Okay, outtahere, I have a stop downtown and then off to Atomic for billiards. Have a good weekend all!
Posts
Why do I enjoy small town papers?
Now presenting a Man and his fish . ( You think I am joking. )
Alittle more seriously there is an article on McCain and the forests of Northern Arizona, he has realized how dangerous the current status is and wants to try to help. While lately he has been a real pain in the ass, it's good to see him working on this issue. I hope this effort bears fruit.
Once again now a man and his fish . Thank you.
Echos of the Past
Echos of the past have been following me this week. I can't say it has been bad, just obvious, reminders of the lessons learned and the paths I have chosen.
Tonight fireflies danced with me on my walk home. Not all that unusual on the East Coast just normally a week or two away from this week. Reminders of being a child in Ohio, them dancing with me on summer evenings. Something I had nearly forgotten about, until I returned East to see them every summer. A reminder of when having a Big Wheel, sandbox, and frozen custard were the best things in life.
Then the music like Summer of 69', Space Cowboy, and Linger reminding me of places I have visited, love found and lost, and all the distance in between. Bryan Adams still brings forth my days in college and high school surrounded by people still near in my heart today. Space Cowboy, the silliness of friends, their bad habits and outragousness. Linger, the pain of Love so sweet it burns while you know it, ...
Poetry Wednesday
I bet you the loyal Bear Droppings reader thought I forgot about Poetry Wednesday. But no far from it, I had something very particular in mind this morning, handwritten to me on a postcard ten years ago to the day tomorrow. While I won't scan this card for you to see the beautiful handwriting, I will share with you the words.
Obwohl man Venice als die romantischste Stadt der Welt betrachtet
wuerde ich sagen, dass Prague noch romantischer ist. - Sylvie Backes
And you know I have to agree with her.
I have mentioned in the past my dislike of DC radio, but this article is a clear reason why Clear Channel sucks. They are so focused on focus groups, risk adverse and expenses that the stations are losing their local identity and flavor. In the end, I feel bad for folks like Elliot who work there and Zier who can't have the freedom to manage with imagination, instead out of fear. It's a fun idea," Zier says of his brainchild, "but fun ideas can be very dangerous. It can be an inside joke that only you and your co-workers and your Aunt Rose think is funny. Besides, we're happy with the formats we have." I am glad he is, but the people listening don't think so. Funny thing is at the holidays I had a chat with an old friend, he admitted the same thing has happened in Phoenix radio in regards that it is bland and horrible. Fun ideas win, fun ideas makes people believe, fun ideas at the end of the day are heck, FUN and make working worth while. I feel bad ...
I am not much of a baseball fan, I do enjoy the game live, but otherwise I have never found it that interesting. I do think that Minnesota and Montreal are getting a raw deal, so what does The Fat Guy suggest? A straight Expos/Twins ticket to the Allstar game...this is worth my time to vote suddenly. (Thanks for find this to that filthy cactus-humping scumbag Edward Boyd )
Books, books, books
Time for the first Bear Droppings book give away, I have gone through some bookshelves and decided to offers these to you the loyal reader, or some person who came across my humble abode. Inspired by Book Crossing I am registering the following books and then releasing them into the world. If you don't know a title check Amazon for a review or ask me for one.
Rules:
1) Read list, find books you like
2) Email me the books you want (please try to limit yourself to three, but if you want more just ask)
3) I will arrange to either give these to you in person, if you are in the DC area. Or else I will mail them to you.
4) When you are finished, please pass the book along.
Title, Author ( H = Hardcover)
The Nirvana Blues, John Nichols
Spencerville, Nelson Demille H
Grendel, John Gardner
Finnegan's Week, Joesph Wambaugh
The Seventh Commandment, Lawrence Sanders
Confess, Fletch, Gregory McDonald
Life After God, Douglas Coupland H
Timothy...
I was set to make my get away...
I have lived in DC for 5 and half years, about what I had in mind, not too long, not too short, but then a friend sends me an email this morning saying "Hey, did you see this, right up your alley."
So I look and it is....ponder, ponder, ponder, ponder....
POSTSCRIPT: The email referred to a job here in DC.
John Hiler has another insightful article to the relationship between Weblogs and Journalists. He has written about it a few times and keeps getting more articulate on the subject, there seems to be an increasing comparison between thought not being property, but more of having an organic nature. I heard it from John Perry Barlow at CFP on intellectual property and now from John in regards of blogs and their nature. The Western philosphy trend of seperating man from nature may be approaching it's end. Only time will tell I suppose.
Monday Mission 2.21
1. What happened this weekend that made you smile? The simple things joking with friends on the golf course Saturday and going to a cook out last night.
2. Did you make someone smile today? If not, will you try? Not yet, but hey I just woke up and I haven't talked to anyone yet, I'll work on it.
3. Have you any clothes or accessories you love to wear but just totally embaras the person you are being seen with? I have enjoyed wearing the ugliest Hawiian shirts I can find of late.
4. What was the catch phrase you said the most in High School? Fuck you. Fuck it. Something along that order.
5. Who are you remembering this Memorial Day? (or for those not celebrating it, tell me about someone worth remembering) Officer John Gibson, he lost his life protecting others at the Capitol.
6. Do you think you are a good friend? What have my friends been telling you?
7. (continued from MM 2.20) That outing tonight was a blast ... but that was last...
Okay I got this from Dave but the reason I bother to take the test was so that Brian can see it and take it. Yes that's right ladies and gentleman, the expert of 80's hair bands himself, post your results in comments if you don't have a blog yet....Brian...Charles...Jeff...Little Brother...
which 80s hair band are you?
this quiz was made by colleen
Dan got ripped off I got my copy for $13.99. It is a damn good album though. By the way, I looked into it, well as far as I could Sony has a deal to do international distribution for Artemis Records, but to the best of my knowledge, they are not owned by Sony. If anyone can confirm this I would appreciate it.
POSTSCRIPT: When Dan said he paid 26 dollars that was Canadian which inflates it abit, it was about $18.99 US, but I still got the better deal :)
Stop dreaming or start maybe it's Friday Five time
1. What's the last vivid dream that you remember having? Last nights has faded a bit, but it was fairly vivid at the time. All I remember for sure was a blond and a brunette.
2. Do you have any recurring dreams? Occasionally, I will get reoccurring dreams, but it's the exception, I would say less than 5% and usually those are related to stress.
3. What's the scariest nightmare you've ever had? High school at least the last three years of it, ah thank goodness it's all in the past.
4. Have you ever written your dreams down or considered it? Why or why not? I have tried, but when I first wake up I am slow to awake and by the time I make an effort they are usually faded from memory. I did take down a song lyric from a dream last week.
5. Have you ever had a lucid dream? What did you do in it? Yes, I have had a few dreams where I was aware of the dream and what was going on around me, but I can...
Oops, I did it again
So I needed my taco fix tonight, not any garbage tacos, but good fish tacos and shrimp tacos with corn tortillas.
Afterwards I wandered over to Borders to stroll about. I strolled down the computer aisle, flipping through the titles, nothing really jumping out at me. So then I went over to the music station to just listen to the new Warren Zevon album. The machine with the CD on it was out of order, Damn, I guess no review for the site. It was even on sale. Oh well it must be fate saying hold off on getting the CD. I walk past the other machines just to be sure they don't have it on two machines...occasionally they will do it mostly with popular stuff granted Warren they may not. I am about to leave when the clerk asks if I need help. Fate, that bitch she came back, so I ask if they have the album on another listening station, he says no, but offers to put it into another statiion so I can listen to it.
So I listened,
I liked it,
I admitt it,...
If David Reed is right, he will do to spectrum management what the internet did to personal publishing. If his concepts get proven it will be amazing and take communication to a whole new level. I don't understand it all, but I have heard his ideas discussed recently and I think he's not crazy, he has a solid idea. I can't wait to see where it goes. Dan Gillmor explains it in much better detail.
Dave talks about the impact of blogging at conferences, I think he's heading in the right direction. At a conference earlier this year three people were blogging out of 450 registered attendees (probably about 300 folks in the room at any given time), but that doesn't count how many people had laptops which was about 50%. At the same time people were posting to a list on Salon actively passing notes. Yes it got in the way of the presentations, but generally it was on topics I wasn't that interested in anyways. The topics I was really interested in I just sat and listened, actively blogging while being fully engaged with the event does take some practice or at least for me it wasn't natural. The really nice part would be a speaker would show a screen shop from a website and next thing you know every laptop in the room would be wandering through the site in depth. Also a few times I didn't know much about the speakers organization so I could learn some background whi...
Poetry Wednesday
To my friends...
Many miles upon the road we have traveled,
Only just begun,
The road reaches out to the distance,
It's destination not exactly clear.
We have lost a few of our number along the way
Lost, but not forgotten
I will carry you in my heart,
I will carry you in my mind,
I will carry you in my soul,
Though the miles may between us stretch,
And the time we share not so oft,
Through good times and bad
One thought, I carry about us all
It's going to be okay,
Time will pass,
Places may change,
But I think it's going to be okay.
Thomas Vincent 5/19/02
No more mush for a while and I promise I'll write something crass and offensive very, very soon just so you still recognize me.
Zevon Update
I just got a response to my email to Artemis Records about his new album. I include the text verbatium
Warren Zevon's new album, My Ride's Here, is not copyright protected.
Thanks for your email. Short, sweet and to the point, I respect that. It completely ignores the issue that they have an international distribution agreement with Sony and making a public statement to stand up for fair use rights, but considering it's a media relations person not all that surprising. It is good to know they don't have the protections on the album, but since they haven't made a statement on fair use I don't know that I will buy it.
Something to mull over....
This morning I went to a 'Roundtable Discussion' on telecommunications, e-commerce, etc, etc as they relate to international trade. It was hosted by a law firm and the attendees were embassy staff, trade representatives, and a few industry folks. I really didn't have a role in the festivities so I found a nice seat and tried to learn something. So here are a few impressions from the event.
You go into a tech meeting and even among a group of 10 people, you will have at least one computer and a few handhelds depending on the group and the purpose of the meeting everyone might have one. At this meeting there were 35-40 people and not a single computer in the room. These people are embassy folks, State Department, and USTR and not a single laptop in the room granted the room was to promote conversation among the participants and speakers at times would have been helped to use more accurate information. The lawyer leading the discussion mentioned in discussing P2P briefly th...
My arm is getting sore...
because of patting Zonitics on the back for being right. Tempe joins the list of cities to take the power out of the market and put it into legislation. As my friends know I smoke cigar and pipe, but it's not simply that I smoke I support owners having choice, I have always had the opinion that the owner of the establishment should make rules about what goes on under his roof, not the government. A great test case is Uptown Billards in Flagstaff, I have been a regular there since the second day it opened. When I am in back in Flagstaff if you can't find me just go there and sure enough I will appear sooner or later, here's the thing Roger, the owner, doesn't want smoking in his place, so that's it no smoking, he does provide a patio if you want to take your beer and have a smoke, but in Winter in Flagstaff it can drop well below freezing at night so most folks don't stay out there for long. The point being Roger made a choice, his c...
There is some great material on copyright available on the web this morning about the case of Eldred v. Ashcroft . Not familar with it? It's exploring if the Copyright Term Extension Act gives too much power to copyright holders. Remember the idea of the founding fathers on copyright was to give a LIMITED monopoly power to copyright holders before a copyright turns over to the public domain. Enough to give the creator just incentive to make it economically viable to create, but at the same time public, to ensure that If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants , to promote intellectual development. The problem occurred when Disney figured out that they were about to lose copyright on the Mouse . So they rushed this bill through to have copyright 70 years after the creators death...not really for the public good, no?
This article at The Chronicle of Higher Education gives a good background on the case. The more amazing thing if y...
Live from the Heard on the Hill section of RollCall
Traficant's Excuse?
A House staffer thinks he may have uncovered the reason why convicted Ohio Rep. James Traficant, who used to end all of his floor speeches with "Beam Me Up, Mr. Speaker," acts so erratically.
The staffer was flipping through the official Rap Dictionary at www.rapdict.org and discovered that "Beam Me Up, Scotty" is slang for "give me some crack."
"Ending his speeches with 'Beam Me Up, Mr. Speaker,' Rep. Traficant may all these years have been pleading for drugs," joked the staffer. (I am quoting the whole document, because the Heard on the Hill column has a nasty habit of not archiving in a timely manner) This explains a great deal...Renee now I understand why you were always saying that, I apologize for not being hip to the lingo.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!
As much as I am into Cluetrain and reading the work of those involved I haven't really read the Gonzo Engaged blog .
Why?
I been busy, okay a lie, hmmm I have been out washing my car, oh right no car. Would you believe I was taking my puppy to the vet? Oh yeah still no puppy. I don't know, but after reading RB's post today I strolled over there. Eric, the newcomer to the blog, posted an interesting thought piece on Gonzo Marketing and copyright issues it is well worth your time to go and read. PS- Eric, you are not the only nut who buys 5 books and reads them at once.
Starting to mull over what the future of Bear Droppings will look like, no this brown background should not be here and if you use Netscape or Opera you would know that. :-) Some interesting ideas have come up, but it's beyond my current skills, I guess I better develop some new skills huh...damn so much for the lazy bastard I am. I hear alot of talk about Moveable Type and I am pondering trying to get this beast back over to it's home ....lots to ponder. Not that I haven't liked using Blogger, but this was a get my act together and start writing alittle more often step. I have always intended on doing alittle more with this site. ( No really point to this, I am talking to myself and yes I know I am crazy. )
I was in the mood to parody a Warren Zevon song, but I can't find the one I intended Lawyers, Guns and Money was close but no cigar. Check out this site for a good collection of his lyrics anyways. Too little sleep and I awoke to find a Wookie this morning, then I opened my eyes a bit more and realized it was just me looking at a mirror, I real need to trim the beard and get a haircut.
This post was ruthlessly stolen from Jill ...
10 years ago: I was living in Tuebingen, Germany, falling in love, learning German and learning how big the world really is.
5 years ago: I was working 40 hours a week as an intern on the Hill and working 30-40 hours a week at a deli to survive. I was in the middle of working for a three months without a single day off. I was driven, deadicated, and nuts. (Some will say I never stopped on that last point)
1 year ago: I was preparing for my New York privacy event, it didn't go as well as I had hoped and it was due to my efforts it didn't succeed (Honesty, is a bitch).
1 month ago: I was hanging out in San Francisco with very cool people.
1 week ago: Nothing sticks out in my mind.
Yesterday: I did my twice a month docent thing, it struck me as cool how many kids had good manners and said thank you for stickers without the parents prompting it.
Today: I need to get my hair cut and I am pondering going to se...
Monday Mission 2.20
1. When was the last time you went out with a true love of yours? What did you two do that made it so special? Still haven't found her.
2. Which far-away friend would you most like to see again? Perhaps Michelle because we have the oddest conversations, she is off in South East Asia and I have not heard from her in a year, otherwise my friends from Arizona.
3. Any high or low points about this past weekend? What went on? Very low key, I caught up on rest, did errands, and the docent thing so very little to tell.
4. I've been thinking about getting a buzz-cut for the summer, a big change for me. Have you ever made any drastic changes to your appearance? I think grow a beard has made a drastic change to my appearance, I generally like it, keeps my face warmer in the winter, but every once and a while I think about shaving it off for the summer.
5. How long do you think a couple should date before they get married? Or if you are married, do yo...
The Dallas Morning News thought it was being very clever by not allowing 'deep-linking' into their website, but I wonder if the realize the cost? This morning Tech Daily, one of National Journal publications, cited a story about Broadband adoption from the Dallas Morning News, the results of no deep linking? They still cited the story , but then gave a link to the Seattle Times, where you can get the same story deep linked. What does that mean for readers, not a heck of a lot of difference, but Seattle Times gets credit for someone else's work and being first thing in the morning, if I want to read the headlines would perhaps stick around the Seattle Times site.
I had a great time last night at Atomic, but perhaps the funniest part was we found a new word " poo-cano ". Bears have been known to leave the from time to time, like the time Bart the bear did at the Oscars a few years back. Poocano as a buddy of mine would say, "very chuckly" ( You probably had to be there )
Shamless plug of the week: Go check out the good folks of Vital Ground , they support bear habitat in a unique and cool way and deserve all the support they can get!
The rain held off all day, now that I am finishing up and getting ready to exit sure enough, it begins to rain. Have a good weekend all, any interesting plans out there? I'll be hanging out with the Bloggers and then either golf, wine tasting, or paintball for tomorrow. Anyway you slice it, it sounds like fun to me.
Star Wars...from another point of view
I heard Bruce Sterling speak recently and while I was not familiar with his work before I heard him speak, I have been a fan ever since. He has a sarcastic, witty form in live speeches and also in this opinion piece he wrote for the NY Times about Star Wars. Go check it out.
If you really haven't gotten enough of a Star Wars fix you can also read this Case for the Empire at the Weekly Standard. (Though be warned it has been posted on slashdot so reaching it today may be difficult)
My Rides Here...
and the hits just keep on coming, people looking for information about Warren Zevon and his new album that is... I have no word on my comments about copyright to Artemis Records so I am still boycotting buying the album and recommend others to do the same thanks to their affiliation with Sony. That being said, if you are interested in his new album there is an article , not quite review, in Rolling Stone.
I hate to point to the same site twice in one week, but Ken Layne has done it again, demostrating how objectivity and the press don't mix. Granted I have never thought it's not a goal to work for, but we are people. We live, events occur in our lives and help shape us, and this comes out consciously or unconsciously in our work. I just wish journalism got around to realizing it and gave up on this we have no bias BS.
It's back after a two week haitus...
Friday Five
1. What shampoo do you use? Trader Joe's Shampoo or this FA - Amazonic that is produced in Europe, I have friends bring it over with them, it's a shampoo/body wash.
2. Do you use conditioner? What kind? Yes, Trader Joe's Conditioner
3. When was the last time you got your hair cut? Late March-Early April
4. What styling products do you use? None.
5. What's your worst hair-related experience? I used to joke every morning when i got up and looked in the mirror, but considering the shape of a lot of my old friends hair, I really don't complain much anymore.
Hair related Friday five, it reminds me that I need to go get a hair cut. Also my beard trimmer needs to be fixed or else I need to buy a new one. My beard is getting that Grizzly Adams look and I tend to keep it short and trim these days.
Doc is at O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference and has been blogging all day, if you are interested in Creative Commons issue, it is well worth checking out. The transcription of Lessig speech is really great. I heard about this conference at CFP , I just didn't have the cash to attend.
Slashdot also has a report on it.
Fire Season Again
Well I think you can now officially say it's begun. All across the west and especially in Arizona they expected a bad fire season this year. With this destructive fire in Prescott it's going to be a long hot and dangerous fire season, a lot of folks have been activated among the regional fire units to help out their neighbors. You know it's bad when I jump on IM in the morning and all a friend sends me is the link...sometimes the news story can convey more efficently than explaining it all. According to my sources 3500 people have already evacuated their homes.
Be careful guys, best of luck in your efforts.
Poetry Wednesday
Pressure by Billy Joel
You have to learn to pace yourself
Pressure
You're just like everybody else
Pressure
You've only had to run so far
So good
But you will come to a place
Where the only thing you feel
Are loaded guns in your face
And you'll have to deal with
Pressure
You used to call me paranoid
Pressure
But even you can not avoid
Pressure
You turned the tap dance into your crusade
Now here you are with your faith
And your Peter Pan advice
You have no scars on your face
And you cannot handle pressure
All grown up and no place to go
Psych 1, Psych 2
What do you know?
All your life is Channel 13
Sesame Street
What does it mean?
Pressure
Pressure
Don't ask for help
You're all alone
Pressure
You'll have to answer
To your own
Pressure
I'm sure you'll have some cosmic rationale
But here you are in the ninth
Two men out and three men on
Nowhere to look but inside
Where we all respon...
WIPO, the real danger
DMCA, CARP, CBDTPA, are all small potatoes. They are things that we should fight, but only of medium range dangers. Declan today mentioned something of far more consequence. If this new international DMCA under WIPO is allowed to come into existence. We face the end of Fair Use on an international level, from a faceless entity that customers will not have a voice at the table. Suddenly, if this measure our ability to fight this issue becomes far more difficult. The Senate will consider this as a treaty and the Senate will deal with this issue in Foreign Relations Committee, where Chairman Leahy of Judiciary Committee one of the strongest opponents of CBDTPA doesn’t have a seat.
Then the measure only has to pass through the Senate, not the Republican controlled House. Considering that the Department of Commerce negotiated this treaty there would be far greater pressure on the current Administration to sign this treaty into law.
Once signed into law conte...
Cumin-Oregano Rub
I have had a few complements for the chicken I did over the weekend, so here is how to make it, very easy and tasty! Just mix and then rub into the chicken before grilling, this will be good for 2 1/2 lbs of chicken.
3 tablespoon of ground cumin (preferably from toasted seeds)
1 tablespoon of dried, crushed oregano
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
I also used 1-2 tablespoons of chili pepper rubbed on the chicken at the same time as I began...
I have to agree with Lex about Matt both in regards of Dog Wisdom and political opinions. But remember Lex " That a person who is not a liberal at 20 has no heart, and not a conservative at 50 has no mind. " Before it gets replied in the comments, my friends have said I lacked a heart for years...
While this quote is often attributed to Churchill, he evidently didn't say it according to this page .
Matt in regards of the the Panda cam , have you no sense of privacy ? :-)
Desert Pundit smacks around Dallas Morning News about their counter productive opinion on deep linking . I have been meaning to write up something similar for the Small Pieces blog , the problem is I need to sit and make a serious effort, but those folks can really write well, as opposed to my hacking about at it. I know, shut up and get to work rather than talking about it.
The New York Times had an article that people hadn't really left Yahoo after the privacy announcement last month. I wrote Mr. Hansell, the author, a response.
Mr. Hansell,
I think you approached this story with a faulty logic. First off, ComScore
does not actually tell of users actions in regards of canceling the
account which is a key point. The other fault in this logic is that people
switch accounts overnight like changing apartments, the truth is generally
you move the account a lot slower giving people a lag time before
completely disabling the account. I was using my Yahoo! account for 80% of
my email a few months ago, now I only use it as a spam account that when I
filled out a generic form online. In addition I have noticed that 3 out of
4 Yahoo acco...
Monday Mission 2.19
1. Have you ever given someone a present you just KNEW would be "da bomb" and when they opened it you could tell they just hated it? What's the story there? Nope, but on the other foot I recieved such a gift one time, I already detailed it here .
2. What do you do that you would prefer that Mother never finds out about? The problem is what if she reads this site, then she will know, won't she? Actually she doesn't read here now, but I won't take chances for the future. :-)
3. Ever get in any arguments with your mother? What was one of the worst? Not really, I get along with my Mother really well.
4. When was the last time someone special hurt your feelings? Did you tell them or keep it to yourself? I don't honestly recall, perhaps it's just because I have closed myself off from relationships since I moved to DC, then by my own actions or inactions and perhaps missed out on something special by that same action.
5. ...
I need another weekend...
to catch up on sleep and chores from this weekend. I had a great time, but admittly I got nothing else accomplished. It was a weekend based on the different social groups and they all made appearances, which is funny because when I try to mix them intentional at parties, past experience has shown they don't mix well. Friday night I enjoyed shooting pool with the DC bloggers and the Vietnamese food. Then we made fun of the Star Wars fans camped out at the Uptown before taking the cab home.
Saturday morning I awoke at the hour of UUUUUuuugh this is early, to play golf with buddies out at Rock Creek. Afterwards the German Stammtisch crowd showed up at my place invited for a cookout. (To the DC Bloggers, I'll host another cookout next month I just didn't have the room to invite both crowds).
Sunday was spent playing croquet with another group of friends, I had the clever strateeeegery of playing so bad I almost won, yes that still means I lost . A...
Mamma Mia Review
I haven't been to a live preformance of a play in a long time, probably since college, but within 5 minutes of watching tonight I understood again, all that I had loved about watching them. When a play done right, it's always a bit of magic, transporting you away from this world to the one in which the characters live, if be it for a short while. Tonight I remembered that, I had seen in all the commercials all the rave reviews and associated BS, but I didn't believe it would be that good. Media lies, commercials lie, they sell you an image, but the emotions with in story telling if done properly are based in truth. Mamma Mia doesn't exist in our world, but is based on the truth of our emotions, which is why it succeeds.
It reminded me of the past, both in the good and bad, but in a pleasant way, like an odd itch you wouldn't scratch because of losing the feeling. It reminded me of the plays I had seen in the past and working in Loose Screws, an i...
College Life
I was sent a reminder of the past yesterday, so to those of you who knew me in college a few pictures from the past.
Me , Senior class picture (high school)
When I first moved in the dorms in college I lived in Tinsley hall for a semester. Here is a picture out the window one winter day of Mount Elden. I can almost smell the next door neighbor's curry. They cooked whole meals in their dorm room, everyday, the curry smell nearly drove us insane. Also here is a picture of the quad area between Tinsley and the next dorm over...(what was it called again?)
The following semester Charles and I moved to the Ridge, a great dorm at NAU, especially if you study on south campus. When the holidays arrived, we had to have a Xmas tree, so thanks to some flyers lining the halls outside our room, a tree branch taken from Wal-Mart tree lot, and a spare beer bottle. We had a Christmas mural , touches your heart, no? Then since we only had a picture or two left we decided ...
Animals need their Privacy too
The Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo has taken the position that viewing animal medical records would violate the animal's right to privacy and be an intrusion into the zookeeper-animal relationship.
The notion that animals have a right to privacy is, from a legal standpoint, odd, because courts have long held that they don't. Remember folks this is coming from the same folks that put these animals out to display in the public every day live and on the web . Declan follows up with some other humorous points.
So you are Consumer Reports magazine and you decide to give a glove compartment organizer to new subscribers. Nice thought honestly, but you would think that a leading expert in consumer safety would test the product wouldn't you? Nope . Then hilarity ensues.
On second thought, this is the same organization that used home software filtering products in other markets and then complained, why don't these work right? Or they used software that is not for blocking only tracking and then complained when it didn't block any sites.
Poetry Wednesday
From Tai Teh Ching
What is well planted cannot be uprooted.
What is well embraced cannot slip away.
Your descendants will carry on the ancestral
sacrifice for generations without end.
Cultivate virtue in your own person.
And it becomes a genuine part of you.
Cultivate it in the family,
And it will abide.
Cultivate it in the community,
And it will live and grow.
Cultivate it in the state,
And it will flourish abundantly.
Cultivate it in the world,
And it will become universal.
Hence, a person must be judged as person;
A family as family;
A community as community;
A state as state;
The world as world.
How do I know about the world?
By what is within me.
Traficant Update
Okay I will preface this by saying it will sound like the rantings of a madman or fool, but give me a chance.
James Traficant will be reelected in November. Stop looking at me like that. I am not insane, well about this at least
Yesterday was the Primary Elections in Ohio. Thomas Sawyer who should have been an easy win, didn't win at all and in fact was easily defeated . On one level that may be easy to understand, Sawyer had supported NAFTA and wasn't considered pro-Union, the area he picked up after redistricting was rather pro-Union. But I smell something more, JimmyT's people are out there waiting for him, ready to support him. Mark my words, if his name is on the ballot he will win in November and remember folks I predicted it here first.
Speaking of the Desert Pundit...
Thanks for the update on Chris Town mall, family had actually told me, funny that he mentions Valley West Mall, a buddy of mine and I used to work at a pizza place in that Mall about 12 years ago. I haven't been in there in years. Valley West is where I first saw Die Hard, Charles recalls the rat joining us for the preformance. I also first saw Raiders of the Lost Arc at those theaters. It's really a shame what has happened to them. As for Chris Town, I only made it up there occasionally since it wasn't all that close to where I lived and wasn't off a major freeway. I was that rare breed breed in Phoenix a purely West Valley kid, I have never lived East of 67th Avenue in the 10 years or so that I lived in the Phoenix area.
Also I found it funny, they are painting the grass and that the Republic bothered to cover it.
POSTSCRIPT: Sources report where Valley West Mall once stood there is an open lot, it's gone.
Zonitics nursing his computer
Until Edward 's computer is fixed, someone must following the Arizona Repulsive and keeping after their mistakes and dubious reporting, so I have decided to lend a hand.
Can't them find a little boy to stick his finger in it Department
There are alot of artifical lakes in Arizona. Why? Because there are alot of transplanted people and they transplant this idea that there should be lots of water and green grass to a freakin' desert. So they waste alot of money, time and effort each year in this game called "Let's pretend we don't live in a desert." It's rather silly, but it occupies people time in place of noticing that it's an oven outside.
So on to our story , the Republic tells of how the City of Phoenix spent $13.5 million on one such lake and it's leaking. Funny thing about water, it tends to evaporate, but not only that they have a leak in the system and are losing 77,000 gallons a day. I don't...
Traficant
JimmyT filed for re-election yesterday as an Independent. Isn't freedom great, he's on his way to the slammer, but still running for Congress, let freedom ring. Hell, if I was in Ohio I'd vote for him, at least he's honest about his faults, besides Congress won't be the same without his one minute speeches, granted now they may have to be televised from jail.
Traficant's attorneys, now that he has them are hard at work, accordding to the Business-Journal Attorneys for U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. say all federal jury trials in the Northern District of Ohio should be halted until constitutional issues they raise in the congressman's appeal are resolved by the courts. Basically they say since it wasn't his neighbors and fellow Mahoning Valley residents on the jury, that he was not given a trial by his peers. As regular readers know, I am not a lawyer, but I think this is a BS charge and will get tossed aside. But at least it's not b...
Kottke takes note of Rolling Stones 50 Coolest and Uncoolest 50 albums and asks what your results are for each. I checked, but it's a pain you have to scroll through all 50 pages for each. I scored 0 cool albums and 2 1/2 -3 albums of uncool, plus I wanted one more of the uncool. The 1/2 is a tape copy of Tesla's Five Man Accoustical Jam, which i think is only partially recorded, hence partial credit. The other two I have are Meatloaf "Bat Out of Hell" and Pet Shop Boys "Actually", I think I have them both on cassette tape, which considering I have had a CD player for at least 10-12 years tell you how long ago I bought them. The other uncool I want is Bob Seger "Night Moves".
But you know sometimes it's Hip to be Square, or so I have heard...
CORRECTION: 4 Uncool albums, I knew I had picked up a Barenaked Ladies CD in the last year, but wan't sure which one, sure enough it was Gordon, which is on the Uncool list.
Blogs of Note...
I have been meaning to add a few folks to my blogroll because I have been checking them out more and more of late, until I get off my butt and permanently add them here is few additonal DC bloggers you should be reading...
The funny and skilled juggler Nisa Rant (and if you don't think you are skilled Nisa I'll show you how bad I am at juggler sometime, just be sure to wear a hockey goalie outfit.)
Crookdimwit has a very well designed site and a badass dog so I should have mentioned him earlier, the problem is I don't agree his politics and so I just ignored linking with him. Friday, I met him at Atomic billiards and he's cool so now I have to link to him.
Dan and Jill I met a while ago and I have been meaning to link to but never get around to it. They have given me a ride home from Atomic billiards twice so I do appreciate them both. Jill even blogs fairly regularly (and even has been known to post on Poetry Wednesday), Dan just updates...
Davis, Lost in Space
Okay California is a big state, a large budget with alot of things going on, I grant you it's impossible for anyone person to track every single thing that's going on in the state government at any one time. That all being said if you are governor and don't know anything about a $95 MILLION dollar IT contract to the state you are either a fool, a poor manager, or corrupt? So which is it Governor Davis?
"I had no idea this contract was being negotiated," Davis told reporters. "I think most of you know I'm barely on the information on-ramp, much less proficient in technology. So this is not a matter that would normally come to my attention, nor did it." I can't buy that, a contract that large doesn't get negotiated without the governor's knowledge. I would expect such a statement from a governor in a state where tech doesn't matter as much, but in California the dollars are too large and tech is too much a part ...
Monday Mission
1. Do you have any tattoos? If no, why not and what would you get if you did get one. If you do have one or more, tell us how you came to get it, and why you chose the design you got inked with. I don't have one and the reason being, I still haven't found anything specific I would want to be marked with for the rest of my life, looking at myself everyday is struggle enough thank you ;)
2. Has anything ever happened that caused you to believe, or disbelieve, in a Higher Power. All the time. Just be observant and the world will tell you a great many things...
3. Have you ever seriously considered, or even attempted, suicide? Considered yes, as a kid, rough time with a move and hated life afterward, inflicted enough pain mostly on my own life. Though at the end of the darkness a smartass attitude always said, why die, stick around and piss people off, far more fun.
4. Has anyone you have known committed suicide? Yes, there was a kid in a class with me ...
In regards of recent Google hits a few comments
If you want a definition of oligrachy or any political term check here .
Bear Droppings has no active " marshmellow peeps support group ", but if we hear of any we will be happy to post them.
If you are looking for information about Warren Zevon's new album "My Ride's Here" I have little to tell you. Artemis Records and Warren Zevon have not replied to me regarding my copyright protection concerns and I still plan on boycotting them. Although I will admit, I only emailed this week and I will give them a few days.
I also have nothing to tell on " chinese astrology predictions ", except I am not chinese and I predict the sun will rise tomorrow, so let's see how it goes.
Finally, in regards of Traficant we will continue to track the latest news and reports as they become available. As for me I am putting a fork in the week and calling it done. Have a good weekend all.
Consumer versus Customer
I hear the term Consumer alot these days, I don't really like it, it has a vague veal-calf cognative meaning. It conveys to me a meaning of a creature that should just consume mindlessly, without regard to the world around it. Customer conveys for some odd reason more of a meaning of the market, that a customers and a sellor come to agreement in the market about a good or service.
So it got me to wondering where did these terms come from? What meanings exist under the surface?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Consumer
Main Entry: con·sum·er
Pronunciation: k&n-'sü-m&r
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Date: 15th century
: one that consumes : as a : one that utilizes economic goods b : an organism requiring complex organic compounds for food which it obtains by preying on other organisms or by eating particles of organic matter -- compare PRODUCER 4
- con·sum·er·ship /-"ship/ noun
Main Entry: cus·tom·...
Protesting for Dummies
I understand some folks don't like the world the way it is and feel necessary for it to change and protest to get it. Fine, I'll even put up with the traffic when it happens, but if you are going to protest do it intelligently. If you put flyers on someones car, they may be annoyed, but they might listen. If you put bumpstickers on their car, you will be helping the earth another way, stopping overpopulation . So you oppose global poverty, wonderful, but if you make a total mess of a city, they may have to spend as the money on cleaning up after you, they were going to spend on helping the poor locally. I am not saying do express your political opinions, I am saying every action, has a reaction. Think of consquences before leaving trash everywhere, or any other form of destruction of property. (Thanks Michelle and Edward for the links)
Hegel Goethe & Tübingen
I was looking up some information on Philosopher's for a comment on the Small Pieces blog , if you have read the book or interested in it, I would recommend checking it out. Anyways, I ran into this page about Hegel and it reminded me of my studies in Tübingen . For those of you who don't know Germans all that well, they put signs on everything, every historic stone, park bench, or street. Often for something rather insignificant. Hegel studied in Tübingen, so the students be smartass in nature decided to honor the philosopher. Specifically in the middle of the Old Town there is a large church , but right across the street is a bar, right over the top of the bar is a window with the sign "Hegel kotzten hier!" or Hegel got sick here (from drinking too much). I have always found it rather humorous, in fact I bought a postcard of it while I was in town and I will have to scan and post it.
POSTSCRIPT: Damn, I wrote all this and then remem...
No Friday Five this week, I already posted last weeks Five and don't have much interest in going back and hitting an old one. So I scanned the blogs and papers, nope nothing all to interesting...There is the story about SonicBlue and ReplayTV tracking customer habits due to a court order. I had gotten wind of this about a month ago so it doesn't surprise me, basically they are at discovery phase of the trial and are trying to find information SonicBlue didn't want to collect in aggregate, still doesn't want to do and doesn't have it's technology setup so that they CAN do it, meanwhile privacy groups, ourselves, and a few other folks are going to get on a boandwagon to try to stop this, not all that surprising I suppose is that the Judge who made the order is in Califronia. The problem is while a customer is a unique identifier, with other databases already in the public you can tie the information to an individual. Brought to you by sponsors of CBDTPA naturall...
Where in Business World is AOL-Time Warner?
At the time of the AOL Time Warner merger the participants touted it as the perfect union. That the company would sit at the head of all tables in regards of the content, distribution, and the internet. As recent results have displayed, this has not been nearly the productive merger that was intended.
Why?
You could blame the dot com bubble bursting, the recession, or the reduced viewership of television and music purchases, however I feel that none of these are really adequately appropriate. As an impartial observer of the company for the last few years here I humbly submit, where they have been? Where they are now? And finally most importantly where they are going as a corporate mindset in the future?
I suppose I should preface my statements by giving you a bit of background, I am not a business analyst, nor a technologist. I am a policy wonk. Politics is based on as much as you don’t say, as what you do, perhaps more sometim...
Zonitics is right again, this time on the issue of election policy in Arizona and Desert Pundit has it right too. A union giving office space for damn near free to a candidate is not a "fair market value" it's a campaign contribution and should be counted as such, to do anything less is simple ridiculous. If the Church of Mormon had office space for Matt Salmon, you don't think there would be a major uproar? or if it was the NRA instead (to get around the standard Church/State seperation debate)?
Or let's take this angle from another tack, let's just say a radio or television station offers a candidate airtime for a greatly reduced price, that wouldn't improve the news departments access down the road, would it.....naw.
(I'll add a better link later, Zonitics is having technical issues, Edward, that's why my blogroll is on another page ;-))
They are finally repainting the train station depot in Flagstaff. I am glad, I was never much of a fan of the turquoise color they had, I like the idea of having it the original color. They did such a good job on cleaning up the old building and modernizing it, but the color just never fit right with the town.
Thought for the Day
"There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporation have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back"
- Robert a. Heinlein, Life-line
Random Conspiracy Theory of the Day...
From a chat conversation with a friend
Anonymous Friend: Here's a new rumor for your blog to start
Anonymous Friend: How do virus protection programs stay in business? Could it be that Viruses are created by the same companies that charge to get rid of them? Just a thought
Thomas: well I recently read, yesterday, oh yes....in Sterling's CFP speech that 10 years ago there were 50 virus and now there is something like 50K
Anonymous Friend: See?!
Anonymous Friend: it's a conspiricy I say!
Anonymous Friend: or just good business practices
Thomas: and he's an Internet Guru
Anonymous Friend: hmmm true capitalism at its best. Create the demand if no demand is present
Of course it could have nothing to do with the fact that the number of people online in the time period has gone up by 60% for every 6 months in the last 10 years, but why let a little truth get in the way of a good theory.
CORRECTION: Mr. Sterling said 5...
Parody or Future Tense?
Special Thanks to Business 2.0 for inspiring this little thought.
Pringles Sued For DMCA Violation
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Reuters - Procter & Gamble was named today in a lawsuit as facilitating copyright in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The MPAA and RIAA jointly filed against the potato chip producer for it’s use as a wireless station antenna. When asked to comment corporate spokesman Kent Brockman replied, "Huh, what? What are you talking about? We don't even make computer equipment? How could we possibly get sued over this, I don't even use email. Also I don’t know anything about hotasianchikz.com"
Jack Valenti, President MPAA stated at a press conference the future of movies "is in danger of being shrunk and squandered by an increasing thievery on the Internet." Valenti railed against it in all forms saying, "Wireless piracy is thriving because the government has failed to take act...