Beefing up streaming content in  Media Center:  http://lifehacker.com/5602709/

I built a PC not long ago that’s dedicated to the TV, for streaming and what not.  I was using Media Center to stream Netflix, but have pretty much stopped using MC in favor of just using a web browser to get Netflix content.  The only thing I still find MC useful for is watching ripped movies that are stored locally, but if this enhancement can help then that would make it a much more attractive option.

We won our nation’s independence for $2.4 billion in today’s money, the Congressional Research Service report said. That was good value, considering that we now fritter the same amount every nine days in Afghanistan. Mr. Obama, isn’t it time to rebalance our priorities?

After reading about those that fight wars, and those that want to fight revolutions, it’s important to consider the cost of those things.  The United States already spends almost 60% of its budget on military applications, what I believe is called ‘National Security’.  At what point do we realize that what we are doing isn’t effective or efficient, and then how do we make that change?  There are better ways to spend money, there are better ways to win hearts and minds.

You would never win my heart or mind by blowing up my countrymen.  Even if I didn’t like them much.

I ran across this story in the New York Times:  Firing Line.  I didn’t really come across it as in I was perusing the New York Times casually, and all of a sudden went, ‘ah hah, this looks interesting’.  I found the link via a tweet from one of the random weird people I follow.  Anyway, it’s about Appleseed.  Which I guess you would call an organization, and they will train anyone a modest fee to learn how to kill people at 500 yards.  A skill that would hopefully have limited application in day-to-day life, but I believe you could simply say that they teach marksmanship.  With serious guns.  Behind all of this is what I would consider to be thinly veiled anti-government militia training group with a nice cop out to say they are, indeed, not that.  The story is a long one, but after reading it I could give them some benefit of the doubt, in that the actual process of this marksmanship training, or perhaps association with more moderate sentiments, seems to defuse the more devout…the crazies.  Seemingly it draws people back from a more dark place.  I like to think that they begin to realize the futility of what they fantasize about doing, or that some modicum of reality interacting with fantasy satiates urges.

All that was to point out that I also found this, somehow: The War Project.  I only read one story there, Sgt. George Zubaty’s story.  It’s compelling stuff, and you begin to understand that there are some hard-core motherfuckers out there, that aren’t showy about it.  They just are.  I had read this story before the one above, and as I read the one above I thought about how mistaken those fellows learning to shoot targets at 500 yards are; though to their credit they seem to be aware of it, at least those interviewed.   I’m not sure that I wanted to make any bold statements, only that I found the juxtaposition of the two stories interesting, and for some reason it seems they are both pointing out something important.  I’m not sure what.