Entries from March 2008 ↓

• Rain. That and I need more coffee. #
• Plus side: today is the fifth free $etra ride in a row. And they even announced that oh yeah we might double check your tickets. Fun. #
• Mother fucker I just missed my train cause I was yappin on the freakin cell. How completely irritating. #
• @scootergirl yeah the whole stuck in an airport thing can totally suck the mad typing skills right out of you. #
• Today’s music listening crimes include Abba and Vanilla Ice. If there was a problem yo I’ll solve it. You can finish the rest. #
• Oh and yes I actually just paid for the train ride home. I figure if they ask or make eye contact I’ll hand it over. 6 for 1 - not bad. #
• @popejephei how about cryptotomography? Or cryptozoology? Either are quite noble. #
• @scootgirl ha! Worse: how about a little right said fred? If you’re still in the airport you could do your own little turn on the catwalk. #
• @scootergirl I’ll give you $100 if you can put together a video of you and 5 airport friends doing any line dance. Cekk phone vid is fine. #

• "Into The Wild" is an awesome movie. Love that PPV HD. #
• printed out some black and white drawings for The Critter and pasted the in focus range in a few of his favorite places. he loves them. FTW #
• it’s 11a and despite having been up at 7 the only thing i’ve gotten "done" is a couple of feedings and diaper changes. +side: he’s sated. #
• Surprisingly happenen sunday night scene? Babies r us. #

• coffee laundry diaper feed diaper dog walk garbage sanitize laundry twitter nytimes & looks like we might have another diaper on the way. #

• Its only 8p. But stuck in newark nj makes 8p feel like about 130 am #
• @popejephei I’m in the fake spray tan shop as we speak. This, so hair gel and some gold chains-I’m almost ready for newjerseydouchebags.com #
• Sitting. On the runway and have been for the last 55 minutes at ORD. Fucking airplanes. #
• I keep looking at my phone hoping for some entertainment but there’s nothing. #

• Getting some gas in NJ. Mmmmm - that’s the smell of efficiency!! #
• Are there any aspects about the proposed member (past or present, personal or professional) which the Club might find questionable? #
• that’s my favorite question from a club app. c’mon. #

• On way to airport. Downside: don’t see kid for 2 days. Upside: wearing new suit. #
• @jernst olive garden in new jersey? It does not get any better than that!! #
• Dear ohare tsa person: did you seriously just use my driver’s lisence to scratch your head? Seriously?? #
• @popejephei sorry to hear about the dog. #
• I have been driving around NJ in circles for the better part of an hour. Ok half an hour. The funny thing is the scenery doesn’t get better. #
• I’m stuck between the presidential center and the eisenhour corporate park. It’s my own brand of purgatory. #

• …And to top off the first day I get a free round trip on the train! Ah I love when humans do jobs that machines do better-like chkng tckts #
• Perfect train timing would be not running, not waiting–just arriving at the platform as doors open & walking on. Close today, 15 secs early #
• Oh how I love the feel of new shoelaces. But it makes me wonder: shouldn’t the laces that came with the shoes last longer than 60 days? #
• @popejephei can you put towns on seratonin uptake inhibitors? #
• I am currently on my 4th consecutive free ride on Metra. I wonder how many times i can ride for free. #

I forget who I was talking to, but the question of whether or not you can bargain at Best Buy came up.  Enter the NY Times:

Frederick Stinchfield, 23, was a Best Buy salesman in Minnetonka, Minn., until last January. He said about one-quarter of customers tried to bargain. Much of the time, he said, he was able to oblige them, particularly in circumstances where a customer buying electronics (like a camera) also bought an accessory (like a camera bag) with a higher markup. He said the cash registers at Best Buy were set up so that prices could be reset at checkout.

Read Even At Megastores, Hagglers Find No Price is Set In Stone at the NY Times.

This echoes what I’ve heard from other sources.  Interesting!

• The funny thing about watching e news weekend is that lindsey’s $35k for 2hrs of party time is the most reasonable sounding item on the show #
• @popejephei check out page 13. http://baby.zorger.com/baby.zorger.com.newborn.pdf something like this is exactly what ighf needs-new blood! #
• @garyvee as someone who actually saw the original where’s the beef commercials, I want in. whatever it is. #
• on the train, first day back to work since the critter was born. Doesn’t look like much has changed so far. It’s not as cold as I remember. #
• Walkling around downtown looking for the building featured in wayne’s world as the ww hq for oliver communications. #
• first day back pretty much rocked. end of vacation not too bad when you like ur co-workers and job. #
• Hey the train conductor (who didn’t punch my card) has an iphone. Nice! #

Trader Giotto’s Cacciatore Simmer Sauce, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

Yesterday I twittered about Trader Giotto’s Cacciatore Simmer Sauce.

I could not regret this positive tweet more.

Why?

It turns out, in my enthusiasm, I overlooked the olives.

Yes, that’s right: olives.

I know. It’s a startling revelation. Olives. Right there in the middle of the otherwise perfectly savory cacciatore simmer sauce.

Who does that? Who puts olives in an otherwise perfectly tasty sauce? In fact, who puts olives in anything???

So, as you can see: it’s put me in quite the conundrum. I recommended something that I don’t like but it’s already in The Google, it’s already out there, part of the permanent record.

Part of my permanent record.

This whole cacciatore situation is really getting me down.

• for your late night enjoyment: old chili sauce. http://tinyurl.com/32xk3j you know you want some. #
• Trader Joe’s. "Cacciatore Simmer Sauce" pretty much rocks the house. Yes I know their italian stuff is trader giotto’s. #

Reddit.com had The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe’s “Top 20 Logical Fallacies” on it’s front page the other day.  An interesting review for me and you might enjoy it as well.  And if you want to really hate politics, run your favorite candidate’s ads through these filters.

This is my reordering and rewording of their list.  All credit goes to them for what I got right, all errors are my own.

Arguer Related

Does the arguer suggest their belief is true based solely on their credentials, without providing objective evidence?  If so, that’s Argument from Authority.

Does the arguer suggest that their belief if true based on their inability to explain or understand it not being true?  If so, that’s Argument from Personal Incredulity.

Does the arguer suggest that their belief about why or how something happens is true simply because we are currently unable to explain the why or how in detail?  If so, they’re Confusing the Currently Unexplained with the Currently Unexplainable.

Does the arguer suggest that a given set of rules applies to their argument, but not to another argument?  If so, they’re being Inconsistent.

Opponent Related

Does the defender address the counter argument or the person making the counter argument?  If it’s the person and not the argument, that’s Ad Hominem.

Does the arguer suggest their belief is true simply because we can’t prove that it isn’t? If so, that’s Ad Ignorantiam.

Does the arguer suggest that if you are skeptical of their argument A on the basis of reason X, then you must also be skeptical of argument B on the basis of reason X, even if argument B is if sufficiently provable using evidence other than reason X?  If so, they are arguing Reductio ad absurdum.

Does the defender suggest that their argument, flawed as it is, is justifiable as your counter is also flawed?  They are arguing Tu quoque (“You, too”).

Sequence

Does the arguer suggest their belief is true based on the ultimate effect it has, its end result, rather than their belief itself? If so, that’s Argument from Final Consequences.  (aka, a teleological argument)

Does the arguer suggest because A and B occurred simultaneously, A caused B (or visa versa) without demonstrating a causal link?  If so, they’re Confusing Association with Causation.

Does the arguer suggest that since A preceded B, A caused B without providing evidence demonstrating causality?  If so, they’re arguing “Post-hoc ergo propter hoc” (after this, therefore because of this).  They assume cause and effect for two events that are temporally but otherwise not related.

Does the arguer suggest that if A then B, if B then C, therefore if A then Z?  If so, they are presenting a Non-Sequitor, i.e., a logical connection where none exists.

Does the arguer suggest point B without articulating preceding point A?  Then they have an Unstated Major Premise or are Begging the Question.

Argument

Does the arguer suggest that, although A and B are different, since it is difficult to tell exactly where A becomes B, A and B are essentially the same thing?  If so, they’re presenting a False Continuum.

Does the arguer suggest that there are really only two possible choices, A or Z, when in fact there is also B to Y (i.e., some additional number) of possibilities?  If so, they’re presenting a False Dichotomy.

When given evidence proving otherwise, does the defender continue to argue their belief by moving the criteria for proof or acceptance out of range of whatever currently exists?  If so, they’re Moving the Goal Posts.

Does the arguer suggest that we cannot accept position A because it would lead to the much more extreme and unacceptable position Z?  If so, they are arguing the Slippery Slope.

Does the defender suggest that their view is correct not by arguing against your actual objection but by arguing against a much more defendable artificial objection?  If so, they are using a Straw Man argument.

Does the arguer suggest that A is true and when presented with counter evidence B suggest that A is still true but cannot be proved except in non-B conditions?  Then this is special pleading or ad-hoc reasoning, the arbitrary introduction of new elements into an argument in order to make it continue to appear valid.

Does the arguer use circular reasoning?  This is tautology. 

Blake Lews on Vote for the Worst, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

Speaking of odd AdWords combinations, this is the one I ran across the other day that surprised me: Blake Lewis on Vote for the Worst.

Really? Is that his most likely fan base?

Or are we getting back to the point where 50% of our advertising is wasted, we just don’t know which 50%?

Or are they buying it?

No idea.

Ben Stein on the New England Skeptic’s Society , originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

Yep, there it is — an ad for the creationist movie on the New England Skeptical Society’s website. Courtesy of Google’s AdWords. Definitely an odd combination.

The ad will of course change now and then but here is the original page.

• just realized I didn’t say happy birthday to my wife!!!!!!! oh shit. #
• return to work prep. expense report. vacation tracking. health fsa paperwork for q1. all while the dogs glare at me for not yet walking them #
• @jernst thanks man looking forward to it. #

Ooooh — Tasty!, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

Mmmmm….. Old Chili Sauce. I probably bought it before moving to this house in 2003, which means I bothered to move it from the condo. I wonder if I moved it to the condo from the apartment a couple of years before.

I have no idea. Anything is possible when you’re dealing with chili sauce that expired in 2005.

I’ve been on vacation for a while, but am trying to catch up on some misc paperwork today before heading back on Monday.   Part of that is updating my vacation days to reflect when The Critter was actually born and the days I took off.  Unfortunately, there seems to be an issue with the calendar data picker.  You select a day and it simple comes back to the same day you were already on.  I’ve tried this on Win32 FF & IE 6 as well as on OSX FF and Safari.  Same thing.  Weird.

Regarding software bugs and how to write code:

The No. 1 predictor—I doubt this will surprise anyone—is the amount of code in a given module. The more code, the greater the odds of a bug. This seems kind of obvious: If all code has bugs, the more code in a module the more likely it will have bugs. However, as unremarkable as this correlation is, it testifies powerfully to the benefit of small, discrete methods, which is a keystone of object-oriented programming.

This from “Debugging Cyclomatic Complexity” over at SD Times.  I occasionally get feedback in re: my preference for small methods and small objects, so I always like stumbling across things like this.

And about that cyclomatic complexity — this article argues that it’s near useless as a predictor of software defects.  On the bright side, it still sounds really cool.

• things to do at 2a when the critter is being a screaming little burrito: watch the x-files on tnt. awwwwesome. #
• ooh and its where AD Skinner "kills" a prostitute. the madam: "you’d be surprised who some of my clients are." the truth is out there aka NY #
• chills already. i miss TV that gave me chills every time i watched it. idol is good but not the same. #
• @ColonelTribune so are you the social media experiment run by the Trib? awesome winning the suntimes Wrigley naming contest BTW. very funny. #

My vacation ends today.

This is not a bad thing–I’m ready.  Part of the way I know I’ve had a good vacation is that I’m ready to go back.  I’ve talked with a couple of people — my boss, the CEO, my biggest customer — but other than that I’ve tried to be pretty disconnected.  Everyone has been great about giving me the space to really get away.

Make no mistake: I ***LOVE*** hanging with The Critter, but I’m also eager to get back into the game.  There has been so much going on.

What changes in two weeks?  It’s funny, because I think there are a fair number of companies out there that can honestly say, “Not much.”  But I know that’s not true for us–everything moves so fast!

For example:

• we’ve added at least three new people with (hopefully) two more (at least) on shortly after I get back.
• One has moved on.
• I’ve seen a few really interesting projects close (we get emails).

I’m sure there’s more that I don’t know.  I’m always amazed at how much is happening!
And a customer with a critical project shot this email over last night:

In your work for us, you have all demonstrated intelligence, creativity, competence, commitment and responsiveness.  It’s a pleasure to work with all of you.

How great is that?  Makes it easy to go back.

See you Monday.

• vacuumed the living room. Yaaaaawwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnn. Yes, I can hear your tears of boredom all the way over here. #
• Hitting costco in the burbs. Mmmmm. Sample meats… So hard to resist! #

• my wife is napping. i should be napping. instead i’ve been trying out the new espresso machine. it makes me less interested in napping. #
• i love watching the drones at the front of the stage on American Idol. some look bored, others, completely programmed. why do they bother? #
• hey! i was asleep at 2a yesterday. awesome!!! #
• In the judge not dept: at pediatricians office. Mother is feeding 2 yo ruffles and pepsi. Nice. #
• @scootergirl lol yeah but enough about this what’s the new car? #

ok the critter has just screamed for about an hour an a half. he pooped a little. i changed him, during which he peed not quite all over the whole nursery. all while screaming.

i changed him again and while still screaming executed the finest non-comic book SPLORP!!!! you have ever heard.  talk about a dirty diaper!
i changed him again. now he’s asleep, a little angel.

ah, fatherhood.

So I know a guy who always has The Hook Up.  Example?  Cheap parking downtown.  Quality meats.

I’m always skeptical of hook ups like that but when he said he knows a guy that knows a guy who travels around the world taking measurements and then making custom clothes in Hong Kong, I figured I’d give it a shot.

We met in a hotel on the south side.  There were a few other people there (all people I knew).  I picked out fabrics and was measured head to toe.  It’s about a month later and my first suit arrived.  That’s it in the picture.  Pretty sweet.

And while I’m mentioning the picture, I should point out that it was taken last night, 1AM, by the Lovely J who was simultaneously feeding The Critter.  So no judgments, OK?
And speaking of multi-tasking, blogging while holding him is also a bit difficult, but that’s another story.

Where was I?  Oh yeah: the suit.  It comes with two pair of pants and a monogrammed jacket.  Lots of great features.  Hidden pocket in the waistband. Reinforced rear side of the bottom of the pant leg near the cuff.

Pretty cool.  A totally worthwhile hookup.

• up w/ the little man who has the hiccups. a little funny, a little pathetic. may be some poop in there too. hey — i can tweet one handed! #
• this might be the first time in my life that I have been awake at 2a 7 consecutive days. hiccups are gone. not mine. his. #
• @scootergirl yeah you’d think but I was a collegiate (if not always collegial) tee totallin’ fool. so many opportunities missed. #
• @underwhelmed FWIW and IMHO you should toss the cover letters. You might enjoy: http://tinyurl.com/2fyrrw, the 30 second resume review. #
• @marsha nice to meet you and look forward to your tweets! #

Yeah I’m just about sick of hearing about SXSW (mostly because I’m not there and my drinking days [such as they were] are now largely behind me) but the geniuses over at PassiveAggressiveNotes.com have some brilliant pictures that you should really take a moment to read.  Esp the first one.  Nice.

• Watching Oprah. Probably time for me to catch up on all the work email I’ve missed. You know, before I get sucked into The View. #
• @ScooterGirl LOL yeah if this whole Internet thing can’t get a federal bailout ala scamming mortgage brokers, it’s The View for me. #
• @ScooterGirl OH and The Critter is awesome. New pic in a CUTE froggy towel over on zee blog. #

In which I bitch and moan for a minute and then ask a question at the end.  Love to know what you think.

I’ve been sucked into the Oprahverse a little bit.  Maybe you have, too.  Her “Oprah’s Big Give” was number one in her time slot, so I can’t be the only one watching it.

Last night’s episode was about two public schools in Texas that serve primarily disadvantaged populations.  The one that really got me was the school that Andrew Agassi was supporting.  Per his speech, “…they don’t have computers, they don’t have books…”

Wait a minute.  “They don’t have books”???? How do you have a school without books?   Isn’t that basically not a school?  That ought to be a crime.

So I’m trying to take a step back think about what Oprah is up to.

It used to be, back in the day, that we Americans looked at situations like this and said, hmmmm, let’s throw little public funding at it and see what we can do.  Now raising a measly $500k (which will no doubt be pretty useful to the school) is up to celebrities and corporations. The rest of us have stepped back and said screw it.

So here’s my question.  Is Oprah attempting to highlight issues that we should all care about and push us (kicking and screaming) into a giving mindset?  Or is she further conditioning us that if a cause is really worthwhile some celebrity will tell us?  

IMHO, it is that some celebrity will guide us to the right charitable choices.  Why do I think that?  That’s where her money comes from.  Without Simon Cowell or Andre Agassi or Tony Hawk (interestingly, his banner was “Tony Hawk’s The Big Give” and not Oprah’s–that was a trick) or Celebrity X, she doesn’t have a show and without her show she doesn’t have much (except the occasional appearance on South Park by her VaJayJay).

I would LOVE IT if she was more the former — encouraging a giving mindset, an attitude of plenty, contribution to common good without resentment.  But I’m skeptical.

And I suddenly want to go buy a Ford.

Froggy, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

I have never been so obsessed with poop.

This is saying something. You probably know that I have two dogs and I am at least as obsessed with their production as any other dog owner. Moreover, sometime in my past, a friend bought me Everybody Poops as a birthday gift (thanks, Aunt L).

But all that is near meaningless as I watch The Critter’s output turn from black to green to yellow, hoping that he’s getting enough to eat, that his liver kicks in and that the bilirubin induced jaundice goes away. (BTW, the answer to all those hopes has been a resounding “yes”.)

And that’s just one of my new obsessions. I’ve been working on laundry (Dreft, anyone?), burping, changing diapers (and avoiding the odd arc of urine), soothing (special thanks here to Crazy Aunt T, Certified Evil Genius in the baby soothing department), washing, keeping warm, dressing, swaddling, etc etc etc.

In short, it has been a pretty darn cool week.

A quick side note: to all the guys I know who have kids: sorry I wasn’t more excited for you when you started your adventure. I didn’t get it. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now. That’s JDA, BS, Nufftin, and Dr. Dean to name just a few. I’m sure it was just as obvious to you then as when I look at my big brother today. (Full disclosure on the BB: when this kid turns like 4, I’m betting the uncle instincts will totally kick in.)

But on to the important part: thanking people for all their help.

Thanks to my parents and BB for catching a flight THAT DAY and being the first non-parent to meet him.

Thanks to the FIL, BIL (who has promised to someday explain the “MVP” t-shirt — apparently it’s some sports thing) & SIL for being so supportive the day of, even though you didn’t get to meet him until the next day.

Special thanks to the team at Rush that took such good care of The Critter, The Lovely J and me. You guys are awesome. And to Auntie Denise–thanks for going the extra mile for us when it counted. If you’re having a baby, look at Rush–the TV’s aren’t as nice as NWH’s but every person we met there was solid gold. Even if you don’t deliver there, you should still take Auntie Denise’s childbirth prep class. Totally worth it.

And a huge thanks to Grandma P who has been with us since Wednesday. You’re awesome. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself these last few days. It has made a huge difference to us.

The Lovely J and I have received so many kind words and well-wishes — thanks to everyone. It’s great to know that The Critter is coming into such a large extended family.

• @popejephei Ah. That sounds both unfortunate and irritating. Good luck at the pulpit tomorrow. #
• @popejephei actually, at some point, I do plan on doing a "parenthood day x". Key phrase: at some point. When I can focus. For 20 minutes. #

• @Marketing_Queen Thanks! We’ve been trying that and a couple of other holds. We should have it figured out by the time he’s 18 or so. #
• Taking a break from The Critter to catch up on some Amazon.com, REI and other consumption requirements. #
• Babies should come with environmental impact statements. Something more detailed than "you’ll be tired." eg, typical carbon footprint. #
• Homemade pizza - the store, not the pizza you make at home - is incredibly busy tonight. Hmmmm. I’m kind of reaching for non baby tweets. #
• @popejephei dude seriously what are you doing? It’s like I’m tweeting to myself over here. #

• trying to figure out the right way to burp a baby. yeah, if you’re doing the math, this is for the fabled 2a feeding. #

• Night Ranger’s ‘Sister Christian’? I can name that tune in 9 notes. #

• So The Critter arrived last night. Just about 25 hours ago. (No twit, I know. Sorry.) It has been one busy day. Can’t wait for more. #
• @dschach yeah sorry for going all radio silent. It was on orders from @jernst. #
• @scootergirl thanks for the congrats — I appreciate it. #
• @dschach thanks for thinking man — we’re well stocked. and adding to those stocks from what the hospital leaves in the room. mwa ha ha ha #
• @ScooterGirl I’m betting Rock Star-Professor-Physicist–sort of a Buckaroo Bonzai for our times. I know-we already have one. Whatever. #
• @jernst thanks man. saw the note on macs. awesome. #
• Up with the critter. Which is something I could have added last hour and probably something that I’ll say next hour. #
• @scootergirl The Boss says he has to be sfdc level 2 certified first. Working on it but his typing is just aweful. Keyboards are too big. #

The Critter, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

Here he is — 7lbs, 7ozs and oh-so-happy to be on the scales. Everyone is happy & healthy. For those of you with an interest in such things: yes, all the plumbing seems to be working.

So freakin’ awesome!!!

• Everyone alerted, epidural firmly in place, heart rate strong. Now it’s just a waiting game. #
• @scootergirl - I asked for one but they advised against it. Said it would be harder for me to run from my responsibilities. #
• Enjoying some calm b4 the storm. Lights dim, father in law snoozing, lovely J contracting in relative peace. Fetal heart monitor music 2 … #

• @dschach forgot all about the time change until reading your tweet. my mac didn’t. i’ll bet win will tell me a few times it didn’t either. #
• @jernst lol were they wearing plain shirts and red jackets? Ohio is in the house! (Yeah-this from the Idahoan.) Did they make it back out? #
• It always freaks me out when someone asks me if they should mail or fax a quote and then looks @ me blankly when I ask if they can email it. #
• The bright side of spring forward: without it, we would be going out for dinner at 4pm. #
• @popejephei if you could just teach her to talk — think of the money you’d save on therapy! #

• The quick solution to modern family meal solutions? "Lavender Helper". The goodness of lavender, the convenience of your microwave! #

• @popejephei PHEW! case of missing fictional vessel: solved! Next up: find my ability to suspend my disbelief in said fictional vessel. #
• @ScooterGirl OK so I’ve been considering: I’ll up my $5.75 offer to $5.95 PROVIDED THAT I have full license to print souvenir bandanas. OK? #
• @ScooterGirl probably not. it wouldn’t make the bandanas sell any faster. Probably have the opposite effect. Ohhh "richard hatch field"? #
• Eavesdropping on a fellow train rider’s call, about "a brand new community", makes me think that "community" is substantially over used. #
• favorite turn of phase from this mornings sampling o’ the net: "precarious mole". Mmmmmmmm. http://shannoncunningham.vox.com/ #
• OK i have to go to Schaumburg which means that I will either drop out of the twitterverse almost altogether or be tweeting like a mutha. #
• @popejephei lol so I was askin some people hey does you u follow za pope and they says no and so I says oh yeah? you’re missin 1/2 the fun. #
• Friday afternoon // a fine sunny winter day // warm conference room #

• @popejephei ?? why is it socially acceptable to apply makeup in public but not anti-fungal cream? (In re non-personal AM train expernce) thx #
• @popejephei hahahahahahaha that’s why southwest keep kicking you off #
• @ScooterGirl I’m in for $5. But I’ll want to add "now in Carlberg-O-Vision" to the end of it. #
• @ScooterGirl $5.75 and not a penny more. i have standards. #
• @scootergirl I’m in for $5. But I’ll want to add "carlberg-o-vision" to the end of it. #

The Roycrofters - The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

There are plenty of advertisements about Fox’s new breakout hit New Amsterdam.

Is it a breakout hit? Who knows. But it’s mildly amusing. Why? Well, in a scene in tonight’s post Idol show he’s in bed with his 1941 lover reading — you guessed it — The Rubaiyat. The leather was a different color, but boy did it look like this one I received as a gift my my grandmother. Sp much I had to go out look.

A little research shows me that mine is a McKenna #173. The one from the show is the red one smack dab in the middle of the picture on this page.

And there’s even a site called Rubaiyatica. Who’d a thunk it?

The show, overall, will probably be predictably predictable. We’ll have flashbacks, odd coincidences, great crime solving.

Quirkiness.

Anyway, I don’t remember reading it, so I should probably do that. Right after I finish Hood Rat.

So the Swiss bank dropped its suit against Wikileaks.  You know the suit, the one they brought because of the documents that were posted that proved the Swiss bank in the Cayman Island was helping customer evade taxes.

WHAT?  GASP!  Gimme a break.

Is it just me, or is the whole point of a Cayman Island based bank of any kind, and of a Swiss bank in particular, tax evasion?  Call it whatever you want–wealth preservation–but that’s what it’s for.

Tax evasion.

That would be like me suing someone for suggesting I was–on occasion–a little sarcastic.

Oh: and here’s one about KBR avoiding taxes.  Where?  Cayman Islands.

**AnonymousPoliticalScientist is someone who’s email was forwarded to me by a friend.  In an email to a prominent publication, he produced what is in my opinion a very depressing (and possibly accurate) analysis of the current presidential race.  (It’s not my letter to post, so I’ll leave that to someone else and link if I find it.)  He had a particular bias against Obama.  This was my response.

Here’s our current presidential menu: McCain, Clinton or Obama.  That’s it.  Nader isn’t going to get elected.  And we have a winner take all system.  So, given that, if AnonymousPolicalScientist** is right, where do we go?

Let’s assume no one can beat a republican.  Let’s vote for the worst/only republican in an attempt to bring the country to the point of complete and total failure.  Everyone loses.  (Almost.  A very small percentage will continue to benefit.)  That’s pretty cynical but if we’re convinced that we’re American Idol and VoteForTheWorst.com is our last best hope, that’s what we do.

I voted for Sanjaya.  I do not want to vote for McCain.

Let’s assume, contrary to the experts [including AnonymousPoliticalScientist], Hillary eeks out the smallest of victories.  Will that give her enough strength to effect any significant change that benefits the vast majority of citizens?  Or will she have only a very small amount of clout, just enough to implement improvements that benefit a small number of citizens?  If that’s the case, what one thing will she pick?  Will enough of us benefit to make it worth it?  I’m betting it will be gridlock.

We need some way to change the political dialog in the country.  You and I — we are the country and the government is up to us.  Everyone I’ve talked to is pretty convinced that we’re not where we want to be.  So let’s try something a little different.

One of the great things about an inexperienced candidate — call him vacuous, call him opportunistic  — is that he’s at least a little less encumbered by the known.  So they haven’t released any dogs.  They will against anyone.  Shame on us if we sit here afraid of what they might say.  Maybe we citizens are ready to fight back against such a pessimistic political system.

Optimistic thinking, I know, but why not?  Aren’t we ready to ignore the crazies?

In the best case, he earns a little more political clout during the election than Hillary and can do one or two interesting things.

Worst case, he loses or wins and then totally screws up, and we’re where we are with the other two candidates.

Which is fine.

Obama is the only candidate who provides some uncertainty about how he’ll behave in office.  That at least leaves the opportunity for improvement.  Neither of the other candidates offers that.

If HRC ends up as the candidate, I’ll vote for her only because I can’t stomach McCain.  But I’d rather have her as a senator from NY supporting an opportunistically optimistic chief executive.

Jason pointed me over to whateverland.com this am.  These are great pictures!  Here’s the Flickr feed.

37 Signals is a local media/programming darling who pops on (and off) my radar on a semi regular basis.  I attended their Getting Real seminar a couple of years back and overall think they have some interesting things to say.

Note the emphasis on “some”. Note that I am not among the 85,000 bajillion subscribers to their blog.  Enough said

Anyway, so how did I come across them, twice, in two days?

I ran across their Workplace Experiments post (and had it emailed and found it skyrocketing up Reddit).  It’s interesting, more as a reminder of Good Things To Do than Raw Innovation.

And then I ran across Coding Horror’s Douchebaggery, a reaction to something 37signal’s David HH’s wrote about programmers who don’t use macs (short version: they’re idiots).  “Douchebaggery” is way more true than Workplace Experiments.  And funnier.  At 5:45a, I appreciate funny.

Oh, and for the record: I have PCs and Macs.  I sometimes program on one, sometimes on the other.

PS If you bothered to hit their website, you’d see a quote that appeared in Time — “One of the Net’s rising stars”.  Is it just me, or is displaying a quote from fucking Time magazine on your front page pretty fucking lame if you are in fact a rising star?  It is?  I thought so.  Thank you.

• Waiting for Thai food. Two old guys are hitting on the (very) young Thai waitress. It isn’t pretty. #
• @popejephei lol probably not #
• the wife on Danny Noriega’s Idolrific "Tainted Love": "Soft Cell has never sounded so gay." …and that’s saying something! #
• @jernst it cracks me up to see you tweeting about going to bed just a couple of hours before I get up. #
• I truly dislike spring forward weekend. All of a sudden its dark again in the morning. Feels like the return of winter. #
• This whole phase of wanting to brand everything–particularly with the north face logo–is really just an unfortunate time for us humans. #

Dungeon’s & Dragons, originally uploaded by ReidCarlberg.

I started playing in the fifth grade, when I moved to Idaho Falls. Got out of it for a while after I moved to Rochester, started again at Kenyon. My first non-trivial computer program? AD&D Character generator. On a printer terminal connected to a DEC PDP 1170 at Eagle Rock. AD&D touched my life in many ways. Thank you, Gary Gygax.