Author Archives: Alan Burkhart

About Alan Burkhart

I consider myself a free thinker and as such, I'm skeptical of just about everything. I've discovered over the years that the truth is often found in the unlikeliest of places. I don't claim to be an expert on anything. But I do enjoy sharing my thoughts. Your thoughts are of course welcome as well.

So Many Contractions, So Little Time

People are losing their command (if they ever had it) of the English language. Even global publications that have professional EDITORS are getting sloppy with all manner of mistakes (there / they’re / their, then / than, fill / feel, etc). It’s most evident on social media. For some reason people (especially young people) feel free when on social media to just butcher the language (e.g. “Imma gon bust yo ass mofo”). Continue reading

Growing Up Normal Wasn’t So Bad

Growing up in the 70s, the family gun storage was my bedroom. There were at least a dozen guns, lots of ammo and several knives. Unlocked and within easy reach. There were several .22s including a semi-auto, three shotguns, a .303, a 30-30, a 7.62mm Mosin-Nagant, a .45 Colt service revolver, a matched pair of .32 revolvers, two .22 revolvers, a diver’s knife, my throwing knife, an antique dagger, and a couple of bayonets. Continue reading

Silly Pictures April 2023

Whenever I get bored (which is fairly often) I fire up Paint.net and start doodling. Sometimes I cobble something silly together from several different images. Other times I just draw stuff. Anyway here’s some of my most recent (ahem) “artwork.” And no, I’m not claiming it’s all that great. Enjoy.

Continue reading

The Eternal Infernal Gun Debate

UPDATE: There has been a second shooting in Louisville, KY this morning (April 10, 2023).

So yet another mass shooting has happened. This one at a bank in Louisville, KY. This of course comes on the heels of the terrible shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. And once again the anti-gun crowd is demanding more gun control while people like Charlie Kirk try to balance gun violence with personal freedom. Continue reading

Random Observations March 2023

Over the years I’ve seen a lot of people try to explain one or another unfortunate event by saying “everything happens for a reason.” This is just another way of saying “God works in mysterious ways.” If they were honest with themselves, they’d just admit that they have no clue why some random event took place. But people, Christians especially, have this need to assign agency to every little thing (or big thing) that happens in their lives. If it’s a good thing they want a god to thank for it. If it’s a bad thing they want to think there’s a “reason” for it. Continue reading

Colors And ColorSpaces

This table represents the named colors found in Windows and most other operating systems. The first 140 colors are the Named Colors you can use when styling a webpage. Following the Named Colors are the Windows (as of Win-10) default System Colors used for coloring various screen elements. I likely wouldn’t have expended the effort to do this but I was bored and it’s cold as hell outside. Hopefully at least a few folks will find it useful. Don’t be too impressed (it ain’t that impressive). I did most of this by coding a bit of automation and letting it do the work for me. I actually rather enjoy writing code generators.
Continue reading

Random Observations – January 2023

So I’ve been sitting here in Denny’s for an hour *after* finishing my burger. Surfing the news, FB, IMDB and Reddit. And in the back of my tired mind I’ve been stewing over several bits of unrelated bullshit, upon which I will now expound. Mind you, I’m not proclaiming anything. I’m merely opinionating. Why I expect anyone would care is a mystery even to me. Continue reading

What Are You Willing To Lose?

So it’s election time. Predictably, our politicians and the media are making fools of themselves with outlandish claims and impossible predictions. Each party accuses the other of being the enemy of democracy. Personally, I think both are correct. Regardless of which party wins, we stand to lose in some ways and gain in others. Continue reading

Common Sense Has Become Uncommon

America’s political landscape has become a place of extremes. The common sense middle ground, where answers are found and problems are solved, is a deserted wasteland. Extremists from both sides of the political fence have come to define the political debates while those who seek to actually resolve those debates no longer have a voice in Washington. Continue reading