tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-294102762024-03-21T16:35:19.191-05:00America vs. The WorldMero and Buck B. embrace the radical thought that smart writing can take the important issues that shape your world and make them fascinating and fun. After all, there are no boring issues — only boring blogs.Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-1158033132782049512006-09-11T22:49:00.001-05:002011-05-02T13:36:28.241-05:00Blue Rice returns<b>UPDATE:</b> Blue Rice strips old and new are up at <a href="http://bluericecomic.com/">bluericecomic.com</a><br /><br />Welcome to the comic strip formerly known as <strong>Blue Rice.</strong><br /><br />From 1999 to 2002, I regularly wrote and drew Blue Rice for the University of Illinois school newspaper, <a href=" http://www.dailyillini.com/">The Daily Illini</a>, where 20 thousand students per day followed the exploits of a mouthy gnome, a witty snail, a drunk duck and other bizarre critters.<br /><br />Over time, the characters gradually came into their own, and the writing eventually came to encompass local issues, national politics and pop culture, not to mention more than its fair share of idiosyncratic nonsense. But before it was an award-winning satire that culminated with a <a href="http://www.cheesecake.org/isgelection/">fictional gnome winning student body president</a>, Blue Rice was an oddly-drawn cartoon just trying to find its footing on the comics page.<br /><br />So for the first time, the (nearly) complete Blue Rice series will appear online right here at America vs The World, starting with the <a href="http://www.americavstheworld.com/blue_rice.asp?comicID=1">original eight strips</a> I submitted to the Daily Illini graphics editor to pitch myself as a cartoonist.<br /><br />For the next year or so, we'll periodically post Blue Rice strips—sometimes individually, sometimes grouped together as appropriate (i.e. to accelerate the poorly-drawn randomness that was Season One.) As we go, I'll post a running commentary to provide some context for those who seek it, plus some fun facts about any controversy that may have stirred up in the process. The most recent addition will always be in the sidebar to the left.<br /><br />Here's to reliving your college days!<span class="techno_link"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Blue Rice" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Gordon the Gnome" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Daily Illini" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Hale the Snail" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Snailgate" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/XXXXXXXX" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/XXXXXXXX" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a></span>Gordon the Gnomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02021826227117106133noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-20979868832540537892008-02-18T21:25:00.004-06:002008-02-19T00:04:08.616-06:00Checking inHey loyal reader(s). Since Gordon and I are obviously incapable of maintaining a blog on our own, we'll be periodically contributing to the group blog at <a href="http://www.urbanagora.com/">Urbanagora</a>. It's chock-full of former Daily Illni writers and semi-witty commentary.<br /><br />I should also note that Mandasaurus, who fought the good fight here for too long, has moved to more forgiving climes at her own blog, <a href="http://mandasaurusroars.blogspot.com/">Mandasaurus Roars</a>.<br /><br />As a half-ass replacement for a real post, here's an IM conversation Gordon and I had Saturday.<br /><br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> Hey, so I was meaning to ask you: What are the main blogs saying about Hillary/Obama? I still just mostly read mainstream media...<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> A lot of lefties are very cynical and believe Obama is all hype.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> That's too bad. Mainstream media loves him.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> He's good ratings. Hillary actually has a decent following in the blogs. Edwards was probably more popular than either one of them.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> That's so weird.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> Not if you stop thinking horse race and look at their policies. Edwards was definitely the most liberal and populist of the three.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> I guess so. I just personally feel that Hillary has negative inspiration (what's the polar-opposite of inspiring? despiring?), and I wish people didn't discount the value of having a great communicator in the White House. Especially since so much policy talk is stuff that the president can't really control.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> Well, it's been a revelation to me how jaded a lot of the left has become by seven years of Bush basically getting away with everything you can think of. They want someone (e.g. Hillary, Edwards) who they think will come in and clean shop on the Republicans. Edwards because that was his rhetoric and Hillary for personal reasons. A lot of them mistake Obama's message as making peace with the Republicans, which (for the Democratic Congress at least) has looked a lot like getting fucked in the ass.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> The problem is, that section of the left has lost their way, so that when the guy they've waited for all along shows up, they can't recognize him anymore. They're too cynical. Obama's not bipartisan, he's post-partisan. He's not going to appeal to Republican politicians, he's going straight to the people. A lot of whom are not nearly as crazy/evil as their choice in elected officials would lead you to believe.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> I love all this "post-partisan" stuff...as much as I recognize it as a buzzword, I strongly agree with the concept that America is torn 40/40/20, but it doesn't have to be. And under Hillary, you just know it would be more like 47/47/6. Not entirely her fault, it's just reality.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> Post-partisanship a fundamentally different way of looking at things, one which a lot of political junkies just can't get their brains around. It's really the exact opposite of Rove's way.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> Exactly!<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> The more I see of Obama, the more I understand what people saw in Reagan. Everyone wants to be inspired.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> That's why I hate when inspiration and communication are dismissed as non-factors. They're totally factors. They're leadership...that's the first role of the president!<br /><br /><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> There's a great <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/2b.html">presidential exhibit at the Smithsonian</a> where it talks about each of the roles of the president and which are the most important. National leader, chief executive, commander in chief, head of state, etc. You got to rank them at the end, I think I put national leader at No. 2. Here's the description of the national leader role:<blockquote>Americans ask their presidents to do more than govern; they expect them to lead. No aspect of the chief executive's job is more important than articulating the nation's principles, taking on new challenges, providing comfort and inspiration in times of crisis, and, in Abraham Lincoln's words, appealing to "the better angels of our nature."<br /><br />Presidential leadership has often been met with contentious political debate. But when Americans look back in history, this is the main quality they use to judge a president's tenure in office.</blockquote><span class="conversation_buck">Buck:</span> That pretty much sums it up. After a long time without a good one, people have forgotten how important it is.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> Yeah. Actually, my favorite quote on leadership came from McCain this year. Romney was talking about how he managed all these companies, and he said "John McCain never managed anything." And McCain responded "That's true, I'm not a manager. I'm a leader. I can hire managers.<br /><br /><span class="conversation_mero">Gordon:</span> And it's totally true. There's thousands of good managers out there, but just a handful of leaders.<br /><br /><br />Finally, I would be amiss not to post the following video of Obama speaking Saturday, where he addresses the same ideas Gordon and I were talking about.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7ffwY74XbS4&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7ffwY74XbS4&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-46253299940126181822007-11-18T21:42:00.000-06:002007-11-18T22:02:47.266-06:00Exercise your brain<img src="http://www.americavstheworld.com/images/brain_left_right.gif" alt="Spinning ballerina optical illusion." width="300" height="400"><br /><br />Which way do you see the image above turning? Clockwise? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widdershins">Widdershins</a>? Supposedly, the way you initially perceive it is supposed to tell you something about <a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22535838-5012895,00.html">which way your brain is oriented</a>. But I just think it's cool to try to go back and forth from seeing it move one way to the other. Like doing light-weight reps with your cerebellum.<br /><br />I've literally spent hours staring at this thing until I can get it to turn either way at will. So, yeah, that's what I've been doing instead of blogging. Sorry.Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-41004554282812683532007-11-11T20:56:00.000-06:002007-11-13T00:19:12.451-06:00Superbugs! Something to scrub about?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSiTb5jEcCBg59uHIrx-n_RflzGBOvN3HHblPL-3M8DEFxD90Tv-ynH9VAFLjcul0k-ANN-x86Q14FpRbFnj-N1i6FJh3rWOTpl5vK_VhN1ZUD4AdQ7V_fyOqtNpOgj9wHfCtnQ/s1600-h/clean+dino.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSiTb5jEcCBg59uHIrx-n_RflzGBOvN3HHblPL-3M8DEFxD90Tv-ynH9VAFLjcul0k-ANN-x86Q14FpRbFnj-N1i6FJh3rWOTpl5vK_VhN1ZUD4AdQ7V_fyOqtNpOgj9wHfCtnQ/s320/clean+dino.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132203977507947186" border="0" /></a><br />I totally believe in the value of dirt.<br /><br />Dirt, grime, germs, even bacteria (like the saintly bacteria hanging out in my cherry vanilla yogurt). Those things are good for you, at least in moderation.<br /><br />There's soap in my bathroom and my kitchen, of course. But it's not super-powered soap. It's just regular soapy soap.<br /><br />I'm a fierce proponent of hand-washing at my job where I work with little kids. Especially because kids are disgustingly dirty. Seriously, today I saw two 2-year-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">olds</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">licking</span> a door. This month my work posted notices for strep, pinkeye, chickenpox and head lice. That's more than enough to get me to scrub my hands dozens of times a day.<br /><br />Now scientists are saying that <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/09/AR2007110902114.html?hpid=smartliving">all that sudsy goodness isn't so good</a>. We're cleaning too much, at least with too-serious stuff. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Antibacterial</span>/antimicrobial soaps and gels just aren't necessary. What is? Regular soap.<br /><br />Regular soap lets the immune system get strong fighting off germs. Those easy fights prepare the immune system to fight off bigger stuff later, making you stronger and healthier.<br /><br />And that's something to scrub about.Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-9923378366608633152007-10-29T20:45:00.000-05:002007-10-29T23:45:05.043-05:00Raise some hell to fix the El<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8iwrLISODBS7MC-wIIYpoI-GvZngXUekwylAwj-Y0uyyEW39Os5CflHuOogdoF2DNM2SevcQ84EoicQR9xMInjZiB25zNqnJNQHpprbfRyAo3UgKDZeVy7-EHr0WWfimUWTAPg/s1600-h/bikingdino.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8iwrLISODBS7MC-wIIYpoI-GvZngXUekwylAwj-Y0uyyEW39Os5CflHuOogdoF2DNM2SevcQ84EoicQR9xMInjZiB25zNqnJNQHpprbfRyAo3UgKDZeVy7-EHr0WWfimUWTAPg/s320/bikingdino.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126950155902641794" border="0" /></a><br />I ride the rails. I hop the bus. And I love it.<br /><br />As long as I've been in cities with public transport infrastructure I've relied upon trains, buses and trolleys to get me where I need to go. I rode <a href="http://www.mbta.com/">Boston's T</a> to several jobs and more than several pubs. I still dream sweet dreams of <a href="http://wmata.com/">Washington D.C.'s Metro</a> (the best public transit in America). Now I enjoy climbing the rickety stairs to take <a href="http://transitchicago.com/">Chicago's El train</a> to work.<br /><br />I've relied on red, orange, green, red (again), green (again), brown and red (for the third time) lines. And though I've been delayed, annoyed, pushed and squished, I've never been as frustrated by public transport as I am now.<br /><br />Illinois' state, county and municipal authorities have failed to support <a href="http://transitchicago.com/">Chicago transit</a>, and now the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CTA</span> has little choice than to cut 39 bus lines and raise fares November 4, and again in January.<br /><br />This is bad news for you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.enoughfanzine.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=11664a4a7b8ebe6e54219aec2ad2b2bc&cID=35&view=columns_detail">You don't want me driving.</a> And you don't want all my happy-go-Brown-line friends driving either.<br /><br />There are tons of responsible Chicago public transit commuters. We switch lines. We take buses. We wait out delays and sit next to strangers. We stand up so elderly, handicapped or pregnant people may sit. Most of us listen to music at a reasonable volume. Even more of us avoid excessive cell phone use on the train. We take the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">CTA</span>, the Metro and Pace.<br /><br />We read the newspaper. We read books. We play cell phone poker. We sleep. We study. We giggle at funny announcements about using all the available doors. We work together to get help in emergencies. We public transit people are really quite civilized.<br /><br />We're also helping you out, person who cannot take the bus or train. We're helping you and we're helping the Earth. We're good for Chicago traffic and good for humankind.<br /><br />Whether you use the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CTA</span> is up to you, Chicagoans. But <a href="http://savechicagolandtransit.com/">you</a> benefit from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CTA</span> and its ridership regardless. Call <a href="http://www.illinois.gov/gov/">Governor Rod <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Blagojevich</span></a> at 312-814-2121.Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-16675864207046689842007-10-26T00:11:00.000-05:002007-10-26T00:51:20.982-05:00Chicagoween: The scaring, caring side of the Windy City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNDHAyLFP0nxax9TOp8Bqha535QVMTqojP7LP537AxBvjP2nRGaWmRyeQ_6hexTCDa4HM2E4za06kULtlEVr2_KQjZI69hBFsINYdYM3v2LjVDgYvACU2PkpWMbU57_3BN2cdWw/s1600-h/Halloween_IMG_4241.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNDHAyLFP0nxax9TOp8Bqha535QVMTqojP7LP537AxBvjP2nRGaWmRyeQ_6hexTCDa4HM2E4za06kULtlEVr2_KQjZI69hBFsINYdYM3v2LjVDgYvACU2PkpWMbU57_3BN2cdWw/s320/Halloween_IMG_4241.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125514322565785202" border="0" /></a><br />I love Halloween. I love costumes, candy corn, ghosts, ghouls and goblins. And, apparently, my new city loves Halloween too.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Chicagoween&entityNameEnumValue=186"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Chicagoween</span></a>, as its known, is a celebration throughout the city. There are pumpkin patches in parks, haunted buildings along the lake and an orange fountain in front of the city building. It's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">spooktacular</span>.<br /><br />Strolling through the city on a very fall-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ish</span> day a few weeks ago I saw the <a href="http://www.midnightcircus.net/">Midnight Circus</a> perform in Daley "Pumpkin " Plaza. It was an absolute riot. This kind of goofy stuff is seriously important, believe it or not.<br /><ol><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chicagoween</span> is awesome for families. My friends who reside in the suburbs brought their nearly-three-year-old daughter to a Halloween affair in Oz Park. She dressed up as a red dragon, rode a pony, took a hayride and got a witch painted on her cheek! Even though my friends live in the south 'burbs they had an awesome day in the city with their daughter. Families from inside the city and out can do the same, and they usually stick around to eat, play and shop. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Cha</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ching</span>, says Mayor Daley.</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Chicagoween</span> is free. Nothing brings people together like free. Isn't the what Halloween is all about?<br /></li><li>It made my heart sing to see a really, truly diverse group of people chuckling at the Midnight Circus. That's good for everyone. Plus there are events all over the city, making <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Chicagoween</span> accessible and affordable to everyone in Chicago.<br /></li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Chicagoween</span> connects everyone. Libraries, museums, parks, historical spots, the Chicago Transit Authority and many more groups are involved. Connections between real life and books, particularly, are amazing learning tools.</li><li>The Midnight Circus performance is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">hilarious</span> spoof! The ringmaster is a (pretend) Mayor Daley trying to bring the Ghoulish Games (Olympics) to Chicago. It's a riot.<br /></li></ol>A huge city bringing people together, offering tons of activities, trucking in pumpkins, and making fun of itself all for silly, happy fun? Spooky.Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-49190884574270902252007-10-18T15:04:00.001-05:002007-10-18T15:08:43.021-05:00Mama McCain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp61-YGyBzI26k8N63Vg4w04OeQPKt4L9D5doeZLTCtjFBsWH5kTjkLOnMYByZmmiSpB8ydZGqiKN1JHKuk65yfO4kB_zFFaLMms3x2OUvtbYhsI1gf7aqYkqgkDBALWT5OrB-g/s1600-h/410w.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp61-YGyBzI26k8N63Vg4w04OeQPKt4L9D5doeZLTCtjFBsWH5kTjkLOnMYByZmmiSpB8ydZGqiKN1JHKuk65yfO4kB_zFFaLMms3x2OUvtbYhsI1gf7aqYkqgkDBALWT5OrB-g/s320/410w.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122770820522557074" /></a><br /><br /><br />As a marketing guy who dabbles in political commentary, I’ve always been interested in seeing how politicians—particularly candidates—brand and position themselves in the field.<br /><br />(I’ve been observing this for years, but rarely discuss it, since I don’t like to besmirch marketing’s good name by comparing it to politics.)<br /><br />Anyway, I just had to comment on a recent stunt that (in my opinion) was nothing short of marketing genius: <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iuZkUjEnI_5ZQZ5NMN53M5SSEM3A">John McCain bringing his mom on the campaign trail.</a><br /><br />Though not my personal preference for President, McCain is one of my all-time favorite senators, a man of intelligence and integrity. Yet his campaign has been sputtering all year, and I recently wondered if he was virtually eliminated from the race.<br /><br />Until now.<br /><br />Don’t underestimate this move. Mama McCain’s presence isn’t just some feel-good story that’ll blow over. It’s a brilliant strategic move that will have lasting impact, mostly because it addresses head-on those critics who attack John’s age. How can they say that now, with his 95-year-old mom traveling around town? How can they question his health and stamina, when he’s displaying genetic proof of his endurance? And how can the crowds not go crazy for this adorable old lady?<br /><br />My guess is McCain’s just quieted a few naysayers while earning himself a nice chunk of elderly and mom-loving voters—perhaps enough to get back into the top three Republicans.<br /><br />This is not your father’s John McCain.Gordon the Gnomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02021826227117106133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-79397693675688510632007-10-17T00:17:00.000-05:002007-10-17T19:47:11.381-05:00Business trip: Let's debrief<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfUZj-EIAicbvVCT8anSQLHFT05ZHMeN0OQd-RbuX16BKlMSu1XFQk2d0vMG1l1itiHBi3a7qgydoOPhCjb8x9U9dNuqUhMFBWSuFW44kqeIIV7C1bwOJnE9f91F9kp63BE_j6g/s1600-h/yellow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfUZj-EIAicbvVCT8anSQLHFT05ZHMeN0OQd-RbuX16BKlMSu1XFQk2d0vMG1l1itiHBi3a7qgydoOPhCjb8x9U9dNuqUhMFBWSuFW44kqeIIV7C1bwOJnE9f91F9kp63BE_j6g/s320/yellow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122462018737075202" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not a corporate type. I do not like to speak about teamwork - even though I truly enjoy working with people and sharing goals. I rarely enjoy "icebreakers" or "team-building exercises" and I wince when people say "put that idea in the parking lot" when someone gets off topic during a discussion.<span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span><br /><br />Here's what I learned at my two-day, 14-hour training:<br /><ol><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_PowerPoint">PowerPoint</a> is supposed to be an <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">aid</span> to your lecture. You do not need to <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">read aloud word-for-word</span> what's on the screen because not only can I read that myself but it's also in front of me on the Power Point presentation print-out you handed out. (Perhaps I did not just learn this, exactly. However, the anger I felt at each slowly-passing slide really kept me from enjoying my deep breaths.)</li><li>According to the Personal Interaction Quiz I am a yellow. This means I am a talker. Yellows are expressive, outgoing, friendship-oriented and highly creative, according to the Power Point. After learning about my yellow status I felt so creative that I tried to take notes with my non-dominant hand, made a list of what I will wear to work this week and doodled a very realistic picture of my best friend Julie.</li><li>The Hyatt is very nice. I enjoyed Hyatt dinner, Hyatt coffee, Hyatt workout room and the extraordinary Hyatt bed.<br /></li><li>When in doubt, take notes. My swift note-taking made it seem like I was really learning - becoming part of the team and understanding those presentations. I'm such a fabulous fooler.</li><li>I do not participate in role-plays. Ever.</li><li>There is a difference between counseling and coaching. I'm not sure what, but I'm told that those are different.</li><li>Finally, I've learned that a Mandasaurus can't be held down by corporate rules. I've got to be freer than this. I'm actually happy to say I'm feeling pretty damned inspired to look for something that will fill my days with less crap and more happiness. A yellow Mandasaurus can't be stuck in a such fake, PowerPoint filled world for long.<br /></li></ol>Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-11506956914119742212007-10-12T21:56:00.000-05:002007-10-12T22:33:40.862-05:00Yay or Nay? A business trip list<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1slcrZHQBn28aDqrdsQxqIjdTq5EprbuOw4j1_00dr3m5u9amIkecAsatbx9gaKSHYLx8eHqLZZNGMAqPwClQstdGeyC8UbRogHxpsrLnm5ZpszQtUO_MXIXYpwQMllKxZvNWA/s1600-h/marina_hotel_pool.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1slcrZHQBn28aDqrdsQxqIjdTq5EprbuOw4j1_00dr3m5u9amIkecAsatbx9gaKSHYLx8eHqLZZNGMAqPwClQstdGeyC8UbRogHxpsrLnm5ZpszQtUO_MXIXYpwQMllKxZvNWA/s320/marina_hotel_pool.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120659352243467218" border="0" /></a><br />On Monday I'm travelling to Lisle, Illinois to attend a conference for work. I might learn some answers about what the hell I'm supposed to do in the office besides eat plums, drink coffee and pretend to understand what I'm organizing.<br /><br />I've decided to create a list of pros and cons of this trip using my gut intuitions and the itinerary my boss gave me a few days ago. Here goes with List No. 2.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Pros</span><br /><ul><li>I will be staying at a nice hotel.</li><li>I will receive lunch, dinner, breakfast and another lunch. Allegedly there are also snacks. That adds up to a lot of food. I bet there's coffee too.</li><li>The hotel might have a pool.</li><li>I love to learn. I might learn something useful.<br /></li><li>I will enjoy "Session III: Managing Difficult Employees" because I myself am a difficult employee and will learn new tricks.</li><li>On Tuesday training ends at 1:15 (after a "Wrap Up" from 12:45-1 - what the fuck?) and I'll get to do something fun the rest of the day! Like swim in the pool! Cannonball!</li></ul><span style="font-size:180%;">Cons<br /></span><ul><li>I will be sharing a room with someone who I don't know. I don't like that. I know I'm not winning any fights about the cost-effectiveness of paying for an individual room for me, but I'd also argue that it's not very cost-effective to put people from the city and suburbs up in a hotel less than an hour from their homes.</li><li>"Session I: First Time Supervisors" does not apply to me because I am not a first time supervisor. I believe I was required to have supervisory experience to get my current job.</li><li>I fear that "Lunch / Color Personality Analysis" will give me hives and suck all my special powers away.</li><li>If I eat too much I might get a cramp when I got swimming! Oh no!</li></ul>I'll report back on Tuesday. Any guesses on my personality color?Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-31770770096262311472007-10-11T20:29:00.000-05:002007-10-11T22:06:29.803-05:00AVW Lists: Mighty Mandasaurus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMZ0ljXzLrRJkFbhIimBVlcqiduxvwU5wrvn96P0HINFlWHbPTybc5NPda85WKtHv1ZzR1FwN-Gc0lywVajvrQAtQY5QGedF0_QLSVNYiKGG3pjxWHz-TZCqr_wcwmBiir2iJhQ/s1600-h/hiro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMZ0ljXzLrRJkFbhIimBVlcqiduxvwU5wrvn96P0HINFlWHbPTybc5NPda85WKtHv1ZzR1FwN-Gc0lywVajvrQAtQY5QGedF0_QLSVNYiKGG3pjxWHz-TZCqr_wcwmBiir2iJhQ/s320/hiro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120280849660572610" border="0" /></a><br />I'm here to announce that I, Mandasaurus, am blogging at least trice weekly in the form of lists. I love to make lists and AVW will be home to my smartest ones.<br /><br />I might need to consider whether it's reasonable to put things like "work" and "take shower"<br />on my list of things to do, but to avoid that query I will not posts such dull lists. Ready for our first list? Me too.<br /><br />List: Things I'm Doing For Betterment, Fufillment and Possible World Domination<br /><ol><li>Flossing daily.</li><li>Watching Heroes, Season 1. It's amazing and definitely improves my stealth comprehension of variations in normal human abilities, oddities in the time-space continuum and skepticism of evil vs. good. And I'm crushing on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masi_Oka">Hiro</a>!<br /></li><li>I'm enrolled in Loyola University Medical School's Mini Med School. Every Tuesday I sit in a big college-style lecture hall and learn about medical issues (the immune system, clinical trials) from real medical school professors. I take notes! Don't ask me how I've missed taking notes since being in school, but I do. I'm learning, and I'm keeping my brain mighty.</li><li>Eating apples. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycrisp">Honeycrisps</a> are a miracle of modern science.</li><li>Volunteering for an <a href="http://www.markperaforcongress.com/">important congressional campaign</a> - and walking to <a href="http://www.jdrf.org/">Cure Juvenile Diabetes</a>!</li><li>Tailgating! <a href="http://niuhuskies.cstv.com/">Go Huskies!</a></li></ol><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-86371792195955641992007-08-27T21:08:00.000-05:002007-08-27T21:49:09.204-05:00Mandasaurus for Attorney General? Yes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_8G2uEA5m0GuO2BZ3q4pYP5dysFM9daIETU2a86RDX7-SAF2RUlxTte5TnwolclMtRQiuY09Jk_6UpwCXH1140qEoc5mXgXYV0a5S3t-3qzpvQy2jZ4UUrwqhBHLAK3J8Fx7KQ/s1600-h/dinosaur.GIF"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_8G2uEA5m0GuO2BZ3q4pYP5dysFM9daIETU2a86RDX7-SAF2RUlxTte5TnwolclMtRQiuY09Jk_6UpwCXH1140qEoc5mXgXYV0a5S3t-3qzpvQy2jZ4UUrwqhBHLAK3J8Fx7KQ/s320/dinosaur.GIF" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103577323540465266" border="0" /></a><br />Who better than Mandasaurus to help the struggling Department of Justice put the thrill back in the Bill of Rights?<br /><br />Since Alberto Gonzalez resigned to pursue the American dream of consulting and waiting for a Supreme Court nomination from Neverland, I must take action. Pick me. I'm in.<br /><br />I've been hoping for a better cabinet appointment, or even a crappy one in a democratic White House, but here I am, and here's why:<br /><ul><li>I am not part of a fake Supreme Court. Texas' Supreme Court cannot possibly count in the same league as the <a href="http://www.supremecourtus.gov/">United States Supreme Court</a> which I witnessed live, in action this year as they heard the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_v._Frederick">Bong Hits 4 Jesus Case</a>. Seeing the real Scotus do something is worth, like, triple the points of being on a fake Supreme Court.<br /></li><li>Being seventh in the line of presidential succession assures me Secret Service attention.</li><li>When I eavesdrop it is warranted. I only eavesdrop on buses or locker rooms or at work. And I'm not very sly so it's not at all a surprise to anyone that I've heard them. I don't like to do things without warrant. Warrant is the way to go.<br /></li><li> I am very direct. I can answer any of your questions now.<br /></li><li>Whether speaking to the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate or to a bum on the street I would not say this. Ever:<blockquote><p><b>GONZALES:</b> The fact that the Constitution — again, there is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution. There is a prohibition against taking it away. But it’s never been the case, and I’m not a Supreme —</p> <b>SPECTER:</b> Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. The Constitution says you can’t take it away, except in the case of rebellion or invasion. Doesn’t that mean you have the right of habeas corpus, unless there is an invasion or rebellion?</blockquote></li><li>If someone said that to me I would say, as my father often says, "That idea sounds rather half-baked, Benjamin." (My name is not Benjamin.)</li><li>I mean what I say and I say what I mean.<br /></li><li>I love our Bill of Rights and our Constitution. If I'm Attorney General and you want to screw around with my rights??? <a href="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/ppg/index.html">Oh, no!</a> I'll stop you quick.<br /></li><li>I am completely willing to be a A.G. Superhero, if need be. In fact, my sunglasses are so big, I'm almost a superhero already.<br /></li></ul>OK, Senate, call me up for the confirmation hearings. I'll tell it like it is and we'll get along like stars and stripes. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-3272836082595931742007-08-13T22:10:00.000-05:002007-08-19T02:39:19.951-05:00Blogging will recommence in 3..2..1...Avast, there be non-sequiturs ahead!<br /><br />A lot of people seem to be all atwitter about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/13/rove.resign/index.html">Karl Rove leaving the White House</a>. I'm not exactly sure why. I guess it's a good thing that one of the people most responsible for the sorry state of our democracy is no longer able to pop across the hall to help Bush pick out his socks or give him a backrub or whatever. But somehow it doesn't make me feel better to know that dickhead will soon be awash in more gold-plated doughnuts then he's ever dreamed of. Republican flacks don't resign, they just go to consulting heaven.<br /><br />I just finished one of the best science fiction books I've picked up in years, William Gibson's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425198685?ie=UTF8&tag=amerivsthewor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0425198685">Pattern Recognition</a>. It was published in 2003, but the pop culture and technology entwined throughout the book was so fresh then that it's still bleeding-edge today. It can't even be called science fiction, really, since it's set in the present day and doesn't feature any events or people that couldn't plausibly exist. But it <i>feels</i> like science fiction, which just drives home how fast things are changing. Remember, technological change is <a href="http://americavstheworld.blogspot.com/2006/06/transhumanism.html">exponential, not linear</a>.<br /><br />Right up there with Pattern Recognition is Cory Doctorow's recent collection of long short-fiction, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560259817?ie=UTF8&tag=amerivsthewor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1560259817">Overclocked</a>. Criticism of intellectual property law meets cyberpunky sci-fi? Sign me up! Plus, it includes a story called <a href="http://baens-universe.com/articles/When_Sysadmins_Ruled_the_Earth">"When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth"</a>. Nerdgasms. And lots of 'em.<br /><br />Speaking of nerdgasms, I was at a wedding Friday night that, I shit you not, was held in the same room they'd filmed part of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/">The Dark Knight</a> in a couple days before. Rumors say it might even have been Bruce Wayne's penthouse bedroom (apparently, he's living the pimp life while Wayne Manor is being rebuilt) — which would be appropriate because Hotel 71's 39th floor is a <a href="http://www.hotel71.com/eventrooms5.cfm">gorgeous location</a> with views of downtown Chicago and the river on three sides. Don't know about you, but I want a wedding where a Batman DVD serves as an anniversary present.<br /><br />I leave you with Dick Cheney, speaking about the first Gulf War, circa 1994:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6BEsZMvrq-I"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6BEsZMvrq-I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><blockquote>Everyone was impressed with the fact that we were able to do our job with as few casualties as we had. But for the 146 Americans killed in action and for their families, it wasn't a cheap war. And the question for the president, in terms of whether or not we went on to Baghdad and took additional casualties in an effort to get Saddam Hussein, was how many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth? And our judgement was not very many, and I think we got it right.</blockquote>That's 3,676 dead American soldiers so far. Oh, and at least 1,000 civilian contractors. But who's counting?<span class="techno_link"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Cory Doctorow" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Doctorow" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Batman" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/The Dark Knight" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Dick Cheney" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Pattern Recognition" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/William Gibson" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Rove" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Karl Rove" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a></span>Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-41840786069899982202007-08-16T10:02:00.001-05:002007-08-19T02:35:40.797-05:00The myth of the super-skanksI don't imagine that mathematicians get invited to the same parties as sex researchers very often. Human sexuality professors, the rockstars of the behavioral sciences department, walk into their classes and stare out at a sea of horny freshmen; your average number theory seminar is basically full of guys who couldn't hack it in computer science.<br /><br />So I imagine it was rather satisfying this week when the mathematicians got to publicly tell the sex researchers they're <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/weekinreview/12kolata.html">full of shit</a>. <br /><br />For years, researchers have been telling us something that doesn't really surprise anyone: men report a significantly higher number of sexual partners than women. A recent study by the federal government put the number at seven for men and four for women, while the Brits (who knew?) reported 12.7 and 6.5, respectively. <br /><br />What sex researchers would know, if they spent more time studying statistics and less cataloging items found in body cavities, is that those numbers are frickin' impossible. Since (straight) men can only have sex with women, the averages <em>have</em> to be the same on both sides; every time two people sleep together, a number gets added to both sides of the equation. Or, if you want to get <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/weekinreview/12kolata.html">all mathematician</a>:<blockquote>By way of dramatization, we change the context slightly and will prove what will be called the High School Prom Theorem. We suppose that on the day after the prom, each girl is asked to give the number of boys she danced with. These numbers are then added up giving a number G. The same information is then obtained from the boys, giving a number B.<br /><br />Theorem: G=B<br /><br />Proof: Both G and B are equal to C, the number of couples who danced together at the prom. Q.E.D.</blockquote>This kind of explanation, of course, is why mathematicians don't get invited to the good parties.<br /><br />Since men sleeping around more than women dovetails so nicely with our preconceived notions, it's easy to hear numbers like those and just nod. I know I have. But I like what the previous acceptance of those numbers says about our ideas of female, rather than male, promiscuity. Because even for the mathematically illiterate, the numbers sound a little hokey, and require some pretty stupid mental contortions to make them work out. For me, it goes something like:<br /><br />"Well, sure, most women only sleep with like four guys. But somewhere out there there are these total sluts, these super-skanks from hell who have slept with like 75 guys, which brings the guys' average up to 7. So it all works out."<br /><br />1. As I said, this is pretty stupid. Mathematically and otherwise.<br />2. Alas, there are no super-skanks. Or at least no more than there are on the male side.<br /><br />All this really means, in the end, is that men over-report their number of partners and women under-report, which falls into the "<a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29565">New Study Finds College Binge Drinking To Be A Blast</a>" department. Except it would have been nice if the sex researchers could have previously mentioned that their research proves people lie, not that guys get laid a lot.Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-2515257373474325422007-08-18T22:19:00.001-05:002007-08-18T22:26:56.065-05:00The porn thresholdCheck out some of these <a href="http://www.blazinggrace.org/pornstatistics.htm">statistics on the porn industry</a>. They're staggering.<blockquote>At $13.3 billion, the 2006 revenues of the sex and porn industry in the United States are bigger than the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball combined. Worldwide sex industry sales for 2006 are reported to be $97 billion. To put this in perspective, Microsoft, who sells the operating system used on most of the computers in the world (in addition to other software) reported sales of $44.8 billion in 2006.</blockquote>Obviously, porn is insanely big business. The same page reports that the industry cranks out about 11,000 movies per year. Non-porn American studios do about 400-500 (although that number itself has been creeping steadily upwards as technology decreases filmmaking costs and the distribution system flattens.)<br /><br />The obvious question: Why do we need 11,000 new porn movies a year? Shouldn't there be some porn event horizon, beyond which we simply don't need any more movies? Is there really a ravening fan base out there, desperately awaiting the arrival of <a href="http://www.adultdvdserotica.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=15994">Booty Talk 67</a>? Who would the industry alienate if they said, "Hey, you know what? There're enough dirty movies out there already. Here's a catalog, go order some old ones."<br /><br />Especially when so many of them are just one in an on- (and on- and on-) going series. Who's going to notice if they slip in some footage from a previous entry? Are there porn mavens familiar with every frame of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453860/">Screw My Wife Please #24</a> who are going to raise holy hell if they notice a repeat 15 titles down the road?<br /><br />These are the questions that keep me up at night. Well, that and my breathless anticipation of <a href="http://www.adultdvdserotica.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=22081">Thick-n-Chunky Fat Freakz 2</a>.<span class="techno_link"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porn" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/pornography" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porn movies" clss="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porn industry" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/pornography industry" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porn stars" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porno" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/porno stars" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a></span>Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-1155855041848793482006-08-17T17:45:00.000-05:002007-08-16T10:12:27.853-05:00Soul searchingIn January, the Justice Department <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/19/AR2006011903331.html">subpoenaed the search logs</a> of Google, AOL, MSN and Yahoo. The subpoena asked them "to turn over every query typed into its search engine over the course of one week without providing identifying information about the people who conducted the searches."<br /><br /><div class="float_box" style="width: 300px;"><h3>Check out the searches of 657,000 AOL users.</h3><strong><a href="http://www.aolsearchdatabase.com/">View by user id</a></strong><br />(try 317966, 5776700, 98280)<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.aolsearchdatabase.com/">View by keywords</a></strong><br />(try "penis enlargement", "disney porn", "how to rob a bank")</div>Three of the four complied; only Google refused.<br /><br />The Justice Department claimed it needed this information in its Quixotic campaign against Internet pornography. After having a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Decency_Act">couple</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Online_Protection_Act">laws</a> overturned by the courts on First Amendment grounds, they are apparently taking a more sophisticated approach this time around.<br /><br />Search engine companies turning over large amounts of data to the federal government probably makes most of us feel a bit uncomfortable. But we can at least be comforted that the information is anonymous, right? No one can tie our searches back to us.<br /><br />That idea took a big blow last month when <a href="http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/08/aol_releases_ma.html">AOL posted</a> the March to May search logs for 657,000 anonymized users on their site, for research purposes. After not too long, someone at AOL realized this might not be the best idea in the world and took them down. By then it was too late, though; the information had been forever released to the Web.<br /><br />Go to <a href="http://www.aolsearchdatabase.com/">this search page</a> and search for user <strong>6281712</strong>. Apparently, a member of the field hockey team is thinking about giving away her special gift. Meanwhile, check out the March 20 searches by <strong>393765</strong> compared to those the next day.<br /><br />The logs are absolutely fascinating as a glimpse into other people's lives. <a href="http://www.thepoorman.net/2006/08/17/hell-is-other-peoples-web-searches/">The Editors</a> call <strong>711391</strong>'s logs "the greatest character study in literary history," and they might have a point. CNET gives some <a href="http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/broadband/0,39020342,39280576-2,00.htm">other interesting examples</a>.<br /><br />But as fascinating as they are, they're still anonymous. We may find it amusing that <strong>1952262</strong> is awfully interested in herpes, but their identity is safely protected. Right?<br /><br />The New York Times decided to <a href="http://www.americavstheworld.com/nyt_aol.html">test that out</a>. Could they track down user <strong>4417749</strong> simply from his or her search queries?<blockquote>And search by search, click by click, the identity of AOL user No. 4417749 became easier to discern. There are queries for "landscapers in Lilburn, Ga," several people with the last name Arnold and "homes sold in shadow lake subdivision gwinnett county georgia."<br /><br />It did not take much investigating to follow that data trail to Thelma Arnold, a 62-year-old widow who lives in Lilburn, Ga., frequently researches her friends' medical ailments and loves her three dogs. "Those are my searches," she said, after a reporter read part of the list to her.</blockquote>It took reporters from the Times to match up Arnold with her queries. But what if you cross-referenced this data with a database containing every conceivable piece of demographic information about you? Given a powerful enough computer, it probably wouldn't be too hard to assign a name to the searches, or at least narrow down the choices.<br /><br />It's nerve-wracking enough to imagine Time Warner or Microsoft having access to this information. But the government? Should they act because <strong>17556639</strong> might be planning to kill someone? What about <strong>1227287</strong>, who is apparently into marijuana, bomb-making and the FBI. Several commenters at <a href="http://plentyoffish.wordpress.com/2006/08/07/aol-search-data-shows-users-planning-to-commit-murder/">Paradigm Shift</a> compared this to the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005JL78?v=glance">Minority Report</a>, where people are arrested for crimes they have not yet committed based on a psychic vision that they will do it in the future.<br /><br />Is Googling "how to kill a wife" premeditation, or just curiosity? Or research for a murder novel? Or song lyrics?<br /><br />The government isn't just interested in anonymous search logs, though. Cross-referencing those with databases and designing data-mining programs powerful enough to match up the information would take an awful lot of work. Instead, the government wants to just require ISPs to <a href="http://news.com.com/Congress+may+make+ISPs+snoop+on+you/2100-1028_3-6072601.html">hand over everything</a> they want.<br /><br />The greatest threat to our future privacy isn't <a href="http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/02/nsa-legal-arguments.html">warrantless wiretapping</a>, or overzealous police, or even <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0319/p01s02-ussc.html">traffic cameras</a> (which are even worse than <a href="http://americavstheworld.blogspot.com/2006/07/friday-car-blogging.html">parking tickets</a>). It's simple computing power. As data storage gets cheaper and cheaper (anyone run out of space in your e-mail account recently?), eventually every single action you take online will be stored in a database somewhere. And somewhere else will be stored every item you purchased at the grocery store, every credit card transaction you've made, every plane fight you've ever been on.<br /><br />All that's missing is the ability to put it all together. Guess who has the <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/13/business/search.php">most computing power</a> in the world right now, combined with the most advanced data-sorting programs known to man?<br /><br />I'm glad Google's motto is "<a href="http://investor.google.com/conduct.html">Don't be evil.</a>" Let's hope they keep it up.<span class="techno_link"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/search logs" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/AOL" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Google" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/data" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/datamining" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/data mining" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Justice Department" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/search" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/technology" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a></span>Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-70622305900937702862007-06-12T00:55:00.000-05:002007-06-12T01:50:55.126-05:00Give a hoot.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimbyTJbeLt4YIpRjWnwfY_F0rZzza_7LsQfbsLihe3PTUoeHPI8k2UaiGlscnVUW2cgNLSgwgtQ99bc2uK4Y6kSksxOqmpkRO7wH67RfI4CJ4JxJ9bqb2i76-_pKR1YFv2T4Phw/s1600-h/woodsy.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimbyTJbeLt4YIpRjWnwfY_F0rZzza_7LsQfbsLihe3PTUoeHPI8k2UaiGlscnVUW2cgNLSgwgtQ99bc2uK4Y6kSksxOqmpkRO7wH67RfI4CJ4JxJ9bqb2i76-_pKR1YFv2T4Phw/s320/woodsy.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075059289326115842" border="0" /></a><br />I'm tickled to say that I just moved to Chicago.<br /><br /><a href="http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0785580141.1181627976@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccaddleggfdlicefecelldffhdfgm.0">Chicago</a> is great so far. Sure, I miss <a href="http://dc.gov/">D.C.</a> which is easy to get around and full of oddball fun happenings, but Chicago's pretty wonderful.<br /><br />Today I took a stroll along Lake Michigan. The lake is blue and lovely. A long path winds along the shore past beaches, harbors and swimming holes. You can jog, bike, rollerblade, sail, swim, golf,<a href="http://www.lincolnparkarcheryclub.org/about.html"> shoot arrows</a>, picnic, stroll and just about anything else along the lake. I love most of those activities so the lakefront is my kind of place. There is just one small problem with the lakefront: litter.<br /><br />Who litters? Who are you? Show yourself!<br /><br />I won't venture a guess (republicans?) about who is littering. But you litterbugs know who you are. You might not know this but littering makes you an asshole. If you leave bottles, shoes, cans, papers, wrappers, burritos, plastic bags, cigarette butts, containers, dog poop, or anything else lying about in public spaces you are an asshole. Please stop.<br /><br />Personally, I'd love to see police officers patrolling the lakefront and ticketing people who litter. Buck says this isn't the police's place. That may be true. But if my broken-bottle-dodging skills fail me I might <a href="http://www.merseysidesport.com/bodyimages/archery.jpg">bow-and-arrow</a> some litterbugs into the lake.Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-40503199841522438332007-05-16T22:29:00.000-05:002007-05-16T22:50:22.742-05:00In defense of country music (not jerks)Jerry Falwell died, and that's that. He wasn't a great person. He did some good things which are difficult for me to find on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Internet</span>, actually.<br /><br />But Falwell did far more public bad things. You can read plenty about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell">ridiculous crap</a> Jerry Falwell pulled in his 73 years on other sites.<br /><br />I don't make it a secret that I like country music. And when I tell some people that, especially when I'm rocking out to a song with a mean fiddle solo, they scowl. How silly.<br /><br />I don't support Dixie-Chicks-haters, but I do support Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">McGraw</span>.<br /><br />I saw Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">McGraw</span>, Faith Hill and other environmentalist rock stars at the Stop Global Warming Tour and he sang this amazing song, which he wrote. Partly because I assumed Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">McGraw</span>, the liberal country heartthrob, was singing this just for me, I cried.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j7ixC-LYDGc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j7ixC-LYDGc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />You might not like it, but at least you'll know that there are smart men in cowboy hats out there. And far too many really <a href="http://www.falwell.com/">stupid men</a> in suits running huge organizations.<br /><br /><a href="http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&client=firefox-a&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=tim+mcgraw">Cowboy, take me away</a><a href="http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&client=firefox-a&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=tim+mcgraw">.<br /></a>Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-28175919576964668642007-05-01T14:54:00.000-05:002007-05-01T15:18:58.539-05:00"If we leave Iraq, Al-Qaida wins"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQGCn_4B4vtSELgTKWoBaHQ7vS437Y3UbcVbkIx4IYAskOv6_ZSlk-5DuORiTCfkYBjrZLNFmOzFNoLGk_kHIpx5X3wUS9L8HWQWTVOhB3zBUCNNEgMkhwpfjDjkKZrvN4jESMw/s1600-h/patton.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQGCn_4B4vtSELgTKWoBaHQ7vS437Y3UbcVbkIx4IYAskOv6_ZSlk-5DuORiTCfkYBjrZLNFmOzFNoLGk_kHIpx5X3wUS9L8HWQWTVOhB3zBUCNNEgMkhwpfjDjkKZrvN4jESMw/s320/patton.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059689142924242210" /></a><br /><strong>A fictional speech by Bush, inspired by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patton%27s_Speech">famous Patton speech</a> (I changed less than you'd think)</strong><br /><br />Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for freedom.<br /><br />Men, all this stuff you’ve heard about America not wanting to fight, about getting kicked out of Iraq or the Texas Air National Guard, is a lot of horse dung. Americans traditionally love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. Just look at that Virginia Tech kid.<br /><br />When you were kids, you all admired the big league ball player, the Texas cowboy, the male cheerleader. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a liberal who lost and laughed. That’s why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war on my watch. Because the very thought of losing is hateful to democracy.<br /><br />Now, democracy is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights for one party. This bipartisan stuff is a bunch of hooey. Harry Reid doesn’t know any more about real battle than he does about fornicating.<br /><br />We have the best freedom, the best strategery and the hottest women in the world. You know, I actually pity those poor terrorists we’re going up against. By Jesus, I do. We’re not just going to shoot the bastards, we’re going to throw hoods over their heads and put alligator clips on their genitals.<br /><br />Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you'll cut and run under pressure. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty. Terrorists are the enemy. Kill those nappy-headed hoes. Spill their blood. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was democracy, you'll know what to do.<br /><br />Now there’s another thing I want you to remember. I don’t want to hear the media saying that we are holding our position. We’re not holding anything. We are staying the course and we’re not interested in holding onto anything except freedom. We're going to go through Al-Qaida like freedom through a goose.<br /><br />There’s one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home, and you may thank Jesus for it. Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what did you do in the great War of Freedom, you won’t have to say, "Well, I shoveled organic shit in California."<br /><br />Alright now, you know how I feel about September the 11th. And I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle — anytime, anywhere. <br /><br />Let's roll.Gordon the Gnomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02021826227117106133noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-5305742179486124042007-04-22T21:11:00.000-05:002007-04-22T21:54:12.711-05:00Is it getting hot in here?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNzlABrg7OHNyXv-RT4USD3nl15aglypoiOy2V86D2kUP-gz_idMeX3JCn7wMSma4o8S8f4BRkZw2vrslJEMj6YDOuIDB_i0o0Pe9qMlK5OG861fraL4c-8A6QWdFZdI_RCISiw/s1600-h/Cute-PolarBear-Cub-SittingOnSnow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNzlABrg7OHNyXv-RT4USD3nl15aglypoiOy2V86D2kUP-gz_idMeX3JCn7wMSma4o8S8f4BRkZw2vrslJEMj6YDOuIDB_i0o0Pe9qMlK5OG861fraL4c-8A6QWdFZdI_RCISiw/s320/Cute-PolarBear-Cub-SittingOnSnow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056451434952995106" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mandasaurus</span>' parents recycle everything and she aspires to as fabulous to the earth as they are.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://americavstheworld.blogspot.com/2007/04/hotter-they-fall.html">Gordon's right</a>. It's not just me. Or Gordon. (Although Gordon and I are hot to trot in our own right.)<br /><br />Global warming is happening for real.<br /><br />As Earth Day No. 37 dwindles away I'm going to spread some tree-hugging ideas. Because <a href="http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_actionitems.asp">we can stop damage from climate change</a>. We need to act now. All of us. Even you.<br /><br />It's actually not even that hard. We can take little steps to make big changes. And if we don't <a href="http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_feature.asp?id=10">polar bears will drown</a>. Seriously. I'm not letting the deaths of <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB113452435089621905-vnekw47PQGtDyf3iv5XEN71_o5I_20061214.html">polar bears</a> around the world fall on my shoulders.<br /><br />Pardon me, I'm off to sort my recycling, unplug my chargers and keep those polar bears happy. Get to it!Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-70977619380446196232007-04-18T23:11:00.000-05:002007-04-18T23:37:04.348-05:00The hotter they fallI’ve never been much of an environmentalist, but recent developments have definitely made me wonder what the fuck is going on.<br /><br />For a few years now, it seems to have become an accepted fact that global temperatures are rising; the only debate has been over whether this issue is man-made or naturally occurring, and how quickly it’s happening.<br /><br />Then in February, I skimmed over the <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report</a> that concluded “it is very likely that human activities are causing global warming.” (The only real controversy this report evoked was that they settled for 90% likelihood, while most respected scientists on the panel were pushing to declare 95% likelihood or more.)<br /><br />Then earlier this week, a <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9580815">group of retired American generals and admirals</a> delivered a concerned report that stating that global warming could provoke serious national security threats. These generals recommend that climate change should be integrated into national security strategies, and that the US should “vow to help stabilize climate changes at levels that will avoid significant disruption to global security and stability.”<br /><br />More recently, the US Council on Foreign Relations presented its case to the House or Representatives. Council President Richard Haass, who originally worked as a national security director for Bush Senior and has been a close friend of Colin Powell, led his case with this statement:<br /><br /><blockquote>Should climate change be treated as a national security matter? The short and clear answer is “yes.” Countries are unlikely to go to war over levels of greenhouse gas emissions, but they may well go to war over the results of climate change, including water shortages and large-scale human migration. Climate change, by contributing to disease, extreme weather, challenges from insects that attack both food production and people, water shortages, and the loss of arable land, will also contribute to state failure, which in turn provides opportunities for activities such as terrorism, illegal drugs, and slavery that exploit “sovereignty deficits.”</blockquote><br /><br />And then just yesterday, the British Foreign Secretary took the issue of climate change <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/18/news/climate.php">to the UN Security Council</a>. "The Security Council is the forum to discuss issues that threaten the peace and security of the international community. What makes wars start? Fights over water. Changing patterns of rainfall. Fights over food production, land use," she said. This is the first time the Council has discussed global warming; fifty bucks says it won’t be the last.<br /><br />But wait a sec…isn’t all this global warming mumbo-jumbo just a bunch of hippie bullshit? Of course it is. After all, the only people talking about it are tree-hugging pinko leftists—you know, extreme liberals like a respected panel of scientists, a collection of retired military leaders, a former Bush security advisor and the United Nations Security Council. Sounds like Woodstock to me.<br /><br />I don’t bring this up because I’m a die-hard environmentalist. I’m not. I don’t even recycle much. But maybe it really is time to step up the urgency on this issue. This may even be the big opportunity that flings America back to the forefront of global struggle the world is begging it to fight, all under the pretext of complementing the global struggle we’re currently fighting.<br /><br />In fact, Bush can use this as a great way to get some of his popularity back, internationally and at home. He has a chance to “steal” the environment issue from liberals on the basis of global security. In the end, it could be a legacy that saves millions of lives and made the world love America again, but for the right reasons: leadership, technology, morality.<br /><br />Somebody buy Cheney a Prius already.Gordon the Gnomehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02021826227117106133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-6375606145755524572007-03-14T19:27:00.000-05:002007-03-14T23:42:38.168-05:00I did a pink bracket! For women!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS2F2vDo8olZ0oUkcstn14WA48ArtvRsZwsPKnNOvAXb_t1FFapQiCNVy-9ApruJVzzN5KlELj8TZbGl_i0m5ch097HdesBsKYWAJK2Z27lyl0yTc86Vkfw9DcRCsAHtLRwG16g/s1600-h/Bam!.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS2F2vDo8olZ0oUkcstn14WA48ArtvRsZwsPKnNOvAXb_t1FFapQiCNVy-9ApruJVzzN5KlELj8TZbGl_i0m5ch097HdesBsKYWAJK2Z27lyl0yTc86Vkfw9DcRCsAHtLRwG16g/s320/Bam!.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041979699452565586" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Mandasaurus attended numerous Rockford Lightning basketball games as a child, used to get rides to class with Illini players and wishes she could palm a regulation basketball. She really appreciates you reading this blog.</span><br /><br />I'll be honest - I don't know a lot about the NCAA Womens' Basketball Tournament. But I'm learning.<br /><br />I saw a commercial for the Women's Tourney and I was stirred. Theses women kick ass! They're big and tough and they can shoot. Plus you can bet on them with an easy-to-use bracket (I used ESPN's).<br /><br />There's lots of reasons to enjoy women's basketball, not least of which is the fine game the women play. I've heard the games are fun and you can get up-close to the players.<br /><br />Also, as one fan told me, "Female athletes are hot." Fair enough. I, personally, dig the physique of some male athletes and I'm not ashamed to say so.<br /><br />I've upped the interest for some friends and I by creating a pool. With a $5 investment I'm raring to watch these games go down.<br /><br />You can copy me and start your own Women's Bracket Pool. For a cool $5 apiece my pals and I are betting on the women. We're going to have a party at <a href="http://www.ventnorsportscafe.com/Home.php">Ventnor's</a> for the final game and I'm baking cookies. I asked some trivia buddies to join my bracket pool and all of them (all men) were psyched.<br /><br />I picked Maryland, which might have been stupid. Or not. Heck, I still have time to change it up and pick the Sooners! That <a href="http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=2537&SPID=193&SPORT_TAB_SEL=02&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=300&ATCLID=167690&Q_SEASON=2005">Courtney Paris is amazing</a>, according to<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.aolsportsblog.com/bloggers/michael-david-smith/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> my sports guru</span></a><a href="http://www.aolsportsblog.com/bloggers/michael-david-smith/">. </a><br /><br />I've decided to become a fan of women's basketball. I can't slam dunk, and neither can most people, but I'd sure like to see someone in a sports bra try. Wouldn't you?Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-1173672312846291122007-03-11T22:33:00.000-05:002007-03-12T00:45:36.020-05:00Smurfing Good Brackets *using little to no knowledge of current basketball wisdom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9Rh2TvDBAm1kkzGf3NDUJKtCbkewa2bVnFQOT2qsbnC1tCJMybamVk5gMbQ2wI8WaJFoaIMjUUzjYwXkfIDELTQoqeav_P2KhdajaLahyphenhyphenjSfQA1FfKLZkXK7apxWCn_8vUWR1Q/s1600-h/20211_basketball_var1a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9Rh2TvDBAm1kkzGf3NDUJKtCbkewa2bVnFQOT2qsbnC1tCJMybamVk5gMbQ2wI8WaJFoaIMjUUzjYwXkfIDELTQoqeav_P2KhdajaLahyphenhyphenjSfQA1FfKLZkXK7apxWCn_8vUWR1Q/s320/20211_basketball_var1a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040907754480107938" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Mandasaurus might suck at making a reasonable prediction about any sporting event, but she does not suck at making creme brulee (which involves a torch). Creme brulee attempt No. 1 was a smashing (if over-sugared) success and that's sweeter than your picks making it to the Sweet 16.</span><br /><br />It's time to bracket-up on your bracketology and bracket your bracket over to bracketville, or whatever. I'm never right at picking brackets because I use the flawed logic of denying teams predicted success if I dislike their school, state, team colors, mascot or if their coach is an asshole. Somehow, in my mind, teams feel bad when I don't pick them to go all the way and they consider change their evil ways.<br /><br />One year I picked Illinois (my alma mater) to go all the way and beat Texas (a school in my least favorite state) by more than 100 points. This year I'll definitely eliminate schools like Ohio State (jerks), Old Dominion (likely involvement in the Confederacy) and Oral Roberts (possibly conservative). Since it's unwise to remove No. 1 seeds I'll wait for a really crazy situation to predict Kansas' defeat, perhaps by Illinois. Alternately, Kansas could be defeated by a team of dragons.<br /><br />To be ESPN-ish I'll go sub-bracket by sub-bracket to explain some factors you'd probably want to consider.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Midwest</span><br /><ul><li>Maryland is a No. 4 seed despite a crappy loss in the first round of the ACC - what gives? Perhaps the Terps can get it together, but I think they've probably been mis-seeded.</li><li>I think that Florida could easily be trounced in the regionals. That's just a feeling I'm having. My roommate is from Florida (the state) and says that Florida (the team) might have won the tournament last year. Hmm.</li><li>I like Notre Dame because the Fighting Irish have at least three excellent alums: two nice parents from my work and the West Wing's President Josiah Bartlett.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;">West</span><br /><ul><li>To me Illinois looks awesome in this sub-bracket. I like to imagine that Illinois is using this week to really, really practice free throws and getting the ball through the hoop even if there are tall dudes from the other team all over the place.</li><li>Look! Southern Illinois - those guys look good too.</li><li>Indiana and Kansas both sucks. Kansas really sucks the most because their coach is Bill Self. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Self">Wikipedia's Bill Self page</a>: <blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">After the 2003 season, Self left Illinois, <span style="font-weight: bold;">after insisting he wasn't leaving</span>, to take his "dream job", the head coaching job at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Kansas" title="University of Kansas">Kansas</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span> <blockquote></blockquote>Leaving after you say you aren't leaving is dishonest, nasty behavior. Illinois is better off with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Weber_%28coach%29">Bruce Weber</a>, a real man (who occasionally dons an orange suit!) and a really good coach. But for the record, picking Kansas sucks.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;">South</span><br /><ul><li>Memphis is home of Graceland and great basketball, duh. Pick those guys.<br /></li><li>Virginia deserves picking because of two things: Thomas Jefferson and <a href="http://www.jaberwoke.com/">Jaberwoke</a>. Jaberwoke is a sandwich shop in UVA's campus town with the<a href="http://www.jaberwoke.com/menu2.html">best sandwich I've ever had</a>. Ever.<br /></li><li>I don't really think it's wise to go for North Texas or Central Conneticut State. Just a hunch.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;">East</span><br /><ul><li>As I will suggest for the rest of my days - <span style="font-size:180%;">UNC sucks</span>. That team is full of cheaters and too-big players. Looking at the <a href="http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/#00">tarheel blue</a> uniforms will hurt your eyes. If your team plays UNC your team will be subject to <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ticky-tack">ticky-tack</a> fouls and poor officiating. You'll be so mad that you'll come to say, just as those before you do, "UNC sucks."<br /></li><li>I would strongly consider teams like George Washington University, Michigan State and New Mexico State.<br /></li><li>Picking Texas Tech is picking Bobby Knight. Bobby Knight is an outrage. He's absolutely nuts. He is a menace to the NCAA. He is mean and terrible.</li></ul>My bracket will be a masterpiece. I'll use my amazing logic and probably some wisdom from my good friend <a href="http://www.aolsportsblog.com/bloggers/michael-david-smith/">Michael David Smith</a> who writes the only sports blog I read.<br /><br />If my teams don't win I can still enjoy a cold beer as your teams do. And if UNC wins it all, I'll be growling until baseball season starts and I can bet it all on the Cubbies. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Loyalty">I-L-L!</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Mandasaurushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17472402177853055455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-1172345730774619352007-02-24T13:25:00.000-06:002007-02-24T13:35:30.806-06:00Reporting the buildup to a war, take threeMedia critic Dan Froomkin from the Washington Post has a <a href="http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=background.view&backgroundid=00156">few suggestions</a> for the press corps as we gear up for yet <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/12/122254/478">another military conflict</a> with the bad guys. Seeing as how we've been through this a couple times now, let's see what we can learn.<br /><br /><blockquote><h3>You Can’t Be Too Skeptical of Authority</h3><ul><li>Don’t assume anything administration officials tell you is true. In fact, you are probably better off assuming anything they tell you is a lie.</li></ul><ul><li>Demand proof for their every assertion. Assume the proof is a lie. Demand that they prove that their proof is accurate.</li></ul><ul><li>Just because they say it, doesn’t mean it should be make the headlines. The absence of supporting evidence for their assertion -- or a preponderance of evidence that contradicts the assertion -- may be more newsworthy than the assertion itself.</li></ul><ul><li>Don’t print anonymous assertions. Demand that sources make themselves accountable for what they insist is true.</li></ul><h3>Provocation Alone Does Not Justify War</h3><ul><li>War is so serious that even proving the existence of a <em>casus belli</em> isn’t enough. Make officials prove to the public that going to war will make things better.</li></ul><ul><li>Demand to know what happens if the war (or tactical strike) doesn’t go as planned?</li></ul><ul><li>Demand to know what happens if it does? What happens after “victory”?</li></ul><ul><li>Ask them: Isn’t it possible this will make things worse, rather than better?</li></ul><h3>Be Particularly Skeptical of Secrecy</h3><ul><li>Don’t assume that these officials, with their access to secret intelligence, know more than you do.</li></ul><ul><li>Alternately, assume that they do indeed know more than you do – and are trying to keep intelligence that would undermine their arguments secret.</li></ul><h3>Watch for Rhetorical Traps</h3><ul><li>Keep an eye on how advocates of war frame the arguments. Don’t buy into those frames unless you think they’re fair.</li></ul><ul><li>Keep a particular eye out for the no-lose construction. For example: If we can’t find evidence of WMD, that proves Saddam is hiding them.</li></ul><ul><li>Watch out for false denials. In the case of Iran, when administration officials say “nobody is talking about invading Iran,” point out that the much more likely scenario is bombing Iran, and that their answer is therefore a dodge.</li></ul><h3>Don’t Just Give Voice to the Administration Officials</h3><ul><li>Give voice to the skeptics; don’t marginalize and mock them.</li></ul><ul><li>Listen to and quote the people who got it right last time: The intelligence officials, state department officials, war-college instructors and many others who predicted the problem we are now facing, but who were largely ignored.</li></ul><ul><li>Offer the greatest and most guaranteed degree of confidentiality to whisteblowers offering information that contradicts the official government position. (By contrast, don’t offer any confidentiality to administration spinners.)</li></ul><h3>Look Outside Our Borders</h3><ul><li>Pay attention to international opinion.</li></ul><ul><li>Raise the question: What do people in other countries think? Why should we be so different?</li></ul><ul><li>Keep an eye out for how the international press is covering this story. Why should we be so different?</li></ul><h3>Understand the Enemy</h3><ul><li>Listen to people on the other side, and report their position.</li></ul><ul><li>Send more reporters into the country we are about to attack and learn about their views, their politics and their culture.</li></ul><ul><li>Don’t allow the population of any country to be demonized. All humans deserve to be humanized.</li></ul><ul><li>Demand to know why the administration won’t open a dialogue with the enemy. Refusing to talk to someone you are threatening to attack should be considered inherently suspect behavior.</li></ul><h3>Encourage Public Debate</h3><ul><li>The nation is not well served when issues of war and peace are not fully debated in public. It’s reasonable for the press to demand that Congress engage in a full, substantial debate.</li></ul><ul><li>Cover the debate exhaustively and substantively.</li></ul><h3>Write about Motives</h3><ul><li>Historically, the real motives for wars have often not been the public motives. Try to report on the motivations of the key advocates for war.</li></ul><ul><li>Don’t assume that the administration is being forthright about its motives.</li></ul><ul><li>If no one in the inner circle will openly discuss their motives, then encourage reasonable speculation about their motives.</li></ul><h3>Talk to the Military</h3><ul><li>Find out what the military is being told to prepare for.</li></ul></blockquote>Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-1171611502691958622007-02-16T01:37:00.000-06:002007-02-16T01:38:22.710-06:00Sunni or Shiite?Take the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/popup?id=2875100">Sunni or Shiite quiz</a>. I went 8 for 8. But the real question is, can you beat <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/08/04/bush-didnt-know-there-we_n_26528.html">our president</a>?Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29410276.post-1171445587696808532007-02-14T03:18:00.000-06:002007-02-14T03:35:17.983-06:00Plot holes? What plot holes?All those with even a vague interest in Star Wars should read <a href="http://www.morningstar.nildram.co.uk/A_New_Sith.html">Keith Martin's brilliant update</a> of the first Star Wars movie (aka A New Hope). It incorporates what we learned in the prequels and uses Geroge Lucas' gaping plot holes as an opportunity to tie things together; let's just say R2-D2 is more than he appears. This may be the <a href="http://www.morningstar.nildram.co.uk/A_New_Sith.html">coolest Star Wars piece</a> I've ever read.<br /><br />I got the Star Wars story courtesy of my favorite blog of the moment, <a href="http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/">Kung Fu Monkey</a>. It's written by a screenwriter on Catwoman and the new <a href="http://www.transformersmovie.com/">Transformers movie</a>, no less. His <a href="http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2007/01/repost-crazification-factor.html">mini-screenplay</a> responding to one of Bush's speeches absolutely cracked me up. (Though not as much as the baby video below.)<span class="techno_link"><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Star Wars" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/A New Hope" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Chewie" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/R2-D2" class="techno_link" rel="tag"></a></span>Buck B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07115946809495040923noreply@blogger.com0