April 15, 2003
Mr. Ebert knows more than movies
This interview took place on Progressive Radio, March 30, 2003. Roger Ebert lays down his opinion on Michael Moore's Oscar speech, the role of religion in the Whitehouse, the Conservative understanding of the First Amendment and the mportance of a civic minded population, particularly in times of upheveal. Good stuff.
February 27, 2003
Big Babies - More on SUVs
I heard Ted Rall's new opinion piece on WAMC this afternoon.
"Opponents call SUVs wasteful, polluting and dangerous to other drivers. Because these fuel-inefficient leviathans now comprise a quarter of new car sales, and big models like the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Suburban only get 12 miles per gallon, all of the air-quality improvements made during the `70s and `80s have been erased. "But a car's miles-per-gallon rating is only one measure of fuel efficiency," argues Hochswender. "Miles driven is another. People who drive light trucks quickly learn not to drive around aimlessly." He's wrong. There's zero evidence that SUV drivers drive fewer miles than other motorists. And even if some have trained themselves to eliminate frivolous miles, then driving a more efficient vehicle those lesser lengths is an opportunity for further improvement. Consider this startling fact: the SUV is the only reason the United States has been unable to comply with the Kyoto Accord on air pollution.
Even more irritating to non-SUV drivers is the sense of being pushed around--and off--the roads by 9,000-pound gorillas. No one needs the results of a formal "crash compatibility" test to tell them that their Toyota Corolla will fair poorly in a close encounter with a Ford Expedition. The fact is you're more than twice as likely to die in a crash with an SUV than with another sedan. "Four-wheel-drive vehicles allow workers to get to and from their jobs, and parents to transport their children safely to school, sporting events, ballet classes and the rest," defends Hochswender. But every SUV added to the traffic on the road decreases the likelihood of someone else's kids arriving alive at school or ballet class. It's basic physics, the law of conservation of momentum to be exact. SUV drivers increase their own security at the expense of other drivers."
February 23, 2003
Volker is Clever
A random IM from Volker "you-may-know-a-thing-or-two"...
(17:16:48) Volker (1E): if i ever have a computer network i'm calling the machines: yelp, eek, buh, whoah, huh, bfff, meh, ladida, ugh, grr, shh, woohoo, doh
February 04, 2003
January 30, 2003
"Proper"-ganda
Some clever and timely reworkings of classic war time propaganda by Micah Wright.
January 29, 2003
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 05, 2003
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!
August 29, 2002
A New England Morning
I'll need to make a pot of coffee this morning to start today feeling right. Another late night working in the Haus server room here led to less sleep than I like. It is cold and rainy outside, and an indifferent gray sky lies unchanging overhead. This is ocean weather. I remarked yesterday at how easy it was to smell the ocean air even here in JP. Usually I can only smell Yely's cooking chicken.
I like days like this. I grew up in Syracuse, afterall. Large portions of my life were lived under an unchanging bank of gray clouds for weeks, even months at a time. It's a good day to call in sick, and snuggle further into bed.
I wonder what it's like on the coast of Maine right now. My family used to visit Maine every summer for a few weeks. I remember sitting out this weather along the rocky shore of Schoodic Point breathing in the heady scent of sea air and pine that only Maine can elicit. The rain a subtle mist that never quite soaks but a dampness that seeps to the bones. Undoubtedly, part of what I was looking for when I moved East. You might argue I didn't go Down East enough.