I didn’t know Steven Malcolm Anderson. His name was one of those that stood out in the comments over at Dean’s World, but I never got into any discussions with him that I recall (I rarely comment at Dean’s. he has one of the better groups of regular commenters that I’ve seen, and it’s usually more fun just to read their conversations than to join in.).

His tragic (and unexpected) death (Dean’s remarks on his death can be found here) will no doubt leave a huge void in the blogosphere as a whole.

It’s always interesting to me how real the bonds that are formed over the internet are. Those who don’t spend much time online, especially if they don’t spend time on blogs or forums or other sites that allow for any real sense of “community”, don’t often realize how strong these friendships can be.

As a firm believer that actions have consequences, I cannot stand with those who believe that the life of “Tookie” Williams should be spared. I find it disgusting that he seems to think that writing a few books urging children not to join gangs somehow makes up for killing four people (not to mention the deaths that that he contributed to by founding the Crips). I can’t imagine how anyone who murdered four people in cold blood could truly be “reformed” and not think to himself, “Hey, you know, this is pretty much what I deserve,” but that’s just me.

That said, as a Christian, I have no desire to see him die. Christ urged us to show mercy on others, to readily forgive them. If the governor sees fit to grant mercy on Tookie, I won’t rage that it’s a travesty of justice. (Of course, I’d like it better if it was made clear to Tookie and his supporters that he didn’t get mercy because he deserved it, but because of our society’s generosity.) (It would amuse me even more to see some of them freak out if we said “society’s Christian influences” instead of “generosity.”)

According to Steve, Steven Den Beste once said that 90% of blogs are crap. He’s probably right, and I don’t think for a second that I’m in the 10%.

“If you can’t do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly.” I have no idea where I first heard that, but it’s become one of my rules to live by.

At first glance, it might look like I’m saying that it’s not important to do your best, or that you shouldn’t try to improve yourself with everything you do. While that may be what the quote means to some people, it’s not what I mean. I just don’t see any point in being miserable while you’re practicing to become better at something. I’d rather get better at something that I already enjoy than work really hard getting better at something I hate in hopes that I’ll like it when I get better.

Campaigns to bearproof all garbage containers in wild areas have been difficult because, as one biologist put it, “There is a considerable overlap between the intelligence levels of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists.”

-Unknown