Yesterday, a new member of the InternetWorkers list showed up and threatened to leave since his political views didn’t seem represented on the list. The list is one of the most anything-goes lists I’ve ever been on, so I know his departure would be premature.

His comment got me thinking. Too often folks from one side of the fence or other (assuming there are just two sides. Work with me here.) will wrap themselves in the endless talk supporting their views. They are the choir, being preached to by whatever commentator espouses their views. Rarely is a dissenting opinion heard or discussed.

Ideas, opinions, and conversations are best when they’re brought out in the open and can be discussed by people with differing views. Never be afraid to have your ideas and opinions challenged. That kind of dialog makes society better.

People might adopt your ideas, or people may not. Either way, you’re likely to learn something just by playing. And so will everyone else.

It’s surprising how people spend so much time in their team huddle and never engage the opposing team. How can that gameplan ever win?

I’m calling for another Beer Club meeting this weekend. The spot will be the Flying Saucer in downtown Raleigh (unless you’ve got a better idea). Anyone reading is welcome to join us (Beer Club has free memberships).

The mt.net poll has been updated to reflect a choice of which night we should meet this weekend. Come on out and have a cold one.

(If its your first Beer Club meeting, look for the geeks and ask “is this beer club?” We’ll be the first group that doesn’t stare blankly at you. Or, on second thought…)

I suppose the North Carolina DMV is still reeling from the recent surge of driver license applicants hoping their Mexican ID card would still be accepted as ID. In today’s mail was a renewal notice for my car’s registration.

Problem is, I renewed it last month. In fact, the registration notice rightly shows my registration expiring in April 2005. Either the DMV is so desperate for cash that they’re hitting up citizens a year early, or they’ve been mashing too many buttons on their computers over there.

Oh, the joys of guvmint.

(P.S., Russell Capps, the wizard who cooked up the new DMV ID law, is an asshat.)

Writing a blog is like talking to a mirror.

Seems there is a lot of grumbling from fans about Bush’s visit to the Daytona 500. While that could be expected whenever a President visits a sporting event, it raises eyebrows when it comes from what could be considered a very Bush-friendly crowd.

Former presidents don’t seem to have these issues. When Pinehurst hosted the U.S. Open a few years ago, I was astonished to see George Bush, Sr. casually chatting ten feet behind me, oblivious to his status as a former world leader. There was no security detail surrounding him, nor did anyone search my backpack going in. There was nothing advertising his presence, and more importantly: no inconvenience to fellow sports fans.

I suppose Poppy’s former career as an old spymaster makes him comfortable enough to pull such stunts, but life would have been much easier for race fans if Dubya had followed his daddy’s lead.

Read about it in the Daytona Beach News-Journal and at Prospect.

My coworkers and I had an informal chat about offshoring today. Turns out a lot of us are really worried that in a year or two, the software industry might be completely gone here. Talk today on the TriLUG list also leans this way.

How Bush can say – and with a straight face, too – that offshoring jobs is “good for America” is beyond me. The American economy, so dependent on consumerism, will be down for the count if no one has jobs.

I am an optimistic guy by nature, but I can’t help but think we’re in deep, deep trouble.

I found this pretty amusing. Hackers cracked the password on WRAL’s “Weather Closing” website for the Wake County School System.

Officials with the station and the school system did not know who engineered the hoax, which lasted about 25 minutes.

The school system has two special codes for reporting school closings to WRAL, said schools spokesman Michael Evans, and someone armed with the codes called in the alert.

I’m wondering when my so–called blogmates are going to get syndication feeds for their blogs.

Hellooooooo! We’re in the Third Millennium now, kiddies. Let’s get with the program! Blogs without syndication feeds are like TV without Tivo. Think about it.