shards mvgfr

I write like William Shakespeare

2010-07-15T21:29:00.001-04:00

I write like
William Shakespeare

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

How'd I do it?

I pasted some code in.

Yep, WS was a geek, too. :)

Challenges for Change (Vermont)

2010-03-21T07:29:00.002-04:00

Since we're using management-speak: This all still sounds a lot more like "externalized cost"; it may lower *direct* taxes (for awhile) however the *actual* overall cost to citizens *increases*, by all the "little" things we end up paying for anyway, just not directly to the State. We know better than this. We can see that all the hotshot management gurus are so busy minimizing expenses (maximizing profit) that they're creating "too big to fail" and other such monstrosities. Monstrosities that not only cost us money, even worse, they dehumanize us. Anyone who has ever had to take time off work, and struggle to maintain some semblance of dignity and even sanity, while working through some whiz-bang "automated system" - only to find that they are a "special case" not addressed by that system and now need to spend hours on hold, being transferred from CSR (Customer Service Representative) to CSR, none of whom knows what we're talking about, few of whom care (after all, they may be from another state or even country), and still fewer (sometimes none) of whom actually have the power to help us... Anyone can attest to the horrible, painful failures down this road. Unless of course you're one of the execs taking home the big bonuses these monstrosities squeeze out of the rest of us poor fools at the bottom of this pyramid scheme; then you've got people to do this for you. In Vermont at least, we have not - I hope - been as blinded by dollars as some others.

The "Too big to fail" idea comes to Vermont schools

2010-01-17T07:19:00.003-05:00

Why bother shouting in the deaf ear?

2010-01-08T07:49:00.006-05:00

(Warning: Political segue in mid-article.)

Interesting observation by Jim Dalrymple:

Apple ranks highest among Greenpeace’s top tech companies

(Via a DF tweet: Greenpeace and Apple, Sitting in a Tree.)

You may recall that Greenpeace has been all over Apple for awhile now. Regardless whether you liked the Greenpeace words/tactics, they at least recognize that Apple has become much more "green".

Aside: In Greenpeace's current analysis of consumer electronics (Which companies really sell greener electronics), Apple leads in every category. Interestingly, Apple is also the only company that has a product in every category.

In any event, Apple does seem to be a company that listens, and is inclined to "do the right thing" - at least some of the time.

Now this is no fairy tale; Apple will (generally) make decisions that are in its best interest - AND we've seen that Apple is smart enough to look to it's long-term interests rather than just this minute's stock price.

This is where we get into "enlightened self-interest" territory: Clearly (in addition to the direct reductions to pollutants) it's in Apple's interest as a for-profit corporation, to be seen as "green", especially as "green" becomes a bigger and bigger buzzword.

And perhaps this is why Greenpeace was so vocal in its criticisms of Apple; they knew there was a good chance that Apple would listen.

(Or even, for you conspiracy theorists, that Apple was already moving to "green" and that Greenpeace could claim victory afterward - whatever floats your boat.)

Now, allow me an extrapolation into politics:

Perhaps it's not so much "Democrats are imploding!!" as Democrats always argue amongst themselves - because they actually listen to each other, and have a genuine discussion rather than a one-way rant as Republicans seem sadly prone to, these days.

As a flaming liberal myself, I take it as a very good sign, that Democrats didn't immediately unite into a solid whip-dissenters-into-shape machine, and ram through all their priorities. It would have perhaps been as bad as the mess Republicans made, especially in the Bush II years. Can you imagine what a steamroller it would have been if Republicans had 60 Senate seats?

However Democrats do have a solid majority and we can get some things done in a thoughtful way - not only fixing some of the damage of the past 30 years, but actually moving forward on some things. It's certainly no fait accompli and it will take a lot of effort, not only by folks in government, but the rest of us too - especially the rest of us.

So, back to the title - keep shouting:

1) Liberals need to stop simply thinking "Policy X makes perfect sense, so it's not necessary to shout about it."

2) Politicians - especially liberal politicians - need to hear that there really is broad support for liberal ideas.

3) There's a good chance someone's actually listening.

Time to unshackle from so-called "bipartisanship"

2009-09-06T08:05:00.007-04:00

Here's what "bipartisanship" really means right now:

For a Republican, in power: Political cover. ("See - they supported it too.")
For a Republican, out of power: The ability to derail.
For a Democrat, in power: Spending forever arguing vs. getting something done.
For a Democrat, out of power: Compromising - usually, your beliefs. ("I got what I could.")
If you're anyone else: A train wreck that means you'll likely not be heard.

(You may have noticed that I put them in order of most powerful to least.)

Let's be clear: What's being called "bipartisanship" now, makes as much sense as a scientist accepting a debate with a creationist - at *best* it's a waste of time.

Though it can be more insidious; an attempt to mire, delay, drag down, suck the energy out of... - just look at our so-called "debate" about healthcare. There certainly are critical things to debate, though the vast amount of energy spent is not debate at all, but a naked attempt to maintain the status quo - of healthcare's overriding goal being, not healthcare, but profit.

So, what to do?

Here's what not to do: What the Bush (II) administration did; bulldoze anyone who wasn't 100% signed on to your version of the truth. They certainly got things done - in the same way Mussolini made the trains run on time.

So what's the "happy medium"?

Certainly everyone should have a chance to be heard - for a time. And after that time, it's necessary to take stock and move to the next phase - actually getting something done.

There's nothing impolite or non-inclusinve about this - we have limited time in the same way we have limited money.

This is what governing is: Actually getting something done.

yet another way we can help - or hurt - each other

2009-07-28T19:17:00.008-04:00

yes; we are all wired differently.

and yes, something that *seems* completely reasonable (necessary even!) can in fact be detrimental to someone else.

bonus blast-from-the-past link: Caring For Your Introvert (Jonathan Rauch, The Atlantic).

Help Governor Douglas

2009-03-26T06:48:00.004-04:00

I've lambasted the Governor - lately, for his vocal opposition to the gay-marriage legislation making its way through the Vermont State Legislature.

While being angry can lead to angry words, it's not productive. So I just wrote him a much more positive note; it's copied below.

I hope you'll find yourself motivated to do the same; nothing good ever came of negativity. However, we can help each other, even - and especially - when we disagree.

Dear Governor Douglas -

You've made a mistake.

It's OK; we all do - maybe you got some bad advice; it happens.

However, as with most mistakes, it's correctable - and, here's the great part: When you rise to the occasion by doing the right thing, you end up in an *improved* position - even relative to *before* the mistake. A beautiful thing "enlightened self-interest" is.

So, please *do* the right thing: Do not veto the gay-marriage legislation.

You might refer to the "will of the people" - which I'm sure is making itself extremely clear right now. You might wait until the bill is presented to you, agonize over it a bit, and then graciously and humbly admit that allowing it is, after all, the right thing to do - and it will correctly be viewed as courageous. Obstruction never is.

It is not only the right thing to do, it is also the best course politically.

Thanks and good luck,

Marc
Hinesburg

Hearings on same-sex marriage need a bigger room

2009-03-17T18:01:00.007-04:00

So, they ran out of room on the widely-publicized first day of hearings, regarding same-sex marriage in VT.

They got a bigger room the next day - and hardly anyone showed.

What's it mean? Most of us have figured out that same-sex marriage makes perfect sense, and have moved on to other crises.

Update: 1,000 people showed up the next day - overwhelmingly in favor. Then the Senate panel approved it - 5-0.

What's the Biggest Drag on the US Economy?

2009-03-14T16:12:00.006-04:00

The current US health care "system".

Dig down far enough, in almost any budget battle - federal, the cost of a college education or a local school budget - and one cost that has continued to rise, driving virtually all others, is health care.

The US has, as has been so often stated "the best health care system in the world" - IF, of course, you've got the cash.

If you don't, you either roll the dice or find a way to pony up. See this National Coalition on Health Care article on health care costs - interesting tidbit: "50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses."

This, as we listen to the ever-increasing whine of US industry about how they're being dragged down by the cost of health care. Certainly, health care costs continue to increase beyond anything rational. The problem however, is not that people need health care.

Is there perhaps a silver lining in the current economic crisis? In how it drives more of us to be entrepreneurial? Well, Bad Times Spur Entrepreneurship, But There's a Catch - the money quote?

America's health-care system makes it all but impossible for an older worker to try something new.
Even younger startup owners who are relatively healthy and have insurance are just a half-step from disaster.

So the bulk of our wisdom is hamstrung from the start. And the rest of us, well - step right up and take a spin. You may win big! Or just learn to live under a bridge.

So what is it, exactly, that's "best" about the US health care "system"? One might be forgiven if one were to conclude that it's best at redistributing wealth to the rich, from the rest of us. (As so many things are, in our new Unfettered Capitalism society.)

What to do? Let's go the the Wall Street Journal: Why Obama's Health Plan Is Better.

And as we begin to address the real issues facing us - rather than this quarter's (or this minute's) stock performance - we will see real long-term benefits spread.

The other shoe drops - and it too is an axe

2009-03-13T13:37:00.005-04:00

The specifics are out (link above), and to no one's surprise, the people that Gov. Douglas (R) wants to axe are overwhelmingly in Human Services - an appalling 61% of the total.

Just when those services are needed the most, Douglas wants to reduce the already-overstrained personnel at AHS - and of course, add to the folks needing those services. This makes no sense - unless of course you were simply looking for an excuse to do it.

Bye-bye safety net; hello pavement.

Governor Scissorhands indeed. (We miss you, Peter Freyne.)

(Thanks to Dan Barlow at Vermont View for pointing out the document, at the Times Argus.)

IRV solves the right problems?

2009-03-13T11:10:00.003-04:00

Apropos my recent IRV (Instant Runoff Voting) post:

Terry Bouricius writes to VDB (Philip Baruth) in response to Tony Gierzynski's article against IRV.

Bouricius' article seems to very strongly address every one of Gierzynski's concerns, and then some.

It seems to me that the argument against IRV is narrow and ignores important factors; it's reactive and conservative. It's "anti".

While the argument for IRV is inclusive and constructive; problems were identified and great effort was spent to solve them in a careful and broad way - including checking the results afterward. It's "pro".

I know which way I tend to go: pro.

(BTW: For those inclined to bring up so-called "pro-life": It's just a label cynically chosen to seem positive - when that reactionary movement is virtually always very negative.)

Sympathy for the Devil?

2009-03-12T11:11:00.003-04:00

It's time for this "idea" to be taken out back and put out of our misery.

The story goes that "a receding tide lowers all boats" and it's as ridiculous as Reagan's so-called "supply-side economics".

We're supposed to feel bad for the rich, because they've lost so much more than we have. Or maybe we're supposed to feel like "we're all in this together".

Let's look at the big picture, shall we?

When Bill Gates lost about a third of his wealth in the past year, he was left with "only" $40 Billion - and as the economy recovers, it will regain value. He took quite a hit, but he doesn't really have to tighten his belt.

However, when the average just-retired Baby Boomer lost a third of their savings, that left them in the position of cashing those investments in at exactly the worst time; when they'd lost much of their value. Many now face the very real possibility of not having enough to last their retirement.

So here's a more apt image: The rich have their yachts out in deep harbor and the rest of us in our rowboats just got beached.

And here's the real punch line: We're still expected to pony up to bail out the "too big to fail".

On Liberal "in-fighting"

2009-03-12T10:56:00.002-04:00

It's a truism that liberals can't get their act together; that they are always arguing amongst themselves.

(And because it's a truism, that should be a tipoff.)

So it's better to march in lockstep, like Republicans since Reagan? Where dissent is handled swiftly and decisively. Like when the formerly-respectable McCain kept standing for his principles - and getting taken to the Republican woodshed for it. The worst was when came out strongly against torture and got "re-educated"; sad and the last time I trusted a word he said.

So what's better? Arguing about principles or being so regimented (and scared) that you end up with the abuses of the Bush junta? Obvious.

Economists Give Obama Failing Grade (Isn't that like Military Intelligence?)

2009-03-12T10:52:00.005-04:00

So the "pros" - who got us into this mess, and are asking the rest of us pay for it - don't like the way things are working out?

Perfect - looks like Obama and Geithner are on the right track.

IRV solves the wrong problem?

2009-03-12T10:23:00.003-04:00

Interesting post at VDB (Philip Baruth) today, with an article from political scientist Tony Gierzynski.

The gist of it is: IRV (Instant Runoff Voting) adds too much complexity; he says it tries to solve one problem - more than two parties generally results in vote-splitting - but creates a larger problem of disenfranchisement due to the added complexity.

It all makes sense - however leaves me wanting more: Is the two-party system best?

If so, Gierzynski's suggestion makes sense; that vote-splitting be solved by those parties coordinating to offer a single candidate.

However, what of a multi-party system?

Looks like Fogel = Douglas = Bush = "Some are more equal than others"

2009-03-06T06:45:00.003-05:00

Interesting news coming out of UVM these days - seems like Fogel too (like Douglas) is using the excuse of the economic crisis to wield the ax selectively.

Even as we learn that the circle of power not only widened during his tenure, but their salaries (and bonuses, just like Wall Street) increased far ahead of any rational measure. Just, apparently, the tired old whine of "If we don't keep up with the (Dow) Jones', we won't be able to attract top talent!" And look what that's done for Wall Street - and the world.

As this info comes out, Fogel's response is that those salaries have been frozen, making it sound heroic. Sounds more protective to me.

And in the mean time, positions and people (at lower levels of course) are being eliminated directly - or indirectly, by choosing not to fill openings.

Fogel says he'd leave if UVM cuts executive pay? Perfect; let the healing begin.

America's Two-Party System

2009-03-03T12:18:00.004-05:00

[Republicans] continue to insist on maintaining in the twenty-first century every ounce of the poverty, ignorance, prejudice and class apartheid that marked the eighteenth.

- David Michael Green, AlterNet. Posted March 3, 2009

But don't the rest of you gloat; for example:

The Democratic Party -- especially of the last decade -- is a shameful thing...

So, to business:

This is the first major politician in my lifetime who talks to us in living color, in three dimensions, and without a subtle but sickening constant pandering of built-in contempt. I doubt we can underestimate the effect this alone will have in raising permanently the quality of our discourse. There will be no going back after this...

There is our challenge: Whatever our beliefs, let us - all of us - discuss them as adults, come to some conclusions and move forward.

Whether we do that in a two-party system or create something new, we have work to do.

---

Interestingly enough, I say this from Vermont - almost the last bastion of direct democracy, the Town Meeting. Perhaps we should reclaim this from the movement toward Australian Ballot.

Admittedly, Australian Ballot has a theoretical advantage in that each voter can have their say, at a time that's convenient for them (ex: regardless of work schedule).

However it's only for those few issues that make the ballot. And the theoretical advantage is balanced against a real and tragic loss.

Town Meeting is the active making of law by way of face-to-face discussion with one's neighbors; the ballot box is not even a shadow of this.

Keeping Promises

2009-02-28T08:45:00.005-05:00

I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I.

- President Obama, Weekly Address, 2/27

Thank. God.

And thank god for a president who doesn't stoop to something as silly and provocative as "bring it"; this is not a challenge, but a simple statement of fact: I'm undeterred by the challenge.

The interests who are (they think*) threatened by these changes, are powerful. Or, think about it, were...

They are by no means powerless now, however they are not nearly as powerful as they have been - and now is the perfect time.

Not for retribution; not at all.

Now is the time for everyone to lay their cards on the table and discuss a rational way forward that benefits us all.

* And that's why I say "they think", above - the astute among us will see that this situation is a singular opportunity.

The call is clear: Carpe diem; let's get to work.

Douglas is no leader

2009-02-26T07:12:00.007-05:00

The difference between the two proposals is that the union asks that the cuts be for the moment, the governor asks that they be permanent...
What we have now is not sustainable and if left intact would present a ruinous situation two years hence when the stimulus money fades to a trickle...

(From a Vermont Tiger article.)

This is exactly the crux of the matter:

The governor is using this crisis as an excuse for the right-wing agenda of slashing state government in order to conserve their own wealth and power. He says in effect that the crisis itself is permanent - how sadly lacking in leadership.

The union on the other hand, showing great leadership, sees this as the historic crisis it is - a problem to be overcome, not merely adjusted to and settled for.

Douglas spin

2009-02-25T07:24:00.005-05:00

Current Vermont Governor, Jim Douglas (Republican) has taken to saying the he has "received more votes than any other person in Vermont history".

Why that's amazing; he must be amazing!

Almost as amazing as saying the Vermont's population has increased over the years.

Ah, the joy of spin.

Douglas is an astute politician and certainly knows that he has been elected for one reason only: Vermont liberals (Democrats, Progressives and others) have been beating each other up enough that he slips in.

A win is indeed a win - however let's be honest about it, shall we?

translation for "it's not stimulus, it's just spending"

2009-02-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

"it doesn't stimulate *me* and my BFFs"

translation for "it's full of pork"

2009-02-07T16:59:00.001-05:00

"it's full of *your* pork"

Where are the photos of the takedown?

2008-12-19T17:09:00.004-05:00

It's interesting; the video of the shoes being thrown at Bush clearly shows photographers snapping shots of the takedown of the thrower (they were in a press room after all) - although I can't find a single one of those photos to confirm or deny the stories that the thrower was injured somewhat severely during the takedown. Methinks there was some over-compensation; he fired *both* shoes!

And why the postponement of his court appearance?

Personally, while I don't condone an actual physical attack, I'll be making the same gesture.

Update: Danziger weighs in.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

2008-12-03T17:45:00.003-05:00

A fantastic book; highly recommended. Tight writing, extremely engaging, great character development. And bone deep. I suppose I'll see the movie too now; I really hope they did it justice.

Terry Pratchett's "Turntables of the Night"

2008-12-03T17:40:00.002-05:00

A fairly early short story by Terry Pratchett, renowned author of the Discworld series among others. The man is amazing; one of the most talented authors of this era.

Tor is publishing free Sci-Fi e-books

2008-12-03T16:39:00.004-05:00

Register at the new Tor site, sign up for their email list and you'll get an email every few weeks for a new free e-book (PDF, mobi, etc) download (free of DRM too) - check it out!

I'm a free agent!

2008-11-14T18:30:00.002-05:00

Well, after just over 8 years at JDK, I'm a free agent again! It's a scary time to be without the (small) bit of certainty a "full-time" job brings, though I have to say I'm excited too - onward!

I can't wait for the election to be over

2008-11-03T08:24:00.001-05:00

Why? Because that's when the real work begins - and either way, we've got a LOT of work to do.

liberals conservatives and independents (oh my!)

2008-10-06T08:47:00.004-04:00

conservatives believe they're right and this means anything they do is not only right, but required. nothing gets in the way of their actions, not even info to the contrary.

liberals believe they're right and so they need to convince you of that. nothing gets in the way of their arguments, not even a failure to sway you.

independents are the poor saps in the middle, hoping the radicals will stop screaming at each other enough so we can all have a productive conversation.

Privacy vs. Power - Guess who wins?

2008-03-15T05:56:00.009-04:00

As usual, Schneier hits the nail on the head, in a clear way, on a critically important topic:

I am regularly confronted with the mutual disclosure argument...: In a world of ubiquitous surveillance, you'll know all about me, but I will also know all about you. The government will be watching us, but we'll also be watching the government...
This ... could easily be mistaken for a way out of the problem of technology's continuing erosion of privacy. Except it doesn't work, because it ignores the crucial dissimilarity of power.
...this mechanism fails utterly if you and I have different power levels to begin with.
An example will make this clearer. You're stopped by a police officer, who demands to see identification. Divulging your identity will give the officer enormous power over you: He or she can search police databases using the information on your ID; he or she can create a police record attached to your name; he or she can put you on this or that secret terrorist watch list. Asking to see the officer's ID in return gives you no comparable power over him or her...
Another example: When your doctor says "take off your clothes," it makes no sense for you to say, "You first, doc." The two of you are not engaging in an interaction of equals...

Please read the whole thing - and at the bottom, click through to Brin's rebuttal, in which he does not address Schneier's central idea (power) and does write rather snarkily, degrading his own position.

Improvements in cool-climate wine grapes?

2008-01-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

Interesting...

For those of us making wine "up north", the choices are tough: buy grapes trucked across country, buy juice or use grapes that grow in these climates.

The last choice can yield interesting wines, though they are in a different class than the Merlots, Cabernets, Zinfandels, etc.

However, much research is being done to enable growing grapes more of the latter types, further north. (Aside from the effects of global climate change. :/)

And as it turns out, there's a new vineyard just down the road from me - Lincoln Peak Vineyard - that's using a new and very promising grape called Marquette.

At least that's the one that strikes my fancy; click through to find out more about Marquette and several others.

Very interesting indeed...

"Squashed Philosophers" by Glyn Hughes

2005-06-19T09:18:00.000-04:00

From his "About" page:

There is no taking-part in the 'Great Debate' of Western civilisation... without some familiarity with the, remarkably few, thinkers in whose language and idiom the talk is conducted...
There's nothing new in making condensed versions of the classics. What is different here is that these are neither the opinion of one person nor mere extracts. Instead, each has begun with a very wide analysis of quotations, citations and, especially, past examination papers (including UK A-Levels back to 1976), to establish which passages, which phrases, which lines, which words and which ideas, are generally considered the most important...

Google cheatsheet!

2005-02-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

Amazing; they just keep getting better and better!

(Who knew you could do synomym searches?!)

"An even more intelligent design"

2005-02-17T11:52:00.000-05:00

[Link]

Card: "Does Democracy Really Work?"

2005-02-15T05:39:00.000-05:00

Another very interesting article from Orson Scott Card, about the becoming-more-famous book The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies, and Nations, by James Surowiecki.

Card says, summarizing from the book:

Crowds are wisest when these conditions are met:
1. Diversity of opinion. ("Each person should have some private information, even if it's just an eccentric interpretation of the known facts.")
2. Independence. ("People's opinions are not determined by the opinions of those around them.")
3. Decentralization. ("People are able to specialize and draw on local knowledge.")
4. Aggregation. ("Some mechanism exists for turning private judgments into a collective decision.")

And then, arguably, turns to using the book, and those concepts, to show the it really was the best thing that George Bush was elected, that the Iraq war was a success (even decries "the CIA's intransigent rejection of President Bush's war plan in Iraq") and why the Democrats are such miserable, elitist, two-faced failures.

But it's so easy to see how selective and self-serving the rhetoric is.

Think just a bit about the four points above, and you see that:

1) We have little "Diversity of opinion": There's the right-wingers, the left-wingers and the poor slobs in the middle who got the sales pitch of the millenium. And in the Neocon world, everyone's "on message" or they visit the woodshed til they get on message; quite scary really - but terribly sucessful, if measured in the acquisition, expansion and use of power.

2. We have little Independence: People's opinions were determined by the opinions of those around them; both in the sales pitch and in the endless hand-wringing about "electability".

3. Decentralization. "People are able to specialize and draw on local knowledge."? Huh? We have a virtually homogenized culture - and a presidential election is the epitome of that.

4. Aggregation: Sure, we've got voting, but among the many indications of fraud, various flavors of disenfranchising activities, the utter lack of any way to verify much of the voting (e-voting and others), ignoring the non "battleground" states, low percentage turnout... we're left with rather little to crow about.

But back to the title for a moment: "Does Democracy Really Work?"

It can - but like anything else, it can fail too. It can be twisted, and we're seeing an awful lot of that lately.

"What if Bush has been right about Iraq all along?"

2005-02-03T06:27:00.000-05:00

BY MARK BROWN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Maybe you're like me and have opposed the Iraq war since before the shooting started -- not to the point of joining any peace protests, but at least letting people know where you stood...
But after watching Sunday's election in Iraq and seeing the first clear sign that freedom really may mean something to the Iraqi people, you have to be asking yourself: What if it turns out Bush was right, and we were wrong?...

It all sounds so reasonable doesn't it? I mean, maybe we just missed something right? We're not perfect and Bush really isn't the devil, huh?

WRONG.

The end does not, ever, justify the means. The Bush administration betrayed and continues to betray the fundamental things this country stands for. From lying about the reasons for the war in the first place, to torturing people during, to holding people for years with no accusation and no access to any form of legal counsel. It's all horribly, tragically un-American and just plain wrong.

For now, though, I think we have to cut the president some slack about a timetable for his exit strategy.
If it turns out Bush was right all along, this is going to require some serious penance.
Maybe I'd have to vote Republican in 2008.

Ah, yes - I see the point now; seems to me like just another of the "but we're being oh so reasonable" right-wing attacks on the middle.

Sun Tzsu said the best way to win a battle is to not have to fight it. If you can get the left and middle to keep fighting themselves, you can keep focusing on your agenda of remaking the world in the image of right, eh?

Self-Esteem and Encouragement

2005-02-01T20:18:00.000-05:00

Orson Scott Card has a great article on self-esteem in education - a bit harsh, but maybe it needs to be; most of it does indeed ring true.

Homework stress

2005-02-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

Mixed Media by Scott Willis and Jack Ohman, 2005/02/01.

"Adults better Web surfers than teens"

2005-02-01T10:46:00.000-05:00

By K. Oanh Ha, Mercury News
...Teens ages 13 to 17 were able to complete assigned tasks on the Web 55 percent of the time, compared with 66 percent for adults... The teens were hampered by poor reading and research skills and were more prone to leave a site after encountering difficulties...

Interesting - seems to fly in the face of common wisdom, but it actually does make sense, in the full context.

"What's wrong with these kids today?!"

2005-02-01T06:37:00.000-05:00

Very interesting post by Kevin's father, containing this nugget:

When asked whether people should be allowed to express unpopular views, 97 percent of teachers and 99 percent of school principals said yes. Only 83 percent of students did.

Here's why: Because everyone keeps telling them they're wrong.

...

Matt knows blogging

2005-01-30T06:58:00.000-05:00

Everyone's got their own gig, but personally, I completely agree with Matt's reasoning on why some of us blog, and why it matters - a least to us. If you're here, you might be interested in some of his other posts too; check it out. (Disclosure: I've known Matt since about 1987 and though we rarely see each other in person, I'd like to think we could pick up a conversation if we did. :)

"Intelligent Design" or Artful Obfuscation?

2005-01-29T07:47:00.000-05:00

Very interesting discussion, trying to find the actual theory - if any - behind "Intelligent Design" -- since the whole thrust of the argument, seems to be: "Well, science says that we have to test any theory, right? So here's mine: Intelligent Design. Now you have to put it right next to Darwin's theory of Evolution, right?" Well, no, not really...

Weatherman fetish

2005-01-27T08:54:00.000-05:00

OK, so there are people with just way too much time on their hands.

But thank the gods; some of this stuff is just too good:

Bad Weatherman: So it's a college student, having a bad day - but it's quite a train wreck -- and he just doesn't give up; gotta give him that much.
Tourette Weatherman - and this looks like it may really be Tourette Syndrome, so a little understanding, please.
Last but not least: Sure it's way un-PC in places, but the guy is really trying, and appears to have some talent: Mark Mathis. But wait! There's more!

Alcohol in the Star Trek Universe

2005-01-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

If you can put aside your "PC" for a few minutes, this is side-splittingly funny stuff - even if you're not a Trekkie. Thanks, again, to GMSV for the link.

The Ornery American: Orson Scott Card

2005-01-20T06:29:00.001-05:00

You may or may not recognize the name Orson Scott Card from his SciFi, but you'll probably be interested in his essays regardless; good stuff.

The current one is a really good analysis of American healthcare.

UPDATE: Or at least it WAS good stuff - until it became yet another raging "neocon" forum; how depressing.

Bush is the real Social Security Crisis

2005-01-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

Think: The Boomers are pulling out much faster than the smaller, following generations, are putting in. Of course. But the Boomers put in a huge amount, while the smaller, previous generations were taking not much out.

The system is not broken - but Bush sure is trying hard.

ITunes user sues Apple over iPod

2005-01-06T06:22:00.000-05:00

"He says Apple is breaking anti-competition laws in refusing to let other music players work with the site."

How very interesting...

Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that this makes sense.

The logical conclusion then is: Every piece of software (heck, let's say hardware too!) must always be available for every format - a huge win for Apple and every other non-WinTel developer!

...

Baikal Wins YUKOS Auction

2004-12-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

Interesting development - from a very interesting part of the world: Lake Baikal: One of the oldest, deepest, most biologially diverse lakes in the world - containing about a fifth of the world's fresh water; more than the Great Lakes, combined. Info on the Tunguska Event of 1980:

Halexandria.
MonkeyShrine.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "90-TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TUNGUSKA PROBLEM"
Alt explanation (Wolfgang Kundt, Institut für Astrophysik der Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, D-53121 Bonn).

Info on the Irkutsk region from Kommersant, "New Russia's First Independent Newspaper".

There's a fungus among us

2004-12-18T16:27:00.000-05:00

A sad end, but maybe a genesis as well.

"Karaoke Revolution"

2004-12-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

Wait! Don't write this one off; check it out - really. Give it a chance and think about it... This isn't going to generate a whole new crop of pop sensations, but it really looks like good, clean fun - that might actually, as a side effect, improve one's singing a bit. And wouldn't that be nice? :)

Hmm...

2004-12-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

"Loose Parts" comic, by Dave Blazek: "In the land of the blind, the one-eye'd man is king." And what if the one-eyed man is just making it up?... Hauntingly familiar, eh?

And you thought politics was tough in the USA

2004-12-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

Home tech support

2004-12-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

My daughter just called me downstairs because she had trouble logging in to the computer. On the way downstairs, I told her to make sure that "caps lock" wasn't on, because that's what the problem was last time. She called up that "the little arrow thingy" wasn't there, so that wasn't the problem. (One time I showed her, and she remembered. Did I mention she's 6?) When I got there, she said "Watch!" and proceeded to carefully type the password I'd given her, to demonstrate that she had it right. It worked. She turned to me and said, "It's just like magic when you're here." Which, for anyone who's done any tech support, is an old story. :)

Spam

2004-12-07T22:36:00.000-05:00

I spent most of the day wrestling it (on the servers I run), and trying to minimize the collateral damage - without causing too much collateral damage of my own. What a huge waste, all around. Gad.

Reasoned, civil, discourse?

2004-12-06T20:11:00.000-05:00

I had an illuminating conversation in the lunch room at work the other day:

A bunch of us were shooting the breeze. And somehow (I forget the context) someone observed how stupid people are. It was shortly after the election and I opined that it wasn't necessary to look any further than the results of the election to demonstrate that. One of the people there took offense to that - rightly so: I'd proven that, regardless of the speck that may or may not have been in anyone else's eye, I was sporting a beam in my own. And I had been whining (again) about reasoned, civil discourse - the lack thereof. Oops.

I do indeed think that the majority of voters were mistaken; I disagree with them - but that's a whole different way of saying it, isn't it? It doesn't demonize - and who responds well to being demonized? And I re-remembered a bit of wisdom taught me by a college friend: Perhaps the people who voted "wrong" didn't have all the info. Perhaps they were too busy trying figure out how to feed their kids the next day. Or pay for a hospital bill. Or whatever. I've also come to understand that when I say "I just don't understand!", it's possibly because _I_ don't understand; the fault may be my own. I do think we voted the wrong folks in, but I think it behooves us all to be civil and open-minded about it - all of us, especially those of us hoping to convince the country to make some changes. Not in the overly-PC, touchy-feely way, but in the we-screwed-up-and-obviously-need-all-the-help-we-can-get way.

Updating the laws on wine

2004-12-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments from winemakers who want to ship their products to customers at home.
(Ref: Good Morning Silicon Valley's First Edition newsletter; highly recommended.)
Of course there are issues with selling to minors (and a whole side discussion on the efficacy of that law…), but these are things that can be dealt with - we should be able to have wine shipped home. (After all, we can drive over a border, buy it and transport it easily enough. Not so easy if it's across the continent though...

I can see how various industries and agencies have stakes - both ways though; I'm sure California (and other exporters) want these old laws brought up to date.

FWIW, In Vermont, it actually is apparently possible to get a temporary license, but it's unclear what you could actually do with it. Here's a good article from wine.about.com: Current US Wine Shipping Laws: Vermont.

Security: Not just theoretical & not just for geeks

2004-12-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

California will spend $691,000 to mail notices to 1.4 million Californians next week alerting them that their personal information might have been accessed by a hacker in August.
Via Good Morning Silicon Valley's First Edition newsletter; highly recommended.

Wives and their dogs

2004-12-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

The Other Coast, by Adrian Raeside

BTV Italian!

2004-12-05T01:59:00.000-05:00

The Burlington, VT area doesn't have too many Italian restaurants, but a few: Far and away the best: Trattoria Delia. It's got the ambiance, the menu and most of the wait staff that I've encountered, really care about their work. Also very good - and, unlike Trattoria Delia, open for lunch: Cannon's. Not a huge menu, but someone in the kitchen has done their homework, and is willing to push the envelope. Well worth the trip out on North Ave.

oversimplification

2004-12-05T01:15:00.000-05:00

Found in our local K-8 school's weekly newsletter:

I-Parent Safety Tip
Know intellectual property and copyright regulations. Using file-sharing programs for downloading music can open up your computer to identity thieves by giving access to your personal information. Downloading music and movies without paying for it is illegal.
http://www.isafe.org/

Oops: A perfect opportunity to open the discussion up, but it's been pared down so far (at least one hopes that's the problem), it's just wrong. But I bet the kids know that anyway. :)

"What do you want to do with your life?"

2004-12-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

Interesting experiment; check it out. (Link above.)

Neal Stephenson's MetaWeb

2004-12-04T23:27:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read any Neal Stephenson yet, go do it now: witty, incisive, engaging... great stuff; one of the better authors of this time. And for those of us diving in a little deeper, check out MetaWeb (link above); lots of great background.

Jon Stewart's "Crossfire" appearance

2004-12-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

If you didn't catch this on TV, it's rather amazing. And click through for the other video of Stewart's commentary on a following Daily Show. Or try this. I first heard about this on Good Morning Silicon Valley; well worth checking out frequently.

Electronic Voting

2004-12-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

NY Times: TECHNO FILES Electronic Voting 1.0, and No Time to Upgrade By JAMES FALLOWS

Great article with lots of good info, and some fresh angles.

new Google filtering

2004-12-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

If you use Google, check your Google preferences: They recently changed the default to have filtering _on_, so you may not know it, but Google is deciding what results to keep from you. Just as requested by the Chinese government - and perhaps others... Even more interesting, I'm pretty sure I explicitly turned if off (a long time ago), but found it back on this morning.

"Do Not Call" list & Mobile phones

2004-12-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

You may have seen a copy of this recently:

In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls on cell phones. Call this number from your cell phone 888-382-1222. It is the national Do Not Call list. It blocks your number for 5 years. Please pass on, Here is online form ...

The "Do Not Call" list & its website/phone# are legit, and they will register mobile numbers as well as land lines. However, it's apparently not imminent that there will be any release of mobile numbers; some debunking by: truthorfiction snopes but still a good idea to get on the "Do Not Call" list - as long as you trust the government to manage it well... (Thanks to my Dad for a pointer.)