A great evil has been awakened in this land, and it is the Facebook “Like” button. It’s got the capability to do far worse harm than merely eating your shield. (If you don’t understand that reference, I weep for you.)

As if Facebook’s ubiquity wasn’t annoying enough, they’ve been trying to spread their reach even further across the Internet. Instead of Facebook being part of the Web, they want the Web to be part of Facebook. That’s arrogant and dangerous. I’m sure plenty of zombie Facebook users automatically see this as a good thing, because integrating everything into Facebook allows them to be even lazier…but these people are pissing their privacy away without even realizing it.

Put simply, the “Like” button is a way to integrate information on your site, blog, or whatever into Facebook’s “Open Graph” system. It’s designed to streamline content flowing between social networks and other sites. For example, clicking a “Like” button on a popular site helps Facebook build data on that site, and share it with its users.

Maybe I’m not alone in this, but I don’t want Facebook poking around my site. Obviously, it’s not like they had administrator access, or even user access…but until I get full technical details concerning specifically what that damned button is capable of, I’m not placing proprietary Facebook code on my site! Furthermore, this is new, untested technology. We don’t know how well privacy will be protected with the “Like” button, and we won’t until it’s been in use for quite some time. Sure, it’s possible that it’s completely safe, but without some real-world tests and data, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.

I’ve made it quite clear in the past that I have no wish to join Facebook, and with the continuous privacy scandals the company has faced, my decision is reinforced as the correct one every single day. (Even some of my friends are starting to rethink their Facebook accounts.) Given the company’s track record when it comes to distributing users’ personal data without their consent, I think you can see where I’m coming from.

This is why I have not implemented a “Like” button on this blog yet, and I may never do so. I have serious concerns about its effects on the security of this site, and more importantly, the privacy of my readers. Until those concerns are solidly addressed, you’ll just have to use the “old-fashioned” bookmarking tools I already provide.

Something rather embarrassing happened to me a week ago, and it’s unfortunately the latest in a similar string of events. No, I didn’t shit myself in public, or anything like that. During breakfast with my girlfriend and one of her friends, I was trying to tell a story about the hilarious Blackest Night in 60 Seconds webcomic. All of a sudden, I started stuttering and mumbling rather severely in mid-sentence. Worse yet, when I tried to stop talking, I couldn’t! After a few seconds, I managed to stem the tide of unintelligible gibberish by clamping my mouth shut, but the damage was done. I was shocked and horrified, and my companions felt bad for me. I’m just lucky that this didn’t happen as I was making a public speech or something! (Okay, so I don’t make public speeches, but you get the idea.)

This incident was the straw that broke the camel’s back, which is why I’ve decided to open up and write about it. While nothing this bad has happened to me before, I have had speaking problems over the past few years, and they may be increasing in severity and frequency. Sometimes there’s been mild stuttering (a few syllables here and there), but other times I have weird slips of the tongue. For example, I’ll mispronounce words because similar-sounding ones are in the same sentence (e.g., “fresh fish” becomes “frish fish”). This is really annoying.

I seriously doubt these are Freudian slips, as those are supposed to make some kind of subconscious sense. The correct psychological term is apparently “lapsus,” which broadly refers to speaking and writing errors. Writing errors are far less common for me; and since we live in an age of spellcheck and other corrective aids, they’re far less likely to get through even when they do occur! The most common mistake I make is that when I’m writing an address label, I’ll sometimes write letters too quickly. That is, while writing “Main Street,” I might write “Main Stret” by accident; I wrote the final “t” too soon. Perhaps my mind’s going faster than my writing or speaking?

But I digress. The only treatment I’m administering right now for my speech problem is simple: I’m just trying my hardest to talk less. (This will come as a source of great relief to my friends and family, I’m sure. They’ve been trying to get me to shut up for most of my life!) If I’m asked a question or otherwise have an idea to get across, I’ll try to speak slower and use simpler words, to lessen the likelihood of me tripping over them.

Due to the sporadic nature of these incidents, I hardly think they qualify as a serious speech problem, but it’s become annoying enough that I may seek medical assistance. Since it’s been happening more often, at least by my estimates, it’s only a matter of time before I either severely embarrass myself or others in public, or worse yet, screw up something important by failing to communicate properly.

Sometimes, people wonder why I’m an agnostic. This post ought to clear up some of those mysteries, so before you denounce me as a godless heathen, hear me out.

First, the usual history. I was baptized and raised Roman Catholic, and as a child, I had no choice but to attend church services with the rest of my family each and every Sunday. I attended public school, but was also put through the requisite years of after-school CCD. Now, when you’re a kid, you can’t make informed decisions about such weighty matters, so I don’t really consider all of that stuff a big deal in retrospect. (At the time, I was more annoyed that the stuff took time away from toys or television.)

What did bother me was that I still wasn’t given any choice in the matter through my teenage years. I was still forced to attend Mass every Sunday, even though at this point my intellect had developed to the point where I had serious reservations about Christian teachings, and the Bible’s contradictions of historical facts. I wasn’t comfortable receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, but again, I had no choice in the matter. (Ironic, as that particular sacrament is one that’s supposed to be 100% voluntary.)

Once I turned eighteen, though, the yoke lifted. I obviously couldn’t be forced into church if I was away at college, and I was free to exercise my own beliefs (or lack thereof) at this point. I had the opportunity to study many world religions in college; I wasn’t searching for one to fit me, but it’s important to have a well-rounded education, and learning about the widely varying belief systems found around our planet is fascinating. At this point, I had pretty much settled on the fact that I had become an agnostic, and I’ve remained that way to this day.

Put simply, I don’t actively believe in God or any other deities, but I accept the possibility that there might be some kind of “higher power” out there. What could that being or beings be? Who knows. A god, a group of aliens, technologically advanced human beings from the future, mutant termites…all of them are plausible. But, until I see some evidence or other form of proof, they’re not possible. In the meantime, I’m not going to run my life based on ancient, outdated texts written by man in the guise of gods. This is especially important since said texts often run contrary to modern sociological development!

Now, I do think that there’s some sort of afterlife. I don’t know it’s what’s commonly referred to as “heaven,” but there has to be some place that human consciousness goes after our bodies go the way of all flesh. Consciousness is unique and important, and I think it’s a form of energy. As we know from physics, energy is neither created nor destroyed. I’m sure we end up somewhere, in some form…but, as with the theory of a higher power, I just don’t know what.

Most of my friends and family may not share my specific views on religion, but their own beliefs range across the spectrum. I’ve got friends in the clergy, and others who are atheists. I have no problem respecting the beliefs of any religious or non-religious person. The only time I get angry is when they try to force those beliefs upon others, especially when it comes to government and society as a whole, and this sadly happens far too often. This is an incredibly dangerous practice, as said beliefs are almost always in flagrant violation of the facts.

For example, I’m vehemently opposed to creationism and its thinly-veiled swordpoint, “intelligent design.” The fact that so many religious organizations want to ramrod this stuff into public school science classes makes me want to projectile vomit. That stuff has no basis in scientific fact whatsover: it’s not science, period. It’s religion, and as such, it does not belong in science classes. It belongs in religious, philosophy, or mythology classes. There’s zero evidence of creationism, and plenty of evidence supporting evolution and the history of the Earth. Creationism and intelligent design are mythology, not facts. It’s quite simple. (The same applies to religious opposition to scientific research. Since religion is not science, it should have no bearing on said research. Fundamentalist protesters really need to stop hampering human progress.)

Then, of course, there’s the excessive amount of violence that comes about as a direct result of religious beliefs. Nothing in human history has caused more death, destruction, and misery than people acting in the name of their god or gods. That in and of itself is more than enough to turn me off to deity worship, and the modern politicians and pundits that continue to promote such divinely-inspired violence and tyranny to this day are the last straw.

On the flipside, I do take issue with some militant atheists. Publicly fighting back against outdated religious doctrine is perfectly acceptable and often warranted, given the millennia of persecution that nonbelievers have had to endure. But when you cross the line into just being nasty and personally insulting, then you’re undermining your own message. Joking around is one things, but know your limits.

I’ve had my share of turmoil in my life, and I’ve also experienced things I’d have a hard time explaining rationally. However, that doesn’t automatically push me into one camp or another. I enjoy being free to make my own choices based on individual events that I come across; there’s no “one-religion-fits-all,” in my mind. If you’re committed to a rigid belief system, things are going to clash with it. Some people can “go with the flow” and adapt to the circumstances when this happens, but too many others are apt to just ignore the facts in favor of their beliefs. This disconnection from reality is not healthy!

Naturally, I’ve been scorned for my stance on religious matters. I even had classmates in high school and college who told me right to my face that I was going to Hell…because I was not a born-again Christian. That’s bigotry at best, and vitriolic hatred at worst! Of course, I really don’t give a shit; if they want to believe that I’m a horrible person simply because I don’t follow their strict ruleset, it’s not my problem. For every person that’s demonized me for my lack of belief, there’s ten or more who support it, even if they don’t subscribe to it themselves.

I’m comfortable with my agnosticism personally, and at the end of the day, that’s all that should matter. Choose your own path, whatever it may be, and leave everyone else free to choose theirs. That’ll make the world a much more peaceful place, now won’t it?

Surprise, people: I’m a hardcore science fiction fan.

I’ve been heavily invested in the genre ever since childhood, and I place 99% of the blame for this on my old man. (The other 1% was my natural childhood fascination with all things scientific.) You see, my father read a lot of science fiction novels when he was growing up, and when I was a kid, I rifled though his endless boxes of them. It was here that I learned about all of the classic science fiction writers. Science fiction television and film may be great, but anyone worth their salt knows that the absolute best in science fiction is always found in book form. (And given my disappointment with recent science fiction television, I’ve been delving even more into books lately.)

If it was in those boxes, I read it. I’m sure I’m forgetting quite a few, but just to rattle off some names: Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, James P. Hogan, Robert Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, Frederick Pohl, Ursula K. LeGuin, Larry Niven, Cordwainer Smith, Clifford D. Simak…seriously, just pick a legendary science fiction author, and I can guarantee that I’ve read at least a few of their books thanks to my father’s collection and the local libraries. My father was also responsible for introducing me to the Dune saga, and I’ve been [Maker] hooked ever since. My home library of Frank Herbert’s works now spans an entire shelf!

I’m telling you, I filled my head to the brim with that stuff, especially hard science fiction. It was so chock-full, it’s a wonder I was able to process other more important items, like schoolwork, eating, and breathing. Even my favorite comic book characters, like Green Lantern, Iron Man, Firestorm, and Adam Strange are all completely based in the realm of science fiction! When I was a kid, no one else was into the genre, but that didn’t really register; in retrospect, I suppose it made sense that the other kids were more interested in sports and video games than a bunch of dusty old books.

I’ve kept up on my passion for science fiction throughout my entire life. I enjoy a wide variety of science fiction television, film, and other media. I’ve also gotten into the “new breed” of science fiction writers over the years, like Neal Stephenson and Timothy Zahn, as well as picking up novels by classic authors that I missed, such as E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series and the works of Richard Matheson.

Nowadays, science fiction is arguably more popular then ever, primarily in the film and television realms. Regardless, I find myself standing apart from my peers when it comes to the span of my familiarity with the genre. This is not a holier-than-thou proclamation, simply a statement of fact. I’ve just noticed that most of my peers aren’t into science fiction to begin with, and the ones that do enjoy the genre rarely (if ever) explore the breadth of the material out there, especially its written form. (The latter certainly isn’t their fault, as most people don’t read for pleasure these days as it is!) This unfamiliarity can be personally frustrating, as when I try to have engage in conversation about much of this stuff, I get blank stares.

I don’t understand why someone would refer to themselves as a fan of a genre when they have very little experience with it, or sometimes refuse to experience anything but a few small pieces. To use a non-fandom example, it would be like someone who’s read a medical textbook calling themselves a doctor. Now, this is different than being a fan of a specific property within a genre, or even a subgenre. There’s fans of the Star Trek film that came out last year, but who do not consider themselves fans of the Star Trek franchise in general. I’m also not trying to say that any self-proclaimed science fiction should check out and enjoy every new bit of genre material that comes along, either. We all know that like any other genre of fiction, there’s an extreme amount of absolute shit when it comes to science fiction.

Obviously, other hardcore science fiction fans do exist out there, and the Internet would provide the best way to connect with them. However, as with most things, I’m very reluctant to join Internet forums and the like devoted to science fiction. Intelligent discussion I can handle; fanboyism and nerd debates I can not. As we know, that’s what a majority of message board topics devolve into, so I tend to stay the hell out. Another idea would be science fiction conventions, but those can be very scary places. There’s not much left after that, but I’ve gotten along just fine so far, so I’ll just have continue forging the path alone.

I never understood many peoples’ compulsion in which they feel that they have to go out on a Friday or Saturday night. I saw this shit all of the time way back in college, but astonishingly I still see it happening a decade later in the “real world.” Perhaps people feel like they are less of a “normal” person if they don’t go out each and every weekend, but this behavior is patently ridiculous. If you’re that concerned about what others think of you based on how often you go out for boilerplate social activities, then that honestly makes you rather shallow to begin with. You should never base your self-worth on the approval of others!

Let me use myself as a guinea pig here. I’ve long ignored social expectations, as I simply don’t think my personal life should be defined by the masses. At the end of the week, I’m ready to unwind just as much as the next person. However, I never feel compelled to attend a social gathering in order to do so; there’s loads of ways in which I can relax without falling into a strict social expectation. If I want to go out to some event I’m interested in, I will; if not, who cares? I suppose I’d be admonished as a “nerd” if I chill out on the couch and watch Caprica on a Friday evening (and before that, it was Battlestar Galactica), but after a long week of work, studying, juggling chores, and going to the gym, relaxing with some intellectually stimulating media is perfect downtime. Why should I go out and shout to be heard over the mindless drivel at some crowded bar, just because that’s what society or “most people” say I’m “supposed” to do with a weekend? (The fact that I don’t drink also factors into it, but that’s not the primary point.) I get out plenty as it is, but that’s only at a time and place of my choosing, not that of the rest of the population.

Aside from being stupid, that lemming-like socially dictated behavior that far too many people subscribe to is counterproductive. Relaxing is all about doing what you want to do in order to wind down, not what other people demand. If you’re acceding to others’ wishes, then you’re subconsciously stressing, which in turn invalidates the entire idea! Believe me, I’ve known many an introvert who is a far more capable human being than these weekend warriors.