In no particular order --
I tried to find a zipfile utility that preserves long file names (longer than the DOS standard 8.3), but nope. At least, not yet. PKWARE doesn't seem to sell one (maybe; I haven't tried their current PKWARE for DOS yet). The windows version surely doesn't.
I'm reading Tony Hillerman's The Sinister Pig in between other things. Not bad. Then again, Hillerman's stuff is usually good.
I dropped a line to Jack McDevitt to tell him that I was taking a long time to read Polaris, but that it wasn't because I was not enjoying the book, but because I'm enjoying it so much. I'm dipping into it from time to time, just enjoying the world he's created there. ( Okay, its a little tough to remember all the names and characters, since I'm not reading consistantly, but this is a truly fun book to read.) I told him it reads like a book about real people who just happen to live in a world that, in our terms, is magical, complete with aircars, AIs in your house and car, and semi-sentient holograms. He thanked me for my praise, and said that by coincidence he happens to be working on a sequel (I think that Polaris, itself, is a kind of sequel), and he was having some problems with the characters. So my timing was pretty good.
I wonder if laptops will ever have pop-up holographic displays? I wonder if AIs will ever really work?
Bus Ads leave me cold, as a rule. But I really like this one... so long as I never have to explain it to my daughter.
Dropped a line to a woman I don't know about her appearance in a recurring article in the Washington Post called DateLab wherein they hook up two people who sound compatible. I told her I was impressed by what I read of her -- that she sounded smart and interesting, and she didn't slime the guy after she decided they didn't have all that much in common. I don't read that article all that much, but it seems that that kind of behavior is fairly common, and she didn't. I liked that. She's a marketing manager for a law firm, so I asked her, in my reply to her reply, what that means. Hope she doesn't think I'm trying to pick her up.
Pando looks interesting.
I was surprised by some of the responses to my Islamic London and followon post. I think this is why I stay away from that kind of thing except in very small groups. I'm not good with confrontations. I much prefer quiet conversation. Plus, most everyone else seems to know more/have firmer opinions than me.
The chocolate cupcakes came out well. I didn't make the ganache, but I might, tomorrow. My wife's planning on making a kind of bread (one of those lives-forever starters that I've heard described as the baking equivalent of chain letters). She made it once before, and we (for which read: them, too, but mostly me) really liked it.
I like the new spell checker in Blogger, but it ought to be possible to teach it words -- like Ganache.
Went to the local township's Jubilee Day festival, which is TONS of people in a small space. Its not my idea of fun (then again, my idea of fun usually involves at most five or six people), but its not bad. And it beats the big city's idea, something they call Kipona, which is the same kind of thing, but way more people, and its even harder to find parking.
Warm out tonight. I think we'll be running the AC on industrial high.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Plans
I'm working on the assumption that if I don't hear from either of the two companies I applied to by the end of next week, they're probably not planning on offering me a job. That'll be a little unfortunate, but nothing outrageously bad. For one thing, we have a plan that will slice about five percent off our normal expenses; for another, we have decided that if my wife loses her job (not expected, but when is it ever?) in the next four years, we'll initiate my retirement benefits from the first company I worked for, which will give us a good cushion toward meeting routine expenses. To be honest, I'd rather not -- the plan is to leave that money accumulating interest for about the next four years, rather than being drawn down. But you do what you have to....
...and also what you want to. I'm going to do some baking tomorrow. (I can start looking at recipes again!) I've been wanting to do some for the last two weeks, but it hasn't worked out. Tomorrow, though, will be different. Nothing major -- a chocolate cupcake recipe that sounds good, and possibly a marinara sauce recipe that was pointed out by Kelli of the African Kelli web site. I tried making a marinara sauce several years ago, but we thought it was both a lot of work and more than a little bland, but since I have the time, I'm willing to give it a try.
These are the recipes. I guess I should note that I'm just making the cupcake, but not the other parts. Well, maybe the ganache...
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ¼ cups lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 heaping TBSP cocoa powder
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (To make two cups of cake flour, combine 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup cornstarch)
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease cupcake pans and set aside.
2. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl often , until well blended, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the cocoa powder. Mix until combined.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, on at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing well after each addition.
5. Continue to beat for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer, add the melted chocolate, and mix well.
6. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add about ½ the ingredients followed by about ½ of the sour cream and beat well. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining sour cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.
7. Add the boiling water and beat until smooth.
8. Scoop (ice cream scoop works best) batter into prepared pans.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.
10. Let cool for about 10 minutes and remove from pan. Let cupcakes cool completely.
Peanut Butter Filling
4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk to thin out filling
1. Beat cream cheese and peanut butter until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Add the milk and beat until combined. Add more milk until your reach desired consistency.
Chocolate Ganache
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1. Chop chocolates and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
3. Add butter and vanilla and stir until combined.
4. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixture and let cool for 10 minutes.
5. Sift powdered sugar into the mixture and beat until combined. Add more sugar if needed.
6. Continue to beat with an electric mixer until lighter in color and creamy.
Assemble
1. Using a small paring knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of peanut butter filling. I used a piping bag, this makes it much easier.
3. Replace top.
4. Frost with ganache.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Quick Marinara Sauce
From Food Network Kitchens
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled, tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with about half of their juices (discarding the rest), the herb sprigs and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes or until thickened.
Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Serve or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
And those are the plans for the moment.
...and also what you want to. I'm going to do some baking tomorrow. (I can start looking at recipes again!) I've been wanting to do some for the last two weeks, but it hasn't worked out. Tomorrow, though, will be different. Nothing major -- a chocolate cupcake recipe that sounds good, and possibly a marinara sauce recipe that was pointed out by Kelli of the African Kelli web site. I tried making a marinara sauce several years ago, but we thought it was both a lot of work and more than a little bland, but since I have the time, I'm willing to give it a try.
These are the recipes. I guess I should note that I'm just making the cupcake, but not the other parts. Well, maybe the ganache...
Chocolate Cupcakes With Peanut Butter Filling
From Caprial’s Desserts by Caprial Pence and Melissa Carey
From Caprial’s Desserts by Caprial Pence and Melissa Carey
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ¼ cups lightly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 heaping TBSP cocoa powder
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (To make two cups of cake flour, combine 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup cornstarch)
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease cupcake pans and set aside.
2. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl often , until well blended, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the cocoa powder. Mix until combined.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, on at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing well after each addition.
5. Continue to beat for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer, add the melted chocolate, and mix well.
6. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add about ½ the ingredients followed by about ½ of the sour cream and beat well. Add the remaining dry ingredients followed by the remaining sour cream, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.
7. Add the boiling water and beat until smooth.
8. Scoop (ice cream scoop works best) batter into prepared pans.
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.
10. Let cool for about 10 minutes and remove from pan. Let cupcakes cool completely.
Peanut Butter Filling
4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk to thin out filling
1. Beat cream cheese and peanut butter until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Add the milk and beat until combined. Add more milk until your reach desired consistency.
Chocolate Ganache
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1. Chop chocolates and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
3. Add butter and vanilla and stir until combined.
4. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixture and let cool for 10 minutes.
5. Sift powdered sugar into the mixture and beat until combined. Add more sugar if needed.
6. Continue to beat with an electric mixer until lighter in color and creamy.
Assemble
1. Using a small paring knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of peanut butter filling. I used a piping bag, this makes it much easier.
3. Replace top.
4. Frost with ganache.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Quick Marinara Sauce
From Food Network Kitchens
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled, tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with about half of their juices (discarding the rest), the herb sprigs and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes or until thickened.
Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Serve or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
And those are the plans for the moment.
Response to Narie
This is in response to your comments about my 'Islamic London' post.
I sometimes think that we were incredibly lucky in the people who founded this country. We idealize them as brave and forthright, and they were that, but they were also people with the sort of problems, bouts of short-sightedness, and pet peeves that we have now -- yet somehow they came up with this compact that has survived two centuries. The mortar is getting chipped away every day by George Bush and his crew of merry men, and has been whenever powerful politicians have found the Constitution too restrictive, yet the structure still stands. Thats pretty impressive. I don't have great insights into where that strength comes from but I suspect that it's a mixture of the personal values of the people who drafted it and those problems that they had to address in the document. They wanted it to reflect their ideals and principles; they had to have it reflect their political problems. I think that they created a political document that incorporated religious values without incorporating the religion itself. Not to say that those values only exist in religion, but they do exist there. The idea of fairness, of justice, of equality are part of all religions. Christianity has it. Islam has it. I suspect all do.
So, unfortunately, is the track record of violence, of 'kill them all, let (insert supreme deity name here) sort them out'. I used to think that Christianity was more tolerant and refined (though I wouldn't have chosen those words) than the others , but after seeing Falwell and his crew, I realized that Christian fanatics can be as bad in their own way as the Taliban. I say 'in their own way' because they haven't taken over a political entity and started putting a theocratic structure in place, but if they did, would anyone be all that surprised? So when I see people slamming Islam, I think 'its not just them'. I admit, sometimes that's hard for me to believe at a visceral level, because, after all, what can I think about a religion when the fanatics of that religion have brought so much hate and death to the world? But I think that I've got that backward. I think that these fanatics would be fanatics if they were Muslim, Catholic, or Zen Buddhist -- they've just gravitated to a structure, and gone wild with it. (As an analogy: the people who stole my yard sign in the last election were fanatics for the other side's political party. That doesn't mean that political parties are wrong, or that that side's party is inherently fanatical. It simply means that they're got fanatics. So does my side. Neither is defensible. )
I think that if you took any religion, and lopped off the outlying standard deviations so as to eliminate the fanatics, you’d find the core values quite similar. And I think that you can subscribe to those core values without being religious at all. Religion provides a framework, but its not the only valid structure.
Is there something about Islam that makes fanaticism more likely with Islam than with other religions? Put a different way, why are the fanatics who blow things up all from that religion? Well, I don't think its Islam, per se. I haven't done a lot of reading, but the impression I get is that Islam does NOT condone or encourage the actions that are being done in its name. My guess is that the parts of the world where Islam holds sway (and its a LOT of the world) have had a lot of problems in the last hundred years, if not more, and those problems are whats driving this activity. Part of that is that they're so damn poor in so many places. They see the wealthy parts of the world, things they didn't see before mass communications became so easy, and they think 'Why not us?' They're ripe for believing that someone is keeping them down. Part of that is that the Arab culture was magnificent for so long. It still is impressive, but it's ceased being the dominant force, and they want it back. And those two concepts overlap – see, for example, the article in Discover recently wherein an Arab scholar, defending science in an Islamic country, says that its of course the fault of the west that his country is not dominant. But whereas most (I hope) are trying to regain that dominance through what we'd consider normal effort, others are trying to get up by bringing others down. I can't build a World Trade Towers? Fine, I can destroy yours. And those are the people who are getting the attention. Its not the religion, its the people. Its been a long time since Christianity has done that kind of thing, laying waste to what we dislike, so by comparison we look peaceful. Yet Falwell and others like him have shown that given the opportunity, they can be just as restrictive, just as coercive -- and potentially, just as destructive. Its been decades since Barry Goldwater said "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"; at the time (1964), that level of intensity certainly sounded right to a lot of people for what they believed in. I suspect that to many, today, it does for what they believe in now.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I don’t trust fanatics, but I understand why, to many people, they don’t sound like ‘fanatics’, they sound like ‘true believers’ – and that sounds pretty good to them.
Incidentally, relative to your followup comment: I don't know any Muslims -- I have been in contact with just one (the woman who writes the Muslim Apple blog) routinely, and with one or two others on rare occasions. All but one of them struck me as normal people trying to live a decent life. (One came across as intentionally provocative and challenging, which, I was told, is a common trait as a way of seeing if your opponent will stick to what they're saying. Scared the hell out of me. ) I don't think they're out to get me, or enslave me -- yet there's always that lingering 'well, sure, but they probably know someone who does'. Do I really think that? In the light of day, no. At night, when I'm tired, or feeling scared -- well, maybe. And I would bet that if I were Muslim, in this country, I'd feel much the same way about Christians. At night, when they're tired, or scared, they must wonder if some morning they're going to wake up and find that the Christian Militia is out rounding them up. Thats not the kind of society decent people want -- but the fanatics? I would bet on it.
I hope this rambling screed made some kind of sense. I should mention that I'll violently assault the physical and logical integrity of anyone who thinks it didn't.
Yes, that's a joke.
I sometimes think that we were incredibly lucky in the people who founded this country. We idealize them as brave and forthright, and they were that, but they were also people with the sort of problems, bouts of short-sightedness, and pet peeves that we have now -- yet somehow they came up with this compact that has survived two centuries. The mortar is getting chipped away every day by George Bush and his crew of merry men, and has been whenever powerful politicians have found the Constitution too restrictive, yet the structure still stands. Thats pretty impressive. I don't have great insights into where that strength comes from but I suspect that it's a mixture of the personal values of the people who drafted it and those problems that they had to address in the document. They wanted it to reflect their ideals and principles; they had to have it reflect their political problems. I think that they created a political document that incorporated religious values without incorporating the religion itself. Not to say that those values only exist in religion, but they do exist there. The idea of fairness, of justice, of equality are part of all religions. Christianity has it. Islam has it. I suspect all do.
So, unfortunately, is the track record of violence, of 'kill them all, let (insert supreme deity name here) sort them out'. I used to think that Christianity was more tolerant and refined (though I wouldn't have chosen those words) than the others , but after seeing Falwell and his crew, I realized that Christian fanatics can be as bad in their own way as the Taliban. I say 'in their own way' because they haven't taken over a political entity and started putting a theocratic structure in place, but if they did, would anyone be all that surprised? So when I see people slamming Islam, I think 'its not just them'. I admit, sometimes that's hard for me to believe at a visceral level, because, after all, what can I think about a religion when the fanatics of that religion have brought so much hate and death to the world? But I think that I've got that backward. I think that these fanatics would be fanatics if they were Muslim, Catholic, or Zen Buddhist -- they've just gravitated to a structure, and gone wild with it. (As an analogy: the people who stole my yard sign in the last election were fanatics for the other side's political party. That doesn't mean that political parties are wrong, or that that side's party is inherently fanatical. It simply means that they're got fanatics. So does my side. Neither is defensible. )
I think that if you took any religion, and lopped off the outlying standard deviations so as to eliminate the fanatics, you’d find the core values quite similar. And I think that you can subscribe to those core values without being religious at all. Religion provides a framework, but its not the only valid structure.
Is there something about Islam that makes fanaticism more likely with Islam than with other religions? Put a different way, why are the fanatics who blow things up all from that religion? Well, I don't think its Islam, per se. I haven't done a lot of reading, but the impression I get is that Islam does NOT condone or encourage the actions that are being done in its name. My guess is that the parts of the world where Islam holds sway (and its a LOT of the world) have had a lot of problems in the last hundred years, if not more, and those problems are whats driving this activity. Part of that is that they're so damn poor in so many places. They see the wealthy parts of the world, things they didn't see before mass communications became so easy, and they think 'Why not us?' They're ripe for believing that someone is keeping them down. Part of that is that the Arab culture was magnificent for so long. It still is impressive, but it's ceased being the dominant force, and they want it back. And those two concepts overlap – see, for example, the article in Discover recently wherein an Arab scholar, defending science in an Islamic country, says that its of course the fault of the west that his country is not dominant. But whereas most (I hope) are trying to regain that dominance through what we'd consider normal effort, others are trying to get up by bringing others down. I can't build a World Trade Towers? Fine, I can destroy yours. And those are the people who are getting the attention. Its not the religion, its the people. Its been a long time since Christianity has done that kind of thing, laying waste to what we dislike, so by comparison we look peaceful. Yet Falwell and others like him have shown that given the opportunity, they can be just as restrictive, just as coercive -- and potentially, just as destructive. Its been decades since Barry Goldwater said "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"; at the time (1964), that level of intensity certainly sounded right to a lot of people for what they believed in. I suspect that to many, today, it does for what they believe in now.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I don’t trust fanatics, but I understand why, to many people, they don’t sound like ‘fanatics’, they sound like ‘true believers’ – and that sounds pretty good to them.
Incidentally, relative to your followup comment: I don't know any Muslims -- I have been in contact with just one (the woman who writes the Muslim Apple blog) routinely, and with one or two others on rare occasions. All but one of them struck me as normal people trying to live a decent life. (One came across as intentionally provocative and challenging, which, I was told, is a common trait as a way of seeing if your opponent will stick to what they're saying. Scared the hell out of me. ) I don't think they're out to get me, or enslave me -- yet there's always that lingering 'well, sure, but they probably know someone who does'. Do I really think that? In the light of day, no. At night, when I'm tired, or feeling scared -- well, maybe. And I would bet that if I were Muslim, in this country, I'd feel much the same way about Christians. At night, when they're tired, or scared, they must wonder if some morning they're going to wake up and find that the Christian Militia is out rounding them up. Thats not the kind of society decent people want -- but the fanatics? I would bet on it.
I hope this rambling screed made some kind of sense. I should mention that I'll violently assault the physical and logical integrity of anyone who thinks it didn't.
Yes, that's a joke.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Sad Shot
I found this picture some time ago. I have no idea why she's wearing that nose, but I consider this to be a very sad photograph.
Islamic London
I came across an article this morning on the Timeout: London site entitled "Is London's Future Islamic? ..I had read, in a couple of other places, about Islam and London, as well as Islam and Britain, which said that that religion is pretty well entrenched there, though in a way that forms a separate culture rather than an integrated one. These articles were sparked specifically by the attacks in the London Tube (and the one bus), and they sought to explain how that could come to pass in a society that had made itself so welcoming to people of that faith.
The article grabbed my attention because it started with a vision of an alternate history future for London: one in which the city is a theocracy, and where public executions on the mall, "now known as The Way of the Martyrs", are common. That part of the article is short, but it speaks directly to part of the Islamic mythos that frightens and perplexes me. Its difficult to accept that there are people who accept that their religion requires that level of enforcement and punishment; that there are people who think that this is a worthy thing. I don't know enough about Islam to know whether there are many people who have this level of fervent commitment, but that there are people like that in the world now is apparent. And that scares me. I have to admit, if I thought it would only happen in places where I'm not likely to go, it'd be an item of passing interest, roughly like noting that every so often, a tourist gets eaten by a wild animal on the Serengeti. But since some of these fervent people would delight in making me subject to those same rules, or blowing me up if I'd just as soon not be subject -- it disconcerts me, to put it mildly.
The article, however, goes on to say that its a long, long step from where London is now to that bleak future (perhaps they'd not consider it bleak ?). Its important to understand that Islam is quite prevalent in Britain now, and it's presence is benefiting British society; further, if it did happen that Islam became the predominant and ruling religion, multiple good things would happen (or at least could happen, assuming the then-rulers adhered to the tenets of their faith). The society would actually become a more tolerant, better educated, and healthier pace. There is much to like about the Islamic faith, and the article lays much of it out.
So whats not to like? Other than being the main player in the occasional public execution, that is.
The article grabbed my attention because it started with a vision of an alternate history future for London: one in which the city is a theocracy, and where public executions on the mall, "now known as The Way of the Martyrs", are common. That part of the article is short, but it speaks directly to part of the Islamic mythos that frightens and perplexes me. Its difficult to accept that there are people who accept that their religion requires that level of enforcement and punishment; that there are people who think that this is a worthy thing. I don't know enough about Islam to know whether there are many people who have this level of fervent commitment, but that there are people like that in the world now is apparent. And that scares me. I have to admit, if I thought it would only happen in places where I'm not likely to go, it'd be an item of passing interest, roughly like noting that every so often, a tourist gets eaten by a wild animal on the Serengeti. But since some of these fervent people would delight in making me subject to those same rules, or blowing me up if I'd just as soon not be subject -- it disconcerts me, to put it mildly.
The article, however, goes on to say that its a long, long step from where London is now to that bleak future (perhaps they'd not consider it bleak ?). Its important to understand that Islam is quite prevalent in Britain now, and it's presence is benefiting British society; further, if it did happen that Islam became the predominant and ruling religion, multiple good things would happen (or at least could happen, assuming the then-rulers adhered to the tenets of their faith). The society would actually become a more tolerant, better educated, and healthier pace. There is much to like about the Islamic faith, and the article lays much of it out.
So whats not to like? Other than being the main player in the occasional public execution, that is.
NOMW
Why does the phrase 'Not on my watch' sound comforting? Or is it just me?
I came across it just a moment ago while glancing at an ad for an organization with that name (actually, 'Not On Our Watch). It announced that it was founded by the producer of the Oceans Thirteen movie (who, I guess, has something to prove to the world, after foisting that on it), and 'select actors'. I thought 'Not on my watch' -- sounds like its supposed to evoke the image of a grim, relentlessly moral organization thats going to Keep Things Right, or Make Things Right, or something like that.... probably won't, though. Probably just another self-indulgent bunch of Hollywood blowhards with way too much money.
All of that, from a four second glance at an ad in the New York Times Magazine, before I flipped the page.
So, is it just me?
I came across it just a moment ago while glancing at an ad for an organization with that name (actually, 'Not On Our Watch). It announced that it was founded by the producer of the Oceans Thirteen movie (who, I guess, has something to prove to the world, after foisting that on it), and 'select actors'. I thought 'Not on my watch' -- sounds like its supposed to evoke the image of a grim, relentlessly moral organization thats going to Keep Things Right, or Make Things Right, or something like that.... probably won't, though. Probably just another self-indulgent bunch of Hollywood blowhards with way too much money.
All of that, from a four second glance at an ad in the New York Times Magazine, before I flipped the page.
So, is it just me?
Vagrancy
I'm in a strange mood.
I like to kid that I'm now an unemployed vagrant now (which is partially true). The father character in the Sally Forth strip has been out of work for two weeks, just like me, so I read it to my wife this morning, where the wife says to her daughter that the father has had a 'rough couple of weeks'. My wife said that she thought I hadn't, to which I agreed, though, she added, if this company turns me down, I might be unhappy. I told her that I won't be pleased if that happens, but also that I expect it to happen, because I think that they're looking for a deeper level of technical knowledge than I have. She asked if I would look for another job if that happens, and I said probably not, which she said was okay.
But then she said that if she was laid off in the next seven years, she expected that we would both look for work, and somehow the image of me, looking for work after (X) number of years not working really flattened me. It shouldn't have; we said that we'd do that, and in the abstract, it sounded okay. It was the sudden realization that a) if I got a job right this minute, it would likely pay at about the level that I was earning, but b) if I looked for one in (X) years, it would likely be a much lower paying job, both because I wouldn't have skills that were all that current, and because I would be, gasp, in the position of being an older person looking for work. I had assumed that if I didn't go back to work now, I wouldn't, ever again, barring the possibility that something interesting came along (which seems to happen only to Fast Company subscribers), and I knew that should circumstances change, I would be willing to work again. The thought that I might have to do it, and do it at the barely 'unskilled worker' level, was disconcerting and more than a little discouraging.
Made me feel old.
I like to kid that I'm now an unemployed vagrant now (which is partially true). The father character in the Sally Forth strip has been out of work for two weeks, just like me, so I read it to my wife this morning, where the wife says to her daughter that the father has had a 'rough couple of weeks'. My wife said that she thought I hadn't, to which I agreed, though, she added, if this company turns me down, I might be unhappy. I told her that I won't be pleased if that happens, but also that I expect it to happen, because I think that they're looking for a deeper level of technical knowledge than I have. She asked if I would look for another job if that happens, and I said probably not, which she said was okay.
But then she said that if she was laid off in the next seven years, she expected that we would both look for work, and somehow the image of me, looking for work after (X) number of years not working really flattened me. It shouldn't have; we said that we'd do that, and in the abstract, it sounded okay. It was the sudden realization that a) if I got a job right this minute, it would likely pay at about the level that I was earning, but b) if I looked for one in (X) years, it would likely be a much lower paying job, both because I wouldn't have skills that were all that current, and because I would be, gasp, in the position of being an older person looking for work. I had assumed that if I didn't go back to work now, I wouldn't, ever again, barring the possibility that something interesting came along (which seems to happen only to Fast Company subscribers), and I knew that should circumstances change, I would be willing to work again. The thought that I might have to do it, and do it at the barely 'unskilled worker' level, was disconcerting and more than a little discouraging.
Made me feel old.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Licensing
Well, they're probably going to take my Licence to Father away, for egregious violations of my daughters rights.
Specifically, I only let her stay at a friends house for three hours more than agreed, after she'd already been there four hours. At which house, they were having a birthday party, complete with birthday cake, ice cream, potato chips, sodas, candies, and, oh yes, pizza. Plus a pool and jacuzzi. And four of her closest friends.
Clearly, I am an Unfit Father.
Specifically, I only let her stay at a friends house for three hours more than agreed, after she'd already been there four hours. At which house, they were having a birthday party, complete with birthday cake, ice cream, potato chips, sodas, candies, and, oh yes, pizza. Plus a pool and jacuzzi. And four of her closest friends.
Clearly, I am an Unfit Father.
Hear That?
I was looking at the UPS 'Out of the Box' web site, which speaks about a small business contest they held. It's a wonderful site, but after a second I realized that what made the site for me, and kept me around to read through the material there, was the sound effects.
I wonder how many company web sites incorporate that awareness?
I wonder how many company web sites incorporate that awareness?
Saturday Miscellania
Yesterday I spent about two hours going through financial records.
For a long time, I was pretty consistent about keeping them current, creating a monthly spreadsheet showing our major expenditures by area, that kind of thing, but about a year ago -- roughly about when I broke my shoulder -- I fell off the wagon. Now that I'm technically unemployed (technically, because I got a severance payout that covers my salary until the end of August), I've developed a lot more interest in keeping those numbers accurate. Or at least plausible. Both of us had months of bank statements that I hadn't entered. In some cases, its no big deal -- just take the most current statement and update Quicken with that -- but since the monthly spreadsheet requires input about what checks were written, that meant I had to take about six months of checks for each of us and update Quicken to show which ones were cleared. A side problem was that my wife hadn't been updating Quicken with her checks all the time. I knew that, but even so, I was amazed to find how many checks weren't in there. That gets a little hairy when she withdraws money directly from checking via the onsite credit union, but doesn't update Quicken, so that the only time I realize what she did is when the statements arrive. Its not a BIG deal, because theres always a comfortable buffer, but still, for some one like me, being a little anal about it, theres a period of what the hell is going on here, why don't these balance until I take a couple of deep breaths and get back in control. We both know that I'm more fanatical about these things (well, I was, and now I kind of am again), so I try really hard not to make her feel guilty about it. Its not that big a deal.
I'm always, always amazed that her company, which is a computer company, and my old one, ditto, can't do what I regard as smart things, such as having the option to send a reminder home via email when you do an on-site deposit or withdrawel, or, for that matter, making the monthly statement not only available electronically (which, to be fair, they kind-of do), but also making it possible to slice-and-dice it -- ie, show me all the EFT statements, show me all the deposits, show me transactions by date, by payee, by amount, whatever. I KNOW this is possible, and I would bet serious money that there are people who are not only routinely doing that now, but they've been doing it for years. But these guys with their big honkin' mainframe -- they can't seem to get the hang of it. Amazzin.
One upshot of all of the number crunching last night is that it does appear likely that I don't actually have to work again. Its not bullet-proof -- we don't have millions and millions of dollars -- but its probable. In fact, if my wife lost her job tomorrow, and we made some more-than-minor, less-than-severe changes in our life style, we'd probably be okay. Given that we're both conservative, financially, we'd likely both go out and look for work, of course. We'd do whatever we need to do, if it came to that. Which is, incidentally, the reason that despite what I just said, if the company I just interviewed with comes up with a decent offer, I'd take it. Because until we are independently wealthy -- don't hold your breath -- we'll always want to do as much as we can to keep the nest egg warm and safe. Pretty much no matter how big that egg gets. Certainly, I'd like to stay home, do baking, learn another programming language, work at portrait photography, and all of that... but if the opportunity comes up to earn a good income, I'll take it.
Particularly if it involves the Brazilian Women's Soccer Team.
This kind of financial attitude isn't entirely shared with our daughter, who said the other day that she'd like a cell phone (Not that I'd use it, Dad -- this would be just to have, in case) and I clued her in what it costs just to have one; actual use costs more. So, I said, if and when, we'll ask her to help pay for it. She wasn't thrilled, but she wasn't surprised -- she hears us talking about justifying costs all the time. Truth to tell, we likely will buy her one -- the cheapest we can find (I asked if she would be okay with that, not having camera or video capability, not having a snappy little case, and she said yes, but I'm not sure about that) -- and let her use her own money to pay for the minutes on the phone, but it likely won't be soon. Well, not as soon as she'd like.
I had bought an iGo power adapter for home use of my IBM Thinkpad, including buying the specific power tip to match up with the Thinkpad. When the Thinkpad went the way of the job (though this other company uses Thinkpads too, hmmm....), I packed it up, and replaced it with the Dell power adapter we'd gotten so that we could use the laptop in the car. (We did that once; my daughter was quite dismayed to discover that having the laptop in the car did not mean access to the Net while in the car. When will technology catch up?) Since I like having the ability to start, say, Quicken from the laptop, I copied the files over so I could do that. But the desktop is still the location for anything that absolutely positively has to get backed up routinely, via the service we use that runs a copy every night to their offsite servers, so sometimes I have the laptop active in the library, while I look at stuff on the desktop, and that runs the battery down. Now, thats not a problem. Ah, technology!
Something else that I want to do is get a cable to be able to physically transfer files between the laptop and the desktop. The wireless connection takes forever to do it (I think I dorked it up when I changed the router settings once while trying to increase its range). Turns out if I get whats called an A/A USB Bridge cable, I can make that connection -- but the catch is, those are about six bucks, but the people who sell them on the web charge another ten or so to mail them. Hey, its barely worth six bucks to me, so I think it'll be a while before I get that cable.
And thats it for right now!
For a long time, I was pretty consistent about keeping them current, creating a monthly spreadsheet showing our major expenditures by area, that kind of thing, but about a year ago -- roughly about when I broke my shoulder -- I fell off the wagon. Now that I'm technically unemployed (technically, because I got a severance payout that covers my salary until the end of August), I've developed a lot more interest in keeping those numbers accurate. Or at least plausible. Both of us had months of bank statements that I hadn't entered. In some cases, its no big deal -- just take the most current statement and update Quicken with that -- but since the monthly spreadsheet requires input about what checks were written, that meant I had to take about six months of checks for each of us and update Quicken to show which ones were cleared. A side problem was that my wife hadn't been updating Quicken with her checks all the time. I knew that, but even so, I was amazed to find how many checks weren't in there. That gets a little hairy when she withdraws money directly from checking via the onsite credit union, but doesn't update Quicken, so that the only time I realize what she did is when the statements arrive. Its not a BIG deal, because theres always a comfortable buffer, but still, for some one like me, being a little anal about it, theres a period of what the hell is going on here, why don't these balance until I take a couple of deep breaths and get back in control. We both know that I'm more fanatical about these things (well, I was, and now I kind of am again), so I try really hard not to make her feel guilty about it. Its not that big a deal.
I'm always, always amazed that her company, which is a computer company, and my old one, ditto, can't do what I regard as smart things, such as having the option to send a reminder home via email when you do an on-site deposit or withdrawel, or, for that matter, making the monthly statement not only available electronically (which, to be fair, they kind-of do), but also making it possible to slice-and-dice it -- ie, show me all the EFT statements, show me all the deposits, show me transactions by date, by payee, by amount, whatever. I KNOW this is possible, and I would bet serious money that there are people who are not only routinely doing that now, but they've been doing it for years. But these guys with their big honkin' mainframe -- they can't seem to get the hang of it. Amazzin.
One upshot of all of the number crunching last night is that it does appear likely that I don't actually have to work again. Its not bullet-proof -- we don't have millions and millions of dollars -- but its probable. In fact, if my wife lost her job tomorrow, and we made some more-than-minor, less-than-severe changes in our life style, we'd probably be okay. Given that we're both conservative, financially, we'd likely both go out and look for work, of course. We'd do whatever we need to do, if it came to that. Which is, incidentally, the reason that despite what I just said, if the company I just interviewed with comes up with a decent offer, I'd take it. Because until we are independently wealthy -- don't hold your breath -- we'll always want to do as much as we can to keep the nest egg warm and safe. Pretty much no matter how big that egg gets. Certainly, I'd like to stay home, do baking, learn another programming language, work at portrait photography, and all of that... but if the opportunity comes up to earn a good income, I'll take it.
Particularly if it involves the Brazilian Women's Soccer Team.
This kind of financial attitude isn't entirely shared with our daughter, who said the other day that she'd like a cell phone (Not that I'd use it, Dad -- this would be just to have, in case) and I clued her in what it costs just to have one; actual use costs more. So, I said, if and when, we'll ask her to help pay for it. She wasn't thrilled, but she wasn't surprised -- she hears us talking about justifying costs all the time. Truth to tell, we likely will buy her one -- the cheapest we can find (I asked if she would be okay with that, not having camera or video capability, not having a snappy little case, and she said yes, but I'm not sure about that) -- and let her use her own money to pay for the minutes on the phone, but it likely won't be soon. Well, not as soon as she'd like.
I had bought an iGo power adapter for home use of my IBM Thinkpad, including buying the specific power tip to match up with the Thinkpad. When the Thinkpad went the way of the job (though this other company uses Thinkpads too, hmmm....), I packed it up, and replaced it with the Dell power adapter we'd gotten so that we could use the laptop in the car. (We did that once; my daughter was quite dismayed to discover that having the laptop in the car did not mean access to the Net while in the car. When will technology catch up?) Since I like having the ability to start, say, Quicken from the laptop, I copied the files over so I could do that. But the desktop is still the location for anything that absolutely positively has to get backed up routinely, via the service we use that runs a copy every night to their offsite servers, so sometimes I have the laptop active in the library, while I look at stuff on the desktop, and that runs the battery down. Now, thats not a problem. Ah, technology!
Something else that I want to do is get a cable to be able to physically transfer files between the laptop and the desktop. The wireless connection takes forever to do it (I think I dorked it up when I changed the router settings once while trying to increase its range). Turns out if I get whats called an A/A USB Bridge cable, I can make that connection -- but the catch is, those are about six bucks, but the people who sell them on the web charge another ten or so to mail them. Hey, its barely worth six bucks to me, so I think it'll be a while before I get that cable.
And thats it for right now!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Photography
I tend to look at sites that feature portrait and figure photography, because one of the things I'd like to do is be better at both. Many times, I look at a shot and think Wow, that's really nice... and I give some thought to how they might have done it.
And then there's pictures like this, which prompt me to wonder WHY they did it....
(Warning: NSFW)
And then there's pictures like this, which prompt me to wonder WHY they did it....
(Warning: NSFW)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Stray Thoughts
Blogger needs a client-side interface, so that you can prepare a post, spell check and whatnot, and only then do an upload. I sometimes kind-of do this by writing the post in Notepad, and I know there is a Firefox extension (used to be called Performancing, changed to something else now) that sort-of did it, though the interface was shaky.
I am waiting to hear back from the company I interviewed with. I'm assuming that they won't offer, which will be more okay than not, because I'm getting into doing things that ease our life, even if they don't earn any money -- such as, I'm going to do the weekly grocery run tomorrow, during the day; this afternoon I took the pet to the vet, meaning that my wife didn't have to interrupt what she was doing.
But that doesn't mean I've stopped thinking about work -- I have this tendency to see how things should be better, which is almost always an idealistic view of the world, but every so often is actually practical. Not easy, not simple, possibly not even remotely achievable by me. But since I'm a little of a dreamer, and since one of the dreams I've always liked, other than the one about me and the Danish Womens Soccer Team, is that it really is possible to do a job that's what you'd like to do. You'll probably not grow rich, probably not make enough to live on, possibly not make anything, the article in this past week's Washington Post magazine about the woman who has a company that makes half a million dollars a year writing newsletters notwithstanding, but if thats not a requirement, then yeah, you just might be able to. I found this article, incidentally, of interest in that regard.
I need to do a little thinking about how to track these ideas, make them at least concretely stated. Though my definition of concrete might amaze the guys at Al's Cement Works. So, I am going to occasionally write them here. You have been warned.
I am waiting to hear back from the company I interviewed with. I'm assuming that they won't offer, which will be more okay than not, because I'm getting into doing things that ease our life, even if they don't earn any money -- such as, I'm going to do the weekly grocery run tomorrow, during the day; this afternoon I took the pet to the vet, meaning that my wife didn't have to interrupt what she was doing.
But that doesn't mean I've stopped thinking about work -- I have this tendency to see how things should be better, which is almost always an idealistic view of the world, but every so often is actually practical. Not easy, not simple, possibly not even remotely achievable by me. But since I'm a little of a dreamer, and since one of the dreams I've always liked, other than the one about me and the Danish Womens Soccer Team, is that it really is possible to do a job that's what you'd like to do. You'll probably not grow rich, probably not make enough to live on, possibly not make anything, the article in this past week's Washington Post magazine about the woman who has a company that makes half a million dollars a year writing newsletters notwithstanding, but if thats not a requirement, then yeah, you just might be able to. I found this article, incidentally, of interest in that regard.
I need to do a little thinking about how to track these ideas, make them at least concretely stated. Though my definition of concrete might amaze the guys at Al's Cement Works. So, I am going to occasionally write them here. You have been warned.
Solving It
I've mentioned on more than one occasion how I like to look at accidents like this one and try to figure out how I'd resolve it, should I have had the responsibility for doing so. This image can be found on the Dark Roasted Blend web site, along with many others of the same genre..
I think that the solution here is essentially the same as for the car that was driven off the dock and partially onto the upper deck of a boat - stabilize it to the dock, get a crane next to it, hoist it. In fact, it makes me think that there might be a whole category of recovery that could be described as 'its not (too) damaged, its in a precarious location, if we can retrieve it we can save it.'
Any thoughts?
TSA
I mentioned that I was not impressed by the professionalism of the TSA at St Louis' Lambert Airport. The TSA people I've seen in other locations don't usually look very cheerful, which is understandable, but the people at Lambert's Gate A seemed actively churlish and nonprofessional.
According to this article, the people at Reagan International can be just as bad. And these are the people who are protecting us?
According to this article, the people at Reagan International can be just as bad. And these are the people who are protecting us?
Iran
On the flight back from Detroit, the girl sitting next to me, who was going to Germany as an exchange student, got into a conversation with a guy who was also going to Germany, though that wasn't his final destination. He was actually just transferring there for a flight to Iran. This amazed me. He was Iranian by birth, and was apparently going there to visit family, which he'd do routinely. I found myself wondering how anyone could possibly want to go there, given their attitudes and proclivities, so I listened to the conversation somewhat. I didn't ask them to speak up, though I wanted to, because I wanted to know more about what Iran is actually like. Some of the things he said confirmed what I thought, and some of it surprised me.
For one thing, he was very casual about the idea of religious law being the prime mover there. He said that women would routinely be arrested and 'punished' -- he didn't expand on that -- for not wearing the full body coverings. The girl asked him how early in life they had to wear them, and he shrugged, saying that 'very little' girls didn't, but past that, yes. He added that visitors didn't have to wear them, though they were subject to being stopped and harassed by religious police.
On the other hand, he said that its a very family-oriented society -- you get to know people because of whom you're related to, and the personal connections are very important. You would do business with someone you didn't actually trust because they were a relative, even though you would prefer to work with someone you did trust. He said that this meant you could always rely on your family to look out for you and protect you.
I wanted to know what most people thought about the recent event with the British sailors, but they didn't talk about that.
For one thing, he was very casual about the idea of religious law being the prime mover there. He said that women would routinely be arrested and 'punished' -- he didn't expand on that -- for not wearing the full body coverings. The girl asked him how early in life they had to wear them, and he shrugged, saying that 'very little' girls didn't, but past that, yes. He added that visitors didn't have to wear them, though they were subject to being stopped and harassed by religious police.
On the other hand, he said that its a very family-oriented society -- you get to know people because of whom you're related to, and the personal connections are very important. You would do business with someone you didn't actually trust because they were a relative, even though you would prefer to work with someone you did trust. He said that this meant you could always rely on your family to look out for you and protect you.
I wanted to know what most people thought about the recent event with the British sailors, but they didn't talk about that.
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