From the Inside Out

It’s 2:45 a.m on Wednesday. You’re alone. You need money and cigarettes. What do you do?

Why not grab a sword, dress in black and rob a 7-Eleven?

Sound like a bad idea? Well, Phong Nguyen didn’t think so. He robbed a McKinney 7-Eleven while wielding a sword and dressed in black. Very “Ninja” of him, don’t you think?

Too bad he wasn’t as smooth or stealthy as a real ninja. Just minutes after the robbery was reported, the police stopped his Nissan Altima near the store. He still had his sword, the money and stolen merchandise with him.

Perhaps he should stick with something like “Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox” and lay off the cigarettes.  Real ninjas don’t smoke anyway.

I know Jesus can appear anywhere, at any time and in any form, but the “Jesus sightings” are getting out of control. Seriously, do you think he chooses to reveal himself on a rock, in wood paneling, a tree, planter, fish stick, mug, pumpkin, spoon, grilled cheese sandwich, window, telephone pole, cat, cloud, frying pan, sink, moth, sonogram, french fry, or turtle shell?

C’mon…really?

What are these people smoking? Is it an attempt to get 15 minutes of fame, or are they crazy? What’s even more disconcerting are all of the people who come out to see it or take pictures. Some are emotionally moved by the experience — crying and saying it’s Jesus talking to them or giving them a sign.

Now, if someone finds deep meaning by seeing Jesus in a frying pan, who am I to judge? God does work in mysterious ways; however, I am, and will always be, skeptical.

I groan each time I hear about one of these “sightings” because I don’t think God creates images of himself on rocks, screen doors or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Why, oh why, do the news stations continue to cover these crazy stories? It’s beyond me. I just don’t get it.

The latest claim is from a North Texas family who says they discovered Jesus in a bag of 99-cent Cheetos. Dan Bell and his wife have lost their minds and claim that a two-inch tall figurine with extended arms is “Cheesus.” They aren’t the first family to make this claim, and they probably won’t be the last. Another family found “Cheesus” last year too.

So, what do you think: is it Cheesus or just plain Cheesy?

How cool is this? University of Wisconsin doctoral student Adam Wilson recently sent a Twitter message by using his mind instead of his hands. Using a cap equipped with electrodes that monitor brain activity, he simply concentrated on the letters he wanted “typed” and then focused on the word “twit” at the bottom to post the tweet. “Spelling with my brain,” was one of the first messages sent.

The way it works is interesting. All the letters are displayed on the computer screen, and they flash individually. When the letter on which you are focusing flashes, your brain registers that change. This momentary change in brain activity is read by the electrodes in the cap, and the corresponding letter is typed on the computer screen.

Wilson wants to use this technology with patients suffering from “locked-in syndrome”, a neurological condition that paralyzes people but leaves their mind intact. It provides an efficient way for them to communicate in a normal fashion, and at a distance. Twitter also provides the opportunity for these individuals to interface online with people who wouldn’t necessarily know that they are disabled, which could be empowering.

While they don’t know when this might be commercially available or how much it would cost, it does have the potential to change the way we interface with computer systems in the future. Wouldn’t it be great if I could just type this blog using only my thoughts instead of my hands? Maybe one day, I will.

If you watch TV, listen to the radio, or read the news, then it’s likely you’ve heard about Bernard Madoff. Madoff’s resume boasts 40+ years of experience as a trader, chairman of the Nasdaq stock market and hedge fund manager. He was well-respected, but for years there were rumors on Wall Street about his hedge fund. The returns were too high, and his operation was slim considering the tens of billions of dollars that were being managed.

Federal prosecutors recently charged Madoff with securities fraud that may have cost investors up to $50 billion. Madoff is accused of operating a giant Ponzi scheme in which money is taken from new investors to pay earlier investors. This could be one of the biggest Wall Street scams ever.

To help explain a ponzi scheme, Ernie and the Cookie Monster break it down into simple terms that anyone can understand, even a child. Check it out.

NASA is letting the public choose the name of its newest addition to the International Space Station (Node 3 and its cupola). According to the NASA website, the “name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station, and follow in the tradition set by Node 1-Unity and Node 2-Harmony.”

The cupola will be delivered to the space station in December and will offer spectacular views of Earth. Six rectangular windows and one circular window will offer a panoramic view unrivaled by any other spacecraft ever flown. The cupola will also contain a robotics workstation to allow astronauts to control the giant robotic arm of the space station. Node 3 will house many of the station’s life support systems.

The leading names are:

• Earthrise
• Legacy
• Serenity
• Venture

However, you can suggest a name if you think you have a better one. One of my favorite “write-in” names is Tranquility, but since I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, I’ve got to stick with Serenity. It’s the name of Whedon’s 2005 movie which was the continuation of a short-lived scifi series on Fox. Serenity was also the name of the cargo ship that transported the characters around the ‘verse. It’s just so fitting for the space station.

Voting is open through March 20, and the winning name will be announced in April. I’ve already placed my vote. To register yours, click here.