March 10, 2008
Compare and Contrast...
"only" 22 percent of Americans read political blogs. And only 19% approve of George W Bush.
Of course, the poll is "conducted online from January 15 to January 22 among 2,302 adults. Harris said it does not calculate or provide a margin of error because it finds such figures can be misleading." I'm not sure how accurate an online poll can be...
Posted by Andrew at 08:19 PM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2006
Blogspot Blues
This morning I received an urgent Email from the proprietor of This Day in Alternate History. Google is screwing with his account...
This hosing is not malicious on Google’s part—quiet the contrary; they are attempting to upgrade their own service, and provide a better user experience. In the mean time, he—and others—are unable to update their sites. In the mean time, you can find tdiah by clicking this link. Since he’s now using Word Press, and Google makes money by selling ads on blogspot pages... that’s going to cost Blogger some money...
Google seems unreachable. Robbie Taylor has asked me to spread the word. Perhaps an avalanche of negative publicity will help get these blogs back up and running. If you’re interested in helping, just do a post on your own site about the situation. Be nice. Include a link to Blogger, so that they’ll start noticing a bunch of hits and wonder why...
Posted by Andrew at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2006
Truth in Advertising
Chevy Tahoe: The Apprentice �
Email me yours...
Posted by Andrew at 07:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 13, 2006
Still can't solve it...
Groupthink :: The People's Cube: Guaranteed Results
Posted by Andrew at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 21, 2005
Fixing up the site a bit.
You may have noticed some changes around the site. Basically, I’ve done a bit of tweaking to make the site more readable. The font is black, and bigger. The background is also black. Any comments?
UPDATE:
Those of you with modern browsers (that is: not IE) should notice that I’ve got a new Favicon. A favicon is a picture that sits next to the URL and looks pretty. This one stays on the site wherever you’re at...
More changes to come in the next several weeks...
Posted by Andrew at 06:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Addition to the blogroll...
This blog was pointed out to me by someone I trust. And the content is good enough that I am simply sticking it right onto the blogroll. Of course, that’s relatively easy now that I am outsourcing my blogroll...
Posted by Andrew at 03:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 13, 2005
Blogroll changes
I’ve made some fairly substantial changes to the blogroll. All of it is backend stuff, but this will make it much easier on me to add and update the thing. If you think I skipped something, or left something out, or would like to be added, please let me know...
BTW: the blogroll is now being handled by Delicious, which is a fairly nifty tool. A lot of what I look at doesn’t end up on this site, but may start ending up over there. You can take a look at that feed by bookmarking this page...
Update:
And, wouldn’t you know it? As soon as I do this, Delicious goes down. This is the exact danger of using this method of blogrolling. I guess I’ll give it a day or so before restoring my old blogroll from backup. Delicious really does make it ridiculously easy to update my blogroll, so I want to use them if at all possible...
Posted by Andrew at 08:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 07, 2005
What do you mean you don�t have a blog?
These days, everyone’s got a blog. Heck, even Darth Vader has got a blog..
Posted by Andrew at 10:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2005
book meme
As seen on Mercurial
1. Grab the nearest book. 2. Open the book to page 123. 3. Find the fifth sentence. 4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions. 5. Don't search around and look for the "coolest" book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
I got:
"Living space norms per person in Moscow fell by one third between 1929 and 1931."
From Dark Continent: Europe’s twentieth century by Mark Mazower...
I am reading it as background material to a paper I am writing about World War Two. For point of reference, there are at least 13 books within easy reach of my hand. I really need to clean up a bit...
Posted by Andrew at 12:10 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 22, 2005
Working...
I’ve been doing some work on the sidebar, what do you guys think?
Posted by Andrew at 01:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 30, 2004
Guess what I got
My Blogfather has Coffee Mugs. I’ve got mine, have you yours?
Posted by Andrew at 01:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 24, 2004
Mozilla
Apparently 26.9 % of you are visting here with Mozilla. This compares with 24.5 % of you who visit using Internet Explorer. Part of this is no doubt because I myself am using Mozilla. But now I’m curious:
What browser are you using? Drop a comment...
Posted by Andrew at 12:55 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 23, 2004
My blogroll has been updated. Has yours?
First the good stuff:
Not Suitable for Work is, well, not suitable for work. So if you click the link and get fired, not my fault. But he (She? They?) find sites with attractive naked ladies. So if you’re at home or your boss is really liberal, click and enjoy...
domai is another site of naked ladies. These may be the most attractive women on the ‘net. These women actually seem to enjoy being human beings. Either that, or they are _wonderful_ actresses. 1 pic/day, 3 on Fridays...
Sadly, it isn’t all sex around here. Fortunately, Pandragon is a nice site as well. Right now, these guys are covering the Dem. convention. Nice commentary, good site...
The Teenage Pundit is a bit too young to click the links above. But we won’t hold that against him. He is a fan of teams that aren’t from the Bay Area, and we won’t hold that (too much) against him. He is a sharp guy, and young idealistic enough to think that it isn’t geeky to listen to the 9/11 commission report on Itunes...
Redemption in a Blog seems to have his ear to every tech. development in the English language. Take a look over there and learn more than you ever wanted to on maters computational...
Old School Gamers are likepenny-arcade. Sadly, without the comics. Of course, today, that’s _just_ like Penny-Arcade...
Internet Explorer also has a blog. And now they’ve even got a team working to upgrade it. That’ll be nice...
Posted by Andrew at 01:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Guess who has a blog?
IEBlog
Internet Explorer
Apparently they’ve reactivated the IE team. All it took was a 1% drop in market share. For a huge corporation with well over 90% market penetration, this is a _wonderful_ response-- it means MS is aware that the market is not happy with them...
Posted by Andrew at 01:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 20, 2004
test
are we back?
Posted by Andrew at 08:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 29, 2004
Inquiring minds...
Real Men Eat Quiche: Archive Entry From Brad DeLong's Webjournal
Posted by Andrew at 10:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bloggy goodness Pt2
Looking for a new Blog to read? Bored at work and want something quick to take your mind of the drudgery? There's a new Blog showcase you may well be interested in...
Its such a neat idea that I'm putting it directly onto the sidebar without putting it through the normal vetting process. "some people" said I shouldn't, but what do they know? I'm optimistic!
(I really don't know how that turned into a political rant...)
Posted by Andrew at 01:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 26, 2004
Bloggy goodness
I've updated the links section. Take a look.
I don't have time to go over each of them by name, but rest assured that I wouldn't put them up there if they weren't quality blogs that I read daily...
Also, Ayn Clouter Has a poll up. She asks a different question than I think she wants answered, but the poll is interesting nonetheless...
To the Question: Who should become President if Kerry is impeached, the answer is, of course, the Vice President.
To the Question: Who do I want to become president if Kerry is impeached, the Answer is, of course, myself...
To the Question Who would do the most damage to Kerry were that person on the ticket the answer is: John Ashcroft...
I sersiously hope that Dean is wrong about Madam Clouter being a man. That would cause my nefarious plans to go awry...
Posted by Andrew at 01:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2004
Archives
So, if you're new here, or just don't remember it, I've long had an obsession with pirates...
Posted by Andrew at 04:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 21, 2004
He's Back!
Random Jottings: We're back...
And seems to have fallen in love with the country all over again...
Posted by Andrew at 12:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2004
What a great blog!
Posted by Andrew at 05:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 09, 2004
Clouting Authority
Have I mentioned my unremitting (and most probably unrequited) crush on Ms. Clouter. I can only hope that there is no Mr. Clouter to foul my chances...
Anyway, she's back to blogging. With any luck her system won't drop dead again...
Posted by Andrew at 12:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 14, 2004
Not the man as in: figurehead of the global capitalist system.
Nor, the man as in: Person to whom Quntin Terention's Character on the first season of Alias reported to. Come to think of it, Dean would probably enjoy either of those, despite their pejorative connotations...
No, when I say that Dean is the Man, I mean that he is the Cool Kat. And with that definite article, I do mean it in the platonic sense! Why is Dean so cool, one might ask?
Well, in addition to setting up this blog in the first place, Dean when I hosed it a few days ago, Dean was kind enough to rebuild it for me. This took Dean an hour of his own time (at 3 or 4am, his time), and ensured that I was able to stay up and running for a few more months...
So go spread the word. The next time someone says "you 'da man", reply "I know, I am cool. But Dean Esmay is _the_ man"...
Posted by Andrew at 11:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 27, 2004
Insignificant Microbe
Newberry For Congress :: Official Blog
This is the lowest link on the Truth Laid Bear ranking system that seems to be an actual blog. I figured they should get at least one link. Nope. I have no idea what this candidate stands for...
By the way. Are you reading my site? Do you have a blog? How about some linky-love?
Posted by Andrew at 06:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 26, 2004
A gift...
The Queen of All Evil: The Best Gift Ever!
So, Dean had to go and give his wife a new toy. And inflict it on the rest of us. Well, good on you, sir. And welcome to having your own blog, M'am. You're on the blogroll...
Posted by Andrew at 12:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2004
The headline implies conspiracy...
There are 3 written lines in the body of this article. The first is a bit hyperbolic, but does note a theme. The second implies that even talking about the costs of this war gives aid and comfort to the enemy. The last says that counting the cost is too much for our friend Mr. Tiemann...
Well, support this war or not, at least have the moral courage to note-- in passing, if no where else-- that this war is costing American Lives...
But congratulation, Mr. Tiemann, your transition from Liberal to Conservative is now complete...
Posted by Andrew at 08:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 18, 2004
Bloggrolling...
So, I've updated the blogroll.
Welcome:
Victor Davis Hanson, a wonderful writer whose works I've long enjoyed. Even though he is a reactionary old coot...
The American Street, a group Blog. They do nice work on commentary both serious and un. Speaking of which:
Ayn Clouter who I've seen contribute to the American Street. She is either a wickedly funny liberal, or a rabid Conservative (and therefore funny for other reasons. I lean towards the former, myself...
Eccentricity, who has commented here. He is a red-state liberal. Also writes some rather things...
So, check these guys out...
Posted by Andrew at 06:27 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Booties
Byzantium's Shores: Meditations on Nearly Anything
Jaquandor's wife is knitting Booties! She apparently needs them by August! So hop on over there and congratulate him...
Posted by Andrew at 05:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Someone didn't think things through...
This T-Shirt says that you can't be both well informed and believe in America. The back side seems to be cheering for the Republican Party. I'm not sure the writer of this shirt is trying to say that the GOP hates America, but...
Posted by Andrew at 04:18 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 03, 2004
5 questions! Pt. 5 of (er) 5
Well, only 2 months late, I get to the 5 questions that Jaquandor sends me. Oh well, better late than never...
PS: If you want 5 questions of your own, drop me a line, I'll e-mail you some...
5. In my experience, everybody has at least one movie that they dearly love and are
utterly convinced is a great, great film -- and seemingly, everyone else on Earth hates
this same film. What's yours?
I am very much fond of Mallrats, which apparently even the director didn't like. So whatever you make of that...
I dunno. I can't think of one off hand. I really don't know what people like and don't like, movie-wise. Odd, eh?
Posted by Andrew at 03:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
5 questions! Pt. 4 of (er) 5
Well, only 2 months late, I get to the 5 questions that Jaquandor sends me. Oh well, better late than never...
PS: If you want 5 questions of your own, drop me a line, I'll e-mail you some...
4. After you return from the Broadway show of question 3, God further tells you that the job of your dreams is yours -- the thing you've always, always yearned to do. But, you'd have to relocate to a different city, and you would have to live in that city for the rest of your life and you could not leave that city, even on trips, for more than three days at any time. Is there any city that would be a "dealbreaker", meaning, you genuinely cannot see yourself living there no matter what the job?
Well, if all goes as planned, I'll be spending a lot of time in DC, which is fine. The only places I really have a problem with are the ones in the middle of nowhere. Suburbs are fine, but if I'm going to be stuck there, I'd prefer to be in a city...
And by city, I mean a large metropolitan area, like the SF bay, or Baltimore-Washington, or New York. Not Sacramento (where I currently am), Boise, or Regina...
I suppose anywhere they didn't speak English would be a deal breaker. I wouldn't mind living in (say) Berlin for a while, but to be permanently separated would be a huge deal...
Posted by Andrew at 03:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
5 questions! Pt. 3 of (er) 5
Well, only 2 months late, I get to the 5 questions that Jaquandor sends me. Oh well, better late than never...
PS: If you want 5 questions of your own, drop me a line, I'll e-mail you some...
3. God decides that you're doing a good job at things, so he tells you that you will be able to see a live performance of any Broadway show in history, performed by its original cast at the height of its abilities. Which show do you see, and why?
This may sound silly, but I know almost nothing about Broadway. Or Theatre. I suppose I could be safe and say "Richard III, Globe theatre", or "Dude, you're God. You pick". But Really, that's cheating...
Jaquandor said I could do this, so I'm going to ask a different question. The question is: Rank the Star Trek Captains. Explain the top three choices. Fair enough...
1. Ben Sisco
2. Jean Luc Picard
3. James Tiberius Kirk
4. Tie: Janeway
4. Tie: What's his name from Enterprise
Ben Sisco is the best Star Trek captain ever. First, he survived the Borg. Second, he kicked the Dominion's ass. Third, he punched Q...
Let me go a bit more slowly. When Ben Sisco saw that War with the Dominion was inevitable, he didn't waste time convincing himself that it couldn't be true. He calmly and coolly went about ensuring that the enemy's supply lines would be taut before the war began. When that war looked doomed, he usurped his authority and began giving orders to Admirals. And he didn't get demoted for it, a-la Kirk. Later, when he realized that the Romulans were about to enter the war for the Dominion, he hired a spy and assassin to do whatever it took to make sure that didn't happen. The man kicked ass...
Also, when the Klingons looked like they were about to attack his command, he made sure that they had out of date information. So when the Klingons opened fire, Sisco could calmly deal with the entire fleet. Kirk would have hid in a nebula...
Jean Luc Picard is a tough choice for number 2. He and Kirk were neck and neck. I have to give Picard props, though. When tortured, he didn't break. He was choosy about his women, outthought Moriarty, did more to keep the peace than any 3 Captains put together. Ultimately, he was the only ambassador Sarek trusted...
Kirk takes the third place spot. The man was good. Back in the "wild west" days, when Starfleet knew it had borders, but didn't care about them, Kirk managed to kick ass and look good. Being stymied by tribbles, and letting the Organians keep him from kicking Klingon ass puts him in second, though...
Posted by Andrew at 03:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
5 questions! Pt. 2 of (er) 5
Well, only 2 months late, I get to the 5 questions that Jaquandor sends me. Oh well, better late than never...
PS: If you want 5 questions of your own, drop me a line, I'll e-mail you some...
2. Hypothetical scenario: You're at a cocktail party where you don't know anyone else, and somehow you end up in a conversation with someone who is going on, at length, about how evil the big bookstore chains are. How do you respond? (And we shall assume that a diplomatic nodding-of-the-head and not telling them you work at B&N is not an option!)
We are not a monopoly, so many of the arguments I could be in for simply do not apply. What we offer is title selection (my store is a small one, and we carry roughly 2% of all books in print, in the store itself) Warehouse dept (the other 98% of all books can be found there), and customer service...
In a bookstore, prices are basically fixed. Not by us, by the publisher. Just about any bookstore is going to charge the same price for new books-- places that don't have gone out of business. What we can do is consolidate overhead. This is fairly important to customer service, believe it or not.
Because all our store contribute to a pool, we can to get better prices on things like payroll, distribution, and other invisible overhead items. In return, I get higher pay, health insurance, paid vacation. As a part timer. I'm not ever leaving this job!
This is good for the customer. See, because I want to stick around for years, and accumulate the knowledge of books that only comes with years of experience (it isn't odd for me to have part-time co-workers who've been with the company for 5-10 years). Since a smaller store can't pay what we can pay, we tend to have better personnel...
Which isn't to say that there aren't advantages to smaller bookstores, or that there aren't some great ones out there (Cody's in Berkeley, comes to mind). But we are very good at what we do. So shopping with us is a good move...
Posted by Andrew at 03:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
5 questions! Pt. 1 of (er) 5
Well, only 2 months late, I get to the 5 questions that Jaquandor sends me. Oh well, better late than never...
PS: If you want 5 questions of your own, drop me a line, I'll e-mail you some...
1. You and your significant other are, by your admission, both bookhounds. Have you ever had a fight over a book -- you loved it and she hated it, or vice versa? And identify the book. (If it's the Bible, pick another one!)
Oddly, enough, we have argued over the Bible. I say oddly, because neither of us is a Christian. The argument was over how many to have in our house, we had too many. I ended up giving a bunch of them away. Which reminds me: I am on a quest to collect one of each holy book, anyone know of a good translation of the Koran?
Other than that, not really. I love Steven Brust, she doesn't. I just can't seem to get her interested in him. She loves Piers (Xanth) Anthony. I think that he is far too "clever" (not to mention excitable!) for my tastes. We actually did go around the bend on that one...
Ultimately, though, since books are of such great import to us both, we are both fairly good about not saying anything too negative about a book the other has read. This tends to limit arguments quite a bit...
Posted by Andrew at 03:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 18, 2004
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 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
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 23, 2003
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 18, 2003
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 11, 2003
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 providerÂ…
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 securityÂ…
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
October 21, 2003
Evil
(Via Dean's World. did you know "via" is Latin for "road"?)
Posted by Andrew at 02:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 14, 2003
Anniversary
I've been blogging for a year now. It has been funÂ…
I get the feeling that I should say something more than that. Too bad...
this was my first post. Feels a bit dated now...
Posted by Andrew at 10:48 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 21, 2003
Waiting, waiting...
So, I'm mostly moved in, with my books and gear all unpacked and on the shelves. My bandwidth is mostly in place, Phone, Cable-- but no Internet. Comcast refused to admit that my building existed, and wouldn't tell me if I could get cable Internet through them until they admitted that the building was sitting in actually had form and function. So, when they told me that, I immediately called SBC to get (inferior) DSL. Long story short, I'm still waiting for their package to arrive. In the mean time, No updates for my homies. Try again next weekÂ…
By the by, If there are any bloggers or blog readers in the Davis (or Sac) California area, drop me an E-mailÂ…
Posted by Andrew at 01:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 12, 2003
Intermission
Well folks, I'll be moving (physically). While that may not have any effect on the quality of the blog, it most likely will matter for how often I can update...
The place I am moving to will have an internet café across the street, so blogging will resume when I get moved in, around Tuesday...
Posted by Andrew at 07:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 24, 2003
LT SMASH - Archives If
If the good LT is ever in the Sac. California area, I'd be happy to treat him to the beverage of his choice...
Posted by Andrew at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 19, 2003
Ara Speaks!
E Pluribus Unum: Audio: Paul Newman is still HUD
Posted by Andrew at 11:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 07, 2003
Paid Corporate Tool
This may be the best paying corporate buyout of a blog yet. Go Mr. Scalzi. Speaking from experience, I know that he can help people write...
Not that my Blog is necessarily a reflection of this...
Posted by Andrew at 05:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 05, 2003
Welcome to MT!
John Weidner made the big jump to MT, and off Blogger. You can find him Here...
Posted by Andrew at 08:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 22, 2003
Because he is a comunist and I hate him
Dean's World: Famine, Lies and Justice
It was a great day for the world when Stailn's body could no longer bear Stailin's soul. And now the man is dead. Don't Pesci reports in Dean's Blog about one of the worst crimes in human history...
Posted by Andrew at 12:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 16, 2003
Going on Vacation
Just like the Title says. So feel free to drop a line here, I may even be posting while out. But if not, I am sorry...
Be back tuesday at the latest...
Posted by Andrew at 12:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 11, 2003
Disapointment.
I was just checking my refer logs. That guy who did the search for "bed and breakfast ste mere eglise" and ended up with me instead must have been _really_ disappointed...
Posted by Andrew at 04:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 08, 2003
My blog is rated:
What rating is your journal?
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Thanks Dean!
Posted by Andrew at 03:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 19, 2003
World War 2
Arnold Harris has an article up on Dean's site. It's about the man who flew the Memphis Belle generally and World War 2 air campaigns specifically. It's some good stuff, so Take a lookÂ…
Posted by Andrew at 10:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 12, 2003
Houskeeping
I have a firm policy regarding my blogroll; no one gets on it without my liking their content. If I can't kill a few minutes with them, they stay off...
The reason for this policy is that I use my blogroll as a portable bookmark section. When I am not at home, I can just plop on over to my site and find some bloggy goodness. Today I am going to clean up my blogroll a bit...
First: Evelyn is gone. Sorry, Ev, but you haven't posted anything since the last day of March. If you post again, I'll relink you...
On a more happy subject:
Welcome: Ara Rubyan. I would have sworn that I linked to him a long time ago. But I didn't. So when he bugged me about it, I got really embarrassed and ran off and linked to him and pretended that he had been there the whole time. Because he has...
Welcome: Game Girl Advance. They tend to have sharp commentary about my favorite non sex, non political topic. I'm a computer nerd so it all works out.
Welcome: Clair. I'll note that Clair is provisionally on, that provision being that she simply continue blogging. Clair is a new blogger with good commentary. Her blog name "E-clair" was enough to make me smile...
Welcome: POV. Kevin is a sharp cookie (er, wait, sharp cookies would be painful...) who seems to travel in the same blog circles I do. But games, politics, what else do you want?
Welcome: Byzantium Shores. He washed up on my computer one day during a Google search. He is another one who seems to be in similar circles as I am. Well, Mr. Jaquandor, anyone who can put up a spirited defense of the phantom menace is good enough for me...
Welcome: Daniel Drezner Drezner is another who I can't believe I haven't linked to. But he is now, and here you go. Click the link and enjoy fine International Relations. Er, wait. Click the link and read his well thought out analysis of international relations....
Posted by Andrew at 01:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 10, 2003
My new name!
Take a look Here
"Sub King-In-Training of The Bad Pun Society, Señor Andrew Roland Cory"
Posted by Andrew at 10:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Davis Recall
Should that be a "Davisectomy"? Anyway:
ScrappleFace: Gov. Davis Recalled by Consumer Safety Commission
Gods, I only wish!
Posted by Andrew at 12:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Whatever music
WHATEVER: Jesus Christ, This Music Rocks!
I Don't listen to christian music, but do hate music that sucks. So there you are...
Posted by Andrew at 12:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 09, 2003
Welcome to a new Link
Welcome So Cal Law Blog! The proprietor of this site is a damned fine example of a human being, and has a nice site. All things considered, I'm even willing to overlook the fact that he is from Southern California...
Posted by Andrew at 01:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Dog is back!
the talking dog: June 8, 2003, Hiatus goes on hiatus.
Actualy, that just about says it all...
Posted by Andrew at 04:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 04, 2003
Well, Type Pad seems to
Well, Type Pad seems to be gearing up to challenge Blogger. Can't wait, myself. I only hope that it is 1) cheap, and 2) easy to move my archives. Of course, this stipulates that I actually will _have_ archives by then. The reason I want to move is that Blogger keeps swallowing mine...
No, I won't stoop to a cheap "swallowing" joke here, I've got a better head than that...
Posted by Andrew at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)
Well, a friend of mine
Well, a friend of mine just started a blog. It seems to be most about sports and women. Since my blog is mainly about politics and women, this should fit right in...
Wellcome Inner demons...
Posted by Andrew at 01:03 PM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2003
Something which I found fascinating:
Something which I found fascinating: This means I will never be a big-time blogger. Oh well...
(thank you Dean)
Posted by Andrew at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2003
The Talking Dog has revamped,
The Talking Dog has revamped, and is now more partisan than ever! The TD is now dedicated to promoting Democratic values and pointing out how the Republican party is failing to live up to the American dream. Go take a look...
Posted by Andrew at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2003
Mistakes were made
I started the blog for a pair of purpi (no, that isn't "purple" plural): A) to get my political musing down without annoying my co-workers and B) to practice my writing skills. When I looked at my site recently, I noted that it had been a while since I posted anything of length or note. I went to work and thought...
I came home, looked at my E-mail and sat down to write. What came out at 3am qualifies as decent writing, but sloppy thinking. The specific post was on 14 April 2003...
I returned home from Santa Cruse with a note in my in-box from a reader taking me to task for my comments. In a very gentle way he pointed out that other cultures too have had prohibitions against attacking civilians. He pointed at a specific article which rather handily disproves that part of the thesis. Then, of course, there are all those pesky (for my thesis, not to mention for terrorists) Koranic injunctions against the same...
It gets worse! Not only are all these injunctions found outside the West; one finds professional armies all over the place! Indeed, one part of my thesis only stands to account for itself: professional armies tend to mark themselves that way by doing what they can to not slaughter civilians.
I am going to nip off and bang my head against the wall...
Posted by Andrew at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)
April 08, 2003
Do I even need...
Do I even need to say that I find this to be absolutely disgusting? I sure hope not. Vandalism is only very rarely acceptable. Even then it is counterproductive. In this case, it is only the later.
Posted by Andrew at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
War is Swell
Posted by Andrew at 12:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2003
Free Speech
Gack! I haven't posted this whole month! In case you are wondering where I have been all week, take a look here. That's me giving the spirited defense of Freedom of Speech.
Posted by Andrew at 01:30 PM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2003
Housekeeping.
Well, time for some housekeeping. I want to keep my bookmarks of blogs the same as my blogroll. So, there are some blogs that I am not reading any long and will get deleted (Not necessarily for anything they did, this is not a politically motivated de-listing...), and many that will be added. Also, a new section. There are a few interesting sex blogs out there, and, well...
Welcome Angry Bear! I first read about this blog from The talking dog. This left leaning economist manages to make the dismal science interesting, so hats off!
Welcome Salaam Pax! Though I wish I were welcoming the real thing rather than a blogger, this man is a worth addition to any blogroll. Salaam is a Baghdad blogger. He hasn't been heard from since shortly after the bombing started; shortly after being profiled on CNN and BBC. I hope its merely a power outage...
Welcome Talking points memo! This blog was passed along to me by my Poli-sci prof. I think he believes I need more lefties on my blogroll. The author is more than a bit pessimistic about this war, but well reasoned and well spoken for all that...
Welcome LT Smash! This blog is run by a true Officer and a Gentleman. He is currently serving in the Zone, getting closer every day to a rendezvous with Salaam...
Welcome E pluribus Unum! This blog, which takes the name of our original (and truer!) national motto, is the work of Ara Rubyan, another leftie (see a theme here?). I first ran into him on Dean's site. His comments are usually short, always worth reading...
Welcome Eros Blog! No agape here. This blog is about, well, sex. Specifically oddities about sex. Fun stuff for killing a few minutes. The blog, that is, I'm not going to run down my own performance that much!
Welcome Wired tales! More sexual oddities. Well, more like social oddities around sex. Check out the weekly sex question...
Welcome Attu sees all! Sex, legos, politics. I once described these things as my favorite troika. Attu links to them...
On a related note: John Scalzi has moved. This man may well be the "blogger I most admire". In addition to being a damned good writer, he is living the good life: Wife and kid, doing what he loves for a living, seems very happy at it...
One other semi-related note: I am posting a link to my poli-sci prof's site. This is for the purely personal reason that I need to have access to it when I am not at my home computer and the URL is a bitch to remember. Also, the one, or maybe two students who are in the class with me and read my blog may care about it...
Posted by Andrew at 12:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2003
Puns Yeah
Puns
Yeah, I _should_ be writing a paper right now. What's your point?
Posted by Andrew at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2003
Surrendering
From Neil Giaman
In the Observer today http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,920286,00.html we learn that...
US intelligence officials said there was now a high volume of back-channel communications with officials inside Iraq. American military officers were trying, often by telephone, to coax their Iraqi counterparts into surrendering.
"Often by telephone" is sort of puzzling in itself. Are they also using homing pigeons? e-mails? long personal letters? And how do you telephonically "coax" your Iraqui counterpart to surrender?
"Hi. Mahmoud? That you? This is Al."
"Ah. Yes. Hi, Al."
"So, you thought any more about what I said yesterday?"
"Not really. I've been kind of busy. We're fighting a war, you know."
"Heheh. Tell me about it. So whaddayasay, Mahmoud – ready to surrender?"
"Not, uh..."
"C'mon, man. You know you want to. Didn't you get the flowers?"
"Flowers?"
"Yeah. I sent flowers. I dictated the card myself – to a Noble Opponent."
"That was you? They're very nice."
"And the photos? You got the photos of the house okay?"
"The house? It looks lovely."
"It's a time share in Puerto Vallerta. We've got it for a whole month in September but you're a general, who has time to go to Mexico and knock back the Coronas by the pool? I guess you know how it goes."
"Saddam, he's not big on giving us vacation time either."
"Well, listen, Mahmoud, you surrender, and I can tell you where you'll be in September."
"I have to go."
"Hey. I hope I didn't say anything wrong."
"Not at all. But I've got an air force colonel on the other line. He's been sending me pizza and boxes of candy. He says if I surrender his family are taking me to Disneyworld."
It's probably not like that at all.
posted by Neil Gaiman 9:17 PM
Posted by Andrew at 12:28 AM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2003
E-mail: [Andrew Cory] cannot spell
E-mail:
[Andrew Cory] cannot spell "Michael Goldsby."
Posted by Andrew at 11:23 AM | Comments (1)
My school is planning
My school is planning a panel (or series) on various topics facing America in the beginning of the 21st century. Somehow I ended up being part of the organization body for said panel. I find myself needing your help...
We are not sure what specific topics we should be covering, but do know that War (and just War), Empire, and Civil Liberties will be among them. I am looking for many sides and thoughts on these issues. I need bright, articulate, people who live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are willing to speak for the shear love of furthering public discourse. The time frame would be sometime in the next month...
If you know, or are, such a person, please send me an E-mail with contact information. If you would put out a post on your blog sending people to me, I would love that...
Thank you for your time.
Posted by Andrew at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2003
I am a: Democrat -
I am a:
Democrat - You believe that there should be a free
market which is reigned in by a modest state
beaurocracy. You think that capitalism has
some good things, but that those it helps
should be obliged to help out their fellow man
a little. Your historical role model is
Franklin Rosevelt.
Which political sterotype are you?
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Posted by Andrew at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2003
D squared and Den Beste
I am told that back in the day, the Ancient Greeks would sponsor a huge play competition. Rich men would pay good money to have comedies—and tragedies, written. Sometimes, often, the plays would attack the very patrons themselves. This was considered a fair thing to do; if the patron could not stand to be in the public eye, he shouldn't have been born Greek...
The plays were performed competitively; the winners received accolades, their names inscribed in the very stone of the theatre. We still, to this day, know the names of the winners, even after their plays have been consigned to the fires...
My first set of values was learned by reading Homer. Before even the Christian bible was taught to me, I was a fan of Zeus. Indeed, Ancient Greek is my useless high school language (not that I can speak more than a word of it today). My blade, the one I still prize above most everything else that I own, is named Nemesis. Its name was to remind me that the Gods punish Hubris. Public sport of the well known is the way to ensure that hubris never develops...
A while back, I posted regarding the nasty ruckus brewing between Mr. Den Beste and Mr. Davies. Today Mr. Den Beste posts a rather spirited attack on Mr. Davies, one with which I don't know that I disagree...
When I first read Mr. Davies' posts, I thought they were funny. I still do. They fulfilled well (I thought) their function of poking at Mr. Den Beste; taking his worst attribute and gently mocking it, and doing the same for his best ones. When Mr. Den Beste went over the line, there was a ready made forum to comment on it, call him on it, and ask him to either explain further or cede that he was wrong. Granted, the people calling for such a thing were/are a pack of sophomoric children, but the idea had merit. I stand by my original post on the subject...
What I don't like at all is that Mr. Davies has run. A debate between him and Mr. Den Beste would be a fascinating one to watch. Mr. Den Beste using Mr. Davies as a Roman slave constantly reminding the General that he too is moral would be useful. Instead Mr. Davies has revealed himself to be as intellectually useful as a fart sound. Fine. Whatever. I'll continue to permalink to him, but I will always remember how he reacted under pressure...
Posted by Andrew at 01:09 AM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2003
I forget who this is
I forget who this is via, but is sure as hell is funny...
Posted by Andrew at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
Questions
I'm just glad that someone is asking these questions...
Posted by Andrew at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
February 28, 2003
D Squared and Den Beste
Sigh.
For the record, Mr. Den Beste is way off base on this one. Not-necessarily-observant readers will note that both participants to this squabble are on my blogroll...
The fact is that Mr. Den Beste is the one at fault. He shed tears, and continues to shed tears, over the 11 September 2001 attacks. This is well and good; I do the same. What I do not do, what I find utterly unconscionable, is to use grief over those attacks as a way of shaming the world into an unrelated attack on a nation with no known connection to those attacks. To compound this by casually mentioning a desire to see Berkeley nuked would be utterly unconscionable. Mr. Den Beste did worse than this, though. He used such a horrible occurrence as the punch line of a piece. That action is an utterly contemptible...
Den Beste then further steps in it by misrepresenting the post attacking him. The D-Squared post is very clearly not calling for Mr. Den Beste to "get over" 9-11, or saying that he shouldn't have the grief, or even that Mr. Den Beste does not experience said grief. D-Squared does call, however (and has at least an arguable case for doing so) the use of that grief for political reasons emotional grave robbing. D-Squared is saying that no one, not even people who lost friends and family, are allowed to use their grief as a foreign-policy bludgeon. Victimlogy has nothing to do with it...
So there it is. I ordinarily rather like the USS Clueless. But this time, he is just dead wrong...
Posted by Andrew at 01:05 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2003
Houscleaning
Well, I've done a bit of housekeeping. Not much, just welcoming some new people to the links section, making some placement changes. I think that I am going to stick with this basic template for a while; no one will have to worry too much about coming here and thinking they have the wrong site...
Welcome Poynter, which bills itself as "everything you need to be a better journalist". What is up with this post-modern fascination with the second person, anyway?
Welcome Evelyn, with her "diary of a courtesan". She has the distinction of being interesting regardless of her profession. That is, her writings are not more or less interesting because of her profession...
Welcome Bitch Girls, "Where the Personal becomes the Political at our whim..." See, no post-modernism there! They all seem to live in "rural New England", which is a step up from rural old England, though even that is light-years better than urban old Europe...
Welcome Conrad with the Gweillo diaries. "Ruminations of an expat in Asia". Of course, from where I am sitting, he is in the Far East. Interesting commentary, but then, would I read him if it were otherwise?
Welcome The Inquirer. Because I am a computer geek...
Welcome Sharky Extreme. I did mention that part about being a computer geek, right?
Welcome Penny Arcade. And a game geek...
Posted by Andrew at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2003
Dog Breed
So, apparently, I am a Curly Coated Retriever. Bitchen!
Posted by Andrew at 01:29 AM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2003
Elipsis
In response to an E-mail from me, Mr. Weidner responds here. While I actually do agree with most of his comments on the subject, (I do wish he included the last paragraph from my E-mail) I have one comment to make:
Hey, Sir! That ellipsis thing after each paragraph? You know...? Yeah, that's _my_ bit! I do that! Give it back!
See, I can't do it now. *grin*
Posted by Andrew at 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2003
US is threat to peace. Good!
John Scalzi proves US is biggest threat to world peace
Of course, that's ok with him...
Read his, I dunno, Whatever he wants to call it...
"What is in dispute is whether peace is genuinely the optimal state at this point in time. As I've mentioned before, and leaving aside the issue of North Korea, I'm pretty much of the opinion that Dubya's fundamental reasons for wanting a war in Iraq right now are pretty bad. I believe he's wanting a war for one part personal reasons (Saddam tried to have his daddy killed), another part personal reasons (to distract from the fact that his domestic programs frighten everyone who cannot buy their way out of trouble and/or believes that Jesus doesn't want you to have any privacy from an authoritarian government), and yet a third part personal reasons (to hide the fact that his economic plan could have been no less coherently written by goats with crayons tied to their hooves).
But on the other hand Saddam's ouster is more than a decade overdue, dating back to the first Gulf War, and while the interim peace in Iraq has served Saddam well, it has been of no real utility to anyone else. The people of Iraq have not been well served by peace; they've been stuck with a ruler whose squabbles with the UN over the years have kept them sick and starving, and whose own authoritarian rule has kept them afraid and in danger in their own country. The UN certainly hasn't been well-served by the peace; the fact that Saddam jerked it around for years on inspections (which only resumed when the US rattled its sabers) dramatically undercut the body's effectiveness and credibility."
Writing and thinking like this are why I am very happy to click his bookmark daily on the off chance that he might have something to say...
Posted by Andrew at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2003
Blogrolling
So. Today has been mostly a good one. I had a minor personnel issue to deal with; I am in the process of kicking someone out of my stable—he's got not enough talent to go with his ego. To do this, I had to convince someone else to take him up. The fear is that if he doesn't actually keep a column at our paper, he might off and off himself. As an advisor said "I know this isn't a charity, but..." Fine...
Started a new class, and that was fun. Greek Tragedy. I will repeat after myself 100 times before each class: "it is not nice to read the works in the original Greek; especially when I can no longer actually understand the original Greek."
Oh, and I had a date that went rather well. But all that is secondary to the really, really good news: Mr. Esmay put me on his blogroll! There are only two other writers that it would make me happier to be on their rolls, Mr. Den Beste, and Mr. Scalzi. Of course, the latter doesn't have a blogroll, and the former would have to kick someone off to make room for me. That, of course, is the basis of the appeal...
When I was made an editor, I was told that "your [meaning my] writing is the sort that inspires people to be better writers". This was the second greatest compliment of my academic career (the first was when a professor singled me out as her enemy. Considering I am a student, I must have been doing something very right), and one that sort of humbles me to this day. I have no intention whatsoever of pursuing writing as a career choice. Quite frankly studying law and politics is much more my cup of chi; the closest I want to come to actual meaningful writing is occupying Arabia and gifting them with a new constitution. But it is nice to know I can do it. Nice to know that I've been noticed. Nice to know that I am still up at 2:30 my time...
Posted by Andrew at 02:39 AM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2003
Another good whatever. While we
Another good whatever.
While we are on the subject, the history channel is running a show "U.S. Weapons against Iraq". It's like a preview of next week...
Posted by Andrew at 08:39 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2003
Free Speech
Dean Esmay recently had this to say.
I can only respond:
I am currently sitting as the opinions editor for a campus newspaper. While I have never been faced with the situation described in your essay, (having been on the job for only a few weeks) I can only hope that I would respond in the same way as did the editors of the Illini. The reason is simple: by allowing such a letter to be seen is to expose it to far more ridicule and derision than it might otherwise garner. Indeed by showing the similarity in rhetoric between that article and (say) Noam Chomsky's it serves to further discredit people who might otherwise sound semi-rational...
By exposing lies and garbage to the harsh light of day we help disinfect the body politic. This is one of the best and most important uses for a free press...
Posted by Andrew at 02:03 AM | Comments (0)
Age of Wonders
Just gonna post something here from the Blog Father...
"Seldom reported. That's for sure. We live in an age of wonders. In our lifetimes captive people have been freed from brutal totalitarian regimes by the hundreds of millions... but are we pleased? Is this stuff celebrated?
Just think about that poor guy, behind the Iron Curtain, secretly listening to The Star Spangled Banner, hoping for help from America. Unbelievable. I get goose-bumps whenever I hear our national anthem. And goose-bumps when I think about Francis Scott Key, who wrote it. Think about what he went through, an American, stuck on a British ship, part of a fleet bombarding American positions all night long. Have you ever stood next to a firing cannon? It's LOUD! It shakes you to the marrow. It would have gone on all night long, BANG! BANG! BANG!, deafening noise, great flashes of fire stabbing into a pea-soup of eye-stinging black-powder smoke. Francis Key had to stand helplessly imagining the sure destruction of his countrymen. And then the first glimmer of dawn. And then the flag, still flying... incomparable moment."
Nop