I Can Text While Driving Just Fine

Well, great for you. I can't. I practically get into an accident every time I adjust the volume on my radio while driving. But I feel you.

Honestly, laws like this make no sense. If someone is weaving around because they are texting, they should get a ticket for reckless driving. Job done. I just don't get the constant barrage of ever more specific laws.

Then, there's the point where there are so many laws they have to start making laws saying what you *can* do. That's just ridiculous. You should be able to do anything you want, unless there is a law *against* it. Not the other way around.

In Tennessee they recently passed a law that allows people to bring their firearms into restaurants, bars, parks, and who knows where else. It sounds retarded since it's completely backwards. It should just be assumed you can take your stuff wherever you go unless there is ban on it. For instance, they do outline that you can't be drinking alcohol while carrying a gun. Perfectly reasonable limitation.

But don't give a list of what I *can* do. Make a list, a very very very very short list, of what I can't do. And don't worry about the rest. Fewer laws == happier me. ( also fewer taxes, fewer government officials, fewer politicians, fewer terrorists and fewer stupid people )

What's the best phone?

Ah, yes. The phone. And of course this being the 21st century, we mean by that the cell phone.

Now, I could just come out and tell you (iphone) which phone (iphone) has all of the best (iphone) features, etc. But really (iphone), that would be too simple (iphone) and you wouldn't end up with the right (iphone) cell phone for you. Also, iphone.

Every single one of these gadgets has problems. They are sometimes technical. Sometimes carrier related. Sometimes geography related. Some phones, especially in the US, are restricted to certain carriers. So, while you can get a phone almost exactly like it from the same manufacturer, it may have slightly different features.

It's a mess.

If you honestly only make calls, get a free phone. Or a really cheap one with pay-as-you-go. You will find that you pay a lot less by grabbing a $20 AT&T Go Phone and just buying blocks of minutes as you need them.

If you ever text, you need a plan. Whether that's a cheap plan, because you only text and nothing else, is really on your head.

If you text a lot, there are fairly inexpensive phones that are specifically designed for texting. Get one of those.

But, if you love using these things and want the most awesomest phone for actual, practical use, get an iPhone. The ONLY exception is when you are a certified phone geek. You like to tinker with your phone, you actually enjoy applying patches, using ssh to log in to phone ( I know, it's stupid ), etc. In that case, get a Palm.

That's all the phone advice I've got for now. So, this is Some Guy On the Internet, signing off.

On Musical Tastes

Someone asked me, Why do white people listen to rap/hiphop?

My response at the time was, I haven't got a clue.

Being some guy on the internet, I have absolutely no interest in it. A lot of white people do, however, have an interest of some kind in not only that musical genre, but in the culture. I think they see themselves as some kind of anthropologists. They are attempting to immerse themselves in a culture that is not their own, in order to better understand "those people". Whatever that means.

A lot of so-called musical taste is exactly that. People are often afraid of what others might think of them, so they delve into some obscure musical genre in order to give themselves an air of authenticity among their peers. It's a shame, really. Certainly, they come to appreciate at least some aspects of the music, and a very small handful of them may actually enjoy the music on a deeper emotional level.

It is important to note, however, that must people are full of themselves on this.

A southern bred male of above average intelligence doesn't want to be seen as "just another hick". Maybe he's a doctor or computer programmer or whatever. Obviously smart. But deep down, he emotionally responds to Skynyrd and Def Leppard. If, however, he was to admit that, he is afraid ( and rightly so ) that his peers would see him as uncultured, maybe even slightly dumb. People are like that.

Also, don't judge people for what is a completely rational self-deception. Said example above may be "really into Tupac". Sure, whatever. I understand why you do that, and you have made some kind of choice about how to defuse the idiots around you. I may not be fooled, but I'll play along with the idea that you actually like that music.

Just don't expect me to nod and agree with your musical tastes or have any kind of conversation about their music. "HipHop" is naturally occurring Some Guy On the Internet repellant.

Food ( Is My Diet Better Than Yours? )

Hey there. Some Guy here again on about food. Yeah, "on about". It's a legitimate phrase, and this is not the article on grammar.

So, a few "first things" here. Diet. This word is basically the things you eat, how often you eat them, etc. Everyone living has a diet. Some of you out there are "on a diet", which means you are now taking someone else's advice about how/what/etc. to eat because your own choices have proven stupid, unhealthy, and probably you are fat.

These books that talk about diet, or programs that include dietary instructions, are all about even. Yes, some of them are tailored for people with specific problems, so there's that. But in general, if you look around, you should be able to find a decently qualified person ( maybe a doctor or nutritionist or personal trainer ) who can give you advice on what your diet should be.

WARNING: If you ask two different experts they may give you two different answers. It's important at this point in the process to understand something very, very crucial. They are likely both right.

See, the problem is that food and your body interact in very complex ways, and that means there is more than one way to solve the problem ( that you're fat ). The best thing you can do, is decide which to go with, and put your full effort behind it. Don't get distracted by what other people are eating, or what diet your friends are on. You can royally screw up your body by trying to mix different diet regimens in often retarded ways. And you're already fat, don't compound your problem.

Oh, and don't expect to go from size 14 to size 2 in three days. You have to stick with it.

Of course, that only touches food. What about exercise?

Well, as some guy on the internet, I can tell you that if you aren't getting some kind of exercise every day then you are Doing It Wrong™. Go for a walk, a jog, work out in the yard, but for the love of Pete, DO SOMETHING.

Unruly Mobs

You may have heard some rumors about certain "unruly mobs" supposedly "crashing townhall" meetings that congressmen are trying to have around the country. This might be disturbing, or maybe pleasing, to you. Depending, I suppose, on your point of view about the meetings, civil disobedience, and the actual issue they are trying to discuss at these townhall meetings.

Well, as some guy on the internet, I happen to be fully capable of filling you in on the details.

So, you might have heard something about health insurance or health care or something like that lately. Don't worry. Nothing has happened yet. And your duly elected representatives are on recess, a lot of them are holding meetings where just any ol' person can show up and ask questions about what they are up to. That's cool.

Then, you hear on the news about "mobs" that are "attacking" these meetings and you rightly are asking "Wha?" It turns out that on one hand the Democrats are saying that Big Evil Insurance Companies are hiring professional agitators ( sort of like the kind you would pick up at your neighborhood ACORN headquarters ) in order to disrupt these meetings. Then, on the other hand, you have Republicans saying that these are just ordinary folks wanting to voice their opinion.

So which is it, Some Guy On Internet?, you ask me.

Well, like most things I hope to cover here on SOMEGUYONINTERNET, it's neither. You probably already suspecting that anything coming from either the "regular" news or politicians is going to be mostly lies. Politicians are awesome at lying without even trying, and "journalists" are great at photoshop along with lying.

First, the Democrat lies. No one is being paid to go to these meetings other than the congressmen and/or their staffers. ( Yes, and/or means that you might go to one these and still only get to talk to a staffer and not the actual congressman, who is probably out hiking the Appalachian Trail ) Oh, they might shout a bit, but have you ever been to or seen on these townhalls? It's a friggin' nightmare, and it's amazing anyone gets heard half the time.

That takes us to Point B, the Republicans. Love these guys. However, you and I both know there is no such animal as an "ordinary American" who goes to a freaking townhall meeting on anything. We are way too lazy about politics to do more than vote. And that's a burden already. We might work up the gumption to write a letter to the road commissioner asking why in the world they feel the need to do road construction on the only way in or out of my subdivision exactly on the first day of school? Other than that, ordinary, everyday citizens of These United States have more important things to do, like working, or playing WoW.

Mostly, these "unruly mobs" you are hearing about are the same as they have always been. Old people. And I don't blame them. Have you seen this old people meeting on the new health care bill? Yeah, they get grumpy and all, but it's not like their suddenly going to march on the capital. They'd probably break something. They are pissed because congress are being the same bunch of idiots they always are, except this time they apparently hit a nerve with the "nothing-better-to-do-than-go-to-a-townhall" demographic.

Now, that may sound condescending. And maybe it is. But these people, the NBTDTGTAT group, ( how is that pronounced? ) have to listen to us complain day in and day out about what congress and the president are trying to do to our perfectly good health care. ( Yeah, it's pricey, but as we say here on Some Guy, "You get what you pay for" ) So, they hear this, and agree of course, and hear more of it and all you and I ( the "ordinary" people ) do is complain and never actually do anything about it. So, they pack up their protestin' gear and head off to a meeting to make sure that people who can do something actually will do something.

They provide a great service. They are not "ordinary", they are definitely outside of the ordinary. Maybe, we might call them Extra Ordinary.