I often wonder why it’s not automatic, organ donation that is.  If someone comes into an emergency room.. and they can’t be saved their organs should be automatically donated, unless they have specifically stated they don’t want to donate.

Instead, the way it is now, if someone dies and hasn’t previously stated on their medical records or drivers license they want to be an organ donor.. then tough noogies.  So then the decision falls to the grieving family to decide to cut up their family to save strangers.   Most people aren’t that big, they are too selfish and can’t look past their own grief to help someone.  Give them a week or two, and they probably would.. but the organs are only viable for up to 24 hours (72 for kidneys) after death.

[lots of information about donations here]

Plus did you know, just because you have said once upon a time you that you wanted to be an organ donor, it doesn’t mean that you are still one now?  For example, if you were an organ donor on your drivers license when you were a teenager, but in later years when you renewed you didn’t tick that box you may no longer be an organ donor.    They are actually supposed to ask you every time… before a surgery, license renewal.. basically every opportunity, whether or not you want to be or are an organ donor.  Even if you said yes 50 times, if the last time before the ‘moment of truth’, they didn’t ask, didn’t make a note of your answer or you said no then that’s it.  If they don’t know, the absolutely HAVE to err on the side of no.

So this means you could be an organ donor on your drivers license your entire adult life, your medical records can have showed you as a donor, but if somehow somewhere you forgot to renew the donation ‘bit’ and they do not have a clear cut recent YES.  Then no organs or tissue for those who could use it.  [A really great article from a Doctor in Canada about all of this]

Now I get that for a lot of people there are a lot of things to consider…. but really what it boils down to is once you’re dead you’re dead.  What in god’s name do you need kidneys for?  Ok for some there are personal and/or religious considerations.  Fine.. let them say ” Hey I don’t want you to use you my organs and tissue” let them specify themselves that they don’t want to participate.

A single body can save 9 lives, maybe even more.

Did you know in some places even if you mark your drivers license as a donor, you are still not actually a donor.  You’re just marked as and ‘intended’ donor… it’s still up to your family in the end.  [According to this Document] So not only do you need to say you want to be a donor, in the US you have to register with a national organization too.

Seriously?? Most people are too lazy to any of the above, but most people wouldn’t actually object to organ donation.  And even if they did have some minor qualms… (aka no serious religious or person issues) Dude… once their dead… who cares.. they certainly don’t (they are fricken dead).

The Canadian association [here] you can register to be an organ donor, by calling a number, register etc.  It’s all pretty simple, but the sad reality is that most people don’t and won’t, it’s a do it later thing.   You know, tomorrow… that day that never comes.

Well, seriously it isn’t that hard.  You should talk to your family let them know if you are for or against organ donation.  ‘I don’t care’ isn’t an option, if you don’t care then go with ‘yes, I’ll donate’.  The steps you need to take in Canada are [here].

I’m aware that I repeated myself a little here, but I think that it’s pretty important.  And I don’t think that most people know much about all of this, not because they really don’t care but it’s just not super fun to think about.  Chew on this, what if it was your loved one in need of a donation to live?  What if you needed the donation?  Remember the Golden Rule, ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.  I would want them to save my life, so I’m definitely willing to save theirs.

What is trust?  Well according to Dictionary.com

verb

13.	to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually fol. by in or to): to trust in another’s honesty; trusting to luck.

14.	to have confidence; hope: Things work out if one only trusts.

16.	to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.

17.	to believe.

18.	to expect confidently; hope (usually fol. by a clause or infinitive as object): trusting the job would soon be finished; trusting to find oil on the land.

19.	to commit or consign with trust or confidence.

20.	to permit to remain or go somewhere or to do something without fear of consequences: He does not trust his children out of his sight.

21.	to invest with a trust; entrust with something.

Ok, well that’s a dictionary definition, but what does it mean to you?  How important is trust to you?

How do decide if someone is worthy of your trust?  Are you the kind of person who just gives it out like candy, or do people need to earn your trust?  If someone has broken your trust, can they earn it back?  Why, why not, how?

Musical interlude!!!  I love this song! 

I hear a lot of people talking about how you need to earn their trust.  That it’s a privilege.  So what does that mean, that you trust no one until they have passed a certain number of ‘tests’?   Seems a little depressing to me…

I am more of the I trust you.  Done, until you do something to break that trust.  Perhaps it’s naive of me, but I like it.  I suppose one could argue that I get hurt more often for my innocent trusting ways.  But to be frank I couldn’t really imagine it any other way… I’m not big on tests.  I will admit I’m a lot slower at letting people on in, but not so much out of a lack of trust just that I don’t feel like making everyone my best friend and then having them crap on me.  So I wait a little while before making them my bosom buddy.

So what happens if someone breaks my trust?  Well, it’s pretty much done.  If you break my trust, it’s not that I won’t forgive you I will.   But try as I might, I just can’t trust you anymore.  I can often let it go and ignore that area.. say if it’s about money then we’ll just avoid that topic to the end of time.  But what if it’s something bigger that can’t be avoided?

So once someone has betrayed or broken a trust can it be earned back?  I mean for me… it seems like the answer is no.  I just don’t have any protocol in place for establishing trust.. it’s either there or not.  So what about people who make you jump through 25 hoops to win their trust.  Can you earn trust back from them?  I mean they have already established a pattern of proving yourself, so in theory while possibly challenging couldn’t you just jump through 100 hoops and prove yourself once again?

Or is it just over?  Once trust has been broken can it be fixed?  Does it need to be earned?  Or can you just have faith in the goodness of others?

What do you think?

So I have concluded that the preconceptions, protocol and rules for behavior online where written about ten-15 years ago when most of us got online.  Really it probably mostly started for you the day you downloaded msn.  (unless you started out with ICQ like us cool kids if you’re cooler and started earlier… shutty)

Back then most, if not all, folks where on dial up.  You couldn’t just hang out online, because it tied up your phone.  Even if you got a second phone line, which most of us did as we got more into the internet, you still paid for how long you were online and the information transferred.  It wasn’t a flat fee, and even if you had a flat fee it was just slow… hella slow.  Computers were slow the internet is slow.

But it was all we knew.  So sitting in front of a box for 6 hours TRYING to do stuff online compared to the fact we could get it all done in 20 mins now, was a bit of a waste of time.  Even in uni where most of us were plugged into internet so fast that it puts most of your ADSL to shame and online 24-7, we still didn’t hang out around the computer for long periods of time.

So ‘back in the day’ when we all got online but didn’t really hang out there, online meant something different.  You were there with intent.  You turned the computer on, went online and were looking for and expecting others to play with.  You weren’t playing around in your email, watching tv, movies, youtube.  You weren’t just sitting at your desk, writing, reading, or doing home work playing music online.  Essentially just sitting near by.

Now we all have cable internet, satellite, ADSL, fiber optic… it’s cheap fast and consistent.  We’re online all the time, we’re plugged in.   Most people never turn their computer off.  So.. now what?  How can we justify the same rules still applying?  Obviously most people haven’t really thought about it.

Oh sure you just lurk offline, busy or away to discourage people from sending you messages.  Hell most chat programs have enabled the ‘offline’ chat, so you can lurk around offline but still talk to you who want to.

Seriously?  This is what it has come to?  We have to hide?  When I commented about the whole business on Facebook, a friend mentioned that chat services all have the option of just turning them off, if you don’t want to chat shut it off.  Fair enough, but why should I have to?  Do I have to turn my phone off if I don’t want to talk?  Can’t I just silence the ringer?  Then I know you called me, I can send you a text or call you back.  Sigh.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a little odd when I send people a message and it shows them as online but they don’t reply at all.  And even a little rude when they continually ignore me with out so much as a ‘hi, sorry I’m busy’ or an email or message at some later time.  BUT  I don’t assume that you being online means you’re really there and I don’t take it as a mortal insult if you don’t reply to me.  Plus there is always the possibility that there are technical difficulties.

You can’t tell me that you’ve never popped in to check and email and been assaulted by a barrage of messages from people.  And then when you don’t reply or tell people you’re busy they get all cranky at you.  Like you (by being online) have initiated contact somehow and are being an asshole.  Everyone has, hence almost everyone sets their chat things… to away or appear offline.

Well I think it’s ridiculous.  New rules of edict should be written taking into account the changing times.  Just talking to someone because your status says online but then being obviously short with them is not the solution.  I’ve been told well it’s rude not to say anything.  And I totally can see that point, but one of my best friends has an easy solution for that, if he’s not in a chatting mood, he just asks if there is anything important up, but if not he’s not really in the mood to chat.  Nope I just wanted to say hi and tll, or yeah I needed to ask you xyz and was hoping for immediate feedback.

That wasn’t hard was it?  I have stopped chatting to people out of some sort of obligatory, you sent me an IM so I must reply, because I just come off as rude.   I don’t want to talk to you right now.  It’s not that I don’t like you, maybe I’m in a bad mood, maybe I’m doing something, maybe I honestly don’t feel like talking to YOU at this moment.  Is that really such a big deal?  We all have call display, we all screen our calls from time to time.  No one is wounded in this process.

I’m sure we (the people of the online world) can come up with a solution and agreement on the proper responses and protocol but someone has to bring it up first.  Here I am, bringing it up.  (and I claim all bragging rights when it becomes all universal, [grin]).  Besides the whole hide offline is silly as we all KNOW that people are probably online as no one really  turns their computers off.

Thoughts?

I haven’t been writing much on here lately.  Mostly because when I have time to write, I don’t seem to have anything I want to write about.  And then I have a couple of ‘bitchin’ ideas that I want to write down mull over and share. But oh lookie no time.  And we all know me, if I don’t do it now or close to know I’ll either get bored or forget completely.

I would list out the 3 or four posts I INTENDED to write, but honestly for the life of me I can’t really remember what they were about or how I intended to write them (I usually have some kind of angle that I want to throw stuff out at that I think is interesting or cool).

Sigh, I guess the trick is popping in here and writing a sentence or two as a reminder so when I have time I don’t stare at the blank page and wonder what the hell it was I was going to write last night.  Ooops, I’d say lesson learn but it’s more lesson reminded.  I knew all of this before, and actually did it.  I don’ really know when I stopped doing it.  silly rabbit!

Oh well I have an idea and I’m going to write it down… (I know two two whole Ideas.. my cup overfloweth )

So there is this show that started last year that I’m super into.  Called, you guessed it, Lie to me.   It’s all based on the science of this guy called Dr. Paul Ekman, it’s one of the coolest shows I’ve ever seen if for no other reason that the whole thing is based on real stuff.  It’s all about micro expressions, and how you can tell people are lying.  They have all kinds of real life references, pictures etc of famous people that have been later been proven to be lying. (like that OJ kid)

Well every since I saw the show ‘Lie to me’ I have been really interested in the whole topic and with a little research I discovered that not only was it all based on real stuff the main character is (loosely) based on a real guy, who is an actual consultant on the show.  Not only does he consult on the show but Ekman does some vlogs to break down the science behind some of the stuff touched on in ‘Lie to me’.  I, unfortunately not living in the USA, can’t watch the videos but the fact that it’s done is interesting in itself.

I did a little exploring on Ekman’s site, and discovered that he has a training that he offers (well actually there are a couple of different trainings).  It’s mostly for cops, immigration officers etc, who need it for work.  But honestly, it’s super interesting to me so I thought I would try it.  Unfortunately, I suck and put things off all the time, which is retarded as I actually wanted to do it.  So I still haven’t done it… Well BOOOYAH

Chuckles here, paid for the training course, FINALLY.  I actually started the training tonight, but I’ve been sick all weekend and I have a killer headache.  So I’m actually going to go to bed and pick things up again tomorrow.

But!!  I did the pre test already, and got 71% (yay me!).  In order to get the certificate you need to get 80%, but that’s after the training videos and the practice sessions.  And I have already been doing better on the practice session, after the training videos.  I know I’m not up for the test tonight, so I’m going to finish the training in the morning, and then take the final test.  Tralalala.

Plus honestly it’s not very expensive, $70, for something that I’m super interested in, I think it’s totally worth it.  I’ll let you know how it goes, plus now I totally want to interview people and video so I can watch it in slow motion and check stuff… like give them scripts and check their true feelings.

Quick last min note, did you know when a smile doesn’t include the crinkling of the eyes that usually means that the smile is in-genuine.  Take a look at most of your pictures, we all put on nice pretty smiles but it doesn’t reach their eyes.  Most of us ix-nay the pictures with the crinkly eyes because we think it makes us looks old, but those are real and genuine expressions!  So embrace the crinkles I say!

So I haven’t written much lately, but I’ve been grumpy stressed and sick… and generally speaking when I look back on things I like to pretend that all the bad stuff didn’t happen.  yay.  But the reality is everything isn’t sunshine and roses. Well it is.. but stuff gets to me from time to time.

Last week I was feeling down, I was mildly concerned about my mom.  But to be honest I wasn’t all that worried, I mean there wasn’t much I could do until after the surgery.  The obnoxious comment my boss made REALLY upset me, I’m extremely tired of being lonely and single.   I was bummed that Tracey was away and I couldn’t talk with her, and my other best friends is still unable or unwilling to talk to me.  And to top it off his (ex)wife is in town visiting so now I’m not allowed call him… (yeah I know… wtf… so years of close friendship doesn’t trump ex-wife???? really???).

Put that on all on top of an ” I was sick” which makes me a BIG FAT SISSY PANTS about absolutely everything.   Which turns normal ‘I’m kinda grumpy about xyz’ into flipping out about everything.

Anywho, I don’t actually want to be a grumpy gus , so this is me being sunny and positive .  Well not really but hey.  I did manage to get my sickies to go away enough to be able to run this weekend (twice even) and I went for a bike ride yesterday too.   I am supposed to be training for a 1/2 marathon in eep two weeks.   I’m taking today off but I’ll be running most days….

I went out for Halloween with my new friend Alisa, who I met at the Oktoberfest we all went to a couple of weeks ago (I put pictures up on Facebook).  I did sort of have to do the bounce between two groups thing as Mel came to the same party but she was in the techno room and Alisa was in the hip hop room.  Why am I the only person I know who is cool with both kinds of music?  Sigh.

I met Melissa’s new roomates who are really sweet and I hung out with Jodie while she was cleaning her new apartment.

Ok.. I’m just super bored writing now..  and I think it’s translating into the writing.  So I’m done now…

Am I overly cynical?  screw that .. I’m so not.

This is ridiculous… go to this site.   http://www.thestick.com/ Make your own judgment and then come back and see what I have to say.

Back yet?

Ok…. SERIOUSLY!!! WTF  it’s a fucking stick….. it’s a STICK…. they have built up a big ole site with all kinds of famous athletes giving testimonials about the wonder and amazingness of the GREAT product!

It’s a STICK!

A fucking  stick!!!!! lol I’m torn being highly amused and horrified.  I mean seriously.. they have like 50 products..  it’s like a hundred bucks.  A HUNDRED BUCKS for a fucking stick… lol.  But!  They also have travel sticks, sprinter sticks, the original sticks, and instructional DVD’s you know.. so you can learn to operate a stick.

So why am I being such a poop?  I mean it’s endorsed by Olympians for God sakes, it must be a wondrous creations.  Oh what is it for? What does it do… little miss critical? hu hu?

Well, did you know when you use your muscles they gets knots… that’s right knots… and stick is a most effective way to get rid of them.  How you ask? by beating them to death? NO.. you use the stick, you see it has these groves and bumps (innovative hu!!) and you rub the stick to manipulate the muscles and increase blood flow.  Massage them if you will.

So basically it’s a massage stick…. lol.  So you could save yourself a few hundred bucks and oh use your thumbs.. or a fricken broom stick even.

But I’m just flabbergasted at the number of things that people just believe because they are told this is good great awesome product by ‘experts’.   And how many people will write amazing reviews for stupid products, sigh.  The funny thing is I actually know and understand the psychology behind this behavior, and perhaps that is why it is so transparent to me.

That’s my little rant for today

(Here is a review written by someone who has actually used it!  I’m a personal trainer as well an athlete training for Ironman triathlon. At a recent event expo, I stopped at the “Stick” exhibit to explain that I was in fact terribly disappointed with their product. He agreed with me!!! But offered that the problem was in the model, that I needed to purchase the larger model to get the proper effects. Ohhh, I need the more expensive one to actually benefit, is that it? He began to demonstrate, causing me to abruptly insist that he stop because it was hurting me. He became extremely aggressive in his demonstration and within seconds, actually brutalizing my muscles with this ridiculous gadgetry, inflaming nerves along the back of the leg which spurred severe cramping of the foot and toes!! Do not walk … run. This is a terrible, worthless product sold by idiot nitwits that think its okay to man-handle people with detriment!!! They and their product have worsened any muscle fatigue or soreness that I had and I would give anything to hit him in the head with that ridiculous “STICK”.)

Although this is much more Tracey’s thing, this video is pretty cool.  It’s about the group for the prevention of negative climate change.

if you’re interested in more information, then go check out their website

http://www.350.org/

(bet Tracey’s going to piddle herself with joy that I posted this   )

Do have any idea how much porn has changed the world?  What kind of control and effect it has had on the modern world, consumer products and a million other things?

What really decided who won between Betamax and VHS?  Why did Blue Ray win that contest?  Why do all DVD players have a multi-angle viewing button?  Why can we send and receive pictures on our phones? Why is suddenly so important to have 3G phones?  Camcorders… digital cameras, payper view, satellite and cable tv, the internet.. the list goes on and on.

Porn.. porn (and sex) is one of the leading driving forces behind a lot of technological advances.  Now this won’t come as much of a surprise to some people, but I think a lot of people will be at least a little surprised.

Did you know that the reason VHS became the primary technology was NOT actually because Sony wouldn’t let anyone else use the technology.  It was due to the porn industry choosing VHS as the platform on which to produce their films because it was cheaper for them to produce.. and suddenly.. loe all kinds of people had a VHS player (why buy the expensive one that won’t play your sexy films on it??)

Don’t believe me?  Do you own a DVD player?  Go check the remote.  Does it have ‘change viewing angle button’ on it?  They all do, I have never seen one that doesn’t (anywhere in the world).  But what ever for?  Have you ever watched a movie that you could change the angle in?  Just recently they have released some sports videos with that feature (very recently).  So if no one uses it, and it’s not a feature that is on any DVD’s how did it get included in every single player?  I’ll give you a hint.. sexy naked movies have multiple angles (and until this year they were the only thing that did).

Blue ray… HDVD.. who’s coming out on top..  you didn’t actually think that it mattered who disney picked did you?  Or whether people like the PS3 more or less than the XBOX360.. oh gosh you did.  It all came down to the porn industry.  Like it or not, sex is in demand.  It’s the only consumer product that there is always, ALWAYS a market for.  Everyone in the know always said, which ever platform the porn industry decided on would come out on top (boom shackalacka.. blue ray it is).

There are so many things, apparently the big pushes in phone technologies, turning them into hand held computers is being driven by the money that producers realize is in sex.  You might enjoy all the great features that allow you to check your email, send your mom a picture, and watch a youtube video but they didn’t make it for you.  They made it for the horney hunnies with the moneys.

Did you really think that people wanting to film their kids soccer game, or people wanting to take picture with out having to go to printing shop was really driven by our consumerism?  Sorry to ruin your fantasies kiddos.

So how far does it all reach?  Who the hell knows, most of us don’t even know about the things I just mentioned.  Hell I didn’t know about most of them until somewhat recently (the last 5 years or so anyway).

Well I just though of another one.  (Now keep in mind this is just my theory but I think it makes a HELL of a lot of sense).  Our current social desire for hairlessness.  Think about it, humans have been around for eons and this hairless thing has only become a real fashion in the past 20-30 years.  I was thikning about it, wondering if the fashion would ever go back to having hairy arm pits, and un trimmed un waxed bits and places. (aka your crotch).  Who knows…

But I do know that it was the norm, not all that long ago.  So why did it change?  What drove that change?  My money is on porn.  I suspect that they started ‘cleaning up’ the fuzzy bits in porn to give folks a better look at what they were doing.  I mean you can hardly get a good view of what someone is doing to a girl with full bush, or what’s happening on the guy behind his own personal tundra.  If they are both sporting little crotch lions, you’re not going to see NUTHIN’.

I bet that some director was filming and said oh for Christ’s sake.. someone shave this check so I can get some good angles.  BOOM  a trend is born.  Next thing you know, the bikini wax/shave gets higher and higher.  Voila, a few years/generations later, not only are almost all people sporting virtually no pubic hair, it’s considered EXTREMELY bad form to not tidy, trim and clean the area up.  For both men and women.

More and more women shave it all, or almost all,  a lot of men are getting into it too.  Waxing is more popular than ever, not only does it get everything out of the way, it lets you avoid stubble and keeps you clean and smooth much longer.  The porn star wax (as I like to call it) is become more popular and common.

I’m telling you… if porn got interested in the environment Tracey would probably do a little jig in pure excitement at all the changes and innovation it would bring.

Anyway that was what crossed my mind earlier today (damn I stayed up late scribbling this all out.. oops)

Another article that someone else wrote on a similar subject.