Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Obama wants to know: Why open source?
President Barack Obama is a smart guy. Where others zig, he zags. It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that he’s been asking around about the benefits of open source, according to Sun Chairman Scott McNealy, who has been asked by President Obama to author a white paper on the benefits the U.S. government can derive from open source.
10 Web Sites That Will Matter in 2009
You’ve probably never heard of many of them, but chances are you’ll be using some of these Web sites by the end of this year.
Obama inauguration marks new chapter for digital media
On March 4, 1901, a lone cameraman in the employ of Thomas A. Edison was dispatched to capture the swearing in of William McKinley. To posterity he delivered a total of 44 seconds of grainy footage showing a white-haired man on the Capitol steps solemnly, if indistinctly, raising his right hand.
Living free with Linux: 2 weeks without Windows
Can a dedicated Windows user make it for two weeks using only Linux? Preston Gralla tried it and lived to tell this tale.
10 Online Learning Tools for Students
Second semester has started and many students went back to college. If you are one of them check out this list of tools, it might help you with your studies. All applications are web based, simple to use and free.
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Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Dumb Eco-Questions You Were Afraid To Ask
New Scientist offers the definitive guide to everything you wanted to know about being green but were too embarrassed to ask.
How Fast Can Obama Fix US Environment Policy?
For eight years the US has been seen as a global outlier on climate issues. Now, with just 12 months to go until the world decides on a new Kyoto protocol, it is catch-up time for president-elect Barack Obama. What can he reasonably achieve in that time?
Unhappy People Watch TV, Happy People Read/Socialize
A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. The study appears in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.
20 Great Online Image Editors
The online image editing space has grown rapidly in the past year, providing great free and subscription-based options for users of all levels. These well-rounded services let you import images from your social networks, touch up photos, promote your work, and more.
Consumer Confidence is Plummeting
This is the dilemma that 30 years of Reaganomics (the real Reaganomics — keeping the economy overstimulated with huge deficits and irresponsible consumer borrowing — not the fantasy Reaganomics of government run like a family and tax cuts that pay for themselves) has left us with. So what do we do?
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Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
5 Weather Events Worth Chatting About
Usually, the weather is a subject for polite, uneventful conversation with people you don’t know very well. But sometimes the weather is weird, or even downright scary. Here are a few examples of weather events that gave neighbors more than enough to awkwardly discuss.
Greenpeace Activists Detain Palm Oil Tanker
Where Do Readers Stand on Direct Action? Yesterday, Greenpeace announced that, in order to highlight the ongoing deforestation occurring in Indonesia due to expanding oil palm cultivation, it had stopped a palm oil shipments from leaving port in Dumai, Indonesia. The activists locked themselves to the ship’s anchor chain to prevent its departure.
Princeton Scientists Discover Proteins to Control Evolution
Evolutionary changes are supposed to take place gradually and randomly, under pressure from natural selection. But a team of Princeton scientists investigating a group of proteins that help cells burn energy stumbled across evidence that this is not how evolution works.
Utilities Testing Solar Thermal At Traditional Power Plants
The Electric Power Research Institute announced yesterday that two utility companies (Dynasty Inc and NV Energy) will test out the addition of solar thermal energy to natural gas plants in Arizona and Nevada. The EPRI is conducting the project to determine if using solar thermal at fossil fuel plants will reduce fuel costs and plant emissions.
7 Environmental Executive Orders President Obama Should Sign
The Center for Progressive Reform passed on their suggestions for 7 Executive Orders for the President’s First 100 Days, and here they are for you to debate, discuss and otherwise armchair analyze.
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Saturday, November 1st, 2008
I think I am visibly nervous. I wonder if people can tell.
I woke up this morning thinking of politics. If you haven’t heard, I really like the whole topic. I like talking about it, but hate talking about it with stupid people. Whenever I talk to a stupid person, we just get tangled up in that day’s headlines. After the conversation, I lose more faith in humanity and wallow a little bit more. I like talking more about world view, big ideas, the whole picture. Since I am so sensitive, much of my discussion is just a monologue on this blog. That’s probably not a bad thing.
I remember I was talking politics with a girl I used to work with. She said, “Well, aren’t you glad we went to Iraq?” I said, “Why would I be glad we went to Iraq?” She replied, “So we can get the terrorists.” Mind you, this is about four years after we discovered there was no threat from Iraq.
One thing that frustrates me is when people say, “I hate politics. All politicians are the same. They aren’t going to do anything different than anyone else.” That may be true, but what would we do differently? I mean, if I were trying to get elected, I would probably gather my base first and then change things up to go after the groups I need. I’m not a fool. I may have the best ideas in the world, but if I don’t get elected, what good are they? It’s why politicians pander.
A few days ago, I was frantically checking all the polls at many of the news sites. I recently decided that my heart couldn’t take it anymore. Any movement just freaks me out. I am not even sure I want to play this game anymore. It’s kind of like when you have to give a presentation in a class, but you haven’t prepared…you figure dropping the class altogether would be a heck of a lot easier. I’m sure many of us have been down that road.
I am starting to think that hiding in a hole until Tuesday isn’t such a bad idea. I am waiting for something to blow up or for us to find out about some horrible thing someone did. I feel so on edge.
I really was ok with both candidates until that magical moment I heard, “Hey folks, I’m just a regular old hockey mom who can relate to all you Joe six-packs out there.” Right after I experienced that, my soul fell on the floor. I thought I was trapped in some freakish dream. I believed with my whole being that it must be some sick joke, or at least a terrible accident. To me, that translated into, “Hey fellers, I’ll meet all you losers down at the Boar’s Nest in a half hour. The first round is on me.” I mean, seriously.
I’ll tell you what bothers me right now. I am bothered that John McCain went negative. I thought he was better than that. I truly did. Seeing the way he has handled himself has let me down. Also, after watching him for a while, I have come to the conclusion that he is going for points. It’s like he yells, “Ah ha!!!” after he comes up with a good line.
I am disappointed that Obama hasn’t really hit back hard. With all the petty things that have come out in this election, can’t someone with some spine stand up and say, “You know what? I don’t give a damn about where my aunt lives, THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING OUT THERE.” Let’s put this in perspective again.
I am annoyed with John McCain’s pick as vice-president. It was very transparent and if he loses, very foolish. It wasn’t thought out and I don’t appreciate that kind of action. This is our country after all.
I think Joe Biden needs to have a little more visibility. Maybe I am just a Joe six-pack, but I like the guy. I think he is smart and makes a lot of sense. I have to remember that I am not part of the campaign and polls dictate where these people go and what they do. Oh well.
Well, only two more days until election day 2008. I am going to stroll into the polling place on Tuesday and vote down the party line. Until then, I will silently think about what coulda been, shoulda been and was.
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Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
In exactly one and a half hours, Barack Obama and John McCain will square off in the final presidential debate of 2008.
I can’t believe it’s happening. I mean, I have been following a campaign, in some fashion or another, for about 8 years now. Geez, it seems like they never end. Someone (I can’t remember who) once said that the campaigning for the second term of the presidency begins the first day of office of the first term. That may have come from a movie, I just don’t remember.
I have been following the hype all day. All the major news outlets have been saying that John McCain needs to really step it up during this debate and knock Obama off his rhythm. If he does, would that bring all the swing voters to McCain? Possible, but not probable.
As you may be aware, there is a huge amount of media manipulation during any campaign, but especially before a big debate, like this one. Both campaigns play what is referred to as “the expectations game.” I actually got that term from the media. I think Obama’s team won this time, because they got all the outlets to report on McCain’s tall order. Now, we are all going to be watching for that knockout punch.
Or, it could be the media is just reporting this to raise ratings. I think this thing is being influenced by both. Either way, I will be sitting down in the basement from 9PM to ??? enjoying another debate with a cold beer in my hand.
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
Back when we used to live up in Naples, NY, I loved listening to Rush Limbaugh. I have to admit, I am not a conservative, but the man was entertaining.
This is back in the day when he used to beat up on Bill Clinton. Even though I thought the whole Clinton scandal was a little “consuming” for my taste, I still liked listening to what Rush had to say. Hmmm, perhaps it was because I was living in the middle of nowhere and the radio was slowly becoming my friend. Ok, we’ll leave that out of this.
I have discovered an old pal, Air America Radio. This is basically the “Anti-Rush” equivalent. It’s funny how long it took the left to come up with a counter punch to the right’s rambling on the air waves for all these years. I mean, heelllooooo…is anyone out there? Maybe it’s because there was never anything to talk about. We had a Democrat in office as president, so it would have been a little weird to get on the air and complain about stuff. When people tune in to these kinds of shows, they want to hear drama, not the sound of patting one’s self on the back. I suppose they could have gone after congress and Newt Gingrich, but that wouldn’t have been that effective.
I gotta tell you, I like Air America. Of course, it isn’t all too objective, but it seems to be based more on intelligence than that other show I was talking about in the beginning of this post. I doesn’t seem like anyone is trying to pull something over on me, yet, they are just trying to explain something to me. They even offer the video and audio to back up what they are saying. I may, admittedly, have receptive ears though.
My favorites are Rachel Maddow and Ron Reagan. They offer the same level of sarcasm that I was semi-forced to listen to while in Naples. Now, this is good stuff.
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
I am a registered Democrat. Love me if you are a Democrat, hate me if you are a Republican. I don’t care.
I am actually more of a socially liberal / fiscally conservative Independent. I guess that would make me one of those coveted swing voters. I’m probably not, because I have never voted Republican in my life, but just the same, I would like to be one of those coveted people.
I was just reading about our two presidential candidates for 2008, again. I am pretty psyched about this race. I think the Democrats have a good thing going and, if what I am reading is true, the Republicans need some help.
Let me just say this off the bat…I don’t dislike John McCain. Actually, I didn’t before the election. He is starting to get under my skin though. I think I never really disliked him because I never really saw much of him. I just saw what was on the news. I always thought his heart was in the right place. The more I see this guy, the more he is starting to annoy me. I think it’s because (in my opinion), he has zero charisma. If I hear “friends…” one more time. Also, for the life of me, I have no idea why in the world he is bringing up William Ayers. Hardly anyone knows who this person is and, right now, hardly anyone cares. Perhaps if this William fella was in the news for the past 3 years for doing something terrible and had some more name recognition, there would be some impact. But seriously, wasting valuable air time on a no-name dude like this is…well, wasting valuable air time. There are bigger issues at hand.
I have long thought that presidential politics was just a popularity contest. I mean, who in the world knows what these people are proposing? It seems to be all about style. If someone is a good speaker, they can pretty much say, “I will rob you blind” and still get voted in. I mean 95% of these people and a $5000 tax credit for these people…who knows what is going on? Seriously, about 5% of the public really cares.
Can you really vote for someone based on what they say they are going to do while in office? Remember what the current president said during all his debates with Al Gore? Small government, follow the rule of law, war as a last resort, fiscally conservative…oh man. I mean, the last 8 years was kind of like winning the lottery and getting your car repossessed in one fell swoop.
As much as I hate wedge issues, they seem to play a large part in who gets voted in to office. Abortion, religion, gay rights, immigration…all of them play a very weighted role in who gets to live in the White House for the next 4 years. It is a real shame, but the facts are the facts.
I can say to a McCain supporter who pays too much in taxes, “Yeah, but Obama says he is going to lower taxes on those who make less than $250,000 a year.” They might say back to me, “McCain is pro-life.” I guess they are voting for McCain. No one can really say whether or not these issues should be important to people, they just are. I keep thinking that when voting for the next president, you are voting for someone to fill a spot in the Executive Branch of government. I am not sure what gay rights has to do with the Executive Branch, but if you oppose gay rights, you oppose gay rights. Ain’t nobody going to change your mind. Well, the president does get to nominate justices for the Supreme Court…hmmm.
I would like to hear what is going through the minds of people out there. I am going to go out on a limb here and tell you what concerns me in this election and I hope you will do the same. I don’t care who you are voting for, I just want you to tell me your concerns. What issues make you vote for who you plan on voting for?
My concerns are (in order of importance): environment, economy, the war(s), taxes, health care, our standing in the world and having some honesty back in government.
There you have it. Anyone else?
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
I just wanted to let my fine and honorable readers know that I will be unavailable tonight from 9PM to about 11PM. I will be downstairs watching the first presidential debate of 2008.
Due to my unavailability, I will not be taking phone calls, unless they are of emergency in nature. Oh please, like anyone calls me. Haha.
Does anyone else care about politics like I do? I mean, I don’t like politics, I get frustrated as much as the next guy from the whole circus. I like the drama. I like watching each campaign’s strategy and how they try to outwit the other. I don’t know, it gets me all wound up and ready to fight.
Ok, bye.
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Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Even the sun is getting lower in the sky.
I just read an article about “Lipstickgate.” I am sure you know what I am talking about. Obama said, “You can put lipstick on a pig…” and McCain is allegedly crying about it. Well, this is what it’s come down to folks. While a friend of mine is waiting to see if his house will be foreclosed on, we are arguing about pigs wearing lipstick, 55 days away from the presidential election.
Now, let me first tell you that I have mixed feelings about the whole mortgage issue. I don’t feel like getting in to them here. My point is, the mortgage thing is a valid issue that we can and should be discussing instead of beautiful pigs. Catch my drift?
I remember waaaay back a few weeks ago, right after the Democratic National Convention, I told my mother that I was finally proud to be a Democrat. I wrote an email to an old colleague the same day and ended it saying, “It’s a great day to be a Democrat.” Man, it felt great to say that. After eight years of cowering in our unpatriotic caves, someone with some guts was standing up to all the nonsense in this country. Sure, I wasn’t flying one of those ridiculous little flags on my car, but I still felt proud and (finally) patriotic. We had a good ol’ fight on our hands.
Oh well, I should have known that sort of pride and confidence in politics wouldn’t last long. Now we have the tit-for-tat that will bring us all the way to another election day. Anything to stay away from the real issues, I suppose.
I have already been to the tennis club three times since I joined. I took one lesson and went to two clinics. There were about twelve people in the first clinic and four in the second. The clinics don’t give me as much individual attention as the private lessons, but they do keep me on top of my game. I also get the opportunity to meet and play against a wide variety of people, which is important. I like the clinics, but I think I prefer the private lessons more. My goal is to go to both the Wednesday and Saturday clinics and have one private lesson per week. I hope to also get some matches, or just hitting, in too. Without a doubt, I am having a good time, I just wish I was there more.
If you have been sneezing or have felt allergies more than normal lately, that may be because of our good friend, the Ragweed. Our other good friend, the Goldenrod usually gets blamed for the allergies, but it isn’t the most likely culprit, due to its heavy pollen. Both plants bloom at the same time, so it’s hard to tell which one is causing the issue.
Goldenrod
I took this photo in the side yard this afternoon.
I have been thinking lately that I need some more clothes. I probably have enough, but they are getting kind of old looking. I was actually on the Old Navy website yesterday with my shopping cart full, when I started having second thoughts. I remembered back to my disappointment every time I buy something other than jeans from that place. The clothes really aren’t quality.
I left that website and went over to L.L. Bean’s website. I found a few things I like and then changed my mind again. I looked at a few of their models and thought I would have to stamp a big “L” on my forehead to wear some of that stuff. Why do their models look like such herbs? They need some new ones (call me).
I decided that it might be best to go out and buy some clothes in person. Maybe tomorrow we can take a trip up to the Prime Outlets in Lee, MA. Those are usually pretty good and I find good stuff up there. It’s not too far from here either. With the crisper air now, it can make for a good day.
Other than that, I am not sure anything too interesting is happening. Any questions?
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Thursday, November 29th, 2007
So I watched the Republican debate last night, live on CNN.com. I am not sure why I watched it…I guess I was interested in what they had to offer.
I have to say, some of it was interesting. They touched on some good issues, such as the war and fiscal policy. I was slightly pleased at that. They also touched on some really annoying things. The problem was that the candidates seemed to be trying to “out conservative” each other.
In the beginning, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney got in a little (way overblown) tussle about illegal immigration. While the topic is legitimate, I am not sure how having a few unknown illegals doing some landscaping for you affects your judgement as president. Well, I suppose it all matters in Republican debates. There were a few ridiculously idiotic questions, such as, “Do you believe in every single word of the Bible?” and “What does the Confederate Flag mean to you?” I have to admit that I am disappointed that I will never get those few minutes of my life back. I guess I have to blame CNN for letting those questions through.
So people, there you have it. While the earth’s temperature steadily climbs, glaciers melt and wars rage, American television is asking potential presidential candidates whether or not they believe in every word of the Bible, verbatim.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot a really good one…”How many guns do you own and what kind are they?” Now that one was fabulous, just fabulous. What intellectual and stimulating conversation. I think even the candidates were rolling their eyes at that one.
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