ammon.azza.org

Hello, I'm Ammon Hatch, and this is a website.

The purpose for this website is neither known, nor set in stone. But suffice it to say, it's basically a glorified blog. A blog where I put up reports about hikes and climbs I do, and where I discuss issues of the day. But, mostly I talk about random things that I happen to be thinking about... and then remember that I have a website.

So, look around. Follow some links. Delve into my archives if you wish. I've got some great photos up in the gallery as well.

Also I would encourage you to make use of my RSS feeds so I can deliver content to you immediately after it is posted. How is THAT for service?

And please take the time to drop me a note as well, either up in the "contact me" link, or by commenting on a post directly. It's always a pleasure to hear from a reader, and I try to respond to all the comments I receive.

I hope you find at least something on here enlightening, or humorous and that your visit is worthwhile.

Signed,
The Management.

Dear Senator Obama,

I did not vote for you. I voted for John McCain. I did this because you and I have fundamental disagreements on what this nation is, we differ in our views of the constitution and the founders. It seems to me that you would like to fundamentally change the system that they set up, a system that I believe in and believe to be inspired. That is why I did not support you in the general election. But, as I said, I believe in the system. A system that has chosen you as President-Elect. And therefore I wipe the slate clean. I stand behind you as the next president of the United States. During the Bush years I grew weary of bumper stickers that claimed Bush wasn't the president, at least for the occupant of that vehicle. I would be a hypocrite to do the same to you without even giving you a chance to serve in the office which you were elected.

In your victory speech, you said that you would still hear the voices of those that did not vote for you. I very much respect this, and consider it a great move toward unifying the nation. Well, here is my voice. You are on a tight leash. Not to say I don't keep all of my elected representatives on a tight leash, because I do. But you are no different. You get no free passes, and I will call everything you do as I see it. And I know there will be many policies which you will establish that will upset me. For example I fully expect you to implement a cap and trade system which ravages our energy industry and economy. Every part of me is against this move, but I still expect it from you. I will be watching for things you do which I will agree with, perhaps even things which I will back 100%. I hope these things happen often. Just know, I won't let my feelings for you in the election blind me to the truth of your governance. If you do something that I disagree with, I will speak out against it, but alternately if you do something I do agree with, I will speak out in support of it.

I do expect to see many new policies which will make me cringe. But there are certain policies which I simply cannot abide. I do not know whether or not you will do anything to try and implement them, but know that if you do, you lose my support completely. They are: Do not tax my boss or his company to the point that they can no longer afford me as an employee. I don't want your redistribution of wealth. I simply want to go to work and earn a fair wage. If this is not possible in your administration, I will find another way, but I will not sign up for your socialist policies. You'll have to put money directly in my bank account without my asking for me to use it. Even then, I will be slow to use it. I do not believe in socialism, and cannot stomach it. Secondly, Do not do ANYTHING to infringe on ANY of the rights laid forth in the founding documents, particularly the Bill of Rights. If you silence dissent, such as my own, through any means it will break my trust in you. For no leader should be free from criticism. If you support measures to damage freedom of religion, you have lost my support. And hear me on this: Anything you do to damage Second Amendment rights will be seen with the utmost scrutiny. Bans to certain firearms or firearm components will cause me to cry out against you. And perhaps most importantly, any attempt to collect arms from law abiding citizens will be met with violence. This is less of a threat and more of a prediction. When you try to take the final recourse of a freedom loving people, that is exactly when the people will use it. Because once it is gone, they are in bondage.

I sincerely hope you are not what I think you are. I hope you stand up for the constitution, and not against it. If you uphold and defend the country and keep it safe, I will consider you a great president. If not, you will be a failure, and I will not be afraid to say it.

Sincerely,
Ammon Hatch

I found a ridiculous report today that says "Texting Finally More Popular Than Calling Among U.S. Mobile Users" citing a study that says "As of the second quarter of 2008, a typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 357 text messages a month, compared to placing or receiving 204 phone calls". That may seem like a huge spread, but it's really not, and I would venture to say calling is still more popular.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "But Ammon, look at the numbers, text messaging has a CLEAR and SUBSTANTIAL lead in usage numbers. Man you are so stupid for not believing this study." Relax, man. Here's my reasoning: A text message is not a conversation. It is a phrase, if you're lucky it can be a sentence or two, or it can be a one word response. The content of a text message would take 2-30 seconds to say in a call.

So, how many text messages would it take to fill a 5 minute phone conversation? Let's say every text would take 30 seconds. That would be 10 text messages. Divide that by two (because this is per person, not both parties involved), and you have 5 text messages. So if each of those 204 phone calls were 5 minutes long, it would take 1020 text messages. That is a lot more than 357.

Feel free to reject the last paragraph as I mostly made it up on the fly. My point is, I reject the study.

EDIT: I just realized the study said "a typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 357 text messages a month" That would mean you wouldn't have to divide by two. So the 5 minute conversation is actually 10 texts, and the 204 phone calls equate to 2040 texts. This solidifies my point even further.

The study I would like to see is one that takes an average length of all text messages, does some sort of magic that decides how long it would take to speak the content, and compares that to how many MINUTES were used by cell phone users. Then we would have a study we can think about. And I suspect the audible connection would have a runaway victory.

One source: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/us-finally-catc.html

I looked in the corner of my room and saw a bright orange backpack. It was my childhood 72 hour kit. It resided in the hall closet of my old home from the time I was barely out of diapers to when we moved. When we moved, my parents saw fit to pass these kits on to us as they had no use for them. Well, as I am now an adult, the 72 hour kit of a toddler is not something I can find a whole lot of use in either. But I took it, and it has sat in my room for the past year or so.. I guess in case I need an 18-19 year old 72 hour kit.

I've been toying with personal preparedness lately. Though I have no home, no family to take care of and food storage isn't really plausible, I have taken some steps in preparedness. Some of them are things that some might deem crazy like collecting guns and ammunition (these things don't really go bad, so it's an easy step to take). But more recently I've toyed with making a 72 hour kit (The modern term for this is "Bug Out Bag" in conspiratorial and paranoid preparedness circles... Of which I am a fringe member). I got a bag in the mail (realizing later that a backpack really is better suited. Oh well.) and now I'm thinking about what to put in it. So I grabbed the old orange backpack.

Some of the contents are mostly useless to me now. Things such as pants, sock, and underwear. I suppose they could be useful for things other than their intended purpose, but that's not likely.

Some things MIGHT still be okay. Things such as first aid supplies (Other than the Children's Chewable Tylenol that expired in 06/90). Also, does anyone know how long MRE meals last? I'm a little doubtful they are still good.

But some things will absolutely make their way into my new kit. Things such as dust masks, waterproof matches (I tested one), emergency blankets, notepad and mechanical pencil, metal cup/bowl thing (though I might replace it with a lighter one), emergency poncho... etc.

There were a few things I didn't know whether or not they would work or not. Such as chemical hand warmers and glow sticks.

The hand warmer had an expiration date of 1990. I opened the package and shook it up. It did get a little warmer, but not in any significant fashion. I thought it weird that it would go bad, as it's just a simple chemical reaction. I read the ingredients and found that one was water. I figured that after all these years it could have dried out completely. So I ran it under COLD water (for sake of the test), and shook it up some more. Sure enough, it was a little warmer than before, but not in any significant fashion. So hand warmers 18 years past expiration, no good.

But what about the glow stick? It had a date of 1991. I cracked it, shook it, and sure enough:



I guess I'll keep the other one around, even though I don't see a whole lot of use, other than making yourself visible. I can imagine my mom intended to put one on me if we were moving around at night so I wouldn't get lost. Makes sense to me. As far as it creating light? Not really good at that. I'll probably grab one of those flashlights that you power by shaking, or cranking.

Perhaps I'll post more when I decide on exactly what makes it into my bag and put it all together. Until then, adios.

When I was but a wee lad, I was afraid of some things. I'm sure that comes as no surprise as most people are. I was afraid of the usual suspects, like spiders and heights. I was also afraid of really really weird things. Like a chair. Not any and all chairs, or that would have made for a really awkward childhood. But I was afraid of one specific chair in my house. On the bottom basement of my house (we had two basements) there was a room in the corner which had no windows. My dad used it as an office for a while, but by the end of our stay there it was a server room. I digress. In this room was a largeish office chair. It was blue. And I was afraid of it. No particular reason other than the overactive imagination of a child, giving the chair life, personifying it with evil. I don't know when it started and I can't remember when I got over it, but for years I would not willingly go into the room. I would not pass by the room. I would go around a different way in order to not pass it. Sometimes at night I would imagine the chair coming to get me. I slept almost directly above it, albeit four floors above it, and it still got to me for some reason.

And one day I got over it.. I guess. In the last many years spent at that house I spent plenty of time in that room, sitting in that chair, alone. I lived alone in that basement from the time my brother Matthew got married to when we sold the house, and never worried about the chair coming to get me. When I was 16 or so, I set up a darkroom in that room (I don't think my dad appreciated that very much). I didn't sit in the chair, but I merely pushed it aside so I could fit a folding chair in. And even in the complete darkness I didn't even think about the chair. When we moved, the chair went to DI. I'll never see it again. And I am indifferent.

The other huge fear I can remember from my childhood is the intro to 'DTV', a cartoon on the Disney Channel that put disney clips to music (mostly what we would consider 'oldies' today). This morning as I was lying in bed trying to get over this stupid cold, I thought about that into for the first time in years. And it freaked me out a bit. But being 21 years old, I thought "come on man, you can't still be afraid of that". So, with the power of YouTube, I faced my fears:



Okay, it's still a little scary. But when I was young I was absolutely terrified of it. I couldn't watch it. I would run out of the room if it came on. On occasion I would watch it under physical duress, but not without a fight. I've watched it a few times this morning under my own willpower, and my heart rate only increased a little.

I remember one particular night I was trying to sleep and I imagined those walking gloves coming at me. I woke up in a cold sweat many a night. Man, that's freaky stuff...

And I thought I was alone, until I sent Matthew the YouTube clip just now.

"Matthew says: Daisy always scared the heck out of me when she'd do that dance"

and it wasn't only the two of us.

"Matthew says: I just showed Jarom. His face went stone cold"

So, maybe there are more out there like us that have an irrational fear of this little video.