The Desertrat Philosopher
golwis@yahoo.com
Created on October 2, 2008
Latest Update: January 26, 2009
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Winter in a tent in the desert

Winter in a Cabin Tent. Robles Junction, AZ.

Personal Contributions

Conscientious Objection
Resolution of Independence
Moral Maze: A Morality Play

portrait
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A Brief Bio
 

Family and Extended Family (ages at the time of my birth in 1960)
    Parents: Walter Scott 43, Theopal Bynum 39, married for 16 years when I was born
       married for 58 years at the time my mother died, father still living
    Paternal Grandparents: Walter Scott and Nellie bly (Nellis)
       living in Mayer, AZ (now deceased)
    Maternal Grandparents: Lucius Bynum (deceased) and Zader Elizabeth (Nelson)
       living in Buena Park, CA (now deceased)
    Siblings:
       Walter Jesse, age 14 (married Linda Whetton)
       Alma Jean, age 12 (married Curtis Sandberg)
       James Leverett, age 5 (married Celeste Vance)
       Joe Even, age 2 (married Julie Smith)
       Gerald Atakai (foster brother)
       John Ross, born 1960 (married Hannah Ross Hoffman)
    Uncles, Aunts and other relatives
       Uncle George (father's brother) and Aunt Virginia (Brown)
          who had several children, mostly living in Arizona
       Aunt Erma (great aunt, I think, sister of grandmother) and Uncle Ed
          lived in San Diego near other relatives (Scolley, Collins)
    Nephews and Nieces:
       Jay and Linda: 9 children, 14 or so grandchildren
       Jeanie and Curtis: 6 children, 16 grandchildren
       Jim and Celeste: 12 children, 10 grandchildren
       Joe and Julie: 4 children
       Gerald Atakai and spouse: 7 or so children, a few grandchildren
  Upbringing
    Born and raised in Tempe, AZ (same house for 24 years)
       father, wise and loving, mother, loving but with some psychological problems
       corporeal discipline was not excessive
    Religious upbringing:
       Parents joined Mormon church a few years before I was born
       strict adherence to church rules, indoctrination from a very early age
       church rules were therefore strictly adhered to, and I was heavily indoctrinated
       Jay went on a two year mission to El Salvador and Guatemala
       baptized at age 8 (same as younger siblings)
       appointed Deacon at age 12 (same as all young Mormon men)
       Jeanie went on a mission to Texas
       appointed Teacher at age 14 (same as all young Mormon men)
       Jim went on a mission to Louisville, Kentucky
       attended 4 years of Seminary classes in High School
       appointed Priest at age 16 (same as all young Mormon men)
       Joe went on a mission to Italy
       I went on a mission to Honduras for a year and a half
    Vacations:
       Thanksgiving and Christmases spent mostly in Mayer, AZ
       summer vacations in Sedona, Oak Creek, Flagstaff
       an early vacation to Northern California to visit relatives
       California vacations usually in Los Angeles and San Diego
       hiked in to Thunder River (Grand Canyon) at age 11 or 12 with brothers
       4 or 5 summers camping with Boy Scouts, Camp Geronimo
       High School choir tours, Los Angeles, Grand Canyon
    Secular interests:
       favorite school subjects: biology, chemistry, physics
       favorite activities: hiking, camping, fishing, exploring the natural world
 
Education
    Elementary School: Broadmor Elementary School, grades 1 through 6
    Junior High School: McKemy Junior High School, grades 7 and 8
    High School: Tempe High School, Class of 1978
    Mesa Community College: 1 year (Biology major)
    Mission Training Center, Provo, UT: 2 months (Spanish intensive course)
    Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ: 3.5 years (Business Admin. Economics)
    University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ: 1 semester (Russian)
    NTC RTC, San Diego, CA: 2 months (Navy Boot Camp)
    Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA: 1 year (Russian Intermediate)
    NTTC, Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX: 6 months (technical training)
    Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ: 2 years (BA in Russian)
    University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ: 2.5 years (Russian graduate studies)
    ABS Truck Driving School, Tucson, AZ: 2 months (OTR certified)
    Basic Training, Fort Leonardwood, MO: 2 months (US Army)
    Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA: 6 months (Chinese Basic)
    Army Technical Training, Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX: 6 months
    Quick Fix School: Fort Huachuca, AZ: 6 weeks
    Berlitz, Stuttgart, Germany: 2 weeks (Berlitz method, English as a Second Langauge)
    Customer Service and Technical Support training for various companies
       Intuit, Inc.: Quicken software
       America Online: CAT, Saves/Sales/Retention, Tech. Support
       Cross Country Automotive Services: BMW Roadside Assistance
       APAC: Harrah*s Hotel and Casino Reservations
       Rain Bird, Inc.: Sprinkler Systems Tech Support
       Convergys, Inc.: Comcast Cable Service Tech Support
  Employment
    Paper Delivery: PennySaver, Tempe Daily News and other papers
       (beginning at age 8)
    Various summer jobs
       lawn mowing
       door to door sales
       Zoo Keeper Assistant, Phoenix Zoo
       Catering business (company name forgotten)
    Arizona Office Supplies 1.5 years (janitorial work)
    Malone Security: 1 year (security guard)
    Cowley Pumps: 3 months (construction yard work)
    Construction electrician: 8 months (company name forgotten)
    Short Stop Convenience Market and Gas Station: 2 years (clerk)
    Peter Piper Pizza: 6 months
    Navy Reserves: 1.5 years active training (Cryptology Technician Interpretive)
       4.5 years additional reserve training
    Pedus Security, America Airlines, Salt River Project: 2 years (security guard)
    University of Arizona: 2.5 years (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
    Digby/Navajo Trucklines: 1 year (OTR Truck driver)
    US Army: 3 years, 98G (Spanish) and Black Hawk Quick Fix operator
    Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute: 6 months (Assistant Director)
    Intuit, Inc.: 2 years (Online Banking tech support)
    Freelance Internet work: 6 months (forum monitor)
    Berlitz Stuttgart and Freelance Teacher: 1 year (English and a Second Language)
    America Online: 2 years
    Cross Country Automotive Services: 1 year
    Freelance Pattern Day Trading: 4 months
    APAC: 1 year
    Rain Bird, Inc.: 1 year
    Convergys, Inc.: 1 year
    Freelance English Teacher: Stuttgart, Germany (present work)
 
psych profile
    INTP: "Thinker," "Architect"
       Introversion preferred to Extraversion
       iNtuition preferred to Sensing
       Thinking preferred to Feeling
       Perception preferred to Judgement

Hobbies and Interests (to name a few)
    Natural History:
       Biology, Zoology, Botany, Mycology, Lichenology
       Biodiversity, Environmentalism
       Taxonomy, Cladistics
       Entomology, Arachnology
    Earth Sciences:
       Geology, Oceanography
       Geography: both physical and political
       Paleontology and Evolution
       Anthropology and Archaeology
    Astronomy and Physics:
       Comets
       Meteor Showers
       Catastrophism
       Quantum Electro-dynamics
    The Outdoors
       Camping and hiking (but not so much backpacking anymore)
       Fishing (but not so much hunting anymore)
       Bird-watching
       Stone-turning (if that's the entomological equivalent of bird-watching)
       Identifying and eating wild plants
    Languages and Linguistics:
       Historical Linguistics
       Writing Systems
       Etymology
       Word Play
    History
    Philosophy
    Religions and Mythology
    Politics and Anarchism
    Economics, etc., etc.

  Evolution of my political views
    Stage 1: Upbringing (birth to teens or tweens)
       Religious and patriotic indoctrination and programming.
    Stage 2: Corruption (age 6 or 7 to 26)
       As early as first grade I was fantasizing about peeking up the girl's skirts.
       I probably started masturbating by age 7 or 8.
       Shame of such a "weakness" naturally led to concealment, in other words, lying.
       Shame of lying is much easier to bear than shame of sexual "misconduct."
       But then there's the problem of hypocrisy. It's one thing to lie,
          and quite another to perform religious duties when you're "unworthy."
       So for many years I struggled with the shame and hypocrisy.
       After completing my mission I turned to a third alternative.
    Stage 3: Drift and Patriotism (22 to 35)
       I began to simply avoid church and religious activities.
       But I continued to believe everything I had been indoctrinated with
       Unable to serve God, I turned to Country. (Patriotism is almost a religious duty)
       I began to study politics, the "Founding Fathers," John Locke, John Stuart Mill
       I would call myself Conservative drifting slightly towards Libertarianism
       At the age of 24, I joined the Navy which accelerated the corruption stage
          and re-inforced the drift from the church
       I continued to study. Frederick Hayek, Milton Friedman, Albert Jay Nock and others
    Stage 4: The Slow Awakening (age 30 to 35)
       I met a libertarian atheist in college. We enjoyed the same passtimes.
       We went camping and hiking together. We debated politics and religion.
       He won most of the debates, but I remained unconvinced of three things:
          The right of open immigration.
          The right to experiment with drugs.
          The existence of God and the truth of the Mormon church.
    Stage 5: Conversion (age 35 or 36)
       I joined the Army when I was 34 years old.
       After a brief attempt at learning Chinese, I opted to become a Spanish linguist.
       I thought the focus of a Spanish linguist in the Army would be Cuba and Nicaragua.
       Instead, I found myself learning about drug interdiction.
       I realized that I had made a grave error leaving unresolved the issues of drugs,
          immigration and the moral basis of my religious faith
       I began reading everything I could find dealing with these issues.
       Peter McWilliams, Lysander Spooner, Walter Block, Ayn Rand, Herbert Spencer,
          Henry David Thoreau, James Bovard, Mark Twain, George Smith, and others.
       Over a period of just a few months, I went from libertarian leaning conservative
          and hardcore believer in Mormonism to atheist individualist anarchist.
    Stage 6: What I Am Now (age 36 to 48)
       My views haven't changed significantly since my "conversion."
       However, I avoid using the terms "atheist" and "anarchist" because people have
          so many contradictory and fixed beliefs associated with those terms
       I have only found a few better arguments to re-inforce my opinions.
 

  Personal Projects  

Project One: Non-Linear Chess
       Surprisingly, I've actually completed this project, not something that I typically do. All that remains is to work out a few details with the wording of the rules, and put together a web page to present it. I may also need to find someone who can design a program so that it can be played on a computer.
       Additionally, I plan to work out the same variation for other chess-like board games, Non-Linear Shogi, Non-Linear Alice Chess, Non-Linear Berolina Chess, Non-Linear Chaturanga, Non-Linear Chaturanga for four players, etc., etc.

Project Two: How to Speak Like Tarzan in Any Language
       This hasn't gone far beyond the idea stage. I have completed an outline which lists the materials needed plus the regimen of study habits for learning the language. Eventually, I plan to put a booklet together for learning various languages, as well as for speakers of other languages to learn English.

Project Three: Church of All Saints' Humor (CASH)
       CASH is a mock religion along the lines of other mock religions, Church of the SubGenius, Discordianism, Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, not that all other religions aren't also mock religions in their own way, Scientology, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha'i, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc., etc.
       One of the three central themes of CASH is humor in the form of ridicule, ridicule of all other religions as well as all political and economic ideologies. This is the church of ridicule, the church of comedians. The one thing that unites all humanity is our unique ability to make fun of and laugh at people we don't agree with.
       Another of the three central themes of CASH is the idea of Sainthood. Sainthood is recognized by various religions in many different ways. The early Christian church referred to all their members as saints. This same practice was taken up by the Mormons, but saints in this sense aren't venerated like they are in other churches. There is a very complicated process of recognizing saints in the Roman Catholic tradition, but once recognized, the saint is venerated with it's own holiday feast, etc. And when you study the lives of these saints, you soon discover that many of them were actually scoundrels before being canonized. I suppose this is to be expected because all men are sinners in the eyes of the church, but apparently the good that they do in life outweighs the evil, or you can be a saint as long as you end life on a good note.
       So, this second of the three themes of CASH is that you don't need to wait until you die to become a saint, CASH will canonize you today for free. That means, your own shrine, feast, attributes, symbols, icons, veneration, patronage, etc., etc. And, for a small fee, plus shipping and handling, we will provide you with documentary proof of your sainthood, which brings us to the third and arguably the most important central theme of CASH, money,... obviously,... like any other religion.
       With your official membership, you will be provided with your own CASH Chapter of Worship. Your CASH CoW will include a web page for social networking with adult verification access, space for posting your attributes, veneration practices, etc., as well as your position in the church. Church organization will be based on user suggestions, that is, you get to create your own offices and give yourself your own titles, or select from titles already available. There will also be an online store where you can buy (at a discount) or sell church related items, candles with your sainted picture on it, saint dolls, icons, stained glass images, window stickers, bumper stickers, coffee mugs with the giggle fish symbol, adult items, saint vibrators, saint condoms, etc. Particularly offensive items will constantly be added, such as Muhammad Teddy Bears, Koran targets, etc...

Project Four: The Naughty Lass
       Playboy has no Playboy yacht. Playboy needs no Playboy yacht. Or do they?
       Playboy is a publication company, not a yacht chartering company. They have an annual yacht party, but I suspect this is not a money making venture. It's more for publicity than for profit. But what if...
       Imagine someone in the yacht chartering business partnered with Playbody Enterprises. In exchange for free use of the yacht for parties, the yacht could be known as the official Playboy yacht. Playboy would be able to afford more than one yacht party per year since they don't have to pay to charter the yacht, and the yacht chartering company benefits from the extra business in the form of people who want to charter the Playboy yacht for their own cruise.
       Here's twist number one. The yacht will be made by US Submarines, a Phoenix 1000, a 65 meter private luxury submarine, capable of operating at a depth of 1,000 ft. The Naughty Lass. While not being used for parties, or tourists, the yacht could be used for oceanographic research and exploration. Playboy Enterprises can now expand into the science magazine market.
       Twist number two. How does one join the "Mile High" club? You and your partner book a flight on an airplane, once it climbs above one mile, the two of you,... get busy, and you're officially a member of the "Mile High" club. Who can join? Anybody who can afford a ticket on a plane. But what is the underwater equivalent of the "Mile High" club?
       Well, you couldn't call it a "Mile Deep" club because most submersibles don't dive deeper than 1,000 feet, and the 1,000 ft deep club or the 166 fathom club sounds a bit too "clunky" for a name. But I'll get to the name in a bit.
       Who could join this underwater club? Most submarines are operated by the Navy and they have a don't ask, don't tell policy. If you joined on one of their boats, you wouldn't be able to tell anybody, or at least you'd have to be careful who you told. There are, of course, some tourist submarines you could book a trip on, dive with your partner, once underwater, check into the head,... but how easy is it to book a ticket on a tourist submarine. There are tourist submarines in Hawaii and other places, but it's nowhere near as easy as going to the nearest airport. So, there is no underwater equivalent of the "Mile High" club. Playboy would have a virtual monopoly on club membership if they went with the Naughty Lass. They could market it as the "Playboy 20,000 League Club," another play on the Jules Verne theme. And you wouldn't even have to have sex on the boat or while submerged, just booking a cruise would make you an official member.
       Now, compare the Playboy 20,000 League Club to the Mile High Club. What difference is there between joining the Mile High Club on a flight between Denver and Atlanta, or joining the Mile High Club on a flight between Rome and Cairo? There's nothing special about the air space, so at best, the only difference is who you joined with and where on the plane you joined. You still have those differences on a submarine but you have much more. The world's oceans and seas have unique, long and colorful histories. You could be a member of the Playboy 20,000 League Club with certificates proving that you crossed the equator, that you were in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, you could get a "Seven Seas" certificate along with your membership. And think of all the badges, broaches, tie pins, cuff links, ear rings, necklaces, hats, coffee mugs, model Naughty Lasses, etc., etc.

Project Five: Straw-bale/Shipping Container Hybrid Home
       Lot's of design concepts.

Project Six: SeaRoom Residence Park
       Expanding on the SeaRoom model, (click on "Plan view of SeaRoom Residence - Lower Main Level" to get the pop-up of the floor plan,) building a "trailer park" community of SeaRoom Residences either in a harbor near a city where work can be found or in the open ocean connected, perhaps, to a network of old cargo ships, an old oil rig or something where work can be found.

Project Seven: Non-Fiction Writings
       An autobiography, not that my life is very interesting, and various essays on topics, philosophy, religion, politics and science.

Project Eight: Personal fitness, nutrition and hygiene
       I keep telling myself I need to get in shape.

Project Nine: Amateur Soft Porn web sites
       I have a number of original ideas in this area, but I don't want to get too specific about descriptions or someone else will grab the idea and run before I can.

Project Ten: Lists
       Timelines, checklists, inventories, collections, puns, etc., etc. Mostly just things I do to kill time.

Project Eleven: Updating this web site
       Making sure the links aren't broken, making sure the links are interesting, finding new interesting links, re-arranging everything.

Project Twelve: I'm sure I'll think of something else
       I've already got dozens of projects that I've retired half finished.

Favorite Movies

Funniest Movies Ever
    Dr. Strangelove
    Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again
    Kung Pow!
    Mel Brooks films
       Blazing Saddles
       High Anxiety
       History of the World, Part 1
       Robin Hood: Men in Tights
       Spaceballs
       Young Frankenstein
    Monty Python
       Monty Python and the Holy Grail
       Life of Brian
       Meaning of Life
       Flying Circus episodes
    Murder By Death
    Pink Panther movies
       The Pink Panther
       A Shot in the Dark
       Return of the Pink Panther
       The Pink Panther Strikes Again
       Revenge of the Pink Panther
    Trey Parker, Matt Stone films
       South Park episodes
       South Park: Bigger, Better, Uncut
       Team America: World Police
    Zorro: The Gay Blade
    Zuckeresque films
       Kentucky Fried Movie
       Airplane!
       Airplane II: The Sequel
       Police Squad! episodes
       Naked Gun
       Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear
       Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
       Hot Shots!
       Hot Shots! Part Deux
       Wrongfully Accused

Documentaries
    Life of Mammals
       (but only disks 1 through 3)
    Life of Birds
    Life in the Undergrowth
    Winged Migration

Other movies
    Army of Darkness
    Big Trouble in Little China
    Blade Runner
    Das Boot
    Day the Earth Stood Still
    Doctor Zhivago
    Dogs of War
    Dune
    Eastwood Westerns
       Fistful of Dollars
       For a Few Dollars More
       Good, the Bad and the Ugly
       Hang em High
       Paint Your Wagon
       Two Mules for Sister Sarah
       High Plains Drifter
       Outlaw Josey Wales
       Pale Rider
       Unforgiven
    Equilibrium
    Falling Down
    Fiddler on the Roof
    Gods Must Be Crazy
    Gorillas in the Mist
    Howard the Duck
    In the Name of the Father
    Kiss of the Spider Woman
    Kubrick films
       Spartacus
       Lolita, 1962
       2001: A Space Odyssey
    Meatballs
    Milagro Beanfield War
    Moby Dick, 1956
    Mr Holland's Opus
    Never Cry Wolf
    Nineteen Eighty Four
    Planet of the Apes, 1968
    Pleasantville
    Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
    Robinson Crusoe on Mars
    Rookie
    Sound of Music
    Stealing Home
    Thing From Another World, 1951


 
The Desert
 

The human reaction to a desert day was aptly expressed by Lumholtz,
who stated that he felt as if he were "walking between two great fires."
-- Forrest Shreve
the desert

And wherever you go, by land or by sea, you shall not forget that which you saw not but rather felt -
the desolation and the silence of the desert.
-- John C. van Dyke


favorite shirt
My favorite T-shirt
 
visitor
A back yard visitor

   
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