Opening Day!!!

Today marks Opening Day for Major League Baseball! Of course, I’m stuck at work, but that won’t stop me from enjoying it all on TV tonight. Spring sunshine, ballpark food, the roar of the crowd…all things to look forward to on Opening Day.

A recent petition was filed to make Opening Day a national holiday. Unfortunately, the government rejected the proposal, but it’s still neat to see that so many people value the first day of baseball season enough to want to make it a day of reverence. Either way, I’m looking forward to the next 6+ months of rooting for my team, the San Francisco Giants!

So how are you enjoying the beginning of spring? Going out to the ballgame, or perhaps starting your garden, or maybe just cleaning out the house? What makes springtime special to you?   

Turkey Tweets

How often do you use Twitter? Maybe you tweet often or occasionally. Perhaps you like to look up what’s trending.  

Not if you’re in Turkey. That’s right, courts in the country of Turkey have banned the use of Twitter due to the illicit nature of the service and the supposed slandering of certain government officials. Now I must preface this by saying that I like Turkey. It’s a modern country with a rich culture, and the people themselves are fighting back by finding ways to still get on Twitter. High officials in the government, including the Turkish president, also continue to publicly tweet in defiance of the ban. +1 for the Turks!

How much would it matter to you if you suddenly couldn’t get on social media, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.? Do you feel that impinges on your personal rights? How do you think that the internet is changing the way in which governments must abide by the popular consent of their own people? 

Amazon Prime (& DS9)

What do you think of Amazon Prime? Angry at the price hike to $99 bucks? How about the free Amazon Instant Video features though?

My wife started a free trial month with Amazon Prime, and frankly I wasn’t too thrilled at first. I don’t want to pay for it, but she promises to cancel once the first free month ends. On the flip side, I really dig the free Amazon Instant Videos they provide, and have been watching old Star Trek Deep Space Nine episodes. It’s almost worth it just for that!

But I think the controversy over Amazon raising their prices touches on an important point regarding the sale of books, video, music, and any other kind of media online. What really constitutes a fair price? Should everything be free or are you willing to pay more for top quality? What do you think?    

Erin Go Bragh!!!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Erin Go Bragh! Which means Ireland Forever in Gaelic.

Today marks an especially intriguing St. Patrick’s Day. Both Guinness and Sam Adams have boycotted the St. Patrick’s Day parades in Boston and New York because organizers there refused to allow LGBT celebrants to participate. The mayors in both towns have also boycotted the events. So major props to the mayors and beer companies for having a conscience! Fortunately, we can all still celebrate with some corned beef and cabbage at homeJ  

How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today? Make sure to wear some green. Remember, today everyone’s Irish! 

Support Ukraine

The people of Ukraine are a lot like you and me. They just want to live their lives, raise their families, and enjoy the freedoms of any true democracy. They certainly don’t want a foreign nation invading their country and literally holding its people at gunpoint.

As most of you know, tens of thousands of Russian troops have invaded Ukraine, forcibly taking over the Crimea and physically repressing pro-Ukraine protestors in the region. All the oldest sins committed under a new guise. Putin still says there are no Russian troops in Crimea, still says that he is not violating international law, and still says that the people of Ukraine want to actually be part of Russia. The Ukrainians say something very different.

You can show your support for Ukraine by sharing the above video. Let the Ukrainians speak for themselves, and help fight the good fight for freedom and democracy. Help spread the word. 

Spring Training

This week my family and I went to Arizona to watch the Giants in Spring Training! We had heat, sun, and plenty of ballpark food. It was also great to catch up with some family we visited during our stay in the desert.

If you haven’t had a chance to enjoy the Cactus League, I suggest giving it a try. Especially, if you come from some place that doesn’t have clear skies and hot weather in March. Spring Training games feature the intimacy of minor league ballgames where you can sit close to the players, but are even better because you’ve got world-class athletes playing ball just a few feet away.

So, how’s your March shaping up? Does it feel like spring yet, or has winter not yet relinquished its grip?