Moved to Dreamhost This post showing up indicates that the DNS has transfered.
After several years of providing hosting for my sites, my friend Gabe has decommissioned his server. So I have moved my sites to Dreamhost.
Posted at 14:05
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Sometimes, Twistr still surprises
Follow Cost has been getting most of my love these
days, but sometimes Twistr comes through for me:
Twistr. Twitter + Flickr = LOLs?
Posted at 17:11
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WaMu: Ouch
Posted at 08:04
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Misses Palin
You know it's bad when the Russians are mocking you.
Posted at 14:38
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MinneDemo is ON! Novemeber 12, Uptown, Minneapolis We rented Intermedia Arts which is a
super-cool venue.
We've got a number of cool presentations lined up, plus we are going to
have kegs of beer this time. So it should be pretty awesome.
Hope you can make it. RSVP here.
MinneDemo is back! And this one might be the best
one ever.
Posted at 12:35
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Michelle Bachman: An Embarrassment to Minnesota Watch as she calls for a McCarthy-style witch-hunt against "anti-American"
Congressleaders -- including Obama. Unbelievable!
This needs to end.
Her opponent El Tinklenberg is within
striking distance to unseat her. There's just two weeks left. Give now -
on
El's site or ActBlue.
Michelle Bachman is an absolute embarrassment to the state of Minnesota.
Posted at 20:07
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Nasruddin and the Philosopher
Once a renowned philosopher and moralist was traveling through Nasruddin's village when he asked him where there was a good place to eat. He suggested a place and the scholar, hungry for conversation, invited Mullah Nasruddin to join him. Much obliged, Mullah Nasruddin accompanied the scholar to a nearby restaurant, where they asked the waiter about the special of the day. "Fish! Fresh Fish!" replied the waiter. "Bring us two," they answered. A few minutes later, the waiter brought out a large platter with two cooked fish on it, one of which was quite a bit smaller than the other. Without hesitating, Mullah Nasruddin took the larger of the fish and put it on his plate. The scholar, giving Mullah Nasruddin a look of intense disbelief, proceeded to tell him that what he did was not only blatantly selfish, but that it violated the principles of almost every known moral, religious, and ethical system. Mullah Nasruddin calmly listened to the philosopher's extempore lecture patiently, and when he had finally exhausted his resources, Mullah Nasruddin said, "Well, Sir, what would you have done?" "I, being a conscientious human, would have taken the smaller fish for myself." "And here you are," Mullah Nasruddin said, and placed the smaller fish on the gentleman's plate.
Posted at 13:24
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Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart ( Via.)
Posted at 10:10
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Twistr Bike
Sometimes Twistr excels:
Twistr. Twitter + Flickr = LOLs?
Posted at 17:55
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Why I hate "security questions" These questions are usually more insecure than the password itself. For
example, mother's madien name or where you met your spouse? How many
people know that, or could easily find out? Usually there's only three
questions. It's pathetic how easy the anwsers would be to guess or root
out for most people.
Sarah Palin's Yahoo! Mail account was hacked -- by some one who knew
basic facts about her and used Yahoo! "forgot my password" feature to set
a new password.
Details of this week's break-in, if authentic, were consistent with speculation by computer security experts who said Yahoo's "forgot-my-password" service almost certainly was exploited. The mechanism allows customers to retrieve or change their password if they can verify their identity by confirming personal information such as birthdate, zip code and the answer to a "secret question," such as a childhood pet's name or school mascot.
Palin's hacker was challenged to guess where Alaska's governor met her husband, Todd. Palin herself recounted in her speech at the Republican National Convention that the pair began dating two decades ago in high school in Wasilla, a town near Anchorage.
"I found out later though (sic) more research that they met at high school, so I did variations of that, high, high school, eventually hit on 'Wasilla high'," the person wrote.
Posted at 16:36
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Internationale Seriously though, this stuff is really scary.
Three-month
T-bills just hit 0.06% return. Yikes.
LOLz: "Now that the gov't has nationalized Freddie, Fannie & AIG, is it
going to make us sing the 'Internationale' before baseball games?"
So comrades, come rally,
And the last fight let us face.
The Internationale,
Unites the human race.
Posted at 19:22
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Obama on taxes
The Washington Post did
a graphic about the McCain/Obama plans. As you can see, almost all of McCain's
tax cuts go to those mkaing more than $250,000/year. (I don't think this includes
McCain's plan to make employer health care benefits taxable, though.)
John McCain's been saying Barack Obama is going to raise everyone's taxes, and a
lot of people believe it. But it's not true. For almost everyone, Barack Obama's
plan cuts taxes, while John McCain raises them.
I can make a firm pledge: Under my plan no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, notyour capital gains tax. Not any of your taxes.
And my opponent can't make that pledge and here's why. For the first time in American history, John McCain wants to tax your health care benefits.
Posted at 23:31
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Tumblon: Launched! There's still a lot of work to do, but it feels good to have it finally
open for business. Expect to hear more about Tumblon in the future.
The beta for Tumblon has finally launched!
Tumblon is the site for parents with young children that I've been working
on for the last 10 months. If you have kids, you should check it out.
Posted at 20:47
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Twistr: Twitter + Flickr = LOLs? We pull interesting Creative
Commmons Attribution licensed photos from Flickr and slap random Twitter
messages on top of them.
Usually, they are pretty stupid. But sometimes they can be funny, like
this one:
And you can vote on which photos are good or bad, so
the most WIN photos rise to the top.
Eric Chapweske and I have developed Twistr to answer
that age-old question -- can you make LOLcat-type images randomly?
Twistr. Twitter + Flickr = LOLs?
Posted at 20:08
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MinneBar and MinneDemo in the news Casual mixers put
spotlight on local tech talent
Overall the article is pretty positive, but it hightlights how far we have
to go in order to build up our tech ecosystem. MinneBar is a "must attend"
event, but not many companies have come out of it.
Thomas Lee at the Star Tribune wrote an article about MinneBar and
MinneDemo today:
Beer was flowing but no one seemed to be drinking much.
That's what Mike O'Connor remembers from a past MinneDemo event, a quarterly schmooze fest where tech geeks -- programmers, software developers, entrepreneurs -- swap ideas and show off their latest work.
Alcohol consumed is usually a good party metric. But there was more gabbing and less gulping this time.
"I think the magic ingredients [to Minne-Demo are] good people to talk to, interesting things to talk about, and beer," said O'Connor, a veteran entrepreneur and consultant. "The beer is more of a signpost, the clue to how people should interact." That is, informally.
Posted at 13:39
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Niel Shubin bio "Shubin earned a Ph.D. in organismic and evolutionary biology from Harvard
University in 1987. He has also appeared on The Colbert Report on January
14, 2008."
Only on Wikipedia would appearing on the Colbert Report be co-equal with
getting a Ph.D. from Harvard.
This is the whole of Neil
Shubin's biography on Wikipedia:
Posted at 11:33
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5 ½ inches of history That's a lot of history.
I did it! I finished
The
Isles: A History! Last year, I read
Europe:
A History.
Posted at 09:14
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Al Franken draws US map from memory Wow!
Video (from a different event) here:
Al Franken can draw an extremely accurate map of the USA from memory,
while taking questions from the audience.
Posted at 10:29
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Alaska's Ted Stevens problem Apparently everything in Alaska is named after
Ted Stevens, lately indicited
on corruption charges. Reminds me of
this Achewood comic:
This is the very simple reason why I don't believe in naming things after
people who are still alive.
Washington Post:
ANCHORAGE, July 30 -- Alaska's vast landscape is littered with federally funded tributes to Sen. Ted Stevens's single-minded promotion of the state, from the brushed steel of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to the $187 million that subsidizes air mail for the one-third of residents who live beyond the reach of roads.
Posted at 08:55
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Ounces per shot Google rules!
Google query:
ounces in a shot
Posted at 18:23
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
Words fail me:
see more pwn and owned pictures
Posted at 18:40
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Little known HTML entities ☭
You do now!
* May not work in all browsers.
Did you know there's an
HTML entity for
the hammer and sickle?
Posted at 16:37
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Nerd LOLs BTW, I Can Has Cheezburger's new
"advanced" lolbuilder is really awesome. It's really flexible. Almost as
good as Skitch, but totally web based (it's Flash).
I read too much
Peter F. Hamilton.
moar funny pictures
Posted at 09:58
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Code review kitty This lightened the mood:
I'm doing a lot of research about code reviews for my talk at
RubyFringe in Toronto next week(!).
Posted at 18:10
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WHO IS BARACK OBAMA???
From an email forward of unknown
origins:
There are many things people do not know about BARACK OBAMA. It is every American's duty to read this message and pass it along to all of their friends and loved ones.
...
Barack Obama is a PATRIOTIC AMERICAN. He has one HAND over his HEART at all times. He occasionally switches when one arm gets tired, which is almost never because he is STRONG.
...
Barack Obama goes to church every morning. He goes to church every afternoon. He goes to church every evening. He is IN CHURCH RIGHT NOW.
...
Barack Obama buys AMERICAN STUFF. He owns a FORD, a BASEBALL TEAM, and a COMPUTER HE BUILT HIMSELF FROM AMERICAN PARTS. He travels mostly by FORKLIFT.
Posted at 12:22
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Pragmatic Typography I'm by no means a typography geek or design nerd but I gotta agree here.
The Pragmatic books have always struck me as looking incredibly cheezy
compared to O'Reilly, Manning, or Addison-Wesley technical books.
Just compare the quality of the Hunt/Thomas
The Pragmatic Programmer (published by Addison-Wesley) to a typical
Pragmatic Press book (published by Hunt and Thomas). The difference is
striking.
John Gruber:
"Pragmatic keeps up their tradition of great content from smart
developers, presented with atrocious typography."
Posted at 21:44
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Super Stationmaster Tama Tama has become a huge tourist attraction and helped reverse the fortunes
of the Wakayama Electric Railroad. Tama is paid in catfood.
Awesome. (Via BBC)
After the Wakayama Electric Railroad had to lay off employees at the Kishi
Station in Kinokawa, they
appointed a cat
named Tama to be station master. She greets visitors and even has a
little cap.
Posted at 10:09
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FanChatter Stadium embedding test (No I did not send in this photo. I got it from the gallery!)
And this one is my favorite fan photo ever:
I love the creativity! People have sent in some pretty hilarious photos.
I was just adding some features to
FanChatter Stadium and I need to test out photo embedding. So here goes.
more Minnesota Twins fan photos
more Minnesota Twins fan photos
Posted at 17:17
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Amazing Track Stand
Um, wow.
Posted at 21:47
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THE THINKER Or should that be "TEH THINKER"?
Here's another LOLcat I made (based off
this one).
moar funny pictures
Posted at 11:02
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Extreme Obama
Posted at 21:20
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MinneBar tomorrow - Saturday, May 10! So you should come. It's at Coffman Union at the U of M.
Details here.
It's time for another MinneBar, happening
tomorrow at the ungodly hour of 8:30 am. Despite the early start, it's
stacked up to be an awesome event with more sessions than we've ever had
before. There's something for everyone -- design, technology,
non-profits, start ups...
Posted at 16:24
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Best Duel Ever Cholera sausages at dawn!
Wikipedia: "It is said
(though not confirmed) that Otto von Bismarck challenged Rudolf Virchow to
a duel. Virchow, as the challenged party had the choice of weapons; he
chose two sausages, one of which had been inoculated with cholera.
Bismarck is said to have called off the duel at once."
Posted at 11:45
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Bike links Here's some links.
First off, I was saddened to learn that
Sheldon Brown
( wikipedia
entry) passed away recently. His website is one of the best bike
resources on the 'net, and I've spent a lot of time reading it.
Dave Moulton's Bike Blog. Thoughts on
cycling from a retired frame builder. His post on
What to wear
inspired the below links.
Bike Commuters. A community for those of
us who bike to work -- the nerds of bike culture.
Bike Snob NYC has a humorous look at
bike culture in New York, and a distain for the excesses of some of the
fixie enthusiasts.
Bike Knickers. Pants that look good, so you can wear them at work, but
don't cramp your style (read: junk) while riding.
Portland Bike Forums:
non dorky bike
pants
Fixed Gear Gallery:
Knicker Review
NYT:
Pants in a Twist? Try Some Knickers
Bike rides. I want to do more, longer rides this year. Paying money to
do so is an excellent way to ensure motivation. Here's some coming up
( longer list).
I'm rearing to start biking but the weather's not really cooperating
(yeah, I'm a big wuss about riding in bad weather).
Posted at 22:02
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FAIL
see more funny political pictures
Posted at 21:25
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W(e are )here Paul Cantrell and I developed an interactive Google
Maps mashup called Where We're coming From
that helps people visualize their trip to Intermedia Arts. That's just a
small part of the show, but it's exciting to have it publically exhibited.
Here's the write-up:
The exhibit runs March 31-May 9, but the
exhibit party is April 25 from 7-11pm at Intermedia Arts
(
map). There will be food, drink, music and interactive exhibits. Hope to
see you there!
You should come to my art show on Friday, April 25 at
Intermedia Arts! It's called
W(e are )here and is all about mapping and data visualization.
Intermedia Arts and Solutions Twin Cities team up to creatively explore the intersections of communication, technology, and aesthetics. This unique multi-media exhibit invites you to explore and interact with the information around you through data visualization, artistic expression, and interactive installations.
Recent developments in technology are expanding the ways we communicate the concept of "where." Online mapping and info-graphic applications are allowing artists, amateurs, and armchair cartographers to chart the intangibility of "place," etching their own impressions, emotions, and experiences onto the physical world around them. Embracing this new paradigm, the artists in this exhibit are charting unique territories while working towards the development of an emerging visual language that connects place, moment, and emotion across varied scales. Where is expanding. W(e are )here.
Posted at 22:28
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Take this job and shove it I've always believed that universal healthcare not tied to your employer
would be a powerful driver for entrepreneurship in America. A lot of
people are in jobs they hate because they need health insurance. A lot of
those people would like to start their own business. Most would fail, but
some would succeed. It would be good for the economy.
Posted at 14:05
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Avoid movies that open in 2,000 theaters Erik Lundegaard compares movie release size with Rotten Tomatoes aggregate
review score and finds that movies that open in less than 500 theaters
(indie pictures) are critic favorites, while movies that open in 3000+
theaters (popcorn movies) are somewhat watchable. In the middle is a
no-mans-land of terrible movies. He suggests studios and distributors know
what they're doing: good movies that have wide appeal go out to the most
theaters, while crappy movies open smaller to save theater space for the
better movies.
Yuck.
Erik Lundegaard: 2007 box
office: Why movies that open in 2,000 theaters should be avoided
Imagine that you only saw films that opened on 2000-2999 screens. Here's what you would've seen in the first 12 weeks of 2008: One Missed Call (0% RT rating), Meet the Spartans (3%), College Road Trip (12%), First Sunday (15%), Untraceable (16%), The Eye (19%), Mad Money (20%), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (25%), Never Back Down (26%), Step Up 2 the Streets (27%), Rambo (31%) and Definitely, Maybe (72%).
Posted at 16:34
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Obama the populist?
But will he follow it with action?
He sure sounds like one here:
Posted at 20:25
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Northwestern Scholarship for Programmer/Journalists That's pretty cool. It's a one-year program for developers who want to do
journalism in the Django age.
Programmer Scholarships Available for Journalism Program:
Are you a skilled programmer or Web developer? Are you interested in applying your talents to the challenge of creating a better-informed society? Do you want to learn how to find, analyze and present socially relevant information that engages media audiences? Do you see possibilities for applying technology as a way to connect people and information on the Web or new delivery platforms?
If your answers are "yes," consider applying to Medill for a master's degree in journalism. You can earn your degree in just a year. You will learn new skills that will open doors to new opportunities that might help build a better democracy. And a new program at Medill offers you a chance to win a fully funded scholarship.
Posted at 14:43
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How do you spend 100 years in Iraq?
Six months at a time...
Posted at 14:55
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Galaxy M104 edge-on By Vicent Peris. Via Astronomy Picture of the
Day.
Galaxy M104, about 28 million light-years away is aligned edge-on to our
own. This image from the Hubble captures M104 dramatically.
Posted at 08:23
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Google App Engine
Google
announces App Engine. Sounds like it's time to
dust off
my Python.
Posted at 08:01
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Market Claus
Posted at 17:41
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The American Revolution: Why and What If? Matt says:
His second thought, about the British perspective about the war reminded
me of Barbara Tuchman's
The March of
Folly, one chapter of which is about how the British foolishly let the
colonies slip from their grasp. Several people recommend that book, as
well as The
Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies.
There's also a lot of discussion about what would have happened if the
British had compromised with the Americans (perhaps with representation
in Parliament). Would America have developed more like Canada? What about
slavery (outlawed in the Empire in the 1830s)? Would America still have
become a Great Power?
I thought this was an interesting point to consider, as well:
In that vein,
For
Want of a Nail: If Burgoyne had won at Saratoga sounds like a super
interesting book. An alternative histroy, it's the first I've heard of
that's an actual history: the book is a history textbook from an
alternative universe, with fake "sources" and everything.
This post and its comments on Matthew Yglesias's site has got me on a
major Revolutionary War history jag.
I find it striking that, as presented in episode two of John Adams, the case for independence is distinctly underwhelming. In particular, the point that a rebellion which can only succeed with foreign assistance is as likely to result in domination by France as in freedom from Britain seems like an important cautionary note. What's more, favored by hindsight and the example of Canada and Australia, the imagine of a non-independent America as destined to be slowly-but-surely ground into a state of tyranny looks wrong.
Conversely, however, the British seemed to be badly missing the big picture as the crisis approached -- risking a very valuable series of possessions over some relatively trivial policy issues. Taking the long view, independence looks more like the somewhat tragic result of short-sighted thinking on both sides than like a heroic triumph for the forces of liberty.
Interestingly enough, if the Revolution hadn't occured it is entirely arguable that there would be VASTLY more monarchies and fascists states in europe and the rest of the world than today. The american revolution had a direct impact on french thinking, and in fact Thomas Paine, the greatest revolutionary philosopher of america, was a major figure in the french revolution. The french revolution led to napoleon, who spread the philosophies around europe, which lead to the nationalist revolutions across europe throughout the 1800s. His conquest of spain had a direct impact in that it led to the liberation of the spanish colonies, who were also affected by the american example. -- GottSchreit
Posted at 22:44
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Natural Easter Eggs These look really cool!
Chrisjob:
Curbly Video Podcast: Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs.
Posted at 16:45
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Economic power
Josh Marshall:
It is very difficult to draw practical lessons from history. But one of the closest things to a law is that military power is almost always built on economic might. And the former seldom long outlasts the latter. Indeed, countries with sound finances have routinely been able to punch over their weight -- great Britain and the Netherlands during different periods are key examples. So fiscal soundness even over the medium term is much more important than any particular weapon system or basing right.
Posted at 10:50
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Cheer up, emu kid I don't know why, but my favorite type of image macro is the 'emo'
variety. See also:
emo bath,
emo wall, finding emo
Posted at 17:32
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SXSW in six words Minnesota bands:
Artifact Shore, "Fun Is Near": Droning, but Pitchfork'll give it a "6."
●●
Cloud Cult, "Chain Reaction": Self-indulgent production, some fine
moments. ●●●●
Kid Dakota, "10,000 Lakes": Haunting, yes -- but haunting like Caspar.
●●●
Knife World, "SunBeam": Oh great, they're yowling like cats. ●
Mystery Palace, "Stepchild": Bent circuits, buried vocals, works well.
●●●●
Ouija Radio, "RED EYE FLY": Red eye removal renders this obsolete. ●
Paul Metzger, "Bright Red Stone": Nearly ten minutes of experimental
banjo? ●●
Solid Gold, "Bible Thumper": It was gloomy at the disco.
●●●
Paul Ford:
Six-Word Reviews of 763 SXSW Mp3s
Posted at 22:43
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Obama and Clinton Supporters Must Drop Out of the Race
cscs:
Obama and Clinton Supporters Must Drop Out of the Race:
I think one thing is clear this far into the Democratic primary race: Both Obama's and Clinton's supporters must now drop out of the race.
Hillary Clinton's supporters have gotten incredibly annoying, with their chants of "Yes She Can," and charges of cultism and their desperate yelps of schadenfreude every time Clinton looks like she might actually be "recapturing the lead" that she never had.
And Obama's supporters, yes, you too are incredibly annoying, with your accusations of Clintonian Republicanism and your whiny little cries about how you're going to take your ball and run home if your candidate doesn't win the primary.
Supporters of both candidates, please listen closely. For the good of the Party -- no, for the good of the Nation! -- the time has come for you to leave this race.
Posted at 09:11
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WANT: Laser Engraved Moleskine Notebook My weapon of choice is the
pocket sketchbook.
Very cool: Engrave your book.
Posted at 09:50
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Conbreastution
conbreastution. A
clbuttic
mistake.
Posted at 17:43
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AT&T works in more places
Posted at 21:45
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Garfield minus Garfield Here's two of my favorites.
Lasagna Cat is weird, but
Garfield minus Garfield is just
sublime. Who knew that the strip would be so weirdly funny with its main
character simply removed?
Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let's laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb.
Posted at 16:39
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Closing doors People usually try to keep their options open and not burn bridges. Maybe
it would be better to burn a few now and again, just to limit your
choices.
John Tierney, NYT:
The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors
"Closing a door on an option is experienced as a loss, and people are willing to pay a price to avoid the emotion of loss," Dr. Ariely says. In the experiment, the price was easy to measure in lost cash. In life, the costs are less obvious -- wasted time, missed opportunities. If you are afraid to drop any project at the office, you pay for it at home.
Posted at 16:34
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Overqualified The one to Gillette is
awesome:
Overqualified is
Joey Comeau's series of cover
letters to companies.
Do you remember when you were "the best a man can get," Gillette? Before you decided that the best that men could get were faces as soft as baby bottoms? Before you decided that being a man meant being a woman?
You need to go back to your roots. You need to go back to the straight razor. That was a product.
You want dangerous? Forget about speeding cars. You want Gillette razors against a businessman's throat in an alley. Gillette razors hidden in the mouths of inmates. Hidden under their skin. Scabbed over. Finally dug out with dirty fingers in the dark.
You want coming of age? That has nothing to do with a clean shave. You want a young boy sneaking into his father's bathroom. Sneaking a razor from the box. Hiding it in the brim of his baseball cap. Riding his bike hard and fast. In the woods with his best friend. A Gillette razor digging into their palms. That one handshake. Blood brothers.
Posted at 08:23
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favikon (via Aaron Mentele)
Favikon: simple in-browser favicon creation. Cool!
Posted at 16:49
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My first lolcat Update: Damn it, I can't spell. I showed this to Jenny and she pointed out that the "googles" doing nothing doesn't make any sense. Oh well, I created a new one.
I saw this picture on I Can Has Cheezburger and couldn't resist capping
it. Not terribly original but I like it:
moar funny pictures
Posted at 12:14
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How Fucking Romantic how fucking romantic Cancel your Valentines Day plans, because you now have better ones:
How Fucking Romantic: all the Magnetic
Fields' 69 Love Songs
performed live by the Como Avenue Jug Band and
friends!
8pm at the Turf Club, $7.
all the stars are out
twinkling twinkling twinkling
and fluttering about
Posted at 10:20
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Techno flying dogs (Birds)
My RailsConf buddy Eric O'Connell sent
me this trippy video of a
high speed camera tracking dogs as they fly though the air in slow mo.
Check it out!
Posted at 20:21
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@acts_as_conference
I'm sitting in the audience at
acts_as_conference relaxing after finishing
my talk. Whew.
Posted at 13:39
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WTF/m (via afongen)
Posted at 22:19
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Time to vote I've been undecided for a long time. This may come as a surprise to people
who know how active I was in 2004. I got behind Howard Dean early, when he
had no chance, because those were dark days and he inspired me. I worked
hard and gave money.
In 2008, I've paid attention, but I haven't gotten involved. I've watched
as the candidates jockeyed for position. I've been alternatively upset or
happy with all of them.
I liked John Edwards platform, and
his mark on the race was much-welcomed. The media shafted him (compare
Edwards's coverage to Guilliani, who did much worse), but this is life.
I like Obama's optimism and spirit of change. I like his foreign policy. I
don't like his health care plan, and I especially don't like how
he attacks Hillary Clinton from the right on health care
(
another example).
I like Hillary Clinton's experience and health care plan. I question her
judgment -- or at least her political calculation. I despise her advisors
( Mark Penn is an anti-union
thug). I don't like her foreign policy as much as Obama's.
So I've got things I like and dislike about both candidates.
But now it's time to vote so I have to choose. Bill Clinton has said a
vote for Obama is a roll of the dice. I feel like rolling those dice.
Today's the day. Super Tuesday. For the first time in a long
time, Minnesotans will actually have some say in who their Presidential
nominees are.
Posted at 15:57
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Prince high tops (hat tip: Mike Mondragon)
Posted at 15:16
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Irish tax plastic bags Related: Tax
Waste, Not Work.
NYT:
Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags:
DUBLIN -- There is something missing from this otherwise typical bustling cityscape. There are taxis and buses. There are hip bars and pollution. Every other person is talking into a cellphone. But there are no plastic shopping bags, the ubiquitous symbol of urban life.
In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. There was an advertising awareness campaign. And then something happened that was bigger than the sum of these parts.
Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent. Within a year, nearly everyone had bought reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable -- on a par with wearing a fur coat or not cleaning up after one's dog.
Posted at 22:47
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Government Innovation
One key reason that government doesn't tend to be very good at innovation is that the incentives aren't good.
Which of course is why private enterprise came up with quantum mechanics, electron microscopes, discovered the structure of DNA, figured out how to sequence genes, publishes most of the articles in 'Nature', 'NEJM', 'Jama', etc.
Posted at 20:15
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The tipping point
Interesting. Apparently "influencers" are
not as influential as we've been lead to believe. Makes me want to read
Duncan Watts's research papers.
Posted at 19:50
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Volunteer opportunity
My friend Claudia (of Jug Band fame) works for the
English Learning Center and she's looking for
some volunteers to teach basic math and computer skills to immigrants and
refugees. Here's her pitch:
Looking to give back to the community in 2008? The English Learning Center is currently looking for volunteers to lead basic math and computer classes for adult immigrants and refugees in South Minneapolis.
Time commitment is 1-2 hours, one evening a week M-Th. No teaching experience is necessary. Curriculum, materials, training, and support provided by ELC staff. All classes are volunteer-taught. This opportunity is a great way to connect with the international community while using your skills to make a difference in the lives of the newest Minnesota residents.
Please contact Claudia Holt for more details. claudia@englishlc.org, 612-874-9963 ext 2.
The English Learning Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, has been serving the immigrant and refugee populations of the Phillips Neighborhood since 1981. They are a member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Adult Basic Education Consortium.
Posted at 14:32
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Negative campaigning
Kevin Drum: "As long as negative campaigning works -- and it's worked
pretty effectively ever since Og defeated Ug 56-55 for the presidency of
the Olduvai Gorge Mammoth Hunting Alliance -- we'll keep seeing it."
Posted at 10:42
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Nietzsche on MySpace
Friedrich Nietzsche has a MySpace page (and 11,000+ friends).
Posted at 11:46
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Bush's favorite painting
George W. Bush claims his favorite painting illustrates a Methodist
circuit rider (who looks strikingly like him). It
actually shows a horse
thief fleeing a lynch mob. How appropriate.
Posted at 11:34
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Stupid recruiters I get a lot of email from recruiters. I mostly trash it because it's
totally uninteresting. Sometimes, they just take the cake though. For
example, today I got this beauty:
"Are you available for a contract opportunity?"
Excluding my name and the stock footer, this is the entirety of the
message. Am I available for a contract opportunity? Well, if you need
someone to judge bikini contests in Thailand for $200/hour, sign me up!
Somehow I doubt that's what he wants, though.
Why would you send a message like this? It's just stupid.
I feel a rant coming on.
Posted at 13:40
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Do websites need to look exactly the same in every browser? (Related: Time
Breakdown of Modern Web Design.)
NO!
Posted at 11:46
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14 Usability and Interface Design Books Good list. I have read Don't Make Me Think, The Design of Everyday
Things, Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction
Design, and Envisioning Information; and my co-worker Norm lent me his
copy of Designing the Obvious.
Smashing Magazine:
Usability and Interface Design Books.
Posted at 08:57
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Wholesale consulting
J. Wynia:
Running The Numbers on Wholesale Consulting
Posted at 16:55
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Cold
Man it's cold here. This morning, it was so cold that I got an "ice cream
headache" walking to the bus stop.
Posted at 18:44
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Startup Weekend Minneapolis? There's a possibility to bring the next one to Minneapolis, but we have to
vote to make it happen. So hit their
site, and vote for Minneapolis if you want them to come here. Bloomington
(?!?!), Ann Arbor (?!?!), and Portland are way ahead of us right now, so
do your duty!
(Note: voting does not mean you have to participate in the Startup Weekend
when and if it happens.)
Startup Weekend is a pretty cool exercise
where a group of people get together and build a whole startup in a
weekend. They also have an
awesome logo.
Posted at 13:32
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R2D2 Projector Via Technology Evangelist, a
projector that looks like R2D2. $3000. Wouldn't this look amazing in some
tech company's office?
Posted at 22:37
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Promoting Minnesota-based software development The second point has a lot of promise, I think. Just look at all the
companies that spun off of
Control Data in
Minnesota's tech heyday.
As a software developer it's in my interest for there to be more software
jobs here, so obviously I support this idea, but I think it'd be great for
the economy here as well. These are well-paid, non-polluting jobs.
I think this idea has merit. I would combine it with a few other
initiatives.
By encouraging startups on the small end as well as trying to bring more
established companies to the state, both ends of the spectrum are covered.
I guess my only question is how to actually get these ideas into motion.
Dan Grigsby's got
a plan to
support more Minnesota-based software development by encouraging
established software companies to open branch offices here. This would
help in two ways. First of all, there would be more software jobs (REAL
software jobs: product development, where software is the business, not
just an expense). Secondly, the people working there would be more likely
than, say, Target employees to spin off startups.
Posted at 22:33
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DevCamp
Chris Messina: What is a DevCamp?
Posted at 07:36
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Supply and demand Greg writes:
It seems to me there is a pretty simple solution. If you are too busy,
raise your prices. If you are having trouble finding people, pay them
more. Give them the perks they would get at Google or Apple or Fogcreek.
Make your working environment attractive and productive. Give them a stake
so that if they perform well and the company is successful, they are
rewarded.
Another options is to hire less experienced people and train them up and
then -- this is key -- give them raises as they become more experienced.
In the comments, Greg says:
I know some people would leave for various reasons, and other trainees
would not work out. But wouldn't having a decent policy on promotion make
all the difference here?
I don't want to rip on Greg too much here. His heart's in the right place
about training ("Any employer who doesn't actively encourage continuing
education and mentorship is an idiot and/or a ruthless profiteer.") and it
is hard to find good people (they all have jobs).
But this just frustrates me. I get tons of recruiter spam on a daily basis
asking me if I want to apply to their job at their
East Jesus Nowhere cube farm,
for a pay cut, and, oh yeah, no relocation assistance. You're having
trouble finding people? No shit?!
Aaron Mentele links
to Greg Storey
complaining that it is hard to find good people.
As an employer of a growing number of full-time and freelance workers I can tell you that it's becoming increasingly difficult to find good people. I have had several conversations with persons of top stature in the web design business who are of the same opinion. Their own businesses' have been slightly crippled this year due to work demand vs. human supply. Even non-web specific companies are having difficulty finding solid talent.
As for your recruitment model, by the time you trained half of those people and improved their skill set they will seek employment elsewhere for more money. There has to be a tight balance that I don't believe can be managed on a large scale, otherwise your business turns into a vocational school.
Posted at 13:45
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Too smart for programming
Gerald M. Weinberg,
The Psychology of computer Programming:
There are many means by which a team can "socialize" one of its members, just as there are many possible reasons for antisocial behavior. One potential source of such behavior is a team member who is indeed much more talented than the others, for he may be unable to appreciate or implement the types of suggestions he makes. It is possible to be too smart for programming--if the person is not smart enough to use his intelligence to modify his social behavior and methods of communication.
Posted at 13:18
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Postmodern LOL*s
I dig the postmodern image
macros. Like lolcats, but the words have little if anything to do with
the subject of the photo.
Posted at 19:18
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Advanced Rails Recipes It's pretty cool to get this published. It's my first dead-trees
publication. Yes, of course I will be happy to autograph your copy. ;-)
The story behind the writing to the recipe is an interesting one. I found
out that my recipe had been accepted for the book just before I left for
Europe for my 6-week long trip. The deadline was early July, so I had to
write the whole thing at internet cafes in various states of decrepitude
all over Europe.
Thank god for poorly secured Windows computers! Without them, I wouldn't
have been abled to install Putty and log into a server to test out the
code I was writing about. Another challenge was trying to write a
technical document on Google Docs with foreign keyboards revolting
against me like French peasants. Another fun fact: Copying and pasting
in Google Docs crashes IE 6. Oops!
Despite these challenges, I got it done on time. In the end, the book was
delayed, so I probably didn't need to sweat it. But I think it was worth
it.
I'm happy to report that my contribution to
Advanced Rails Recipes edited by
Mike Clark has been published. If you buy the beta book, you can read my
recipe: "Receiving E-mail Reliably via POP or IMAP."
Posted at 12:00
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Facebook Minneapolis Developer Garage You can also join the
Minneapolis developers group on Facebook.
Got an idea for a presentation or interested in sponsoring this event?
Contact Eric Chapweske (eric@slantwisedesign.com).
If
you're interested in building Facebook applications, you should check
out the Minneapolis Facebook Garage to be held
January 15 at Best Buy's headquarters in Richfield. Note: You must
register by Jan. 14 to be able to attend.
Posted at 14:35
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