Happy New Year!

Base10 has not been posting since the Holidays started. Frankly, he's been involved in some other projects.

First, Base10 has been doing some cross-posting in a new group blog he was instrumental in creating. So go check out OmapBlog, where Base10 exists as JG. Could this lead to Base10's revealing his secret identity as a crimefighter? Perhaps.

Second, Base10 has been experimenting with VNC clients and has been trying to use his formerly defunct Sony Vaio to host a website via dynamic DNS and his DSL account. Base10 has so far met with limited success. Hosting a website with Windows ME over a DSL connection is certainly living on the edge. To back up this, Base10 has also been experimenting with alternative hosts. Check out this partial mirror at Metawire.org. In any event VNC systems are most cool. Check out Ultr@VNC over at SourceForge. The bottom line is Base10 is looking to move beyond Blogger and Blogspot.

Third, Base10 frankly has been in a sort of funk these days. This year has been most sad for Base10 and the upcoming New Year does not inspire confidence. But Base10 certainly doesn't want to feel sorry for himself when we are witnessing one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history. We gave a C-note to Americares and urge readers to give what they can to their favorite charities.

Fourth, the news in Indonesia just dwarves all talk of politics. Current death tolls are topping 135,000. Some experts believe the toll could ultimately reach a half-million. It's really hard to get worked up about politics or sports in this context.

In spite of all of this, Base10 urges you to have a Happy New Year! A new year means a new beginning. To quote from Gregg Easterbrook from of all things a football column in which he mentions the untimely demise of Reggie White:

There is no sure way to switch from levity to seriousness, but the loss of Reggie White at age 43, coupled with the loss of untold tens of thousands in the Indonesia earthquake, should remind us of the Roman saying memento mori -- bear in mind, you too shall die. It may happen tomorrow, it may happen in 50 years from now, but it will happen.

White was an active Christian. Jesus taught, "If the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched." One meaning of this teaching is that the end of life may come without warning; live every day prepared for it to be the last. That may sound bleak, but is the reverse. Approaching every day prepared for it to be the last raises your spiritual awareness, allows you appreciate the daily miracle of the sunrise, reminds you to show love, helps you to behave morally. Life is fragile and distressingly short. Keep this in mind as an aid to doing good and living fully in the one brief chance we are permitted. Surely, White knew the teaching about the thief and the householder, and when the end came for him in the night, we can hope his heart was ready. If the end came for you tonight, would you be?

This year's New Year's resolution is that we will indeed try to be ready and live life to the fullest every day. Happy Holidays!
- posted by Base10 @ 1:01 PM