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February 27, 2007

'The Secret' is that fools read books, too

They say you can't fool all of the people all of the time, but you can still take advantage of enough to make a buck.

"The Secret," a new self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, has been pumped up by none other than Oprah, and an article in Newsweek gives those of us who smelled a rat from the beginning the low-down.

Apparenlty the book espouses the "law of attraction" philosophy that your mind can control physical objects and cause circumstances to play out as you wish. Want to loose weight? Stop thinking "fat thoughts" and envision yourself as thin.
Want to recover from cancer? Think about being healthy. Fancy a gold-plated Ferrari? Just put the thought out there and it's as good as yours.

Of course, anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows this is hogwash. Plenty of us wish for health and happiness, and most of the time the universe responds with total indifference. Leaving aside God and miracles, why would the forces of the universe care one bit whether we slim down enough to fit inside an Italian sportscar?

While the book may be full of pseudoscience, it does reveal one thing: some people are willing to give anything a shot, especially if there's little work or determination needed. This is the reason my self-help book, "Get a Job and Stop Buying Shoes," was such a miserable failure. OK, the last part is a joke.

And wasn't Oprah the one who went ballistic on the author of "A Million Little Pieces" for taking creative liberties with his story? At least that book could have been true.

Folks, if you're going to go to the bookstore for something like this, you might as well stay home and watch television. Anyhow, if you will yourself the book, it ought to show up on its own.

Posted by Greg Sidor at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2007

Stars in their eyes?

NASA is planning to work with Virgin Galactic as that company pursues commerical space flight. While the agency won't be funding the effort, it seems like politicians should keep a watchful eye on this.

I'm a space nerd, but I don't believe taxpayer dollars should go to funding a commerical program that will likely be available only to the super-rich. The supersonic Concorde jet was never accessible to the masses, and I'm wondering how trips into orbit will succeed where it failed.

NASA seems to be mostly interested in developing new technologies and hiring companies to ferry supplies to the International Space Station, which is probably a good thing, seeing as the shuttle fleet is close to retirement.

For now, though, the government should stay grounded when it comes to investing in what will likely remain a recreational technology for those with galaxy-sized wallets.

Posted by Greg Sidor at 12:57 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2007

From the mouths of babes

I was window shopping at Target the other day when I came upon a small child playing the Xbox 360 game console. He was probably about 7 years old, and was very busy shooting robot/alien things that where chasing after his robotic character.

He was totally immersed in the game, and after shooting some particulary pesky adversaries, blurted out, "Die muddah ------," charming speech impediment and all.

I was taken aback. Not by his crass language, but by the fact he was speaking in cheap movie cliches. If he's already relying on action movies for his slang, things aren't likely to get better down the road. Imagine how sick his parents will be once he discovers lines from our esteemed Governator.

Parents, if you're going to allow your kids to watch violent films, at least give them the cream of the crop. Otherwise you'll have to suffer through the repition of already tired lines. If you don't care enough to keep their mouths clean, at least keep them creative.

Posted by Greg Sidor at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2007

Focus on the Family a bit blurry?

While researching the new HPV vaccine (the one that can immunize women against cervical cancer), I came across this document about talking to your children about the vaccine. It all seemed reasonable, until I reached the talking points you're supposed to share with kids. This one stuck out:

It’s clearly written in the Bible that God wants us to save all kinds of sex for marriage. This is so that you will be protected from diseases that are spread from one person to another through sexual contact and so that you can fully enjoy God’s plan for your life.

I'm no Biblical scholar, but I'm pretty sure the Bible is mum on the existence of viruses. The germ theory seems to have come along much later, around 1835.
So what gives? Are they playing fast and loose with the facts, or is there a lost sermon about antibiotics somewhere in there?

Posted by Greg Sidor at 12:58 AM | Comments (0)

February 01, 2007

Aqua Teen Hunger Force almost ends the world

Today was the day that one of my favorite shows, [adult swim]'s Aqua Teen Hunger Force, sent folks in Boston over the edge.

I have to admit, the devices looked a little suspicious, but since when do terrorists decorate the outsides of bombs with pictures of aliens giving us the finger? Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

In any event, it's a good "teaching moment" for my readers. Aqua Teen Hunger Force follows the exploits of Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad (guess which is which) as they waste away their days in suburban New Jersey. They're joined by Carl, an overweight neighbor with no morals and bad hygiene, and an assortment of aliens. And I dare say that sometimes it all borders on poetry.

Gentlemen, if you can find a girl who appreciates ATHF, do two things: First, check for stubble on her face. You may have been the victim of a cruel prank. Second, if she passes that test, hold onto her tightly and never let her go.

Head over to www.adultswim.com to see what you, and a large portion of Boston's population, have been missing.

Posted by Greg Sidor at 12:50 AM | Comments (0)