Ultimate Recycling...and Big Business, too!

If you're not a tree-hugging liberal like me, then keep reading. This may interest you.

I'm a recycler. I'm aware it's not perfect, but it's conceptually a good practice. Some cities do not offer a recycling program. It may be too costly. Some people do not practice recycling. It may be too much of a hassle. Or maybe the whole recycling system is fundamentally flawed somehow. None of that matters anymore. People, stop separating your cans from boxes! Cities, end your expensive programs! It's time to just throw our trash away and if you're up to it, make money doing it.

Two Words: Plasma Converters

A plasma converter is like an incinerator. Incinerators burn at 1500 F, which produces ash, toxic pollutants, a significant amount of CO2, and an interesting aroma. Plasma converters, however, burn around 10,000 F, which makes all the difference. At this temperature, it actually breaks the molecular bonds of the stuff it's consuming. What you get are the actual atoms, such as carbon, nitrogen, and iron. These are raw materials, not ash and pollutants.

The superhot gases released are mixed with water, making steam, which is then used to spin a turbine to produce power. With a constant flow, this can produce more than enough energy to operate the plasma converter off the grid, saving money. Even better, overproduction can put power back into the grid and the power company will pay you for that. Now, you have a real business taking someone else's trash. But wait, that's not all! All those byproducts have a use in various industries. The gases themselves can be sold as a fuel. The solid slag can be used as a filler for asphalt or turned into rock wool, which is an excellent insulator - better than fiberglass.

Amazingly, plasma converters can accept just about everything: conventional trash, medical waste, organic material, toxic chemicals, you name it. Even though you may be putting in poisons or disease-infected matter, it all breaks down to its basic elements, rendering them completely harmless. The only thing the converter cannot accept is radioactive material.

Plasma converters are the epitome of recycling. Everything gets reused. You don't even need a separate recycling program to do it. Just move the waste industry away from landfills and into to plasma conversion. It's cleaner, more efficient, and profitable. If you invest, put your money here. If you're an entrepreneur, start this business. Rest assured, people will not run out of trash... even when the economy hits the floor.

How Plasma Converters Work
Plasma Converter on Wikipedia

Hank

The Curse of Being a Genius

Each morning as I drive to work, I pass by the Pal's billboard. Today, it says: SAVE ENERGY, TURN OFF THE LIGHTS. Then it begins. Energy comes from coal. Coal comes from decomposed plants. Plants thrive in the sun. The sun is energy and the sun produces light. So: save sun, turn off the sun. Light is also energy. Solar energy can replace coal. Light lets us read billboard signs. I can read the billboard when the lights are on. But if the lights are off, I can't read why they're off. If I can't heed the advice, the sign is meaningless. It took energy to put up the sign. People use energy. I have energy. I get it from food. Food is plants. You are what you eat. Therefore, I am a plant, I am coal, and I am energy. I am a child of the sun. My car glides into a parking space and I glance over my shoulder to see the fiery globe peeking up over the horizon. It looks beautiful and I am overwhelmed by how truly important it is to my very existence.

Now you have an idea of what it's like to be me. The thing is, this feels very normal. And for a long time, this is how I believed everyone thought. According to the tests, my IQ is between 135 and 145. This didn't have any meaning to me until I learned that only 2% of the population is higher than 130 and genius is 140. Holy crap. I don't feel that smart. In fact, I feel pretty normal. But over time, I became aware that most people don't comprehend things on the level that I do. And what surprised me most is that many people don't even try.

It may bother me occasionally when someone doesn't understand what I'm talking about.  I think differently, so I find it difficult to communicate with others.  Frustrating as it is, I've learned to accept it.  What really gets me is when folk don't even try to understand.  They don't want to. Example:  In the midst of flu season, I arrive at my desk and my neighbor says, "How you doing this morning?"  Feeling witty, I reply, "Good, now that I've safely navigated through the miasma."  She responds in her thick, southern accent, "Hwhat?"  It seemed like a normal word to me, but I guess she hadn't heard the word "miasma" before.  I say the word again and wait for her to ask me what it means.  She doesn't.  "Oookay," she says and turns to get to work.  I'm shocked that she didn't even care what the word meant.  She didn't get the joke, didn't want to.  Doesn't even have the desire to learn.  I've met a lot of people like that.  They just kind of smile and nod and then go watch American Idol.  Blows me away.  How can you not want to know everything about everything?

I can't really blame others, though. Even if someone has an IQ of 100 (that's average), he is going to think and act within his capabilities. Still, I can't help but wonder, "How can you live day by day without realizing the connections among all these things and how important they really are in everything you do?" Maybe I really am intellectually gifted, but I have no frame of reference. I don't know what it's like to not think this way. And I don't understand how someone doesn't. Again, it frustrates me.

I may be a smart bloke, but I'm not a true genius. A true genius is more than IQ. They are also talented and have the ambition to make their ideas come true, like Leonardo da Vinci. I often wonder how he might have felt. Was he frustrated that people didn't understand the significance of the flying machine? Did he get tired have having to explain over and over how it worked? Was he concerned that others could not see all seventeen layers of deep meaning woven into his Mona Lisa? Even though he was adored throughout his life, did he feel alone in the world with no one to understand him?

I always try to think outside the box. It's important to experiment with new ways of doing things or finding new angles of looking. It's how improvements are discovered. Sometimes though, I am so far outside that I can't see the box that everyone else is in. That worries me that I may have lost perspective - that I may be drifting into a magical Hankland. One of my greatest fears is losing my mind.  And moreso, not knowing that I'm losing it. Sometimes, I wonder if I'll end up as the crazy old man on the hill. "There goes Old Man Hank rambling on about life, the universe, and everything again.  Just smile and nod and maybe he'll go away soon.  I'd hate to miss the season finale of Survivor."

I think I've gone and depressed myself.  Damn this curse of mine.

Hank

P.S. Have you looked up "miasma" yet? Dictionary.com

Are You an Asian-American or Just Yellow?

I had an interesting conversation with a black co-worker once. She said she hated being called "African-American". She's not African and doesn't know a thing about Africa. She's just American and her race is black. I agreed with her. I elaborated that if she's an African-American, then I should be called a European-American. Come on. I'm white. It's not racist, arrogant, or politically incorrect to say so - it's simply a fact.

"Black" and "white" are obviously generalized colors of our skins. Which brings us to the Asian-Americans. To be consistent, should we call them yellow? I think I'd lose an appendage for saying that. But, why should it be any different? Maybe Native Americans should be called red.

But wait, it gets weirder. What about Indian-Americans (from India)? Some of them are darker than the black folk of America. Should we have a blacker-than-black color for them? Or should we just call their race Indian? Can a country claim a whole race? Does that mean that Belgians are a race to themselves? The Japanese consider themselves a separate race. In fact most of the eastern countries recognize their racial individualities. But for some reason, we like to classify them into a broader category called "Asian", which includes China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Mongolia, and dozens more. But Indians live in Asia too. So do good ol' white Russians.

Technically, I'm one quarter Portuguese. My dad clearly has darker skin, but no one who ever met me would call me Portuguese. I'm about as white as white people get. Somewhere down my family tree I have German, French, Irish, and others. So, if I'm 1/4 Portuguese and 3/4 European potpourri, then what exactly am I? Wait, Portugal is a European country, too. I'm a trans-ethnic European mutt. Can my race be simply "American" like the Indians? But of course if I adopt that, it would mean that all African-Americans, European-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Native American-Americans are really a single race.

What a bizarre thing the perception of race is. How about we just call ourselves humans.

Hank

Why I Like Being an Atheist

I don't believe in any gods. I'm not anti-religious, anti-Christian, or anti-God. I simply live my life without them. And that makes me very happy.

It didn't start off this way. I grew up Catholic. I believed in God because it what I was taught to believe. It was the reality that my parents gave me. But, I was a smart kid destined to forever ask "why?". I wanted to understand the Bible, God, the Catholic Church, and everything therein. But, the more I tried to understand, the less comprehensible it all became.

I'm sure you're familiar with the shaky faith questions: Why does God allow evil to exist? If Christianity is true, then why do so many other people believe in other gods? If my prayers are answered sometimes and other times not, then what's the point of praying at all? No one could answer these questions to my satisfaction. The most I could get was some vague dismissal like "the Lord works in mysterious ways". Well, if his ways are so cryptic, why did anyone bother to write a book on it?

I remember distinctly when in fifth grade Catholic school each student was to write a question to our resident priest. The next day, he would come to our class and talk to us about a select few. I was so excited when he began to read mine. "Other people in other countries believe in different gods. How do we know our god is the right one?" I held my breath in anticipation of the answer from the one person above all who could give what I desired so deeply. He continued. "The answer is: Faith." It took a moment to recover from the painful slap. He didn't know. We all could be wrong about God and how would we know? That was the moment I lost my faith. Honestly, I think I never really had faith. I never could "just believe".

So, I rebelled against religion. I went through the god-hating, religion-is-the-root-of-all-evil, ignorant-masses-who-believe-in-a-Santa-Claus-floating-up-in-the-sky phase. I'm past that now. Eventually, I settled into an understanding of reality that revolves around what I can see and reason. There are no gods in my life and there is no need for them. As I matured, I became more puzzled as to why others, seemingly as intelligent and rational as me, still believed in gods. Why hadn't they come to the same rational conclusion I did? (In case you haven't guessed, "Why?" is still the primary driving force in my life.) Among the many theories that floated through my head, one in particular stood out: it just feels right.

Human beings have a desire to be part of something and to have purpose. Religion offers all of that in a pretty package with a shiny, new bow. That's why so many religions describe where we came from and where we're going. It gives us a sense of place. I understand that. And when an authority figure gives us answers to all our deep questions, it makes us feel good and comfortable. It's hard to argue with a feeling, and even harder to rationalize one.

Some have described me as apathetic. That's true. I have a hard time feeling things. Without doubt, my emotional disposition has allowed me to break out of mainstream belief and seek my own path. Some people are just not able to do this; the emotions are just too strong. So, they continue to believe in God to satisfy their emotional needs. Religion did not satisfy any emotional need with me. It actually created negative emotions, such as confusion and insecurity. Thus, I follow the path of the rationalist.

Even though I reject the existence of gods, it would be irresponsible of me to assume that I am correct in that they do not exist. Every so often, I question myself. I try to convince myself I'm wrong and the gods - or a God - exists. But every time, I can't do it. There is nothing tangible in a religion, nothing to grip solid. Just hopes and promises. There are some good things about religion, like a moral code that some people need to behave themselves. But no person, book, or personal experience has ever convinced me that supernatural beings exist. So, I eventually spring back to reality when the nagging where's-the-evidence sinks back into my thoughts. It was this line of thinking that took me away from religion in the first place.

So here I am, living a wonderful life without religion, gods, or false hopes. I question everything and whatever stands the test stays with me. I like it this way. I feel like my mind and sense of being have purpose because I understand how things really are, not how I wish them to be. If I could make myself believe in a god for just a short time, I would thank him for allowing me to disbelieve in him, which has caused me to have such a wonderful life. But, really, I'm proud of myself for my own accomplishments.

Hank

Make Marriage, Not Parade!

I hate the gay parade. Seriously, I despise it. Homosexuals I'm cool with. You wanna be proud of being gay? I'm fine with that too. But don't go prancing in front of my house in your rainbow bra and leather thong. For one thing, it does nothing to benefit the gay movement. Either people will be walking the streets with you or just hate you more. You're not winning any points by having a parade. Moreover, it's freakin discriminatory. If straight people were to have a straight parade, people would be screaming outrage. But gay people can have one? Screw that.

And while I'm on a roll, black history month can find the door, too. Where's white history month? Asian history month? Indian history month? If we're going to push for equal rights, then lets at least aim for equality. Switching from discrimination against blacks to discrimination against whites just causes more resentment across the races. Lets have a multi-racial history month where we can learn and respect the aspects of many different cultures, not just blacks.

As far as gay marriage goes, why is there even a vote? Who cares if they get married? The only people who would ever vote "no" will not be affected by it. Suppose the bill passes and your gay neighbors marry, how does this affect you? You're still you. You're still a man married to a woman. Your neighbors were gay and living together before they were married and they're still gay and living together afterward. No matter how hard I try, I see zero effect on anyone other than the two people who chose to marry. Marriage is a union between two people (or several for polygamists) and it is their decision alone to marry. There should be no vote, period.

As I see it, seeking marriage is a pursuit of happiness, which is described as an inalienable right in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. I am appalled that any U.S. government institution would even allow this vote to reach the floor. Because the result will not affect me, I should abstain from voting, but my better half would require me to vote "yes" simply to cancel someone else's "no".

Hank

Adolf Hitler Had a Good Idea.

What if I told you that I knew a way to make people stronger, smarter, and healthier? Sound good? What if I tell you that all you need to do is kill off the weak, stupid, and sickly people before they have a chance to breed? Still sound good?

It began with Charles Darwin, the naturalist who discovered Natural Selection. In short, natural selection says that in a highly competative environment, like the natural world, only the strong will survive to pass their genes to the next generation. It's not coincidence that animals seem so catered to their environment. Only creatures who are highly effective survive.

When Darwin postulated his discovery, people recognized the impact on humans as animals on this planet. We pass our genes on to our offspring. Most of the time, our children grow up strong and have children of their own. Sometimes a child is born unhealthy and dies at a young age. As tragic as it sounds, it is, ironically, a good thing for the human race.

Honestly, we humans really don't want a bunch of weak genes being disseminated generation after generation. I can't bear the thought of what it would be like to have been born with a genetic disposition for, say, weak bones. My mother broke her bones 37 times, I've broken my bones 26 times, and my five-year-old boy has already broken 4 bones. Not only are all us in pain, but the medical bills are high and I'm out of work alot. Fortunately, I actually have strong bones. But, I sure don't want my strong-boned daughter and your weak-boned son produce a weak-boned grandchild. Nothing personal to any fragile-boned people out there, but we really should get your DNA out of the human gene pool.

That's what Hitler thought, too. He imagined a better humanity full of strong, healthy people and with Darwin's discovery, realized that we have the ability to speed up the process of human evolution. Just cull away the bad genes and what you have left are the good genes. And so the next generation will have nothing but good genes to pass on. That's quite an admirable venture, albiet horrificly violent.

Adolf Hitler set off on his goal to weed out the undesireable traits. Let's ignore for a moment that the world would rise against him and lets just look at the consequence of posing such a lofty goal. What are the "undesireable traits"? The sick and dying? Sure, I suppose. How about stupid people? That's a big yes from me. What about black people? Umm, I'm not sure I'd call that an undesireable trait, but the KKK would disagree with me. What about people with curly hair and big noses?

Herein lies the problem. Who has the authority to say what traits should be eliminated? The only proper answer is: none of us. So, live and let live. In fact, some folk go the extra mile and become doctors to ensure that people live long and healthy.

Doctors can correct many undesireable traits so the person is healthier and stronger without killing off their patients (hopefully). That certainly sounds to me like a more acceptable method than Hitler's way. But for some reason, many people don't get healthier or stronger. They just keep sending their kids back to doctors over and over again. They go on permanent medication, receive tubes into their veins, feel weak from chemotherapy, and receive a cast for their next broken bone. And when their bodies inevitably deteriorate for being too old, they lie in a hospital bed hooked up to expensive electronic gadgets for the rest of their overly-prolonged lives. To top it off, they, too, have already bore children whose genetic disposition has put them on the same dissapointing path.

Many of these sickly people are on Medicare or welfare and don't contribute to society. Those are my tax dollars paying for sick people to limp along. I don't want to pay for that. Suddenly, "live and let live" doesn't seem so appealing anymore. Somewhere there should be a "let die" clause. Hitler's vision of creating a better human race was a good one. We just need to find away to do it without resorting to genocide. Hey, wait a moment. Charles Darwin already found a way: nature's way.

Forget the surgery and electronics. Let nature take its course and learn to accommodate your shortcomings. If you have weak bones, then work from home in a heavily padded house. Overweight? Adjust your diet. This will change your view on life and will allow you live it better rather than longer. And if you survive long enough to have children, then Nature - the only authority on life - has decided that your traits are desirable.

I'm sure in the near future, we'll be splicing DNA to create genetically superior humans. Welcome to the world of Gattaca. I'll stick to nature, thank you.

Hank

I Can Never Have a Job I Like

I was 23 before I realized that the American Dream is not for me. It's not my dream. I have a job because I need money. I need money because I am entrenched in a society that revolves around paying other people to do things I should be able to do myself. Someone has probably told you that you need a job. But, what do you really need?

Let's get back to the basics of human life. You need food and water. You need clothing. You need shelter. You need social interactions. That's it, really. Anything else will only be what you want. The capitalist culture promotes the idea of paying other people to grow and cook your food, weave your garments, and construct your house. You'll have to fork over enormous amounts of cash to get these things. So, you have a job.

This time someone else has needs and to get them, they are willing to hand you cash in exchange for something you can do. The problem here is that you are going to be spending 40 hours a week doing what someone else wants you to do instead of what you want to do. That's a hefty chunk of your life. If you're one of the lucky few who get paid to do what you would happily do unpaid, then that's great. I am skeptical of those jobs, though. I enjoy designing web pages, but when I got a job doing that, it suddenly became unfun. Most people simply accept unsatisfying jobs as normal and justify it by buying things to make them happy. Which requires more money. This cycle is completely backwards. Let's start over.

What if you could have all the things you need without having a job or needing money? Would you do it? I certainly would. I suppose you could live as a bum or a freegan. But, I would rather work to live. I would love to grow my own food, tap my own water supply, build my own house, and make my own clothes. I would be doing these things for me instead of following orders from someone else. All basic necessities are covered without the need for money. I should probably go live on a commune. But, I digress.

When I'm working for me, I'm living life. This is what it means to be human. When I get a job working for someone else, I've sacrificed some of my humanity. I have become a 40-hour-a-week drone in a society that loves telling me "that's how the world works". Well, that's not how all places work nor does it have to work that way for me.

I could never have a job I like. It is against my nature. As long as I continue to spend a quarter of my life in the service of another, I cannot be happy. If I can find a way to be mostly self-sufficent where a part-time job will pick up the slack of my needs, then that would be a fair compromise. Ideally, it would be a programming job working from home. It wouldn't be perfect, but at least I'd wouldn't be wasting my time on voluntary servitude, but spending more of it enjoying life.

Hank