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January 31, 2004
Co-habitation reds Pt. II
Part one can be found here
With lots of squeezing and pushing and shoving, we finally managed to get all our Sci-Fi onto one book case. That was probably the single biggest assortment of books we had.
"Now I can't tell whose Heinlein is whose" her...
Should we maybe forget about organization for this one section?" me...
Now we just need to get our non-genre fiction and non-fiction into one grouping, and we'll be set..
Posted by Andrew at 12:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 28, 2004
Marriage and all that Jazz
My interest in this matter is only peripheral. It does, however, seem to me like the opposition to state-sanctioned gay marriage is a clear wrong, and I have a duty to not remain silent on it. So here it is:
Humans are, as has been pointed out on numerous occasions, social animals. When we have the means to do so, we will tend to form communities. In fact, that "tend to" may be more like "inevitably". Stick several dozen people onto an otherwise deserted island, and they'll have laws within a few years. Humans have societies...
And the backbone, perhaps the smallest indivisible unit of a society is a family. Families come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with just about as many forms of it as there are societies. But in general, families are formed when the state recognizes it in the form of marriage...
The vast majority of human beings who have ever married did so because their parents chose a spouse for them that would best meet the goals of the parents in question. Divorcing ones self from this situation has been more or less easy depending on various factors, but by and large when humans got married, it was because their parents picked their partner...
This system tends to work fairly well. Humans, by and large, can get along with a fairly wide variety of people, and there are psychological mechanisms built in to our system that allow us to come to rather appreciate total strangers if we are forced to live with them forever...
Then about 3-400 years ago a funny thing happenedLove matches (which were not by any means unheard of before this time) became the norm in Western Society. This placement of Love before Marriage was a stunning reversal of the presumed natural order. Previously it had been expected that first marriage would come and then love. Now, though, now we think that love has to come first. And only with love may marriage come...
What's odd is that this change doesn't seem to have affected the stability of marriage much. Marriage to someone you know seems to be as workable as marriage to a total stranger. Which may be one of the reasons on line dating services work out so well. Hell Dean married someone who was virtually a total stranger. Seems to have worked out...
What we see then is that Love is the Western basis for Marriage. Marriage is the basis of Family, and Family is the basis of Society. Pretty much by excluding anyone from marriage, we are telling them that they cannot be part of Society. And yet we do this to Gays...
If love is the basis for marriage, and gays love each other, then who are we to say that their love should not be given the same legal rights as Heterosexual love? If a deity causes love (a point I am not qualified to make) then who are we to oppose that deity? There is simply no conceivable reason to me why we should stand for the State operating in a discriminatory manner...
If, as some claim, Homosexuality is against some Deity or another, let the individuals take that up with their gods. Or, better yet, let the gods take it up with those individuals...
Love between adults cannot be harmful to society. Love between adultsalmost definitionalystrengthens society. It seems insane to say that one kind of adult love would be considered worthy of official notice, while another should be held up for contempt...
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January 27, 2004
Which one are you?
Posted by Andrew at 03:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Say what?
Salon.com News | Justice Dept. finds no Patriot Act abuse
So, the Justice Department says that the Justice Department hasn't done anything wrong? Why am I suspicious of that claim?
Posted by Andrew at 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
heh
The Onion | Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges To Restore Honor And Dignity To White House
Posted by Andrew at 01:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 26, 2004
Clinton did what?
The Art of Camouflage - David Kay comes clean, almost. By Fred Kaplan
"Iraq's weapons and facilities, he says, had been destroyed in three phases: by allied bombardment in the 1991 Gulf War; by U.N. inspectors in the half-decade after that war; and by President Clinton's 1998 bombing campaign. (Clinton's airstrikes, by now widely forgotten, were even at the time widely dismissed as a political diversion; they took place during the weekend when the House of Representatives voted for impeachment. But according to Kay, they destroyed Iraq's remaining infrastructure for building chemical weapons.)"
Posted by Andrew at 07:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
WMD-related program activities
The Slactivist reports on the Cheeto Affect, that is, how the more adjectives get added to a statement, the further from being the original statement a new statement is...
So, for your amusement, I parse:
7
(it beats the hell out of parsing Latin, which is my actual homework)
Weapon: Thing designed to or used for kill(ing) people. Like a Gun
Weapon of Mass Destruction: Thing designed for, or used to, kill lots of people. Like the Chlorine Gas Saddam used in the genocidal Operation Anafal.
Weapon of Mass Destruction Program: A program designed to create WMD. Like an attempt to make Chlorine Gas.
Weapon of Mass Destruction-related program: A program that produces compounds similar to those used in WMD. Like Chlorine for swimming pools
Weapons of mass destruction-related program activities An Activity that uses the products of compounds similar to those used in WMD. Like a swimming program at the YMCA...
Posted by Andrew at 06:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 25, 2004
Viva!
I wouldn't give someone US$100 if they promised to give me US$99 back. And yet this is the exact principal by which Las Vegas is run. No wonder the place was started by mobsters!
Posted by Andrew at 11:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 24, 2004
Sluggy Freelance!
Which Sluggy Freelance Character Are You?
Posted by Andrew at 02:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Why didn't he say so sooner?
Powell: Possible Iraq May Have Had No WMD
Posted by Andrew at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 23, 2004
naked news
Posted by Andrew at 03:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 22, 2004
Cuba
In the year 2010, When Castro has his mind implanted into a cyborg so that his evil reign of terror over the Cuban people continues, will we finally admit that our policy of just waiting for the man to drop dead is a tad ill-conceived?
It isn't that I am in favor of the man, its just that we don't seem to be doing a whole lot to get rid of him. Why not change our policy and try to kill him? Why not open Cuba up to trade? Trade seems to kill most dictators, perhaps it might work with Castro...
Ultimately our strategy is to wait and see what happens when Castro drops dead. We need to be a bit more proactive...
Posted by Andrew at 10:15 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Dean
Salon.com News | Dean to deliver top 10 list on Letterman
Heh
Posted by Andrew at 06:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 21, 2004
SotU Part 2: As I watch and type...
Hmm...
Dems clapping for the expiry of Pat. act.
Rep. claping for non-expiry of terrorism. Sure that's not what they ment...
Thugs and assassins? What? When did we get threatened by assassins?
"weapons of mass murder". Hmm..
So, basicly we are going to threaten the rest of the world into submission?
REalplayer is a terrible choice for streaming anything. I think they know that. Didn't they promis to revamp soon? Why can't I just DL the thing, anyway? It isn't like it's propreitary...
"objections to war often come from principled motives" - Subtext "but not here"
WoMD-RPA? Doesn't have the same ring as "WMD", does it? And note how he glosses right over the WMD argument and strait into the humanitarian one. Why couldn't he have given it the same play 1 year ago...
Wow. This first several minutes are all about attacking his critics. I hope to the gods to which Bush just alluded that he makes more substantive announcements soon...
Speaking of Substantive: why did Bush announce the new space program a week ago and not tonight? That would have been a huge shock...
"Jobs are on the rise"
Is that true? I've seen the numbers saying that unemployment is down. But that doesn't mean that people are actually employed, just that they are no longer looking for work. And all things considered, are there more jobs under bush than there were under Clinton?
Education--
I've seen the numbers. Texas under Bush increased test scores by lowering standards. Why should we let him define what "3rd grade level" is and then insisting that students meet it?
Whoa! Increases in Community Colleges! I'm a 3rd gen. CC graduate, so I dig the program. If I were still lobbying for American CCs, I would start talking about Pell grants NOW...
"Unless you act" -taxes.
Weak applause. And why is the specter of rising taxes so horrifying? He sure wants to spend the money taxes bring...
Wow. "We can cut the deficit in half over the next 5 years" Why on earth are we suddenly talking about cutting the deficits? Didn't we have massive surpluses just a few years ago?
"must eliminate wasteful and frivolous. medical lawsuits".
Wow. And who judges what is "wasteful and frivolous "? frivolous
Catastrophic healthcare deductions. Nice.
Why is Bush talking about Steroids? I admit I tuned out about 20 minutes ago, only to notice something he shouted. So perhaps I should stop taking notes...
"activist judges". I suppose mention of the supreme court would be too much here?
Pandering to 10 year olds Bush? My gods!
It's over. It's finaly over. Wow. I can't remember a single damned line from the whole thing. Nor one affirmative commitment. Mainly he just bashed those who would see this nation on a different course than the one he wants it on. _That's_ presidential...
Question: Did Clinton ever spend so much time saying "there are those who [are against my proposal"?
Posted by Andrew at 08:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
SotU
I'm watching the SotU address on a C-Span webcast. The first 8 minuts is just congressmen milling about and then applauding the president. My gods! Some day I want to be in congress just so that during warm-ups like that, I can call out "speech! Speech!"...
I'll let you know what I think...
Posted by Andrew at 07:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 18, 2004
AOL Presidential Match Main Aparently
Aparently I am a Sharpton man...
Posted by Andrew at 03:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Retirement.
So, my girlfriend and I were discussing retirement. She thought Hawaii might be nice. I was thinking the moon...
Perhaps someday NASA will let us compromise...
Posted by Andrew at 02:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Blogging Buffalo
So, Byzantium's shore's would like to be known as a Buffalo Blog. Well, why didn't he say so? I mean, it isn't like he makes a big deal out of being a Buffalo Blog, Hell, I didn't ever see him talk about Buffalo in his Buffalo Blog. I wonder if one is allowed to discuss other forms of Bovine in a Buffalo Blog...
Posted by Andrew at 01:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 15, 2004
What D&D Character Are You?
I Am A: Lawful Neutral Elf Ranger Mage
Alignment:
Lawful Neutral characters believe in the triumph of law and order above all else. It does not matter whether the leader is for good or evil; the leader will be followed, because the order they provide is the most important thing.
Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.
Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.
Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.
Deity:
Silvanus is the True Neutral god of nature. He is also known as the Patron of Druids. His followers believe in the perfect balance of nature, and believe that nature's bounty is preferable to any other 'civilizing' method. They wear leather or metallic scale mail, constructed of leaf-shaped scales. Silvanus's symbol is an oak leaf.
Find out What D&D Character Are You?, courtesy of
NeppyMan (e-mail)
Which is weird; I hate nature. My actual deities are ones of civilization and progress. Odd, that...
Posted by Andrew at 09:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2004
Nice work sir!
Random Jottings: January 2004 Archives
Well, go check it out...
Posted by Andrew at 10:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Secrets
One of the things that bothers me most about this war is how secretive it is. I know, there are good claims of secrecy, points that need addressing. But the expectation is becoming more and more that we should not expect open access to the information our government is using to make decision in our name. Also, the outcome of those decisions is being held secret from us...
What we need our government to do is look at every secret document in its collection. If the document is more than 20 years old and/or about foes who are now friends, releasing that document to the public should be a no brainier...
There is a point worth thinking on: Any document that contains reference to active duty intelligence personnel stationed in foreign nations (you know, like undercover in France or something) should not have their identity revealed. And if the government needs to classify an entire document to hide that, they would be wise to do so...
Information of more recent vintage should, of course, be held to a more rigorous standard. Here, one question should be asked:
Does releasing this tell the enemy something they don't know?
If the enemy know it, and our government knows it, the American people should know it. I can't make any claims as to how the actual decision making process unfolds, but I can see that the Bush Admin. tends to not give information at all, if they can help it...
Posted by Andrew at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Spam spam spam spam!
Click it!
Posted by Andrew at 10:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 10, 2004
Updates!
Well, I've updated the sidebar a bit. The whole things is much more left wing now. Please poke around over there and see what there is to see...
There are also some deletions. I found that I was no longer visiting the Instapundit at all. So he's out of the list. Same goes for Mr. Den Beste...
These changes were not made for political reasons, merely enjoyably ones. I find that I no longer find links worth clicking from the Instaman, and I no longer have time or patience enough to sit through a lecture from Mr. Den Beste. Sorry about that...
The Slacktivist, on the other wrist, is doing a series on the Left Behind books. Don't miss that...
Posted by Andrew at 11:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bush Lied
See! Right here...
Posted by Andrew at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 08, 2004
This is not a Drill!
It's a web site.
Sheesh. Don't you people know what the right tool for the right job means?
Posted by Andrew at 10:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 07, 2004
CopyRighted 2004
One of the nicer points about having some time off having the ability to just sit back and read. While I do try and plow through a few hundred pages in a week, during the school days I am unable to actually read much for pleasure. While I was out, I was able to read Lawrence Lessig's book: Future of Ideas. I say all this by way of introduction to ideas that have been germinating for quite a while...
Several centuries ago, John Locke wrote a tract in an attempt to justify one of the interminable Civil Wars the English liked to get into before they discovered a stable parliamentary system. The tract today is the sort of compete mess that editors everywhere should be able to point to when asked to justify their jobs: none of them were allowed to touch the thing. The ideas contained in the tract were so good, however, that the bloody thing ended up being the sort of Classic teachers even today use to torture political theory students. One of the ideas was an idea now taken for granted. The right of revolution is Sacrosanct, and can be exercised when the government infringes on:
Life, Liberty, Property...
Several decades later, during another of those English Civil wars, Thomas Jefferson wrote a short letter detailing what wereto him and a few othersintolerable evils. Here he changed Locke's famous dictum, giving us instead
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happinessas the inalienable rights. In substituting "pursuit of happiness" for "Property", Jefferson proved to have some degree of prescience...
Jefferson knew something that we, his intellectual descendants, have forgotten. What he knew is that property is merely a tool and not the goal. The goal is happiness. If people were happiest working for others, then anti-property should be the tool used (communism held this to be true. They failed). Property is a good and necessary tool for the development and betterment of the human condition. It is not ipso facto the betterment of humankind. Nor should we mistake the one for the other...
In the vast majority of cases the mistake is of little import. The ability to have my home ownership protected by law gives me a whole host of incentives to actually make the world a better place. So I work and create value and buy a home. I am happier, and those who use the goods or services I provide are also happier. Yay capitalism!
The minority of cases where this mistake is of consequence are the ones where the "property" is not physical. There are a limited number of people who can use a house at any given time, but the ability to use the blueprints is effectively infinite. Thus the house and the blueprints must be propertised differently...
We like having people come up with new and better ways of doing things. Microsoft Outlook (you MS haters out there can plug in the program of your choice here) allows me to pursue my happiness. And yet if I don't pay Microsoft, what incentive is there for them to keep producing great software? Or any software? So we extend to them, for a limited time, the exclusive right to copy their software...
The biggest difficutly we have today is with the "limited time" part of that statement. I've had congress people tell me point blank that there should be a perpetual right to created work. "After all", they say, "if you create it, shouldn't you get exclusive right to it?" the problems with this line of thought are twofold:
1) Ideas do not spring from nowhere. Outlook was built upon Eudora. The First Apple GUI was based on something grown at Xerox Parc. The Declaration of Independence was cribbed from more sources than I care to think about. Human creativity of this generation sees farther than other generations because each midget is standing on the shoulders of all previous generations of creative people. In granting an exclusive right, we acknowledge that someone has created something new. In making it for a limited time, we acknowledge the debt the creator owes to the past as well as the debt the future will owe to us.
2) A human life is, almost by definition, finite in duration. Yet a perpetual copyright (which is for all practical purposes what we have) allows those who did not create the work to have exclusive control over that work. Why should it be, for instance, that the one person on Earth who hates the Lord of the Rings movies gets to veto the possible making of the Hobbit? Why should we allow a mere accident of inheritance to stop the production of what may be among the finest movies of all time?
Along those lines, perhaps it is easier to think of Copyright in terms of Generations, rather than in terms of time. The law currently gives holders the life of the Artist + 70 years, this means that a minimum of 3 human generations passes before a work enters into the public domain. Remembering (as we must!) that all creative work builds off the past, are we really to limit our creative selves to work that was relevant before my ancestors came to this country in the first place? 70 years is 30% of our nation's entire history. And 70 years is merely the minimum of time that a work is protected for, the assumption being that an Artist would finish and then die. If the artist lingers, his work could easily be "protected" for a century and a half, or 7 generations. There have only been 12 generations of Americans. Does this seem like a system that works?
What needs to happen is shortening of the time copyrights last. We need to reconnect their effect to their purpose. We need to tell Artists that if they cannot make money off a monopoly within 1 human generation, perhaps they are not suited to development of that property. And if they are not suited to it, someone within the country must be...
Posted by Andrew at 10:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 06, 2004
I wonder who cribed from whom?
In watching season 2 of Babylon 5 (one of my Christmas presents), I was a bit startled to hear the following line:
After she goes to check on Garibaldi's condition, Ivanova finds Sheridan and tells him that the officers on C&C are ready for him. He enters and begins his speech, talking about the visit he made when he was twenty-one to Tibet and the Dalai Lama. After eating a very simple dinner, the Dalai Lama asked if he understood. Sheridan didn't. "Good beginning," the Dalai Lama said to him. "It will be even better when you begin to understand what you do not understand."
(thank you to the Lurker's guide)
Sound familiar?
Posted by Andrew at 08:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 04, 2004
Well, thank the gods for that!
USATODAY.com - India, Pakistan leaders meet at South Asian summit
Posted by Andrew at 09:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 03, 2004
Co-habitation Reds
Well, "Blues" doesn't seem right; I am loving living with my S/O quite a bit. If there's another color that would tend towards getting that point across better, please drop a comment...
Anyway, as I was chatting with my Girlfriend yesterday about household stuff, I said "let's mingle our books"
She got a shocked look on her face.
"What" Said I "do you not think we are ready to have our books on the same shelves, organized in together?"
"Well, I don't know. I mean, its such a big step"
"Its just that I don't plan on ever again needing to buy a book you already own. If you think the same way, why don't we just organize our books into one collection?"
Good gods! We are such book people...
Posted by Andrew at 07:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 02, 2004
Back from Vacation.
As a friend of mine said recently:
I was commenting to someone, I think Gina, that talking to you is like having a normal conversation, except also there's a news ticker down at the bottom.
Punmeister123: heh.
HCase11235: "Dude, RotK was awesome! --26,500 Die In Iran Earthquake--" etc.
Posted by Andrew at 11:31 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack