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December 28, 2003
See you in a bit
All right kids. I'm going on vacation. I don't know when I'll be back exactly. Should chat with you again in the New Year!
Posted by Andrew at 09:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 27, 2003
The Trial of Larry L.
I am one of the apparently many Proffesor Lessig has responded to recently...
For those not in the know, Prof Lessig teaches Law at Stanford. He recently argued against the "Sony Bono" act that extended copyright terms an additional twenty years...
Prof. Lessig is, I think, entirely in the right in his arguments vis a vie copy rights. And as good as his books on the subject are, his were not the argument which convinced me...
A writer named Spider Robinson did that work for him long before I'd heard of the Eldred case. Or, for that mater, before Eldred heard of the Eldred case. Spider Robinson wrote a short story about Copyright Law and injected some much needed pathos into the debate. Click here to read it...
Posted by Andrew at 11:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Mourning
deseretnews.com | Quake toll in Iran tops 20,000
I don't even have the words. How do I help the survivors?
Posted by Andrew at 12:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 26, 2003
Greeting the Season
Sorry I didn't post yesterday; No, I was not left in some post-solstice haze of drunken revelryI had a more important celebration to get to...
My family is a bit odd in certain respects. Chief among them is that no two of us have the same religion. Though I think it may be from simple inertia on the part of the rest of my family, I celebrate Christmas for the same reason the Japanese do: Santa Clause.
Jolly old Saint Nick represents to me what is among the noblest impulses Humanity has to display: Charity. While some may believe-- some take it as an article of their faiththat Charity can be found only among those to scared to do otherwise, one viewing of A Christmas Carol ought to dispel that nasty notion. We give for the same reasons Scrooge did at the end of the story: We all truly hate to see made worse those we could make better...
Some decry the over commercialization of Christmas. Such an accusation is groundless. Christmas is no more commercialized than the rest of our society. We buy Christmas Presents for the same reason we buy our shoes: we no longer produce anything directly. Sure, there are a lot of commercials for Christmas: just as there are many commercials rest of the year for anniversaries. Yet I have heard nary a complaint about the over commercialization of spending 25 years married...
And Ultimately buying the gifts is only a small portion of the idea. For the rest no commercial can touch. The Holiday, the reason the day is a Holy Day, is so we can gather together and exchange those gifts. The party, the revelry, and the shear joy of being with those we love are the reason for the season...
And as for Santa Clause, well, I couldn't improve upon the Original
Posted by Andrew at 10:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Laughing at the French
Only in 1878 did the French Academy, the institution that stands guard over the French language, accept humoristique as a French word. A year later Edmond de Goncourt used humour without italics as a French word in his novel "Les Frères Zemganno", but not until 1932 did the academicians give their approval to the noun humour.
Posted by Andrew at 09:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 23, 2003
Christmas musings
So, Christmas was basically stolen from a bunch of erstwhile New Year's celebrations. While my own religious inclinations tend to run more towards what Christmas was stolen from, most of my own ancestors did the stealing for Christmas. So I call it a wash...
Now, the interesting question is begged; if Christmas is stolen from a bunch of New Year's celebrations, why do Christians celebrate New Years one full week after Christmas?
Posted by Andrew at 12:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
lutefisk, Syracuse Pt2
Well, my good friend lutefisk, Syracuse, sorry, Jaquandor is now the number one google hit for lutefisk, Syracuse. I don't know how that could have happened...
Posted by Andrew at 12:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 22, 2003
It's a holly Jolly solstice
To me, this is the holiest day of the year. So go out and party like its 0099!
Solstice is either the longest or shortest period of sunlight of the year, depending on exactly where one is. Our sun, Sol, is the single greatest source of power on our planet. With it we can, for a short time, defeat entropy
On every other day we may eat any food we wish. On this day we mustsorry; wrong religion. Right sentiment, though. On this day, in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is less visible than on any other day. On this day a very real darkness reigns. On this day the powers of Entropy and decay are at their strongest
And so on this day we must celebrate that which makes us alive. On this day we humans must make full use of our faculties and send a message howling across the cosmos: We are human beings, we are alive and can think. Perhaps the darkness must come, but we will invent light bulbs
On the other hand, many of us will simply take this time to shop and celebrate an entirely different holy day. Fair enough
Posted by Andrew at 11:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 20, 2003
Um, help?
Well! My home has been invaded by a gaggle of teenaged girls. And one boy. The girls are trying to convince the boy that he is gay...
Posting will resume tomorrow; presuming that I survive...
Posted by Andrew at 11:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 18, 2003
Bush Overuled...
Yahoo! News - Bush Overruled on 'Dirty Bomb' Suspect
Good!
US Citizens caught on US soil should be treated as US citizens, and given due process and all that good stuff...
Shame on Bush for even suggesting otherwise...
Posted by Andrew at 12:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Lutefisk, Syracuse
The Estimable Jaquandor says that he knows where to find the best lutefisk, Syracuse. In fact, he wants the whole world to know that he knows all about lutefisk, Syracuse. So, if you need to know about lutefisk, Syracuse, drop him a line. I'm sure that he'll be glad to help...
Posted by Andrew at 10:44 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 16, 2003
Dean posts a pretty picture.
Of course, I would hasten to point out that just because they hate Saddam doesn't mean they love us...
The Standard for our occupation is not and should not be that America can do better than Saddam did. Of course we can! If we couldn't, we might as well give up and become France or something...
Posted by Andrew at 09:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 14, 2003
OR did we?
I'd like to be the first one to ask this: How can we be sure it's Saddam and not one of his double we caught? I mean, isn't that the point of all those doubles?
Posted by Andrew at 11:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Ding dong! Saddam is gone! Saddam is Gone! The Wicked Saddam is Gone!
I woke up this morning (11am counts as morning, right?) to learn what the world had been celebrating for Hours Saddam Hussein has been captured. It goes without saying that this is good news...
The article I am linking to uses the word "arrested" rather than "captured", and while this may have significance only in a legal sense, it is precisely in that sense which we must begin to think...
Saddam iswasa monster, responsible for the deaths of millions and leader of a regime which killed yet more. The United States now has him in our power. We need to show the whole world what we do with Criminals against Humanity...
A recitation of Saddam's crimes would take pages, fortunately Human Rights Watch has done this job for us. There are many charges listed here, but the only one that he should be prosecuted for is Genocide...
The United States Government will be tempted to link the Trial of Saddam to the US's own War Aims of Terror and Weapons of Mass Destruction. While there is evidence there, it is of tertiary importance at best...
If someone were to break into my sister's home, kill her and her fiancé I would not demand that her killer be tried for Breaking and Entering! In the same way, trying Saddam for the tools he used to do his ugly work would be wrong, wrong, wrong. Saddam must be tried for the Big Crime: Genocide...
If he is tried, and that trial is even remotely fair, he will be convicted. Once he is convicted, we can either execute him or put him in a cage in Baghdad and invite Iraqi children to beat him with their shoes. Either way, the species will be shed of one of our greatest predators. And the World will know what the United States this is important...
*update*
Dean has a lLink to the press conference.
Posted by Andrew at 11:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 12, 2003
Review (book): Book of Dumb
The one phrase that can be absolutely guaranteed to set my teeth on edge is "People are dumb". Not only is it inaccurate (people are, on average, average), but it generally reveals that a misanthropy born from the utterer's own sense of inadequacy. Basically, this phrase means "do not trust me"...
And yet I like John Scalzi's work. Quite a bit. That doesn't mean that I will start the Cult of John and start reading Money online or anything, but it does mean that when I see a book with his name on it, I'll pick it up...
Mr. Scalzi has written a new book the Book of Dumb. He has a tough line to walk: He must show actual human beings being stupid without condemning the entire race. And he manages to succeed...
It's all about tone. Where another writer might take a world weary tone and literarily sigh while asking-between-the-lines "what can you do?" Mr. Scalzi takes a different tone. He seems to like pointing out "Wow, can you believe they did this?" While occasionally laying out what seems to be a plausible though process which may have lead the person in that direction. While the reader is not thinking "that could be me", we are left with quite a bit more sympathy than we might otherwise have been...
Other times Mr. Scalzi will just let things stand without such narrative. One of my favorite entries was (I don't have the book in front of me) "Dumbest diplomatic moves of all time". This would be the famous Zimmerman Telegraph. Mr. Scalzi lets Prussian Pride answer for itself on that one...
Ultimately the book fulfils its criterion as part of the Uncle John line; I can read it on break or in the restroom. Which also makes it a good stocking stuffer, though perhaps not a main present. I've hand sold a couple of these books already, and haven't had one returned yet...
Rating: 4 goldfish swallowed out of 5 goldfish swallowed. This book nicely avoids saying nasty things about humanity while it does pick apart certain things humans have done. Unfortunately, owing to its structure, it is not something that can really kill an afternoon.
Posted by Andrew at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 11, 2003
Commercial announcement
My step mother has asked that I post this. She does these every year for herself, and seems to have quite a bit of fun with them.
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Agenda: 12-12:30 Guided focusing exercise
12:30-2:30 Construction project
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Danville, CA
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For information and directions, call (925) 639-9119.
Posted by Andrew at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Back up (or: DSL Blues 2)
Allright, I should be back. If given the choice between using SBC DSL and receiving a nice sharp kick to the head, go with the kick to the head. The head kick will be less painful...
Don't get me wrong, everyone I spoke with was friendly and seemed honestly concerned with my inability to get on line. Back when they were Pac-Bell, I worked in the department that trained those guys. Yep, if it weren't for me, their learning environment wouldn't have been nearly as clean or well stocked with white-board pens. Even so, If one more person had told me that he "appreciates my patience" I would have driven to the latest call center and shown them how patient I really was...
The problem wasn't even their basic competence; the problem was that no one was structurally able to help me or even allow me to be helped. To paraphrase from memory:
"Sorry, I can't help you until 12:00am"
(I call back at 12:01am)
"Sorry. Can't do anything today. Try calling in the morning"
(I call back at 8:30am)
"Sorry. Service in your area is down. I can't do anything"
(I call back every couple of hours to check service status. Every couple of hours the message tells me that the problem should be solved at a time a few hours in the future.)
(Two days later the message goes away. I still don't have DSL. I call back)
"have your tried everything you can think of?"
(yes)
"ok. We'll send someone out to look at it. If it's inside the walls, that's your problem and we'll charge you US$60."
(let me think about that)
"Here is a phone number you can call. Try option 2"
(I find out my landlord will pay for it if it is inside the walls)
(I call back. The number is wrong.)
(I call the same number I've been calling)
"Hi. Let me walk you through the whole thing again and call you the wrong name"
(Please just transfer me over)
"sure"
(I wait a few minutes)
"Hi. When would you like an appointment?"
(tomorrow)
"Sure. If anything goes wrong, here is a number you can call"
(that's the same number they gave me yesterday. It didn't work)
"oh dear. That is just no good at all. Here is my personal number [not his home number! He wasn't hitting on me, just trying to solve a customer problem]. Call any time."
(the next day)
"Hi. Let me fix the problem. It'll be just a few minutes"
(a few minutes later)
"oops! Not your problem. Ours. But I can't fix it. I'll get someone out here to fix it by 3:00pm"
(I leave. When I get home DSL is working)
(this morning a nice woman calls to make sure that my problem has been solved.)
Let me reiterate: at every step of the way the people were friendly, courteous, and worked to get my problem solved. And at every step of the way, SBC's corporate practices worked to ensure I could not be helped. This is an intolerable systematic failure on the part of a company with broad monopoly control in many areas. If I were using Comcast (which I can't because they don't exist in my area), Comcast would have sent someone out to hook me up. And they would have done it free no matter where the problem was. So I'll use Comcast wherever that option exists...
Posted by Andrew at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 09, 2003
DSL Blues
Well, the DSL is still down. Now they want to charge me to come out and fix it. *sigh* If I were using Comcast, Comcast would take care of it free. Let that be a lesson: SBC is a terrible internet provider
Oh, and for the record Oliver North committed treason in the Iran Contra Affair. And if we can impeach a president for perjuring himself about his sex life, we can execute a lieutenant colonel for perjuring himself about national security
Posted by Andrew at 12:55 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 01, 2003
Er. Sorry
Hi!
Sorry about the lack of posting of late; I'm between apartments. I mean that literally; I am sleeping at one apartment and my computer (and internet access) is at the other. Add this to finals, and you have a lack of the high-quality posting I've been accustom to point you somewhere else for...
If it is any consolation, take a look here for a blog featuring naked women...
Posted by Andrew at 08:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack