Brookes’ Bytes

Someone really needs to publish some rules for this version of chess.

I love myself some Penny Arcade. Today’s comic is worth mentioning because it combines two thing I love. The iPhone and World of Warcraft. For those not familiar this is a commentary on Blizzard’s recent announcement to develop an auction house app.

I, like most other LOST fans, have been trying to figure out how things are going to be resolved, and I’ve come up with something I think is pretty plausible.

I’ve come to believe that not only are The Others caretakers of The Island, but they’re facilitators to make sure that in case the balance of The Island shifts, that they have some means to correct it.

Now, I have NO idea what circumstances will lead to this, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that since Jacob is now dead, rules on the island are going to shift pretty dramatically, and the only way to stop bad things from happening is to get rid of the Man in Black. I think that’s the likely focus of this season.

Since the balance has to be retained, they’re going to need replacements? But who?

I think that Widmore is finally going to get his wish. He’s going to come back to the island, and gain some control. I think that in the end, it’s not going to be what he expects. I believe that he’s going to take the place of the Man in Black, and he’s really not going to like it.

Jacob’s replacement? Now, logically, I think it would have to be Locke… the big downside of this theory is that he’s not alive. But, who said that he has to be alive? Who ever said that Jacob and the Man in Black are alive? Maybe Ben’s “killing” Jacob wasn’t really a death in the classic sense, but just a dispersal of whatever being Jacob was?

I kinda ruled out Ben, simply because I don’t think he’s the right guy to replace either of them… although it would be pretty ironic to have Widmore and Ben be in the eternal struggle on the island. Perhaps everything Ben has recently gone through will make him the right candidate?

So, what do you think? Off base? Right on? Somewhere in between?

The iPad seems like a handy little device – the major complaints I hear tend to be about what a person specifically wanted out of the device. One of those big complaints is whether the iPad can double as the equivalent of a Cintiq – the thing to keep in mind is that that simply isn’t the market Apple is going for. Like the iPhone and the iPod before it, they’re going for the broadest possible demographic, and they’re aiming to create a general platform rather than a task-specific device like a Kindle or a Cintiq. It’s up to companies like Adobe to adapt to the device now that it’s on the market. That’s just how Apple rolls.

I will say one thing – comics are coming to the iPad! UNDOUBTEDLY. And this is really exciting. Comics have been gaining popularity for the last couple of years, especially because of Hollywood – it’s cool to read comics these days, partially because they’ve been brought to the mainstream with an appeal that eluded them in the past. The iPad is just another way to make comics more palatable for a larger audience, and unlike the iPhone, the iPad doesn’t force a comic to conform to a particular device. This makes it EASY. Someone definitely saw the iPad coming, and they’ve got all those publishers lined up and ready to go. Or – crossing my fingers – comics will be in the new iBook store! I can only hope comics find their digital home in a book store like they found their physical home in Barnes & Noble and Borders.

I hope someone can adapt the iPad to work as a Cintiq, because that would be amazing – and I’m willing to wait to see it happen. But in the meantime, exciting things are still afoot.

The population of this country is 300 million.

160 million are retired.

That leaves 140 million to do the work.

There are 85 million in school.

Which leaves 55 million to do the work.

Of this there are 35 million employed by the federal government.

Leaving 15 million to do the work.

2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied with killing Osama Bin-Laden.

Which leaves 12.2 million to do the work.

Take from that total the 10.8 million people who work for state and city Governments. And that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.

At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals.

Leaving 1,212,000 to do the work.

Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons.

That leaves just two people to do the work.

You and me.

And there you are,

Sitting on your ass,

At your computer, reading jokes.

Nice. Real nice.

Do you think that people have become fat, lazy, ADD, ADHD, OCD, etc… because of the rise of internet usage?

Discuss in the comments. Go.

Found this Online, and I must share it.

Tonight I sang at Encounter, which I will describe as an effort to clear away agenda and let the Holy Spirit be in charge of a VCC church service. In general when I sing, I tend to feel used, spent and good about it. And tonight was a strange difference. I do feel used and spent (in good ways, like when you’ve gone for a run or helped a family member) but I also am processing. I didn’t expect to have something to chew on. I expected to go and serve the people who wanted to encounter the Holy Spirit, who wanted a deep taste of God. I expected to sing some songs.

Instead, I feel like God is breathing on me.

Do you ever feel like something blurry around the corner is a picture of what you will be? Like there’s a foggy mirror in your bathroom and if you could just clear it, you could see a REAL image of yourself? I feel that something is around the corner, something new, some new version of myself.

And when I say that, what I really mean is that I think I’m going to be doing something new that will express something important to me. It’s very important to me to express things, even if that gets me in trouble. And I guess for the future me, I wanted a record that on this day, I caught a blurry glimpse of a future Jes.

Exciting…

This morning, in order to stay with my running schedule, I was at the gym when it opened. For those of you who are night owls, don’t cringe in fear of the morning hours. We morning people are not freaks, just as much as you are not freaks either. Lol. My alarm was due to ring at 5:30, but a drippy ceiling woke me up at 4:45 and I just couldn’t go back to bed.

I’m glad.

Because by the time I’d eaten some eggs and driven over to campus, I was fully awake. And it’s always better to exercise when you’re fully awake, I figure, lest you drop weights on yourself or unexpectedly pass out in aerobics class.

I was temporarily proud of myself for being the first gym member on the track, until I heard a commotion in the basketball courts below me. The ROTC division at UC was booting up. Har har har. And as I made my laps, their hooahs and jumping jacks sort of made their way into my head despite my loud tunes. Seeing them in their perfectly straight lines, all awake and disciplined like that was…well…inspiring! It made me think of my Aunt Yvonne and Uncle Paul doing their basic training, and Nayt’s friend Garrett who’s off blowing things up. As strange as it seems, this small encounter allowed me to glimpse just a bit of the sacrifice and dedication countless people make every single day for our country.

It’s difficult to pin-point my exact thoughts about war, armies and how international politics should be run. But I can say this, I feel indebted to those who serve in our military. People who sacrifice time, who discipline their bodies to be efficient machines, people that are willing to change their habits and lifestyles for people they don’t know should be honored, in my opinion.

If you’re serving our country, or have in the past, I’m sure there have been a few moments that have made you question your service. I will never know the specific sacrifice you made, but from this person…thank you.

You ever put something you want to do with your life on the back-burner? Have you experienced the “I can’t focus on that right now” thought process, only to have the pot start making noise and never leave you alone?

That’s kind of how I feel right now.

Luckily, I have a husband who listens to me and is learning to translate what he feels my heart is trying to say. I know: wouldn’t it be great if we could just do that on our own? But it feels nice to have him know me.

Probably more post to come, but that’s all I had for now: just a couple of quiet musings and a pot that won’t stop making noise…