The Confused Neuron

Yeah I’m really tired of hearing about this $900 billion stimulus package that’s trying to get through congress.  It’s not going to work.  I know the ideas and motivation behind it is good and genuine but you’re throwing money into the wind at this point.

Tax cuts?  Somehow cutting taxes is going to translate to people spending the money they don’t have to pay in taxes.  Apparently our government (still) doesn’t realize that people are not spending money like they used to.  Regardless of how much they have.  They aren’t spending.  Ergo, if you cut my taxes I am not immediately going to say OMG I must go out and buy stuff.  No, it’s going right into my savings account.  Yes yes, I know that money in my savings is now available for banks to loan out to other banks or other people and that’s part of the idea of this stimulus as well.  Problem with that is, banks haven’t been loaning like people haven’t been spending.  HELLO?!  CONGRESS?? Is anyone listening?  Where have you been for the last 8 months?  We’re losing jobs faster and faster and giving us new tax cuts isn’t going to spark a sudden explosion of job creation.

History lesson:  Do you know what got the US out of the Great Depression?  World War II.  No, I’m not advocating starting more than the two wars we already have.  But do you know WHY World War II got us out of the depression?  Because we realized we didn’t have squat to fight a war with!  So we had to get crackin’ on making the tools of war.  Planes, tanks, weapons, naval ships, etc.  Overnight we were faced with the creation of an enormous demand for goods we weren’t currently manufacturing.  So factories and companies needed to HIRE PEOPLE TO MAKE THOSE GOODS.   *BAM!* Job creation!  Practically overnight!.  The sudden surge in production halted the depression and turned it around and the United States slowly climbed out of the hole it was in.

Know what we’re not doing right now in this country?  Maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure.  I heard an estimate that to repair and maintain the current infrastructure in America would cost approximately $2.2 trillion.  Bridge repair, levee repair, powergrid upkeep, water, sewer, highways, streets, roads, rail lines, shipping ports, I can go on and on.  Know what we’d need to get all that taken care of?  A CRAP LOAD OF JOBS!  Know what that would mean?  Companies would have to hire a butt load of people to work for them to take care of all those repair projects!  Know what that would mean?  BAM!  JOB CREATION.  PRACTICALLY OVERNIGHT!

Upgraded infrastructure = lower shipping costs, lower energy costs, continuous job creation, etc!

I know I’m not the only one who thinks the next stimulus bill should be devoted to infrastructure in this country.   Maybe I should run for Congress.

Usually in the mornings when I’m drinking my first cup of coffee I start browsing through my Google reader and being the nerd I am, I have a whole category in my reader devoted to various World of Warcraft feeds.  My favorite feed comes from the site wowinsider.com.

This morning I was reading a lore piece on Shamans and it really interested me.  I’ve stuck with my hunter main all the way to 80 and have a number of other alternates that I rarely play.  I think my rogue is at 26 right now.  But in reading this article I think I’m finally decided on what class to start on as an alternate that I’ll actually play and take to lvl 80.

I don’t really care for the tank classes.  My second favorites are any ranged and/or DPS classes, hence my love for hunters.  I also like mages and I do have a mage alt…that I don’t play.  I’ve never rolled a shaman though.  I think that’s the only class I’ve never really tried out.  I had a Night Elf druid, and various Horde warriors, priests, mages, paladins and even a warlock…but never a shaman.  So I’m thinking I’m going to learn myself a new class that at least appears to be a little different from my hunter.

We’ll see how this experiment goes =o)

I’ve seen this set of peripherals by Logitech featured in multiple reviews already.  I’m not sure I’m coordinated enough to use the pad and keyboard at the same time, but the keyboard by itself looks awesome.   The only game I play on a regular basis is World of Warcraft, as you well know.  This keyboard offers customizable macro keys, backlit keyboard keys, built in USB ports and an LCD screen that displays ingame information while you play.  (How it does that, I’m still not sure).

Weighing in at a hefty $199 for just the keyboard alone, I highly doubt it will be something I’ll have and use to play WoW.  I envision using it while at a desktop PC.  Currently I’m using my laptop to play games so an external keyboard would just be silly.  If I ever play at a desk again, this keyboard might possibly find its way into my home.

When servicing the hot water heater in your home, always remember to ensure the tank is COMPLETELY empty before unsealing the gasket around one of the heating elements.

Ensuring the tank is empty will prevent gallons of 140 degree water from gushing out all over your basement floor.  And your bare hands and feet.

Thatisall.

Nearly 1am on Thursday January 1, 2009.  I think I’m like a lot of people right now in wondering where 2008 went.  It really feels as if it just flew by.  I’ve been told that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass by and I’m not sure I want to see how much faster it can go.  We celebrated the new year with my parents, some pizza and some sparkling apple cider.  Brae got to show off all his new toys that he got for Christmas and he even let my Dad play his pinball machine and that’s saying something since to date, no one has been ‘allowed’ to play it but him.  =o)

Brae made it all the way to midnight to watch the ball drop on TV.  He got to watch Jonas Brothers perform on ABC and saw all the people wearing those silly looking 2009 glasses.  It was nice and relaxed and warm, considering it’s well below freezing outside.  He even sipped on the sparkling apple cider even after he told us he didn’t like and tried it before and didn’t like it…  haha.  Christy got some pictures of us all clinking our glasses together at midnight.  I’m sure she’ll post them sometime soon.

I’m glad I have a day off tomorrow even though I know I’ll pay for it in full on Friday.  Work has been increasingly stressful lately and it is a trend I don’t see reversing at all.  Ever.  Then after that, it’s the weekend again.  Short work weeks would be wonderful if it weren’t for the double work load we have to accommodate on the days we are in the office.  It isn’t like most jobs where if your office is closed for a day, the work just gets pushed on to the next business day.  In an infusion center you have to jam the days you’re in the office with 2 – 3 times as many patients to keep everything up to date.  Oh well.

Well, time for my usual nightly ritual of playing WoW for a bit before going to sleep.

Happy New Year everyone!