Days of Work - 19 April 2008
Apr. 19th, 2008 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silveradeptWork-work. On a Saturday, no less. But a lot of things that were indeterminate have become determined, so progress is being made and we'll start moving forward soon. Whoo-hoo! Plus, our Youth Services director e-mailed us today with a nice article in the Los Angeles Times about the increased acceptance and prevalence of video gaming inside libraries, including Eli's arguments about media literacy, noticing that more people come in and check out books with gaming programs available, and contrasting it with the idea that good literature and media should be enough to get people into the library and using it. Frankly, I'm glad to be part of a system that allows us to play games, watch popular programs, and utilize the new media as much as the old. It makes for a more interesting, exciting, and fulfilling sort of job, and I think that it helps to avoid fostering the idea that teenagers are only here to cause trouble. (Although, it does reinforce the stereotype that gaming people are loud, as much as I try to get my clientèle to keep it down to a dull roar. Problem is, the walls are kind of thin in places.)
And thus, the news. Following up on a previous story, the senior project of a Yale Student who artificially inseminated herself and then induced miscarriages has been claimed "creative fiction" by Yale. The student herself insists on the reality of the project. Caught on camera, though, was the founder of a Christian school soliciting sex from a parent in exchange for free tuition for her daughter.
Mediums, psychics, spiritual healers, and fortunetellers in the United Kingdom may face arrest if they cannot prove the claims they are making. That's probably why the "for entertainment only" notice is plastered on just about every big-name psychic advertisement here in the States.
An article in Newsweek talks about the potential of comic books to prevent younger generations from joining Muslim extremist groups by refashioning the messages that extremists like to use and trying to demonstrate how people can work toward god goals with good methods, rather than violent or explosive ones. I don't know how much of a hit it will be, and whether it can get to the places it will be most needed, but it's a good thought, and hopefully the comics that take it on are beautifully drawn and well-written. For a different perspective, up at the nation-state level, Charles Krauthammer says that deterrence, including missile defense, is the West's best option to stop nuclear attacks, at least until regime change overthrows who we consider dangerous.
An new and emerging rule of politics - If you're a Democrat, and you want to boost your popularity and your fund raising? Show up on the Colbert Report. This effect does not apply to Republicans, who don't get any benefit or suffer slightly for being mocked by the arch-conservative himself.
Staying in the theme of Presidential candidates, The Wall Street Journal's opinion board praises the Democratic debate last night, trumpeting that it shows how little Senators Obama and Clinton know about changing tax rates to bring in more revenue, and it accuses Senator Obama of evading the question and breaking a "promise" not to raise taxes on the middle class. I still want to know where Senator McCain's revenue stream for continuing in Iraq is, if it isn't raising taxes on Americans somewhere along the line. The spending proposals I've seen for health care coverage are usually more modest than what we're spending now on fighting in Iraq as it is.
Kimberly A. Strassel continues to propagate the idea that Senator Obama is losing steam and that the voters are finally asking questions that matter about their candidates. The choice quote from this opinion column:
In a project that has potential for great hilarity or for great scary - Young Me, Now Me. Naturally, people start mimicking the poses in the young pictures with their current selves.
The Happiness Project gives us a nice reminder - Evaluate your heuristics, those often-unconscious rules and habits that sway your decisions. If you know what sort of assumptions you have, you can either change them for better or figure out which option appeals the most.
Time for a look at some concept cars. Well, okay, the lightweight convertible flying car (More of a Mark II design on this one) has already been built, but a vehicle with a single wheel might do well for navigating the crowded streets. For a little more fun on a standard car, why not convert it into a UFO response team squad car?
Working in other gadgetry, it hasn't quite been miniaturized to the requisite degree we would need, but Smart Goggles are being developed that can remember faces for you and then flash a name up on the lenses so that memory holes, like who someone is, or even where you put your keys last, can be avoided. For an absentminded person like me, those would be fantastic, but I'd like the camera built in such a way that it will fit on my sunglasses and won't look like, well, I have a camera attached to me. So I'm looking for Spider Jerusalem's glasses, basically.
And in the games we love so much, there could have been a sequel to Infocom's H2G2 game, but development never really got off the ground and the project died.
It's probably supposed to be an educational aid or something, but these gifts and toys related to the plagues preceding passover are a bit more on the disturbing side rather than the educational side. For some actual education, Joe the Peacock describes what to keep in mind if one is a believer and wants to witness to an atheist. After covering the bases, Joe points out that conventional tactics have a very small success record for conversion, and that living by example is by far a better way of convincing people to follow your faith than anything you can say about your particular flavor of Invisible Pink Unicorn(s).
Last for tonight, some poll data. More specifically, Americans have a generally positive view of Protestants and Catholics, and find only Scientologists more distateful than atheists. Reflects the populace pretty well. Would be nice if they were kinder to the nonbelievers, though.
As that is, we're done for today, and we'll see you tomorrow.
And thus, the news. Following up on a previous story, the senior project of a Yale Student who artificially inseminated herself and then induced miscarriages has been claimed "creative fiction" by Yale. The student herself insists on the reality of the project. Caught on camera, though, was the founder of a Christian school soliciting sex from a parent in exchange for free tuition for her daughter.
Mediums, psychics, spiritual healers, and fortunetellers in the United Kingdom may face arrest if they cannot prove the claims they are making. That's probably why the "for entertainment only" notice is plastered on just about every big-name psychic advertisement here in the States.
An article in Newsweek talks about the potential of comic books to prevent younger generations from joining Muslim extremist groups by refashioning the messages that extremists like to use and trying to demonstrate how people can work toward god goals with good methods, rather than violent or explosive ones. I don't know how much of a hit it will be, and whether it can get to the places it will be most needed, but it's a good thought, and hopefully the comics that take it on are beautifully drawn and well-written. For a different perspective, up at the nation-state level, Charles Krauthammer says that deterrence, including missile defense, is the West's best option to stop nuclear attacks, at least until regime change overthrows who we consider dangerous.
An new and emerging rule of politics - If you're a Democrat, and you want to boost your popularity and your fund raising? Show up on the Colbert Report. This effect does not apply to Republicans, who don't get any benefit or suffer slightly for being mocked by the arch-conservative himself.
Staying in the theme of Presidential candidates, The Wall Street Journal's opinion board praises the Democratic debate last night, trumpeting that it shows how little Senators Obama and Clinton know about changing tax rates to bring in more revenue, and it accuses Senator Obama of evading the question and breaking a "promise" not to raise taxes on the middle class. I still want to know where Senator McCain's revenue stream for continuing in Iraq is, if it isn't raising taxes on Americans somewhere along the line. The spending proposals I've seen for health care coverage are usually more modest than what we're spending now on fighting in Iraq as it is.
Kimberly A. Strassel continues to propagate the idea that Senator Obama is losing steam and that the voters are finally asking questions that matter about their candidates. The choice quote from this opinion column:
And so nearly the whole first hour of Wednesday's debate was devoted to Mr. Obama's gun-God comments, his wisdom in sticking with a rabid pastor, his links to 1960s radicals, even his patriotism. The candidate's frustration was visible, and he spent yesterday complaining the debate was the latest in "gotcha games" that take away from the "issues." Then again, among the important "issues" for many voters are a candidate's beliefs, character and judgment. Mr. Obama will just have to get used to it.This kind of proves the point that the Senator was making - by talking about real issues, there's both information about the issue and about the candidate behind it. Plans don't happen in vacuums, and I'm sure the explanations behind those plans would show much about any candidate's beliefs, character, and judgment.
In a project that has potential for great hilarity or for great scary - Young Me, Now Me. Naturally, people start mimicking the poses in the young pictures with their current selves.
The Happiness Project gives us a nice reminder - Evaluate your heuristics, those often-unconscious rules and habits that sway your decisions. If you know what sort of assumptions you have, you can either change them for better or figure out which option appeals the most.
Time for a look at some concept cars. Well, okay, the lightweight convertible flying car (More of a Mark II design on this one) has already been built, but a vehicle with a single wheel might do well for navigating the crowded streets. For a little more fun on a standard car, why not convert it into a UFO response team squad car?
Working in other gadgetry, it hasn't quite been miniaturized to the requisite degree we would need, but Smart Goggles are being developed that can remember faces for you and then flash a name up on the lenses so that memory holes, like who someone is, or even where you put your keys last, can be avoided. For an absentminded person like me, those would be fantastic, but I'd like the camera built in such a way that it will fit on my sunglasses and won't look like, well, I have a camera attached to me. So I'm looking for Spider Jerusalem's glasses, basically.
And in the games we love so much, there could have been a sequel to Infocom's H2G2 game, but development never really got off the ground and the project died.
It's probably supposed to be an educational aid or something, but these gifts and toys related to the plagues preceding passover are a bit more on the disturbing side rather than the educational side. For some actual education, Joe the Peacock describes what to keep in mind if one is a believer and wants to witness to an atheist. After covering the bases, Joe points out that conventional tactics have a very small success record for conversion, and that living by example is by far a better way of convincing people to follow your faith than anything you can say about your particular flavor of Invisible Pink Unicorn(s).
Last for tonight, some poll data. More specifically, Americans have a generally positive view of Protestants and Catholics, and find only Scientologists more distateful than atheists. Reflects the populace pretty well. Would be nice if they were kinder to the nonbelievers, though.
As that is, we're done for today, and we'll see you tomorrow.
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no subject
Date: 2008-04-20 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-20 12:19 am (UTC)Man! I wish we had that here in the US. And why doesn't it apply to priests as well?
no subject
Date: 2008-04-21 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-21 03:33 pm (UTC)Maybe we don't pay the priests directly for their services, but the government funds churches, and some of that money probably comes out of our taxes.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-21 03:50 pm (UTC)I believe there are only specific things that the government could seek assistance and provide funding to churches with, and they were generally nonreligious humanitarian aid (like using churches to distribute food to the poor if the church is getting lots of poor), since theoretically, separation of church and state means no public dollars financing religious activities. Of course, with the current administrator, that line has probably been blurred significantly. So now, we might be shelling out tax dollars to pay for religious programs, but they probably still maintain the veneer of not being so. Like how the fortunetellers are at least nominally only for entertainment.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-20 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-21 07:05 am (UTC)