Monday, September 28, 2009

Wasting Work Time

Right now, I'm wasting time
Spilling my brains on my pad
Spelling, diddling nothing particular
Open you time, take your money.
Give to the man, take it away.
Little bit gets done, not outdone.
My brain is shifting and drifting
Thinking of my bills, not doing what
I'm paid to do. Writing this stuff
Leaving it for later.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Code Blocks

Programming hard blocks
finding reuse, hidden code
my brain is blocked
my mind is melded into the computer

the computer does not care about me
it was created by someone to execute tasks
that person is long gone
I am left to struggle with the logic
my mind longs to understand it all

my computer wants perfect syntax
why does it not ask "did you mean...?"
Like google who knows what I meant.
Don't play dumb with me.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

If Lincoln Never Fought the Civil War

One day I woke up from a dream that felt more like a realization of an alternate history of the world. In it, the United States allowed the Confederate States of America to Secede from the Union. Fast forward through history to World War II. The Confederate States of America side with Nazi Germany as well as South Africa which practices Apartheid. Given this new balance of power, Nazi Germany survives. Blacks in the Confederate States never get full rights as citizens. South Africa is more powerful. The world is completely different all because Lincoln did not fight and win the American Civil War. There are two Americas, one sides with the Nazi and believe in white supremacy, the other is run by liberal intellectuals and is not powerful enough to fight off the combined forces of Nazi Germany and the Confederates which are natural allies joined by a belief in the inferiority of other race of humans.

Most of Europe falls under the Axis power control and stays there. The Soviet Union, also an ally of the Confederate states, comes to an agreement with the Axis powers that preserve them from war with Germany. Canada, the remaining United States and Britain stand alone against these powerful countries. The mainland of the United Stated experiences many of the same kind of bombing in its Eastern cities as London saw in WWII in this reality. Unable to defeat us, we all learn to co-exist in a world with Nazi's, slavery, apartheid, Communism, Fascism, and oppression and there is no one free country big and strong enough to force an unconditional surrender on either side. The whole world become prone to conquest and colonial rule into the modern era.

African countries, South American countries are exploited by one side or the other by use of money or force. Whichever is more expedient.

So, treaties are signed. Agreements are made. Demilitarized zones are created. Armies are kept on alert like it is between North and South Korea in this reality.