

If this account is true regarding Terri Shiavo, then I would have to decide now that it is wrong to let Terri Shiavo die from starvation. This account is told by Barbara Weller, an attorney who represents Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler.

Basically, Barbara Weller states that she had meaningful interaction with Terri Shiavo. This would, at the minimum, place a "shadow of a doubt" on whether Terri is not conscious of her surroundings.

If that is true, the Terri is being killed; she is not dying "naturally" but being starved to death against her will.

For those of you with bookmarks or RSS feeds pointing to our MSN Spaces page, I will be posting on both blogs for a week or two. Still, you may want to change your bookmark to our Blogspot instead.

I'll also be posting past entries into our new blog, which I figure will take some time to do.

I've been thinking about Terri Shaivo a lot today. In case you are not familiar with the issue, Terri suffered from oxygen depravation due to cardiac arrest. She was at home at the time, and she was 26 years old. She has been in medical care for approximately 15 years now. There is a lot of debate concerning her medical condition, the extend of damage to her brain, and wether she is conscious or in a persistive vegatative state (PVS). 

Her husband, Michael, argues that Terri had told him to withdraw treatment under such conditions. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, argue that she is conscious, has expressed a desire to live, and only needs treatment and rehabilitation, which has been withheld by her husband.

I intend to research some of the facts behind the issue, then attempt to answer the questions "Should Terri Shaivo's feeding tubes be withdrawn?" and "When is it OK to let someone die?"

Any comments?

Ted and I chatted yesterday via  . They are safely back home from the trip to Port-au-Prince. We'll be starting an online Bible study, which I am envisioning as a team blog for future expansion.

So far, I've gotten 6 votes for http://LeeAndCathy.blogspot.com, two suggestions for "MeAndMrsJones" and one suggestion for "ZachysParents"... Even Cathy voted for LeeAndCathy, so I'm leaning that way (unless someone convinces me otherwise with a great suggestion).

I did notice that Google's Blogger does not (currently) support TrackBacks. And the photo posting isn't quite as slick as Microsoft's ActiveX controls... still, a lack of TrackBacks and the minor idiosyncrasies of the photo posting is barely noticable.

So, this week I'll begin my migration to www.Blogger.com. My friends Micah & Nicole and Derrick & Jenn are also over there already, so while I'll miss my friends the Van Zwienens (whom I attracted to MSN Spaces in the first place) I am still diving in.

This is mostly for the benefit of the MSN Spaces team...

Here's what I like about MSN Spaces:

1. Easy to post, friendly for novices
2. Categories
3. Cool photo albums

Here's what I don't like about MSN Spaces:

1. Must use Internet Explorer to enjoy cool photo album
2. Must use Internet Explorer to get WYSIWIG editing
3. Lack of information on when Spaces comes out of Beta
   (it was already in Asia, for crying out loud)
   (what new features are coming?)
4. Inability to edit HTML directly
5. MUST use MSN Passport to sign in to post
6. Really long URL names like http://spaces.msn.com/membmers/blahblahblah

Here's what is attractive about Blogger:

1. Shorter URL name
2. I can use Firefox to post things
3. I can edit the HTML directly
4. Picasa 2
5. Audio Blogging
6. Email posting
7. Ability to back-date posts (so I can port my posts from here to there)
8. A community where I can find out the future of Blogger
9. Team blogging (looking forward to that)

OK, it's decided.... I'm switching to www.blogger.com; the question remains only what to call my blog. I've staked a claim on several names at www.blogspot.com

http://cathyandlee.blogspot.com
http://leeandcathy.blogspot.com
http://leejones.blogspot.com
http://jonesinator.blogspot.com

Wifey-Pooh has decided to allow me to call her "Cathy" in my posts, so that will save some typing. She still doesn't want her photo displayed as she remains her camera-shy self. Besides, I have yet to find my camera cable... I'll probably break down and buy a SD card reader this week.

Comments, please... which blog spot to take?

Do you own an Apple iPod or iPod Shuffle? I personally think that subscription music services like Napster make more sense long-term than 99¢ downloads for each song if you are a rabid listener. If you are enamored with the fashion statement that is the iPod, then digital audio fidelity may not be your chief concern.

None the less, while I still believe that Windows Media Audio (WMA) is superior to Apple Audio Codec (AAC), I'm fairly certain I am not read much by Apple Acolyotes as I have not yet received much hate mail for my opinion.

Anyway, I started this post to tell you that you can move your purchased music around on your devices if you happen to use multiple players. My own player is an iRiver, and it plays Ogg Vorbis, WMA or MP3 (more on MP3 format). If I owned an iPod, I would probably go through the steps described by Bill Machrone of PC Magazine. In short, you sacrifice audio quality by burning your purchased music to CD, then ripping them back to your computer and putting them on your other music player.

If you are using iTunes, check out the Hymn Project which allows you to digitially convert your iTunes library to other digital formats, skipping the "rip to CD and back again" steps. This preserves your purchased audio quality.

Note that in order to do this and not violate any ethical standards imposed upon you via your religious or philosophical leanings, not to mention not violating the DCMA, you will need to purchase the music. And, you still cannot "share" these with your friends. That would be stealing for your friends and your would be distributing copyrighted material.

I believe it is important to make distinctions between one thing and another thing, between "this" and "that".

I believe in absolutes. I believe that there is a color black and a color white, and they are different for all living things with sight, providing they have the ability to perceive color.

I believe what is black is black regardless of my perception of it; if my faculties fail me, or the situation in which I find myself skews my perception of a black object, it remains black regardless of my perception of it. My perceptions do not change the object, regardless of how convinced I am that my perceptions are right.

I believe in a verifiable reality which remains universally true for all persons at all times. Often times it is the difference of a distinction, or an inadequate distinction, that fails to separate a person from faleshood or from harm. That which is praiseworthy is different than that which is blameworthy.

I believe there are terrorists in the world. I believe there are heros, and I believe there are criminals.

I believe in truth, and I believe it can be accurately perceived and grasped. Some people do not believe in absolute truth, but rather a reality which is realitve to a the language a community chooses to use. Based on this idea, some can claim that there are no terrorists in the world. That would mean there are no kidnappers in this world, for one man's kidnapper is another man's decent citizen.

I believe that is silly.

My brother Ted, in Haiti, is making a 8-hour mission trip tomorrow. In fact, all the missionaries in Ted's organization are making the trip. I pray they will be safe in their travels.

One of the families in their community had their son kidnapped. I pray for his safe return... I will update everyone who is concerned on Tuesday, when Ted returns form the mission trip.

OK, it's been weeks. So what's new? It has been a long time since I've updated. I suppose it would be a little difficult for you to keep up if I don't say anything, huh?

Life has been hectic, that's for sure. Let me update you:

TED:
Ted went back to Haiti with his family on Tuesday, February 22nd and he just me today to say "hi." They've got wireless access in the home now, so we may do some long-distance Bible studies together. I'm looking forward to that!

APARTMENT:

I haven't done anything with the apartment in two weeks. Well, the bathroom sink is leaking, so that's new.

FINANCES:

We discovered that our income and outflow did not overlap to a high enough degree. We concluded we would soon sink uner the collective pressure of our personal debt and commerical shortfall. Thus, we looked into refinancing our apartment and realized that we'd be spending over five years just breaking even from the pre-payment penalty.

Ow.

Our apartment appraisal revealed that we did not have a significant increase in equity yet (all six months worth, that makes sense). We thought about selling, moving to Georgia, and starting over. Put the pre-payment penalty really kills that idea, too. If we refiance or sell, we're are just screwed. I take solice in the idea that God avenges, so I do not personally feel the need to strike out at the man who did this to us.

I contacted another mortgage company, and they came up with the notion of a HELOC and a re-fi after our prepayment period expires. We're going that route, which means I have two and a half years to finish school, because Wifey-Pooh is SOOOO ready to quit work.

SCHOOL:

I didn't want to make arrangements to get back into school and then announce that I was moving to Georgia. I'll be writing the registrar this week.

HEALTH:

Well, my tooth probably needs a root canal. I got a cap on it, but that does not appear to be sufficient.

FAMILY:

Michael & Sativa were married this past Saturday. I was an attendant, which was a honor for me. I'd post pictures, but my camera cable has mysteriously disappeared again (argh!).

FRIENDS:
Ian was baptised this past Saturday. Wifey-Pooh and I visited the VZs, and we had a great prayer and praise time. That, and my brothers in the Lord were involved in an emergency spiritual intervention while the rest of us prayed. The results are very encouraging.

CHURCH:

I have successfully made my functions at church replacable by others. I created a CD-ROM with videos demonstrating the various functions I perform, along with explanations of where to get more help. If I were struck by a meteorite tomorrow, the computer systems would not come to a screeching halt.
Well, some things are being changed at church concerning Wifey-Pooh's involvement, and she is concerend that some mistakes are being made. It appears that Wifey-Pooh is being asked to train her replacement, and she would step down as Treasurer. If that were to happen, I believe we would no longer be able to attend for at least two reasons:

1. no money for gas, and
2. the mere social discomfort of attempting to have fellowship where you were essentially fired is too much to bear.

That should sum up a quick overview of what's been going on. I'm giving serious consideration to switching over to www.blogger.com. I'm just looking for a good name for Wifey-Pooh and me to use there.

Happy Pi Day!

π, or pi (if you cannot type Greek), is the mathematical contant equal to approximately  3.141592653. Pi (originally pronounced like the letter "p") is a transcendental irrational number; that is, it cannot be written as a fraction. π is not constructible; that is, it is impossible to express π using only a finite number of integers, fractions and their square roots.

Archimedes "Mr. Eureka" of Syracuse has the distinction of having pi named "Archimedes' constant" since he was the first to reach a four-digit approximation of pi in the 3rd century BC. The Chinese mathematician Liu Hui was first to reach five digits in in 263 AD, and Zu Chongzhi reached seven digits in 480 AD. It took hundreds of years to improve the calculation of pi byt the man who invented the Claw of Archimedes used in the Second Punic War.

Who says there isn't a career for math majors?

I've been called "intolerant" before. The pervading and almost ubiquitous thought on tolerance and modernity has vastly erased classical understandings of tolerance. That is to say, I've claimed that others are wrong, and I'm right. I've been involved in a discussion regarding postmodernism, and so far I continue to find it difficult to cast classical tolerance. I find it interesting that the community-generated English Wikipedia has entries for tolerance from a straight postmodern point-of-view.

Tolerance, now, is someone the notion that nobody can be told that they are wrong, and to tell someone they are wrong is to oppress them or to persecute them. *sigh*

Classical tolerance involves three elements:

1. permitting or allowing
2. a conduct or point of view one disagrees with
3. while respecting the person in the process.

Notice that we can’t truly tolerate someone unless we disagree with him or her. This is critical. We don’t “tolerate” people who share our views. They’re on our side. There’s nothing with which we need to put up. Tolerance is reserved for those we think are wrong, yet we still choose to treat decently and with respect.

This essential element of classical tolerance — disagreement — has been completely lost in the modern distortion of the concept. Nowadays if you think someone is wrong, you’re called intolerant no matter how you treat the person.

That pretty much sums up my experience. Oddly, when being confronted for my "intolerance" I am actually suffering from intolerance myself.

It is rare that I can find a person who will accept that I think they are wrong and to be able to discuss the merits and faults of each other's viewpoints. It would be a pleasant change to freely exchange ideas with someone, disagreeing, and still go home with respect for each other. More often than not, discussions break down into diatribes and emotional outbursts, and I hear (too often), "how can you possibly believe that?!?!" But, such is the "tolerant" society I live in.

Another Thursday, and I've forgotten to blog on Philosophy and Religion. Ah... well, I guess that will have to come tomorrow. I've been swamped at work.

On the bright side, I found my camera cable, so I'll finally update the photos.

I had a dream this morning, and I asked God about a question that had been bothering me. He explained it to me, and I thought to myself, "Wow! I have got to write that down!"

I can't remember what it was now.

I can't remember the question OR the answer. It would have changed the world.