Mark Byron on the Trinity

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Mark Byron makes a brief scriptural case for the Trinity. Quite so, quite so. Even though the “Trinity” is never termed as such in Christianity’s foundational writings, the concept of a God who is One-yet-plural, abounds in the Bible, and Jesus himself did not hesitate to identify himself by the Tetragrammaton: YHWH, or “I AM!” By that declaration alone he is worthy: either to be stoned to death — or worshipped in heaven.

Aiptek Mini Pencam Photoblog

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This Pencam is so easy to use I’m tempted to start a photoblog, like Noah Grey. I will munch on the idea for a few days, then see if I’m still as excited about the idea in the future. (Knowing me, it’s most likely just a ningas-kugon impulse.)

ningas-kugon: a Tagalog figure of speech likening impulsive persons’ actions to the quick burning of cogon grass; hot, bright, but short-lived. Approximate English slang equivalent: “flash-in-the-pan.”

Slingshot Prepaid Problems

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I was about to post an acerbic complaint about the poor dial-up service I’ve been getting from Slingshot lately, but the apology and recompense on their home page more than makes up for the connection trouble I was having last night. They’re a very human ISP (as you can see from the quips in the FAQ), and far from the cheapest, but they’re the only prepaid ISP I can find around here, and for the time between now and my move to Baltimore in August, Slingshot serves its purpose quite well.

Keeping the Intel Cam

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Sorry, folks, I changed my mind on selling the Intel Easy PC Camera. The Aiptek Mini isn’t a very good webcam; poor light sensitivity, no color compensation, and quirky drivers which occasionally crash my webcam software. On the up side, it’s a fairly decent entry-level digital camera, and fits right in my pocket or the palm of my hand. I’ll find time to walk around Washington tomorrow and take a few photos, but the Intel webcam stays by my laptop for now.

Now where’s my whip?

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(I’m bringing this entry back up because I forgot to mention Liam Neeson.)

I wonder if anyone has noticed this strange cinematic synchronicity:

In Hunt for Red October, Alec Baldwin played Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy’s novel, across from Sean Connery as a Soviet submarine captain. Later on, Harrison Ford picked up the Jack Ryan character in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger — a casting decision which prompted me to wonder what a waste it was that Ford didn’t play Jack Ryan back in Red October, where he could have revived the acting chemistry he shared with Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Now, just as Ben Affleck takes on a reprised Jack Ryan role in Sum of all Fears, Harrison Ford is back — this time in Sean Connery’s type of role as a Soviet submarine commander in K-19: The Widowmaker. His co-star: Liam Neeson, who played a Jedi master in The Phantom Menace, prequel to the movie trilogy where Ford played Han Solo.

All this, just as talk rises up of a new Indiana Jones movie in the works — with a quip by myself quoted regarding Harrison Ford.

I think we can see where this is leading.

Clearly, I am destined to be the next Indiana Jones.

Now where’s my whip?

Mmmm, whip…

Leaving the Country is a Cowardly Choice

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I was reading the Inquirer letters section today, when I came across this specific missive. Its title was an hostile and un-judicious generalization, and its text, while onstensibly well-meaning, was incoherent and rambling, so full of trite, hackneyed cliches that I almost laughed out loud reading it. Towards the end, the letter-writer’s sweeping accusations of “murderous schemes” and “nasty attitudes” were so poorly phrased that I wondered about his sanity — and English proficiency.

Then I saw the signature at the end of it, and I could only roll my eyes and mutter, “No wonder.”