Natalie Parker on whether an author, particularly YA author, should post their political views. As you may know, I'm fairly political and mostly progressive in my views and I'm not shy about it. I would be lying, however, if I didn't have those moments in the dark wondering if I should be so open as I search for both an agent and an audience. Especially since I've been told more than once that had the powers that be known I was such a liberal, I would never have been hired for a position (twice directly, and three times implied if you must know). (Grokked from Rae Carson)
Hypercard is now 25 years old. Sigh. For the old man programmer in all of us. (Pointed to by Dan)
Ever wonder what it looks like where HP builds your laptop? Well someone's machine shipped with 3 minutes of video from inside the factory. (Pointed to by John)
Like the Mars Rover Curiosity? Want to build a Lego kit of it? You might want to see this. (Pointed to by Dan)
On the pervasiveness of advertising in the public space and some of the tricks they use (such as smell). Also note the last line, "It's like scarecrows that need changing frequently as crows get used to them." This is why advertisers try new things all the time and why you'll see more advertisements in places you never thought you'd see them. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
How the religious nutbags stole my party. Welcome to the party, friend. Sorry it took you so long to realize it. A long but pretty interesting article that lays out the concepts of how the Republican Party, interested in power only, sold out to social conservatives who don't really care about fiscal sanity (or sanity in any right). Also touches on folding Ayn Rand philosophies in with the religious (which should be in opposition), and the final part of the religious telling their adapts to keep their traps shut until they're in power. Can you say "Manchurian Candidate"? I knew you could. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The Michigan anti-abortion bill that was being debated when the word "vagina" crept in has been passed and is on its way to the Senate. If it weren't for the fact that after these bills are struck down in court they often return in more insidious forms I would think that these lawmakers were acting cynically by designing a "tough law" that would be destined to an overturning my the courts. (Grokked from Saladin Ahmed)
"If you are against deficits in an economic downturn and during a Democratic administration, but voted for all the measures that ran up the deficit under Bush and erased Clinton’s budget surplus, you might be Paul Ryan." Juan Cole plays the "You may be Paul Ryan if…" game. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Alligator Quotient: They seem to have called in sick.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Weekend Linkee-poo wishes he was that beer
Spent all day Saturday on the road through Kidron and Sugar Creek. Then had to catch up with chores today. Very tired and not feeling so well going into another hectic week with another weigh in, and I'm still close to the top of the weight charts.
A tale of two cemeteries, one neglected and one revered.
The Esquire article on Canadian Tar Sand and the Keystone Pipeline. Another chapter in the "sure it's bad, but it's a job" saga. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Why won't you see Pro-Life groups supporting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act? Because they're not really about abortions, but are about rolling back feminism. Giving rights to pregnant workers helps keep moms out of the home and in the work place and helps get them closer to parity to men in society (ie. not having to choose between birth and career).
Conservatives eating their own. As gerrymandering drives us to even more polarized politics, it's also giving an out to the far right of the conservative party. That hard right considers moderation or bipartisanship to be something of an anathema. What you're seeing is the leading edge of the conservatives dragging the political discourse to the right again. For them, there's always a more conservative stance one could take. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
An interesting analysis by okcupid on which pictures are more attractive and why. Now, I'm not so sure I agree with their methodology. There's way more variables going on there that it would be nearly impossible using their methodology to find scientifically relevant statistics. But some of their results are interesting (and prove certain photography and advertising techniques). Also, if I have to get another office phone, it is so going to be an iPhone (I don't care what the IT geeks say).(Pointed to by John)
io9 with some early Rapture proponents. Although they missed the influence of William Miller and his theory of viewing the Bible through the concept of epochs (which helped usher in the modern concept of mixing Old and New Testaments into one narrative in a blenderized sort of fashion). (Grokked form the Slactivist)
Oh look, actual voter fraud! Oh, wait. It's another Republican. Nothing to see here, citizen. Move along. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Chang reminds us of the wonderfulness that is Paul Ryan. Of course, Mr. Ryan wasn't chosen to win any of the independents or Reagan Democrats, but to convince the hard right conservatives that he is one of them. Also it's a bid to get as many Rand Libertarians to vote for him
And now in Ohio, letting local boards of election set their own hours and the cynical ploy to disenfranchise progressive voters. One wouldn't think the conservatives would be so brazen. Except that most news in Ohio is of the conservative bend and they figure there's enough contention over other issues that the progressives don't have the resources to fight them all. (Pointed to by Joe Hill)
A tale of two cemeteries, one neglected and one revered.
The Esquire article on Canadian Tar Sand and the Keystone Pipeline. Another chapter in the "sure it's bad, but it's a job" saga. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Why won't you see Pro-Life groups supporting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act? Because they're not really about abortions, but are about rolling back feminism. Giving rights to pregnant workers helps keep moms out of the home and in the work place and helps get them closer to parity to men in society (ie. not having to choose between birth and career).
Conservatives eating their own. As gerrymandering drives us to even more polarized politics, it's also giving an out to the far right of the conservative party. That hard right considers moderation or bipartisanship to be something of an anathema. What you're seeing is the leading edge of the conservatives dragging the political discourse to the right again. For them, there's always a more conservative stance one could take. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
An interesting analysis by okcupid on which pictures are more attractive and why. Now, I'm not so sure I agree with their methodology. There's way more variables going on there that it would be nearly impossible using their methodology to find scientifically relevant statistics. But some of their results are interesting (and prove certain photography and advertising techniques). Also, if I have to get another office phone, it is so going to be an iPhone (I don't care what the IT geeks say).(Pointed to by John)
io9 with some early Rapture proponents. Although they missed the influence of William Miller and his theory of viewing the Bible through the concept of epochs (which helped usher in the modern concept of mixing Old and New Testaments into one narrative in a blenderized sort of fashion). (Grokked form the Slactivist)
Oh look, actual voter fraud! Oh, wait. It's another Republican. Nothing to see here, citizen. Move along. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Chang reminds us of the wonderfulness that is Paul Ryan. Of course, Mr. Ryan wasn't chosen to win any of the independents or Reagan Democrats, but to convince the hard right conservatives that he is one of them. Also it's a bid to get as many Rand Libertarians to vote for him
And now in Ohio, letting local boards of election set their own hours and the cynical ploy to disenfranchise progressive voters. One wouldn't think the conservatives would be so brazen. Except that most news in Ohio is of the conservative bend and they figure there's enough contention over other issues that the progressives don't have the resources to fight them all. (Pointed to by Joe Hill)
Friday, August 10, 2012
Linkee-poo won't stop thinking about tomorrow
The personal wiki software, Voodoo Pad. Not free, but if you're in need of a personal encyclopedia builder (in this case to download all those notes for your next masterpiece so they're no longer taking up mind space) it sounds cool.
"Most important of all, you must not let critiques paralyze you." Catherine Shaffer explains what happens after the critique, or more on how to fold a critique into the work in progress. Also, I'll point out here that critiques are just one person's opinions (how important an opinion is in my mind is dependent on how close that critiquer is to a sale). If one says one thing that nobody else comments on, that's one thing. If everybody makes the same comment, you might want to look at that pretty hard.
Jay Lake wants your jokes. All you joke are belong to us?
Dr Phil, a friend, takes some photos of Jim Hines at his book reading, as well as some other friends. BTW, if you have a chance to go to one of Jim's readings, do go. Jim's a hoot (and if you're a writer and want to see how readings are done, Jim is a good person to learn from).
You may have missed the CDC warning about drug resistant gonorrhea they had lately. Seems that in the US the clap has developed resistance to all but two similar antibiotics. And now one of them is showing weakness in response. In other countries, gonorrhea has become completely resistant. Scientific warning not valid if you don't believe in evolution or complete sex-ed programs.
Severed hands found in ancient Egyptian palace. While they believe this is evidence of the practice of "taking hands" (which the article describes as barbaric, but it wasn't all that long ago ears, scalps, and other body parts were commonly exchanged for martial payment), frankly I think it's an example of the stiffest cover charge to get in we've seen yet. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Go figure, people who travel think they TSA is doing a good job. (Pointed to by John)
While I wouldn't really wish this to happen to anybody, there's a part of me that hopes Bryan Fischer follows through with his latest insanity. That is, kidnapping children into an "underground railroad" to get them away from "same sex couple" parents. Because if he did, he'd go to jail. And that's a laudable goal if you ask me. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Jon Stewart on voter ID laws. "Next up, leash laws for unicorns."
Tea Party activist Jerome Corsi gets jiggy with the crazy. Saying Obama married his Pakistani roommate (male) in college. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Recent polling data from swing states demonstrates (the growing divides between Obama and Romney). Obama loses badly among white men, but in the states where he has been able to keep a lead, he has done so because support from white women offsets that deficit… Romney, meanwhile, needs to boost his support among white voters by reminding them of their anxieties about Obama's presidency." This isn't the first time I've heard that reasoning, and the thought seems to be picking up momentum. I don't like what that means for this election. See the other trend of thought about this election is that Romney needs to win as much of the conservative, evangelical vote that he can (including get out the vote pushes). Given Romney's lack of concern over the fall out of his stances and speeches and his (and his side's) willingness to lie, that's a flame looking for the powder keg that's right in front of it. If you think it's been nasty so far, I don't think you've seen anything yet. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Alligator Quotient: I'm ignoring them today.
"Most important of all, you must not let critiques paralyze you." Catherine Shaffer explains what happens after the critique, or more on how to fold a critique into the work in progress. Also, I'll point out here that critiques are just one person's opinions (how important an opinion is in my mind is dependent on how close that critiquer is to a sale). If one says one thing that nobody else comments on, that's one thing. If everybody makes the same comment, you might want to look at that pretty hard.
Jay Lake wants your jokes. All you joke are belong to us?
Dr Phil, a friend, takes some photos of Jim Hines at his book reading, as well as some other friends. BTW, if you have a chance to go to one of Jim's readings, do go. Jim's a hoot (and if you're a writer and want to see how readings are done, Jim is a good person to learn from).
You may have missed the CDC warning about drug resistant gonorrhea they had lately. Seems that in the US the clap has developed resistance to all but two similar antibiotics. And now one of them is showing weakness in response. In other countries, gonorrhea has become completely resistant. Scientific warning not valid if you don't believe in evolution or complete sex-ed programs.
Severed hands found in ancient Egyptian palace. While they believe this is evidence of the practice of "taking hands" (which the article describes as barbaric, but it wasn't all that long ago ears, scalps, and other body parts were commonly exchanged for martial payment), frankly I think it's an example of the stiffest cover charge to get in we've seen yet. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
Go figure, people who travel think they TSA is doing a good job. (Pointed to by John)
While I wouldn't really wish this to happen to anybody, there's a part of me that hopes Bryan Fischer follows through with his latest insanity. That is, kidnapping children into an "underground railroad" to get them away from "same sex couple" parents. Because if he did, he'd go to jail. And that's a laudable goal if you ask me. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Jon Stewart on voter ID laws. "Next up, leash laws for unicorns."
Tea Party activist Jerome Corsi gets jiggy with the crazy. Saying Obama married his Pakistani roommate (male) in college. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
"Recent polling data from swing states demonstrates (the growing divides between Obama and Romney). Obama loses badly among white men, but in the states where he has been able to keep a lead, he has done so because support from white women offsets that deficit… Romney, meanwhile, needs to boost his support among white voters by reminding them of their anxieties about Obama's presidency." This isn't the first time I've heard that reasoning, and the thought seems to be picking up momentum. I don't like what that means for this election. See the other trend of thought about this election is that Romney needs to win as much of the conservative, evangelical vote that he can (including get out the vote pushes). Given Romney's lack of concern over the fall out of his stances and speeches and his (and his side's) willingness to lie, that's a flame looking for the powder keg that's right in front of it. If you think it's been nasty so far, I don't think you've seen anything yet. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Alligator Quotient: I'm ignoring them today.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Linkee-poo can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
The Rob Reid TED talk on copyright math. Otherwise called "the $8 billion iPod." Rob Reid is the author of Year Zero a first contact/copyright infringement novel. I think I've said similar things before (about the copyright math, not the first contact stuff). (Pointed to by Dan)
A review of Occult Traditions. That's a book with essays on some of the older traditions of magic, such as binding angels/gods to the will of the practitioner, or ways of scrying and bending fate. If that book isn't full of story bones, I'm a monkey's uncle. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
INNNNTERJECTION! Show excitement or emotions. They're generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point, or by a comma when the feeling's not as strong. Wait, w00t! isn't on there? WTF?! (Grokked from Mer Haskell)
More on that Disney REVEL/electrically stimulated touch sense technology. As battery energy density increases, we're now seeing tech advance that will take up that extra capacity. Sort of like how basic computer files have expanded to fill our increased hard drive spaces. Although that's not a criticism, I think the tech is quite interesting, especially if you add in interference technologies (such as physical objects or just electronic field manipulation) it could completely change how we experience the world (or experience a world without being in it). With that interference though field manipulation and better sensor technology (which is already out there), there's the possibility of adding remote sensing for operators of robotics that make force feedback look like a buggy-whip technology. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
A mole of moles. xkcd on some physics and world building (on the totally, completely, weirded out side of it). "But this is where it gets weird." It was pretty weird to begin with if you ask me. (Pointed to by Dan)
A local church in PA held a mock kidnapping of their youth group to show them just what Christian persecution is like. Only, they didn't really tell anybody and now they're being taken to court on criminal charges. I'm a veteran of "weekend hunger strikes" (and I know the difference between "get to eat late Sunday night" compared to "don't know when or if"), hoedowns, working on Habitat for Humanity Houses in Appalachia and the like, so events like this aren't all that strange. However, this went way, way beyond what could be considered good shepherding. Sure, some kids "knew right away" it was fake. Bullshit. What they thought was, "this can't be happening for realz." What the youth minister hadn't realized is not every kid has the concept "this could never happen to me." All too often their horror is real and everyday. Also, some people don't have an ability to, I don't even know the word for it, they don't have a wall between them and what they're experiencing (these are the kids who jump a what happens on the TV). So when you pull a stunt like this, those kids don't have that buffer that allows them to break out mentally. Some kids, like the ones of the parents who are suing, go straight down the rabbit hole into the false reality you created. And it's not their fault. They're kids. It's your fault because you're the adult. You betrayed those kids and it's apparent you don't even have the basic human capacity to see how you affected others. You wanted to make it real for the kids. Congrats you succeeded. Now the court will do their duty. It's too bad you won't go to jail. Fuckers. Also, just as someone who is worldly, you really have a martyr complex thinking that this happens daily "all over the world." And as to you and your fellow evangelicals' concept on being persecuted here, bullshit. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"What creates the jobs, Hanauer astutely observes, is a healthy economic ecosystem surrounding the company, which starts with the company's customers." It's called the "Virtuous Cycle", btw. Very common concept that is taught as a part of Macroeconomics 101. (Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)
Linked from that article was this, the 40 highest paying jobs you can get without a bachelors degree. First off, those look like national averages and they're lumping several levels of jobs together to get those numbers (like "artists" more than likely includes designers to art directors lumped together). Good thing what I'm retraining for is in there. Although pissed I can make more with an Associated Degree than with my Bachelors. Have I mentioned how many people with PhDs I've met who are also retraining with certificates and associate degrees?
"Hey White Guys" intro. What looks to be a video series on trying to make white guys a little more aware of the world they operate in (instead of shouting "bias against white guys" whenever they don't get their way, of which they're used to getting and think it's the natural order of things because they're white guys). I think we need a term for this concept along the lines of "mansplaining". "Whiteplaining", "WASPlaning"? (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Of related topic, "10. There is nothing you can do about white terrorists. Gun control won’t stop them. No policy you could make, no government program, could possibly have an impact on them. But hundreds of billions of dollars must be spent on police and on the Department of Defense, and on TSA, which must virtually strip search 60 million people a year, to deal with other terrorists." That's Juan Cole with the top 10 differences between white terrorists and those other kinds. Won't see that one on Letterman. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"(The duplicity around the argument of religious freedom vs women's contraception coverage) became doubly obvious when Wheaton College, a Christian university, decided to grandstand about how much they opposed contraception insurance coverage, only to find that they won’t be getting the religious institution extension on non-coverage because their insurance plan was already covering contraception." And that's the argument in a nutshell. "The school had to quickly change its policy, so it could pretend to be outraged that Obama is forcing Wheaton to do what it was largely already doing voluntarily." (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"Gingrich said of Haskins’s (the Republican aide who crafted the 1996 law,who said 'there’s no plausible scenario under which it really constitutes a serious attack on welfare reform') rebuttal: 'I’m sorry that he has such a lack of imagination.'" Oh that Newt. Jesus on a pogo stick, conservatives, have you not learned from the lack of WMDs in Iraq that maybe your paranoid delusions aren't in fact reality? See, even Newt doesn't believe what he has to sell because he states that the attack is, in fact, in the "imagination." You know, I don't put much faith in polls, especially at this time, more than 3 days out from the election, but I've been watching that "TPM Electoral College Scoreboard" (on the page linked) with some mild interest ever since they put it up. If you haven't been watching it, about a month ago it looked as if Romney would win. Now he's sorely behind. That maybe why the conservative side has been shifting into Hysterical gear for the past month. (Pointed to by Dan)
And just to show, there's whacks on both ends of the political spectrum. However, I'll note here that last pull quote, "The only time that Clayton has voted in a Democratic primary was when he was voting for himself… the Tennessee Democratic Party disavows his candidacy, will not do anything to promote or support him in any way, and urges Democrats to write-in a candidate of their choice in November." Compare that reception with the darling lunatics of the hard right who are coddled and nurtured in their ambitions.
Tom the Dancing Bug editorial cartoon showing you the Romney tax returns he doesn't want you to see. Hahahahaha. (Pointed to by Dan)
Good thing there isn't some sort of culture war going on or this could get nasty. People are upset that a kid was photographed in the projects using an iPad? Oh holy frack. Is it "an expensive gadget"? Sure it is. But I'm a notorious skinflint. And even I own one. Look, you can get a New iPad for $500 and an iPad 2 for $400. Some schools are even handing them out. When you come from a position of privilege where you look at the iPad as an interesting toy that you can set up and use while the kid is using the X Box and your wife is driving your laptop (or her own computer) you can be mad that this kid is living large as you read the news, not through your 802.1N wireless home network, but through the more expensive wireless data plan. How about if it's a rent-to-own (another form of usury) that the mom scraped enough money together so her son would have a leg up on the other kids and may want to and be able to get the hell out of the projects. I know about rent-to-own. My brother works for one of the larger companies. He often tells me about his customers who "are all on assistance" and are getting all the cool tech his company rents. And then I ask him if he would trade places. No, he wouldn't. Because he also tells me about how often he has to go repossess their equipment, how they go into some places in twos to make sure they don't leave with cockroaches on themselves, and how the sheriff won't back them up with repossessions (and their company won't fight them for it). Yeah, those people in the projects, they're livin' the high life. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
You know, Eric may be on to something here. Mitt Romney doesn't care if he's causing us cognitive dissonance with, well, you have your pick of things don't you? Loves Israel's culture and suggests it's what makes them more successful then those Palestinians but then says he can't kibitz with the kibbutz. Was for a 1) woman's right to choose 2) individual mandate and 3) releasing all the tax returns before he was staunchly against them all. He just doesn't give a flying fuck what we the proles think. I'd like to say Eric is full of hogwash here, I mean, that's damn cynical. It's also sort of the narrative the Obama campaign is spinning. But like working with a bunch of MBAs, so knowing just how valuable I view that degree (which is why that is option C for the reboot, but only because of the money and the transferability of the degree), I've also worked with a lot of very rich people. I'm talking about the less than 5%, with some in the 1%. Even now. Also I have some family connection into that world and have vacationed there (not as much as I would have liked, but enough to realize that's an okay thing). And, yeah, more often than not people at that level have that mind set.
Tweet of my heart: @MikeDrucker: "There has to be more to life than crushing enemies and hearing the lamentation of their women." - Conan the Barbarian at 40.
Alligator Quotient: Shhh, they're sleeping.
A review of Occult Traditions. That's a book with essays on some of the older traditions of magic, such as binding angels/gods to the will of the practitioner, or ways of scrying and bending fate. If that book isn't full of story bones, I'm a monkey's uncle. (Grokked from Matt Staggs)
INNNNTERJECTION! Show excitement or emotions. They're generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point, or by a comma when the feeling's not as strong. Wait, w00t! isn't on there? WTF?! (Grokked from Mer Haskell)
More on that Disney REVEL/electrically stimulated touch sense technology. As battery energy density increases, we're now seeing tech advance that will take up that extra capacity. Sort of like how basic computer files have expanded to fill our increased hard drive spaces. Although that's not a criticism, I think the tech is quite interesting, especially if you add in interference technologies (such as physical objects or just electronic field manipulation) it could completely change how we experience the world (or experience a world without being in it). With that interference though field manipulation and better sensor technology (which is already out there), there's the possibility of adding remote sensing for operators of robotics that make force feedback look like a buggy-whip technology. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
A mole of moles. xkcd on some physics and world building (on the totally, completely, weirded out side of it). "But this is where it gets weird." It was pretty weird to begin with if you ask me. (Pointed to by Dan)
A local church in PA held a mock kidnapping of their youth group to show them just what Christian persecution is like. Only, they didn't really tell anybody and now they're being taken to court on criminal charges. I'm a veteran of "weekend hunger strikes" (and I know the difference between "get to eat late Sunday night" compared to "don't know when or if"), hoedowns, working on Habitat for Humanity Houses in Appalachia and the like, so events like this aren't all that strange. However, this went way, way beyond what could be considered good shepherding. Sure, some kids "knew right away" it was fake. Bullshit. What they thought was, "this can't be happening for realz." What the youth minister hadn't realized is not every kid has the concept "this could never happen to me." All too often their horror is real and everyday. Also, some people don't have an ability to, I don't even know the word for it, they don't have a wall between them and what they're experiencing (these are the kids who jump a what happens on the TV). So when you pull a stunt like this, those kids don't have that buffer that allows them to break out mentally. Some kids, like the ones of the parents who are suing, go straight down the rabbit hole into the false reality you created. And it's not their fault. They're kids. It's your fault because you're the adult. You betrayed those kids and it's apparent you don't even have the basic human capacity to see how you affected others. You wanted to make it real for the kids. Congrats you succeeded. Now the court will do their duty. It's too bad you won't go to jail. Fuckers. Also, just as someone who is worldly, you really have a martyr complex thinking that this happens daily "all over the world." And as to you and your fellow evangelicals' concept on being persecuted here, bullshit. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
"What creates the jobs, Hanauer astutely observes, is a healthy economic ecosystem surrounding the company, which starts with the company's customers." It's called the "Virtuous Cycle", btw. Very common concept that is taught as a part of Macroeconomics 101. (Grokked from Ferrett Steinmetz)
Linked from that article was this, the 40 highest paying jobs you can get without a bachelors degree. First off, those look like national averages and they're lumping several levels of jobs together to get those numbers (like "artists" more than likely includes designers to art directors lumped together). Good thing what I'm retraining for is in there. Although pissed I can make more with an Associated Degree than with my Bachelors. Have I mentioned how many people with PhDs I've met who are also retraining with certificates and associate degrees?
"Hey White Guys" intro. What looks to be a video series on trying to make white guys a little more aware of the world they operate in (instead of shouting "bias against white guys" whenever they don't get their way, of which they're used to getting and think it's the natural order of things because they're white guys). I think we need a term for this concept along the lines of "mansplaining". "Whiteplaining", "WASPlaning"? (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Of related topic, "10. There is nothing you can do about white terrorists. Gun control won’t stop them. No policy you could make, no government program, could possibly have an impact on them. But hundreds of billions of dollars must be spent on police and on the Department of Defense, and on TSA, which must virtually strip search 60 million people a year, to deal with other terrorists." That's Juan Cole with the top 10 differences between white terrorists and those other kinds. Won't see that one on Letterman. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"(The duplicity around the argument of religious freedom vs women's contraception coverage) became doubly obvious when Wheaton College, a Christian university, decided to grandstand about how much they opposed contraception insurance coverage, only to find that they won’t be getting the religious institution extension on non-coverage because their insurance plan was already covering contraception." And that's the argument in a nutshell. "The school had to quickly change its policy, so it could pretend to be outraged that Obama is forcing Wheaton to do what it was largely already doing voluntarily." (Grokked from the Slactivist)
"Gingrich said of Haskins’s (the Republican aide who crafted the 1996 law,who said 'there’s no plausible scenario under which it really constitutes a serious attack on welfare reform') rebuttal: 'I’m sorry that he has such a lack of imagination.'" Oh that Newt. Jesus on a pogo stick, conservatives, have you not learned from the lack of WMDs in Iraq that maybe your paranoid delusions aren't in fact reality? See, even Newt doesn't believe what he has to sell because he states that the attack is, in fact, in the "imagination." You know, I don't put much faith in polls, especially at this time, more than 3 days out from the election, but I've been watching that "TPM Electoral College Scoreboard" (on the page linked) with some mild interest ever since they put it up. If you haven't been watching it, about a month ago it looked as if Romney would win. Now he's sorely behind. That maybe why the conservative side has been shifting into Hysterical gear for the past month. (Pointed to by Dan)
And just to show, there's whacks on both ends of the political spectrum. However, I'll note here that last pull quote, "The only time that Clayton has voted in a Democratic primary was when he was voting for himself… the Tennessee Democratic Party disavows his candidacy, will not do anything to promote or support him in any way, and urges Democrats to write-in a candidate of their choice in November." Compare that reception with the darling lunatics of the hard right who are coddled and nurtured in their ambitions.
Tom the Dancing Bug editorial cartoon showing you the Romney tax returns he doesn't want you to see. Hahahahaha. (Pointed to by Dan)
Good thing there isn't some sort of culture war going on or this could get nasty. People are upset that a kid was photographed in the projects using an iPad? Oh holy frack. Is it "an expensive gadget"? Sure it is. But I'm a notorious skinflint. And even I own one. Look, you can get a New iPad for $500 and an iPad 2 for $400. Some schools are even handing them out. When you come from a position of privilege where you look at the iPad as an interesting toy that you can set up and use while the kid is using the X Box and your wife is driving your laptop (or her own computer) you can be mad that this kid is living large as you read the news, not through your 802.1N wireless home network, but through the more expensive wireless data plan. How about if it's a rent-to-own (another form of usury) that the mom scraped enough money together so her son would have a leg up on the other kids and may want to and be able to get the hell out of the projects. I know about rent-to-own. My brother works for one of the larger companies. He often tells me about his customers who "are all on assistance" and are getting all the cool tech his company rents. And then I ask him if he would trade places. No, he wouldn't. Because he also tells me about how often he has to go repossess their equipment, how they go into some places in twos to make sure they don't leave with cockroaches on themselves, and how the sheriff won't back them up with repossessions (and their company won't fight them for it). Yeah, those people in the projects, they're livin' the high life. (Grokked from the Slactivist)
You know, Eric may be on to something here. Mitt Romney doesn't care if he's causing us cognitive dissonance with, well, you have your pick of things don't you? Loves Israel's culture and suggests it's what makes them more successful then those Palestinians but then says he can't kibitz with the kibbutz. Was for a 1) woman's right to choose 2) individual mandate and 3) releasing all the tax returns before he was staunchly against them all. He just doesn't give a flying fuck what we the proles think. I'd like to say Eric is full of hogwash here, I mean, that's damn cynical. It's also sort of the narrative the Obama campaign is spinning. But like working with a bunch of MBAs, so knowing just how valuable I view that degree (which is why that is option C for the reboot, but only because of the money and the transferability of the degree), I've also worked with a lot of very rich people. I'm talking about the less than 5%, with some in the 1%. Even now. Also I have some family connection into that world and have vacationed there (not as much as I would have liked, but enough to realize that's an okay thing). And, yeah, more often than not people at that level have that mind set.
Tweet of my heart: @MikeDrucker: "There has to be more to life than crushing enemies and hearing the lamentation of their women." - Conan the Barbarian at 40.
Alligator Quotient: Shhh, they're sleeping.
Creative salaries for creatives
For that other part of my life, the writing fiction part, there's been a lot of people who have been open with various figures on their earnings, advances, etc. Which I have to say is totally fabulous and for any aspiring writer one should find those to have a big dose of reality. And I thank all those who have done that sharing (Tobias Buckell, Jim Hines, and John Scalzi leap immediately to mind)
For the day thing, fortunately we have a few organizations who started publishing salary and compensation data about a decade ago. This was a way for us to judge just how well we were being compensated (the design field had been notorious for under payment and wage theft, although I think we've hammered through most of that now). So here is one of those for the current year (please note, they're lumping a lot of regions and job responsibilities together for these numbers - one of the other reports typically runs about 30-40 pages- but I am slightly sad to see I'm on the lower end of my range - possible combination of smaller market, depressed conditions, and working "in house").
Find design jobs and careers at HOW Design.
In case you're wondering about your own field, Indeed.com has a nice little salary tool you can use to enter the position title and your location to see how you compare (note, I don't know what data Indeed is using for their tool, but that's just because I haven't taken the time to research it).
For the day thing, fortunately we have a few organizations who started publishing salary and compensation data about a decade ago. This was a way for us to judge just how well we were being compensated (the design field had been notorious for under payment and wage theft, although I think we've hammered through most of that now). So here is one of those for the current year (please note, they're lumping a lot of regions and job responsibilities together for these numbers - one of the other reports typically runs about 30-40 pages- but I am slightly sad to see I'm on the lower end of my range - possible combination of smaller market, depressed conditions, and working "in house").
Find design jobs and careers at HOW Design.
In case you're wondering about your own field, Indeed.com has a nice little salary tool you can use to enter the position title and your location to see how you compare (note, I don't know what data Indeed is using for their tool, but that's just because I haven't taken the time to research it).
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Story Bone
Inspired by this essay by Jim Hines.
I did have this eye opening moment sometime last year, not that deeper thought Jim had that showing dwarves in fantasy as the same stock character is highly disrespectful to people who have dwarfism, but that fantasy writers as a group portray dwarves fairly much the same as Tolkein gave them to us. There's no Norse Dwarves (we would call them trolls in our visual and cultural vocabulary), or Germanic Dwarves, or Italian Dwarves or any of the variants from Eastern Europe. Nope, they're all pretty much the ones Tolkein wrote about (actually, the stereotypical ones that we took from Tolkein - hopefully The Hobbit movies will remind us how diverse he really portrayed them).
We've rethought the fey, elves, hell we've even reclaimed giants, but dwarves seem stuck in the "full beard, ax swinging, beer swilling, little Jewish (in the worst stereotype) people."
So here's the bone; who else are a hard working people with ages old culture working with stone and gold, who love the land, are commonly not welcome with other people, and have a reputation for being sodden? I'll think better of you if you also didn't come to conclude, "Why, that's the Irish." Yes, we normally think of other little people when we think of the Irish. But what I want you to think of in your epic fantasy work is that the dwarvin diaspora mirrors that of the Irish to America. They long for home in the same way, they're proud in the same way, hard working and loving of their traditions, and they have to overcome prejudice and the persistent rumors of heavy drinking.
I did have this eye opening moment sometime last year, not that deeper thought Jim had that showing dwarves in fantasy as the same stock character is highly disrespectful to people who have dwarfism, but that fantasy writers as a group portray dwarves fairly much the same as Tolkein gave them to us. There's no Norse Dwarves (we would call them trolls in our visual and cultural vocabulary), or Germanic Dwarves, or Italian Dwarves or any of the variants from Eastern Europe. Nope, they're all pretty much the ones Tolkein wrote about (actually, the stereotypical ones that we took from Tolkein - hopefully The Hobbit movies will remind us how diverse he really portrayed them).
We've rethought the fey, elves, hell we've even reclaimed giants, but dwarves seem stuck in the "full beard, ax swinging, beer swilling, little Jewish (in the worst stereotype) people."
So here's the bone; who else are a hard working people with ages old culture working with stone and gold, who love the land, are commonly not welcome with other people, and have a reputation for being sodden? I'll think better of you if you also didn't come to conclude, "Why, that's the Irish." Yes, we normally think of other little people when we think of the Irish. But what I want you to think of in your epic fantasy work is that the dwarvin diaspora mirrors that of the Irish to America. They long for home in the same way, they're proud in the same way, hard working and loving of their traditions, and they have to overcome prejudice and the persistent rumors of heavy drinking.
Followup to the lamentable state of protest in this country
Hey, all you people that went out to Chik-Fil-A last Wednesday, what did you have today? You do know that the so called "boycott" is still going on, right? Don't sit down, the war is still being fought! Doing something for one day isn't dedication. Tell you what, make me want to feel you have a point, continue the record sales at CFA every Wednesday until the groups boycotting publicly give up. Okay, do that until Thanksgiving and I'll say, okay, yeah, you really mean it, I guess.
Know why Mike-O and the rest haven't called for that? Because they know it would be a bridge too far. Also, I'm sure the shareholders of CFA thank you from the bottom of their pocketbooks for last Wednesday. Oh, wait, why that would be just the Cathy family and the corporate employees who qualify for stock. Don't worry, I'm sure they deserved all those profits you handed to them.
Not like anybody at Fox would steer you to buy a product they have a financial stake in by making you afraid of something (*cough* Goldline *cough*).
Know why Mike-O and the rest haven't called for that? Because they know it would be a bridge too far. Also, I'm sure the shareholders of CFA thank you from the bottom of their pocketbooks for last Wednesday. Oh, wait, why that would be just the Cathy family and the corporate employees who qualify for stock. Don't worry, I'm sure they deserved all those profits you handed to them.
Not like anybody at Fox would steer you to buy a product they have a financial stake in by making you afraid of something (*cough* Goldline *cough*).
Linkee-poo is going to California with an aching in its heart
Chuck Wendig and 25 ways to survive as a creative. Can't do #2, as it's me supplying the food, rent, and healthcare. But my first "professional" (ie. steady paycheck) in this field was outputting films (which is now so dated). And my #5 for writing? When I can buy a motorcycle with the proceeds.
Want a little inspiration to go tilting at those windmills? "Nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do… Do things that have never been done." I'm sad to admit that when I was full of piss and vinegar I used to have encounters like this and squandered them on fleeting moments of self importance. Today when I could use a moment of magic and recognize it for what it is they're often few and far between. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The World Fantasy Award Nominees have been announced.
Obedience on the job and the American working culture. As someone who is (hopefully) about to get a work provided laptop so they can "work from home" (actually in all probability a cubicle at school), I so here this. When they took my crackberry as a cost cutting measure, I was actually glad about it. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The rebirth of the arcade. Ready player one. You know what I'd really like is a place with actual pinball machines. I loved them as a kid and always was jealous of the kid(s) who had a game in their basement. (Pointed to by John)
A photo essay of vanishing languages form the National Geographic. There's enough story bones in there to keep you busy all your life. Also, some interesting cultural insights into the specifics of language. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Mitt Romney pretty much confirms the gaffes during his trip abroad. Apparently, even though he loves Israel and the "culture" of success they have there, he's no fan of the kibbutz. I wonder if he even knows where kibbutz are? Hopefully there's a staffer explaining it to him right now. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"Seriously, if $80 million is not a sufficient sum to trigger your personal corruption-detector, then you don’t have one." Fred Clark and "the city councilman who wrote a bill and pocketed $80 million." As a former Village Councilman, yes, that.
"When I (James Hansen) testified before the Senate in… 1988, I warned of the kind of future that climate change would bring to us and our planet. I painted a grim picture of the consequences of steadily increasing temperatures, driven by mankind’s use of fossil fuels… But I have a confession to make: I was too optimistic… Our new peer-reviewed study… makes clear that while average global temperature has been steadily rising due to a warming climate… the extremes are actually becoming much more frequent and more intense worldwide." Unfortunately, because it has James Hansen's name attached, expect the usual deniers and nay-sayers to beat their breasts, claim political bias on reality, and continue to do nothing until their homes are under water or burned away. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The Belarus-Sweden teddy bear row escalates. Just in case anybody really missed the madness that was the Cold War. Apparently those socialists in Sweden are inciting their neighbor by airdropping teddy bears parachutists carrying pro-democracy letters in the former Soviet Block nation. As Novysan says sharing the link, "It would be years before anyone realized just how WWIII began." (Grokked from ChiaLynn)
Why we can't have nice things. As I stated before, didn't we have this cultural conversation back in the 80s? Look, what they say about "what slides off one child may be devastating to another," is very true. There's a corollary in education that you never know what words are going to inspire (or crush) a student. However, and this is from the conversation that will occur (again) in a few years, abuse isn't the one event. Smacking a child's hand to keep them from touching something hot or dangerous, or hitting their behind when they break the rules (that they have been told) isn't abuse. Hitting them because you didn't get your way as a child, slapping them because you lost control, giving them a trashing because you're in a bad mood, hitting them to cause pain for its own sake or because they're left handed is abuse. Telling a child once that maybe they weren't meant to learn a certain task isn't abuse (although it would be better to help the child come to that realization on their own - and here I'm talking about something that they would really be bad at no matter how much they tried, not a task that they don't grasp mastery of at the first try). Telling them that they're bad at a task because they as a person are bad/stupid/clumsy/evil, that's abuse. Also, I have a feeling the numbers they're reporting are incredibly low because people don't know what abuse is, especially the kind that doesn't leave physical scars. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Elizabeth Bear has a post related to this from the grow-child side of the equation. I may have to re-read that a few times to internalize it. At a quick glance, I don't think I've done that (glorifying PTSD and making it a "desirable trait" as they say in advertising) with my writing.
Want a little inspiration to go tilting at those windmills? "Nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do… Do things that have never been done." I'm sad to admit that when I was full of piss and vinegar I used to have encounters like this and squandered them on fleeting moments of self importance. Today when I could use a moment of magic and recognize it for what it is they're often few and far between. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The World Fantasy Award Nominees have been announced.
Obedience on the job and the American working culture. As someone who is (hopefully) about to get a work provided laptop so they can "work from home" (actually in all probability a cubicle at school), I so here this. When they took my crackberry as a cost cutting measure, I was actually glad about it. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The rebirth of the arcade. Ready player one. You know what I'd really like is a place with actual pinball machines. I loved them as a kid and always was jealous of the kid(s) who had a game in their basement. (Pointed to by John)
A photo essay of vanishing languages form the National Geographic. There's enough story bones in there to keep you busy all your life. Also, some interesting cultural insights into the specifics of language. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Mitt Romney pretty much confirms the gaffes during his trip abroad. Apparently, even though he loves Israel and the "culture" of success they have there, he's no fan of the kibbutz. I wonder if he even knows where kibbutz are? Hopefully there's a staffer explaining it to him right now. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
"Seriously, if $80 million is not a sufficient sum to trigger your personal corruption-detector, then you don’t have one." Fred Clark and "the city councilman who wrote a bill and pocketed $80 million." As a former Village Councilman, yes, that.
"When I (James Hansen) testified before the Senate in… 1988, I warned of the kind of future that climate change would bring to us and our planet. I painted a grim picture of the consequences of steadily increasing temperatures, driven by mankind’s use of fossil fuels… But I have a confession to make: I was too optimistic… Our new peer-reviewed study… makes clear that while average global temperature has been steadily rising due to a warming climate… the extremes are actually becoming much more frequent and more intense worldwide." Unfortunately, because it has James Hansen's name attached, expect the usual deniers and nay-sayers to beat their breasts, claim political bias on reality, and continue to do nothing until their homes are under water or burned away. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The Belarus-Sweden teddy bear row escalates. Just in case anybody really missed the madness that was the Cold War. Apparently those socialists in Sweden are inciting their neighbor by airdropping teddy bears parachutists carrying pro-democracy letters in the former Soviet Block nation. As Novysan says sharing the link, "It would be years before anyone realized just how WWIII began." (Grokked from ChiaLynn)
Why we can't have nice things. As I stated before, didn't we have this cultural conversation back in the 80s? Look, what they say about "what slides off one child may be devastating to another," is very true. There's a corollary in education that you never know what words are going to inspire (or crush) a student. However, and this is from the conversation that will occur (again) in a few years, abuse isn't the one event. Smacking a child's hand to keep them from touching something hot or dangerous, or hitting their behind when they break the rules (that they have been told) isn't abuse. Hitting them because you didn't get your way as a child, slapping them because you lost control, giving them a trashing because you're in a bad mood, hitting them to cause pain for its own sake or because they're left handed is abuse. Telling a child once that maybe they weren't meant to learn a certain task isn't abuse (although it would be better to help the child come to that realization on their own - and here I'm talking about something that they would really be bad at no matter how much they tried, not a task that they don't grasp mastery of at the first try). Telling them that they're bad at a task because they as a person are bad/stupid/clumsy/evil, that's abuse. Also, I have a feeling the numbers they're reporting are incredibly low because people don't know what abuse is, especially the kind that doesn't leave physical scars. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Elizabeth Bear has a post related to this from the grow-child side of the equation. I may have to re-read that a few times to internalize it. At a quick glance, I don't think I've done that (glorifying PTSD and making it a "desirable trait" as they say in advertising) with my writing.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The lamentable state of protest today
This post was provoked by Eric's post about this protestor. Fred Clark has his own post here asking evangelicals to look at the world and realize, before anybody really knew anything, they were calling this guy an evangelical, because of his actions (sung to the tune of "They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love").
Really, WTF people? This is a protest. You just don't have the first shitting clue, do you? You drive up to a General Mills Plant way the hell out front where nobody can see you and are trying to be so quick that you don't even pour the cereal you want to light into the bowl first, but try and light it as you pour. And then you're worried about burning the lawn.
Well, you have some concern there. What you're doing is criminal trespass, arson and burning without a permit (I'm assuming here), and if you torch the lawn that's criminal vandalism. And you don't want to have to pay a ticket or anything like that.
Sigh.
Okay, here I'll make the disclaimer that I'm not advocating that you should break laws or go to jail because those are really bad things to have happen to you. Try and get a job in this market with a record (he said as someone who had to go through a background check just to take classes in the healthcare industry). Doing property damage, even in the case of civil disobedience is a crime. IF you do a crime as protest, if you do it well you should expect to go to jail. But this? You know what, if you really believe, if you're really incensed, if you're so gosh darn sure the country is going to hell in a handbasket, then don't pee into the wind, okay?
This kind of protest in the video above is mental masturbation. It's only for you, and you're getting yourself off. This isn't protest, this is, "oh looky, I'm so upset, I'm going to do something that won't change a farging thing."
It's akin to the whole Freedom Fry joke of a protest. Renaming your French Fries and French Toast and French Dressing to Freedom Whatever doesn't do shit. It's sitting in the corner holding your breath to get someone to change an answer you don't like when that person is neither your parent, your guardian, doesn't know you from Adam or Steve and really isn't even looking in your general direction let alone in the same room as you. Or in other words, all you're going to do is either breathe through your nose or pass out and wake up later with a headache. Think France gets a penny every time you order fries, toast, or put red dressing on your salad? Hell, those things didn't even come from France in the first place, they're American as all get out.
What's closer to real protest was dumping French wine down the sewer. Only you paid for it first before dumping it. I'm sure the vineyards in France and their Export Ministers were quaking in their berets over there. Would you mind so very much if they shipped us a few of the extra cases of spoiled wine that we could pay for and dump? They'll even make you a special label. Doesn't matter if it's spoiled because we won't be drinking it, you darn Frenchies. Take That! Ha ha. Wait, what do you mean my credit card is maxed out. Oh damn. Time to call it off and go home and use Russian Dressing on our salads.
Sigh.
The Tea Party in one of their first go arounds on the Mall in Washington DC got a whole truck load of tea bags (hopefully Lipton, not one of those imports… wait for it) that they were going to dip into the Reflecting Pool on the Mall to show just how righteously pissed they were. Only they couldn't get a permit to drive the truck onto the Mall nor to dip their tea bags. Something about not muddying the waters or some such. And that was it. The truck went home, everybody bought souvenirs and corn dogs. Because you know our forefathers not only bought the ships and the tea on them in Boston (and all the other places that had "Tea Parties" back in the Revolution), but they asked awfully nicely if they could toss some of it over. Thank the gods there were no environmentalists to wail about all those fishes hyped up on caffeine. Ah, it was a better time then. Wait, what were we talking about. Oh yeah, those Revolutionaries were such a nicely mannered bunch, weren't they?
Look, here's what you do when the dumb asses stamp "denied" on your permit. You get about forty people to haul the boxes of tea down to the protest and just dump it anyway and wait for the capital police to arrest you. Dare them to, even. Because that's what protest is, damn it. And if you're feeling really strongly about it, you just back the truck up and put the truck with the tea bags in it into the reflecting pool.
The better protest was swarming the Capital during the Obamacare debate. But all you did was make the Congressmen and Congresswomen walk in groups. And, as I pointed out in a debate on one of the videos, it wasn't clear if they were headed into the Capital or headed back to their offices. Also there was the racial thing. Also, it wasn't really your core concerns (taxes and lowering the deficit).
What did the union people in Wisconsin do when they were going to close the Capital building to "clean"? "Oh well, chaps, might as well go home and get a good night's sleep." No. Fuck no. They set their lawyers to sue and they held their ground until it came to almost armed assault. That's a protest. They dared the police to arrest them.
When people marched over the bridge to Selma, when they got on the buses, when they stayed off the buses, when they marched with the unionists, when they marched on Washington, they understood that being arrested was not only part of the plan, but it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to them. You might remember that civil rights was a shooting war in some places.
When people went on strike, they had a very real expectation that they might be shot. That isn't hyperbole. People were shot. In the mining towns in West Virginia people were mowed down with the new fangeled Gatling gun while they were in their homes (the train tracks went right through the middle of the company towns). When you went on strike you didn't march outside, you occupied the plant. It was a form of protection and it kept the owners from just firing you all and getting new workers.
If you're going to protest you need to make the people you want to change feel uncomfortable. If you're protesting against The Man, you've gotta make it tough for them. Get two or three people arrested and then everybody goes home, that's not it. I know they teach "passive resistance" courses on how to make it harder for the police to haul you away. Wrong idea. The people in charge really don't care if some officer gets a sore back from lifting you up. You want to make it easy for the police to arrest you. You want them to. You want to force that cop to process you. Because that (the processing and going through court) takes time. Takes real dollars and man power to do. You want to get a thousand people arrested. And don't let them off with only one or two at a time. "Officer, I demand you arrest me now." Make three judges get out of bed, come down to the courthouse to process you through because there just isn't any room to hold 10 people overnight, let alone a few hundred, and you'll make a dent. Keep all those officers late (more than likely on overtime already) to get double time to process forms. Trust me, someone at the State House will be getting a call. And you'll get on the news. Maybe not for your protest, but as it takes a day or two to process you all through the system. That's newsworthy.
So, Mr. "I'm gonna burn this here box of cheerios I bought from the store", you're pissing in the wind. You want to make a protest, grab a few hundred boxes from their warehouse and burn those. That'll cost GM something. That would get their attention (but probably not much). What you did, other than costing the local municipality a few hundred dollars to respond and put out the grass fire you started, was piddly shit. You just masturbated all over the GM sign there and then put the video up on YouTube to show how manly you were running away before anybody might notice you were actually there. If you did scorch some lawn there, I hope General Mills and your local municipality sends you the bill to clean it up, and puts a lean on whatever property you own to have it paid. After all, you handed them the very evidence they need to get the courts to act. Worth it? You should have chained yourself to the sign. Or maybe, since you're such a good customer, General Mills might just send you a coupon pack to buy your next box of cheerios to burn.
Oh, and here's your sign.
Really, WTF people? This is a protest. You just don't have the first shitting clue, do you? You drive up to a General Mills Plant way the hell out front where nobody can see you and are trying to be so quick that you don't even pour the cereal you want to light into the bowl first, but try and light it as you pour. And then you're worried about burning the lawn.
Well, you have some concern there. What you're doing is criminal trespass, arson and burning without a permit (I'm assuming here), and if you torch the lawn that's criminal vandalism. And you don't want to have to pay a ticket or anything like that.
Sigh.
Okay, here I'll make the disclaimer that I'm not advocating that you should break laws or go to jail because those are really bad things to have happen to you. Try and get a job in this market with a record (he said as someone who had to go through a background check just to take classes in the healthcare industry). Doing property damage, even in the case of civil disobedience is a crime. IF you do a crime as protest, if you do it well you should expect to go to jail. But this? You know what, if you really believe, if you're really incensed, if you're so gosh darn sure the country is going to hell in a handbasket, then don't pee into the wind, okay?
This kind of protest in the video above is mental masturbation. It's only for you, and you're getting yourself off. This isn't protest, this is, "oh looky, I'm so upset, I'm going to do something that won't change a farging thing."
It's akin to the whole Freedom Fry joke of a protest. Renaming your French Fries and French Toast and French Dressing to Freedom Whatever doesn't do shit. It's sitting in the corner holding your breath to get someone to change an answer you don't like when that person is neither your parent, your guardian, doesn't know you from Adam or Steve and really isn't even looking in your general direction let alone in the same room as you. Or in other words, all you're going to do is either breathe through your nose or pass out and wake up later with a headache. Think France gets a penny every time you order fries, toast, or put red dressing on your salad? Hell, those things didn't even come from France in the first place, they're American as all get out.
What's closer to real protest was dumping French wine down the sewer. Only you paid for it first before dumping it. I'm sure the vineyards in France and their Export Ministers were quaking in their berets over there. Would you mind so very much if they shipped us a few of the extra cases of spoiled wine that we could pay for and dump? They'll even make you a special label. Doesn't matter if it's spoiled because we won't be drinking it, you darn Frenchies. Take That! Ha ha. Wait, what do you mean my credit card is maxed out. Oh damn. Time to call it off and go home and use Russian Dressing on our salads.
Sigh.
The Tea Party in one of their first go arounds on the Mall in Washington DC got a whole truck load of tea bags (hopefully Lipton, not one of those imports… wait for it) that they were going to dip into the Reflecting Pool on the Mall to show just how righteously pissed they were. Only they couldn't get a permit to drive the truck onto the Mall nor to dip their tea bags. Something about not muddying the waters or some such. And that was it. The truck went home, everybody bought souvenirs and corn dogs. Because you know our forefathers not only bought the ships and the tea on them in Boston (and all the other places that had "Tea Parties" back in the Revolution), but they asked awfully nicely if they could toss some of it over. Thank the gods there were no environmentalists to wail about all those fishes hyped up on caffeine. Ah, it was a better time then. Wait, what were we talking about. Oh yeah, those Revolutionaries were such a nicely mannered bunch, weren't they?
Look, here's what you do when the dumb asses stamp "denied" on your permit. You get about forty people to haul the boxes of tea down to the protest and just dump it anyway and wait for the capital police to arrest you. Dare them to, even. Because that's what protest is, damn it. And if you're feeling really strongly about it, you just back the truck up and put the truck with the tea bags in it into the reflecting pool.
The better protest was swarming the Capital during the Obamacare debate. But all you did was make the Congressmen and Congresswomen walk in groups. And, as I pointed out in a debate on one of the videos, it wasn't clear if they were headed into the Capital or headed back to their offices. Also there was the racial thing. Also, it wasn't really your core concerns (taxes and lowering the deficit).
What did the union people in Wisconsin do when they were going to close the Capital building to "clean"? "Oh well, chaps, might as well go home and get a good night's sleep." No. Fuck no. They set their lawyers to sue and they held their ground until it came to almost armed assault. That's a protest. They dared the police to arrest them.
When people marched over the bridge to Selma, when they got on the buses, when they stayed off the buses, when they marched with the unionists, when they marched on Washington, they understood that being arrested was not only part of the plan, but it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to them. You might remember that civil rights was a shooting war in some places.
When people went on strike, they had a very real expectation that they might be shot. That isn't hyperbole. People were shot. In the mining towns in West Virginia people were mowed down with the new fangeled Gatling gun while they were in their homes (the train tracks went right through the middle of the company towns). When you went on strike you didn't march outside, you occupied the plant. It was a form of protection and it kept the owners from just firing you all and getting new workers.
If you're going to protest you need to make the people you want to change feel uncomfortable. If you're protesting against The Man, you've gotta make it tough for them. Get two or three people arrested and then everybody goes home, that's not it. I know they teach "passive resistance" courses on how to make it harder for the police to haul you away. Wrong idea. The people in charge really don't care if some officer gets a sore back from lifting you up. You want to make it easy for the police to arrest you. You want them to. You want to force that cop to process you. Because that (the processing and going through court) takes time. Takes real dollars and man power to do. You want to get a thousand people arrested. And don't let them off with only one or two at a time. "Officer, I demand you arrest me now." Make three judges get out of bed, come down to the courthouse to process you through because there just isn't any room to hold 10 people overnight, let alone a few hundred, and you'll make a dent. Keep all those officers late (more than likely on overtime already) to get double time to process forms. Trust me, someone at the State House will be getting a call. And you'll get on the news. Maybe not for your protest, but as it takes a day or two to process you all through the system. That's newsworthy.
So, Mr. "I'm gonna burn this here box of cheerios I bought from the store", you're pissing in the wind. You want to make a protest, grab a few hundred boxes from their warehouse and burn those. That'll cost GM something. That would get their attention (but probably not much). What you did, other than costing the local municipality a few hundred dollars to respond and put out the grass fire you started, was piddly shit. You just masturbated all over the GM sign there and then put the video up on YouTube to show how manly you were running away before anybody might notice you were actually there. If you did scorch some lawn there, I hope General Mills and your local municipality sends you the bill to clean it up, and puts a lean on whatever property you own to have it paid. After all, you handed them the very evidence they need to get the courts to act. Worth it? You should have chained yourself to the sign. Or maybe, since you're such a good customer, General Mills might just send you a coupon pack to buy your next box of cheerios to burn.
Oh, and here's your sign.
They're baaaaackkkk
Had to go into a craft store yesterday. Not only did they have their Halloween Decorations ready for sale, they were setting up the shelves for the first wave of Christmas stuff. Just thought you might want to know that.
Linkee-poo wants to check you for ticks
It's a happy book day for Jim Hines' Libriomancer. I heard Jim read from this at Penguicon. It sounds fantastic.
Because there's been a lot of talk of the boorish behavior of people (or just person) at Readercon, we should also talk about the good things regarding fandom. In this case fans stepping up when Neil Clarke suffered a heart attack. The good thing about fandom and cons are that this story is more prevalent than the previous story. (Grokked from Tor.com)
An NPR story on why jokes are funny. So I guess I should stop worrying about trying to make everybody laugh and just go for those people I know who will probably buy my story because of it being funny (I hope).
Ten literary devices and where you can find them in SF. Just so you can appear all literary at the next party over the beer and chips. Although I do take exception to their example of "stream of consciousness." Bowman isn't having a trip without leaving the farm when he stares into the depths of the open Monolith. When things get all technicolor and paint swirly is him traveling through hyperspace, to where the aliens behind the technology live. They give him their best approximation of a full life and then rebirth him as the star child and return him to Earth only moments after he is drawn into the Monolith (where he then stops WW III by detonating and containing the nuclear weapons with his mind). But I can see where you might have missed that part watching the movie while toking. (Grokked from Tor.com)
2012 ain't what it used to be. That's several SF/F authors predicting 2012 from 1987. Although, as they say, it rhymes quite strongly. (pointed to by Dan)
A rule of names. I did a lot of research for Bladesman which portrays a California that is very much less Anglo and more Japanese/Chinese, Hispanic and Russian (although more Anglos than Russians). All of those cultures have distinctly different naming conventions. I've been quite happy than none of the beta-readers have had a problem with the names (except for one Russian name, which it helps to have someone who has actually studied Russian culture and language read your work - waves at Dave Klecha). (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The only moving pictures of Mark Twain. You know, until we get the video from the time machine to work. (Grokked from Tor.com)
CBS is releasing Star Trek Original Series posters executed as period pieces. Now that would be a commission I would kill for. (Grokked from Tor.com)
So, just after NASA posts a video of a 13 minute except of the live stream of the Curiosity landing, Scripps News sends a DMCA take down notice. Classy. Hey Scripps, you may want to look at your license to use that video before doing stupid things like thinking you own it. more about it here. (Pointed to by Dan)
The LOLs of Mars. (Grokked from Joe Hill)
"You get to thinking, maybe letting people vote is the Achilles' Heel of democracy." Eric on some of the stupidity that is winging about this election season. When I hear things like this (the NPR story Eric refers to, yes, I heard it on the radio) it makes me wonder if the Mittster isn't on to something with his own idiotic stances. He might be swinging hard for the, "I'll vote for him cause he's just like me" crowd (meant with the several interpretations of that phrase of Kin and Kindship).
In Louisiana they're giving taxpayer money to religious schools. Here's 14 items that are normally taught to those children. Your tax dollars at work. Ah Bob Jones University Press and A Beka Books, pouring poison into children's ears for the better part of a quarter century. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Oh Missouri, do you really have to? Seriously, while I don't want it to happen, I hope the first time a non-Christian is offering a "corporate" prayer and is stopped or interrupted that they sue your ever-loving asses off. As to "no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs", good luck with that. Have I ever told you how my God doesn't believe in performance evaluations of any kind, tests included? Tell you what, just put up signs on your borders saying, "We don't want your stinking Enlightenment here."
"This is the second mass murder by gunfire here in a month. Is it time to talk about gun control yet?" Not until the gunfire is within the halls of the NRA. Only then will they realize, "Holy fuck, we oughta do something about this." Right now the people being killed are the right people, ie. not anybody the NRA and conservative law makers really care about. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Think I'm being over dramatic with that? While I don't want to speak for him, that's pretty much what Fred Clark is saying in his last paragraph.
Ever hear about any of the children of color who go missing every day? No? You can see them, sometimes, if you pass through the doors of WalMart or Sams Club. But let a cute white kid go missing and it's a national debate and obsession.
"I’d have understood (the cry of our "downward spiral of morals) sooner if they’d have just been clearer and had explicitly said what it is they’re really upset about — all these uppity women, black folks, gays and infidels walking around as though they were equal citizens."
The real thing that distresses me about the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky and Readercon scandals is the persistent thought I have of, "Didn't we deal with all this in the 80s. Do we really have to go through this again?" And the answer is obvious, "Yes. And yes, because the lessons didn't stick and didn't go deep enough."
Well, this explains a lot. That's an animated gif showing the rise of high frequency trading from 2007 to the present. Looks a little like a growing fire, doesn't it? (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Tweet of my heart: @cakemittens: "A2, Brute?" - Caesar playing Battleship
Because there's been a lot of talk of the boorish behavior of people (or just person) at Readercon, we should also talk about the good things regarding fandom. In this case fans stepping up when Neil Clarke suffered a heart attack. The good thing about fandom and cons are that this story is more prevalent than the previous story. (Grokked from Tor.com)
An NPR story on why jokes are funny. So I guess I should stop worrying about trying to make everybody laugh and just go for those people I know who will probably buy my story because of it being funny (I hope).
Ten literary devices and where you can find them in SF. Just so you can appear all literary at the next party over the beer and chips. Although I do take exception to their example of "stream of consciousness." Bowman isn't having a trip without leaving the farm when he stares into the depths of the open Monolith. When things get all technicolor and paint swirly is him traveling through hyperspace, to where the aliens behind the technology live. They give him their best approximation of a full life and then rebirth him as the star child and return him to Earth only moments after he is drawn into the Monolith (where he then stops WW III by detonating and containing the nuclear weapons with his mind). But I can see where you might have missed that part watching the movie while toking. (Grokked from Tor.com)
2012 ain't what it used to be. That's several SF/F authors predicting 2012 from 1987. Although, as they say, it rhymes quite strongly. (pointed to by Dan)
A rule of names. I did a lot of research for Bladesman which portrays a California that is very much less Anglo and more Japanese/Chinese, Hispanic and Russian (although more Anglos than Russians). All of those cultures have distinctly different naming conventions. I've been quite happy than none of the beta-readers have had a problem with the names (except for one Russian name, which it helps to have someone who has actually studied Russian culture and language read your work - waves at Dave Klecha). (Grokked from Jay Lake)
The only moving pictures of Mark Twain. You know, until we get the video from the time machine to work. (Grokked from Tor.com)
CBS is releasing Star Trek Original Series posters executed as period pieces. Now that would be a commission I would kill for. (Grokked from Tor.com)
So, just after NASA posts a video of a 13 minute except of the live stream of the Curiosity landing, Scripps News sends a DMCA take down notice. Classy. Hey Scripps, you may want to look at your license to use that video before doing stupid things like thinking you own it. more about it here. (Pointed to by Dan)
The LOLs of Mars. (Grokked from Joe Hill)
"You get to thinking, maybe letting people vote is the Achilles' Heel of democracy." Eric on some of the stupidity that is winging about this election season. When I hear things like this (the NPR story Eric refers to, yes, I heard it on the radio) it makes me wonder if the Mittster isn't on to something with his own idiotic stances. He might be swinging hard for the, "I'll vote for him cause he's just like me" crowd (meant with the several interpretations of that phrase of Kin and Kindship).
In Louisiana they're giving taxpayer money to religious schools. Here's 14 items that are normally taught to those children. Your tax dollars at work. Ah Bob Jones University Press and A Beka Books, pouring poison into children's ears for the better part of a quarter century. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Oh Missouri, do you really have to? Seriously, while I don't want it to happen, I hope the first time a non-Christian is offering a "corporate" prayer and is stopped or interrupted that they sue your ever-loving asses off. As to "no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs", good luck with that. Have I ever told you how my God doesn't believe in performance evaluations of any kind, tests included? Tell you what, just put up signs on your borders saying, "We don't want your stinking Enlightenment here."
"This is the second mass murder by gunfire here in a month. Is it time to talk about gun control yet?" Not until the gunfire is within the halls of the NRA. Only then will they realize, "Holy fuck, we oughta do something about this." Right now the people being killed are the right people, ie. not anybody the NRA and conservative law makers really care about. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Think I'm being over dramatic with that? While I don't want to speak for him, that's pretty much what Fred Clark is saying in his last paragraph.
Ever hear about any of the children of color who go missing every day? No? You can see them, sometimes, if you pass through the doors of WalMart or Sams Club. But let a cute white kid go missing and it's a national debate and obsession.
"I’d have understood (the cry of our "downward spiral of morals) sooner if they’d have just been clearer and had explicitly said what it is they’re really upset about — all these uppity women, black folks, gays and infidels walking around as though they were equal citizens."
The real thing that distresses me about the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky and Readercon scandals is the persistent thought I have of, "Didn't we deal with all this in the 80s. Do we really have to go through this again?" And the answer is obvious, "Yes. And yes, because the lessons didn't stick and didn't go deep enough."
Well, this explains a lot. That's an animated gif showing the rise of high frequency trading from 2007 to the present. Looks a little like a growing fire, doesn't it? (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
Tweet of my heart: @cakemittens: "A2, Brute?" - Caesar playing Battleship
Monday, August 6, 2012
Linkee-poo has been this way ten years to the day
Finally, a tumblr for us writers (yeah, yeah, I know). Specifically when someone asks me what my book is about, and when they ask me how it's going, and finally when I try to explain my new idea to my significant other. Can I get a BINGO! from the congregation? (Grokked from Mer Haskell)
After a long and very public debate, the Readercon board follows through on their policy banning Rene Walling for life.
The rediscovery that the K-T extinction event was more than just the Chixculub asteroid. It's been long known that dinosaurs were dying out before the K-T event as the number and diversity of fossil remains begins to decrease before the K-T layer. When Chixculub was identified as the best culprit for the final blow, I guess everybody just forgot that piece of data. (Grokked from Tor.com)
The cool thing about Mars? We now have enough hardware in orbit to get cool images like this. Side note, the company I work for made that parachute. (Pointed to by Dan)
Mary Robinette Kowal also shares a video that states what was going through geeks heads this morning (substitute Moon for Mars). Warning, the audio is NSFW, as the title "We are on the f**king moon" might hint at.
Times Square at touch down. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
And then there's the hope of what we'll discover on Mars. Although more than likely we'll just see the carbon traces. (Pointed to by Dan)
You know, John Kerry wasn't only for something before he was against it once. Mitt Romney just keeps on with that meme. And it looks like it's going to be a season of, poor little me getting picked on while picking on others. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Gee, free trade with not-as-free societies could be causing a problem? Who would have thunk it?
"With this in mind (equal distribution of population into income brackets), from the total pie of wealth (100%) what percent do you think the bottom 40%… of Americans possess? And what about the top 20%? If you guessed around 9% for the bottom and 59% for the top, you're pretty much in line with the average response… The reality is quite different. Based on Wolff (2010), the bottom 40% of the population combined has only 0.3% of wealth while the top 20% possesses 84% (see Figure 2)." On the unequal distribution of wealth in the US. Please note that in their survey, the majority of people are okay with some people making a lot more than they (the person being asked) do. "…a few lessons that we can learn from this… is that we vastly underestimate the level of inequality that we have in America… Second, we want much more equality than both what we have and what we think we have." The survey also found relatively little difference in the "ideal" distribution (what we thought would be good) between Democrats and Republicans. That means we all think the income distribution should be fairer than it is in reality. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @catvalente: Men cannot ever experience childbirth or motherhood. Does that mean all male writers are inferior? Oh wait, NO ONE WOULD EVER SAY THAT.
Alligator Quotient: They seem to have gone to an off-site training meeting to figure out new ways of cheating.
After a long and very public debate, the Readercon board follows through on their policy banning Rene Walling for life.
The rediscovery that the K-T extinction event was more than just the Chixculub asteroid. It's been long known that dinosaurs were dying out before the K-T event as the number and diversity of fossil remains begins to decrease before the K-T layer. When Chixculub was identified as the best culprit for the final blow, I guess everybody just forgot that piece of data. (Grokked from Tor.com)
The cool thing about Mars? We now have enough hardware in orbit to get cool images like this. Side note, the company I work for made that parachute. (Pointed to by Dan)
Mary Robinette Kowal also shares a video that states what was going through geeks heads this morning (substitute Moon for Mars). Warning, the audio is NSFW, as the title "We are on the f**king moon" might hint at.
Times Square at touch down. (Grokked from Tobias Buckell)
And then there's the hope of what we'll discover on Mars. Although more than likely we'll just see the carbon traces. (Pointed to by Dan)
You know, John Kerry wasn't only for something before he was against it once. Mitt Romney just keeps on with that meme. And it looks like it's going to be a season of, poor little me getting picked on while picking on others. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Gee, free trade with not-as-free societies could be causing a problem? Who would have thunk it?
"With this in mind (equal distribution of population into income brackets), from the total pie of wealth (100%) what percent do you think the bottom 40%… of Americans possess? And what about the top 20%? If you guessed around 9% for the bottom and 59% for the top, you're pretty much in line with the average response… The reality is quite different. Based on Wolff (2010), the bottom 40% of the population combined has only 0.3% of wealth while the top 20% possesses 84% (see Figure 2)." On the unequal distribution of wealth in the US. Please note that in their survey, the majority of people are okay with some people making a lot more than they (the person being asked) do. "…a few lessons that we can learn from this… is that we vastly underestimate the level of inequality that we have in America… Second, we want much more equality than both what we have and what we think we have." The survey also found relatively little difference in the "ideal" distribution (what we thought would be good) between Democrats and Republicans. That means we all think the income distribution should be fairer than it is in reality. (Grokked from Jay Lake)
Tweet of my heart: @catvalente: Men cannot ever experience childbirth or motherhood. Does that mean all male writers are inferior? Oh wait, NO ONE WOULD EVER SAY THAT.
Alligator Quotient: They seem to have gone to an off-site training meeting to figure out new ways of cheating.
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