January 30, 2003
"Proper"-ganda
Some clever and timely reworkings of classic war time propaganda by Micah Wright.
January 29, 2003
How to Deal with a Cease and Desist
The Chilling Effects Clearinghouse "aims to help you understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws give to your online activities."
Paper Cut Coke
I got another nasty paper cut today from opening one of Coke's 12-pack cardboard boxes. The packaging is designed by the Mead corporation (the same company that brought you all of your school based paper cuts). The paperboard is flimsy enough that the cans barely stay secure in the box. While flimsy, the weight of the paperboard is just right to present a razor sharp edge. If you are not exceedingly careful in how you handle the box when opening, you get sliced.
I called customer service and talked to Steve who is filling a report. Hurray.
One cut I might overlook, but two is getting silly. Beware the Box!
January 28, 2003
WoMD
I had a enjoyable and interesting conversation with Molly and Steph last night. In reviewing the state of world affairs and our upcoming war, Molly brought up a good question: "What are weapons of mass destruction?"
Curious, I did a little research.
First off, in thinking about our American fascination with war and violence, go see Michael Moore's Bowling for Coumbine (still playing at many fine theaters).
The movie's site also has a good list of links around the new war movement.
On the topic of Weapons of Mass Destruction there is a convenient table listing the countries that posses such weapons.
Here is a decent description of what Weapons of Mass Destruction are in the case of Iraq.
Here is the CIA report on same.
And the other side of the fence, an Interview With Dr. Helen Caldicott, Founder of Physicians For Social Responsibility. This ties in nicely with one of the key points of Bowling for Columbine--Who makes money off of war?
TP.c: In addition to companies like Lockheed-Martin, there are many other well-known companies like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, TRW… What is this class of American companies? What are these industries?Caldicott: Well, they’re industries making weapons to kill people. I’ve
got a friend who’s an admiral and he said, "Helen, our mission is to
destroy property and kill people." These weapons are to kill people and
destroy property. It’s legalized murder. And what they’re doing also is
they’re stealing the Americans' tax dollars. They’re the new robber
barons. They’re spending nearly half-a-trillion dollars a year on
weapons. If you spent $1,000 a minute since Jesus was born, you would
have just got to a trillion dollars. Half-a-trillion dollars on death --
when America is one of the only countries in the West that has no free
medical care system?
blog Etiquette
Is it still considered bad form to link content served from other folks websites? It used to be "bandwidth stealing" and generally bad form to link content served from another's site. Partcularly this was the case with images.
I am curious to know if this former faux pas has been retracted, given the rise of blogs and the generally accepted interwoven nature of the Web. Posted by at 02:24 PM | Comments (13)
January 13, 2003
tmo's Bane
Preparing for the LSAT is my closest understanding to doing battle with a Balrog. In proper LOTR fashion I fear I have fallen into a bottomless pit of Logical Reasoning and Analytic Torture, the phrase "You shall not pass!" echoing as I fall. I feel certain that I will emerge from my test slightly dazed, wearing white, and claiming "I have passed through fire and deep water, since we parted. I have forgotten much that I thought I knew, and learned again much that I had forgotten."
I've been a real pain in the ass, too. Molly and I spoke in some detail on Friday night. We were both feeling the pressure of this endeavor. I must devote myself to studying and accomplishing some degree of preparation. I've made a commitment and I intend to succeed. This is difficult as I am also committed to Molly and our relationship is more important that any test (standardized or otherwise). She has been great throughout all of this, really supportive.
Molly, you are fantastic. Your support is seeing me through this. Thank you.
I must appologize to my housemates, Peet and Dave. If I'm not studying, I am with Molly. If I am not with Molly or studying, I am eating or sleeping. Either way, I am saying very little and contributing little to the living arrangment. Sorry guys. Hang in there.
The good news is I am easing into the notion of "Process over Performance." After a poor practice test and a weak timed practice session, I have found that my timing is ok (~84 seconds/question on average) for the LR sections of the test. It's my approach to the question types that sucked. I was getting caught up in the details. Imagine that--me caught up in details ;-)
So I reviewed what I was missing. The moderate to very difficult assumption and inference questions were knocking my scores down. I was only getting about 50% correct on the LR practice tests (under timed conditions). After some sold work to round out the weekend, I am pleased to see that I am getting better at these question types. I still have some problems with the Assumption questions, but I nailed the Inference practice questions (only 3 wrong out of 52!)
I'm pleased. I'm tired. I'm blogging instead of sleeping.
Gettin' There...
January 10, 2003
History of Civilization
I enjoy Graffiti art. The Syracuse Grafcore artists opened my eyes to a new expression of urban living. I still wish I had taken some pictures of their work on the water towers above campus. Great stuff.
JBA sent this link to Banksy's collection. Banksy is a tagger/bomber/graffiti artist in the UK. His work is right on. Never underestimate the power of public expression. Check out his History of Civilization.
January 09, 2003
Telemarketer "No-Call" List
Molly sent me the following link. Starting this spring, those of us in MA may start receiving less marketing harassment via the phone.
January 05, 2003
Two Tests, Plus 3
Studying for the LSAT continues in earnest. I have a stack of flash cards that I made to review keywords. I think the last set of flash cards I had was in middle school. I've now taken two practice LSATs--one last Wednesday and one Saturday morning. My scores were 147 & 150, respectively. Respectively is an LSAT keyword.
My scores are respectable, I think, for my first efforts. The timing on this test is a bear. You really have to watch the clock and stay focused. Logic games are killing me. My answer sheet gets sparse on this section. I felt confident about my efforts, particularly in the Analytical Reading sections. Still, I am often letting my own biases filter into my thoughts when working under pressure, and I make some assumptions that taint my decision processes (about half the time, from my scores ;-). Practice and patience, I guess. I picked up the Official LSAT 10 practice test booklet this weekend, as well as a study guide for preparing in a month. I'm excited, nervous, and getting better.
Molly has been great in scoring my tests and encouraging me as I go. I look forward to a successful test and a nice party the evening of the 8th for me, for Steph's birthday, and for Molly's going-away celebration.
Something to work for.
167, here I come.
Bye Bye Bicycle
Went down into our basement today and discovered that my bike is no longer in my possesion. Someone has liberated me of my the Trek 7000 I used to ride with glee through the streets of Boston. From the looks of it, they also took Taus's guitar case (sans guitar, which was safely tucked away in our apartment).
Near as we can figure, the thief visited sometime in the last 2 weeks. I am upset to be without my bike and I feel that seed of insecurity toward my surroundings has been planted. I'd like the bike back, but I will gladly settle for knowing that I won't feel I have to be on guard against any further burglary.
I did the requisite filing of a police report. The cop who visited barely seemed interested. I guess this kind of thing happens too often for people to really care about. It is always different when it happens to you. I also notified my neighbors and learned that things have a tendancy to wander out of our basement. Pissah.
The lesson: Always lock your bike!