DerickPhillips.Com

I Know King Fu

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:01:24 -0500

Say what you will… I still love The Matrix. And it’s coming on TV.

The Moment it Clicks - by Joe McNally. The best photography book...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:17:26 -0500

The Moment it Clicks - by Joe McNally. The best photography book I’ve ever read. Can’t wait to revisit it now that it’s back in my possession.

Saying Thanks

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:20:56 -0500

It’s easy to forget the power of a simple “thank you”. I know I probably don’t say it enough.

I came in to work this morning and found a thank you waiting for me. Not for doing anything above and beyond… not from a supervisor or someone who’s ‘supposed’ to show appreciation every so often.

Just a short, simple message from a co-worker saying thanks for doing my job.

Color me shocked (and pleasantly surprised)…

Butters, Would You Like to Slap My Titties Around?

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:29:53 -0600

Butters, Would You Like to Slap My Titties Around?

I Never Get Sick...

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:54:27 -0600

Except this time. Or the time before that. Or the time before that. Or the time before that.

Other than those times, I really never get sick.

Really.

Because you can never have too much nap…

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:53:48 -0500

Because you can never have too much nap…

"When we are no longer able to change a situation […] we are challenged to change ourselves."

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:41:14 -0500

“When we are no longer able to change a situation […] we are challenged to change ourselves.”

- Viktor Frankl - Man’s Search For Meaning

"Why the hell is this thing on so many channels?"

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:38:48 -0500

Yet another debate goes by that I couldn’t watch live. Why? Because I work 2nd shift at the hospital (that’s 2:30 p - 11:00 p for you daywalkers). And yes, we have televisions on the unit. But the patients basically control what’s on them until 10:30 p.

And I guess psych patients don’t like presidential debates.

In fact, they seem to get irritated when a flip through the channels presents them with about six different places to watch a debate. One patient even went as far as to ask out loud:

Why the hell is this thing on so many channels?

To which my response was “uhh… because it’s important?”

A point completely and utterly missed by the lot of them. Wife Swap or Cops was a much more widely appreciated choice. Seriously.

*sigh*

Never Too Fat to Be Executed

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:46:31 -0500

Never Too Fat to Be Executed:

Back in August I pointed to a story about an inmate on death row who claimed to be too fat to be executed. CNN has the gory details of the fat murder’s crime. In a nutshell, he and a friend spent hours raping, murdering, and torturing two young women.

And then he had the nerve to try to get out of paying for his crime. In fact, he took his appeal all the way to the United States Supreme Court (my favorite of the Federal branches). They heard the case.

And the verdict was… kill the bastard.

He was executed this morning.

I guess the Supreme Court justices do read derickphillips.com!

Commentary: Obama and Bush are not so far apart - CNN.com

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:36:49 -0500

Commentary: Obama and Bush are not so far apart - CNN.com:

‘Bout time someone pointed this out. For all of his talk of “change”, there sure are a lot of things that can be said for Obama’s agreement with the current administration he seems to think so little of.

I watched this yesterday and was surprised at how funny I...

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:16:19 -0500

I watched this yesterday and was surprised at how funny I thought it was. Netflix described it as a “black comedy” (which I think is the same as a dark comedy)… but I thought it was just plain funny.

And as usual, British humor (or humor starting British folks) always makes me laugh. I think it has something to do with how dry those people are…

I’ve been playing Lux Touch all weekend (it’s the...

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:32:04 -0500

I’ve been playing Lux Touch all weekend (it’s the iPod/iPhone version of Lux Delux)… and even though I think the computer is given an unfair advantage (how the hell does it keep getting all of those armies)… I can’t stop playing it.

I’ve only won once. I must be a glutton for punishment.

Through the Peephole - Presidential Debate Deux

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:07:00 -0500

Through the Peephole - Presidential Debate Deux:

Mandy makes an excellent point about how our Presidential candidates are likely perceived by the American people:

Americans like pretty people. Dozens of studies have been done that show that we rate a person’s trustworthiness and overall judgment based on how we perceive their physical attractiveness. Obama is young and charismatic. McCain is not young, and while there is considerably CONSIDERABLY more substance to his speech, he does not possess the charisma that Obama does.

Coupled with the fact that Obama has launched a massive (and highly successful) digital campaign to build support among younger, connected, tech-savvy voters, and I’d say that her prediction is probably right. Check out Facebook, MySpace, and the iPhone/iPod App Store to see what I mean.

The thing with young voters is that they’re less likely to take part in - or be included in - public opinion polls, media-sponsored polls, and other forms of predictive sampling often used to gauge a candidate’s standing. But they’re out there commenting on Obama’s social networking pages, downloading his application to their iPhones and iPods, and throwing his link-building campaign logos all over their Facebooks, MySpaces, and blogs.

So when V-Day finally comes in November, I think Obama is going to grab even more of the pie than predictions are already calling for. And he knows that. Say what you will about his politics… but the man (or the people behind him) are brilliant campaign strategists.

DailyTech - Ford Collision Warning System Uses Radar

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:53:54 -0500

DailyTech - Ford Collision Warning System Uses Radar:

I’m not sure I want Ford helping me when it comes to my brakes. Not only is Ford technology and reliability sketchy at best, but it’s also likely to make people even more lazy when it comes to driving.

Think about it…

If you’ve got a system in your car that’s supposed to warn you when you’re about to have an accident, are you going to be as vigilant about watching the road yourself?

That’s all we need out there - drivers paying LESS attention to the road.

Cats and technology don’t mix

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:04:20 -0500

Cats and technology don’t mix

No More Embarrassing Drunk Emails

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:41:05 -0500

No More Embarrassing Drunk Emails:

Gmail now has an optional feature that’s designed to help prevent you from sending drunken email that you later wish you could take back:

When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you’re really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you’re in the right state of mind?

By default, Mail Goggles is only active late night on the weekend as that is the time you’re most likely to need it. Once enabled, you can adjust when it’s active in the General settings.

TOO funny!! Now if only they could come up with something like this for phone calls and text messages…

So Many Sirens

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:08:04 -0500

I’ve been at work for all of three hours and I’ve heard sirens outside six times. And not the kind coming into the hospital. The kind going by on their way somewhere else.

Police… Fire… Ambulance… I’ve heard ‘em all. Is there something going on out there that I’m not aware of?

What is it about hearing sirens that 1) automatically peaks our interest and 2) automatically makes us nervous?

On Tattoos...

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:58:22 -0500

We were talking about them at work today. I’ve considered getting one for years. But the what and where have always stumped me.

Today I suggested to my co-workers that I get a corncob tattooed right next to my butt. That way, when people ask me if I have a corncob up my butt, I can say yes! It would certainly help explain away my sometimes surly disposition.

And then I had a great idea for a tattoo: a red hand print on a butt cheek!

How funny would that be? Seriously. I think it’d be great. The problem is that now I can’t decide between the two. I can’t really have a corncob on my butt AND a hand print on my butt. For one, that’d take more time to do than I want any one person hovering around in that area. And two, that’s just too much butt-adjacent ink.

So which one? What do YOU think?

I hope the stark difference in perceived knowledge here...

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:28:49 -0500

I hope the stark difference in perceived knowledge here isn’t a preview of what the VP Debate is going to be like. I can forgive the inability to rattle off Supreme Court decisions (although I do think the VP of the United States should know a thing or two about our highest court).

But that had better just be a anomalous stumping… or this could get ugly.

SpaceX succesfully made history by launching it’s Falcon 1...

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:24:15 -0500

SpaceX succesfully made history by launching it’s Falcon 1 rocket into Earth’s orbit. This places Falcon 1 squarely in the books as the first privately developed launch vehicle to reach orbit from the ground.

Don’t break out your spacesuit just yet. But this really is history in the making here. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to go up into space… here’s your chance. Video from the rocket’s body shows an almost flawless launch.

Simply amazing. Congratulations are in order for the SpaceX team! Fantastic work, everyone!