I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Linkee-poo, winter just wasn't its season

Still way, way far behind, and it doesn't look good for catching up anytime soon.

Jim Hines is running his annual fundraiser for Rape Crisis Centers. I've always been dubious about the "donate, and we'll raffle off something" money raisers (edited to add this thought – I'm leary of call to "base gain" proposals instead of "public good" proposals - but mostly on the people who are giving, the supporters of such things have seen that this approach works - so yeah, they'll use it - this isn't a critique of Jim or his cause). But hell, it's a good cause, and it's something that I already give money to.

A USA Today article on the government anti-trust suit against Apple, Macmillan and Penguin Group. Price colluding is a bad thing, but I don't think the government has a real case here. One publisher demanded the agency model, Amazon responded by refusing to sell their books (in any format) for a few days, but the publisher got their way in the end. Then the other publishers demanded the same deal. Cue the "E-books should be ($9.99, $0.99, FREE!)" crowd in 3… 2… 1… Release the Kraken! (Grokked from William Jones)

Ah, the 1950s, when companies sold products using radiation. In this case using radiation to prove how a cold cream cleans your face. We won't mention how shoe stores x-rayed your feet to get your size, and office x-ray machines were used to clear acne also during the 50s. We don't need no silly regulations, do we? (Grokked from Tor.com)

So, what has JK Rowling been doing lately? (Grokked from Joe Hill)

The Fox Mole wasn't that foxy. Dude, really, electronic trail? Um, it's the 90s calling, they want to let you know a few things about networked computers. (Pointed to by John)

Slactivist on the new idiocy in the already moronic idea of a war on religion. Yes it just goes to show that most conservative leaders haven't realized there is this thing called the internet, it stores a lot of articles, and it's very searchable.

Spain passes laws that could be used to arrest peaceful protestors. Well, that won't end well. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)

New study gives evidence to old anecdotal concept, that social status is linked to immunity. Do I need to spell out the implication that 1) keeping people "down" is a bad idea for the group and 2) those who can afford health care the most aren't the ones who would need it the most. But then, us liberals tend to be overeducate and over thoughtful to the events which shape our perception. How else could you explain a GOP state senator rolling out ideas that Hitler and Stalin actually embraced (again, why do conservatives think there are conspiracies and "plans"? because that's how they roll). And not to mention the rolling out of the old canard, "because we sat on our hands and did nothing, we're all better off." (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Alligator Quotient: to paraphrase Custer, "Where'd all these alligators come from?"

5 comments:

Jim C. Hines said...

What is it that makes you dubious about the fundraiser model I'm using? I'm continuing to try to improve this thing from one year to the next, so I'm open to suggestions.

Steve Buchheit said...

Hey Jim, I've updated the entry to be a little more clearer. It's my feelings of "I'm not donating to get the prize, why do they feel they need to offer one?" And the opposite side of the pool in that some people will donate to try and win (nobody plays the lottery to win the $2 prize).

This isn't about the organizers, or the beneficiaries of the method. It's done, obviously, because it does work and increases donations (number and amounts).

I've also seen the most common lifecycle of these money raisers to then create levels of reward (one grand prize and several smaller prizes) and then tie that to levels of giving (give $10, you get this, but give $50 and we'll put you in the drawing for the big prize). Eventually that scheme then puts the people who normally would have given $5 or $10 in the position of either giving at their normal levels (of comfort/ability) and accepting 2nd class status, or just dropping out all together (going up to the next level isn't within their comfort or means). NPR fund raisers are a prime example of this. And I have to admit, I don't give to NPR anymore, because $356 is too rich for me, and that seems to be their preferred entry point.

Eric said...

What should really humiliate the Fox mole was his bravado the other day: "I'm still here." Yes, and apparently they were letting you run out the reel while they decided when and how to pull you in. Ever hear the Townes Van Zandt classic "Pancho And Lefty"? "All the Federales say / They could had 'em any day / They only let 'em go so long / Out Of kindness, I suppose."

Basically this guy runs, what was it, five posts (including the posthumous one)? One about the bathrooms; two "exposes" of Romney on Hannity that actually manage to make two of the biggest tools in right-wing politics look human (I had never seen Romney look likable before and didn't even know he had it in him); one prematurely saying he hadn't been caught yet; and then (most surreal and icing the cake) one where he said he'd been brought in and hadn't confessed anything and so had been suspended with pay, but, yeah, he was the mole (thereby getting himself fired at last). Really? That's it? And all in, like, a week, too. Worst. Whistleblower. Ever.

Steve Buchheit said...

Yeah Eric, kind of a bad plot there. Not much of a story line. Kids these days don't know how to run a clandestine operation. I blame the end of the Cold War. People these days just don't know how to 1) select what they're going after to help get out their message AND confuse the people who will obviously be trying to figure out who is leaking information and 2) how to go about gathering and disseminating that information.

Eric said...

Maybe he shoulda rented Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.