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Who is Rodney Lewis

Ranked #1,370 in Squidoo Community, #133,187 overall

The Superlative Life

I am a webmaster and a computer programmer, a writer and a graphic designer, a computer literacy teacher and small- to medium-sized business consultant. I believe human rights are given by God and are not to be meddled with by other humans or their governments. I think concepts like freedom and liberty are ever-evolving. I think that even though altruism and unconditional love are unattainable in this world, there is nevertheless great glory to be had in striving for these ideals.

I do my best to live for a purpose greater than myself, yet I try to have fun and experience all that I can on my way to the grave. Whether or not there is an afterlife of any sort, things have at least been made to appear that this life is it, and I would think the Creator (whatever that is) wants us to get the most we can from our short visit here.

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Important!

An Awesome Quote

"If people are good
only because they fear punishment,
and hope for reward,
then we are a sorry lot indeed."
-Albert Einstein

Lens Contents

  5. Quick Facts About Rodney Lewis
  6. My Webring
  7. My Primary Social Networking Profiles
  8. My Twitter
  9. My Secondary Social Networking Profiles
  10. Published Works
  12. My Blog: Rodney's Ramblings
  13. Rodney in the Media
  14. My Art
  17. My Voice
  21. My First High
  25. Stephen King Taught Me How to Write
  27. My Favoritest Band Ever
  32. My Favorite Television
  34. Seattle Hempfest
  37. Public Relations
  39. My 42
  42. Please Sign My Guestbook

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Required Viewing For All

I think if everyone saw "The Corporation" and understood its message the world would be a much better place. If I ever run a company I will ask all applicants to watch this documentary.
The Corporation

The Corporation

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Release Date: 04/05/2005

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Quick Facts About Rodney Lewis

My Webring

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RJL's Online

Products and Services for People and Business1 point

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Broke Man's Money Portal

Work Hard and Make Money on the Internet0 points

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Drug Policy Reform Movement

Get Informed, Network With Others, Get Involved0 points

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Unofficial FAQs

Repository of Frequently Asked Questions0 points

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Cool Webpage of the Week

A New Site Every Monday0 points

My Primary Social Networking Profiles

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twitter

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LinkedIn

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facebook

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Delicious

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MSN Spaces

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YouTube

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MySpace

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My Secondary Social Networking Profiles

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imeem

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BlogCatalog

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Mahalo

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Meetup

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myLot

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Gather

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XING

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IMDb

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Stack Overflow

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Published Works

This is a list of what I have written that was actually published at the discretion of someone else. I publish all kinds of material on my websites, my blog, Squidoo, Epinions, and other assorted places, however, these are platforms in which anyone can "get published" no matter how lame their writing is.

To really be published, in my opinion, means the writer and the publisher are two distinct parties. These are works that someone besides myself decided were good enough for their forum.
Examiner.com: "Online resources about Wallingford"
24-MAY-2011: "There are too few neighborhoods in America that have such a rich blend of small-town beauty and charm coupled with the big-city technical literacy and progressive values of Wallingford. The main strip's dearth of national fast..."
eHow: "What Jobs Can You Get With a Comparative Literature Degree?"
13-MAY-2011: "A degree in comparative literature can lead to a number of career possibilities both inside and outside the world of academia. According to a survey conducted by Brown University of its comparative literature alumni..."
eHow: "How to Transfer a Squidoo Lens"
26-MAR-2011: "Squidoo Lensmasters need to transfer a Squidoo Lens to another Lensmaster in order to change ownership of the Lens. Transferring a Lens allows the new owner..."
eHow: "How to Make a BIOS Update"
21-MAR-2011: "Your computer's BIOS, or Basic Input/Output System, collects information about your computer and communicates it to the operating system as it boots. As your motherboard..."
eHow: "How to Make an Electric Charge Using Fruits and Veggies"
20-JAN-2011: "Making a battery out of a piece of fruit or a vegetable is an excellent way to demonstrate properties of both chemistry and electricity for kids and adults alike. In order to get an electric charge..."
eHow: "How to Give Credit When Writing a Paper"
13-JAN-2011: "In the academic world it is critical that you give credit to those who have made contributions to your work so that they will receive the acknowledgement they deserve for their..."
Northwest Karaoke & Live Entertainment Guide: "Stylish finish for Battle In Seattle"
JAN-2010: "The competition was stiff for Absolute Karaoke Group's Battle in Seattle 2009. On December 16, 2009, Semi-Finalists and their friends and family from venues all over the Seattle area gathered at the phenomenal Columbia City Theater to compete for a grand prize..."
Hit Exchange News: "Consistency Counts"
1-OCT-2009 "Traffic exchanges do work but they have a long way to go before they fully harness the potential of the computer networks and programming languages which lay at their foundation. I'm not a very good programmer, but I do know enough about..."
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My Blog: Rodney's Ramblings

Thoughts on Life, People, Art, God, Politics, Language, and Everything Else

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Rodney in the Media

Northwest Karaoke & Live Entertainment Guide: 'Multiple winners for Battle In Seattle'
APR-2009: "Another brilliant promotion by Patrick Clark wrapped up on March 23rd, packing the house at the Elephant & Castle in downtown Seattle..."
The Seattle Times: 'Street Links Offers Children In The Street A Helping Hand -- Homeless Youth Given Soup, Advice'
2-SEP-1996: "Greg McCormack circled the streets of the University District in his customized van, subtly alerting the area's street youths that he and his nightly provision of clothes and food..."
The Seattle Times: 'Disabled Fulfilling Dreams Via Computer'
21-AUG-1993: "One student used a computer by blowing Morse Code into a tube. Another typed 30 words a minute with a mouth wand - a pencil attached to what looks like a..."

My Art

"Jupiter's Newest Moon" Copyright 2011 Rodney J Lewis. All rights reserved. Photo courtesy Michelle Phillips. Shot of Jupiter taken in Celestia. Blended in Photoshop.

"Best of Eastgate" Copyright 2010 Rodney J Lewis. All rights reserved. Cropped and saturated in Photoshop, imported into Illustrator for Live Trace, imported back into Photoshop for more cropping.

"Morning on Venus" Copyright 2010 Rodney J Lewis. All rights reserved. Composed entirely with Terragen.

My Voice

I Always Carry It Around With Me Already Anyways!

Before a certain time in my life, if you had told me that I would someday be involved even peripherally with karaoke, I would think you were full of it.

Now, I think it's kind of cool. There's nothing like the intense rush of many people cheering you on and clapping and hollering, even when you know they're drunk.

Come On Down to Kate's Pub and Meet Some Friends of Mine
My good friend Gloria has thrown together a little informal weekly shindig at my all-time favorite bar ever

My Karaoke Playlist

  • Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones)
  • This Love (Maroon 5)
  • I Alone (Live)
  • I Believe in a Thing Called Love (The Darkness)
  • People Are Strange (The Doors)
  • Limp (Fiona Apple)
  • Mad World (Gary Jules)
  • Lady Madonna (The Beatles)
  • Rainbow In The Dark (Dio)
  • Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs)
  • Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (Jack Johnson)
  • Dance, Dance (Fall Out Boy)
  • Breakin' Up (Violent Femmes)
  • Celebrity Skin (Hole)
  • Unbelievable (EMF)
  • Orion (Metallica)
  • Troublemaker (Weezer)
  • Where Is My Mind? (Pixies)
  • Breaking the Girl (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
  • I Will Survive (Cake)
  • Vitamin R (Leading Us Along) (Chevelle)
  • Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks)
  • Gel (Collective Soul)
  • Crooked Teeth (Death Cab For Cutie)
  • Uprising (Muse)
  • Darling Nikki (Prince)
  • Movin' Out (Billy Joel)
  • The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)
  • Inside Out (Eve 6)
  • Handlebars (The Flobots)
  • Boyz-N-The Hood (Dynamite Hack)
  • Faith (George Michael)
  • Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
  • Don't Stop Me Now (Queen)
  • Somebody to Love (Queen)
  • Master of Puppets (Metallica)
  • Closing Time (Leonard Cohen)
  • Time To Say Goodbye (Andrea Bocelli)

My Karaoke Wishlist

  • Birthday Boy (Ween)
  • A Million Ways (OK Go)
  • For All The Cows (Foo Fighters)
  • Black Mirror (Arcade Fire)
  • The Wind That Shakes The Barley (Dead Can Dance)
  • Playground Love (Air)
  • Cold Blows The Wind (Ween)
  • Levitate Me (Pixies)
  • Figure 8 (Elliott Smith)
  • Northern Star (Hole)
  • Intervention (Arcade Fire)
  • I Belong To You (Muse)
  • Comfort Eagle (Cake)
  • We've Been Had (The Walkmen)
  • Southern Belle (Elliott Smith)
  • Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands (Elliott Smith)
  • Because (Elliott Smith)
  • I Didn't Understand (Elliott Smith)
  • Needle in the Hay (Elliott Smith)
  • Soundtrack To Mary (Soul Coughing)
  • Dear God (Fishbone)
Important!

An Awesome Quote

"I am not about no!"
-Darren

My First High

In 1982 when I was six they decided for obvious reasons that my future was in computers. Once a week my mom would drive me down to St. Martin's College (now SMU) in Lacey for instruction from a professor of mathematics. My first programming language was Applesoft Basic and the first code I wrote printed my name on the screen continuously in an infinite loop.

On one of these occasions I was introduced to the flight simulator. I was amazed and hooked. Even though the graphics technology was very primitive compared to now, and there weren't many places on the planet to fly around, the experience was very compelling and I don't think it's a habit I'll ever put down permanently.
Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Gold Edition

Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Gold Edition

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Release Date: 09/23/2008

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On final to KBFI runway 16L

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Stephen King Taught Me How to Write

I grew up reading Stephen King. I was a huge fan until Rose Madder. Until then he was my favorite author, but I still don't have another favorite author picked, so...

It wasn't the subject matter of horror and the macabre that I liked nearly as much as his deft ability to describe very subtle and nuanced things, his ability to articulate common everyday experiences that everybody has but nobody would think relevant to try to find words for.

His best works transcend the genres he is too-often pigeonholed into.

The Stand will always be one of my all-time favorite novels, an epic everyone should read. Pet Sematery will always stand out in my mind for being the book equivalent of a great popcorn flick, never pretending to be more than it is and being perfectly fine and happy with that. Rage is still one of the most intense page-turners I've ever read. His compilations of short stories are better than most of his novels. The Jaunt will always freak me out.

He inspired me to begin a plethora of short stories and novels that I never finished when I was a teen. I always felt confident opening up a tale but sadly by the middle and end it lost its wind. By my early twenties reality got weirder and more surreal that any fiction Stephen King or I could have ever come up with, which is kind of ironic when you think about it.

I picked up a copy of Dreamcatcher recently and could not get past the first couple pages. I could not cope with the onslaught of tiresome Stephen King clichés. It was like he was writing It again. It was horrifying indeed but not for the reasons intended. That Family Guy episode was right on in accusing him of not even trying anymore.

But our abilities are never all our own. I would be remiss in not giving a bestselling author that was once a high school English teacher some of the credit for whatever writing ability I may have. I hope if you like anything you've ever read that I've written, you too will think kindly of him for it. I have many fond childhood memories of reading his tales and trying to write ones just as good. I never succeeded, but it got me writing and writing and writing, and no matter if anyone else likes my writing, I enjoy it and feel confident about it, and that's what's really most important.

That reminds me of another extremely valuable lesson he teaches his readers: Don't pander to your audience. Don't give them what they want, give them what you want. They will appreciate it so much more. I think if you give it some thought, you, as I have, could learn to apply that lesson to many aspects of your life.
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My Favoritest Band Ever

Ween is the best band ever because they are so talented and they make such wonderful music--in every genre you could imagine--without even seeming to really try. Other bands take themselves and their music so seriously and end up being so mediocre, while most of the time Ween seems to just be fooling around and everything they do is pure brilliance. They are a breath of fresh air in a poppy bubblegum one-hit-wonder wasteland.

I could easily play ten different songs of theirs and convince someone that each came from a different band, the eclectic mix of musical styles are highly diverse. My favorite albums are Pure Guava, Chocolate and Cheese and The Mollusk but there are some great songs on all their albums.

If you die without hearing this music you will have never lived!

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Pure Guava

Pure Guava

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Release Date: 11/10/1992

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Chocolate & Cheese

Chocolate & Cheese

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Release Date: 09/27/1994

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Mollusk

Mollusk

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Release Date: 06/24/1997

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My Favorite Television

Before The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert starred in and helped create Comedy Central's first live action comedy series.

This is some of the most brilliant and hilarious stuff I've ever seen in my life. Unlike a lot of modern-day humor that relies heavily on current events and people in the news for its punchlines, Strangers With Candy may very well be timeless television enjoyed and appreciated for generations as great effort was made by its creators to eschew most topical comedy.

I will always love it the most for its uncanny way of establishing the look and feel of the preachy 1970's network television after school special and completely turns the moralistic lessons that they teach upside-down. Even if Florrie Fisher lived for nothing more than to provide inspiration to Amy Sedaris in giving life to Jerri Blank, she still succeed in doing something really special with her time here.
Strangers with Candy - The Complete Series

Strangers with Candy - The Complete Series

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Release Date: 06/27/2006

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Seattle Hempfest

Every third weekend of August in Myrtle Edwards Park. This event is not centered around doing drugs and getting high, it is a family festival about the preservation and advancement of our eroding civil liberties. People's bodies belong to them, and they have the right to decide for themselves what substances are appropriate to consume, just as they have the right to make informed decisions about their medical treatment. I have been involved with drug policy reform organizations since 1998 and I believe strongly enough its cause will play a key role in the struggle to define the soul of humanity over the next five hundred or so years.
Drug Policy Reform Movement/About Us
I wanted to create a website for those who think that what people do with their own lives and their own bodies is none of anyone else's business. The ultimate criminal government is one that micromanages and over-regulates its citizens' lives and their private behavior. Any government engaging in illegal activity calls into question its own legitimacy.

Public Relations

I think public relations is fascinating and a very useful area of study. To me it is not about putting a spin on something and it's definitely not about lying, but rather effectively communicating truth honestly and effectively. Understanding PR could save a lot of effort on advertising and marketing.
Practice of Public Relations, The (10th Edition)

Practice of Public Relations, The (10th Edition)

by: Fraser P. Seitel

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Release Date: 12/31/1969

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My 42

This book revolutionized the way I understand myself and the universe. It is irrelevant whether its central thesis is true or not. It was the first ray of light after very dark and stormy times in my life; it may have saved my life. At the very least it is a fresh and interesting perspective on a possible true nature of reality. I hope you give it a chance and that it brings you the peace it has brought me.
Three Magic Words: The Key to Power, Peace and Plenty

Three Magic Words: The Key to Power, Peace and Plenty

by: Uell Stanley Anderson, U. S. Anderson

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Release Date: 12/31/1969

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Important!

An Awesome Quote

"Stop worrying so much!
Everything will be okay
And then it won't
And then everything will be okay again!"
-One of Anna's girls

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Broke Man's Money Portal

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Ignorance is our only enemy. No matter how much of a burden some philosophers may reason knowledge is, I believe it is ultimately our friend. Its prop... more »

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