May. 29th, 2008

silveradept: A representation of the green 1up mushroom iconic to the Super Mario Brothers video game series. (One-up Mushroom!)
Things got loud today, with the teenage crowd. First, tried the part where separating could make things work out better, but that didn’t work, and so people were threatened, and then ended up leaving. To their credit, after I warned them, when I reappeared, they left. It wasn’t a matter of not understanding, just a matter of not understanding. So that option may not work out so well. I hope these sorts of problems resolve in the new building, but the floor plans there could still make for some “they’re being too loud” problems. I guess my ears still need to be trained to the sensitivities of the various customers. Plus, everybody will have their own computers in the new branch. That may help things a lot, too. And then I came home and made a little progress here and there in Smash Brothers Brawl. I may have to have an expert drop by and help me in finishing out Boss Battles on Intense, because that sequence is just kicking my butt completely. (And I can’t hammer it open.) But enough of my own life and its uninteresting ramifications, it’s time for the news.

Starting with the international bureau, several accusations of child abuse by troops tasked as United Nations peacekeeping forces have surfaced. The UN is investigating the claims, but has said that there is significant responsibility by member countries to ensure that the troops they send in as peacekeepers and aid workers are held to the highest standard and will perform up to those expectations.

From the climate change front, a possible very worst-case scenario suggests that enough warming could trigger a self-perpetuating loop of methane gas release to more warming to more gas release and so on. This is a worst-case scenario, though, but if it happens, the reaction could trigger within a generation or two.

A photo set on display depicts Paris as a hotbed of love and lust during the Nazi occupation. Meaning that the Parisians adapted and began to live life under occupation, while still engaging in resistance. What’s more interesting is the reaction to this revelation. It is apparently forbidden to consider the idea that anyone would have been doing something else other than resisting in austere conditions. Only collaborators live well, I guess, and everyone else starved. This is not the reality of things. An occupying force that actually starves its populace will have riots and a general lack of control. Besides, the United States had several people openly support Hitler’s designs. This is a fact of our own history. Even now, though, it seems like the cultural memory wants to forget that Hitler had support and fans, rather than learning that when the populace is scared, charismatic leaders often try to turn governments into dictatorships. The charismatic leaders have learned not to be so overt in their actions, but Republicans inciting xenophobia and terror scares doesn’t sound all that different than Hitler inciting jingoism and proclaiming the German race to be superior. All it would take for America to follow the dictatorial path explicitly would be the right kind of trigger. It remains to be seen whether the American populace would actually follow along with such a scheme or not.

The top brass of the United States military has issued a directive to remind troops to stay apolitical while in uniform. That directive should probably apply to a significant amount of government employees, too.

With regard to the continuing War on Concepts, Frida Berrigan opines that the most lasting legacy of the current administration may be the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex’s unchecked expansion into affairs not military, which will take a very long time to undo. Channeling foreign policy and domestic affairs through the Pentagon is not the wisest course of action. The Pentagon will probably be back to the regular size about the same time that the rest of the world starts looking on the United States favorably again.

There’s also faults found in port security that potentially allow the smuggling of WMD into the country, and CNS News clamoring that the Christians of Iraq are going to be systematically wiped out. But, to distract you from all these things, oh, look. Another video is arriving.

Really, though, stop and think for a moment. What could we have done with all the money that's been spent on the war so far? What kind of real good could we have done in the world and here at home? If we're going to bankrupt the country, why not do it in such a way that a whole lot of people benefit, rather than just contractors and grafters? Or, at the very least, make it so that military families are not going into bankruptcy while the serviceperson is away fighting.

In domestic affairs, the makers of Barbie and Bratz dolls are about it get into a bratfight, with Mattel claiming the person who created Bratz did so with the help of Mattel resources on Mattel time.

If one should receive a call about a debt that is supposedly in your name, make sure that they send you written proof, among other things, and don’t be intimidated, no matter what someone says about a “judgment” being entered against you, or any sort of settlement offers. If it’s a legitimate debt and a legitimate agency, they will be more than happy to send you materials in the mail and will work with you to resolve the matter, rather than threatening you with garnishment or trying to pressure you into a settlement before you’ve had a chance to analyze all the documentation.

Has Congress just enacted a fundraiser for a religious organization? Well, it’s the Boy Scouts they’re making commemorative coins for, but the BSA makes no secret of its religious requirements for advancement and membership. With the current policy and legal difficulties they’re having, paying the BSA part of the proceeds from their coins could be interpreted as a gesture which gives favor to one religious organization over others.

Into the opinion columns. Amir Taheri says that nobody will be able to negotiate with Iran until its revolutionary fires have burned out and it goes back to being a nation-state, instead of a cause. OpinionJournal says to make Iran stop, more than just weak condemnations are needed. Something like blockades to enforce sanctions.

Dover Bitch, at the General's, compares Senator McCain to the character of Ulysses in Tennyson, a man past his prime, trying to fight wars and conflicts that already ended, looking for great glory before dying, and not interested in the business of running the country. He’s more likely to run it into the ground chasing his spectacular battle. And Progressive Media USA points out that Senator McCain has not voted against a Bush position this year when that position was clearly stated and the Senator was in attendance to vote, which is a rare situation, apparently. In years past, the number is also 90%+, so it’s not just a fluke of this year.

David Boaz condemns both likely presidential candidates for emphasising the need to work together and not selfishly chase the trappings of wealth, considering it an attack on the capitalism that drives the country and put both of those men in the position to talk about the issue, and an attack on the American Dream. The difficulty I have with this line of thought is that while I recognize the need to make sufficient money to cover expenses, live an acceptable life, and make it so that things are a little easier for the next generation, there should be ways of rewarding people who pursue the careers and jobs that they want to, whether in a for-profit venture or in nonprofit work, or as a startup, or as an artist. I suspect the world would be a lot easier if we could all work our dream jobs and not have to worry about whether they pay enough for us to live. Lots of people may be engaging in the mutiny of the soul, sacrificing living for surviving, and then wondering why their lives don’t seem to have the spark they once did. I think a large amount of that spark is smashed out in primary schooling. We tell young children that they can be anything they want to when they grow up, and then we tell them they can be what they’re good at, and then we tell them they can be what makes enough money for them to live, and then we tell them they can be whatever happens to be open in the job market at the time. With each successive shift, the range of possibilities narrows down, and I’d say most of the jobs we wanted to be as a child got nixed out by the time we got to the point where we could make a career decision. Admittedly, I’m guessing in my world, where everyone is supported, there are a lot more artists than there are now, people take recharging vacations more often, and some things may change about infrastructure, depending on how many people we have that really are dedicated to the idea that the roads need fixing and the cable needs laying and all those other things. Still, if the people were happy, it would probably be worth the pains of readjusting. That, and I would think career changing would be more fluid, as people discovered that they didn’t really like doing certain things and wanted to do others. We’d manage. Probably.

Technology leads with a really Cool Thing, albeit one that will require a lot of bandwidth to achieve. The chief of Telestra, an Australian company, conducted a presentation by hologram from Melbourne. I love it. I hope that we can build the infrastructure for this soon, and be able to experience all sorts of things virtually - like saying hello to friends across the country for cheaper than the cost of a plane ticket.

Of course, for each Cool Thing, there is an equal and opposite Uncool Thing, and I think that a group suing the city of Santa Fe for discriminating against them because they are "allergic" to Wi-Fi signals. They are apparently fine with broadcast radio signals, however, because I didn’t see anything in the article about their continuous pain, wherever they go. And Wi-Fi is radio waves, last I checked. I can hear the pitch of a monitor that’s on without an accompanying video signal, to the point of having had to turn off a monitor in a computer lab so that I could think, but if I were allergic to radio waves, well, there’s nowhere I could hide, excepting perhaps a Faraday cage.

Some helpful computer tips in Windows - if you’re worried about having been hacked, some commands to look at processes, user accounts, or Internet connections on a low level. Here's part two, with more commands.

New study says that moderate alcohol consumption and/or wearing boxers can contribute to better sperm. Hrm. Alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, many of life’s problems? Drink up, me hearties. And then have a look at Luigi Coliani's designes for many of our modern vehicles. Very streamlined and curvy and potentially aerodynamic. This is the stuff of the future, or at least looks like it.

For a minimum of 10 thousand dollars, your ashes could become moon dust. The company is offering to take along people’s ashes when it sends up lunar explorers. The explorers will leave the ashes behind as they finish their mission. An interesting thought, to be buried in the Sea of Tranquility.

Further from there, the amount of mobile telephone users in the world is now about half of the population. That’s a lot of calls, texts, and other communications. I wonder... is it easier to drop mobile phone towers and maintain them than it is to establish lots of landlines?

Last item for Tech tonight is AI Robotics selling what they claim to be is a "perfect woman" - a robot companion for men that is supposed to be able to converse, cook, play games, be a bedroom partner, and be both self-learning and self-updating through wireless connections. I’ll believe it when I see it in action, and when the news and/or blogosphere explodes with how wonderful this “perfect woman” is. The launch date isn’t until 13 June, so there’s still time for this to turn into something nonserious. Remind me in a couple weeks to go check it back out.

Last for tonight, Room 8, a feline adopted by a school and given much love throughout his 22 year life. It’s definitely an “awwwwww” sort of story. Certainly a better narrative and message than Jesus Trucking Christ. People like that are probably more than happy to know about You've been left behind, a service designed to send messages to unbelievers after the Rapture occurs.

Closing out tonight, Lilium Urbanus, a quick short film that’s worth watching, and a Wal-Mart cake where instructions were taken literally. Zo, bedtime and all that. See you in the morning.
silveradept: An 8-bit explosion, using the word BOMB in a red-orange gradient on a white background. (Bomb!)
Okay. Potentially not-nice words to follow, may have occasional bouts of cursing or other bleepable language. Talks about politics, cultural values, other such things. May contain nuts. Flammable. Explosion hazard. Continue at your own discretion.

Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr, MD's opinion column is a long form piece on the idea that only conservative to libertarian values matter, and that only conservatives can raise their children right, and that anyone who is a liberal has either become deluded by something or is weak in some fundamental area, like effort or willingness to work.

I'm getting really tired of this particular viewpoint. I don't believe that liberalism is the end-all and be-all of parenting philosophies, either. Besides, there's lots of agreement between the two viewpoints. Both believe in cooperation, honesty, courtesy, apologizing when injuring, caring for others, and the like.

Where we start having problems with the assumptions are, naturally, when the kids get involved. Marriage is not the only arrangement for raising children with, and with the divorce rate as high as it is, it would probably be better to teach your child that she should protect herself and he should take every available precaution until he is ready for children. I also get the distinct feeling that homosexual couples need not apply, even if marriage for them would be a very stable environment for a child. Then comes the martyr part - "You should teach your kid to sacrifice for their kids, like we sacrificed for you!" "Your children are your own responsibility, and nobody else's, so if anything goes wrong, it's your fault, and they should work hard to correct any of the faults that they have or that you put in them."

Plus, aren't parents worried these days that the generations are becoming increasingly "me"-centric? So how would teaching this hypothetical child that their own individual liberty, and everyone else's individual liberty, is the most important thing fix that? Adding on that anything that tries to restrict this freedom, for whatever reason, is inherently wrong, and you have the makings of someone who will exploit whatever he can, or feel entitled to whatever she can achieve. Perhaps the part about responsibility will kick in, but when they apologize or refrain from doing something impolite, it's usually to the benefit of society or some larger, "less important" entity. How do you resolve that conflict?

And then comes the sneak attack - "How would this hypothetical perfect conservative/libertarian child vote? Certainly not for those big-government liberals, who steal our hardworking dollars and spend it on the undeserving, who foster a dependence on government, rather than letting the impulse to not starve force them into low-wage, no-benefit jobs, and who tell everybody that it's okay to be sexual, and we saw where that went, didn't we? All the abortions, the destruction of our sacred institutions, the diseases, it's all the liberals' fault for saying it's okay to have sex!"

The crucial paragraph of the argument, though, seems to apply to both ideological spectra to me. Have a look for yourselves.
By what line of reasoning will the adult child you have raised convince himself to vote for a candidate whose political culture encourages sexual acting out with its resulting sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, unnecessary abortions and the catastrophic effects of sexual infidelity on marriages, children and families? How eager will your adult child be to vote for a candidate whose political culture rationalizes violence, excuses financial irresponsibility, condones substance abuse, encourages blaming and complaining, insists on political correctness, exploits the victim-villain theme, and authorizes all abortion on demand? By what line of reasoning will your now adult child convince himself that an education or job should be given to someone based on skin color or financial status instead of skills?

You mean, the candidate who insists on abstinence until marriage, encouraging sexual acting out with the resulting disease transmissions, pregnancies, and abortions because the child didn't know about contraceptives? The one that insists that children equate to marriage and that once married, always married, even if there's no love in the marriage, or it's being held together just for the children? The one that aggressively invades other countries, paints foreigners as villains and Americans as victims, tries to redefine terms to meet their agendas, and would gladly make sure that their lives are untroubled by unwanted pregnancies while not giving that option to others? The one that spends billions out of budget on a war, cuts taxes, and borrows to pay for this, all while insisting that it's necessary? The one that purports to be fighting a war on drugs, yet disproportionately locks up small offenders of some substances, turns a blind eye toward a very addictive and not-healthy drug usage, and is okay with dispensing various types of medication to cure all supposed social ills?

Saying that half the country is stupid is a pretty serious charge. Saying half the country is stupid, lazy, incompetent, and unable to handle the burdens of freedom because they favor policies that try to ensure that everyone has a shot at making something of themselves, or shouldn't have to worry about making a decision between starvation and getting a physical, reflects the opinion of the speaker back on the speaker. Even if all of those things were taught to a child, all the way through their teenage years, there is still an eminently reasonable chance that the child will tun out to be in favor of those liberal policies Rossiter decries, hopefully through research and coming to their own conclusion about what will work. Would Dr. Rossiter call his own child stupid, lazy, and incompetent, even after having raised her to be the perfect clone of his ideology? The push-pull of liberalism and conservatism keep the country healthy by preventing it from wholeheartedly going in one direction or the other, even if it wobbles dangerously close at times to one or the other extreme.

So I guess I still don't understand what it is about the prospect of the government providing assistance to people that is so abhorrent to Dr. Rossiter. I'm just really tired of people spouting off that liberal policies make people weak and unwilling to work or will turn the great America into a spineless welfare state. Okay, rant over. Go about your business, citizens.

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