Matthew J. Pallmann

Okay, not exactly. Actually, I have changed my driving habits due to gas prices, rather than a problem with the law or other reason.

I was listening to Michael Smerconish one morning and a man talked about changing the way he drove and was getting almost 50 miles to the gallon. He was trying to maintain his speed, have slow starts and keep his top speed down. Now a lot of what he was doing was not possible for me with my long commute. However, I decided to see what–within reason–I could do. So I came up with the 3000 rpm rule. Continue reading ‘A Reformed Speeder’ »

I expect that I should have found this a long time ago, but I was recently on the Blender site and noticed BlenderArt (www.blenderart.org). So I went for a look. I was impressed, even amazed. Continue reading ‘BlenderArt Magazine’ »

I have never thought much of certification. Oh, I recognize that many people work hard to achieve it and it looks good on your resume. But I have never wasted my time to get one. Partially, because of cost. I didn’t feel like shelling out $100 for an exam. Continue reading ‘javaCertificationPrep.start() ;’ »

We finally purchased “The Incredibles”, since it was on sale and our daughter reallywanted it. I knew the basic idea, of course, a superhero later in life is called back into action. Well, there was more to it than that. I was very impressed with the film. It dealt with the expected themes, such as, reliving the glory days, teamwork, and aging. But it delved into several others. Like the importance of family, doing what is right (perhaps that was expected), and how not to become a mad supervillian. Continue reading ‘The Incredibles’ »

There are several serious Blender productions out there. These teams are using the power of Blender to make top-quality, short- and feature-length films. One such project was Big Buck Bunny. This was create by an international team of Blender aficianodos.

This project really shows the abilities of Blender. I enjoyed it every bit as much as a Pixar short. It’s the plight of a bunny against a few (albeit smaller) bullies. It’s fun and entertaining. And the butterflies are now safe.

I have finally finished Glenn Beck’s book An Inconvenient Book. I found it like listening to a concentrated version of his radio show, which is a little different from his television show. I recommend this, because he points out a lot of concepts people just don’t know about. Like history. Or some of the actual data for poverty, the U.N., and many other things people should know.

Continue reading ‘An Inconvenient Book’ »

A lot of Java developers who have worked with the RxTx library have had problems with the USB side of it. As they have not given an official release which fixes this, developers have taken it upon themselves to fix it.

Anyone who was following the sun forum about this, I have posted it on my site: here.

We took our 5 year old to see Prince Caspian in the theater yesterday. I have read read all the stories several times, so I knew what to expect. It is always interesting to see how a story is interpreted and what they have decided to change. Some changes are understandable, as they need to move the plot, but do not have the time to do it the way the book does.

Continue reading ‘Prince Caspian’ »

I’ve taken several days after watching Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, to gather my thoughts. In short, I thought the film was excellent. It takes you step by step along a journey of discovery. Whether real or imagined, it was an excellent vehicle to move through the experience.

I will say it again: Everyone should see this movie. There is a definite bias in the academic and scientific communities. The bias has gotten so bad, most people don’t even see how biased they are. The issue is not about whose evidence is better, or who has better science. The issue is what assumptions you are approaching the data with–what the movie termed your “worldview”. Your worldview affects your beliefs and how you approach just about everything in life. Failure to realize this only makes you, at best, naive.

Continue reading ‘Post Expelled’ »

Ben Stein has a new movie coming out. Most people people know him from the Clear Eyes commercial or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Some may remember him from Win Ben Stein’s Money. Mr. Stein has created a documentary about the scientific community and their unwillingness to entertain alternate theories to evolution. In fact, anyone who disagrees with the tenets of evolution are ridiculed, denied tenure, and even fired because they believe differently. In a country which believes in freedom of ideas and thought, there exists an oppressive culture in the sciences, which often strong-arm their ideas, not only in professional life, but in the classroom.

I encourage everyone to see this movie. It comes out on April 18th. In the academic and scientific communities this discussion is not even allowed. All Mr. Stein is calling for is that we can have the discussion, without the backlash. Is that too much to ask? Science should be the search for the truth.

Look here for more information: http://www.expelledthemovie.com/