Here's my pick for Obama to name as the new Czar of the Auto Industry:
Mitt Romney
This is the right choice for several reasons:
1- Bolsters Obama' non-partisan credentials.
2- Auto Industry will respect him, since he is pro-business Republican.
3- Track record of success in business.
Romney is a team player and will work hard for Obama. Obama needs to set a strong direction for a rapid move away from cars that run on liquid hydrocarbons to to plug in hybrids.
Bill Clinton has no business experience, and his personality would overshadow the job. Ditto for Rudy Giuliani.
Appointing an ideologue from either party is the wrong move. Romney is pragmatic and forceful. Give Mitt a chance....
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Auto Industry
So yes we will bail out the auto industry in one way or another.
And not for the right reason.
These companies know full well the distribution of auto related jobs across the country and they that fact works for them.
This is the same reason why weapons systems are so hard to vote down. When a new fighter jet is being made, the companies make sure that hundreds of congressional districts have some small amount of manufacturing supplying parts. They make sure hundreds of congress members have at least some local economic stake, and they use those numbers to their advantage ("Congressman, cancelling the XYZ bomber would eliminate 123 jobs in your district"). Most congressmen would vote to spend billions if it means they cannot be accused of destroying jobs.
Autos are the same way. The biggest point we hear is that it is not so much the direct employees of the big three, but the parts suppliers and ancillary industries.
I think we should bail them out, but the reason should be that we need to use the auto industry as a springboard into the future of reduced dependence on imported oil.
Bail out the companies, with the condition that all R&D going forward is dedicated to producing plug in hybrids exclusively within 10 years. No more cars made in the USA should burn oil as their primary fuel. There is a lot of electrical generating capacity in the US, especially at night, when most hybrids would be recharging.
That is the right reason to bail them out.
And not for the right reason.
These companies know full well the distribution of auto related jobs across the country and they that fact works for them.
This is the same reason why weapons systems are so hard to vote down. When a new fighter jet is being made, the companies make sure that hundreds of congressional districts have some small amount of manufacturing supplying parts. They make sure hundreds of congress members have at least some local economic stake, and they use those numbers to their advantage ("Congressman, cancelling the XYZ bomber would eliminate 123 jobs in your district"). Most congressmen would vote to spend billions if it means they cannot be accused of destroying jobs.
Autos are the same way. The biggest point we hear is that it is not so much the direct employees of the big three, but the parts suppliers and ancillary industries.
I think we should bail them out, but the reason should be that we need to use the auto industry as a springboard into the future of reduced dependence on imported oil.
Bail out the companies, with the condition that all R&D going forward is dedicated to producing plug in hybrids exclusively within 10 years. No more cars made in the USA should burn oil as their primary fuel. There is a lot of electrical generating capacity in the US, especially at night, when most hybrids would be recharging.
That is the right reason to bail them out.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Obama
We've had a few weeks to let the election news sink in. How much more can be said about the historic nature of this election? I'll leave it to Oprah to think up something new to say.
I do think it is worth noting that even with the most unpopular president in history, a cratered economy, and 2 wars in progress, that Obama still did not win with a popular vote landslide.
I cannot help but think that Hillary Clinton would have achieved a much higher popular vote.
I do think it is worth noting that even with the most unpopular president in history, a cratered economy, and 2 wars in progress, that Obama still did not win with a popular vote landslide.
I cannot help but think that Hillary Clinton would have achieved a much higher popular vote.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Craigs List
I do not understand Craig's List. It is the biggest mess I have ever seen, like some teenager's MySpace page.
I just don't understand what is so cool about Craig's list. Seems like most of the postings are spam - the kind "Make Money Fast" junk your email filters are built to kill.
I don't get it.
I just don't understand what is so cool about Craig's list. Seems like most of the postings are spam - the kind "Make Money Fast" junk your email filters are built to kill.
I don't get it.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sickening
I just read an article that describes how the senior management of AIG, after securing a government bailout, took a spa vaction for themselves at a high end resort.
They spent over $400,000 on their getaway.
Doesn't this piss you off?
They spent over $400,000 on their getaway.
Doesn't this piss you off?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Great book
I just finished reading a great book called "A Vietcong Memoir: An Inside Account of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath" by Truong Nhu Tang.
The author was one of the founders of the South Vietnam revolutionary movement, of which the VietCong was the military arm. Truong was never a warrior; he was a member of the Saigon aristocracy, French educated and destined for a great future.
He became politically aware while in France and returned to Vietnam to fight for independence. He operated undercover as a senior member of the NLF, while outwardly serving as a senior executive with the national sugar exporting company.
Eventually he was discovered and imprisoned, ultimately being released in a prisoner exchange, and spent 8 years in the jungle and became a member of the PRG, a government in waiting, allied with the North Vietnamese. He was named Minister of Justice for the government they assumed would take over control once the war was won.
The book describes in detail living in the jungle, the horrors of the B-52 attacks that killed many compatriots, and the political machinations and tension between the southern revolutionaries and the northern communists.
One thing I found very interesting was the description of how aware the PRG officials living in the jungle were of the American political scene and how important the US antiwar movement was to the the NLF and PRG.
Another interesting fact: the Vietcong hiding in the jungle were given forewarning of B-52 attacks, by receiving reports from Russian spy ships in the Pacific that tracked bombers taking off from Guam. They would compute the flight paths, and radio the information to Hanoi, which relayed likely target areas to the VC so they could move away from the target areas. This saved many lives over the years, and it is not clear if the Americans ever realized this was happening.
The book ends quite sadly when it becomes more and more obvious that the northerners never intended to share power with the southerners. Immediately after the war, the southerners were edged aside in favor of rapid socialization. Many people were rounded up and put in reeducation camps. In one very tough event, the author drives his own brother to a prison camp, assuring him it would be only 30 days of reeducation. 9 years later the brother was still imprisoned.
Eventually Truong engineered an escape from the country and has lived in exile in France ever since.
I found this book extraordinarily interesting, opening complex aspects of the war I had never realized.
Link to Amazon
The author was one of the founders of the South Vietnam revolutionary movement, of which the VietCong was the military arm. Truong was never a warrior; he was a member of the Saigon aristocracy, French educated and destined for a great future.
He became politically aware while in France and returned to Vietnam to fight for independence. He operated undercover as a senior member of the NLF, while outwardly serving as a senior executive with the national sugar exporting company.
Eventually he was discovered and imprisoned, ultimately being released in a prisoner exchange, and spent 8 years in the jungle and became a member of the PRG, a government in waiting, allied with the North Vietnamese. He was named Minister of Justice for the government they assumed would take over control once the war was won.
The book describes in detail living in the jungle, the horrors of the B-52 attacks that killed many compatriots, and the political machinations and tension between the southern revolutionaries and the northern communists.
One thing I found very interesting was the description of how aware the PRG officials living in the jungle were of the American political scene and how important the US antiwar movement was to the the NLF and PRG.
Another interesting fact: the Vietcong hiding in the jungle were given forewarning of B-52 attacks, by receiving reports from Russian spy ships in the Pacific that tracked bombers taking off from Guam. They would compute the flight paths, and radio the information to Hanoi, which relayed likely target areas to the VC so they could move away from the target areas. This saved many lives over the years, and it is not clear if the Americans ever realized this was happening.
The book ends quite sadly when it becomes more and more obvious that the northerners never intended to share power with the southerners. Immediately after the war, the southerners were edged aside in favor of rapid socialization. Many people were rounded up and put in reeducation camps. In one very tough event, the author drives his own brother to a prison camp, assuring him it would be only 30 days of reeducation. 9 years later the brother was still imprisoned.
Eventually Truong engineered an escape from the country and has lived in exile in France ever since.
I found this book extraordinarily interesting, opening complex aspects of the war I had never realized.
Link to Amazon
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The market
is lurching back and forth, down 777 yesterday, up 300 today.
Very scary for those of us who dream of retiring with our hard-earned 401k money sometime in the next 10 years.
Very scary for those of us who dream of retiring with our hard-earned 401k money sometime in the next 10 years.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Website work
I did a lot of website work this weekend and sent out our September newsletter (just in time).
We are doing the Michigan Bead show again this coming weekend, last year was pretty good, this year we have a lot more Seed Beads so I hope it will be even better.
We are doing the Michigan Bead show again this coming weekend, last year was pretty good, this year we have a lot more Seed Beads so I hope it will be even better.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
New lawn
I stripped and replanted the grass in my front yard over the last few weeks. I finally sowed the grass seed and threw down straw last night.
What a big job that was! First I sprayed the grass with Roundup and then about 10 days later I started stripping off the sod. I went out and bought this thing called an Italian Grape Hoe, that is like a regular hoe on steroids. It has a large heavy head and works great to slice off a layer of sod. That took several evenings and a couple of weekend days, and filled up about 30 yard waste bags (halfway so they weren't too heavy).
Next I had to regrade the yard, as there was a real high spot and several dips. I borrowed my neighbor's rototiller which made it a lot easier to bust up the dirt under the sod. I moved a lot of dirt around, building up the area nearer to the house and trying to add a gentle slope toward the street. This was probably the hardest part, trying to get the grade right.
Next I used an ancient concrete roller to compact the soil, and kept going over it with a yard rake to get a nice looking grade.
Next I got 3 yards of screened topsoil (and a bale of straw) delivered and spent a couple hours spreading the soil around on top of the grade. Having the yard graded out made that a lot easier, I just had to rake out the soil evenly.
The I added some hydrated lime, starter fertilizer, and then the seed. I used a sun/shade mix from a local garden center. Then I added a thin layer of ground peat moss, and ran a leaf rake across the whole mix to get the seed mixed in with the soil. I followed that with a thin layer of straw, which I then secured down with several lengths of twine, to keep it from blowing away.
Finally I put up some posts and tied more string between them and tied lengths of rags all the way around to keep people off the new lawn. Then I turned the sprinkler on and watered for about 30 minutes, which I will do twice a day until the seeds sprout.
One smart thing I did was save about 10% of the grass seed so I could fill in any thin areas later on this fall or in the spring if I need to.
Several people walking and driving by stopped by to comment on what a great amount of work it was and how good it was looking.
Hope I can say the same thing in a few weeks when the grass is nice and green!
It probably cost me about $250 in materials (hoe, fertilizer, seed, lime). The hoe was $45, but I can definitely reuse that thing, anytime I need to do some serious sod busting. I have no idea how much it would have cost to have a professional landscaper do it, or if they would have taken as much care in re-grading the yard.
Removing the sod was really hard, especially after the one full day I spent on it. The next day I felt like I had been in a car accident; all my muscles and joints hurt. I still have a huge bruise on my right arm, but I do not know how it happened.
What a big job that was! First I sprayed the grass with Roundup and then about 10 days later I started stripping off the sod. I went out and bought this thing called an Italian Grape Hoe, that is like a regular hoe on steroids. It has a large heavy head and works great to slice off a layer of sod. That took several evenings and a couple of weekend days, and filled up about 30 yard waste bags (halfway so they weren't too heavy).
Next I had to regrade the yard, as there was a real high spot and several dips. I borrowed my neighbor's rototiller which made it a lot easier to bust up the dirt under the sod. I moved a lot of dirt around, building up the area nearer to the house and trying to add a gentle slope toward the street. This was probably the hardest part, trying to get the grade right.
Next I used an ancient concrete roller to compact the soil, and kept going over it with a yard rake to get a nice looking grade.
Next I got 3 yards of screened topsoil (and a bale of straw) delivered and spent a couple hours spreading the soil around on top of the grade. Having the yard graded out made that a lot easier, I just had to rake out the soil evenly.
The I added some hydrated lime, starter fertilizer, and then the seed. I used a sun/shade mix from a local garden center. Then I added a thin layer of ground peat moss, and ran a leaf rake across the whole mix to get the seed mixed in with the soil. I followed that with a thin layer of straw, which I then secured down with several lengths of twine, to keep it from blowing away.
Finally I put up some posts and tied more string between them and tied lengths of rags all the way around to keep people off the new lawn. Then I turned the sprinkler on and watered for about 30 minutes, which I will do twice a day until the seeds sprout.
One smart thing I did was save about 10% of the grass seed so I could fill in any thin areas later on this fall or in the spring if I need to.
Several people walking and driving by stopped by to comment on what a great amount of work it was and how good it was looking.
Hope I can say the same thing in a few weeks when the grass is nice and green!
It probably cost me about $250 in materials (hoe, fertilizer, seed, lime). The hoe was $45, but I can definitely reuse that thing, anytime I need to do some serious sod busting. I have no idea how much it would have cost to have a professional landscaper do it, or if they would have taken as much care in re-grading the yard.
Removing the sod was really hard, especially after the one full day I spent on it. The next day I felt like I had been in a car accident; all my muscles and joints hurt. I still have a huge bruise on my right arm, but I do not know how it happened.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The financial crisis
Well, everyone else is talking about it, why shouldn't I?
Once again I feel we are experiencing the true legacy of Ronald Reagan. Reagan convinced everyone that government was the enemy, and regulations were just handcuffing the creative and entrepreneurial forces of the American people. The market was rational; bad players and corrupt practices would be weeded out by the the power of market based control.
Are we de-regulated enough yet?
I also place a lot of this on peoples unconstrained greed. Everybody thought it was great when speculative bubble after bubble arose and Wall street guys were making multi-million bonuses for doing things none of understood (derivative "swaptions" what the hell are those things).
Nobody was calling for regulation while the party was going and Joe Homeowner was refinancing his house and spending the money like it was free. Nobody was calling for corporate oversight until the market crashed and it was obvious that crooks like the guys at Enron were running the show at some major corporations.
The only way regulation can work is for people to realize that to prevent the bad times the good times have to be tempered as well. You cannot have these market run ups and esoteric financial products that appear to make you rich and expect to regulate them after the fact.
I'm not sure what people want is a more disciplined economy. I think most people want the bad stuff to go away and what they really want is another bubble.
Just like the old Texas bumper sticker: "Please God, give us just one more oil boom, and we promise not to screw it up this time".
Once again I feel we are experiencing the true legacy of Ronald Reagan. Reagan convinced everyone that government was the enemy, and regulations were just handcuffing the creative and entrepreneurial forces of the American people. The market was rational; bad players and corrupt practices would be weeded out by the the power of market based control.
Are we de-regulated enough yet?
I also place a lot of this on peoples unconstrained greed. Everybody thought it was great when speculative bubble after bubble arose and Wall street guys were making multi-million bonuses for doing things none of understood (derivative "swaptions" what the hell are those things).
Nobody was calling for regulation while the party was going and Joe Homeowner was refinancing his house and spending the money like it was free. Nobody was calling for corporate oversight until the market crashed and it was obvious that crooks like the guys at Enron were running the show at some major corporations.
The only way regulation can work is for people to realize that to prevent the bad times the good times have to be tempered as well. You cannot have these market run ups and esoteric financial products that appear to make you rich and expect to regulate them after the fact.
I'm not sure what people want is a more disciplined economy. I think most people want the bad stuff to go away and what they really want is another bubble.
Just like the old Texas bumper sticker: "Please God, give us just one more oil boom, and we promise not to screw it up this time".
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Obama
will most probably lose this election. I am quite unhappy about this for a number of reasons.
I am a strong liberal Democrat, and I think republicans have been visiting chaos on our economy and social fabric since 1980.
However, I am just as angry about this because I am confident that if Hillary Clinton had been the nominee (my choice) then this election would be essentially over. The Palin choice would have been neutralized (probably would not have happened) and she would be fighting back like mad.
It seems like Obama is on the verge of pulling a John Kerry: failing to attack. Where are his proxies like Biden and Clinton who should be out there savaging Palin and McCain?
Karl Rove telegraphed a long time back that this election would be about personality not issues. Did Obama's people really think that the adoring crowds of Democrats who propelled him through the primaries would somehow magically win him the general election?
If the Democrats lose this election they have noone to blame but themselves. The economy is as bad as it has been in 50 years, the sitting president is profoundly unpopular, yet somehow the Republicans have been allowed to shift the momentum to the point where the press is focusing in stupid remarks and Sarah Palin's "likability".
This should be like shooting fish in a barrel. The right candidate was passed over, and if Obama loses the whole party owes Hillary the biggest apology in history. If she ever consents to running again for president, the party needs to embrace her 100%.
There is no point in blaming the media for its shallowness. The GOP learned a long time ago that the key to getting elected was to manipulate the media's power to distract people with triviality and lurid stories designed to evoke an emotional response.
Sadly, this is how elections are won. Just another indication that we are becoming a 3rd world country, both in our economic structure and our approach to democracy.
I am a strong liberal Democrat, and I think republicans have been visiting chaos on our economy and social fabric since 1980.
However, I am just as angry about this because I am confident that if Hillary Clinton had been the nominee (my choice) then this election would be essentially over. The Palin choice would have been neutralized (probably would not have happened) and she would be fighting back like mad.
It seems like Obama is on the verge of pulling a John Kerry: failing to attack. Where are his proxies like Biden and Clinton who should be out there savaging Palin and McCain?
Karl Rove telegraphed a long time back that this election would be about personality not issues. Did Obama's people really think that the adoring crowds of Democrats who propelled him through the primaries would somehow magically win him the general election?
If the Democrats lose this election they have noone to blame but themselves. The economy is as bad as it has been in 50 years, the sitting president is profoundly unpopular, yet somehow the Republicans have been allowed to shift the momentum to the point where the press is focusing in stupid remarks and Sarah Palin's "likability".
This should be like shooting fish in a barrel. The right candidate was passed over, and if Obama loses the whole party owes Hillary the biggest apology in history. If she ever consents to running again for president, the party needs to embrace her 100%.
There is no point in blaming the media for its shallowness. The GOP learned a long time ago that the key to getting elected was to manipulate the media's power to distract people with triviality and lurid stories designed to evoke an emotional response.
Sadly, this is how elections are won. Just another indication that we are becoming a 3rd world country, both in our economic structure and our approach to democracy.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Politics
I haven't paid much attention to the RNC convention. It seems like the GOP is really in a defensive position, trying not to lose too badly. I do not think Obama is a guaranteed win, but I do think (hope?) the Democrats have enough momentum to win some of the key states up for grabs, like Ohio, maybe Florida, Colorado and New Mexico.
Just enough to win the Electoral College, but probably not a landslide. Which is disheartening in a way. With all of the fiascoes that the Republicans have presided over in the last 8 years it seems like the Democrats should just run away with the election.
My take on the Palin choice: I think the GOP did not want to waste their first string choices on an election they think they have a good chance of losing. This reminds me of when the Democrats nominated Walter Mondale to run against Reagan in 1984, knowing it would be a blowout loss. Or when the GOP ran Bob Dole against Bill Clinton in 1996; who gave him any chance at all?
I suspect that guys like Romney and Huckabee want to keep their powder dry to run against a likely Obama presidency in 2012, and again in 2016.
Just enough to win the Electoral College, but probably not a landslide. Which is disheartening in a way. With all of the fiascoes that the Republicans have presided over in the last 8 years it seems like the Democrats should just run away with the election.
My take on the Palin choice: I think the GOP did not want to waste their first string choices on an election they think they have a good chance of losing. This reminds me of when the Democrats nominated Walter Mondale to run against Reagan in 1984, knowing it would be a blowout loss. Or when the GOP ran Bob Dole against Bill Clinton in 1996; who gave him any chance at all?
I suspect that guys like Romney and Huckabee want to keep their powder dry to run against a likely Obama presidency in 2012, and again in 2016.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Vacation
I just got back from a 2 week (mostly) "staycation". We did go to Niagara Falls for one night, the Canadian side. The falls were great and we took our daughter on the Maid of the Mist, which was pretty exciting for a 6 year old. I always remembered the US side as being a tacky tourist trap, but the Canadians have really caught up. Junk stores and indoor amusements, all with blaring speakers out on the side walk. It really was stressful walking through all of that stuff, and I noticed a lot of people arguing and bitching at their kids. The next morning we walked down the stairs by the Skylon tower (another tourist trap) which was much more relaxing.
We also spent a day at Kelly's Island in Lake Erie, which was very relaxing. Long drive to the ferry in Marblehead though. We rented a golf cart and drove around to the beach and through the laid back island community. Nothing like Put-In-Bay, perhaps the most obnoxious place I have ever visited.
We also spent a day at Kelly's Island in Lake Erie, which was very relaxing. Long drive to the ferry in Marblehead though. We rented a golf cart and drove around to the beach and through the laid back island community. Nothing like Put-In-Bay, perhaps the most obnoxious place I have ever visited.
Friday, August 8, 2008
War in Georgia
No coincidence that Russia waited until the opening day of the Olympics to start aggressive actions in the Caucasus. The news outlets will be too busy covering the games, and we all know they can only cover one story at a time.
Seems like they might have duped the Georgians into attacking South Ossettia, and are now reatliating with an invasion. Glad that we would never do anything like that..:--)
Seems like they might have duped the Georgians into attacking South Ossettia, and are now reatliating with an invasion. Glad that we would never do anything like that..:--)
Monday, August 4, 2008
Yahoo Stores Fiasco
A few weeks ago I signed up for a Yahoos Stores account. After a lot of thought I felt it was time to convert to this platform. My decision was based a desire to simplify my programming, improve inventory management and order tracking and to able to have more sophisticated sales, discounts and shipping options.
What a disaster this turned out to be. Getting up and running was not so hard, using the online wizards. One big problem I ran into was the Store Editor function. I downloaded a detailed 300 page PDF file that was a guide to Store Editor Version 2.0 Lots of good walkthroughs. After working with for a while I realized that I was working with Verison 3.0 of Store Editor which was considerably different. But there is no equivalent PDF guide for the new version (and 3.0 has been around since 2006). I called tech support and they told me to use the online help files, and I pointed out that these file were nowhere near as detailed as the downloadable guide. In the end I had them switch me back to using version 2.0, so at least it matched my guide.
So far so good. As I worked through the Store Editor I became more and more disillusioned with how the platform worked. To go beyond a very basic inflexible design you have to learn how to manipulate page templates with a proprietary language called RTML. The main point of trying to use Yahoo was to simplify the programming involved in maintaining the website, yet now I have to learn a new scripting language. And by the way, Yahoo provides no resources for learning RTML, instead pointing you to 3rd party developers who can build your store for you: the last thing I want.
I gave it good 2-3 days and finally called it quits. Yahoo gave me a prorated refund, so I guess it was worth the $60 to learn that for sure I do not ever want to use Yahoo stores as my ecommerce platform.
Back to PHP and MySql I guess.
What a disaster this turned out to be. Getting up and running was not so hard, using the online wizards. One big problem I ran into was the Store Editor function. I downloaded a detailed 300 page PDF file that was a guide to Store Editor Version 2.0 Lots of good walkthroughs. After working with for a while I realized that I was working with Verison 3.0 of Store Editor which was considerably different. But there is no equivalent PDF guide for the new version (and 3.0 has been around since 2006). I called tech support and they told me to use the online help files, and I pointed out that these file were nowhere near as detailed as the downloadable guide. In the end I had them switch me back to using version 2.0, so at least it matched my guide.
So far so good. As I worked through the Store Editor I became more and more disillusioned with how the platform worked. To go beyond a very basic inflexible design you have to learn how to manipulate page templates with a proprietary language called RTML. The main point of trying to use Yahoo was to simplify the programming involved in maintaining the website, yet now I have to learn a new scripting language. And by the way, Yahoo provides no resources for learning RTML, instead pointing you to 3rd party developers who can build your store for you: the last thing I want.
I gave it good 2-3 days and finally called it quits. Yahoo gave me a prorated refund, so I guess it was worth the $60 to learn that for sure I do not ever want to use Yahoo stores as my ecommerce platform.
Back to PHP and MySql I guess.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
July 4th
Lots of kid stuff this weekend
Friday we took our daughter to the parade at West Park. Lots of firetrucks and mostly politicians. George Voinovich (US Senator) was there. Last year Dennis Kucinich was there, but I didn't see him this time.
Later we went to the Bay Days carnival in Bay Village. My daughter loved going on the Scrambler, saying that "Mom would puke on this one" several times.
Finally, we went to the fireworks at Clague Park Friday night, which was great. The only problem, which happens every year, is the number of really small kids running around playing with sparklers. This seems really dangerous to me. What is the difference between giving your kid a white hot sparkler to wave around and giving them matches to play with?
Saturday she went to see the "Kit Kittredge", the American Girl movie. If you don't know about American Girl dolls, then you definitely do not have a girl under the age of 10 in your family.
Sunday was more laid back. My old friend Glenn was in town visiting his family. He came over for a few hours and we couldn't get over the fact that we met in college and have known each other for over 25 years now. I've seen his kids grow up and go off to college. He lives in Indiana, so I only see him every year or so.
Friday we took our daughter to the parade at West Park. Lots of firetrucks and mostly politicians. George Voinovich (US Senator) was there. Last year Dennis Kucinich was there, but I didn't see him this time.
Later we went to the Bay Days carnival in Bay Village. My daughter loved going on the Scrambler, saying that "Mom would puke on this one" several times.
Finally, we went to the fireworks at Clague Park Friday night, which was great. The only problem, which happens every year, is the number of really small kids running around playing with sparklers. This seems really dangerous to me. What is the difference between giving your kid a white hot sparkler to wave around and giving them matches to play with?
Saturday she went to see the "Kit Kittredge", the American Girl movie. If you don't know about American Girl dolls, then you definitely do not have a girl under the age of 10 in your family.
Sunday was more laid back. My old friend Glenn was in town visiting his family. He came over for a few hours and we couldn't get over the fact that we met in college and have known each other for over 25 years now. I've seen his kids grow up and go off to college. He lives in Indiana, so I only see him every year or so.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The end of Windows XP
Microsoft stops selling Windows XP today.
Coincidentally I just got my work PC upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows XP just last Friday.
On the cutting edge....
Coincidentally I just got my work PC upgraded from Windows 2000 to Windows XP just last Friday.
On the cutting edge....
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
PHP
I have been working with PHP at home lately. Currently I generate my web site as static html pages using Smalltalk (the best programming language ever created).
One problem we have, though, is that we have a lot of products and we run out of inventory, causing back orders.
So, I have been prototyping having my page generator create PHP pages instead, which will create product rows by reading a MySql database each time the page is loaded. If the inventory level is below a threshold, the product row will show "Out of Stock".
The cool thing is that the shopping cart service I uses (mals-e.com) can do a silent post back of order information to a php script, so I plan to use that function to automatically decrement inventory.
One of the trickiest things is getting it to work on my local Apache server, while still reading the database that sits on my hosting account. I had to tweak the Apache config settings, and tweak the PHP config settings. The PHP database connection settings are different depending on which platform you are running on. Fortunately you can detect this pro grammatically, so I can run the same PHP code base on my windows XP machine running apache and on my Linux hosting account.
The design is not perfect; returns and exchanges have to be handled manually etc.
I have built the MySql product table and the table that links products to pages. I have also started prototyping a C# desktop application to allow table maintenance: adjusting prices, removing products from pages etc. The tough part was getting the connection to MySql and the datagrid to display and update rows. That took a couple hours to figure out. Still a lot left to do.
It is kind of ambitious, but it will give us some big benefits like being to run reports of products we are running low on, and drastically reducing the number of back orders we have to deal with.
One problem we have, though, is that we have a lot of products and we run out of inventory, causing back orders.
So, I have been prototyping having my page generator create PHP pages instead, which will create product rows by reading a MySql database each time the page is loaded. If the inventory level is below a threshold, the product row will show "Out of Stock".
The cool thing is that the shopping cart service I uses (mals-e.com) can do a silent post back of order information to a php script, so I plan to use that function to automatically decrement inventory.
One of the trickiest things is getting it to work on my local Apache server, while still reading the database that sits on my hosting account. I had to tweak the Apache config settings, and tweak the PHP config settings. The PHP database connection settings are different depending on which platform you are running on. Fortunately you can detect this pro grammatically, so I can run the same PHP code base on my windows XP machine running apache and on my Linux hosting account.
The design is not perfect; returns and exchanges have to be handled manually etc.
I have built the MySql product table and the table that links products to pages. I have also started prototyping a C# desktop application to allow table maintenance: adjusting prices, removing products from pages etc. The tough part was getting the connection to MySql and the datagrid to display and update rows. That took a couple hours to figure out. Still a lot left to do.
It is kind of ambitious, but it will give us some big benefits like being to run reports of products we are running low on, and drastically reducing the number of back orders we have to deal with.
Monday, June 23, 2008
"The Road"
Last month I read "The Road" by Cormack McCarthy (the guy who wrote "No Country For Old Men", recently made into a film).
"The Road" is a post-apocalyptic horror story, all the more horrifying because there are no monsters.
The story takes place about 5-6 years after the world has been destroyed by some unnamed cataclysm. At first I assumed it was a nuclear holocaust, but as time went on the descriptions of the devastation made it seem more like a catastrophic meteor strike: the skies are eternally gray, mountainsides are scorched, ashen dust covers everything, even clogging the oceans. Almost everything is dead, nothing will grow, and the few human survivors band together in groups of cannibals and scavengers.
A man and his young son are following a road south, desperate to find food and avoid cannibals. They witness horrifying scenes of destruction and cruelty, and the book is relentlessly despairing. It is really hard to see how any redemption can be pulled from the horror. Bleak doesn't even begin to describe this story. I really dreaded the end because it seemed to be leading only into deeper tragedy.
In tone the book reminded me of the darker works of Harlan Ellison, but without the fantastical elements. I read a lot of Ellison in the 1970's, and found the nihilism perfect for my teenage years. McCarthy is a more disciplined and controlled writer than Ellison, and thus his horrifying story is much more believable.
McCarthy has been described as one of the greatest writers in American literature. His story was so sparingly written and so evocative of an imagined place and time that I think I'd have to agree.
"The Road" is a post-apocalyptic horror story, all the more horrifying because there are no monsters.
The story takes place about 5-6 years after the world has been destroyed by some unnamed cataclysm. At first I assumed it was a nuclear holocaust, but as time went on the descriptions of the devastation made it seem more like a catastrophic meteor strike: the skies are eternally gray, mountainsides are scorched, ashen dust covers everything, even clogging the oceans. Almost everything is dead, nothing will grow, and the few human survivors band together in groups of cannibals and scavengers.
A man and his young son are following a road south, desperate to find food and avoid cannibals. They witness horrifying scenes of destruction and cruelty, and the book is relentlessly despairing. It is really hard to see how any redemption can be pulled from the horror. Bleak doesn't even begin to describe this story. I really dreaded the end because it seemed to be leading only into deeper tragedy.
In tone the book reminded me of the darker works of Harlan Ellison, but without the fantastical elements. I read a lot of Ellison in the 1970's, and found the nihilism perfect for my teenage years. McCarthy is a more disciplined and controlled writer than Ellison, and thus his horrifying story is much more believable.
McCarthy has been described as one of the greatest writers in American literature. His story was so sparingly written and so evocative of an imagined place and time that I think I'd have to agree.
George Carlin
I just read that George Carlin died last night of heart failure.
I had a lot of respect for Carlin, I watched a couple of his HBO specials and I remember watching him host the very first episode of Saturday Night Live. I was 17 that year I remember thinking that I was watching something completely new and revolutionary.
Carlin morphed himself from nightclub comedian to counter culture hero to senior curmudgeon. He managed to pass through the 70's without getting typecast in the Cheech and Chong mold. He was profoundly anti-religious and not afraid of power.
Surely he won't get the attention that Tim Russert got, but in his own way he was an important contributor to the modern culture.
I had a lot of respect for Carlin, I watched a couple of his HBO specials and I remember watching him host the very first episode of Saturday Night Live. I was 17 that year I remember thinking that I was watching something completely new and revolutionary.
Carlin morphed himself from nightclub comedian to counter culture hero to senior curmudgeon. He managed to pass through the 70's without getting typecast in the Cheech and Chong mold. He was profoundly anti-religious and not afraid of power.
Surely he won't get the attention that Tim Russert got, but in his own way he was an important contributor to the modern culture.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Slow news week
A few weeks back Tim Russert's death would have been a two day story, but now that the nomination races are over, there isn't a lot to talk about.
Larry King bumped Steve Carrell to talk about heart disease last night, he was happy for the diversion.
I didn't watch Russert; haven't been a fan of the Sunday morning gab shows since I was in college. I did read his book "Big Russ and Me" and I really thought that it was a great marketing approach for a book. For a famous guy to write a book about his dad makes him see like such a great guy, but I am convinced that a lot of people who lathered up tim Russert over this book never actually read it.
The first 25% of the book is about "Big Russ" and the whole rest of the book is about "Me". The book really is an autobiography of Tim Russert, marketed as an homage to his father. I am sure he sold thousands more copies because of the sentimental appeal of a son writing about his Dad.
Not that it was a bad book, I just think it was marketed rather deceptively...
Larry King bumped Steve Carrell to talk about heart disease last night, he was happy for the diversion.
I didn't watch Russert; haven't been a fan of the Sunday morning gab shows since I was in college. I did read his book "Big Russ and Me" and I really thought that it was a great marketing approach for a book. For a famous guy to write a book about his dad makes him see like such a great guy, but I am convinced that a lot of people who lathered up tim Russert over this book never actually read it.
The first 25% of the book is about "Big Russ" and the whole rest of the book is about "Me". The book really is an autobiography of Tim Russert, marketed as an homage to his father. I am sure he sold thousands more copies because of the sentimental appeal of a son writing about his Dad.
Not that it was a bad book, I just think it was marketed rather deceptively...
Friday, June 6, 2008
Death of the SUV
A recent article documented the collapse of SUV sales in the US (the only real market for them).
This is due to (surprise) soaring gasoline prices.
SUV plants are closing and thousands of auto workers are losing or leaving their jobs. I understand that the auto companies "give people what they want" but I don't understand how the Jpanese companies seem to be able to produce a mix of high quality, reasonably priced cars that people want to buy. Toyota and Honda and Subaru etc produce all kinds of cars from ultra-cheap to ultra-chic and seem to be structured in such a way that they can respond to changing consumer needs.
Could it be that US companies were greedy for the fat profits SUV's gave them and got caught with their pants down when gas prices went up so fast?
No, never. Must be the union's fault...
This is due to (surprise) soaring gasoline prices.
SUV plants are closing and thousands of auto workers are losing or leaving their jobs. I understand that the auto companies "give people what they want" but I don't understand how the Jpanese companies seem to be able to produce a mix of high quality, reasonably priced cars that people want to buy. Toyota and Honda and Subaru etc produce all kinds of cars from ultra-cheap to ultra-chic and seem to be structured in such a way that they can respond to changing consumer needs.
Could it be that US companies were greedy for the fat profits SUV's gave them and got caught with their pants down when gas prices went up so fast?
No, never. Must be the union's fault...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Yahoo Pipes
I just was reading about a neat little online gizmo called "Pipes" from Yahoo.
Basically a mashup tool that lets you wire different types of feeds into some canned library modules to sort/modify/display and re-aggregate data.
You can publish your Pipes with a unique URL.
You have to have a Yahoo account to use but it looks like it has a cool visual editor.
Seems kind of neat, I will have to play around with it when I get a chance...
Basically a mashup tool that lets you wire different types of feeds into some canned library modules to sort/modify/display and re-aggregate data.
You can publish your Pipes with a unique URL.
You have to have a Yahoo account to use but it looks like it has a cool visual editor.
Seems kind of neat, I will have to play around with it when I get a chance...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Nepal abolishes monarchy
Today Nepal officially ended its 240 year old monarchy. Although I am no fan of monarchies in principle, I fear this might be the beginning of the end for Nepal's democracy, such as it is.
I visited Nepal for a month in 1999, trekking in the Himalayas, lounging in Kathmandu, hiking through rhino and tiger country in Royal Chitwan National Park.
Nepal was (is) a desperately poor place with a corrupt and unresponsive government, both on the elected and monarchic sides. I talked to several people who openly expressed sympathy with the Maoist revolutionaries.
Communist revolutionary movements can only take root in places where a significant number of people are so desperately alienated from the economy and political power that there seems to be no alternative. Democracy has done little for the majority of the people, and the country that attracts billions of dollars of tourist income sees it vanish into the hands of corrupt officials.
Most Communist revolutions have occurred because the powers in charge made life so intolerable that anything was better. Thus I believe that the revolutions in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua were all justified by local events.
Unfortunately in all these cases the problem became that the revoultionaries stayed in power. Communists are great at mobilizing revolutions to overthrow corrupt regimes, but they are horrible at running societies and economies.
I think the Maoists in Nepal are playing a crafty game of temporarily sharing power, orchestrating the ouster of the monarchs, and then they will try to use the electoral process to seize complete power. Then they will left to run things, which they will do badly. Tourism will collapse, India will fear China's influence over the local Maoists, and the people will be repressed.
You heard it here first, folks....
I visited Nepal for a month in 1999, trekking in the Himalayas, lounging in Kathmandu, hiking through rhino and tiger country in Royal Chitwan National Park.
Nepal was (is) a desperately poor place with a corrupt and unresponsive government, both on the elected and monarchic sides. I talked to several people who openly expressed sympathy with the Maoist revolutionaries.
Communist revolutionary movements can only take root in places where a significant number of people are so desperately alienated from the economy and political power that there seems to be no alternative. Democracy has done little for the majority of the people, and the country that attracts billions of dollars of tourist income sees it vanish into the hands of corrupt officials.
Most Communist revolutions have occurred because the powers in charge made life so intolerable that anything was better. Thus I believe that the revolutions in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba and Nicaragua were all justified by local events.
Unfortunately in all these cases the problem became that the revoultionaries stayed in power. Communists are great at mobilizing revolutions to overthrow corrupt regimes, but they are horrible at running societies and economies.
I think the Maoists in Nepal are playing a crafty game of temporarily sharing power, orchestrating the ouster of the monarchs, and then they will try to use the electoral process to seize complete power. Then they will left to run things, which they will do badly. Tourism will collapse, India will fear China's influence over the local Maoists, and the people will be repressed.
You heard it here first, folks....
Friday, May 23, 2008
Gas Prices...
continue to hit new highs. Makes me wonder how much can be absorbed before people really start to make major lifestyle changes based on fuel costs.
It hasn't happened yet, as far as I can see. Just as many cars on the highway, almost all carrying one person. Most city busses are almost completely empty, and most bus stops are uninhabited.
I drive a small car, so gas prices are not huring me so much. I really notice the increase in food prices though. I shop pretty carefully and I have just been unable to keep my grocery budget in line lately. I used to be able to buy most of what we needed for about $300 every two weeks, but I am now spending closer to $400 for the same stuff. We only have 2 adults and one child in our family, I would hate to see how much people with 2 or 3 teenagers are spending.
The increase in grocery prices is definitely hurting more than gas costs, for me anyway.
It hasn't happened yet, as far as I can see. Just as many cars on the highway, almost all carrying one person. Most city busses are almost completely empty, and most bus stops are uninhabited.
I drive a small car, so gas prices are not huring me so much. I really notice the increase in food prices though. I shop pretty carefully and I have just been unable to keep my grocery budget in line lately. I used to be able to buy most of what we needed for about $300 every two weeks, but I am now spending closer to $400 for the same stuff. We only have 2 adults and one child in our family, I would hate to see how much people with 2 or 3 teenagers are spending.
The increase in grocery prices is definitely hurting more than gas costs, for me anyway.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Latest Book
I just finished reading "Fortress of Solitude" by Johnathan Lethem.
I read this author's previous book "Motherless Brooklyn" about 5 years ago, and I was not overly impressed. "Fortress" has won several national book awards and received very good reviews when it came out.
The story is about a white kid growing up in early 70's Brooklyn, at the early stages of the gentrification of the city's brownstone neighborhoods. The boy, Dylan, suffers with being the only white kid around, a distant artistic father and a mother who abandons them both when he is about 10. Dylan is at the mercy of tough black kids and develops his own persona through friendships with a black neighbor and another white kid who shows up later.
The story takes a turn into magical realism, which greatly affects the plot towards the end of the book. The second half of the book jumps several years into the future, after Dylan has moved to Berkeley and become a freelance music journalist. Dylan is still coming to grips with his past, and the mystery of his mother's abandonment by the end of the book.
Ultimately I found this book to be unsatisfying. Although Lethem is a very good writer, the real point (or plot?) of the book escaped me. The story entertained and saddened alternately, but I could not ever comprehend the significance of Aeroman or the nature of the internal conflict Dylan was struggling with.
Maybe it was just too deep for me...
I read this author's previous book "Motherless Brooklyn" about 5 years ago, and I was not overly impressed. "Fortress" has won several national book awards and received very good reviews when it came out.
The story is about a white kid growing up in early 70's Brooklyn, at the early stages of the gentrification of the city's brownstone neighborhoods. The boy, Dylan, suffers with being the only white kid around, a distant artistic father and a mother who abandons them both when he is about 10. Dylan is at the mercy of tough black kids and develops his own persona through friendships with a black neighbor and another white kid who shows up later.
The story takes a turn into magical realism, which greatly affects the plot towards the end of the book. The second half of the book jumps several years into the future, after Dylan has moved to Berkeley and become a freelance music journalist. Dylan is still coming to grips with his past, and the mystery of his mother's abandonment by the end of the book.
Ultimately I found this book to be unsatisfying. Although Lethem is a very good writer, the real point (or plot?) of the book escaped me. The story entertained and saddened alternately, but I could not ever comprehend the significance of Aeroman or the nature of the internal conflict Dylan was struggling with.
Maybe it was just too deep for me...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Merck
Apparently the drug maker Merck has gotten busted for writing "research studies" and paying prominent doctors to publish them under their own names.
I am no basher of big pharma, I think they are important companies, and it is not fair to hang the dismal state of health care costs in America at their doorsteps.
I do think however that this is just another in a very long line of the consequences we are suffering from the Reagan revolution. Reagan told us that big government needed to "get out of the way" and let the marketplace and free enterprise thrive.
Well, this is what we get: a culture of corruption in business, cozy relationships between regulators and the industries they are supposed to oversee, no sense of responsibility for doing the people's business on the part of the people running governments agencies.
I fear America is heading in the direction of 3rd world countries: where greed, fear and corruption become the guiding principles.
I recently heard a report from an American living in China. The feeling there is of unrestricted optimism, that anything is possible, and that government is moving in the direction of being a force for the benefit of society.
Doesn't that sound like where we were fifty years ago?
Another report I heard from an American living in Thailand talked about how much people in Asia dislike travelling by air in America. They think it is uncomfortable, inconvenient and plagued by delays
Isn't that what we used to think about airplane travel outside the US?
What the hell has happened to us?
I am no basher of big pharma, I think they are important companies, and it is not fair to hang the dismal state of health care costs in America at their doorsteps.
I do think however that this is just another in a very long line of the consequences we are suffering from the Reagan revolution. Reagan told us that big government needed to "get out of the way" and let the marketplace and free enterprise thrive.
Well, this is what we get: a culture of corruption in business, cozy relationships between regulators and the industries they are supposed to oversee, no sense of responsibility for doing the people's business on the part of the people running governments agencies.
I fear America is heading in the direction of 3rd world countries: where greed, fear and corruption become the guiding principles.
I recently heard a report from an American living in China. The feeling there is of unrestricted optimism, that anything is possible, and that government is moving in the direction of being a force for the benefit of society.
Doesn't that sound like where we were fifty years ago?
Another report I heard from an American living in Thailand talked about how much people in Asia dislike travelling by air in America. They think it is uncomfortable, inconvenient and plagued by delays
Isn't that what we used to think about airplane travel outside the US?
What the hell has happened to us?
Monday, April 7, 2008
Spring
The weather finally got a little better this last weekend. Temperatures in the 60's. I got out our bicycles and my daughter and I went for a ride. She just learned to ride her 2-wheeler last summer so had to get used to it again. It only took about 10 minutes to remember all about steering and brakes and we were off.
She really did great and I can foresee a lot of bike riding this summer. I remember when I was a kid how much the world opened up for me when I learned how to ride my bike around the neighborhood.
She really did great and I can foresee a lot of bike riding this summer. I remember when I was a kid how much the world opened up for me when I learned how to ride my bike around the neighborhood.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Jobs and more
80,000 jobs lost in the US economy in the last reported month.
Almost 80% of the US population thinks the country is headed in the wrong direction.
Is there any real doubt as to which party is going to win the White House this year?
It is so painful to see the economy reeling this way. I had hoped to never see bad days like the 70's again, and it is especially unnerving to see widespread job losses.
Almost 80% of the US population thinks the country is headed in the wrong direction.
Is there any real doubt as to which party is going to win the White House this year?
It is so painful to see the economy reeling this way. I had hoped to never see bad days like the 70's again, and it is especially unnerving to see widespread job losses.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Taxes
I did my taxes this weekend using TaxCut software. I have been using it for a few years and I like it. I think all of the major tax packages are equivalent functionally. I just use this one because it imports last years information easily and costs $39.95.
This is the first year I e-filed. It burns me that it costs $19.95 to file elctronically. I mean it actually saves the government money to have the information delivered in electronic form instead of having to pay for data entry. I did it because I have a pretty good refund coming and I would like to get it as early as I can. No way was I going to pay another $19.95 to e-file my state return though!
I don't get all worked up about taxes like a lot of people do. Republicans want to cut taxes, but not spending, so they end up with big deficits and user fees for stuff that used to be free, like entrance fees to National Parks, fees for airline security, more sin taxes to pay for public works projects.
This is the first year I e-filed. It burns me that it costs $19.95 to file elctronically. I mean it actually saves the government money to have the information delivered in electronic form instead of having to pay for data entry. I did it because I have a pretty good refund coming and I would like to get it as early as I can. No way was I going to pay another $19.95 to e-file my state return though!
I don't get all worked up about taxes like a lot of people do. Republicans want to cut taxes, but not spending, so they end up with big deficits and user fees for stuff that used to be free, like entrance fees to National Parks, fees for airline security, more sin taxes to pay for public works projects.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Barack Obama
I finally got around to listening to Barack Obama's speech on race in the United States. This was a great speech and truly articulated the complexities of America's "original sin" of slavery and why its ramifications will be felt (in my opinion) for at least another 100 years.
A great speech, indeed. But in the end just a speech.
Mario Cuomo gave great speeches; Jesse Jackson gave an unforgettable speech to the 1984 Democratic Convention which I watched live, mesmerized by his oratory.
Ronald Reagan gave fantastic speeches, and look at the hoodwinking he pulled over on the country.
Reagan taught me to distrust speechmakers. I can enjoy their performances, much as I enjoy watching Sean Penn act, but I will not base my decision to vote on the quality of someones speechmaking.
Barack Obama says that experience is not as important as judgment. I think he showed an unforgiveable lack of judgment by not disassociating himself from his radical pastor as soon as those offensive statements were made. Going even further, I think this shows a failure not just of judgment, but of character as well; an even more important flaw.
A great speech, indeed. But in the end just a speech.
Mario Cuomo gave great speeches; Jesse Jackson gave an unforgettable speech to the 1984 Democratic Convention which I watched live, mesmerized by his oratory.
Ronald Reagan gave fantastic speeches, and look at the hoodwinking he pulled over on the country.
Reagan taught me to distrust speechmakers. I can enjoy their performances, much as I enjoy watching Sean Penn act, but I will not base my decision to vote on the quality of someones speechmaking.
Barack Obama says that experience is not as important as judgment. I think he showed an unforgiveable lack of judgment by not disassociating himself from his radical pastor as soon as those offensive statements were made. Going even further, I think this shows a failure not just of judgment, but of character as well; an even more important flaw.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tibet
There have been anti-Chinese demonstrations throughout Tibet this week. Now we hear that Chinese troops are pouring into the are, undoubtedly to provide the means for a violent suppression of the protesters.
I have a lot of admiration for the current modernization going on in China. The government is trying to balance the need for greater personal and economic freedom with the fear of the kind of post-Soviet chaos that occurred in Russia. The majority of Chinese are living far better lives than their parents could have imagined. Political freedoms are limited, but moving in the right direction (although very slowly).
It is hard to reconcile this with the heavy handed treatment that China is using towards Tibet. They seem to be motivated by a real fear of the influence of the Dalai Lama, who they label as "a devil". I think that they are afraid to consider the idea of limited autonomy, and they are waiting for the Dalai Lama to die.
Could it be a coincidence that this round of protests is occurring as the country really starts to ramp up for the opening of the Olympic Games? The Tibetan exile community is quite sophisticated in managing its image and tactics: they have a lot of support amongst influential people in the West.
This presents a real problem for China with regards to the Olympics. If they let the protests continue it will keep Tibet on the forefront of the news, a distinct embarassment to the government. On the other hand if they use military force to crush the protests, they run the risk of a boycott of the Olympics.
I am not sure that the Chinese government has a subtle enough understanding of world opinion to do the right thing in this case. I fear that paranoia will win out over caution, and Tibet is in for some rough treatment in the near future.
I have a lot of admiration for the current modernization going on in China. The government is trying to balance the need for greater personal and economic freedom with the fear of the kind of post-Soviet chaos that occurred in Russia. The majority of Chinese are living far better lives than their parents could have imagined. Political freedoms are limited, but moving in the right direction (although very slowly).
It is hard to reconcile this with the heavy handed treatment that China is using towards Tibet. They seem to be motivated by a real fear of the influence of the Dalai Lama, who they label as "a devil". I think that they are afraid to consider the idea of limited autonomy, and they are waiting for the Dalai Lama to die.
Could it be a coincidence that this round of protests is occurring as the country really starts to ramp up for the opening of the Olympic Games? The Tibetan exile community is quite sophisticated in managing its image and tactics: they have a lot of support amongst influential people in the West.
This presents a real problem for China with regards to the Olympics. If they let the protests continue it will keep Tibet on the forefront of the news, a distinct embarassment to the government. On the other hand if they use military force to crush the protests, they run the risk of a boycott of the Olympics.
I am not sure that the Chinese government has a subtle enough understanding of world opinion to do the right thing in this case. I fear that paranoia will win out over caution, and Tibet is in for some rough treatment in the near future.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Gasoline
Gasoline prices will spike up to close to $4.00 per gallon within a few months, it was reported today. It really is painful for the economy and hits lower income working class drivers the hardest.
This reminds me of the mid 70's when the economy seemed to take one punch after the other and spiralled downwards into stagflation. Remember Gerald Ford's WIN buttons and Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech?
Hopefully this generation will be able to learn what others before have: the good times don't always last so have fun while you can but have a plan for what to do when things go bad...
This reminds me of the mid 70's when the economy seemed to take one punch after the other and spiralled downwards into stagflation. Remember Gerald Ford's WIN buttons and Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech?
Hopefully this generation will be able to learn what others before have: the good times don't always last so have fun while you can but have a plan for what to do when things go bad...
Monday, March 10, 2008
SNOW
Here in Cleveland we got a ridiculous amount of snow this weekend.
Close to 2 feet fallen, with massive drifts everywhere. So much that the airport closed completely for a day. I know 2 people who were out of town and got stranded, but one was in Mexico, and the other was in San Francisco, so things could have been worse (they could have been in Buffalo).
I took my daughter sledding last week before the snow started, on the remains of last Tuesday's ice storm. We flew down the hill together, and she loved it. We might go tonight on the new snow.
Of course we will hear the chorus of morons shouing "What global warming, look at all of this snow!". Seems like a knee jerk response that someone has to make in any group of 4 or more people.
Close to 2 feet fallen, with massive drifts everywhere. So much that the airport closed completely for a day. I know 2 people who were out of town and got stranded, but one was in Mexico, and the other was in San Francisco, so things could have been worse (they could have been in Buffalo).
I took my daughter sledding last week before the snow started, on the remains of last Tuesday's ice storm. We flew down the hill together, and she loved it. We might go tonight on the new snow.
Of course we will hear the chorus of morons shouing "What global warming, look at all of this snow!". Seems like a knee jerk response that someone has to make in any group of 4 or more people.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Go Hillary!
Hillary Clinton was the big winner in Tuesday's primaries.
I am really glad she is still in the race; I would hate to see Barack Obama ordained as the nominee. I hope that if democrats can take the next few months to evaluate these 2 fine candidates outside of the context of the primary horse race they will realize that she is the better person for the job.
I also hope that the Obama nation people can see the big picture enough to realize that even if Barack is not the nominee, it is much more important to elect a Democrat than it is to sit back and sulk during the November election, allowing yet another Republican administration.
I am a big Hillary backer, but if Obama gets the nomination, then I will close ranks and support him 110%. Let's hope the Obama supporters can do the same if the situation is reversed.
I am really glad she is still in the race; I would hate to see Barack Obama ordained as the nominee. I hope that if democrats can take the next few months to evaluate these 2 fine candidates outside of the context of the primary horse race they will realize that she is the better person for the job.
I also hope that the Obama nation people can see the big picture enough to realize that even if Barack is not the nominee, it is much more important to elect a Democrat than it is to sit back and sulk during the November election, allowing yet another Republican administration.
I am a big Hillary backer, but if Obama gets the nomination, then I will close ranks and support him 110%. Let's hope the Obama supporters can do the same if the situation is reversed.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Ohio Primary
Tomorrow is the Ohio primary and I plan to vote for Hillary Clinton. I never got on the Obama band wagon. As cool as it would be to have a non-white president (I hestitate to call him Black, as he has one white and one black parent), I think Hillary is the better person for the job, regardless of perceptions of "electability"
My vote is based on a couple of considerations:
1. I have waited for 10 years to cast a vote for Hillary, and this may be my only chance, given that Obama may lock it up tomorrow.
2. Hillary is the person that the Republicans hate the most, which makes me want to vote for her the most.
3. When I ask myself who would do the best job if another 9-11 happened, or who would take reviving the economy most seriously, or who would make the strongest effort to restore the honor and dignity of our country in the world commnunity, I only get one answer, and that person is Hillary Clinton.
Go Hillary!
My vote is based on a couple of considerations:
1. I have waited for 10 years to cast a vote for Hillary, and this may be my only chance, given that Obama may lock it up tomorrow.
2. Hillary is the person that the Republicans hate the most, which makes me want to vote for her the most.
3. When I ask myself who would do the best job if another 9-11 happened, or who would take reviving the economy most seriously, or who would make the strongest effort to restore the honor and dignity of our country in the world commnunity, I only get one answer, and that person is Hillary Clinton.
Go Hillary!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Yoga
I went to my first class at a local Yoga Studio last Saturday.
I got some coupons for Christmas (I asked for them), and I finally got around to going. I had done yoga informally for a long time, mostly using videos and books, but I had never been to an actual studio.
I loved it!
The session was called "Yoga Basics", so it assumed some experience, but was not too advanced. It was 75 minutes of continuous movement, and became very strenuous for me. I was sweating like crazy by the end of it, and I left feeling like I had both a good workout and a relaxing meditative session. I think it is the feeling of relaxed invigoration that makes yoga different from other forms of exercise.
It was a lot different from doing it on my own, as the instructor kept everyone focused and moving, with no rest. Noone was listening to their mp3 players during this class! I really enjoyed it, and my muscles still feel worked, but not strained.
I really think yoga has a great ability to keep you healthy, in many ways. Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, and predates most surviving forms of medicine.
My only regret is that I did not pursue a more formal practice years ago.
I got some coupons for Christmas (I asked for them), and I finally got around to going. I had done yoga informally for a long time, mostly using videos and books, but I had never been to an actual studio.
I loved it!
The session was called "Yoga Basics", so it assumed some experience, but was not too advanced. It was 75 minutes of continuous movement, and became very strenuous for me. I was sweating like crazy by the end of it, and I left feeling like I had both a good workout and a relaxing meditative session. I think it is the feeling of relaxed invigoration that makes yoga different from other forms of exercise.
It was a lot different from doing it on my own, as the instructor kept everyone focused and moving, with no rest. Noone was listening to their mp3 players during this class! I really enjoyed it, and my muscles still feel worked, but not strained.
I really think yoga has a great ability to keep you healthy, in many ways. Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, and predates most surviving forms of medicine.
My only regret is that I did not pursue a more formal practice years ago.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Florida (again)
We just came back from our second Florida Vacation since Christmas. This time we spent 5 days at Siesta Key, in the Sarasota area.
We really enjoyed the soft white sand beach, a world class beach; very wide and spacious.
My daughter and I made some sand sculptures, a big lizard and a butterfly decorated with seashells. Lots of people walking by were very impressed, and my daughter was quite proud of making them with her Daddy. It was cool to see them still there after a couple of days.
We spent a lot of time on the beach, with rented beach chairs and umbrellas. I got sunburned.
We also spent 2 days at the Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld, a first for me and my daughter. It was a good experience, mostly because the weather was great and it was not as crowded as I expected. We saw the parade and the fireworks, and went on a bunch of rides. Surprisingly enough, my 6 year old girls' favorite ride was the Speedway, where you get to drive cars around a track. You cans teer but a metal rod keeps them on track. She loved it and wanted to go back several times.
Disney is really all about illusion. MK seems like a really big place, but we took the steam train around the perimeter it only lasted about 10 minutes, with 3 stops. The place is architected such that you cannot see very far between the different areas, so it is hard to get much perspective, but the train ride reveals that it is quite a bit smaller than you would think.
All in all a good trip, and a great break from work and the snow.
We really enjoyed the soft white sand beach, a world class beach; very wide and spacious.
My daughter and I made some sand sculptures, a big lizard and a butterfly decorated with seashells. Lots of people walking by were very impressed, and my daughter was quite proud of making them with her Daddy. It was cool to see them still there after a couple of days.
We spent a lot of time on the beach, with rented beach chairs and umbrellas. I got sunburned.
We also spent 2 days at the Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld, a first for me and my daughter. It was a good experience, mostly because the weather was great and it was not as crowded as I expected. We saw the parade and the fireworks, and went on a bunch of rides. Surprisingly enough, my 6 year old girls' favorite ride was the Speedway, where you get to drive cars around a track. You cans teer but a metal rod keeps them on track. She loved it and wanted to go back several times.
Disney is really all about illusion. MK seems like a really big place, but we took the steam train around the perimeter it only lasted about 10 minutes, with 3 stops. The place is architected such that you cannot see very far between the different areas, so it is hard to get much perspective, but the train ride reveals that it is quite a bit smaller than you would think.
All in all a good trip, and a great break from work and the snow.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Bobby Fischer
Chess grand master Bobby Fischer is dead. I remember this guy's shenanigans from the early 70's when he had those legendary matches with Boris Spassky.
In the last 30 years he seems to have turned into a complete nutcase, violating the US ban on trade with Yugoslavia during the Bosnia war, getting arrested for travelling on a revoked passport, and much more.
His life really illustrates the stereotype of a tortured genius. If the guy wasn't a chess grand master he would just be considered a lunatic.
In the last 30 years he seems to have turned into a complete nutcase, violating the US ban on trade with Yugoslavia during the Bosnia war, getting arrested for travelling on a revoked passport, and much more.
His life really illustrates the stereotype of a tortured genius. If the guy wasn't a chess grand master he would just be considered a lunatic.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
File renaming
For some reason I find myself having to rename/retag large numbers of files a lot. I always used to use DOS command lines but I found a nice shareware utility that does everything I need.
Its called FlashRenamer.
It has dozens of options, can modify timestamps, alter case, change attributes etc. And it is very fast. I lowercased over 3000 files in just a few seconds.
Always nice to find a useful utility!
Its called FlashRenamer.
It has dozens of options, can modify timestamps, alter case, change attributes etc. And it is very fast. I lowercased over 3000 files in just a few seconds.
Always nice to find a useful utility!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Bosses
I read recently that the #1 reason by far that people look for a new job is their boss (followed by salary and growth potential).
It seems like companies would really want to take notice of this. Replacing employees is expensive, and a lot of institutional knowledge walks out the door when someone leaves.
What do people want from a boss? What are bosses doing wrong that is enough to drive people away from a job?
Good bosses can make good employees more satisfied. Unless of course you want people to leave, and I guess many companies do...
It seems like companies would really want to take notice of this. Replacing employees is expensive, and a lot of institutional knowledge walks out the door when someone leaves.
What do people want from a boss? What are bosses doing wrong that is enough to drive people away from a job?
Good bosses can make good employees more satisfied. Unless of course you want people to leave, and I guess many companies do...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Countrywide Financial
Looks like Bank Of America is buying the remains of Countrywide Financial, one of the big losers in the subprime fiasco.
I really hope the housing market turns around. A lot of people have lost a lot of equity value in their homes through no fault of their own. Long term homeowners are not speculators, and yet all have suffered due to the bad decisons of banks and lenders out for quick profits.
Is it time for stricter government regulation of this industry? The lending industry in all its forms seems determined to prove it can screw up whatever freedom and de-regulation it is given.
I really hope the housing market turns around. A lot of people have lost a lot of equity value in their homes through no fault of their own. Long term homeowners are not speculators, and yet all have suffered due to the bad decisons of banks and lenders out for quick profits.
Is it time for stricter government regulation of this industry? The lending industry in all its forms seems determined to prove it can screw up whatever freedom and de-regulation it is given.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Credit Cards
I read the other day that credit card companies are quietly changing the terms of the cardholders agreements.
They are changing their ability to drastically increase interest rates even in the event of a single late payment on an otherwise perfect payer.
They do not have to inform the customer, they just jack up the rate to 20, 25 or even 30%. So your rate could go from 9% to 25% if your payment is just one day late, just one time.
Credit card issuers are mostly banks, and banks are hurting from the subprime mortgage disaster, so they are looking to screw their customers as a way to shore up profits.
They are changing their ability to drastically increase interest rates even in the event of a single late payment on an otherwise perfect payer.
They do not have to inform the customer, they just jack up the rate to 20, 25 or even 30%. So your rate could go from 9% to 25% if your payment is just one day late, just one time.
Credit card issuers are mostly banks, and banks are hurting from the subprime mortgage disaster, so they are looking to screw their customers as a way to shore up profits.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Vacation
We just got back from a week in Vero Beach, Florida. We flew into Orlando on Xmas day and the next morning we drove 90 minutes southeast to Vero Beach.
VB is definitely the most liveable city I have visited in Florida. Right on the ocean, not especially touristy. Lots of upscale retirees make real estate a bit expensive, but there are relatively few of the high-rise condos you see further south.
The weather was 80's and sunny everyday. For two of our days there Red Tide was a problem. I have heard of this kind of algae bloom, but I thought it was only a problem for fish eating, but this stuff causes respiratory problems when you get within a few hundred yards of the beach. Walking down the seaside avenue in Vero Beach you could hear everyone coughing. Would have been bad if it had lasted the whole vacation, but we only felt it for 2 days. For those days we just went to the pool at our motel.
All in all it was a great time. We had two great meals at a little hole in the wall Cuban restaurant called Felix's; wonderful roast pork, fish stuffed tostones(fried papaya) and mango cheesecake.
To top it off, the day after we came home we had a foot of snow in the driveway...
VB is definitely the most liveable city I have visited in Florida. Right on the ocean, not especially touristy. Lots of upscale retirees make real estate a bit expensive, but there are relatively few of the high-rise condos you see further south.
The weather was 80's and sunny everyday. For two of our days there Red Tide was a problem. I have heard of this kind of algae bloom, but I thought it was only a problem for fish eating, but this stuff causes respiratory problems when you get within a few hundred yards of the beach. Walking down the seaside avenue in Vero Beach you could hear everyone coughing. Would have been bad if it had lasted the whole vacation, but we only felt it for 2 days. For those days we just went to the pool at our motel.
All in all it was a great time. We had two great meals at a little hole in the wall Cuban restaurant called Felix's; wonderful roast pork, fish stuffed tostones(fried papaya) and mango cheesecake.
To top it off, the day after we came home we had a foot of snow in the driveway...
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