July 30, 2005
What's Black and White and Red All Over?
Michelle Malkin posts about a NYT editorial that calls the resistance to politicizing the 9/11 memorial with "controversial debate, dialogue, artistic impressions, or exhibits referring to extraneous historical events" un-American.
Doesn't the New York Times worry that it's squandering the good will that many Americans felt toward New York immediately following 9/11? Or is that something only the Republican administration can do in regard to other countries?
And Another Thing...
Real Tech News posts the results of a survey of the things that most annoy Web users.
I'll add one more that bugs me, not providing an obvious link to the original source of news/information.
A 10th Planet?
An object that is at least as big as Pluto and about three times farther from the sun has been found. There is some debate on whether or not it deserves to be classified as a planet.
The team had hoped to analyze the data further before announcing the planet but were forced to do so Friday evening because word had leaked out, Brown said.
"Somebody hacked our website," he said, and "they were planning to make [the data] public."
Proving that even very intelligent people can do silly things like putting information they want to be kept secret where it can be found by hackers. (Hacking an astronomy site is totally off the scale of geekiness.)
The planet hasn't yet been named. For now it's being called 2003 UB313. The team has submitted a name proposal but hasn't chosen to share it with us yet.
July 29, 2005
SOHS Marching Dragons
This evening the high school marching band put on a performance for family and friends.
There was also a potluck dinner. We were asked to bring a casserole or a dessert. I brought a bucket of dirt.
Dragon Dirt
1 clean child's toy bucket with shovel
2 (6 serving size) instant chocolate pudding
6 cups milk
1 (16 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
1 package Oreo Cookies
Gummy worms, if desired
Put the cookies into a large zipper-seal plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.
Make pudding according to directions on package. (Combine pudding mix with milk and beat with a whisk for two minutes or until it begins to thicken.) Fold in thawed Cool Whip until well blended.
Alternate layers of pudding mixture and cookie crumbs in the bucket, finishing with a layer of cookie crumbs. Top with a few gummy worms. Put the shovel in the "dirt" to use as a serving spoon.
Pictures from the Zoo
Conor and Emma at the zoo.
We went back to see the lorikeets and I remembered my camera this time. I have a couple of pictures of them plus a few of the other animals.
Sunday Business
The Louisville City Council voted to allow wine and liquor sales on Sundays. Beer's been available on Sundays for quite a while so it seems that it's reasonable to allow people to buy other types of alcohol too.
When I was a child this wouldn't have been a matter for consideration, store were closed on Sundays. In theory I kind of miss the old "blue laws" that kept stores closed one day a week. In reality I like being able to go shopping 24/7. Families have changed, work schedules have changed, not as many people now have the time to shop during the week so it makes sense that retailers changed to accommodate them. Some still argue against it, there's the whole Sabbath thing...the Christian Sabbath, of course, imagine the complaints if businesses were shut down at sunset Friday night.
We've got to keep things separate, secular. This made me think about the courts. I read about their judgements on keeping anything remotely religious out of the public arena. You know, no Christmas displays on public property, no Ten Commandments in the courthouse. So I checked some courthouse websites, and the ones I looked at all appear to take Sunday off. Why Sunday? Why not Monday or Wednesday, or just rearrange schedules so they are open every day? Just askin'.
July 28, 2005
Over There
I watched the TV show Over There on FX tonight. It's produced by Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue). All I had heard about it before this evening came from a radio interview I heard on public radio. That alone was enough to make me wonder if it was something I wanted to watch. But Bochco said he wasn't trying to make a political statement and I have liked other shows he's done so I decided to give it a chance.
I liked it. It's violent, even grisly in parts but it is good drama.
Update: Instapundit links to some negative reviews of the show. They make some good points. There are inaccuracies. There are stereotypes. If I had been in the military, I might have had the same objections to it. Heck, even without being in the military I still noticed some of the problems these other bloggers mentioned. (See Joe's Dartblog, Indepundit, and Argghhh! The Home of Two of Jonah's Military Guys.)
But it's not a documentary, it's a TV show and considering what it could have been like (what I was afraid it would be like), I think it was done pretty well. After I watched it I read a Newsweek review that panned the show. I counted that as one more reason to like it.
July 27, 2005
What the Headlines Don't Say
The first headline sounds like we're being tossed out, the second like we're cutting and running. The first was the headline for an AP news story, the second was the one from World Peace Herald that was presented by Google at the head of its collection of similar stories.
Iraq Wants Quick Withdrawal of U.S. Troops
US plans Iraq troop cuts as revolt rages
There must be a special "reading for content" class for people who write headlines because neither quite says what I got out of the stories. What I understood from them was that Iraq wants the U.S. to intensify training of its security forces and that any U.S. troop withdrawal be done in coordination with Iraq. No being tossed out, no surprise abandonment, but a continued partnership that lets Iraq assume greater responsibility. What am I missing?
July 26, 2005
Vanity Revisited
It's been a while since I've done a vanity search. Searching just for "marybeth", I've moved up from third to second in Google, from second to first on Yahoo, and have stayed in first with MSN and AlltheWeb.
Searching for my full name yields about the same results (second in Google, first in the others) but some of the links that referred to me in the first couple of pages were in a different order and some appeared that hadn't shown in the "marybeth" search. Interesting to see the difference one keyword can make in the results.
I also did a search for my father's name. He doesn't even have a website but he still got more search results than my full name did. I shouldn't be surprised though, he's been "playing" (his term, not mine) computer for a long time and all of the search results referring to him were *nix related. I guess that means that doing something still beats just talking.
Talking About My Baby
Webpronews has an article about attracting search engines to your site along with suggestions on how to benefit from the crawls. I found the article through a Google Alert on the keyword "JoeAnt".
It's like seeing my child's name in the news.
A third way to invite the spiders into your website parlor is to by submitting your website to the many internet directories available. Whether you choose, DMOZ, Yahoo, JoeAnt, Gimpsy, Zeal/Looksmart, or one of many lesser known directories, inclusion in them will get your website crawled by a spider. Since the various internet directories are crawled on a very regular basis, you can be almost certain a spider will travel to your website.
It's getting to be that time of year when I expect the submissions to JoeAnt to increase as businesses try to optimize their exposure in preparation for Christmas. Sites may be submitted by editors (make sure to join the correct topic for your site's listing) or through Speed-Pass (one-time $39.99 fee). To use Speed-Pass, find the best topic for your site and click the "Add URL" link.
"I'm Sorry You Misunderstood" Isn't an Apology
Michelle Malkin posted a copy of a letter that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll is sending to the family of the marine whose funeral she attended. From the letter, I gather she was not only not invited to attend, she also got there late or just as the services started. ("I unfortunately, did not arrive at the church services for SSGT Goodrich’s funeral in time to offer my personal condolences to you.") I don't know if her tardiness is part of her typical behavior or if she was just trying to avoid leaving enough time for her to get tossed out be politely asked to leave before the service began.
An apology should say, "I was wrong. I'm sorry." Does anyone care whether she was "incredibly upset" when she heard the press report? Or that she is saddened and upset that they misunderstood her intentions? Blaming the family for not interpreting her meaning correctly isn't an apology.
I try to teach my kids that an excuse isn't the same thing as an apology. If they have misbehaved or there is a misunderstanding, I may want to hear what led up to it but when they are apologizing (usually to a sibling) that information is irrelevant. Say you're sorry. Say it wasn't your intention for this to happen. Whatever you say, take responsibility for the result of your actions.
The post also notes that the Lt. Gov. won't be responding to constituents who have complained. Excuse me? I thought she worked for them. Try not responding to your employer's complaints about your behavior sometime and see how well that works.
July 25, 2005
July 24, 2005
How To Support the Troops
Two looks at the Iraq War, one from a soldier that has been there, the other from "more than two dozen interviews and casual conversations".
In the op-ed by the soldier, he says, "I know that the war my men and I fought is a totally different war than the one I see being reported by almost the entire media." The troops aren't there just to fight the bad guys. They are working to improve living conditions in the country and try to protect the innocent civilians from terrorist attacks.
He ends with, "Don't pretend to support troops by trying to undercut their efforts at the same time. Just go to bed at night and pray for their safety and thank God that they are there to protect you and your family, no matter your beliefs."
The second piece is an article in the NYT asking "why is so little sacrifice asked of the nation at large?"
There is no serious talk of a draft to share the burden of fighting across the broad citizenry, and neither Republicans nor Democrats are pressing for a tax increase to force Americans to cover the $5 billion a month in costs from Iraq, Afghanistan and new counterterrorism missions.There are not even concerted efforts like the savings-bond drives or gasoline rationing that helped to unite the country behind its fighting forces in wars past.
The idea of the NYT telling us that we aren't patriotic enough it is a bit odd and that some of the article's content came from "casual conversations" makes me wonder how wide spread this feeling is among the troops. I would imagine that the troops that don't have these complaints might tend to avoid reporters. Or be ignored by them.
I'm not going to argue that most of us have had any changes in our personal lives due to the war. It's something I've thought about before. I would like, and would support, something that requires more involvement by U.S. citizens. War bonds might be a good start but beyond that, I don't know what to suggest other than listen to the first soldier. If you say you support the troops, leave it at that. No ifs, ands, or buts and no "bring them home".
I don't think that bringing back the draft or rationing gas would be a good way to support the war unless these were necessary. Neither is raising taxes as long as there are areas of wasteful spending that could be cut. Asking people to sacrifice something can bring them together in supporting a cause as long as the sacrifice is justified. Asking them to sacrifice something when the need isn't obvious is political suicide.
Am I being cynical to think that this may be the NYT's goal here?
If someone has a good idea of something we can do to show support of our troops and belief in what they are doing, there are many of us who will be eager to do it.
Google Logo
I should have taken that suggestion to learn Japanese more seriously, then I would have been able to read this. You can create your own Google logo here.
How Weird Are You?
| You Are 50% Weird |
 |
I'm not weird, just operating on a different scale of normal.
July 23, 2005
July 22, 2005
日本語「よく」話せません
| You Should Learn Japanese |
 |
Two reasons I might consider learning Japanese: know what they're really saying on Iron Chef and play video games before they are released here. One reason I won't: too lazy.
London Fights Back
Man shot dead by police on Tube
A man wearing a heavy coat was warned to stop but instead ran and vaulted the station's barriers.
"It's vital the police give a statement about what occurred and explain why the man was shot dead." - Muslim Council of Britain
Hmm, the man was wearing a heavy coat on a day when the low temperature was only 60 degrees (F). The police, who had previously announced their intent to shoot to kill if necessary, had considered him a suspect and had been following him. The told him to stop but he ran instead. Shooting at the torso of someone wearing a bomb could detonate the bomb. Shooting just to disable a bomber would not stop him from detonating it himself. Given the circumstances, the police had little choice.
Update: It appears that the man who was shot had no connection with the bombings. Although he was shot by the police, I place the blame for his death on the terrorists. They were the ones who put the police in the position of having to take action.
July 21, 2005
Though we cannot make our sun Stand still...
There's a proposal being considered by Congress that will add two months to Daylight Saving Time.
"The more daylight we have, the less electricity we use,'' said U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who co-sponsored the measure with U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.).
More. Daylight.
Congress is obviously more powerful than I had realized.
July 19, 2005
CBC: Can't Begin to Comprehend
CBC Watch reprints a memo that was distributed to CBC staff about the use of the word "terrorism".
Avoid labelling any specific bombing or other assault as a "terrorist act" unless it's attributed (in a TV or Radio clip, or in a direct quote on the Web). For instance, we should refer to the deadly blast at that nightclub in Bali in October 2002 as an "attack," not as a "terrorist attack." The same applies to the Madrid train attacks in March 2004, the London bombings in July 2005 and the attacks against the United States in 2001, which the CBC prefers to call "the Sept. 11 attacks" or some similar expression. (The BBC, Reuters and many others follow similar policies.)
Terrorism generally implies attacks against unarmed civilians for political, religious or some other ideological reason. But it's a highly controversial term that can leave journalists taking sides in a conflict.
Don't take sides. People might think you are biased against mass-murdering terrorists. Even worse, they might think you have morals.
Rather than calling assailants "terrorists," we can refer to them as bombers, hijackers, gunmen (if we're sure no women were in the group), militants, extremists, attackers or some other appropriate noun.
I've got some appropriate nouns (with very descriptive adjectives too).
This is Not the Hanky-Panky You Are Looking For
Every day I watch the news on TV, hear it on the radio, and read it online. The new news changes - hurricanes, Tom Cruise, the London bombings. The old news stays the same - Karl Rove. The only thing that makes it mildly interesting is if someone refers to it as the Rove/Plame affair. Or better yet, the Rove/Plame/Wilson/Cooper/Novak/Miller affair. Now that sounds like some real hanky-panky. Unfortunately it's not nearly as interesting as it sounds.
I can't really tell what's going on with the whole thing. As best as I can tell some people think that Rove has Jedi mind control powers that surpass even Yoda. Good thing he's working for America, huh?
Update: Bill Murchison says it better. (Link via Michelle Malkin)
The Washington, D.C., Beltway is in one of its periodic orgies over next to nothing. Nobody gets by with pooh-poohing such proceedings, which will proceed until 1) the Beltway has made nothing sound like something, or 2) the rest of the country tunes out totally or falls dead asleep.
He's betting on the latter. Judging by my feelings on the matter, I am too.
Now I'm just waiting for someone to say that the public's general indifference to the story is another example of Rove's awesome super-mind-control powers.
Phone Messages
From July 12 until October 12, 2005 Sprint users can send a text message to a landline phone at standard text messaging rates. The message will be converted to voice and the person who is receiving the message can reply by selecting one of the available responses.
I may have to text message myself. I can't think of anyone else with a landline phone that I know the number for, wouldn't be freaked out by getting a message, or wouldn't think it was a telemarketer and hang up immediately.
July 18, 2005
Geek Test
Don't laugh, you know geeks are cool now.
You answered 81% of the questions as a geek truly would.
You're a geek and you know it. You've got all sorts of fringe hobbies and socially unacceptable tendencies. Chances are, whenever possible, you hate to be grouped with other people and sometimes go out of your way just to be different.
You're smart too. You're more willing to depend on your own brainpower to solve problems, instead of relying on others to pull you through life. You probably read a lot, and generally enjoy learning new things.
So what's it all mean? You may be considered by some to be uncool, but you probably don't care either. In social situations you may be either slightly passive or slightly loud (geeks always fall into the extremes). In a nutshell, you answered enough questions correctly supporting a geek philosophy to be considered a more potent geek than 60% of the population.
My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 82% on geekness
Link: The True Geek Test written by ambientred on Ok Cupid
Driving (People Crazy)
Outside the Beltway has a post about state governors being upset by a federal law requiring people to have proof that they are American citizens or legal residents to get a driver's license.
The governors are complaining about the cost of adding this requirement, not the cost to the states but the cost to the citizens.
"This is going to drive the cost of driver's licenses for ordinary folks through the roof," said Democrat Tom Vilsack of Iowa. "I think it's going to drive people crazy."
Kentucky already requires a birth certificate and a Social Security card. The license fee is $12. $3 a year isn't exactly what I would call "through the roof". If you don't have an official copy of your birth certificate you will have to order one. In Kentucky, that's a one-time fee of $10. There's no charge for a Social Security card. Compared to the cost of owning and operating a car, this isn't exactly an unreasonable financial burden.
Their other complaint is, "The law would demand skills of motor vehicle office clerks far beyond what is currently expected...." Raise your expectations then. What special skill set is needed to require identification?
Design Your Own Lego World
I'm halfway convinced that Legos are part of a plot to cripple parents of young children. (Have you ever stepped on one of those things with a bare foot?) Their dastardly plan to keep us all limping must have been going to slowly. Now they've come up with an idea to make Legos even more tempting - Lego Factory.
You can design your own creations and then you will be able to order specially made kits for your creation. How cool is that?
Quick, Henry, the Flit!
Discover Magazine has an article about malaria, Fighting the Parasite from Hell. It discusses the different types of cures that have been used and the search for new ones to combat resistant forms of the parasite. Very little of the article is about trying to combat the mosquitoes, the carriers of the parasite.
Within 20 years, mass chloroquine treatment, along with DDT spraying and other antimosquito measures, removed the threat of disease from more than 500 million people living in formerly malaria-ridden areas.
To be effective, the drugs need to be taken over several days. There would need to be 300 to 500 million treatment courses for one year in Africa and even if the new drug development goes smoothly those treatments won't be available for at least five years.
The article ends with this paragraph:
In waging war against malaria, no weapon has proved perfect, no judgment completely unflawed. For the next stage, it’s worth recalling some wisdom from the native land of qinghao. Centuries before Ge Hang proclaimed its healing power, General Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War: “Now in war there may be one hundred changes in each step. But when one sees he can, he advances.” The greatest pitfall in the battle against malaria is inaction.
It seems to me that the banning of DDT was one of those flawed judgments. It may not be an ideal solution but the controlled use of pesticide beats letting people suffer and die while waiting for the perfect cure.
(The title of the post comes from an advertising campaign for Flit insecticide that was done by Dr. Seuss.)
Mean Girls
What's up with Vancouver?
********
I'm looking at news stories and tell my husband about this one.
Me: Vancouver has been having a problem lately with teenage girls beating up guys.
Jeff: Turns halfway towards me. Hooters?
Me: No, Vancouver.
Jeff: Goes back to playing WOW. Oh.
July 17, 2005
When Nobody's Right (or Wrong)
A journalist writes about her nanny's blog. The young woman blogs her response.
The reactions of each to what the other has written is understandable but I think that both, to some degree, misinterpret what the other has said. There's a lesson in there somewhere for bloggers (and journalists). Maybe even a broader lesson for everyone, you're responsible for what you say and do so if you don't want it publicized, keep it private (or don't do it at all).
Get The Blog Out.
There Ain't No Party Like A Cheese Party.
A Taste For Cats.
The slogans above (and the post title) from the Advertising Slogan Generator. (Gotta Lotta Boredom.) More time-wasters entertainment from The Surrealist. More generators (pages of 'em) on Uzeful.org.
There's a cat name generator (no mention of their tastiness), vampire name generator (I'm Goddess of The Ghastly), wanted poster generator (see extended entry), blog name generator (Frisky Life), and a label maker.
Choosing Blog Software
Blog software comparison chart is a handy way to compare the standard features of the different types of blogging software. It doesn't include plug-ins or other modifications that may be available.
Harry Potter
I just fininshed reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If you've heard or read anything about the book you know that a major character dies. It made the ending of the book very sad but, for me, it was made sadder because the death appears to have came about through the betrayal by someone this character had trusted.
July 16, 2005
Power Color
| Your Power Color Is Lime Green |
 You are adventurous, witty, and a visionary. At Your Lowest: You feel misunderstood, like you don't fit in. In Love: You have a tough exterior, but can be very dedicated. How You're Attractive: Your self-awareness and confidence lights up a room. Your Eternal Question: "What else do I need in my life?" |
I can guarantee that anything I think I need will not be lime green. U.S. currency green is another matter entirely.
Blog Top Sites
Blogtopsites.com is a blog directory. You can add your blog. You must include a link on your site that looks like this -
My permanent link for this is in the left column near the bottom of the page.
The Personal Blog category looks as though its the one that's being added to the most. At this time, the Automobile category is the only one that doesn't yet have any listings. Other categories include Technology, Politics, Humor, Music, Photo Blog, Sports, and a few others. No category for food blogs though.
Meditation Break
Trevor needed some white shoes for marching band so we went out shopping. One of the stores we went to was a sporting goods store. He found a pair he liked and we were waiting for a sales person so we could ask to see ones in Trevor's size.
We were standing next to the display...this was right next to the door to the backroom. The sales person went in and out a few times to get shoes for other people while we stood there.
Then he seemed to just decide to take a break. He walked over to a bench, propped up his foot on it and stared off into space.
We left. We found a nice pair of shoes at the next store we tried. Cost less too. I guess you don't have to charge as much when your sales people actually take care of the customers.
Recipes With Pictures
Visual Recipes is a community recipe site that lets members share recipes and include up to 20 pictures. I like pictures with recipes and I like that these pictures look more like what I expect whatever I make will look. Pictures in cooking magazines and cookbooks are nice. Too nice. You know that your finished recipe will seldom look quite that good.
July 15, 2005
Recipe Time!
This week's Carnival of the Recipes is up at One Happy Dog Speaks.
Recipe List:
Waffles
Mock Hollandaise Sauce
Hollandaise Sauce
Apple Streusel Muffins
Focaccia Turkey Sandwich
Meatball Sub
Carrot salad
Salade Niqoise
The Secret to Gazpacho: A Work in Progress
Apricot Peachtea Delight
Pina Colada Punch
Bacon wrapped stuffed Chicken
Oatmeal Fried Chicken Chunks
Chicken & Dumplin
Chicken Marsala
Organic Basil Pesto with Shrimp and Spaghetti
Cheesy Chicken Recipe
Chicken and Navy Bean Stew with Baby Spinach
Turkey Rice Casserole
Simple Pasta con Pesto
Plain Old Pasta
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Feijoada
Grilled Pizza recipe
Tandoori Chicken
Smoked salmon and grilled meats
Ham and Cheese Pie
Lemko Nut Cookies
zenfully delicious smores
Kentucky Butter Cake
Blueberry Pudding Cake
Czech Kolace
recipe for Birthday Bones (for dogs)
Chocolate Cheesecake recipe
Cocoa - Spice Snackin' Cake and Reese's Brownies (Made From Scratch)
Spotted Dick
July 14, 2005
In School It's Called Socialization
The news announcer described the detainee's treatment. He was forced to wear a bra, bark like a dog, his manhhood was questioned and he was called a homosexual.
My teenage son's only comment was that the guy would never survive high school. Callous or just a clear idea of the difference between torture and humiliation?
July 13, 2005
I've Got an Idea for a Label
A consumer group wants to put warning labels "on soft drinks to alert consumers that too much of the sugary beverages can make people fat and cause other health problems."
Soft drinks. Soda pop. If you really need a label to tell you that it isn't a healthful drink maybe you shouldn't be allowed out without a "stupid" label.
Two Years Into the War
July 13 - New York City
What began as a small group soon grew into an angry mob of thousands protesting "poor man's blood for a rich man's war". Speeches given by partisan Democrat politicians helped to inflame the mob who went on to loot and destroy property and attack fellow citizens. What began as a protest against the war and the Republican administration turned into a brutal race riot. The mob's anger was directed at both the wealthy and at people whose ethinic background was the same as the one the war was supposed to liberate. One man, an Indian, was beaten to death because the crowd mistook his racial background.*
The war was already two years old and no end was in sight. The volunteer army was having trouble finding enough recruits. New York had initially supported the war but the mob formed when men began to fear they would be drafted.
The year was 1863. The war was the U.S. Civil War. The riot became known as the New York City Draft Riots.
"Eventually numbering some 50,000 people, the mob terrorized neighborhoods on the East Side of New York for three days looting scores of stores. Blacks were the targets of most attacks on citizens; several lynchings and beatings occurred. In addition, a black church and orphanage were burned to the ground.
All in all, the mob caused more than $1.5 million of damage. The number killed or wounded during the riot is unknown, but estimates range from two dozen to nearly 100."
More about the Draft Riots and the conditions of the Irish immigrants (who made up much of the mob) in the U.S. at the time.
A political cartoon of the day and more information about the riots from HarpWeekly. This one's worth reading just for the sentence that includes, "'Crush the Mob!' ran The New York Times headline" and the information that the paper's editor "averted the rioters with Gatling guns".
*The man was a Mohawk Indian but was assumed by the crowd to be black.
July 12, 2005
Blog Trip
VW of One Happy Dog Speaks has moved and redesigned her blog. It's just in time for her turn as host of the Carnival of the Recipes this week.
Techievampire of Explicitly Ambiguous has a post about a NYT article on the We're Not Afraid Web site. I love this line, "Cry me a river.. build a bridge… and get over it." Can I get that on a t-shirt?
Rob of Okihawk.org has given me a case of beach envy. Okay, the truth is that I'm constantly envious of anyone who lives near a beach (the warm, sandy ones) but posting pictures of it is like showing a new dessert cookbook to someone on a diet.
LeeAnn of The Cheese Stands Alone writes about playing WOW. My husband and both sons play World of Warcraft. I've come to the conclusion that it must be the most addictive time sink ever.
On a totally unrelated note I'm thinking of getting a new computer for work. It has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to play the game. I created this JoeAnt topic recently. Playing the game would help me evaluate sites for that topic. Yeah, that's it, it's research. If anyone reading this also plays WOW (and has managed to take a few moments away from the game) and knows of some good sites to add to the directory, let me know. I may be too busy soon with my quests research to find sites myself.
TED Global
Professor Dawkins' opening talk, in a session called Meme Power, explored the ways in which humans invent their own realities to make sense of the infinitely complex worlds they are in; worlds made more complex by ideas such as quantum physics which is beyond most human understanding."Are there things about the Universe that will be forever beyond our grasp, in principle, ungraspable in any mind, however superior?" he asked.
You can tell this is serious and important because our possible lack of an ability to understand everything has to do with science and humanity. Not at all like those people who attribute the complexity of the universe to God and believe that our lack of understanding has to do with the inferiority of man compared to Him.
I guess for me it's just a matter of semantics.
My teenage son did like the suggestion "that perhaps children should be given computer games to play with that familiarise them with quantum physics concepts." He would suppport anything that had to do with gaming of any kind.
We think that rocks and crystals are solid when in fact they were made up mostly of spaces in between atoms, he argued.This, he said, was just the way our brains thought about things in order to help us navigate our "middle sized" world - the medium scale environment - a world in which we cannot see individual atoms.
I think I need to know more of what he said than the article reported before I can decide whether or not it makes sense to me. I have a feeling there must be more to it than what was reported. I don't understand how seeing the spaces between atoms would help any more than seeing the spaces between prison bars. It isn't the space that matters, it's the matter between the spaces.
They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
BBC edits out the word terrorist
Early reporting of the attacks on the BBC's website spoke of terrorists but the same coverage was changed to describe the attackers simply as "bombers".The BBC's guidelines state that its credibility is undermined by the "careless use of words which carry emotional or value judgments".
The problem with trying to avoid making any value judgements is that you end up appearing to have neither values nor judgement. Words have power but changing what you call something doesn't change the thing itself.
July 11, 2005
Book Club Night
I'll be leaving for my monthly book club meeting in a few minutes. The book we read for this month was The Known World by Edward P. Jones. Unfortunately for me, I read it soon after last month's meeting and I'm not sure how much of the details of it I'll remember well enough to discuss.
Maybe it will help me talk less this time. I wanted to add some about something I've noticed about some books I read but need to go get ready. I'll update this post later.
About a week ago I read a book where the main character said something about using several browsers to search for information on her computer. It was just one brief part out of the whole book but aren't computers common enough that the author/editor/proofreader/someone would be able to get basic terms correct? In another book there was a character that was supposed to be a computer geek. This character supposedly had a good, close relationship with his sisters...but one of them had an AOL account!
Maybe I should stick to historical fiction.
We're reading (rereading for me) Stranger in a Strange Land for next month. I'll be helping lead the discussion on that one.
July 09, 2005
Look At Me! Look At Me!
'Plain Dealer': We're Holding Big Stories Because of Fear of Jail
CHICAGO Plain Dealer Editor Doug Clifton says the Cleveland daily is not reporting two major investigative stories of "profound importance" because they are based on illegally leaked documents -- and the paper fears the consequences faced now by jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller.
It sounds like something you would hear in a schoolyard. I know something you don't know but I'm not going to tell you because....
If you have information then you should be able to verify it independently. If it can't be verified, question the validity of the original information. If you choose not to do anything with it, why bring it up at all? Is the NYT gettting too much attention?
Maybe their masthead should read, "We don't want to report the news, we want to be the news!"
Past Life: The Insane Bit is Consistant
| In a Past Life... |
 Where You Lived: Russia. How You Died: Typhoid fever. |
July 08, 2005
I'm Going to Blog This Later
I meant to post this right after I read it the first time but got distracted.
From Allan:
If, as you live your life, you find yourself mentally composing blog entries about it, post this exact same sentence in your weblog.
Most of the "life moment" posts that I mentally compose never make to the digital version. Part of it is that my mood may change, whatever happened may not seem as interesting later, or I just forget. Another part is that once I've composed my mental post I lose any desire to actually write it out. I never have been strong on edits and rewrites.
Talk About Processed Meat
Paper Says Edible Meat Can be Grown in a Lab on Industrial Scale
My emotional reaction is "eeeeeeeewwwwwwww". My logical side thinks this could be a valuable source of protein. It could be a good way for countries with limited farmland to produce protein-rich food for its people. The article also mentions this as a possible source for food during space travel. It also mentions producing meat with less fat or better types of fat (Omega 3 instead of Omega 6). I guess that rules out trying to replicate Kobe beef.
(Cross-posted on Mom's Kitchen Weblog)
We're Not Afraid
People from around the world are posting pictures on We're Not Afraid to show support for London and to denounce terrorism after 7/7. To contribute a picture, send it to :
pics@werenotafraid.com
July 07, 2005
For the Birds
Just got back from the zoo. They are opening a new exhibit called Lorikeet Landing. It's a walk-in aviary where you can feed nectar ($1.00 each) to the birds. The exhibit doesn't officially open until tomorrow but they have been having a preview for members only since the 6th.
It's a good exhibit to visit if you like birds. They'll land on you...especially if you have nectar to offer.
I forgot to charge the battery for my camera so I didn't take it. No pictures this time but I'll be sure to take it the next time we go.
Hotlinking is Stealing (Or at Least, Impolite)
I've been cleaning up after comment and trackback spammers for the past couple of days. When I was looking at my logs to see what they had been up to I found a couple of my images being hotlinked on forums. (Here, here, here, here, and here.) Only the first couple are still showing up in my daily logs so I'm guessing that someone removed the images from the others after they changed to a sign saying, "I steal bandwidth".
Update: This is in reply to a comment by Rob in the comments section:
The original post title "Hotlinking is Stealing" is a broad statement but I really meant it to refer to this instance I was experiencing. If another blogger had wanted to use an image I had and he/she asked for permission to just link to it, I would probably allow it. My problem was that someone was using an image on my server on every post he was making in a busy forum. One image on a site that gets a hundred or so visitors a day wouldn't change much for me where using it in multiple forum threads that each get a hundred or more visitors an hour changes things a bit.
A few instances of an image being displayed wouldn't change anything. I might not even notice it but if it happens enough so that I go over my hosting plan's allowed bandwidth for the month my account could be suspended. If that happened the hotlinker would have basically stolen a service for which I pay from me.
Hotlinking isn't just a problem for the site with the original image. Sites with hotlinked images load slower because you have to wait for all the servers to answer requests for the images. Also, when some people find out an image of theirs is being used they replace it with another...and it could be one that's much worse than the one I used.
I've read arguments for hotlinking that discuss copyright. This doesn't make sense. If you're using the image without permission you've still violated the owner's right to the image even if you haven't actually copied it. I've read one argument that as long as the image is linked there is no harm done since anyone who clicks on the link would be visiting the original site and would benefit by having the image already loaded. Um, maybe. You're still using the image without permission. The original host of the image may consider that free advertising or may consider it misuse of their image and bandwidth. Smaller sites with limited resources, especially ones without advertising, may not consider it worth the bandwidth usage regardless of whether it's linked or not.
Update II: Rob also posted about this on his blog.
July 04, 2005
Annoy Your Friends, Be a Fireworks Nerd
Tonight when you're watching fireworks you can point out that the red is caused by the addition of strontium, blue by copper, green by barium, and yellow/orange by sodium. Aluminum can be golden or white depending on the temperature.
Ooooooh, that strontium, copper, and aluminum combo looks so patriotic!
You can read more about what makes fireworks sparkle here.
He Thinks He's the Victim
I'm not a bad person, I just have a disease contracted from society, and it hurts a lot. - Joseph Duncan, May 13, 2005
According to an article in the New York Daily News, this blog is by Joseph Duncan, the man arrested for kidnapping Shasta Groene.
"I was in prison for over 18 years, since the age of 17. As an adult all I knew was the oppression of incarceration. All those years I dreamed of getting out...And getting even. Instead, I got out and I got even, but did not get caught. So, I got even again, and again did not get caught. So, I figured, well, I got even twice (actually more, but that's here nor there), even if I'm the only one who knows, so now what?" - May 11, 2005
July 03, 2005
How American Are You?
| You Are 87% American |
 |
I think I got points off for preferring bleu cheese to American cheese.
July 02, 2005
I Am So Smart, S-M-R-T
(Title quotation from Homer Simpson because, really, who can better illustrate the point?)
Transcript of a press conference by Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
She talks about building evacuations when planes enter Capitol airspace. She starts out sounding as if she's against evacuation and then as if she's for it. I don't know. I'm confused.
She also talked about Social Security. "We also had events that welcomed the President wherever he went to educate the public about the perils of privatization. We're continuing that effort."
I really doubt they "welcomed the President" anywhere. I also doubt that the President was trying to "educate the public about the perils of privatization".
Well, let me have just a little bit of peril?
The questions and answers that are getting the most attention tonight are about the Kelo decision. My favorite line is, "So this is almost as if God has spoken."
If she equates the Supreme Court with God and there are three powers of government, does that mean she believes in the Holy Trinity? Has she just promoted herself to deity?
Update: I wasn't the only one who wondered about "that Trinity thing" - See Day by Day from 7/5.
July 01, 2005
Confidential Sources in News Stories
There's an interesting discussion on State of Affairs on WFPL (one of our local public radio stations) about the use of confidential sources in news reporting. There's an audio archive of programs. The show just ended so this one isn't available online now but should be soon.
The show's Web site also has links to related resources including: a compendium of news organizations' policies on anonymous sources from the American society of newspaper editors, a NYT article on the need for anonymous sources, and a survey on confidential sources by the First Amendment Center.