Seasons Greetings from Heidi (aka VirusHead), John, Ben and our cat Molly. Enjoy!
Rock the Holidays
Reply
Category Archives: Fun With Blogs
All fixed
The blog should be fine now. The hackers added a php file to a static directory, and a couple of forced includes in template files. The result was a generated list of linked keywords displaying on every page of the site, including the administrative dashboard. It was very obvious, and most probably a result of the security breach reported by my web host. Keep your anti-virus and anti-malware protections active and up to date!
Life Soundtrack Snapshot
For historical purposes, here are my current 50 most-played songs on the iPod.
| A Thousand Years | Sting | 5:58 |
| All I Have to Do Is Dream | The Everly Brothers | 2:25 |
| All I Really Want | Alanis Morissette | 5:25 |
| All This Beauty | The Weepies | 3:20 |
| Big Wheel | Tori Amos | 3:18 |
| Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) | Concrete Blonde | 6:07 |
| Comfort | Deb Talan | 3:16 |
| Counting Stars | Sugarcult | 3:38 |
| Daily Living | Eldar Djangirov | 6:12 |
| Down to Nowhere | Thea Gilmore | 3:54 |
| Dream of You | Mary Fahl | 3:44 |
| Drink Me (Acoustic Version) | Anna Nalick | 3:03 |
| Everybody Knows | Concrete Blonde | 4:44 |
| Feelin Way too Damn Good | Nickelback | 4:15 |
| Goodnight Moon | Shivaree | 4:04 |
| Gotta Have You | The Weepies | 3:22 |
| Green-Eyed Lady | Sugarloaf | 3:40 |
| Hold On | KT Tunstall | 2:58 |
| Hushabye Mountain | Stacey Kent | 2:38 |
| I Summon You | Spoon | 3:56 |
| I Want You | Rachael Yamagata | 2:56 |
| In the Summertime | Roger Miller | 1:45 |
| Infinity | Merrick | 3:21 |
| Jonathon Fisk | Spoon | 3:16 |
| Kiss Moi | Sportes | 3:27 |
| Kryptonite | 3 Doors Down | 3:54 |
| Life During Wartime | Talking Heads | 3:42 |
| Love Hurts | Nazareth | 3:53 |
| Make My Day | yes but | 3:52 |
| Novocaine for the Soul | Eels | 3:09 |
| Persephone | Kula Shaker | 4:43 |
| Phantom Doll | Tracy Grammer | 4:09 |
| Raise the Veil | Lily Frost | 2:42 |
| Rollin’ And Tumblin’ | Bob Dylan | 6:02 |
| Sexybeast | Paul Sabo | 3:51 |
| Sister Moon | Thomas Hellman | 5:48 |
| Sleep to Dream | Fiona Apple | 4:11 |
| Song Beneath the Song | Maria Taylor | 4:00 |
| Strawberry Fields | Cyndy Lauper | 4:24 |
| Sweet Dreams | Tori Amos | 3:40 |
| Take Me As I Am | October Project | 4:38 |
| The Creationist | Kerli | 3:38 |
| The Dreaming Dead | Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter | 6:04 |
| This Will Be Our Year | The Zombies | 2:08 |
| Trouble | Over the Rhine | 4:01 |
| Velvet Revolution | Tori Amos | 1:19 |
| Waltz of the Malcontent | Lily Frost | 3:53 |
| Without a Word | yes but | 4:15 |
| Writing On the Wall | Blackmore’s Night | 6:01 |
| Your Rocky Spine | Great Lake Swimmers | 3:36 |
VirusHead Seven Years Old Today
I started blogging as VirusHead on 11-21-2003 – seven years ago!
It’s a fun opportunity to get a flavor of typical November posts…
Posts from November 2003
The Problem with Fundamentalists
Huggy Jesus
Reading Michael Jackson
Practical Feminism
Terrorism and the Preemptive Strike
Posts from November 2004:
No Parental Consent Needed for Mental Health Screenings
USA not ready for Rehab
JW Chronicles: Jehovah’s Day of Judgment
God’s Law Unchanging
Ask a Former JW: Stuttering Son Prohibited from Preaching
Apologies Accepted
How to Respond to Conservatives
Ask A Former JW: About the Afterlife
JWs in the News – Abuse Policies
Busy Mom Barometer
Need a Lift?
EPA to Expose Kids to Toxic Chemicals
Demand Public Vote Roll Call on DeLay Rule
JW Chronicles: Attacked by a Teenager
YOU Can Co-Sponsor A Bill
100 Artists See God
About Abortion Rates
Open The Government
Ask Blackwell to Step Aside
Sign the Voter Bill of Rights
Take Action for Children
Bye Bye Health Insurance
World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
Fallujah for Real
Euphemistic Translation of F the South
Abuse of Patriot Act Again
Purging “disloyal” CIA
Viral Adventures
Walk the Talk Bush?
Bush Threatens Mankind, says Caldicott
Sorry Everybody
Vigil at US Assassin School
The New Silent Majority
Presidential Macabre
Powell Resigns
Vietnam War Quotations
JW thinks I’m the AntiChrist
Eco on Ur-Fascism
They voted for this mess
Warnings from a Time Traveller?
Where is The Money?
Compelling Quotations
More College Student Sentences
Plea for Help from a Soldier in Iraq
Operation Truth
What Might President Jesus Do?
Election 2004 – Red, Blue and Purple
Bush Reduced Business Penalties after 9/11
A Mandate
Bush the Fascist
United for Peace and Justice
Which Angel or Demon are You?
Comic: United Soviet States
History of the Machines
Calling Texan Methodists
Bible: Words of Micah
Bush Supporters… Surprise!
Frame Wars
Strauss and Deception
More votes than voters – a real mandate
911Truth.org
Paper Balloting Matched Exit Polls
Black Box Voting
How so dumb?
GOD HELP AMERICA
Bogus Tort Reform Logic
Answer to Backseat Philosopher
Comic Relief
World Reaction to the Election
Christian Values
Message Received in Africa
Enlightenment Values Gone?
Misleading amendment ballot
What is WRONG with this Country?
Catching Up
Election Night
Election Blues
Still Early But Looking Bad
Kindness – Ripple Effects
Anti-Bush Republicans Speak
Blog the Vote
Halt Voter-Suppression Efforts
Cosmic Christ Litany
Christian vs Christlike
1-866-OUR-VOTE
SNL Presidential Bash Tonight
Political Rhapsody
Lie Girls
Guantanamo Prison Abuse Lawsuit
Continuing Legacy of Vietnam
Posts from November 2005
Trophy video
State By State GOP Scandal Scorecard
Dutch Warning on US Abuses
US Massacre in Afghanistan
Are You Kidding Me?
Cunningham pleads guilty
French Name Quiz
Unconscious Mutterings Week 147
Nixon Playground Fad
Peace Not Poverty
We Need Interviews and Debates
Burroughs’ Thanksgiving Prayer
Google Needs Meme
Unconscious Mutterings Week 146
Prision to Church
Invocation to Benevolent Deities Inc
VirtuBene on BBC Online Radio4!
Blog Quizzes Nov 18
Stop the Patriot Act Expansion Take Action
Children of Dafur Take Action
Quotation Thought-train
Thanks, Frank Lautenberg
Protest McMansion Development
Protest Pesticide Testing on Children!
Stop Alito Take Action
Hospital Infections Accountability
Life Move Genre Quiz
Bush Deeply Irresponsible
Alito’s Priorities
South Park VirusHead
Unconscious Mutterings Week 145
Letter to a New Convert
More Quizzes
Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre
Robertson’s God of Hate
Cheapest Gas in Your Zip Code
Unconscious Mutterings Week 144
Open thread – Academic Blogs a Problem?
What kind of postmodernist?
Theocracy Watch
What Bible Book are You?
How Much is Your Blog Worth?
Meme, Me, Me
NY JW shoots wife, self
Posts from November 2006
Massachusetts Part 5
Massachusetts Part 4
Massachusetts Part 3
Massachusetts Part 2
Massachusetts Part 1
Campbell’s benefit with your clicks
Pat Robertson has something in common with JWs
Lila
Update on JWs in the News
Blog Changes
Congrats to Rosei
Evangelical Atheists Oppose Christian Nationalism
The Kitten with the M on its Head
Switching Themes
Just for Today
Dump this Congress – 109 Reasons Why
Election Information – VOTE
Rove’s Fake Democrat Robocalls
Not a Single Republican Endorsement by the NYT
Hokey-Pokey Shakespeare
Changes to Bill Inserted by Staffer?
Net Neutrality
Bill O’Reilly Has Healthcare Mole?
Last Unconscious Mutterings
JW Family Refuse to Communicate
Non-JWs in a JW Family
Most Likely Alien Contact
Busy, hectic – but VOTE
Posts from November 2007
Chuck Hagel Lets it Rip
Don’t Kill Last 300 Whales for Navy Training
Girl Scouts, hmmm
Bush Mangles Names, then Bolts
Religious Southern Hospitality, Not
Take Torture off the Table
Way to Support the Troops
$52M to Ashcroft from Justice Department
Political Compass
Good Little Piece of News
Happy Thanksgiving
Political Quizzes
Earth over the Moon
Ben’s Class
Robert Detweiler Heilbrun Fellow
Not the Way to Rank at Technorati
Tori Amos Rocked the Fox
5 Questions about VirusHead
Bush Loyalists Admit Impotence
Hubby Released
Former Jehovah’s Witnesses – Take care, please
Hubby Detained at Airport
Dark Moon, New Moon, Lunar Samhain
Stop Big Media Now
Support Student Right to Peaceful Protest – Morton West HS
Name Generators
Sicko
Elect to End Torture
Fall Back! Fall Back!
Bookshelf Page Added, Schlumpling Around
Visual Bookshelf on Facebook
Guess what?
My Car Accident Today
Posts from November 2008
Universal Light Award
Power Blog Award
JW Video
Our Thanksgiving Prayer
New VirusHead Blog Look
It’s My 5-Year Blogaversary!!
Most Irritating Phrases
Bamford Comedy on Cults
Benefits of Being a Former Jehovah’s Witness
To Counteract the Bad Taste Left in My Mouth
Christian Compassion is Out?
Yeah, I called it!
I VOTED!
One Perspective on Business Time
Clone Trooper Ben
Halloween Hate, but a Better McCain
One More Hallowe’en Photo
Revamped for the Election
Posts from November 2009
Nothing!!!
Last post before:
Ne Me Quitte Pas: Song for a Melancholy Day 10-11-2009
First post after:
Sick and Tired 12-17-2009
Hmmm…
Previous Posts from November 2010
Malaise and Hope
Reorienting into Your Own Path: Belief Self-Torment
Spirit-Opening Questions / Reflections
Good Guidelines for a Spiritual Warrior Too
Strange Dalí
Molly-kitty Scare
Legally Ordained: Why not?
Horse Montage: Literal Videos
The New Response to a Facebook Add Request
I admit it. I added people just to have enough players in games. I might have created lists for different kinds of trust levels in the network, but I still added people I really only knew in a superficial way, or didn’t really know at all.
One list is for people from high school – whatever happens with any of them is what people used to call “a trip” -always a journey of some kind, sometimes delightful, sometimes challenging. Sometimes I discover that there is really a lot more to like, or to learn, about someone. Sometimes it seems that whatever used to resonate between us in friendship is just gone. Another is a set of sometimes-intersecting groups of people who share a type of religious or organizational history with me, or perhaps even just an idea or interest. Some are friends from places I’ve lived, learned, worked – or just in the pathways of life. There are folks who are recommended as a potential mutual friend. There are, of course, the apps people. And others where the reason has escaped me; some of those have become friends over time.
I’ve defriended some people. I’ve been defriended too. It’s all good.
However – after two nights under a full moon – a moon of love, after all, in the spirit of Diana or Athena… I had an idea. It might have been the lightning. The thunderstorms. The synergy of thoughts.
I decided to respond to a friend add request with something more interesting than usual. It’s an experiment. Some may call me a snob or an elitist (do I care about your defensiveness if my response is “yea, I don’t think so?” A little. Not much.). Time is short, and thriving is difficult. It’s ok to have placeholder keep-in-touch Facebook friends. I don’t need to be in close contact with everyone. However, I want friendships that are fun, enriching, beneficial – or at least entertaining. There are all sorts of levels of interaction. From now on, there must be a reason that you’re not on the chaff list, to be – eventually – defriended.
There is a whole world of new etiquette through social networks, especially Facebook. It’s in development, changing rapidly. This is a time when such an experiment – just for my own interest, curiosity, and occasional amusement – might say something. What? I don’t know. Let’s see.
As a thought experiment, imagine if you sent your own version of this as a response! Oh, and current FB friends: Feel free to message me there in answer to this too – that would be interesting!
Do Your Own Version of a Friend Request Response
Thank you for the friend add request.
You look from your picture as though: Pick all that apply (you might have a sense of humor, you’re a fan of KISS, you’re part of a trusted group of mutual friends, etc.).
I’m responding because: Pick all that apply (we have mutual friends that I like, trust and respect; we have mutual interests; Apps; or other – specify).
Did someone recommend me as a friend to you? Are you using “Friend Finder?” Why, in fact, are you requesting to be added as a friend?
If I should decide not to add you – or in the future decide to defriend you – would you be interested in a farewell note in which an authentic explanation is offered to you? Or would you choose that I depart silently? Please indicate your preference.
Best, Heidi
Pros and Cons: If I’m wrong about the interpretation of a quick read from a photograph, it could be embarrassing. However, since I have no idea who the requester might be, other than what I can derive from a photo and any viewable pieces of the profile, I think it’s fair to describe first impressions.
Would such a response to a friend add request yet shock the recipient? I think it might, but I’m not sure.
Would posting this on the blog attract trolls? Maybe, hope not. I deleted something like “If you don’t follow my thought process, speak now.” It’s kind of mean, and needlessly antagonistic, for a first encounter.
Such a note is what I will send henceforth (can I get a trumpet, some graceful uncurling flag?). I can’t believe something like this didn’t occur to me before. I had a very basic version, but nothing that got to the heart of the matter.
I’ll keep the responses to myself, until such time as there is anything to say about it. If there is anything worth writing about, that would be fab.
Is there anything you’d add to this? Something I’m forgetting? Comment with your thoughts and ideas!
Person or Not a Person?
An American Category Sketch of Personhood vs. Non-Personhood – not exhaustive, but representative.
- So much is under debate.
- So much is culturally modulated.
- So much has a history of discussion rather than a solid truth claim.
- So much seems a little strange.
Warning: Your answers may differ.
This is meant to be thought-provoking; sorry for all the things I’m leaving out.
Comments are welcome, but only if you’re civil. All comments are moderated.
For each of the following, is this a person?
Non-living:
- Rock – NO!
- Table – NO!
- Book – NO!
Beings:
- Flower – NO!
- Tree – NO!
- Monkeygrass – NO!
- Frog – NO!
- Beetle – NO!
- Ant – NO!
- Tilapia – NO!
- Worm – NO!
- Dog – NO! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Cat – NO! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Cow – NO! (DISAGREEMENT)
Scale/Boundary:
- Electrons – NO!
- Nuclei – NO!
- Fungi – NO! (LIFE, MAYBE GROUP INTELLIGENCE OF A KIND, NOT PERSON)
- Bacteria – NO! (LIFE, MAYBE GROUP INTELLIGENCE OF A KIND, NOT PERSON)
- Virus – NO – um… probably not! (DEAD/ALIVE, IMMORTAL? SOME UNKNOWN)
- Prions – NO! (DEAD/ALIVE, IMMORTAL? MUCH UNKNOWN)
- Mitochondria – NO! (MAY HAVE DEVELOPED HUMANS, HISTORY OF DISCUSSION)
- Planet – NO! (ECO-REACTIONS, SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Star – NO! (HISTORICAL SMALL DISAGREEMENTS)
Sex/Gender:
- Female – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Male – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Hermaphrodite – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Transvestite – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Transgender – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Heterosexual – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Homosexual – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Bisexual – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Married – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Single – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Complicated – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
Class/Money/Economy:
- Poor – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Rich – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Middle-class – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Blue-collar – YES!
- White-collar – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Upper-class – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Migrant – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Inner-city – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Rural – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Suburban – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Socialist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Communist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Crony Capitalist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Regulated Capitalist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)
Education:
- Highly educated – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Highly trained – YES!
- Untrained – YES!
- College – YES!
- No College – YES!
- Under-educated – YES!
- Literate – YES!
- Sub-literate – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Intentionally ignorant – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)
Political Values:
- Democrat – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
- Libertarian – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
- Republican – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
- Independent – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
- Green – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
- Reconstructionist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Imperialist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Fascist – YES! (CONFUSION AND DISAGREEMENT)
- Nazi – YES! (HEATED DISAGREEMENT)
- Uninterested – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Fanatical – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)
Nationality / Ethnicity / Race:
- American – YES! (MINOR DISAGREEMENT)
- Non-American – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Registered US Immigrant – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Non-registered US Immigrant – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- American Terrorist – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Non-American Terrorist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Same Ethnic/Racial Composition as Yourself – YES!
- Different Ethic/Racial Composition from Yourself – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- German – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- French – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Kenyan – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- British – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Chinese – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Iraqi – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Afghani – YES! (SOME DISAGREEMENT)
- Iranian – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
Religion:
- Christian – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Muslim – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Jehovah’s Witness – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Wiccan – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Buddhist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Fanatical – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Orthodox – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Evangelical – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Reformed – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Unitarian – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Atheist – YES! (DISAGREEMENT)
- Eclectic – YES! (DISAGREEMENT) (etc.)
Corporate Groupings: (UNDER CONTESTATION!!!!!)
- Homeland Security – NO!
- CIA – NO!
- Dept. of Eduction- NO!
- NRA – NO!
- ACLU – NO!
- Catholic Church – NO!
- US Marines – NO!
- Al-Qaeda – NO!
- Taliban – NO!
- KKK – NO!
- Halliburton – NO!
- Chevron – NO!
- Microsoft – NO!
- Google – NO!
- MacDonald’s- NO!
- Citibank – NO!
- Walmart – NO!
Stage / Distinctions:
- Egg – NO!
- Sperm- NO!
- Fertilized egg – NO! (DISAGREEMENT – UNDER CONTESTATION!)*
- Zygote – NO! (DISAGREEMENT- UNDER CONTESTATION!)
- Fetus w/Beating Heart – ALIVE, BUT NOT PERSON! (DISAGREEMENT- UNDER CONTESTATION!)
- Fetus w/Brain Waves – MAYBE! (DISAGREEMENT – UNDER CONTESTATION!)
- Late-term Pregnancy – MAYBE! (HEATED DISAGREEMENT- UNDER CONTESTATION!)
- Baby – COULD BE! (SOME DISAGREEMENT, HISTORICALLY NOT, BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERED ONE NOW)
- Toddler – PROBABLY! (DISAGREEMENT – HISTORICALLY NOT, BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERED ONE NOW)
- Child – PROBABLY! (DISAGREEMENT- HISTORICALLY NOT, BUT PROBABLY CONSIDERED ONE NOW)
- Teenager – PROBABLY! (DISAGREEMENT – PAIN IN THE BUTT, AND SOME CONFUSION ABOUT RITE DE PASSAGE)
- Adult – YES!
- Middle-Aged – YES!
- Elderly – YES! (DISAGREEMENT – HISTORICALLY SO, MAYBE STILL IS)
- Corpse – PROBABLY NOT (SOME RELIGIOUS DISAGREEMENT)
- Australopithecus – NO! (EXTINCT HOMINID! SOME DISCUSSION)
- Neanderthals – NO! (EXTINCT HOMINID! SOME DISCUSSION)
- Early Modern Human (EMH)/Anatomically Modern Human’ (AMH) (also referred to as Cro-Magnon) – UNKNOWN (DISCUSSION and DISAGREEMENT)
- Homo Sapien Sapien – YES! (MINOR DISCUSSION, MOSTLY BY CURMUDGEONS)
* Fertilized chicken egg does not equal chicken either.
Gettin’ into the Mood
For Hallowe’en, that is.
I had a heck of a time changing the theme and updating some plugins, but all is well now.
We’ve got a scary creature set up at the door. The kid’s costume is set. For those that don’t celebrate Hallowe’en, I have my own plans (muah-haahahahaha).
It’s been kind of strange and upsetting period with me lately, but things are getting better all the time.
I get a kind of wanderlust in the fall, but I used up all my vacation time. Once my mom gets home from the hospital, I might be taking a couple of weekend road trips to help her out, but I’d really prefer to go west or north. Or both.
I’ve got nothing to say, but it’s ok. All you need…
Caption?
Caption this!
- Them as You Speak - Hester Site - Sat April 27, 2013
- Rolling around again - Sat April 13, 2013
- Please, J.K. Rowling, More Stories - Sat January 19, 2013
- Most Beautiful Song for the New Year - Mon December 31, 2012
- Rock the Holidays - Thu December 20, 2012