Naked Paul Toast’s Insights

I was in a Wendys, my second favorite burger joint yesterday. Easily, the hardest working employee in the place was a young man with Down syndrome.

I’ve grown so accustomed to the stamped, sullen faces on most teenagers working in retail, I barely notice how much they don’t want to be there. They don’t even bother with a forced smile anymore. Actually getting a thank you, is a victory.

This was where he was very different from the rest of the Wendys’ employees. He actually seemed genuinely happy to be there. He happily bussed and washed the tables and counters, smiling at everyone. And not the fake, contrived smile that employee of the month candidates adorn, this guy smiled with his whole face. There was one table, with three pretty young ladies, he was especially interested in ensuring their table was clean, he wiped it down three times.
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A few months ago, I brought Science Made Easy. An excellent YouTube video series, by potholer54, describing the scientific process, and explaining how we know, what we know.

Potholer54 has a second YouTube video channel, Potholer54debunks. He deliberately keeps his debunking videos, and videos critical of Christian dogma, in a separate channel. One of the common tactics of the Christian Apologists, to silence critics; is filing false copyright infringement complaints to YouTube. Complain loud enough and often enough, even if the complaint has no merit, and the channel can get shutdown and the videos removed.
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I downloaded the WordPress iPhone app. Decided to create this entry 100% from the iPhone, including an image.

It’s awkward, but I am getting better tapping using the tiny keyboard. I certainly won’t make this a habbit.

The WordPress app is nice, but a mobile device is no substitute for a desktop, proper keyboard and mouse. It is comforting to know that I can blog anytime, anywhere.

It’s more comforting to know, I have the good sense, to know better.

I didn’t stand in line all night for the product launch. I didn’t video and youtube, myself opening the box or activating it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I voted “I have no interest in the iPhone” in Marty’s Seriously, It’s Just A Phone poll. Though, maybe I voted “I don’t have feelings either way“. I can’t remember.

Well, I picked one up the other day. I haven’t put it down.

It really is a cool piece of technology. I just love it. I’ve never had an iPod, only lack luster MP3 players, but the house is full of other people’s iPods and iPod touches. Never really played with them.

My old phone, a Samsung, still works fine, but I knew a while ago that the next phone I wanted I wanted was going to be some kind of smart phone. I use an Palm pilot for Calendar, Scheduling and life management. But, carrying it around, was a bit of a chore. Too often I needed it, and didn’t have it, and had it, without needing it. It was also a pain in the ass to sync with the scheduling software at work.
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I went golfing today with my brother-in-law, and father-in-law. Whenever we play, we play skins for a buck a hole.

Whoever wins a hole gets the skin (a buck), a tied hole gets carried over to the next hole, that hole is then worth two skins. If a tie occurs on the final hole, low game score determines the last skin, and outstanding carry overs.

We are pretty evenly matched, and have basically passed the same loony back and forth all season. We were all off today, had any one of us been on, he could have probably walked away with 7 or 8 skins, for a net gain of $12 - $24.

Father-in-law ended up with the money, winning 5 skins for a net gain of $6. I broke even with 3 skins for a net gain of $0. Brother-in-law took a loss, with 1 skin, for a net loss of $6.
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Harvey’s makes your hamburger, a beautiful thing.

If you don’t recognize the above quote, and a jingle doesn’t pop into your head, then you are probably not Canadian. Or a Canadian that’s been confined to Saskatchewan or Newfoundland, all your life. Or deaf.

It’s the jingle that has been a Harvey’s staple, for as long as I can remember.

I’ve included a Harvey’s YouTube video link, with said jingle.
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We all have reputations. I know on the GMC, I certainly have one. Through personal correspondence, responses to my posts, and the occasional comments, I can say with absolute certainty; with some I have an excellent reputation, with others, obnoxious and arrogant, with many an absolute pain in the ass.

The point is; the reputation I’ve garnered, positive and negative, for the most part, is absolutely deserved. The reputation we’ve all garnered, positive and negative, for the most part, is absolutely deserved.

But this topic isn’t about me, it’s about reputations. Specifically, the reputation that one particular member is quickly gaining, one that he probably isn’t aware of, and one that one day he mostly will wish he didn’t have. But, it is one that he deserves. He’s earned it.
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Just when I thought people couldn’t get any stupider.

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My online poker success has mostly been derived from Limit Hold’em Sit and Go (SnG) tournaments. It was through these tournaments on Party Poker years ago that I built my bank-roll. I started off on the $5+$1 tournaments, and gradually kept moving up to the $10+$1, $20+$2 and had just started the $30+$3, when the American UIGEA Bill was passed, all the American players were banned from Party Poker. The games, especially Limit poker games dried up.

I’ve been concentrating on No Limit, but decided to put together this Limit SnG tutorial. I still think that Limit SnG tournaments are the best way to get started in tournament poker. Start with the lowest possible 9 or 10 person tournaments. Ensure you have at least 30 buy-ins, in your bank-roll and keep moving up to the next level when you reach 30 buy-ins. Move down if your bank-roll has 20 buy-ins.

I got started with a free $25 US bonus on Party Poker, played micro-limits until I worked off the bonus, and then started with the SnG tournaments. The smallest tournaments were $5+$1, I was underbank-rolled but got lucky and didn’t have any long loosing streaks.
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Where’s the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth shattering kaboom!

I’ve been busy with a Game Maker project. For the first time, in a long time, I’m somewhat excited about it. I’m proud of a couple components, the User Interface (UI), and a flood-fill type thing. Hopefully by writing about it, I’ll have the motivation to finish it and publish it.

UIs seem to be a glaring Achilles’ Heel in many Game Maker created games. So often, what might be a good game, is often ruined because of ugly, awkward, non-intuitive UIs. It seems people spend a great deal of time with the game play, or graphics or other components, without an equal amount of time on how the player interacts with the game. The end result is a frustrating experience. At least for me anyway.
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