Thursday, March 31, 2005
Building Web Services the REST Way
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
flickr world map
linkO'Reilly Network: The Builders of Basecamp
LinkFriday, March 25, 2005
1947project
"Los Angeles in 1947 was a social powderkeg. War-damaged returning soldiers were threatened by a new kind of independant female, who in turn found her freedoms disappearing as male workers returned to the factories. These conflicts worked themselves out in dark ways. The Black Dahlia is the most famous victim of 1947's sex wars, but hardly the only one. The 1947project seeks to document this pivotal year in L.A., through period reporting and visits to the scenes as they are today. "Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Wired 13.04: Rise of the Green Machine
"Toyota has chosen the hybrid track for a simple reason: The world cannot afford to wait another 40 years."This is a great little article about the technology behind hybrid cars and the success Toyota is having at transforming itself into the hybrid car company. With gas prices going up, alternative energies still years away, and serious performance obstacles overcome, Toyota seems poised to become the world's number one automaker real soon.
Monday, March 21, 2005
CFJ
Saturday morning breakfast with Eric and Carrie. And Club Foot Joe loves his hot sauce.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Petitions Gazette (2)
The Senate has traditionally been the "cooling chamber" of two houses of congress. Which is to say, if you wanted a bill to cool off a bit before it passed or didn't then the Senate was the place to do it. A great tradition of the Senate, and what enables the cooling process to take full effect, is the Filibuster. That is, the practice that allows any Senator to prevent a vote without 51 percent of all senators present combined with the fact that it take 2/3rd's majority to call a vote. The combination of which prevents a vote from taking place without some of what we call in the PR business, serious traction.Now Republicans want to change that tradition because they can't get a few (a very few) very right wing federal judgeships approved. Their grounds? That one legislative branch cannot in essence prevent the due process of another. I believe the talk on the hill is that this is the Nuclear approach. Which is to say, you could always try to nominate less judges to benches. Or you can forever alter the way that the Senate works. Nuclear, in the sense that there is no going back.
If you follow me, follow my link and join the Dems in downing nukes for good.
Petitions Gazette (1)
Stop with the greedy drilling already. I stopped driving as much, bought a place within walking distance of work and simply consume less. Why can't we all learn that there are alternatives to permanent and irreparable damge to the environment for our increasing energy needs?Monday, March 14, 2005
Where are they now?
Wall of Memories - 1995
A Map of my life's timeline. The x-axis represents time. the y-axis represents latitude.
This is more or less exaclty where and when i've lived my life up to now.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
UNAIDS: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
LinkDrug Policy Alliance: UN Commitment to HIV/AIDS Reduction Hurt By U.S. Pressure
At a meeting this week of the United Nations' main drug policy-making body, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) caved to pressure from U.S. drug warriors to stop promoting scientifically sound harm reduction policies that prevent HIV/AIDS transmission among intravenous drug users.The Benevolent Dictatorship Theory
From the very first, I've worked hard to make sure list members understand the nature of the community. It is not a democracy, and it isn't an anarchy. It's a benevolent dictatorship. This is no secret: I've said so on the list at least a couple of times. I try not to wield the Brickbat Of Administrative Correction unless necessary, and when I do, I do so in as neutral and even-handed a manner as possible. In the end, though, I make it very clear that within the confines of that community, my word is effectively law. I decide what's on topic, and what isn't, and gently make my decisions known. End of story. When I call for a thread to end, it ends. Or else. If list members ask for changes to the list's nature, as happens from time to time, I listen to their reasoning and then make a decision. That's it.
TAG: flame wars
Noise to Signal: High
As a moderator of two lists, I find that the best way to keep lists healthy is the chuck the troublemakers. Moderating a list is like forming a band. If your bass player doesn't show up to practice, it hurts the band. If he shows up, but he's not into the music, it hurts the band. If he shows up and plays great but no one can stand his premadonna attitude, it hurts the band. Perhaps the bass player should find another band.Who is 'poisonous' is defined 100% by the moderator. It may be interpreted as a case of playing favorites, but the beautiful thing about the Internet is that the cost of starting your own list is so low, there's really no loss for being a jerk. "Go be a jerk on your own time, on your own list." As it were.
Or, as Radiohead put it, "anyone can play guitar." They never said anything about playing well though . . .
As for me? I've developed a pretty sphisticated method for adjusting to the jerks who I cannot boot from a list because I do not own the list: I delete the message.
Shirky on flame wars:
Flaming is not just personal expression, it is a kind of performance, brought on in a social context.
TAG: flame wars
Thursday, March 03, 2005
File Under: Synaesthesia
This is a long loading flash movie. I love it because it combines the auditory magic of Coltrane's "Giant Steps" (which is more familiar to you than you know) with the powders of motion graphics. The resulting spell is effective, if a bit see-n-say for my taste.I have been hearing a lot of news lately about people who "suffer" from synaesthesia. That is, who's senses combine in odd and sometimes dibilitating ways. For example a woman who plays the recorder and can literally taste each note. Or a man who does math in his head and the sounds of numbers and their modifiers make harmonies that represent the answers to common arithmetic tasks like adding and multiplying large numbers. Well this video is more of that. Only a little less idiot savant and a little more blue note.
stickers circa 1992-1995
Lower East Side sticker collection slash time-capsule.related link: sticker nation
BBC NEWS: Word of mouth 'winner for books'
"Best-selling novels like The Da Vinci Code are often chosen because of a word of mouth recommendation, a survey to mark World Book Day has revealed."BBC NEWS: Word of mouth 'winner for books'
"Best-selling novels like The Da Vinci Code are often chosen because of a word of mouth recommendation, a survey to mark World Book Day has revealed."Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Tailgating at California Speedway
Jerry (steph's dad). I brought a couple of growlers of beer for the early am tailgating.
Just Waiting.
saw a few non-white faces. not many, but a few. NASCAR is not a multi-cultural experience. This lady was taking a load off and looked unafraid in spite of her apparent solitude.
Inland Empire
View from the back side of the track.
Pit Row
Bolt-gluer
And a ton of tires.
Target
Trying to get the sun just right again.
Mission Control
The pits are equipped with these consoles that have tv's and computers. I'm guessing that they use this eqipment to help the driver make decisions about the track, the other cars and the car.
Logo Hounds
These people are here to make sure you don't walk and ruin the sponsors' fun.
Sharpie Bon Homies
At the start-finish line you can sign the track with adoring words for your driver. They have really though of it all.
Concrete and Steel Monstrosity
The bleachers tower above like a steel forest.
Propellerhead Paradise
People bring radios to listent to the pits during the race. This is a propellerhead's paradise.
