Silver Adept (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
silveradept) wrote2007-06-27 01:56 am
silveradept) wrote2007-06-27 01:56 am
And one more - 26 June 2007
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annaonthemoon back home today, after a small mishap with her lunch kept her here for a little while longer than expected. After that, though, went to a U*CON meeting, even though I don’t actually have any responsibilities anymore. Well, force of habit and all that, plus since I’m here, I may as well contribute for whatever bits I can. Had dinner afterward - gorgonzola cheese on a burger is a unique experience, and I think that the restaurant and I had a differing opinion of what constitutes “medium-well”. It was rather fun, though - had all three of us ordered burgers, we would probably have confused someone - we all had the same cheese, but I was getting bacon and onions, someone else was getting onions and mushrooms, and the third would have gotten bacon and mushrooms. That would have been rather fun for the kitchen staff, I assume.
It’s hot out. And the heat is likely to continue unabated for the next three months. Which sucks when your room is cooled solely by the great efforts of a box fan. It’s better than nothing, but it’s only making things bearable.
Anyway, on to the links.
I got a small amount of economics in the foundations courses for my degree, and so the following article from The Nation wasn’t complete gibberish - actually, it’s a pretty good read for the layperson, covering an account of the ideas being espoused at two different economics forums being held in the same building, and introduces us to the “heretics” of the neoclassical economics movement - the one being taught in schools today, and the same one that I received. The heterodox ideas, though, all seemed to jive a bit more with reality compared to what I got taught in class. We’ll see whether there’s another shift on in the future where we try to model people not as utility-maximizing near-automatons, but as people, with groups, shifts, eddies, ideas, and prejudices.
Yesterday on the Supreme Court, summed up in one panel - We want you to make good choices, even if they’re later overturned by the Supreme Court.
According to fossil remains recently discovered in Peru, 1.5m tall penguins roamed the tropical area. Giant penguins! The strange things that the fossil record shows us, when we’re lucky enough to find them.
Speaking well of the candidates for the Republican Party is difficult, especially when one of them, Mr. Guliani, seems to have no trouble hiring on someone who referred to the NAACP as "the National Association For Retarded People". His son, the original South Carolina campaign chair, stepped down after being indicted on a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. So the father gets put in place. He has apologized for the retarded remark, and it was seven years ago, so maybe Mr. Guliani is giving the father the benefit of the doubt.
Speaking well of those already in office representing the Republican party may be worse, however, as Dana Milbank of the Washington Post continues to chronicle Mr. Cheney's adventures as a fourth branch of government, outside the purvey of the Executive Branch.
bradhicks is not particularly keen on the immigration bill that would legalize the some 12 millions of currently-illegal immigrants in the United States. He asks a simple question - Who’s going to employ them, now that they can complain about violence threats and unsafe working conditions, make decisions on unionization, and enjoy the other benefits that documented workers have in this country? Considering the jobs that they’re likely being hired for, all of those benefits would make them instantly un-hirable because the employers hiring them do not want them to do any of those complaints or unionizations. In essence, said bill would increase unemployment by 12 millions, in his opinion.
The military continues to have difficulty recruiting in general, but black recruits have dropped significantly, while convicted felons and gang members have doubled. Lacking the ability to find their normal recruitment targets (although not for lack of trying), the military still seems to be desperately accepting just about anyone they can get to sign the papers, and then shipping them out to Iraq.
The New York Post claims that Tom Cruise's newest film will not be able to shoot in Germany because of Cruise's belief in Scientology, according to the headline. I note that the movie is also about a part of World War II that Germany is still likely sensitive about, and would prefer accurate renditions to Hollywoodizations. The WWII factor, in combination perhaps with Cruise’s far-out belief system, was enough to get the government to prevent filming before it even began. At least, at this stage. Depending on what appears afterward, that ban may be rescinded in favor of very strict control over what is shot and what is said. (And possibly hoping that the ADR doesn’t insert a completely new dialogue.)
The United Kingdom Government, responding to a petition, reaffirmed that Intelligent Design and creationism have no place in the United Kingdom school system. The UK continues to be superior to the United States in this regard, which has not made any definitive statements on the matter, nor has it had a unanimous consensus among the states about the invalidity of ID and creationism teachings in public, government-funded schools.
A high school administrator in Newark, New Jersey ordered a picture of two male high school students blacked out of the yearbook, claiming that the picture was “illicit”. The students raised some eyebrows at this decision, noting that the yearbook had plenty of pictures of heterosexual couples kissing, and that there only posted rules were that no gang signs, rude gestures, or graphic pictures would be permitted on that page. A picture of the picture, would of course, be helpful in determining whether it would fall under “graphic pictures”, which is the only criterion I can think of that might be applied in this case. As it turns out, the school has apologized, and is offering the students an unaltered copy.
Parents have a bit more latitude in determining what their children can and cannot do and see, at least under the law, but the Memphis teen who had to wear a sandwich board of all her offenses, while saying she learned her lesson, is probably building some sort of resentment toward her parents (this is a different teen than one I linked earlier, I think) for publicly humiliating her, even as a “last resort”. I wonder whether this will just drive the teen to be more secretive in her dealings.
The New York Times publishes Mort Rosenblum's resoning why permitting food companies to substitute something other than pure chocolate into their mixes without calling attention to it is wrong, for chocolate-lovers everywhere. If it’s chocolate, then call it such. If it’s not chocolate, then don’t call it that - call it what it really is, and don’t try to fool people. We’ve already got enough duplicitous advertising going on, trying to sell us things that have flavors like the real thing but aren’t.
Interesting images for your perusal - I Find Your Lack of Tickling Disturbing, Hulk Hogan, I Choose You!, and The Gears of War brought to life. These images may be useful in a zen meditative sort of way, or for making up other captions as you like.
Want an iPhone? Be prepared to shell out about $2400-$3000 U.S. for the device and the default two-year service plan. It’s quite expensive to be an early adopter in this particular phase, and it locks you in to two years’ worth of service for you to find out whether it truly sucks or not. I can’t afford taht kind of telephone service, so I guess, if I’m getting an iPhone, I’m waiting until the cost goes down.
Google offers a novel way to get rid of censorship of sites in other countries - consider it a trade barrier to an advertising-based revenue stream. Might get some people to sit up and take notice. Might actually work. Might not. But I’d say it’s a good fall-back argument for when the more standard ones don’t work. And now, since Google wants to push its services worldwide, Google might hop up to the front of the fight to keep the net flowing. (Hopefully, they’ll also want net neutrality.)
So that’s everything from me, then. It being the time it is, I think I’m going to go to bed and try to sleep, even with the heat and humidity continuing their assault.
annaonthemoon back home today, after a small mishap with her lunch kept her here for a little while longer than expected. After that, though, went to a U*CON meeting, even though I don’t actually have any responsibilities anymore. Well, force of habit and all that, plus since I’m here, I may as well contribute for whatever bits I can. Had dinner afterward - gorgonzola cheese on a burger is a unique experience, and I think that the restaurant and I had a differing opinion of what constitutes “medium-well”. It was rather fun, though - had all three of us ordered burgers, we would probably have confused someone - we all had the same cheese, but I was getting bacon and onions, someone else was getting onions and mushrooms, and the third would have gotten bacon and mushrooms. That would have been rather fun for the kitchen staff, I assume.It’s hot out. And the heat is likely to continue unabated for the next three months. Which sucks when your room is cooled solely by the great efforts of a box fan. It’s better than nothing, but it’s only making things bearable.
Anyway, on to the links.
I got a small amount of economics in the foundations courses for my degree, and so the following article from The Nation wasn’t complete gibberish - actually, it’s a pretty good read for the layperson, covering an account of the ideas being espoused at two different economics forums being held in the same building, and introduces us to the “heretics” of the neoclassical economics movement - the one being taught in schools today, and the same one that I received. The heterodox ideas, though, all seemed to jive a bit more with reality compared to what I got taught in class. We’ll see whether there’s another shift on in the future where we try to model people not as utility-maximizing near-automatons, but as people, with groups, shifts, eddies, ideas, and prejudices.
Yesterday on the Supreme Court, summed up in one panel - We want you to make good choices, even if they’re later overturned by the Supreme Court.
According to fossil remains recently discovered in Peru, 1.5m tall penguins roamed the tropical area. Giant penguins! The strange things that the fossil record shows us, when we’re lucky enough to find them.
Speaking well of the candidates for the Republican Party is difficult, especially when one of them, Mr. Guliani, seems to have no trouble hiring on someone who referred to the NAACP as "the National Association For Retarded People". His son, the original South Carolina campaign chair, stepped down after being indicted on a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. So the father gets put in place. He has apologized for the retarded remark, and it was seven years ago, so maybe Mr. Guliani is giving the father the benefit of the doubt.
Speaking well of those already in office representing the Republican party may be worse, however, as Dana Milbank of the Washington Post continues to chronicle Mr. Cheney's adventures as a fourth branch of government, outside the purvey of the Executive Branch.
bradhicks is not particularly keen on the immigration bill that would legalize the some 12 millions of currently-illegal immigrants in the United States. He asks a simple question - Who’s going to employ them, now that they can complain about violence threats and unsafe working conditions, make decisions on unionization, and enjoy the other benefits that documented workers have in this country? Considering the jobs that they’re likely being hired for, all of those benefits would make them instantly un-hirable because the employers hiring them do not want them to do any of those complaints or unionizations. In essence, said bill would increase unemployment by 12 millions, in his opinion. The military continues to have difficulty recruiting in general, but black recruits have dropped significantly, while convicted felons and gang members have doubled. Lacking the ability to find their normal recruitment targets (although not for lack of trying), the military still seems to be desperately accepting just about anyone they can get to sign the papers, and then shipping them out to Iraq.
The New York Post claims that Tom Cruise's newest film will not be able to shoot in Germany because of Cruise's belief in Scientology, according to the headline. I note that the movie is also about a part of World War II that Germany is still likely sensitive about, and would prefer accurate renditions to Hollywoodizations. The WWII factor, in combination perhaps with Cruise’s far-out belief system, was enough to get the government to prevent filming before it even began. At least, at this stage. Depending on what appears afterward, that ban may be rescinded in favor of very strict control over what is shot and what is said. (And possibly hoping that the ADR doesn’t insert a completely new dialogue.)
The United Kingdom Government, responding to a petition, reaffirmed that Intelligent Design and creationism have no place in the United Kingdom school system. The UK continues to be superior to the United States in this regard, which has not made any definitive statements on the matter, nor has it had a unanimous consensus among the states about the invalidity of ID and creationism teachings in public, government-funded schools.
A high school administrator in Newark, New Jersey ordered a picture of two male high school students blacked out of the yearbook, claiming that the picture was “illicit”. The students raised some eyebrows at this decision, noting that the yearbook had plenty of pictures of heterosexual couples kissing, and that there only posted rules were that no gang signs, rude gestures, or graphic pictures would be permitted on that page. A picture of the picture, would of course, be helpful in determining whether it would fall under “graphic pictures”, which is the only criterion I can think of that might be applied in this case. As it turns out, the school has apologized, and is offering the students an unaltered copy.
Parents have a bit more latitude in determining what their children can and cannot do and see, at least under the law, but the Memphis teen who had to wear a sandwich board of all her offenses, while saying she learned her lesson, is probably building some sort of resentment toward her parents (this is a different teen than one I linked earlier, I think) for publicly humiliating her, even as a “last resort”. I wonder whether this will just drive the teen to be more secretive in her dealings.
The New York Times publishes Mort Rosenblum's resoning why permitting food companies to substitute something other than pure chocolate into their mixes without calling attention to it is wrong, for chocolate-lovers everywhere. If it’s chocolate, then call it such. If it’s not chocolate, then don’t call it that - call it what it really is, and don’t try to fool people. We’ve already got enough duplicitous advertising going on, trying to sell us things that have flavors like the real thing but aren’t.
Interesting images for your perusal - I Find Your Lack of Tickling Disturbing, Hulk Hogan, I Choose You!, and The Gears of War brought to life. These images may be useful in a zen meditative sort of way, or for making up other captions as you like.
Want an iPhone? Be prepared to shell out about $2400-$3000 U.S. for the device and the default two-year service plan. It’s quite expensive to be an early adopter in this particular phase, and it locks you in to two years’ worth of service for you to find out whether it truly sucks or not. I can’t afford taht kind of telephone service, so I guess, if I’m getting an iPhone, I’m waiting until the cost goes down.
Google offers a novel way to get rid of censorship of sites in other countries - consider it a trade barrier to an advertising-based revenue stream. Might get some people to sit up and take notice. Might actually work. Might not. But I’d say it’s a good fall-back argument for when the more standard ones don’t work. And now, since Google wants to push its services worldwide, Google might hop up to the front of the fight to keep the net flowing. (Hopefully, they’ll also want net neutrality.)
So that’s everything from me, then. It being the time it is, I think I’m going to go to bed and try to sleep, even with the heat and humidity continuing their assault.
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I'm back....nine freaking hours with one 10 minute stop for gas. GRRR. stoopid construction in PA that made me go 40mph!
Anyway. Thanks for having me, and I hope I get to see you soonish. *pushes you into wall* ;)
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hmm.
The lack of a La Niña has been cited as an indication of diminished hurricane activity in the Atlantic. U.S. forecasters in May had predicted an unusually active hurricane season; but British forecasters predicted early this week that they foresee a quieter than normal hurricane season.
but it doesn't say if the US folk recinded their predictions. Less hurricanes is nice, but I'd rather not have trouble breathing.
As a former Yearbook Editor-In-Chief (of a NJ HS no less), I am appalled at the blacking out of a photo. not to mention paying $150 for a special page. The most we charged for a full page "ad" was $80, but those weren't student pages. Students could put photos in for FREE, they just had to get them to the yearbook staff. (minus the baby photo pages - parents paid $15 for that). Also interesting to note is the last line of the article - Bolden said an investigation into who approved the final draft of the yearbook and the rules about what can be published in the future will be reviewed.. At my HS, and most other schools whose YB editors I met at a conference, the final yearbook had to be approved by the HS principal. At the very least, the yearbook adviser, but we had to get everything passed through the principal. That's not to say that you probably couldn't sneak something through, but you also receive very LARGE proof pages about a month before the yearbook is printed, so any mistakes that got skipped the first time around should be caught (though I admit while I remembered to take out the photo of the kid giving the finger, I forgot to correct the year someone was born).
Did you see this? (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10448013)? It was linked to from the bottom of the article about the sandwich board girl. Also, didn't we see that happening a few months back? I sort of recall a picture of a girl wearing a board outside her school that proclaimed she cheated or something like that. I think you even linked to it.
He said the service costs were competitive when compared to similar plans from rivals like Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group.
Uhhh...no.
My phone retails at $250 without any discount, and has the option to play music. VZW has basic plans as low as $30. Even my plan, when adding in my texting/web browsing is only $60* total, and it would be $70/mo if I wanted to add in the access to the music store. Granted, iTunes songs are cheaper than VCast songs (.99 iTunes vs. 1.99 for VCast..assuming they won't jack up the iTunes cost). The other thing they don't mention in their "it's comparable to prices at VZW" is that MOST of the people who walk into VZW for a phone are either getting a new phone on their plan at the appropriate time (thus receiving a $100 credit towards a phone), or are new customers who STILL get a good deal on a phone because of the introductory rates. My phone without the $100 credit would have cost a new VZW user $150. The only way you'd have to pay full retail on the phone is if you needed a new phone in the middle of your contract. I realize I have a 2-yr contract (that constantly renews) from VZW, but I can change my terms at any time during the two years, and I can even get a new phone number if I move and stay in my contract. I'm not sure if Cingular will do that or not. Regardless, I think the iPhone is WAY overpriced.
(*I do note that I have a larger text plan than is normal, since I tend to use my phone for IMing A LOT when I'm out)
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Most monthly plans with unlimited web access and e-mail access are $40-$50 minimum for the data side only. Add at least $30/month for phone service. Verizon has voice-and-data bundles for PDAs starting at $80/month (that's without a free phone and 2-year lockin. This is the plan assuming you have a PDA/phone already, no free phone.)
AT&T's iPhone plan is just $60/month. Not that bad a deal, practically a steal over a crackberry. The $500 upfront is steep--that's the cost of being an early adopter but compared to the cost of the iPod which it replaces ($300 for the 8 GB iPod) and its design draws... I'd say it's a pretty good deal. It has wifi, sensors that detect the angle and light level, giant screen for video and super nice stylus-free touch interface. If that's the kind of thing you need to have at your fingertips all the time (and seeing people with PDA (for phone+calendar) + iPod (for music) + mini-laptop (for web access and Google maps and using WiFi points) I know that some people need to have be fully gadgetized) it's a decent deal.
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I pay $5/mo for unlimited web 2.0 access as part of my text package. I don't sync stuff to my laptop or have my email going to my phone, since I can check gmail via the web 2.0 interface. I think I had to get the $49 calling plan in order to be eligible for it, hence my bill being about $65/mo. I honestly don't remember, since I signed up for things 8 years ago and never actually change things other than my new phone every 2 years.
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There might be people who need to have a real browser attached to their phone, but I'd assume those people are the business/professional folk and not just your average user - which is the target for the iPhone.
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Harddisks cost less per GB than solid state storage, hence.