Chapter 158 Friday - check. Saturday - halvcheck

Verse 1

So Friday has come and gone with a very pleasant dinner and some nice red wines. I regretted the wine today Saturday when i had to get up early to help A move and i was not surprised when it started to rain as i waited for her to come pick me up but was astonished as it stopped after a few minutes. Very strange.

The move went very well except we had to wait 30 minutes for the guy A traded apartments with was slow getting out. No broken things that i know of and for sure nothing i will admit to.
As i suspected the couch turned out to be the worst piece to shift but with help from of C we managed to solve it, you the man!

Congratulations to A and F on the new place and good luck with all the rest!

Chapter 157 Book away! #13

Verse 1

Author: Dean R Koontz
Original title: Hideaway

Verse 2

The clearing of my bookshelves and especially these books continues. This is just another of those books i think Koontz wrote primarily due to contractual obligations because it is not that good. I will leave it at that and hope that some one might enjoy it more than i did.

Verse 3

Will be given away on a bus to Tyresö sometime today.

Chapter 156 Itinerary and To Do for the coming days.

Verse 1

So today it's Thursday and actually Friday for some of the working class. Congratulations to all of you that get a day off and sad tears for the rest.
Some i know have today off as well, i don't what we should call them really but congratz on a long weekend.

For the actual Friday we will go to N's parents for dinner, i didn't see that one coming but a dinner you wont have to cook for yourself is always welcome and they are nice people too.

At Saturday i will have to get up at dawn and help a friend move. What is wrong with sleeping A? If the gods intended for us to be up with the sun they would have made us roosters.
At least A will come pick me up so i am not forced to get on the tube at first light.
Anyway, i am very glad A and her boyfriend doesn't have as many books as we do but they have a big couch and i won't like lugging that one a bit.
Hopefully they have recruited more helpy helpers for the heavy lifting.

Saturday evening and night is supposed to be dedicated to WoW and some serious Ulduar raiding. We were one short signed up yesterday so i hope we will get a full ten for the raid.
I have another friend transferring to our realm too along with two who came over a while ago so things are looking good for the future.

Sunday is blessedly free from any commitments so far and that feels excellent right now. The only thing to think of is dinner and as we bought half a lamb a week ago we will likely cook some of it.
Lamb on a Sunday sounds just right i think.

This weekend it is also Halloween and N and given specific instructions that we should have candy at home. I am totally onboard with that plan but i intend to open the door to exactly zero children dressed in stupid costumes.
You have be pretty spectacular in your choice of outfit to get some candy from me. Nom nom nom!

Chapter 155 Book away! #12

Verse 1

Author: Lars Andersson
Original title: Pestkungens legend

Verse 2

This book was one that i was given one year in school. I believe it was received by all of the same age that year. It is presumably to promote reading but i think they should have picked another book.
The idea itself is a very good one but they need to take greater care when choosing books but i guess they go with what is affordable and there the publishers have control.

Verse 3

Will be given away at Farsta subway station during the next hour.

Chapter 154 Missing comments

Verse 1

I have just heard from a reader that comments that she had made hasn't shown up. It seems that there has been some tech issues so please try again if your comments are missing.
It looks like everything is working now.

Thank you.

Chapter 153 It has been done before but i can't resist

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Chapter 155 New Facebook or radio with socks in it

Verse 1

All you all might have noticed Facebook made some changes last Friday and there are of course those that disagree with those. There is one international group in particular opposing it that has 1,6 million members according to this article.
It seems that the biggest issues are the updates and that the old right side-bar has been removed.
For those in favor there is also a Swedish group with 80 members.

All those opposed say Nay!

Verse 2

To continue my trip into dreamland i give you this short one.

It played out like a commercial on the radio.

Are you interested and having trouble finding the information you need? Join the Reserved Channel - All the news about socks you will ever need. Join the Reserved Channel today - We are all about socks.

It was a dedicated radio-show about socks. Do i have a fetisch you think?

Chapter 154 Time to get biblical - Mats 154:1

Verse 1

...and on Sunday the seventh day, he did very little but turned back the clock one hour.

Chapter 153 The meaning of it (subject matter can be upsetting )

Verse 1

Most have had days in their life when it feels like it's not worth getting up but for some that is the feeling of every day.
No one will notice or care either way so why bother at all? You feel isolated, disregarded and out of place but the pain helps.
You hear the well-meaning remarks about how it will change and surely it's not as bad as all that.
It is for you but the pain helps.

Long nights and dark hours, lonely nights and dark feelings, long thoughts and dark decisions.
When the night is at it's darkest and the blade is out, when you believe that the legacy you will be remembered for, all you can hope and aim for, all you will leave behind is scar symmetry.
Your finest quality is scar symmetry.

Reach out!

Verse 2

Tonight going back home from dinner i saw the two words Scar Symmetry on a poster and at once felt something. It is a band name but to me they spoke of something more, something i tried to write down.

Many teenagers today cut themselves and among girls as many as 16% in the ages 15-24.
I don't presume to think i know how they feel or that this post will make a difference but i wanted to write it.

Some make it through without help and some do not. Do you stand by and hope for the best?

Reach out!

Chapter 152 The word of the day is: Grey

Verse 1

What's up with autumn? Did i miss it all or isn't it supposed to be filled with vibrant colors and crisp but invigorating cold?
The trees should be full of fire as the leaves change color and the ground littered with the ones that gave up the ghost just then making noises at you as you pass by their rustling remains.

But no!

The sky is grey, uniform grey not an interesting shifting mood-inspiring range from misty to slate but dull and depressing.
The asphalt is grey, grey and wet. You would expect it to be black from rain but no. It is wet from rain but also grey, the kind of grey a long queue would be if it had color. I am talking about the kind of queue you dread to join, not the one were there is fun at the end and happy people to meet while you wait.
This line leads to an over-worked under-payed civil servant who will tell you that you have filled out the wrong form and should start over...at the end of the line.

I will now venture out in to this and do my best not add to the leaden joy-killing grey that surrounds me.

This post is a good start don't you think?

Chapter 151 Google Audio - New music service to compete with Spotify

Verse 1

Several sources now say that Google will release its own music service, possibly called Google Audio.

Techcrunch was the first with screenshots of how the new service might look like but it was then unclear of it would be a question of streaming or downloadable content. At least four major music labels was said to have been contacted by Google at that time.
Expressen now confirms that there will both be streaming possibilities as well as an option to buy music from all the major labels.
The thought has been to reduce the number of steps a customer has to take to be able to buy music online.

We might expect to see this new service on Wednesday of next week although it is still unclear if it will be available outside the US.

Chapter 150 Do you measure up? - Find out in six easy steps

Verse 1

We all try very hard to fit in whether it is at the workplace, on the internet och socially in everyday life.
Here are some easy ways to find out just how well you fit the mould using body measurements.

The measurements you need to look at are marked in green on each figure and should not differ by more than 10%.

Example for figure 1
The distance between your wrists with arms outstretched is 90 cm. The distance from elbow to ground can then be between 81 and 99 cm.

Figure 1.
Measure from wrist to wrist with arms outstretched and from elbow to ground.

Figure 2.

Measure from elbow to wrist and shoulder-joint to elbow.

Figure 2.
Measure from wrist to elbow and knee to heel.

Figure 4.

Measure from top of head to below the chin and elbow to wrist.

Figure 5.

Sitting down you should be able to claps your hands around your knees fingers interlaced with your back against the chair.

Figure 6.

Standing up straight you should be able to grasp firmly around your ankle without leaning back. Both knees should be touching.

These are in my opinion only some very rough ideas of how we are expected to look but it is at least amusing to see how far off one is.

Let me know how you measure up.

Chapter 149 Daring prison break, inmates steal van and use bombs - stopped by tank

Verse 1

For those of you interested in dreams and want one to interpret here is part of one i had a few nights ago

The setting is a prison-yard and all the convicts are assembled, i guess it is time for roll-call or something like that. It feels like a midwestern state in the 1950s and i am one of the guys standing at attention in the sun on that dusty yard waiting for the warden.

I am standing in the front row and not far away is a low stone wall enclosing a structure of some kind and nearby a van similar to this one below except that  in the dream it was grey.

Suddenly an inmate springs up, possibly from hiding behind the wall. He has some kind of tool in one hand and carries what looks like a large fire-extinguisher in the other. He runs up to the van and smashes the lock on the rear door with the tool and jumps in.
From what time-period is the van and did it have rear doors?


A couple of inmates including me jump into the truck and we take off towards the gate. I was apparently in on the plan as i didn't hesitate to make a break for it.
We crash through the gates that seem very flimsy to me and someone throws the fire-extinguisher out and it explode in flames on the road behind us.
Inmates are as you all know very resourceful so we built a bomb to aid in our escape!

Now something that has been bothering me hits home, no one even tried to stop us as we ran for the van and no one is pursuing it.
Odd but never mind that now i think.

You have seen the van and the high-performance vehicle we chose to make our escape in is now doing something like 30 kmph down the road. A sense of doom hangs over me for some reason but my companions seem happy enough as we drive on towards freedom.
Very soon i can see an intersection up ahead that connects to the highway and we believe that if we can make that we should be safe. There are still no sign of pursuit of any kind but the last image from the dream as i wake up is that i just know there will be a tank waiting for us as we reach the highway.

Damn the police and their cunning ways!

Chapter 148 Microsoft Windows 7 vs Google Chrome OS

Verse 1

Tomorrow Thursday it is said that Microsoft will release Windows 7.
Reviews so far has been positive although several features included now ought to have been in Vista from the start. Hopefully we can look forward to something less demanding and heavy compared to it's unpopular predecessor.
There is a reason why so many decided to stay on XP after all.

What is more interesting is if Google will put out a first version of Chrome OS on the same day. These are rumours that the paper Economist has published and that also has been reported here.

As a fan of Google, although i am still waiting for an invite to Google Wave i am looking forward to seeing their version of an OS and how they decide to innovate something like that.
I can admit to having big expectations and if they can deliver something that let my computer stay as fast as when i first bought it i see myself as a future customer.

Chapter 147 Veckorevyn - Swedish blog-awards 2009 - Judge for yourselves

Verse 1

The winners of magazine Veckorevyn Swedish Blog competition has been decided. A jury nominated 40 bloggers and it then was up to the readers to vote.
There has of course been accusations of cheating, that Kenza was robbed of an award due to tampering with votes.
No contest is really complete without these rumours and these excitingly enough concern the magazine itself that supposedly tampered with the numbers in favor of another nominee.
Is the truth out there? I don't think so.

Here are the winners:

Blog of the year, newcomer and most original : Foki
Most cocky in the blogworld: Kissie
This years celebrity: Magdalena Graaf
Inspirational: Blondinbella
Male blogger: Calle Schulman
Fashionista: Lisaplace
Photo/Design: Nevnarien
Veteran: Stina-Lee
Gold-pen: Sanna Lundell
Video: Mogis

Congratulations to every one and especially the ladies!

I have read all of the above and invite you to do the same if you haven't already. I have long ago reconciled myself with the fact that my preferences are different from most others and it was confirmed again.
I will leave it up to you to convince me otherwise.

Did the right blog win and why?

Chapter 146 Balloon-boy Falcon - Only hot air

Verse 1

So now it seems that the truth is out about the runaway balloon that supposedly carried away six-year old Falcon as reported here.
According to law-enforcement officials several charges will now be brought against Richard och Muyami Heene for staging the event where a massive rescue-operation was launched to try and save the child reported as being trapped in the home-built weather balloon.
Falcon was in fact hiding in the attic of the family's house and has said during interviews that it was - all for the show.
Police now state that the family did this as an attempt to garner publicity and get their own reality-show.
In a sense that is exactly what they got but what they probably did not expect was to face prison-sentences for a number of years and a possible fine of 3,6 million SEK due to their false report.

That a child can be used in this way is very hard for me to understand but to also abuse the sympathy and instinctive willingness of strangers to help in a terrible situation as this is unforgivable.

Go to Jail. Go Directly to Jail. Do Not Pass Go. Do Not Collect $200

Chapter 145 All Hallows Eve in World of Warcraft and good food in Real Life

Verse 1

This weekend has gone in the sign of undeath and candy as All Hallows Eve has hit WoW. Pick up candy there and put on a costume there while all around you hear the mocking rhymes of the Headless Horseman as he starts fires everywhere.
It is hard work being a hero, all that candy can literally make you violently sick to the tummy.

After some intense questing and loot-getting it's finally time for a break to start on some dinner, we found some very good sausages made with deer-meat. They are very nice and unlike the hot-dogs you usually get made mostly out of meat.
Saw-dust and gravel will not be found in these goodies.

Chapter 144 New mobile released

Verse 1

I really need to stop eating spicy food before i go to bed, it messes up my mind.

In a dream last night i was visiting Eskilstuna where my sisters and brother live with their families.
I thought that while i was there i would call my brother and suggest we have lunch together. So would do i do? I take out my lighter, it's a zippo-like thing and apparently also my mobile because as i light it my brother soon answers.

So i stand there talking to my brother in my lighter with the flame two inches from my face thinking - what the hell is this?
Luckily the call was soon interrupted as i didn't have much fuel in the lighter because who knows what might have happened if i had gotten an SMS.

Can some one please interpret this dream and or prescribe some medication?

Chapter 143 Men: Half a step away from the wolf?

Verse 1

Last night i had a dream that got me thinking when i woke up and i will try to share my thoughts with you.

In this dream i was at a big party in large house, there was a lot of guests and i didn't know most of them. At one time i went to the kitchen to get a new drink and in the kitchen was a group of guys, strangers to me but they obviously knew each other to some degree.
As men of a certain age will often do when they have been drinking some is to start mock-fights with each other.
There will be punches on the arms, some holds and a little wrestling supposedly all for fun and these guys were all up in it.
Me being the outsider was of course an excellent participant they thought and thats how it all started.
Normally you don't start mock-fights with strangers because the boundaries and rules vary from each group of friends to another so you only do it with people you know.
Yes there are rules even for something as stupid as this though they are mostly unspoken, you don't punch the face or use your whole strength for example.

Anyway for some reason they involved me in this and especially one guy was more active than the others and after some pushing and shoving i ended up twisting his arm quite badly. That was of course out of bounds but i was getting pissed off and he was clearly enjoying my reluctance to join in.
After that it started to turn really ugly and i realized it was best to get out among the rest of the guests in hope of staving off a real fight so i left the kitchen.
It soon became apparent that they would not let it end like that so they followed me around awhile as i tried to think of how to avoid a total disaster.

To make a long story short i finally took refuge in the trunk of a car and like that i also left the party, hidden away in the trunk of a car, i think it might have been an old Volvo.

Verse 2

So why do guys act like this? I have taken part, my friends have and i have seen it many times when i have stayed out of it but i'm unsure of why it's done.
If we want to give it real credit it could be some kind of way to bond as a group or on the other hand maybe it's just a game, some goofing around.

Personally i am inclined to think it is some evolutionary residue. It's then likely to stem from the time we were more animal than human and ran in packs. This kind of mock-fighting would then have been a way to determine rank and decide your place in the pack-hierarchy without risking serious injury to any one.
I would liken it to how wolfs organize their packs.

Why it's still in use today is a mystery as rank and place nowadays is more often decided by money and what brand of watch, clothes and car you use.

Or is that just how women rank men?
I get confused but i do believe everybody rank everybody else in some way for good or bad and there are different ways to do it.

Why do we have such a need to label each other and why do we do it so arbitrarily?

- Superior - Inferior - Insignificant - You don't know me!

Chapter 142 Barack Obama: rejected for the Nobel Peace Prize

Verse 1

The discussions on the choice of Barack Obama as recipient of the Nobel Peace Price continues in this article and several others as well in blogs all over internet.

It is reported in Verdens Gang a big Norwegian news-site that out of the committee's five members a majority of three voted against Obama initially and it was only a few days before the annoucement that the chairman pushed through the nomination with the help of a fellow socialdemocratic party-member.

This will most likely only serve to further the growing and widespread critique against the nomination, a nomination which has also put additional burden on the shoulders of a president already heavily pressured both home and abroad.
The consensus so far seem to be that Obama has said and promised much but produced very little.

Something for which he apparently was given a very prestigious award.

Chapter 141 Book away! #11 and lunch

Verse 1

Soon i am off for lunch with a former colleague and that will be nice as haven't talked to her in a while. Perhaps some others will show up as well.
I will take the opportunity to do a Book away somewhere along the way over there too.

Verse 2

Author: Dean Koontz
Original title: Dragon Tears

Verse 3

Koontz has written several books that i think are very good and that i enjoyed reading but this is not one of those.
I can honestly say i don't remember much of it at all and that is never complimentary. Something about a cop and some kind of demon.

Verse 4

Will be given away today a Gullmarsplan subway station some time between 11 and 12.

Chapter 140 Facebook, pictures and integrity

Verse 1

Today i read about this article about a survey that Nikon had made and the shocking result from it.
Almost half 46% of all pictures taken today end up on the internet!
That means that you are with all certainty more visible than you had ever imagined and you have almost no control over it.

I am sure that if you are a member on Facebook that you have been tagged on photos any number of times and most likely removed several of those tags as well. A feature much requested on Facebook is that you must get approval before you can tag a picture and that is not unreasonable considering.
I will say this for Facebook though, you can at least remove the tag, something not possible on many other communities.

We have probably also all read about private pictures taken and given to someone in confidence that later are circulated. This is not uncommon among young teenagers and for some reason girls are often the victims. An indiscreet picture can cause a lot of damage in the wrong hands and here can parents and schools do much to educate them about the risks.

With the widespread use of forums, chats and different social communities we need to support our children and help them withstand the pressure to take and send a picture they perhaps shouldn't.

Chapter 139 Media: Influence or Control?

Verse 1

This is a very interesting topic and one that i would very much like get into a discussion about, preferably on the "wrong" side because that is generally much more challenging and educational.

That media, in this post short for Mass media influence our lives in many ways and i believe often without us noticing is clear but do they also control?
Where do we even draw the line between influence and control and is there one?

For those able to take on information in a critical or even doubting way the danger of undue influence is probably very low. I personally find that a healthy dose of cynicism and skepticism works well for me.
But not all have the inborn ability, education or personality to question the information they are fed.
It can be from lack of experience and schooling in younger people or a disinclination to question authority that make some easy prey. Media is often perceived as an authority and with several other factors coupled with public opinion it is easy to just accept what you are told.
Why would you even doubt the things you hear or read? You might not know you should because you haven't been given the tools you need to be able to question the facts you are given.
Media is the tool to use if you need to start a war unjustly, condemn an innocent man in the eye of the public or simply sell your side of the story.

With the uneducated, young, uncaring and those just trying to have a decent life in the grasp of media things are easy.

Bob Marley sang:
"Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!"

I add:
Question, challenge and find out for yourself!


Please question, challenge or comment, i would love to hear your views.

Topic from Reality Checks and Balances

Chapter 138 This could be fun

Verse 1

The next couple of posts will have their topics decided from here so i am quite excited to see what i will write about.
We will share the same topic and it will be fun to see what we do with it.
I expect to see both similarities and differences in writing-style and approach so i am looking forward to the opportunity to seeing another persons view like this.

Thanks Emeraldstone for letting me share your idea.

Chapter 137 Barack Obama or the Denmark - Sweden match

Verse 1

Today i could write about Barack Obama getting the Nobel Peace Price despite in my view not being as deserving as other nominees. Why he actually got it i am not sure of but apparently he had made some outstanding efforts.
I am afraid that something else influenced the decision besides merits.

Another given topic would be the game Saturday between Denmark - Sweden that Sweden lost 1 - 0
Sweden did in fact make two goals that the referee chose not to accept.
About time for some cameras to help with the calls finally?

I will not write a lengthy piece on any of them but just these short items and my initial reflections.

Chapter 136 Mmm Tasty

Verse 1

Today we are having the N:s parents over for dinner and she is making Boeuf Bourguignon. With it we will have pommes puree with apple-pie for dessert and it will taste delicious.
It always does!

In other respects this Sunday has not much going for it, it is a typical wet and cold autumn day. We shall speak no more of it but treat it as an unwelcome guest that will overstay its welcome.

Chapter 135 Seb has got it right

Verse 1

The cat we have called Seb has got it right today, he is resting on my desk with his head on a speaker and looking very drowsy. Not many animals can look as relaxed as cats and they always have touch of mañana mañana about them.
No wonder they were revered in ancient Egypt.

Our plans for the rest of today can be summed up as to do as little as possible that requires a lot of effort.
We took a walk and bought snacks, soft drinks and all the things needed to make our own burgers so we are all set for an evening in the sign of casual indulgence.

Chapter 134 Book away! #9 and 10

Verse 1

Author: John Irving
Original title: A Son Of The Circus

Verse 2

This is a book by the wellknown author from "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider House Rules" among others but i just couldn't get myself to finish it. To be honest i didn't really try that hard either.
If you need to force yourself to read a book it it probably not worth it for you so i hope this is found by a fan of John Irving instead.

Verse 3

Will be given away around 12 at Odenplan subway station.

Verse 4

Author: Joseph Heller
Original title: Closing Time

Verse 5

Another book by a famous writer, the author of "Catch-22".
This book is a sequel that just tries too hard in my opinion. The characters are too much of everything and i got bored by the style of writing even though i enjoy words and wit. Below are two examples that made me skeptic to begin with.
I hope someone else find this funny.

", so radar-proof and noiseless that it doesn't even exist."
", who is passing heavy water without a license."

Verse 6

Will be given away this afternoon at Slussen subway station around 17.

Chapter 133 Book away! #8

Verse 1

Author: Stephen King
Original title: Dreamcatcher

Verse 2

This is another book that i bought in the hope that it would be good even though i probably knew better by then.
Have you read King before you recognize both the story and characters and like many of his books the ending is disappointing. The movie based on the book is just as bad only longer.
Hopefully someone that disagrees with me will find the book and enjoy it.

Verse 3

Will be given away at Hökarängen subway station during the next hour.

Chapter 132 The meaning of it

Verse 1

I am interested in words, their use and meaning so today when i was watching a movie i started to think about in word in particular that was mentioned several times.

Origin
That was the word that caught my mind and especially one possible definition of it.
I will not list them all but just a few definitions here according to a book i love.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary (unabridged).

1: Ancestry, Parentage, 2: Rise, Beginning or Derivation from a source.
Some synonyms are: Source, Inception, Root, Prime mover.

So one revealing question i could ask you is this one.
What is your origin?

The much more fascinating definition as put forward in the movie was that Origin meant Truth. That leads to an infinitely more interesting question in my mind.

What is the Truth of you?

Chapter 131 6 hours? C'mon!

Verse 1

Anyone who knows me can tell you that i am all about babies, talking about babies, babysitting and all the rest.

No, that is of course not true but i also not as bad as it might seem at first and recently i heard and read something that made me upset.

A hospital in Örnsköldsvik has decided that mothers and their babies will be sent home as soon as six hours after giving birth. Think about that for a minute or 360...six hours!
It is less than you might think.

The claims are of course that it will only be in cases where there were no complications and both mother and child are well.
That many serious problems both physical and psychological can manifest later with several of them hard to spot in an early stage seem to me not have been fully taken into account.

The pressure on a family to leave as soon as possible when everything seems fine must be enormous even if i am sure that medical staff will be most careful not to be blatant about it.
Hospital-employees will find that the first precious hours the mother will spend with her child are timed and the amount of empathy and concern they can spend on making them special will be in a race against the clock.
That management will enforce this new rule and ensure that staff try to send new families home fast in order to save money is obvious.
Medical expertise and the considerations due a mother, child and significant other will have to compete with budget constraints and demands from management.

I am afraid that the losers will be us, all of us each and every time.

Chapter 130 Standards anyone?

Verse 1

Another Monday has come and is soon gone. It has not been the most fruitful of days but in my experience Mondays seldom are.
I haven't been able to take my daily walk and that annoys me. For some reason my left ankle is hurting like i have sprained it which i am quite sure i haven't.

I was forced to call a it-supportcenter earlier today and i have to say i was impressed by the representative, he told me he would check some things and call me back. And he did!
He was unable to fix the problem though but i was impressed anyway.

I have managed to get some things done today despite it being Monday. I applied for a new jobb and it will be exciting to see how that goes. The company deals in some interesting products i think but i expect many would disagree.
Let me just say that you got to have standards!

Chapter 129 To Nintendo Wii or not to Nintendo Wii

Verse 1

Today at breakfast we talked about getting a Nintendo Wii and later that got me thinking about Choice, all the choices we make all the time with or without really thinking about them but that all have consequences.

Choices can be major ones like regarding a careerchange, getting a new car or to adopt a child.
Most of the choices we make are relatively minor ones such as what gaming console to get, whether to call that friend or what to have for lunch.
I also would like to simplify some more and say that there are two kinds of thinking behind most choices. A deliberate one and the one that is more or less subconscious.

The deliberate choice is considered and can be based on researched facts or absolute preferences and when you make it you are well aware of it and the reasons why.
- I want a Nintendo Wii for its motion-sensor feature.
- I will buy a red car because red is beautiful and i love it.
- We will adopt because it is the right thing to do for us.

A subconscious choice can be influenced by advertising, peer-pressure or feelings you don't realize you have. You might not even notice that a decision has been made or on what grounds.
- All your friends have Nintendo Wii so you will get one.
- The guys on MTV said red is the coolest so your new car will be red.
- You don't want call the friend so you get busy with other things.

These are a few examples of choices we can make and true for all is that they will have consequences and sometimes we lie about why we made them.

You might want to do this or that but in the end you need to choose and that will have consequences.

Is that why we lie?

Chapter 128 Rio de Janeiro 2016

Verse 1

Congratulations Rio de Janeiro and Brazil for getting to host the Summer Olympics 2016!

The biggest surprise was probably that Chicago seen as the favorite by many was eliminated in the first round of voting and this will of course be used against Obama by many republicans that will take any opportunity to find fault with the President.

The final vote stood between Rio and Madrid and with Barcelona hosting as late as 1992 the outcome was almost certain, especially as no south-american city has ever hosted the olympics.

Some concerns regarding the choice of host city and indeed nation is among others the vast amount of money needed to improve infrastructure, some eleven billion dollars is quoted. Included there is not the cost to actually arrange the games that will probably be an additional couple of billions.
A few other issues are the Favelas, huge slums that crowd the city as well as Rio's reputation as one of the most violent cities in the world with big gang problems.

There are naturally several positive things to say about Rio de Janeiro and some that spring to mind are the samba and the beaches. That together with a both friendly and welcoming nature of Brazilians in a city rich with culture and history visitors are bound enjoy the stay.
A tropical climate is of course an added bonus enjoyed by many sun-starved northerners such as myself.

Let us all hope that these are the things the Summer Olympics 2016 in Rio de Janeiro will be remembered for.

Chapter 127 Google Wave invites

Verse 1

Like so many others i am standing in line hoping to get an invition to Google Wave that just recently got released to 100000 people and as always the internet is full of promises.
On ebay you can of course find several but the risks of buying these invites there should be obvious to any one who has done their homework on internetscams. Reports also state that ebay remove listings continuously but a search shows well over a hundred sold invites at prices in the region of 2000SEK.

In the faint hope of a good samaritan i will say only this while i hope for luck.
If you have an invitation that you want to give to me it will be very appreciated.
daiquar[at]gmail.com

Thank you.

Chapter 126 Google Sidewiki

Verse 1

Today i found out about another Google release, Google sidewiki.
It is a way for any visitor to a webpage to both find and contribute information through a browser sidebar.
I would think that anyone who has ever used Wikipedia will be familiar with the concept and this feature can become very useful although there are several concerns. I will use the text i myself published in a sidewiki on the subject that brings up two topics that are discussed on the net.
"The fact that the sidewiki moves content from the page in question whether it be a blog or any other kind to Google. The loss could potentially be devastating and as has also been discussed is the attractiveness of sidewiki for spammers."
These are questions that will need to answered and most likely will be very much debated and talked about as sidewiki sees more use.

So far Google Sidewiki requires Internet Explorer 6+ or Firefox 2+ and it's a feature of Google Toolbar. It does not yet work for Google Chrome funnily enough but work is underway to fix that strange oversight.

Here is view of something i published through Firefox on Chapter 125.



The sidebar can be collapsed or expanded and it is easy to see if the there is a sidewiki available on a specific webpage. It is very likely that we will find the feature more and more often in the near future as Google will ensure that entries on the same topic will be spread.

More detailed information on in my opinion a very interesting feature can be found here

Chapter 125 Medusa

Verse 1

I was out for meat and drink yesterday with some friends and ex co-workers when i learned something new from K.
Schtaan (spelling unclear) is apparently what Skellefteå is known as internationally, at least that was what K was told by a friend. She was more than a little surprised as she is from that town herself and she had never heard of the expression.
It just goes to show that there are treasures of knowledge, however doubtful to be found when and where you least expect them.

Schtaan? I never even knew.